You and Cynthia have always been two peas in a pod ever since you were 5 years old. Always together, and always happy to hang out with each other. However, about 8 years ago, Cynthia caught herself a Togepi on a birthday trip around the Sinnoh region. You had no idea how she was able to go all the way to route 230 to catch one, but apparently her grandma had given her the Togepi, instead of her catching it herself.
Which is all the more reason to have been embarrassed that you felt angry that she managed to get her hands on such a rare Pokemon, so against your own conscience and the Pokemon that belonged to your best friend, you took her Togepi when she wasn't looking. You were found out soon after, but the Togepi was too good to pass up, and the scheme went too far to just give up, so Cynthia had to chase you all the way up north of Sinnoh, to route 216. You two went into the snow without preparing, and to add to the chaos, Cynthia was really mad at you.
"[Y/N]! Give Togepi back! Get your own Pokemon, you already have Pokeballs of your own! Come on! Give her back!"
"No! Togepi is really hard to find! Just let me have this one! You can get another one of them, can't you!?"
The chase went on for a few more minutes until she decided that she's not going to put up with me any longer.
"Gible! Take Togepi back from [Y/N]. I've had enough of running after you, you jerk!"
"Hmph! Larvitar, don't let Gible take Togepi from me! Go!"
You both send out your Pokemon, and they both jumped out of their Pokeballs ready for action. But when Larvitar saw Gible and vice versa, they decided not to obey either of you. And at the time, Cynthia and you were too stirred up emotionally to try and understand why they won't fight. You thought, "why wouldn't they? Pokemon are supposed to obey their trainers, aren't they? Then why's Larvitar just sitting there?" You only realised a few moments later that Larvitar doesn't want to fight, not because he's being rebellious, but because he doesn't feel the need or desire to fight. And neither did Gible on Cynthia's side.
So the two of you got stuck in a stalemate, or more accurately, neither of you want to see each other right now. You and Cynthia sit down on opposite ends of the snow, the silence between you far louder than the worsening snowfall. Honestly speaking, you feel your fingers starting to feel numb, but your pride won't let you move a muscle until Cynthia apologizes. But after a few minutes, and worsening shivers, you finally hear her say something. But not the words you expected.
"[Y/N]... I feel.. R-really cold..."
You couldn't hear what she was saying over the snow storm, but there was an audible thud on the ground. You expected it to be Cynthia looking at you with a puffed up face, probably about to tell you that she doesn't want to be friends with you anymore. Fearing that, you decided to turn around and swallowed any trace of pride you had. But instead, you saw something that sent shivers down your spine. Both figuratively and literally.
"Alright, fine. I'm sorry for taking your Togepi, Cyn-... Cynthia? Hey, wake up. Come on, get up, we're going down the mountain now. I'm sorry."
No response from Cynthia at all. Your heart started to beat far faster than you can breathe, your thoughts racing faster than they've ever been with the imminent chilling blizzard.
"Cynthia. Hey, Cynthia! Wake up! Please! We need to climb down this mountain! I can't... Rggh! I can't carry you! I can't feel my fingers! Larvitar! Gible! Help me out here!"
No, no, no. This can't be happening. You have to find somewhere safe! There wasn't enough time for you to find the path. The entire field has been covered in a thick, deathly white layer of snow. And you couldn't even carry Cynthia with Gible and Larvitar's help. The two Pokemon tried to help out, but not to much avail. They're too short to properly carry her across the snow. Dammit! Cynthia was going to freeze if this keeps up. You ended up dragging her across the snow with Larvitar and Gible to help. But any sort of cave to find warmth was too far out of reach to run towards. After a mere 2 minutes of struggling against the weather, your legs gave out and you fell face first into the snow. This is it. You weren't going to make it out of this. Knowing that, you decide to bring Larvitar back into his Pokeball so at least he'd be safe. You and Gible hold Cynthia close to yourselves, just for sentimental reasons, if anything.
"Cynthia... I'm r-r-really... S-sorry for taking... Your Togepi... I shouldn't-t have done that."
You feel Cynthia's hand grip a little tight on your arm, and you exhale a small mist into the raging ice. With most of your vision fading, you think about your wish again, and again, and again. No one might come to help two dumb children who got into this because of their own petty quarrel, but you hope for it as much as you can. It wouldn't matter much how, anyway.
