Chapter 33

Standing at a fork in the road, Ash was looking on ahead, using his eyes to determine where to go while clutching one of the straps of his backpack. Beside him, Brock stood with a map in hand, ignoring his dark-haired traveling companion as he tried to figure out where they were. For Christmas, Professor Oak was going to let them stay in a cabin of his that was nearby. But before then, they needed to get to it first.

"I say we go this way!" Ash suggested, pointing up the right trail.

"No way!" Brock protested as he took a step backward. "We'd get there quicker, but it goes straight up a mountain."

"What's a little hill?" the boy replied, and without waiting for a response, the stubborn Trainer smiled and intertwined his fingers behind his head before walking up the path he chose. Frowning, Brock put away the now-useless map in his hands and hurried up to catch up to his friend. But as they continued up the path, the dirt quickly turned into snow that crunched underneath their shoes. Legs already tired from the uphill traveling, Brock suddenly stopped when they turned the corner and looked on ahead. The uphill path wasn't even the start of the mountain, but just the obstacle course to get to the actual mountain.

"I think we better just turn around and go the other way," Brock suggested as they stopped for a break, his mouth crunched up in the corner of the face as he studied the steady mountainside they had to climb. Not only that, but everything was already covered in a couple inches of snow, and it would only get worse as they ascended.

Despite the warning, Ash stubbornly wore his mask of determination, and smirked at the challenge. "A Pokémon Master stays on course no matter what the challenge," he said. "I'm not gonna let a little pile of snow stop me." Besides, this cold was nothing compared to what they had just experienced at the North Pole.

He wore his smirk the entire walk, with Brock trailing slowly behind. As they got higher and higher on the mountain, Brock pulled out a blanket from his backpack – his gift from Santa Claus – and wrapped the magenta-colored covering around his body as they traveled. The snow was greatly slowing down their progress, but didn't seem to be accumulating any more, which was lucky for them, but Ash's ego wasn't going to let anything stop them.

"According to the map, we should be pretty close to the top," Brock said, breaking the silence between the two as he looked at the map in one hand, and then looked at the face of his compass that was in the other. "Woah, that's weird..."

"What's weird?" Ash asked, stopping for the first time and turning around with a cocked eyebrow.

"The compass went crazy!" Brock looked up toward the peak of the mountain. "This mountain must have so much iron that it's throwing the needle off!" Ash gasped. Sure, they had gotten lost many times, but it would be really bad if they were lost on the top of a snowy mountain. Brock could read the anxiety displayed on his face, and smiled and looked to the sky. "Now, don't panic. If the sun's out there about three o'clock... according to my calculations that means..."

"What?! What does it mean?!" Brock studied the map while Ash stared with a small smile of anticipation before the former Gym Leader lowered his hand.

"We're lost." Ash fell to the ground at the bluntness of the statement, and as he lay with his face buried in the snow, he wracked his brain for ideas. He pulled himself off the ground and brushed the snow off him with a frown – it was his idea that they come up this mountain, now he should be the one to get them down. Professor Oak's cabin was just on the other side, after all.

He smiled as something came to him, and he raised a finger in the air. "Oh, I know!" he exclaimed, and pulled out a Poké Ball before tossing it into the air. "Pidgeotto, I choose you!" The ball opened in half and released the energy inside, forming into the red-crested bird Pokémon.

"Pigeoooo!" his Pokémon shrilled as it appeared, and looked down at its Trainer.

"Okay Pidgeotto, go find a trail that will lead us to Professor Oak's cabin!"

"Pidgeot, Pigeoooo!" It gave a call of response, and flapped away until it was nothing more than a speck in the sky. The pair sat in silence, and used the opportunity of a break to catch their breath. However, the altitude they were at made it a little harder to breathe, and it almost pained his lungs to even take in air. What was really killing them was the anticipation. Would Pidgeotto be able to find a way to the cabin? Luckily, they didn't wait too much longer, as the Bird Pokémon came back a while later, announcing its presence with a cry that echoed over the mountains and hills that surrounded them.

