A while after the reveal to Kiki and Victoria, they did talk about it over some tea, but not much was said. Ash was still extremely tired from purifying Kiki's Aura, so he teleported with Hypno, and then with Abby, to get back to the inn. It wasn't nighttime; in fact, it was probably around dinnertime. But Ash was just tired.
When he got back, he saw Misty, Brock, and Yellow already having dinner, which wasn't surprising. But he wasn't really hungry, he just wanted to sleep.
"Oh hey, you're back! That's surprising, I was expecting to have to try to find you and drag you back here," Misty said, looking up from her bowl.
"You look tired. Are you okay, Ash?" Yellow asked, as she was feeding Pikachu, Chuchu, and Vee.
"Yeah, I'm just tired. I did the thing, everyone's fine, no one's gonna die," Ash said as he walked past the table, like what he said was totally casual.
"Do you wanna eat? You're gonna need your energy since we're going into the mountains tomorrow," Brock offered, pointing to another bowl left on the table.
"Thanks," Ash said, though he didn't move toward the table. "But I think I'm gonna crash for a bit. I'm just tired."
"Alright," Misty said, softly this time. "We'll be here."
Ash gave her a faint smile. "Thanks, guys. And Pikachu, Vee, if you wanna come in, I'll leave the door unlocked. If not, I dunno." Then he walked over, went to his room, collapsed onto the bed, and was knocked out.
"He didn't even tell us what happened," Misty finally muttered.
Yellow gave a little shrug. "Maybe he's just tired… you know how Ash gets sometimes. I just hope he gets better tomorrow."
Pikachu, curled on Yellow's lap, gave a small "Pika…" like he agreed.
—
Later, when everyone was going to sleep, the hallway door creaked open again. Vee and Pikachu looked into Ash's room.
They exchanged a look, then both padded quietly into the hall and disappeared into Ash's room.
Vee climbed up onto the bed and curled near his legs. Pikachu hopped up and plopped himself on top of Ash, and they went to sleep just like that.
—
The next morning
After everyone woke up, Ash was feeling better. He was still pretty drained, but he'd gotten most of his Aura back — enough in case he needed it. And knowing what might happen, he probably would.
Pikachu jumped on one shoulder, and Vee on the other. Ash walked out and saw the gang sitting over by the table eating breakfast. He walked over and sat down.
"Sup, guys."
"Hey Ash, you're looking better," Brock said as he handed Ash a plate.
"Thanks," Ash responded, taking the plate and starting to eat. Vee and Pikachu jumped down to go eat their breakfast with the other Pokémon.
Misty glanced at Ash as he dug into the food. "So… are you gonna tell us what happened yesterday, or are we just gonna keep pretending you didn't stumble in like a ghost?"
Ash didn't answer right away. He looked up at her, chewed, shrugged, chewed some more, and swallowed. "Aura stuff."
"That makes too much sense…" Misty mumbled.
"Not my fault you don't have a superpower," Ash said as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Why do you drink coffee? You know if you do, you'll stop growing," Brock teased, like Ash wasn't already two inches shorter than him, and he hadn't even hit puberty yet.
Ash rolled his eyes. "No it doesn't, that's a myth. There's no evidence for that. Besides, if that were the case, then most soda would do the same."
"How do you even…" Brock was about to say, but Ash just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Right. Doctor. I keep forgetting that."
"Yeah, well, anyway, y'all ready to head out to the mountains? It's not going to be pretty, I'll tell you that much, especially not after the blizzard."
"Maybe it's not so bad. Besides, we got matching scarves, didn't we?" Yellow said happily, still remembering their shopping trip yesterday. She'd been giggling just waiting to show them off.
Ash smirked slightly at Yellow's comment. "Yeah… those scarves better be warm. I don't feel like turning into a Pikachu-sicle."
Pikachu perked up from his plate at the sound of his name-derivative, giving an enthusiastic "Pika-pi!"
Yellow giggled and hugged her scarf closer. "Well, I think they're cute."
Misty leaned over the table a bit, resting her chin on her hand. "So, how bad is it really? This mountain thing. You said it wouldn't be pretty, what are we walking into?"
Ash stopped eating and looked at her. He stood up, went to the window, and pulled open the curtain, and behind the window, it was completely white. The snow was piled so high it covered the window.
Ash let the curtain fall back into place. "That bad."
Yellow's smile faded just a little. "Oh…"
Brock stood up and grabbed his coat from a nearby hook. "Alright. We'd better get our gear in order, then. If we're going up there in this, we'll need everything we've got, food, blankets, crampons… rope, maybe?"
"Can we negotiate going another day… and staying here to drink more hot chocolate?" Misty more pleaded than asked.
"It's not going any lower. Blizzards and mountains don't work like that, that snow isn't going down until spring," Ash said as he went over and grabbed his thicker sweater, pulling it on. "We're doing this the old-fashioned way. Look on the bright side: after we're done, I can have Abby get us out of there."
Misty sighed. "Finnneeeee… but can we at least carry some more hot chocolate for the road?"
"Obviously," Ash said with a smirk. "Let's get it and then go. Pikachu, Vee, you wanna go in the snow or stay in your Pokéballs?"