As your vision fades to black, the last thing you see is Cynthia, still holding on to your arm and onto Gible. It prompts the last thought you have before losing your consciousness.
You wake up in a cold sweat, being in the most bizarre sleeping position you can imagine. Your hat went all the way down your face during sleep, and is now stained with drool from the not-so-comfortable nap. No hat for today. And it looks like you were pretty loud, seeing as Nurse Joy on the counter has bags under her eyes, desperately trying to get some sleep in.
"Sorry."
"Please leave. Come again some other time."
You awkwardly grabbed your Pokeballs, got your things packed, and pumped yourself up to continue your journey.
Until you looked outside the window. Snow was falling down all over the streets, lamps, benches and homes outside, layering over everything as far as your eyes can see. As soon as that happened, you started breathing rapidly, your thoughts racing more than you felt comfortable with. You turn away immediately, before reprimanding yourself for letting what just happened slide. It was the end of Autumn, why didn't you remember? Now winter has come and you haven't prepared. Yep, you have a strong fear of ice. Not the kind that someone would put in their coffee or regular old ice cream -that would've been huge trouble if Cynthia's who you're friends with- but natural ice. The kind that you're currently seeing from inside the Pokemon Center window. And honestly, it sucks, especially when you live in a region like Sinnoh. Abomasnow freaks you the hell out.
"Hey, can I stay inside for a little longer? I have a bit of a problem."
In a strangely non-professional manner from the typically polite Nurse Joy, she rolls her eyes and calls her Blissey in to fill her in. You go back to your seat and wait until you feel ready to walk into the snow. Which will take a while. You wait for about ten or so minutes before steeling your nerves to face the snow, with the Blissey in the background watching you intently. It's not helping.
You smack yourself in the face with both your palms to calm yourself and grab your bag to finally walk outside for a few minutes to find a better spot for shelter. You head for the door, feeling confident that you'll be able to face what's beyond the automatic doors. Until they opened.
And Cynthia is on the other side. Oh boy. She wears a teal blue top with a small ribbon in the middle, as well as a snowy-white cotton coat with a lace of fur near the cuffs, with two small pockets on both sides. Cute yet simple gray fluffy earmuffs rest on the side of her head, in addition to her usual hair ornaments. Her hair is tied into a lush and mellow ponytail, which was slightly covered in snow from her journey here. The bag on her shoulder is the usual black, and the dark blue trousers helped to keep her warm. Most shocking of all, she's wearing the blue plaid scarf that your mom gave her for her 12th birthday. You didn't know she remembers about that small gift, let alone wear it. But you do know that the world has a strange sense of timing. And it shows.
"Oh, [Y/N]? I didn't know you were here. Where have you been?"
"Yeah, about that. I was training Larvitar yesterday, who, might I add, evolved along the way."
Cynthia's face lights up with curiosity, and unconsciously moves closer to you out of excitement. Damn it. You can barely handle her catching you off guard like this, especially when she's calm and collected around everyone else.
"Can I see him?"
"Y-yeah, sure thing. Come on out, Pupitar."
Pupitar shakes and comes out of his Pokeball to greet Cynthia, who squats down and examines him intently, to his slight discomfort. Personally, you don't get why he would be.
"Wow, so he's a pupa now? How long did it take you to evolve him?"
"Let's just say, I might have slightly altered the ecosystem back in route 218. It took more out of me than it did for Pupitar, and those Shinx will definitely remember us the next time we come around."
She pats Pupitar's head one last time before standing back up and taking two of her Pokeballs out of her bag.
"By the way, Cynthia, what brought you here?"
Stupid question. Very stupid question. Why did you ask that.
"Well... I was travelling around in the ruins, and ran into a few rock type Pokemon. Actually, there were a lot, and both Gabite and Togepi got overwhelmed by the sheer amount of them. And so I ran all the way here. Hehe."
Huh. That makes sense. Cynthia twiddles her fingers in embarrassment, walking towards the Blissey on the counter to heal her Pokemon. After the lights on the monitor blink a few times, her Pokemon are now back in tip-top shape. Which means that now would be a perfect time to battle.
"Hey, would you mind battling me right now? Pupitar here wants to try out his new moves ever since he evolved yesterday, and he won't back down. If you're fine with it, obviously."
Cynthia is taken aback by your sudden request, but after asking Gabite about it, agrees to fight right in the middle of the Pokemon Center. Sorry, Nurse Joy. But it's time to battle!