"Did you find a way to go down?" Ash asked his Pokémon excitedly, and Pidgeotto – while continuing to flap with one of its wings, pointed the other one up the path ahead. "Good work, Pidgeotto! See? No sweat!" The latter part he said to Brock, who smiled and nodded at Pidgeotto's good work, and after the younger Trainer told his Pokémon to show them the way, they carried on along the mountainside.

o 0 o

The path that Pidgeotto had led them finally spit them out onto solid flatland. It was white as far as the eye could see, and with the way obvious from here, Ash returned his Pidgeotto back into its Poké Ball. And they were so focused on the goal ahead and wanting to get out of the snowy wasteland that they failed to notice the dark clouds that loomed overhead and started to spit out flakes from their underbellies. "Hey, it's snowing..." Ash murmured, trying but failing to hide the anxiety in his voice.

"The weather in these mountains is totally unpredictable," Brock commented, looking up to the sky that had – last they saw – been a clear blue.

"We better get moving fast before the sun goes down. C'mon." The snow gave them a little bit more encouragement to travel further, but at the same time also seemed to be slowing them down the more it built up on the ground. Due to not being traveled a whole lot, their shoes and socks were soaked to the bone from having to create their own path.

As time went on and they got deeper into the mountainous region, the wind began to pick up drastically. Not only that, but the snowflakes that fell from the sky seemed to be getting larger, and pelted Ash's face like snowballs. At the fast speed they were blowing past him, they almost felt like someone was throwing them at him as well.

Brock's blanket was wrapped tightly around the Pokémon Breeder's body, but with only his sleeping bag in his pack, he used an alternate method and called upon his Charmander. Tucking the Pokémon underneath his outer jacket so the Lizard Pokémon didn't get cold, they both kept each other warm, with the light from Charmander's tail also cutting through the darkness of the blizzard, but only a few feet in front of them.

"Let's just keep looking!" Ash cried, having to yell to Brock over the howling of the wind. The cabin was nearby – that was what Pidgeotto had told him, and once they were there they would be safe from the blizzard. Brock disagreed, however.

"I think we better stop and set up camp for the night!" The words grabbed Ash's attention, and his shoes sunk into the steadily rising snow as he turned toward his traveling companion.

"But the cabin's gotta be close!"

"C'mon, Ash," Brock argued. "There's no way we'll find anything in this blizzard!"

"I'm not scared of the snow," Ash shot back, hugging Charmander close to him as the wind picked up a bit more. "Let's keep going."

"No way, Ash. When a storm gets bad, it's best to dig in and let it blow over. And besides, the sun's gonna set soon; not even the bravest Pokémon Master would wander around in a snowstorm in the dark."

Ash opened his mouth to argue back, but Brock's words had logic to them, and he buttoned his lips and pushed aside his stubbornness with a nod. "I guess you're right," he gave in.

"Good. Let's start digging a cave in the snow."

"All right," the Pallet Town Trainer agreed. He had only taken a few steps forward when the wind blew stronger than it ever had yet, and with enough force to knock Ash off his feet and onto his backside. The boy let out a cry as he landed comfortably in the snow, but upon hitting the ground, his arms involuntarily opened to catch himself, and when they did, Charmander went falling out of his hands and flew backwards. If the wind was powerful enough to blow Ash off his feet, then it had absolutely no problem blowing Charmander away, and Ash let out a cry of horror as Charmander tumbled backwards until it was swallowed up by the darkness. "Charmanderrrr!" Without a second thought, Ash jumped to his feet and ran forth in the direction that Charmander had disappeared to and leaving Brock behind.

The wind was howling loudly and the snow was stinging Ash's face to the point of numbing, but the only thing on his mind was finding Charmander safe. The blizzard was raging so powerfully that he wouldn't be able to see Charmander's tail flame from a distance, and it also swallowed up any trails that Charmander had left behind against its will while being blown backward. But Ash persisted, and with his wet gloves wrapped around his bare elbows, he trudged through the knee-deep snow. "CHARMANDER! WHERE ARE YOU?!" he howled, and flinched as another gust of wind threatened to take him off his feet, holding onto his hat until it stopped before continuing forward. "CHARMANDER! I'M HERE! CHARMANDER?!" It was almost useless, and fear held his heart tightly as he called himself hoarse. "CHARMANDER! IT'S ME, AA-AAAHHHH!" Lurching forward as his foot caught on something beneath the snow, he fell flat onto his face, slowly sinking into the snow when he landed.