They didn't need to answer. They jumped up and settled on Ash's shoulders. "Vee!" "Pika!"
"Alright then, let's go," Ash said.
"Yeah… maybe it's not too bad," Misty said.
—
{30 minutes later}
The group was trudging through the snow, barely able to see even a few feet ahead. Chuchu had to go inside Yellow's jacket, trying to stay warm with her, and Vee and Pikachu had done the same with Ash.
"How is it this bad!" Misty yelled, struggling to push forward. The group had tied a rope around their waists so they wouldn't get separated in the storm.
"I told you, we didn't pack all this gear for nothing!" Brock called, as the cold air blasted against his face.
"Hey, look on the bright side! At least you're all toasty with those pants. I bet you're glad you gave them a chance now, aren't you~" Ash teased.
"Not the time!" Misty yelled.
Yellow stumbled a little as the wind picked up, tugging her hood tighter around her face. "I feel like I'm going to freeze solid…"
Ash slowed his steps, making sure she was keeping pace. "We're almost to the next ridge. Once we crest it, there should be a cave we can stop in for a bit. Just hang on."
"I don't even see a ridge," Misty muttered, squinting into the blur of white. "All I see is death."
"Don't be dramatic," Brock called back, trying to keep the rope between them taut. "It's probably only mild frostbite."
Misty didn't laugh.
Ash reached up to steady Pikachu, who was shivering on his shoulder, snuggling closer to his neck. "Hang in there, buddy…"
Then he looked at Vee. "Hey, I have an idea." Ash twisted his ring to Fire Stone mode and pointed it at Vee.
Vee began to glow, growing bigger and fluffier until he became a Flareon. He blinked and gave a little nod, instantly feeling much warmer.
Misty's eyes turned into stars as she scrambled up and snatched Vee, hugging the warm fluff tightly. "Why didn't you do this before?! This is so much better!"
"Same reason I didn't do this," Ash said, smirking as he tossed out another Pokéball. Wyrdeer emerged with a heavy stomp, looking perfectly suited for the snowy weather, because, well, he was.
"I forgot."
"Well, hop on," Ash said, tucking Pikachu and Chuchu deep inside Wyrdeer's thick fur. He held his hand out to help Misty and Yellow climb up.
One after the other, they all got onto the big deer. Misty plopped down behind Yellow and tucked Flareon between them like a living space heater. "You're not allowed to evolve back until we're out of this mess."
Flareon gave a little huff but nuzzled into his own fluffiness anyway.
"I can actually feel my face again," Misty muttered, squeezing Flareon like a heated pillow.
"I can't feel anything," Yellow whispered. "Can you pass Vee?"
Misty gave her a look, sighed, and handed over the Flareon. "Fine, here."
Yellow smiled gratefully and buried her face in Vee's warm fur. "Thank you…" her muffled voice came out.
Vee didn't seem to mind being passed around like a communal heater; honestly, he was just happy to be warm himself.
Ash watched them with a small laugh, then tossed out another Pokéball, Growlithe appeared, only to immediately start sinking into the deep snow. "Row?" she mumbled, blinking.
Ash quickly helped her up. "Hey girl, it's about time. You've gotten strong enough… do you wanna evolve?"
Growlithe looked up at him with surprise, eyes sparkling, tail wagging furiously. "Row!" she barked happily, nodding.
Ash smiled and set her down, pointing his ring, still in Fire Stone mode, at her. She began to glow, fur thickening and body stretching taller and taller, going from Pikachu-sized to larger than Ash and Brock combined.
Now sitting proudly in front of them, tail wagging, was Arcanine. She huffed joyfully and nuzzled up against Ash.
Ash turned to Brock. "This one's our ride. Hop on."
Brock nodded. "Alright, I'm behind you."
Arcanine was smaller than Wyrdeer but still plenty big for two riders. Ash swung into the front, Brock behind him. "Alright, let's go. I'll lead the way."
The snowstorm hadn't let up, but now, with Wyrdeer and Arcanine cutting through the drifts, it was a lot less miserable. Not good exactly, but definitely not as bad, since they weren't freezing solid anymore.
Yellow hugged Flareon tightly in her arms, face buried deep in his fluffy fur. "He smells like toasty marshmallows…" she whispered dreamily.
"Vee?" Flareon looked back at them but didn't protest. He was just content to be the team's mobile heater.
"How much farther?" Brock asked, pulling out his map and squinting at it.
"Well, to get to the Gym, we need to reach the top of the mountain, then cross a ravine and climb down," Ash explained. "Once we're there, the rest is easy."
"Easy, he says…" Misty muttered under her breath, hugging Flareon a little tighter.
They kept moving steadily, much more comfortable now with their Fire-types acting as portable heaters. But then, from up ahead, they heard something, a faint voice echoing through the mountain pass.
"Greetings to all of our listeners, it's me, DJ Mary!" came the cheerful, familiar voice.
Brock's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Ash! Full speed ahead!"
"What? No, that's stupid," Ash shot him a look. "The snow's too deep, if Arcanine moves too fast, she might melt the wrong snow and cause a slide—"
"Sorry, Ash, but I must do this… for love!" Brock cried dramatically, throwing himself forward to grab Arcanine's fur.
