The Hard Frost
Ash Ketchum looked up to the sky with a grim look. Dark clouds were forming high above and he seemed visibly uncomfortable at the sight. "Ugh…" he muttered to himself.
"Aha!" cried Brock as he pointed to the horizon, "there it is – Greenwood Town!" In the distance was a village made of mostly log cabins. Misty sighed with relief as she clutched Togepi closer.
"Thank goodness…it's cold and I could do with a warm Pokémon Center!"
"Yeah…" agreed Brock, "it's only eleven but because we woke up at six it already feels like it's evening. It's all thanks to that frosty wind waking us up early. We could do with a rest."
"After that night in the forest – definitely!"
Because they were walking in front of Ash, neither of the friends noticed his frown deepen.
When they got to the town it wasn't the sight they expected. People were in their homes and those that were on the outside were rushing about with wood and petrol tanks in their arms. "What's with the rush?" wondered Brock before being nearly knocked over by someone passing. They eventually got their answer when they arrived at the Pokémon Center.
"It's the incoming Hard Frost that they're preparing for," said Nurse Joy.
"Hard Frost?" repeated Brock and Misty. "What's that?"
"It happens every few years. The locals know the signs immediately…"
"Yes. But what is it?" they asked again. They didn't notice Ash staring.
"A severe snowstorm. It starts with a fierce wind before tons of snow falls, burying the ground at least six feet and brings the temperature to below zero. The last time it happened it took two weeks before the snowplows and help could arrive."
"When is it coming?" said Ash almost too hurriedly.
"Tonight." Ash's hands fell from the counter to his side, not that his friends noticed.
"Two weeks' worth of snow. Well then, I suppose that puts a stop to us for now," said Brock. "We'll stay here for the night; have a room?"
"Oh, I'm so, so sorry, but all the rooms have already been taken by Trainers who don't have the resources to make it to the next town."
The Trainers grimaced and tried at a nearby inn. But it was the same story. "Your best chance to wait out the frost is to get to the ski resort at the top of the mountain," said the receptionist apologetically. "I'm sorry. We'd offer the lobby, but…" The Trainers knew she didn't need to explain, they also noticed at the Pokémon Center, but even the inn's lobby had travelers setting their sleeping bags all around.
"It's all right," said Ash quietly. "We all have to do what we have to do. How do we get to the ski resort?"
"It's up the hill. It's been a hard winter, so I bet there'll be room. They're a big hotel anyways. Oh, but I'm not sure about recommending them at this point," she went on. "See, our side of the mountain is steep, and the bushes and trees thick. It normally takes a whole day to get up there, but the cold is setting in…" She huffed a sigh. "I'm so, so sorry…"
OoOoO
The friends hurried to the local clothing store to suit up. Up until that point they had primarily worn the clothes they had with them from the start – none suited for harsh cold. Ash and Brock bought sweaters to wear over their usual shirts, thick, long socks and pants, gloves, boots, and large fur coats.
Misty however, only got the gloves and jacket. Ash glared at her from across the store. "Is that all you're getting?" he said.
"Well, yeah," said Misty. "All I need is the fur jacket."
"Absolutely not! I mean, just look at you," said Ash, exasperated. He gestured wildly at her clothing. "Short shorts and a tank top. What good will those be in the cold!?"
"I also have a jacket," replied Misty crisply. "Ash, we've been in cold situations before. Goodness, we've been rained at on a remote island during a storm and had that experience back in Kanto where we were snowed at with only light blankets for cover. I'm sure I can manage with just these."
"But it's the Hard Frost," went on the raven-haired trainer. "That goes below freezing – freezing! For crying out loud the snow lasts for weeks on end after the storm passes."
"Oh, what would you know?" snorted Misty. Ash stared, dumbfounded, before getting angry and just threw up his hands.
"Fine. Fine, have it your way if you think you can handle it." And he walked away.
"I've swam in ice cold water before, Ash! A little bit of snow will be no problem for me!"
Or at least that was what Misty thought. As the trio walked steadily up the hiking trail, the cold wind danced around them. No Pokémon were in sight, the few Sentrets and Rattatas, among several others, that were out were scurrying up trees and to their burrows. Misty shivered, she was slowing down and felt miserable as her legs ached from the climb.
They set up a small camp to rest for a bit. Brock began cooking up some stew to warm them up despite the harsh conditions. "S-so c-c-cold…" whimpered Misty. She tightened her grip on her jacket and squeezed her legs together as she sat near the fire, but it was clear that wasn't enough.
