“Sky! Sun! Freedom!”

  Chloe cheered as she ran, practically skipping her way out of the tunnel entrance. Then she immediately reversed course, diving back into the cave that marked the northern entrance to Mount Coronet.

  “Cold!”

  Chloe hugged herself, shivering. She reached for her bag to start digging for her coat.

  “Well yes, Chloe, we are headed to a place called Snowpoint,” Fiona remarked dryly, already fishing out her own cold weather gear.

  “I didn't know it was going to be that cold!" Chloe replied, “I’ve never been in the snow before!”

  She looked at at the landscape arrayed ahead of them. Soft, powdery snow dusted the hills and trees, the sunlight reflecting off the surface. It was quite possibly the prettiest thing Chloe had ever seen. They had blasted their way past the Zubat colony with no issues now that they had a full roster of Pokemon with them, and were now standing at the entrance to the their next challenge, Route 216.

  “You’ve never seen snow before?” asked Eleanor, standing well back from the opening.

  “Only on TV. It's so pretty. And cold.” Chloe answered, finding her warmest jacket. She considered it before setting it aside and searching for another. She better double up…

  “I wonder why it's so warm in here,” Troy mused, standing comfortably back with Eleanor, despite only wearing his usual tank top.

  “Fucked if I know,” Fiona replied, “Some mountain bullshit. Here El, use my spare.”

  Fiona tossed a downy ski jacket, in trademark Fiona black, to Eleanor, who gratefully shrugged it on, alongside a pair of gloves and a beanie.

  “As for Troy…” Fiona mused, before sighing, “It’ll be blankets, sorry big guy. You’ll need to hang on until we get to the lodge.”

  “All good,” Troy said, accepting Fiona’s sleeping bag which he wrapped around himself.

  Both Troy and Eleanor had lost their bags when the group were separated, though Troy had managed to salvage Fiona’s for her. That was putting a strain on their food supply, and left poor Troy especially without any spare clothes. Eleanor could borrow from Fiona, or even Chloe in a pinch, but Troy was a lost cause.

  “You can use mine too if you want,” Chloe offered. Fiona snorted when she observed the blonde.

  Chloe was now wrapped on both of her thick coats, had three scarves around her neck, and at least two pairs of mittens on.

  “What?” Chloe challenged. “I want to be warm!”

  “You look like a sponge roll,” Fiona told her.

  “Sponge rolls are delicious!”

  “Whatever you say, Princess. Now are we ready?”

  Troy and Eleanor immediately agreed.

  “I suppose.”

  “I’m always ready!”

  “One moment,” Chloe replied. She fished out a small blanket and picked up Mochi before wrapping the blanket around the two of them.

  “Okay, now I’m ready.”

  Fiona rolled her eyes.

  “Right, let's get moving.”

  She took a step, then paused. That gave her an idea…

  Fiona quickly released Heather.

  “Nya?”

  Fiona scooped her Skitty up, unzipped her jacket and stuffed her inside before closing it again.

  “Nya!”

  Heather's little head poked out of the collar beneath Fiona's chin.

  Chloe giggled.

  “What?” Fiona challenged, “She's warm.”

  She rubbed Heather's head, causing the Skitty to purr while the other girls looked on in jealousy.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “The Skitty rule is so unfair…” Chloe muttered as they set off into the winter wonderscape arrayed before them.

  The snow crunched under their feet as they walked, making their way down the valley towards the Snowbound Lodge. They could see it down below them as they traversed the series of bridges and ledges that led down.

  “This view is amazing,” Chloe gushed from within her cocoon, “It's like a fairy tale!”

  “I’m still surprised you have never been to the snow before,” Eleanor said, “Isn't Kalos filled with ski resorts?”

  Chloe shrugged. Or attempted to, bound as she was by her layers.

  “Mum never had the time or money to take me,” Chloe confessed.

  “You're not missing out on much,” Fiona chimed in, "Skiing is alright, but I’d rather spend time in Alola.”

  “You’ve been to Alola?” Chloe asked, turning to her friend, eyes sparkling.

  Fiona shrugged, “A few times, yeah. It's nice.”

  “Jealous…” Chloe muttered.

  Then she paused.

  “Fiona?”

  “Yeah?”