Arcanine yelped in surprise, ears flicking back, and then took off running at full speed.
"Aaaah! Brock, you idiot!!" Ash's voice trailed behind them as Arcanine bolted through the snow.
Misty, Yellow, Pikachu, Chuchu, Flareon, and Wyrdeer all stared after them in stunned silence.
"…Well," Misty said slowly.
"…Guess we're going too," Yellow murmured, clinging to Flareon.
Without a word, Wyrdeer snorted and smoothly began bounding through the snow, easily catching up.
{Elsewhere, on the mountain trail"
The Goldenrod Radio crew had made it this far, but it was not going smoothly. DJ Mary, wrapped in a thick scarf, held up her microphone with freezing hands. "Greetings to all of our listeners, it's me, DJ Mary!"
She beamed at the mic. "We're on our way to Mahogany Town, to visit the local Gym. However, the trip's proving to be rough! Currently, the Pokémon Association Chairman is with us—"
Suddenly, a loud THUMP.
"WHOA!" the Chairman yelped as his foot slipped, sending him face-first into a snowbank.
"Are you okay, sir?!" Mary gasped, lowering her mic and hurrying to check on him.
"I-I'm f-fine…" the Chairman said with a pained little laugh, rubbing his nose as one of the sound crew helped him up.
The director off to the side groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let's reshoot that. We don't need the audience hearing that go on-air."
Whitney, wrapped in a stylish pink winter jacket, huffed and crossed her arms. "Ugh… At this rate, we'll never get to the Gym. Why, in a crew full of men, did I, a cute girl, have to come help you guys hike up a mountain?"
Just as she finished grumbling, another sharp gust of wind howled down the pass, nearly knocking the mic out of Mary's frozen hands.
"I-It's fine… this is great radio…" Mary mumbled through chattering teeth, desperately trying to shield the mic with her coat. "Riveting content… frozen microphones, gym leaders in exile… peak Johto coverage…"
Whitney gave a dramatic sigh, looking back up the snowy trail. "Seriously, who chooses to live in a frozen mountain cave just to be a Gym Leader? You don't see Erika or Jasmine making people climb glaciers for a badge."
Behind them, the Chairman was mumbling about "the resilience of youth" while bundled up in three scarves, a massive coat, and what looked like two pairs of gloves.
"Look, just keep moving!" the director shouted, waving his arms. "We're almost there! Pryce's Gym should be around here, I think…"
"And what, you think he's gonna open the door for us? Like, 'Oh sure, come on in, let's have tea and chat about Raikou?'" Whitney muttered sarcastically. She adjusted her scarf. "I've never personally talked to him, but if he lives way out here, he probably doesn't want to talk to people."
Then, in the distance, they heard it —
"BROCK, SLOW DOWN!!"
A blur of flame and fur shot over the next ridge, barreling straight toward them. Arcanine tore through the snow, Brock clinging to her mane like his life depended on it, eyes wild.
"Out of the WAY!!" Ash's voice screamed behind him.
"DJ MARY, I LOVE YOU!!" Brock cried out, starry-eyed even as the snow blurred past.
"Eh!?" the Chairman yelped, spinning around just in time to see the incoming chaos.
With a dramatic skid, Arcanine reared back just feet from the radio crew, kicking up a huge spray of snow as Brock jumped off, arms flung wide in triumph.
Ash, meanwhile, flopped face-first into the snow with a thud.
Mary blinked, stunned, her mic halfway raised. Whitney's jaw was slightly open. Even the director muttered under his breath, "Okay… that was actually kind of cinematic."
Arcanine gave a proud wag of her tail while Brock stood there grinning like a lovesick doofus.
"H-hi, Miss Mary," Brock panted, hands on his knees. "I, uh… we came to help… also, I'm a big fan…"
Before he could gush any further, Ash hauled himself up, stomped over, and axe-kicked Brock straight into the snow, leaving him stuck headfirst like an ostrich.
"I told you not to do that, you idiot!" Ash snapped, exasperated. "You're lucky Arcanine wasn't burning hotter, you could've caused an avalanche!"
Mary flinched slightly, watching Brock's legs twitching weakly out of the snowbank.
"Oh, hi Ash!" Whitney called out, her face lighting up. "I didn't think we'd see you here!"
Ash gave her a little wave, rubbing snow out of his hair. "Oh hey, it's you guys. How've you been?"
Right then, Wyrdeer came bounding gracefully over the ridge behind them, Misty and Yellow clinging to each other for balance, with Flareon squished snugly between them like a heated pillow.
"I swear, if Brock died doing something that stupid, I would've killed him again," Misty muttered, her voice muffled by Flareon's fur.
Ash called over his shoulder, "Nah, don't worry, Misty! I already buried him in the snow, so no need for extra punishment!"
The director turned to the sound guy with wide eyes. "Please tell me you got that. That would make amazing content."
The sound guy just shook his head helplessly.
The director let out a long, heavy sigh and turned back to the group. "Hey… would you mind doing all that again?"
"No," Ash and Misty said flatly in unison, shutting him down.