Ash let out a cruel laugh. "I told you to wear something thicker, but you didn't listen to me. Now look at what your decision has brought you."
"That's enough, Ash," cut in Brock. "Though I will admit, considering everything we've heard of this Hard Frost, I'm surprised you didn't dress up like you should've."
"I think she said she could manage it," replied Ash. "I am surprised, Misty, mist and ice have water in common. I would've thought was a perfect fit for you, but I guess this just proves that humans aren't suited to the cold, even for those who like water."
"Shut up!" she snapped.
"Hey, you chose to go like that. Not my fault you chose to brave bad weather with that amount of skin showing."
Misty seethed in anger. Ash had a point, which was a rare thing. But she didn't want to admit it.
"A shame," began Brock as he brought out some spices for the stew, "we didn't think to get her anything, and we've still got five miles to go…we haven't gone far; maybe our best action is to go back to the village and get Misty some warmer clothes."
"Yeah, I agree. There's no reason to tough it out further," said Ash as he threw some branches into the fire.
"Right, we let the Pokémon stay here with the fire, one of us will escort Misty down the mountain, her condition just by sight is terrible. But one of us needs to stay to look after my stew and keep the fire going."
"I'll go," said Ash.
"Are you sure, Ash? I can easily figure out what could fit Misty. It'd be no problem if—"
"No, Brocko, I'll take Misty," said Ash firmly. He gave a small smile. "No reason to leave me in charge of food, you and I both know I'd mess it up. Besides, you're good with Pokémon, I'm not sure I could handle both responsibilities on my own."
Brock nodded his head. "Fair enough, fair enough…" He reached into his backpack. "Here's some hot water I prepared before we went out. You can use it if things start turning for the worst."
"Thanks. We'll be quick, get to the village, waste little time and come right back."
"Yeah, by my calculations we've only been walking for nearly three hours. If you double your speed you should be able to get back here before we run out of time."
"We better be able to…" said Ash ominously. "Otherwise it'll be the end for us all. Brock, it's already noon, the human average speed is three miles per hour but we're going slower than that but only because of the slope. If you don't see us by four or five, please, go on."
Brock was going to object, but he saw how serious Ash was and nodded. "Very well, Ash, very well…"
Carefully Ash and Misty set off back down the hill, but it wasn't easy. Snow had fallen and the ground was icy.
"So slippery," Misty complained.
"Well don't complain, I can't help that!" called Ash from upfront. "I could've brought Cyndaquil, but it's too cold for him to manage. Besides," he added as he tapped the dirt, "the ground is too hard, and we've got a ways to go. Onix could've managed storming down the mountain, but…" He motioned to their surroundings.
"T-t-oo ro…rocky, and th-th-the trees a-are…too thick f-for him," stuttered Misty. "Darn i-it, I w-wish i-i-it'd be as s-simple as when Onix f-found that hot s-spring l-like b-back then…"
"Yeah, I'm sure you enjoyed that," replied Ash. "Meanwhile, me, Pikachu and the others had to bunker down and used ourselves to plug an open hole in a snow cove. Freezing as the wind continued to blow with our only hope being to see the sun again."
"Oh, d-don't ba-bang on…about that. You su-survived."
"Only because I'm young," said Ash quietly, "some…some don't." Misty barely heard. Ash continued. "Youth is a great thing, Mist. Keeps you going. You should consider yourself lucky, especially since you have friends who'll look out for you."
"R-right…'f-friends', like t-th sort who m-make fun o-of me…"
Ash turned around dramatically and stretched his arms out to the side. "Making fun of you? Merely in fun. With all due respect your name and obsession with water-types kinda is fun to tease you about."
"Y-yeah!" yelled Misty in anger. "J-just l-l-like your own…! Every…everything y-you leave e-ends with ashes. Y-you r-run i-i-into danger l-like you seek t-trouble! Y-you could g-get charred, you know."
"Oh, and like you would do that yourself. Running into danger, I mean. I get it, haha my name's funny. Well guess what? I don't care if you make fun of me for that. But what I do care about is helping people, and if I've got to go into the unknown for that, then so be it."
"T-t-take this situation…f-for example. I-I brought it o-on…myself. Why h-help me?"
"Because it's the right thing to do, Misty! Darn it, just…come on. We stopped walking and we have to keep moving." With that, he set off and didn't hear what Misty said next.