The pause brought him back to reality, and his mind was going a mile a minute. He needed to find Charmander, but it was like finding a needle in a haystack in this weather. And it was all his fault for being stubborn and not wanting to turn back. What if-

His head perked up, and he blinked away the snow from his eyelashes. He could hear something just barely underneath the howling of the wind that was now muffled now that he was lower to the ground. Straining his ears, he listened hard, and he could hear it again. "...aaarrrrrmaaannddeeerrr..." It was haunting and was carried by the breeze, but he would recognize that voice anywhere. It was Charmander's cry!

Jumping to his feet for the second time that day, he cupped his hands around his mouth and cried out again, this time louder than ever. "CHARMANDEERRRR!" He lowered and waited for a response, and this time, he got one.

"Charmander-Char...!" It was extremely muffled and sounded far away, but it was better than nothing.

"Charmander...!" the dark-haired boy muttered, whipping his head in the direction he thought Charmander's voice was originating from. Now his pants were completely soaked, and the snow had already moved past his knees and was quickly rising. The skin on his legs was so cold they felt like they were on fire, but Charmander's voice was all the motivation he could ask for.

His heart leaped into his throat when the ground underneath him crumbled, and he let out a cry of fright. The blizzard was blocking his vision, and he had walked straight off a ledge. Turning around, his fingers dragged through the snow and dirt as fear tickled his chest and neck. But he landed on his backside after sliding several feet with a thump, and coughed. He had bitten his tongue upon impact, but he was just grateful to be able to be alive.

Sitting a few minutes to catch his breath, he panted out in puffs as he steadied himself, but a loud cry pulled him back to the situation at hand. "Charman! Char!" The cry sounded like it was very close by, and the Trainer's head shot up upon hearing it.

"Charmander?!" he called. Looking ahead, he saw that he had fell onto a small landing, and standing up, he hurried over and looked down the landing. Holding on for dear life, Charmander was gripping a rock that was jutting out of the cliffside with one hand. Cold and numbness had taken the other hand and made it useless, but the Fire-type's eyes lit up when it saw its Trainer peer down at it.

"Charman...!"

"Charmander! Here, grab a hold of my hand!" Ash instructed to it, and got as low has he could while extending his open palm to the Fire Pokémon.

"Charmander..." his Pokémon groaned, reaching its free hand up. Both of them struggled and reached as hard as they could to get to one another. Closer and closer they reached, and finally, their fingers touched.

"Charmander!" Ash breathed with relief, but it was much too soon, as suddenly, the rock that the Fire-type had been holding onto crumbled, and Charmander plummeted down just as Ash's fingers closed on thin air. "CHARMANDER!" Charmander screamed as it plunged down, but before it could get swallowed into the darkness, it grabbed hold on another rock that was jutting out of the side of the cliff. Ash's hand hung limply down, but he didn't waste time letting out a relieved sigh this time, and looked around for something – anything.

"Cmon, think..." he murmured to himself. The intense cold was making his reaction time slower, and his thinking was dragging along with it. "I gotta figure out a way to- I KNOW!" His eyes lit up as the light bulb in his head flashed on, and he instantly jumped to his soaked feet and whipped out a Poké Ball. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

In a bright flash of light that stood out even among the white background, Bulbasaur's form stood beside Ash when the glow around it faded. "Bulbasaur!"

"Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip to pull Charmander up the side of that cliff!"

"Bulbasaur," his Pokémon responded, and a single vine retracted out from underneath its bulb and slowly extended down the cliffside like a fishing line. Though it blew back and forth in the strong wind, Bulbasaur did its best to keep it steady, and it finally hung down beside Charmander, who grabbed it in its free hand.

"That's it! Now hold on tight and we'll pull 'ya right up!" Ash called down.

"Char-" Charmander began, and let go of the rock it had been holding onto and clutched both hands around the end of the vine. But its hands were too cold and numb, and they easily lost their grip. Before Ash and Bulbasaur knew it, Charmander was plummeting further down through the air, and they both gasped in fright.

