It's getting cold. Should've expected that at heights as far up as this.
It kept getting colder every single step he made.
I… I… my hands feel numb.
Gold put his hands in his pockets, making a fist, trying to keep the tips of his fingers warm. He continued walking. He needs to make it to the top. This was the way the game was supposed to go, was it not?
…
I'm… cold… I should've brought warmer clothing…
Gold continued walking. It was getting tiring, and combined with the cold, he slowed down majorly from when he started. He was shaking, and occasionally tripping by misstepping. The extremely dry air burned his eyes… he closed them and continued. He started hyperventilating, but he didn't pay attention to that, or the rest of his body. Everything was numb, the only thing he could feel was the cold, and cramping, from both the cold and walking up a mountain.
He tripped and fell, too slow to catch himself, sending his face straight into the snow. He was completely paralyzed in shock for a moment. At least his eyes were already closed, so no snow got in them. He slowly pushed himself back up, seemingly having lost his rhythm of walking. He stood there, completely still other than his breathing, and fell down again, this time catching himself. He turned to his back and laid on the snow, trying to catch his breath from walking. He could feel his pounding and fast heartbeat in his ears, though being overpowered by a high-pitched ringing noise.
He started to calm down a little, wiping tears off of his face that he previously didn't know were there. He now had two options; jump down, or continue.
He decided to jump down.
Gold walked over to a ledge, readying himself to jump down and hopefully land on his feet.
He was not that lucky.
He landed on his knees and his forearm was up against the ground. No major injuries, though, other than maybe a bruise eventually. It started to snow as he decided to jump again, just down the next one, which was a longer drop. He readied himself, and
The sound of flesh ripping is not very pleasant, especially when it's your own. Gold was scared to look. He laid, front-down, his head tilted up so his face was not in the snow. He held his breath when he tried to get up, but he couldn't… He looked down at himself.
His right leg was torn off.
Gold couldn't help but stare for a second. How had he not felt it other than a bit of a sharp pain? He sat down, leaning on the rocky ledge. Both of his hands were on the ripped end of it, trying to stop the bleeding. The pain was not what he'd expect from it. The cold must've made it numb. It felt really… weird, losing a part of his body like that.
The blood was pouring out- he'd need something to stop this… He still had one hand on it as he took off his jacket. He'd freeze faster now, but he would die from blood loss even faster, so it's worth it. He already had a bit of a headache. He tried calming himself down as much as possible to lower his heartrate… but it was slowing on its own. He was tired after that… it was just night too, and he'd woken up very early. Though, he continued. He didn't have much time until he'd probably freeze to death.
He looked down the next drop, and it was a little less far than the one he just fell from, but the cliff was more jagged, and he didn't want another part of his body, say, his neck, to get snagged on it and ripped. Even then, he could hit his head the wrong way and it'd be over for him too… stupid fragile human bodies. I wish I could fly like…
He grabbed a pokeball from his pocket, and let out his Pidgeot. It seemed to also be sickened by the cold.
"Use fly, Pidgeot…" Gold said weakly.
It chirped sadly and shook its head. It must've been weak, and the falling snow was picking up density. He let it back into its pokeball… hopefully it's warm in there. He stuffed it back into his pocket, as he got a new idea.
He sent out his Typhlosion. Its flames were weak but still warm.
"Th-thank you…" He whispered to it as he snuggled up to it. It wrapped its little arms around Gold. "Thank you so much…" He said. He could almost fall asleep… but he must get to the top. They walked, which was hard for Gold, and climbed, which was hard for Typhlosion.
As they climbed, the small amount of heat from Typhlosion was enough to warm Gold up a bit. It was getting very cold though, and he could tell that Typhlosion was not comfortable. Fire types don't perform well in cold temperatures.
"That's enough, Typhlosion." He said. Typhlosion nodded, and Gold recalled it to its pokeball.
He was warm enough to continue relatively okay… for a few minutes. He was almost at the top… he couldn't stop now. He accidentally walked straight into something, since he didn't have his eyes open. He didn't use them… so he couldn't use one of them again.
He screamed in pain, much more than when his leg was ripped off, somehow. Probably because he was also just shocked and scared…
He tried opening it, but the air felt like it was burning him. It was too much… would it be better if…
He put his hand over his eye, trying to cover it from the dry air… and also because he was about to do something else…
He tugged and…
He was able to pull it out, but not sever the cord with the nerves and blood vessels. He held it in his hand, realising what he just did.
Oh- oh no… no… I have to put it back in… wh-how do I do that? Someone… I… it hurts to think…
Again. Two options.
Completely rip it out, or try to get it back in.