"But I-I still don't get w-why you do it. It just d-doesn't make s-sense. 'Look out for yourself', t-that's what I say…"
They walked on for a while in silence. Then, as they had to traverse some boulders, Misty slipped on a wet spot. She screamed and Ash practically twisted himself to catch her and landed on the ground.
"Are…you…all right?"
"Yeah, th-thanks," stammered Misty. Ash stood up carefully as he walked down, he had a slight limp to his movements. "Ash," she called, "y-you're injured."
Ash paused and considered, before he shivered and pulled up his neck collar. "Yeah, I know, but I'll walk it off. I have to get you back to Greenwood first."
"But w-why? Why all the t-trouble for m-me? I c-c-could've go-gone, o-on my own."
"No, you couldn't have," explained Ash, his tone devoid of any sarcasm, "not in that condition. I'm glad I came considering that happened."
"Why though? Why do all of this…?" asked Misty as she stepped forward, shivering as she went.
"Why…" echoed Ash. His eyes went dull. He turned his head to the snow and seemed to be staring distantly at it. "Tell me something, Misty. Do you know what it's like to freeze in your home, like this?"
"Well, I mean, when I-I get o-out of the pool…"
"No, not like that. I mean, the whole house freezes, frozen over."
"Well, n-no…"
"No? Of course not. As you lived in the city, I suppose it's quite common to see heat lamps around the place?"
"Well, y-yeah…I suppose s-so…"
"We don't have such luxuries back home at Pallet Town. Only the wealthy can afford such stupid things." Ash glared in her general direction, but not at her. "All we'd have are these power consuming heaters and the gas ones…winters next to sea are tough. It's cold, the wind blows, and the town's a mess, our crops freeze up and all we'd have were the fire-types Professor Oak housed at his Corral. Then, as we're close to Johto, we faced the Hard Frost…"
"W-wait…" said Misty breathlessly. She couldn't tell if it was Ash's harsh tone, the cold, or both that was making her lightheaded. "You f-faced the Hard Frost?"
"Yes! And it was bloody miserable." He quiet and turned towards the bottom of the hill. "It came without warning, dark clouds like the ones forming here came. Then the wind picked up and we got blanketed in snow. The electric lines were pulled down so we lost heat…"
"I th-thought you had g-gas."
"Wasn't of any help. The lines got frozen underneath the temperature drop before bursting from buildup. The whole town was frozen over, the snow was so thick no one could leave their homes…" Ash trailed off and balled his gloves hands into a fist tightly. "Want to know what made it worse…?" He continued before Misty could reply. "It was back when the maps of the region weren't accurate. GPS wasn't very good either, especially not in stormy weather. Gary had been out shopping in Celadon as it was the week before Christmas. He was on his way home when the storm came through. Viridian City wanted to send helicopters, but the weather was too bad, so they sent their snowplows with medical supplies to help.
"They got lost, though. Under all the snow each direction looked the same. Gary could have helped them, but the selfish brat didn't! He stayed with those maids of his, cozy and warm in a hotel room in the city; while we froze with no warmth, the Pokémon were too cold to venture out, couldn't do a thing and he just enjoyed himself. He could've helped guide them there, but he didn't! He left us to suffer!" Ash felt rage building up and stamped the ground. He paused and his eyes welled up from the memories. "No light for hours that night, even during the day it was hard to see as there were just clouds. Any emergency batteries we had were worn out after a while.
"Worst of all were the losses. My Grandmother lived in the old family home on the other side of town. My Mother's mom. I loved her – she took care of me if Mom was super busy with the family diner. But without power that week, she…she…" Ash was shaken, he couldn't help it. Tears fell to the snow. "Without any warmth and nothing to cook, she p-p…passed away from hypothermia before the week was over. Frozen in her sleep…they said had the medical team gotten there sooner, let alone power, she would've been fine, but she didn't make it. Damn that Gary!" roared Ash, as years of pain came out.
Misty was almost speechless. "What h-happened next?"
The boy steeled himself and stared distantly. "From the time the snow fell and we realized the trouble we were in, it took two weeks before the plows got to Pallet Town. Nearly twenty-five percent of everyone there were in critical medical condition. The freeze didn't quite reach Viridian, but it was enough to cause problem," replied Ash. Then he grunted scornfully. "The direct knowledge of how much trouble the citizens were over there, instead of my home where the lines were actually down, meant Viridian got priority help whilst we were on the side. Funny, no, considering Kanto's Professor Oak is stationed there. But then I met people like your sisters – gym leaders at that, too – who have no idea about us…well, guess that shows how important one town isn't.
