Let's Thaw Out Together

Ash, Misty, Gary, and Brock were walking the pavement when they came across a fork in the road.

"Which way should we go?" Misty wondered aloud. Ash seemed to ponder this for a moment.

"That way!" He yelled. Gary rolled his eyes.

"You're going to get us lost, we should go the other way." He said.

"How would you know which way to go?" Ash retorted, headstrong. The chestnut haired teen sighed dramatically.

"I did have a map, but you made me lose it." He said, glaring accusingly at the dark haired teen. Ash scoffed. He began to march ahead of the group, and soon enough Gary gave in and followed.

*An hour later*

"You idiot! I told you we shouldn't have gone this way!" Gary yelled. He was so pissed right now. The four of them were out in the snowy cold, all because Ash had chosen to go this way. The chestnut haired teen didn't even want to be seen with this idiotic group, but his grandfather had made him hang with them. Said he'd needed to bond with "people his own age." Whatever.

"S-Shut up." Ash retorted, shivering from the cold.

"We don't even know where were going!" Gary continued, looking at the tall snow-covered mountains ahead of them. Ash thought for a moment. After he seemed to get an idea, his face lit up. He reached for his belt and pulled out a Pokeball.

"Pidgeotte, go!" He yelled, and threw the red and white ball into the air. The brown and pink bird popped out.

"Pidgeotto!" It cried.

"Fly over there and tell us which path leads out!" Ash commanded. He looked so proud of his idea. The group waited patiently (all except for Gary of course). In a matter of seconds, the bird Pokémon had flown back. It gestured with its wings to the north. The group nodded and Ash called Pidgeotto back to it's Pokeball.

"See! Now we know where were going!" Ash said in triumph. Gary growled irritatingly. He lead the way, following the Pokémon's instructions. He didn't really want to talk to Ash, Misty, or Brock. He wasn't friends with them, nor did he want them to think he was. Somewhere along the way, he turned around to check on them. The only person he saw was Ash, trailing slowly behind him and looking at the ground.

"Where are your stupid friends?" Gary yelled over the harsh icy wind. Ash was shivering and had his arms wrapped around himself. He didn't hear Gary. So the chestnut haired teen stopped.

"Where are your friends?" He yelled again. The black haired teen finally heard the other and jumped slightly. He glanced around him and saw nobody.

"Oh crap." He muttered, suddenly not so confident. He looked back over at Gary, hesitant. It finally sunk in what that meant. The two rivals had been left completely alone. Ash looked really frightened, to be quite honest. Gary had never seen his rival look so downright freaked out.

"Just come on, we have to find shelter. It's too cold." Gary commanded, then once again led the way. Ash didn't want to follow the chestnut haired teen, but he did for awhile. However, his fingers and face were numb, and he was shivering like mad. He was tired and hungry, and so was his Pikachu. He glanced at the back of Gary's head and decided the other teen was fine on his own. Ash made a quick detour to a path that wound around the snow covered mountain. He walked on it just fine for about a half a mile.

Though, as he kept walking, he just kept getting more tired. He didn't hear the rumbling noises below him, and that's when the ledge gave out. Ash slid down the side of the mountain, frantically searching for something, anything to hold on to. He could feel Pikachu's little claws digging into his neck, holding on for dear life. Finally, there was a grip. Ash took advantage of it. He was literally hanging from the edge of a mountain.