"CHARMANDEERRRRRR!" Ash screamed, helplessly holding out his hands as he threw himself to his stomach. He didn't care if his stomach and clothes got wet – all he cared about was Charmander.

Bulbasaur gave a loud cry as well, and thinking fast, it extended its second vine down from the other side of its bulb and both of them shot down as fast as lightning and wrapped around Charmander's midsection. The Fire Pokémon smiled and let out a visible sigh of relief when its descent had been stopped. "All right! Nice job, Bulbasaur!" Ash said to his Pokémon, and wrapped his freezing fingers around the vines to help pull up the dangling Pokémon. As Ash pulled the vines, Bulbasaur slowly retracted them, not wanting anything to go wrong. "Almost there. We almost got you, Charmander..."

"Charmander Char!" Charmander cried happily. Finally, the Lizard Pokémon appeared over the ledge and Ash quickly cupped his hands under the Fire-type's armpits and lifted it up. When Bulbasaur pulled in the remainder of its vines, Ash wrapped his arms around Charmander.

"Charmander!" he exclaimed, and held the Fire Pokémon tightly in his arms as tears prickled at his tear ducts. "You had me scared, buddy. I was afraid I lost 'ya..."

"Charman Char... Charmander," his Pokémon responded, its own eyes teary as well.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur added with a wide grin.

"Charmander! Charman!" Charmander stated, pointing up to the top of the cliff and then narrowing its eyes with a serious look on its face. "Charman."

"Oh, Brock!" Ash stated, instantly understanding what his Pokémon was saying. "You're right; we better go back!" Recalling Bulbasaur back into its Poké Ball, Ash wrapped Charmander up in his jacket and held it close before attempting to climb up the snowy ledge that he had slid down to get here. But he could only get so far before sliding down. A shiver was sent up his back, and he tried again, but once again, he just slid down and landed in a collection of snow. He hadn't even made it halfway up either. "It's no use; we can't get back up."

He frowned; he could see the top – maybe Brock went after him. Taking in a deep gulp of air, he expelled it loudly. "Hey Brooooock!" he screamed, but the wind picked up, and even he knew that he was barely audible. "He'll never hear me..." He looked up and saw that the sun had gone down, and another gust of wind made Charmander shiver. Ash could feel the Lizard Pokémon shaking against his body, and he looked down to see the Fire-type flinching against the cold. "Charmander! We can't stay here all night..." Another idea popped into his head, and he stared at the snowy ledge just ahead. "Hey, we can build a snow cave; just like Brock said!"

Holding his shivering Pokémon close to his body, he dug with his free hand into the snow. "We'll be okay, Charmander," he assured it. Charmander gave a weak reply, and just then, it was Ash's turn to flinch, and he looked at his fingers that were red from cold. "My hands are getting too numb to dig in the snow anymore..." Looking down at the Pokémon in his jacket, he gave the Pokémon a bashful look. "Hey Charmander, is there any way you could use your Flamethrower to blast through the snow?"

Charmander nodded. It didn't want to disappoint its Trainer, and it struggled free of its grasp in Ash's jacket before pulling in a deep breath and expelling it as flames. "Char Chaaaaaaarrrrr!" The flames slammed against the side of the cliff, and any flames that flickered off from the main stream instantly evaporated from the falling snow. But, despite the rough time it had, Charmander continued its attack, and finally, when the attack faded, a deep cave had been made, large enough for Ash to stand in.

"Woah, not bad!" he complimented with a smile, and him and Charmander retreated inside, but their job wasn't done yet. He pulled out two more Poké Balls and threw them one at a time. "Wartortle!"

"Wartor Wartor!" his starter Pokémon let out happily upon being released.

"Bulbasaur!" Another flash of light illuminated the cave briefly, and once again, Bulbasaur appeared in the snow, this time standing beside Wartortle and free from being pelted by the blizzard.

"Bulba-saur!"

"Okay everybody, let's get to work and seal off this cave!" The three Pokémon all lined up like soldier recruits in front of Ash, and they all nodded when their orders had been given. Using snow from the back of the cave that was all mushy thanks to the residual flames from Charmander's stomach, they each took the biggest clumps that they could carry in their hands – or in Bulbasaur's case, vines – and threw it at the exit of the newly-made cave. Despite their exhaustion, particularly Ash's and Charmander's, they worked tirelessly by packing down the snow to form a wall so the cold wind couldn't come in. It took a lot of back and forth, but not nearly as long as it would have taken if Ash hadn't still been trying to dig the cave with his hand by himself.

