"Soft. Comfortable." was what came to Popo's mind when he started regaining consciousness. He was lying somewhere warm and something cuddly was nestled against his arm. He kept his eyes closed and basked in the coziness of it all. I don't want to get up...

...Wait...

Where am I?

What happened?

Then he remembered the last things he felt before passing out. With a start, his eyes shot open and he sat up. Nana! I have to find her! He got out of the bed he was lying in and moved the strange medium-sized animal he was with, only to almost burn his hand at the continued exposure. He dashed to the door in a hurry. Someone was calling out, but he didn't care.

Opening the door, he was met with the early afternoon sun and a light gust of freezing cold air. Normally, this wouldn't bother him, but now it chilled him to the bone. It was then he realized how under-dressed for the weather he was, wearing a hawaiian print shirt and shorts. Wait... the camping trip! That's why I don't have my mountain attire! He immediately closed the door and went back inside.

Greg! It's his fault that Nana's missing! Why did he have to invite me to that stupid trip anyway?

He then realized that someone was in front of him and trying to catch his attention.

"Little man! Can you understand me?" she said. She was a grown woman who looked to be in her mid-30s and a height of about five and a half feet. Her complexion was pale, her hair was a dark blonde and it was tied in a short ponytail. She looked at him with a mixture of worry and curiosity.

"How long was I out?" asked Popo.

"About two days. I was worried that you might've been gravely injured or sick!" she replied with a now slightly troubled expression.

"Two days?!" screamed Popo in a panic.

In the meantime, the animal appeared from behind her and studied the Ice Climber curiously. Approaching him, he realized that it was making the room warmer with its presence.

It was three feet tall and had orange-red fur with tufts of yellow hair on its forehead, neck and tail. Its ears were long, pointy and very attentive.

It then hit his hand softly. Does it want me to pet it? thought Popo, curiously. He then rubbed the tuft on its neck and it closed her eyes happily in return.

"That's Poppy." said the woman with a simple but warm smile. "She seems to have taken quite a liking to you." she then straightened up and stretched out her hand "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jo and this is my home."

Popo shook her hand with care. "My name is Popo. Nice to meet you"

Jo gasped. "What a coincidence! 'Popo' and 'Poppy'!"

Popo smiled at the woman's demeanor. She's so nice... Maybe I could stay here for a while.

"Anyways... what were you doing all alone and under-dressed? If I hadn't found you, you could've caught a nasty cold or worse!"

"I was..." started Popo but stopped himself immediately. How do I tell her about what happened at the Mansion?

"Hm?"

"...looking for someone. I need to find her!"

"She must be very important to you if you risked this much for her" noted Jo.

"She is." answered Popo sadly.

"Then you must be raring to go!" However, I won't let you go anywhere until you allow me to give you some proper clothing and a hearty meal!"

Popo patted his stomach. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was. "Thank you, Jo. You've been very kind." he said, giving her the largest smile he could muster. "I can pay you if you want."

"Nonsense! No payment is necessary!" she exclaimed with a frown as she directed him towards the kitchen. "And don't thank me yet! We haven't even seen if the clothes work for you. They're my son's."

"Your son? Where is he?"

"He's been staying at a friend's house ever since I found you. I needed his bed for you to sleep in."

"I was using his bed? I didn't want to be so imposing!"

"Don't worry. He was glad to get away from his overbearing mother" she said, laughing "his words, not mine."

First, they sat down together and ate a bowl of pumpkin soup. Popo could've sworn it was some of the most delicious meals he ever had. That must be the hunger speaking... he thought bashfully. He ate it ravenously and even accepted seconds when Jo offered, which was rare for him.

While they ate, Popo found out about Jo's family and life. She'd transferred to Snowpoint City when she got a job as a mountain guide over ten years ago. There she'd met Charlie, and after a bit over a year of dating, he proposed to her and got married right in the very city. A few years later, she had their son, Robbie. While Charlie kept working to provide for them, she stayed at home to care for their son.

"Where is your husband right now?" he asked, eating the last of their dessert: a butterscotch-cinnamon pie.

"Working, naturally!" she answered. "Now, how about we see about changing those clothes?"

After trying out a good set, they arrived at a slightly worn black parka and blue pants, as well as some ice cleats. "They fit you perfectly!"

"Thank you."

"Alrighty then! Is there anything else you might need before you go?"

"Not really-" he said, before catching himself "Wait. Have you seen a girl about my size, but wearing a pink coat?"

Jo thought about it for a second and gasped. "Charlie told me that he'd seen something small and pink around the mountains yesterday, but it was too far for him to get a close look. He thought it might've been a stray Clefairy, so he went to take a look later. But by then, it was nowhere to be found. It was around the peak of Mount Coronet, if I recall correctly."

Popo's eyes widened at the new information. "That must be Nana!" he yelled excitedly, with tears forming in his eyes. She's found a way to escape!

"Then the poor thing must be terrified, all on her own out there!" lamented Jo.

"I must leave right now, then!" said Popo, grabbing his mallet and running towards the door.

"Wait!" shouted Jo with a worried look "Are you sure you can make it on your own out there?"