"So, there you have it, Misty. The reason I know about the Hard Frost, and apparently the reason I care about helping others because you just don't seem to understand heroics yourself."
"Well, I'm s-sorry y-you experienced that, Ash," replied Misty. "I-is that w-why you hate Gary s-so much?"
"No, of course not," snapped Ash. "He's always been a braggart and a pain. I hate him for that, but not for what happened with the frost. Even if he deserves it…"
"L-listen," went on Misty, "I k-know you felt pain f-from that, but you s-sh…should take care of y-yourself too…"
"Well, guess what then, Misty?" said Ash as he turned to her. "It's not that I want to be in danger, I love life and after what happened that winter, I don't want to leave this world, not least for Mom but for all those I've met, Brock, Pikachu, Tracey, Professor Oak…everyone! But I really care about everyone, okay? I care about people and Pokémon who suffer unfairly, who find themselves in bad luck and no one reaches out a hand to help. So, if I have to put myself in danger to help someone in need, then so be it! Because I want to. I don't want people or Pokémon to think that there's no one out there who doesn't give a damn when they need help.
"I'll jump to the rescue, no matter how minuscule the issue; I'll help! And even if after all that you now know about me, if you can't understand that then…" Ash grew frustrated and flung his hands towards the sky. "Even then I wouldn't care, I'd help you too because it's right, and because…b-because…" he faltered. "I…never mind."
Ash went back to hiking and Misty chased after him. But there was trouble. Misty ran too quickly and slipped and fell. Ash heard her scream and ran to her, caught her, and tumbled with her for a bit before regaining control and stopping. With his teeth gritting he pulled Misty up. "Come on, Misty, come on," he said desperately. "You can make it…here." He brought the flask out and gave Misty a sip of hot water. He followed this with giving her a whiff of a stick of cinnamon, hoping the spice would warm her further. "Come on…come on…"
With quivering legs Misty began to walk again with Ash acting as her crutch despite his own tiny limp. The next few minutes were painful as the two tried to tread the last two miles in the freezing cold. But Misty was tiring out, the pain of the freezing weather was proving too much. Only a mile was left to go when she collapsed again.
"Come on, Misty! Come on…!" begged Ash. He bit his lip nervously as he processed the situation. The weather too was getting worst, the wind was picking up and a few more flakes were falling. "Misty, please…"
Misty slowly tried to rise. Her exposed skin was turning blue and her breathes heavy. "I-I'm…quite the problem r-right now, a-aren't, I…?" she said.
"Don't say that," whispered Ash. He gave her more hot water and watched grimly as Misty rose up once again. "Good, we're almost there. Come along." He took a step before he paused and turned back to Misty and approached her. "Listen, I know things are bleak. So…" he gave a sigh, "I want to say something in case you don't make it, so that there are no regrets. I love you."
Misty's eyes widened and her breath stopped for a moment. "Ash…" But the boy who just confessed looked to the weather once more and grabbed her hand.
"No time, we're almost there. Come on!" And he pulled her the rest of the way.
Ash looked at the highest public clock he could see that it was only just past of 2:30 PM. "Thank goodness," said Ash quietly. They had made it.
Misty drank down the rest of the hot flask and was hurried by Ash into the same store they had visited just hours ago. There she suited herself more appropriately for the cold. She bought a yellow long sleeve shirt, dark jeans, pink gloves, boots, and thicker socks.
"Thank goodness you bought all these," the clerk said. "Saw you and your friends earlier and couldn't help thinking that you're crazy for only getting a jacket considering the incoming weather."
"Yeah, some good that did me," muttered Misty as she handed her cash over. "Mind if I use the fitting rooms to get these on?"
OoOoO
Ash tapped his foot as he waited. It was just a bit past 3 o' clock and he was eager to get going despite the bad weather. He had a cup of hot black tea that he was finishing when a voice called out.
"All finished!" Misty jogged up to him in her much warmer looking clothes.
"That's better," said Ash plainly as he looked her over. "Oh, here." He held out a cup of hot tea. "Got it from the nearby café, I already finished mine and I put Brock's into the empty flask. Now then, if we set off now, we'll—"
"Wait," interrupted Misty, "before you say any of that, I've got a question." Ash blinked and began to feel nervous. "Before we got here, you – er – told me you're in love with me. Is that true?" Misty's face was now a shade of red after she said that.