"That ought to do it!" Ash said with one last pat, sealing the outside storm off and leaving an eerie silence hanging in the cave without the wind howling in his ear. But over the ringing, he could hear his Pokémon moaning quietly, and he turned around to see the three all huddled in the back of the cave, still shivering. "Okay, now all we have to do is warm this place up! Let's all get around Charmander's flame."

"Char!" The Pokémon obliged, and when it turned its back to them and lifted its tail, they all gathered around the only source of light. The three behind it all held their hands up to warm them after carrying all that snow, and Bulbasaur let out a grunt of complaint. Being a Grass-type, Ash was sure that Bulbasaur was feeling it the most out of all of them. But, Charmander gave its pal a smile and nodded, and the flames on its tail perked up, as if someone twisted a knob to high on a stove. Everyone gave a murmur of appreciation, and Ash's grin spread from ear to ear.

"The heat is on!"

o 0 o

Time went on, and the heat emanating from Charmander's tail eventually made it bearable in the cave. Despite his clothes being soaked and clinging to his body, he had managed to stop shivering, as did his other Pokémon.

The blizzard still roaring outside would occasionally knock at the makeshift door they had made together, but it held together well. And while he was holed up in this cave with his Pokémon, his mind was elsewhere, as a frown hinted at his thoughts. "I hope Brock is okay..." he murmured quietly under his breath. He hoped his friend wasn't still out looking for him, if he even went after him at all.

Heavily breathing grabbed his attention back to the cave, and his other Pokémon gave murmurs of concern as he turned and looked back at Charmander. The flame on its tail was getting smaller, and it was the Lizard Pokémon who was breathing heavily. And though it wasn't looking at him, Ash could tell that the Fire-type was exhausted after all it had been through. "Charmander, are you okay?" Charmander looked back with a smile that didn't reach its tired eyes, and it gave a single nod. "Your flame's all used up." Plucking his Pokémon's Poké Ball from his belt, he held it up. "C'mon, get back in your Poké Ball and rest." Charmander shook its head back and forth, even though it looked ready to collapse at any moment.

"Char... Char..."

"Come on! You have to conserve your energy!" Ash said stubbornly, and the red recall beam shot out. Charmander flinched back as if to begin to resist, but it had already hit it and the cave went dark as their only source of light was brought into the red and white sphere. "Come to think of it, the Poké Balls ought to be pretty warm!" the Pallet Town Trainer thought aloud as he pressed the center button and shrank Charmander's Poké Ball down to size, and he looked down at the other Pokémon remaining. "Okay, you're going back into your Poké Balls!"

Bulbasaur and Squirtle responded quickly and the same way Charmander did by rocking their heads back and forth defiantly. "You have to!" Ash ordered, and pulled out their Poké Balls. "You'll be a lot warmer in your Poké Balls than out here in the cold!"

Bulbasaur took a step back, but with nowhere to run to, it simply let out a loud cry of reluctance that fell upon deaf ears as it was pulled back into its Poké Ball. Putting away Bulbasaur's Poké Ball, he held out Wartortle's next. "Wartortle, in you go."

"Wartor!" the Water-type exclaimed, shaking its head so its ears waved with it, and it jumped forward and latched itself onto Ash's upper body. The jump took the Trainer by surprise, and he stumbled backwards in order to balance with the added weight.

"Wartortle!" he cried, and tried to pull the Turtle Pokémon from his shirt, but the Water-type, despite shivering from cold, held on tightly.

"Tooorrrrr!"

"You... want to stay out to help keep me warm?" Wartortle smiled and gave a murmur of response as it leaned its head against Ash's chest, and he couldn't help but smile and embrace his Pokémon. "Wartortle..."

Going in the back of the cave now, the pair huddled with Ash's back against the snow. Without the constant heat from Charmander's tail flame, the temperature quickly dropped once again, and the boy was shivering to the point he thought even his bone marrow was freezing. His concerns were on his Pokémon that refused to go into its Poké Ball, and he wrapped his jacket around its shell best he could in an attempt to keep the Water Pokémon warm.