  “How rich are you?”

  “Rich enough,” Fiona replied dismissively, “Besides, it's Dad’s money, not mine. As soon as I can, I’m making my own fortune.”

  “That sounds nice…” Eleanor muttered, “I could buy so many cameras.”

  Eleanor paused, lifting her camera on its ever present lanyard to snap a photo of the landscape.

  “What about you Troy?” Chloe asked, “What would you do if you were rich?”

  “Buy snacks.”

  Fiona snorted, “Yeah, that checks out. I bet it costs a fortune to feed your ass.”

  “It's a lot of ass to feed,” Troy replied.

  “And you Chloe?” Eleanor asked, doing her best to ignore Troy who was now beginning to twerk in the snow.

  “Clothes,” Fiona said before Chloe could respond, “Lots of pink, sparkly clothes.”

  “No!” Chloe replied, “Well, okay. Some clothes. But I’d spend it on Mum.”

  “That reminds me,” Fiona said, “You talk about your mum a lot, but I have never heard you mention your dad.”

  Chloe shrugged, “Never met him. Mum doesn't talk about it, and I never asked.”

  Eleanor started, “You’re not curious?”

  “Not really. If Mum thought I should know, she would have told me. If she doesn't want to talk about it, then it's probably for a good reason. Besides, Mum and I do just fine.”

  “Must be nice,” Fiona added, “Not knowing your dad.”

  “What about you two?” Chloe asked, choosing to ignore Fiona's angst and instead directing her question to Eleanor and Troy. “What are your parents like?”

  “Normal, I guess,” Eleanor answered.

  “Perfectly normal,” Troy agreed, “That's why you guys are better trainers.”

  Eleanor frowned, “What do parents have to do with being better trainers?”

  Troy nodded sagely. “All the best trainers have tragic home lives. When was the last time you heard of a top trainer that had a full, happy family?”

  Chloe frowned.

  Come to think of it, she couldn't name any...

  “How about May?” Eleanor chimed in, “She had both her parents.”

  Fiona shook her head, “They were separated. I can't believe that I am saying this, but Troy has a point.”

  “Of course I do,” Troy said, “When was the last time I was wrong?”

  “When you claimed that you could levitate dumplings with your mind,” Eleanor responded.

  “Look, it's not my fault it didn't work,” Troy said, “I thought I was a Psychic Type.”

  “More like a Dumbass Type,” Fiona fired off.

  “Says the Daddy-Issues Type,” Troy shot back.

  Fiona stared.

  “Prove me wrong,” Troy challenged.

  “Well… I. Fuck you Troy.” Fiona finished lamely, “You win. Well played.”

  “Another victory for Troy!” Troy declared, posing.

  A snowball smacked him in right in the nose.

  Fiona knelt to make another.

  “I’ll give you Daddy issues!" she taunted, lobbing another snowball at Troy.

  He ducked.

  Chloe squealed as it hit her in the face.

  “Bah! Wah! Cold!”

  Chloe complained, wiping off her face.

  “Fi!”

  “Get your ass out of my firing line if you don't want to get hit.”

  “That's it! Troy, this means war! Let's get her!”

  Chloe bent to inexpertly make her own snowball while Troy returned fire at Fiona.

  Eleanor meanwhile stood off to one side, shaking her head.

  “Idiots…” she muttered to Lumen, who was standing next to her.

  “Maaa,” he agreed.

  “Eleanor! Get your ass in here! You’re on my team!”

  Eleanor sighed.

  “Guess I don't have a choice.”

  She bent down, packed a snowball and hurled it at Troy.

  Battle had been joined.

  Troy sneezed.

  “That is why you don't have a snowball fight in a tank top” Fiona told him.

  “That's not fair Fi, you started it,” Chloe told her, wrapping her fingers around her mug gratefully.

  She was sitting before the fire in the Snowbound Lodge, nursing a hot chocolate and thoroughly enjoying being out of the cold. Eleanor sat in a chair next to Chloe, nursing a mug of her own. Fiona meanwhile had acquired a cat toy from somewhere, and was sitting cross legged on the floor, playing with Heather. The Skitty was making the cutest, heart melting noises, but Chloe couldn't be too jealous. After all, she had Mr Growly.