"Yeah, i-it's…true," muttered Ash. "I wasn't planning on saying it, but y'know, considering the circumstances we were under I only thought it was right." He noticed her almost expectant look. "I don't have a reason why I just…I just did. Falling, in love, I mean…"
Misty averted her eyes and fumbled with her scarf. "You know, Ash…" she said as she shifted on the spot. "I'm not exactly saying 'no' to your confession."
"U-um, d-do we even have time for this?" said Ash as he looked the other way. "I-I mean, we can't just leave Brock up there…"
"Wait! It won't take more than a few minutes," said Misty. She began to unravel her scarf a bit. "I just want to try something."
"What are you…?" Ash trailed off as Misty wrapped the ends of her scarf around Ash's neck and moved even closer. Ash fumbled a step back but was unable to commit to a full escape. "What is this for?" he asked, trying to be scornful, but it fell flat.
"Well, you said you love me. I thought I'd try something romantic."
"Well stop it, this scarf thing is corny," grumbled Ash as he averted his eyes, face burning.
"Indulge me. Please…?"
"F-fine. But only for a second."
"I know, I just want to try something."
Ash turned his head to her. "Wait, I thought this was already it- Wha…?" He noticed Misty closed her eyes and was taking a long sip of her tea. He raised an eyebrow, only to then choke on his breath when he saw her look at him, smirk and pucker her lips. "Hey, w-wait…"
"What?" she asked innocently as her hands cupped his cheeks. "I think that it's only right a couple does this."
"W-well, um…"
"You're not saying 'no'…"
"Th-that, um, i-is true…"
"Hey," said Misty suddenly, "I know now how things have been tough for you…and certainly all this doesn't help, the snow I mean. But…I hope now, with me by your side, that things start to get better."
"Thanks, Mist…but I d-don't know how you feel yet! Therefore, this isn't right!"
Misty paused. "Okay then," she said, her hands still in the same position, "I'll say it outright: I love you too." And before Ash could object, Misty Waterflower pushed her lips quickly against Ash's. The warmth – was it the tea or natural body heat; Ash couldn't tell – spread throughout his body, and he remained frozen on the spot.
"Okay," said Ash very quietly as his face went redder, "that's enough."
"Sorry, couldn't help it," said Misty with a shy grin as she untangled her scarf from his neck. She proceeded to glug the rest of the tea town and the two began to head quickly for the mountain. As they went, Misty made a point to loop her arms through Ash's left arm as they walked.
"Hey!" sneered Ash.
"Aw," said Misty. "Still a bit frosty in that heart of yours?"
"Ha," he said flatly, "very funny." He went quiet before continuing. "Hey, are you going to be all right now?"
"Yes, yes, I'm going to be all right. I've got you, don't I?"
"You know what I mean…"
"Well, yes! But…" She looked at Ash deeply. "…you'd still come to my rescue, right?"
Ash looked down into the snow. "Yeah…yes, I would. Every time."
"Thank you," she said softly. "I'll do the same for you one day." Ash just gave her a soft smile, there was no need for words. A gentle hug satisfied them.
The light was fading by the time the two got back to Brock. Ash looked at his watch, just half past four.
"Oh, thank goodness you're back!" cried Brock with relief. It was to their relief that the fire was still going.
"It's…good to be back, Brocko…" panted Ash from the final sprint up the snowy hill.
"It's good to see you feeling better, Misty" went on Brock.
"Thanks!"
"Here, Brock," said Ash, giving him the flask filled with tea. "Brought it up here for you…come on, let's eat and get up before things really become bad."
The trio swallowed their meal and hurried the rest of the way up. The storm was picking up by the time they were within a few yards of the front entrance, and they burst in with the snow biting at their heels. They were panting, out of breath, and physically exhausted.
Luckily, despite the howling blizzard outside, the inside of the inn was toasty. The trio went to bed that night comfy and grateful. When Brock was asleep, Ash and Misty shared a quick goodnight kiss with each other – they would give the news of their relationship later.
The next morning the storm passed, and all that remained were a few clouds in the sky. From the windows, Ash, Brock, and Misty could see Greenwood Town nearly up to its roofs with snow.
The three looked to the side to see the trail they had just maneuvered the night before, and that too, was buried in snow, with the inn's windows barely frosted over, only just.
"Well," murmured Ash somberly, "that the Hard Frost for you. It's a good thing we made it when we did."
Brock and Misty agreed, and all three had to be content.