His eyes lingered on the blue Pokémon in his arms, and then trailed down to the Poké Balls that he knew were attached to his belt. "I h-hope my Pokémon are... warm enough..." he stuttered through chattering teeth. His concern for them was more than his concern for his own well-being, and after a few moments of deliberation, he took off his jacket and folded it as neatly as he could before plucking the five Poké Balls from his belt and placing them down. Only Tauros's Poké Ball stuck out among the red and white, as it was the only one with a green cap.

Taking the bottom of his jacket, he tucked it up and over the Poké Balls so that the storing devices were carefully covered like eggs, and then folded the rest of the jacket like a blanket over them before drawing the damp jacket to himself. "That should help!" he stated, and smiled over at Wartortle. "Come here, Wartortle." The black-haired Trainer laughed as Wartortle grinned and hopped up on Ash's lap. It settled itself down on Ash's lap has it had before, but this time sitting on the tucked-up jacket.

They had barely had time to settle and get comfortable – or as comfortable as they could be – before suddenly, a powerful gust of wind knocked at the snow they had packed once again. This time, it managed to break through, and towards the bottom, some of the snow collapsed, sending in a mixture of gusts and snow. Ash let out a scream and got to his feet immediately before running over and doing the first thing that came to mind: throwing his back against the hole to stop the cold, rushing air from coming in. While it succeeded in stopping the winds from coming in, Wartortle looked on helplessly as Ash's teeth clacked together from the intense cold playing the xylophone up and down his spine. It almost hurt from how much the wind was hitting him. "I-it's so cold!" he screamed, and pressed his eyelids together to try and power through it.

"Wartor-" Wartortle whined, holding out its arms in concern for its Trainer, but Ash cut it off.

"Listen to me! You've got to get in your Poké Ball now, Wartortle!" he ordered with his eyebrows clashing together.

"Wartor tle!" it argued by shaking its head back and forth.

"I'm serious! Get in your Poké Ball now!"

"Ttttlllleee!"

"Wartortle!"

"Wartor-War..." His Pokémon spoke back softly this time, and it wrapped its arms around Ash's leg. The concern it was showing made Ash's icy look melt a bit, and he realized that his Pokémon was only being defiant out of love.

"I promise I'm gonna be okay," he told it calmly. "As long as I know you're safe."

Wartortle's brown eyes glared up at him whilst sticking out its lip. "Wartor."

"Wartortle! It's an order."

"Wartor-Wartor!" his Pokémon responded by shaking its head again. But before Ash could open his mouth to argue in response, from across the cave, his jacket began to shift, and five flashes of light emerged like geysers, briefly lighting up the area as his Pokémon appeared.

"Bulba!"

"Charr!"

"Pigeeooo!"

"Mooo!"

"Mankeyy!"

All of his Pokémon appeared and cried out all at once, and Ash mouth opened as a gasp was released from it, and before he knew it, his Pokémon were surrounding him. "Mankey?"

"Mankee Man!" his Pokémon stated, huddling up and tucking itself under his left arm.

"Bulbasaur?" Ash looked down to see the Grass and Poison Pokémon settling itself on Ash's lap, and gave an uttered, quiet response. "Charmander..."

"Char Char..." the Fire-type said bashfully, wrapping its arms around Ash's body from his right side.

"Tauros!" The Normal Pokémon mooed and pushed Ash forward with its horn before plopping down in between the door with the hole that had been created and its Trainer. It was strategically using the thick brown fur around its neck to plug the hole, and it mooed once again before settling itself when it got used to the cold.

Finally, flapping could be heard at Ash's shoulder, and through the darkness, Ash could see the outline of Pidgeotto landing on its Trainer's shoulder, and it wrapped its wings around Ash's neck and chest. "Pidgeotto?"

"Pigeoo..." the Bird Pokémon cooed softly. They were disobeying his orders, but the warmth they provided was nothing compared to the warmth growing in his heart, and he smiled and looked around at them.

