Pokemon: Fire and Ice

Chapter 28

It was late evening by the time Reshiram landed on the far outskirts of Lacunosa Town. Usually the sky would be alit with bright colors and shades, but today it was dark gray with a heavy cloud cover. A light layer of snow covered the ground and the air was cold.

"I can't believe Kyurem would do this," Iris whimpered, hugging herself for warmth.

"You can almost taste the depression in the air," Cilan commented.

The ground shook slightly as Reshiram took a step toward the nearby forest. She looked at the group over her shoulder.

"Nothing can be done now," she informed. "The day is already dying. We should take this chance to rest and then we'll see what can be done tomorrow."

She took another step, having her body turn to show hidden under the trees was a gaping black mouth of a cave. Ash looked back and forth between it and the faint lights on the horizon. This was as close Reshiram could go without being noticed, and she even admitted it was closer than she preferred.

Ash wondered should they travel on ground the rest of the way to stay at the town's Pokémon Center. But it would be nightfall by the time they reached the town's walls. And if Reshiram's description was correct, they wouldn't appreciate the newcomers at such a late hour. So apparently creepy cave in the middle of nowhere wins.

They got settled, placing their supplies inside and setting up their cooking just outside the entrance. It was of no surprise to find the inside of the cave was dark, but it was large enough for all of them (even Reshiram). They started a single fire to help with the darkness, having shadows dance across the walls.

They ate dinner in silence. Afterwards, they packed up their supplies and got ready for bed despite it wasn't that late in the night. They first attempted to sleep in their own spots, but when the cold worsened and began invading their shelter, they found themselves inching towards Reshiram for warmth.

It was a long and quiet night.

***

The next day, several strangers stepped through the gates of Lacunosa Town. They observed with a chill that it looked like an absolute ghost town.

There was not even a single soul on the iced streets. Lights of surrounding buildings were shut off with shutters closed tight. As Ash and his friends slowly walked through the quiet realm, they were accompanied by the eerie feeling of someone watching them. To their dismay, it was proved correct as in the corner of their eyes, they noticed leers through windows' cracks.

"They weren't this cold when I was here the last time," Reshiram commented darkly.

"I don't think anything was cold before," Ash grumbled.

The duo walked side-by-side, Reshiram in human form. When the children woke up from their uneasy slumber, they found the dragon was gone, replaced by a beautiful woman waiting for them in the cave's entrance. Once they got ready to go, they began their trek to the town.

They found their destination, only wishing to turn around.

The cloud cover had broken up during the night, having large clumps of darkened cotton balls crawl across the sky, merging together to create large cracks of sunlight. On the ground below, the unpredictable dance of light created strange pools of shadows, making the air even more eerie.

But the group had to brush it away, seeing there was a job to be done.

"So what's the plan?" Iris asked.

They were in a small plaza near the heart of the town, pausing from their walk make a plan.

"I suggest we split up," Cilan spoke up. "We'll cover more ground and possibly find more clues."