The Ice Climber nodded impatiently. "Mountains like these are easy as pie for me. I've been climbing them for years."

Opening the door, he looked back towards the homeowner that cared for him with a giant smile. "Thank you! I'll be sure to tell Nana all about you and how kind you've been!"

After getting some directions from one of the locals, Popo took off. Despite his worry for Nana, he was happy. The cold and snow reassured him. It felt familiar. It felt right.

Soon enough, he was out of the city and into the mountain base. He looked towards the summit with a smile. The snow was pouring lightly and the wind was a stiff breeze. Mount Coronet, here I go! Wait for me, Nana!

Jumping from rock to rock, he spotted some Pokemon: stones with a face and arms, pink puffballs that reminded him of Jigglypuff (despite these having smaller mouths and eyes), ones that resembled small frost-covered trees, among others. He would've loved to stick by and get to know them, but he was in a hurry. A few of them tried to get close to him, but he either ran away or scared them off with his mallet.

Popo intentionally tried to avoid any common trails in order to keep other people from spotting him and getting in his way, even if it was out of righteous concern.

After a few hours of climbing, he was finally close to the peak, only a couple dozen feet from it. It was late afternoon by then. I've only got a couple of hours of sunlight left. he thought with concern. At this height, the wind was stronger and temperature lower. The snow came down harder, making it harder to see.

"Nana!" he called out "Nana, where are you?" only to be met with the sound of the wind whipping by and the occasional ching of a passing bell Pokemon.

"Nana! It's me, Popo!" Silence.

"Nana, please show yourself!" he cried, with the hope that she might've not heard him before. Again, silence met him.

He ran around the snow, trying to find any signs of footsteps made by his girlfriend's snow cleats. However, the snow covered up any tracks in a matter of minutes.

He climbed up higher to try and get a vantage view, but the snow and the clouds covered everything, obscuring his sight and dampening his mood.

He ran again, climbing up and down, hoping to cover as much area as he could, gripping his mallet tightly, as if it was his only lifeline.

All this time, he screamed as loudly as he could, hoping that his voice would reach her. Noone came to meet him.

After two hours of searching, he was left empty-handed and with a sad and bitter mood. His voice was hoarse and his legs burned. The sun dipped just below the horizon, leaving him with the last embers of twilight. Maybe she's not here. Jo's husband might've just imagined everything. he thought, disheartened. He once again felt like crying, but felt like he didn't have enough energy for it.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw something. A figure peeking from the cloud cover, almost out of sight. It was about his same size and... pink? Could it be...? He screamed again. "Nana! Nana! It's me, Popo!" he cried, but the sound of the wind covered up his words. Filled with newfound energy, he ran towards it as fast as he could.

However, the figure instead of getting nearer, stayed the same distance, almost outside his view. Popo called out his girlfriend's name again, to no avail. The wind was too loud.

He kept running and running towards his objective, but it never seemed to grow any closer. The day turned to night and he was only illuminated by the light of the moon. He darted through snow-covered trees and rocks. He climbed up rock faces and jumped across small cliffs. He slid down slopes and climbed down cliffsides. The pink figure was always ahead.

The hours passed and he didn't make any significant process, but he had an objective. He kept running.

More hours passed and, finally, his legs gave in. He was too tired to keep going. He closed his eyes, trying to understand why Nana kept running away from him like that. He cried. Nana...

He opened his eyes to find a familiar face looking down at him. Nana's. She had a blank expression on her face and moved as if she was studying him. However, he was too tired and he had to close them again.

When he opened them back up, he didn't find Nana. He instead found a strange pink cat-like animal floating above him playfully. Is that... a Pokemon?

"Mew" said the creature. Popo immediately felt revitalized and stronger than ever. His sadness was also gone, as if simply being around them made him feel better. There was something about them that felt oddly familiar, like he'd been around them before.

He stood up and noticed that the wind and snow had stopped where they were, but not all around them. It was like they were in a protective little bubble.

What's going on?

"Are... you the one doing this?" he asked, walking around the now cleared space. "Are you a Pokemon?"

"Mew" was their answer. She moved in midair without a care in the world.

The Ice Climber looked at them and nodded. It was like the answers had just come to him suddenly, like they'd made him understand without any words. A legendary Pokemon? I didn't know there was such a thing. It's incredible what they can do!

He also felt a ping of pity for Mewtwo. Looking at Mew now, he could see why the other Pokemon felt the way they did towards him. So much fear and anger for only existing.

Popo shook his head. There would be time for those thoughts later. Right now, he needed to know something else. "Where's Nana? I've been following her for hours!"

"Mew"

Popo was crestfallen. Part of him suspected that that'd be the case, but he wanted to hope that it wasn't. His sadness was then replaced by anger. "Why did you trick me like that?! You must know how much she's worth to me!"

"Mew"

Popo was flabbergasted. She wanted me to... prove myself? He didn't know what to say. It seemed like a cruel joke. "Well, what now? What's my reward for passing this test?"

"Mew" said the Pokemon one last time, and Popo was teleported away.