  Which got her pouting again. Poor Mr Growly wasn't allowed out inside.

  It wasn't fair!

  Heather was okay, TJ was okay, even Mochi was, and her crazy Puffball was currently threatening the lamp.

  But no. No Growly.

  No amount of reassuring the staff that he was a good boy and wouldn't cause a fuss had managed to convince them. They were worried about him breaking all the furniture.

  It was just plain mean.

  Although Chloe had to admit, they were probably right. Still, it was her job to stand up for her Pokemon, so she did.

  “Hey Fiona?” Eleanor asked.

  “Yeah?”

  “What do you know about Candice?”

  Fiona shrugged, “Why are you asking me? You're the local.”

  “You know exactly why,” Eleanor countered.

  “Yeah, you’re the Ace. Drop some hot advice on us,” Troy chimed in.

  “Hey! I’m Ace too, why not ask me?” Chloe protested.

  The other looked at her as one.

  “You know,” Eleanor mused, “I sometimes forget that you are.”

  “Chloe, how many Pokemon will you need for the next Gym Battle?” Fiona asked, pointedly.

  “Uhh,” Chloe thought about it. The first badge was three, so…

  “Four?”

  “That's why they didn't ask you,” Fiona replied, “You have the brain of a Rhyhorn.”

  “That… Fi! You’re so mean! I’m not dumb!”

  Chloe pouted, and Eleanor leaned over to gently pat her on the knee.

  “It's okay Chloe, we all have our weaknesses.”

  Chloe sputtered, “But… El! Troy! I’m not dumb am I?”

  Troy shrugged.

  “You do surprisingly well,” he agreed.

  “See!” Chloe began, “Troy says…”

  She trailed off.

  “He just called me stupid as well didn't he?”

  “Oh, she’s learning!” Fiona cooed, reaching into her pocket to pull out a Pokesnack. She tossed it to Chloe.

  “Good job girl, have a treat!”

  “I hate you guys…” Chloe sniffed.

  “But seriously,” Eleanor asked, deciding to spare Chloe from further ribbing, “You got any advice Fiona?

  Fiona leaned back, resting on her palms as she considered.

  “Honestly? Nah, you don't need it.”

  “I would kind of like to have it though,” Eleanor pressed.

  “No, really. You don’t.”

  Fiona met Eleanor's eyes, before explaining.

  “The second badge is usually the easiest. The difficulty doesn't change.”

  Eleanor blinked, “Why’s that?”

  “Think of the first two badges as a sort of… introduction. Anyone can get their first badge with a bit of luck or a good match up. The second badge is to see if that was a fluke. If you can get the first, you can get the second.”

  “Huh.”

  Chloe frowned, recovering from her pout to ask a question.

  “So, does that mean the third badge is the hard one?”

  Fiona nodded.

  “Yeah, the third is the filter. It's when the leaders will start to actually put some effort in. Don't get me wrong, any halfway decent trainer should still get past, but most need a few tries to get their third.”

  “What about for you two?” Troy asked, joining the conversation, “Pretty sure you already proved yourselves to be pretty good.”

  Fiona snorted, “I proved myself to be fucking amazing, thank you very much. But it's the same. In fact, it's probably a bigger jump. Chloe and I can expect the Leaders to start actually preparing for us. They'll plan for us specifically.”

  Eleanor shivered, “That sounds horrible.”

  Fiona chuckled, “You’re in for that too if you get to seven. That's when the gloves come off properly.”

  Fiona stood, stretching.

  “Anyway, long story short, don't worry about Candice. Do what you do in Eterna and you’ll smash it. I’m going to bed.”

  Fiona picked Heather up, and headed off towards the stairs. Chloe stayed behind as the other two decided to follow Fiona, each saying their farewells.

  Chloe stared into the fire, watching the crackle as the wood within burnt and warped. Mount Coronet had been terrifying. Not as bad as Eterna, thankfully. No waking up in the hospital this time, but Chloe was not at all looking forward to the trip back. Still, she had gotten Mr Growly out of it, so the trip wasn't all that bad.

  It was still mean of the staff to not let him out of his ball though. Chloe's angels would never…

  Crash!

  Chloe looked over to see Mochi with a guilty expression on her face.

  …hopefully that lamp wasn't expensive.