"Typhlosion… I need you to… I need you to…" Gold choked on his tears, but Typhlosion got the message. It hesitantly brought its claws up to Gold's eye, looking at him, as if to ask, "do you really want this?"
Gold nodded.
Typhlosion slashed with its claw, strong yet precise. Gold squeaked in pain, trying not to cry, but failing, tears flowing down his face, mixed with blood. He again, had just realised what he'd done. He recalled Typhlosion, staring straight down at the snow.
"I-It h-hurts…"
…Nothing but the sound of wind. Gold fell onto his knees.
"It hurts so, so much…"
…
He was holding himself up with his arms, face almost in the thick snow.
…
No. Continue. It could be worse.
It was hard, since the rest of the way was mainly walking. He sort of… crawled, but that was also hard, so he picked up a random branch to use as a walking stick.
Eventually, he was almost at the top, but he saw what he was looking for already, just in a cave next to him.
"...Hello?"
Nothing. Gold walked in closer. The ground had less snow and it was almost unnoticeably warmer.
Red was laying on the ground, as compact as he could make himself. He had a pained and fearful expression, from what Gold could see.
"Red?"
Red turned his head at Gold, still not opening his eyes, or saying anything. Gold sat down next to him. He seemed to be in much worse condition than Gold, though not having any injuries, it seems that it's painful for him to move at all, and both his hands are covered in blisters, while his fingers were already in the final stage of frostbite, covered in gangrene.
"So… Red?"
…Red didn't react.
"You can talk to me, if you want."
…Red still didn't react.
"Are you okay?"
Red shook his head 'no,' and weakly motioned to himself.
"Yeah… that is a little obvious, I guess…"
…
Red finally spoke. "Y-your leg. Could I see it?" He practically whispered to Gold. His voice was quite soft for a 14 year old boy.
"Huh? Oh, alright," Gold said as he nudged a little closer to Red.
Red unwrapped Gold's jacket from it slowly, handing it back to him. Gold's leg was still bleeding, though a tiny bit less than earlier. It was cut a few inches before the joint at his knee.
Red pulled out some bandages from his backpack, wrapping them around the end of Gold's leg. The work wasn't great, but Gold would take any help he could get.
"That should work until you get down from here." Red said, just as weak as before, but way steadier, with less voice cracks. He went back to leaning on the cave wall, unmoving, other than his slow breathing.
"Thanks," Gold said, moving a little closer to Red.
…
"...How long have you been here?" Gold asked.
"A few months."
"...Harsh."
…
"Sorry I'm shaking." Gold said.
"I didn't notice before you told me."
…
"Alright. Red, we're going to get out of here." Gold got up and turned to the exit of the cave.
"I'm not coming."
"What?"
"I'm not coming. I can't walk."
"You could try," Gold said, as he walked back to Red, lying limp on the ground.
"No. It hurts to walk. It hurts to move. It hurts to breathe." Red puts his hand back in his backpack, looking for something.
He pulls out a knife and hands it to Gold.
"It hurts. You don't understand. It hurts… so, so much…"
Red was crying.
"I- I want it to end-"
Gold understood what Red wanted him to do.
"I can't do that."
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Red yelled, as Gold stepped back an inch in surprise. "YOU DON'T understand the sUFFERING!"
"...I still can't…"
"I'm in so much pain. I'm going to die anyway. Do you want me to have to sit through the pain? Suffer like this?"
…
"No…"
"Then do it."
"No. We're getting out of this alive. Both of us. I'll drag you if I have to." Gold puts the knife back in his pocket, grabbing Red by the wrist.
"No. If you try to bring me down, we're both gonna die. I don't want that." Red tried pulling his arm from Gold's grip. Gold let go.
"Please. I can't leave you. You can't change my mind. Let's go." Gold got onto the ground next to Red.
"If you aren't going to give me what I want… I'd have to get it myself." Red got up and walked to the edge of a really far cliff, limping his arms and body.
"No! Red!"
Red stood there. Gold grabbed Red, putting an arm around his waist, pulling him back.
…
"I won't retract my statement. If you try to save me, both of us are going to die." Red said.
"I don't care. I will try to save both of us and if that doesn't work then it doesn't work."
…
"So… you can walk."
"It's hard to carry myself."
…
"Then I'll carry you." Gold said. This was probably impossible, as Red was three years older than Gold. "I mean, I'll drag you." He quickly corrected.
Red nodded.
Gold grabbed Red by his ankles and started walking. He was taking the long route, with no drops, which would take 5 or 6 hours... He could cut it down to 2 or 3 hours with the drops, but… He looked at his right leg, and decided against it. He didn't want it to happen to himself again, or Red.
…