"My friends..." he sputtered, and they all gave a simultaneous response as he lowered his head. A tear fell down the side of his face as he spoke up again. "You win. Guess we'll all be cold together..." And as more tears fell and dripped off his chin, he sniffled. "That's right... We'll all be cold together..."

o 0 o

Charmander's flames quickly lit up the inside of the cave as it used its Flamethrower attack against the sealed off exit, and the snow easily evaporated from them. For the first time in a while, sunlight struck Ash's eyes, and he flinched only for a moment, but the sun's rays were more than welcome. He stepped out onto the fresh snow and looked up at the sky, that was still shades of green and orange from the sun just starting to come up over the mountains.

"The blizzard's over!" Ash cried with relief. "Sure is beautiful." His Pokémon all stepped out from the cave as well and joined him in watching the sunrise, but another familiar voice grabbed their attention.

"Ash!" Never had he been more glad to hear Brock's voice, and the Pallet Town Trainer whipped around and looked up at the top of the ledge where he had fallen from the previous night to see Brock standing at the top with his hands proudly on his hips. Towering beside him was his Onix, and the Rock and Ground Pokémon gave a low roar of happiness as well.

"It's great to see you!" Ash exclaimed, a wide smile painting itself across his mouth.

"You as well!" Brock called back. "Onix here will help you up!" Ash nodded, and the gigantic Rock Snake Pokémon leaned its head down the side of the cliff like a comically large fishing line. Recalling Tauros back into its Safari Ball for it was too large to climb on Onix, the rest of them all mounted Brock's Pokémon, and with another grunt, Onix lifted them up and planted its chin beside its Trainer. "How did you make it through that blizzard?"

"We made a cave, just like you said!" Ash answered, and Brock stuck his chest out proudly.

"Hah! Lucky for me, I didn't have to freeze all night in the one I dug!" When Ash put on a mask of confusion, the former Gym Leader elaborated. "Onix dug into an underground hot spring! It was luxurious!" Ash's mouth dropped to his chest at his terrible luck, and almost stumbled off the ledge again if Onix hadn't been there to stop him.

"Well I wasn't comfy, that's for sure!"

"Well, one good thing came from you being out here!" Brock pointed out with a smile, and extended a finger down at the foot of the mountain ledge. Just some distance away, hardly visible because of being buried over in snow, a log cabin built on the edge of a lake stuck out among the white background.

"Professor Oak's cabin!" Ash exclaimed. Had it not been so dark, Ash would have been able to walked there and stayed there during the blizzard.

With their destination finally within sight, they managed to navigate their way down the mountain and into the cabin. "We finally made it!" Brock said with exasperation.

"Y-yeah. Let's get inside and w-warm up!" Ash stated, wrapping his arms around his whole body. It felt like he was never going to be warm again. It was big and spacious inside, and looked like it would have been an old Pokémon Center. The air was stale and stagnant, and it was clear that it hadn't been used in a while, but it was a warm welcome than being outside in the freezing cold. In the center of the large room, the floor went down with a circular couch that surrounded a large wood-stove, which instantly drew Ash and his Pokémon's eyes.

"Look at that! It looks so warm!" Ash exclaimed with a wide smile, and turned to Charmander out of habit, but instantly stopped. The poor Pokémon had been through so much in the last 24 hours, he couldn't ask it to do one more thing.

As if reading his thoughts, Brock put his hand on his shoulder and smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry, Ash. I'll handle this one!" he said, and pulled out his own Poké Ball. "Go, Vulpix!" In a flash of light, Brock's prized Fire Pokémon appeared and landed on the polished wood floor.

"Vul!"

"Vulpix, Flamethrower, now!" he commanded. Pulling in a deep breath, Vulpix let out a stream of fire from its mouth at the wood in the top of the stove. It didn't take long for the logs to catch, and when its attack stopped, the fire was crackling beautifully, and Ash and all of his Pokémon quickly huddled around it to finally get warm from the long night behind them.

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Wartortle (Poké Ball)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Water Gun, BubbleBeam

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed

Charmander (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Ember

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Mankey (Poké Ball)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves:

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Krabby (Poké Ball)

Moves: ViceGrip

Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Geodude (Poké Ball)

Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle

Zubat (Poké Ball)

Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic

Psyduck (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tail Whip, Scratch, Disable, Confusion

Vulpix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower