The Tale of Seven: Kidnapped Hope

[Reno]

Terra shook his head in amazement as the Pokemon flew through some low hanging clouds, seeming to laugh happily at his freedom. Never in a million years had he believed he'd ever get lucky enough to see a legendary...

Now he was lucky enough to see two! And they were going to save a third! What the fuck would be next?!

Shaymin laughed landing on Flygon's head and bowed to them. "It had been a wonderful but too short of a journey!" He jumped and the six watched him dive back down to ground level. He landed with ease and smiled at Axel's question. "Yes I will need to watch over them." He chuckled at the next question though. "Of course! I can fight of anyone if I need too." There was a confidence in his voice he hadn't had before.

"I guess then... this is goodbye." Roxas sighed, feeling a little sad himself.
"Goodbyes are such terrible things. Once things return to normal and the flowers can be brought back home, I will be around until Arceus deems I am not " Shaymin said, jumping up and flying onto Roxas' head this time. "It should be more... farewell my friends, until we meet again!" He bowed his head. "Thank you. I promise to return the favor of your good deeds."

[Rikugurl]

Axel smiled as he looked up, seeing the legendary on Roxas's head. If only he had a camera! He nodded as the dog flew down onto the ground. "Until next time, Shaymin."

Everyone said their good-byes, waving off to their newest friend as they headed over the waters by a tree that had helped Shaymin himself cross. They found a route that would be wide enough for Arcy and Rapidash both as the flygons soared overhead.
The flying... might become a problem though.

Blue eyes darkened as the morning passed on, the blonde seeing a storm up ahead brewing. This was going to be harder than he thought. Maybe... this was a bad idea...
NO! They could do it! Just... they would have to do some on foot is all. He was sure there were narrow passageways or maybe none at all. Not many trainers went off route... but someone had to live up here.... right?

"We had better land soon!" Ven called over the whipping wind, looking back to see Moana struggling to stay up to altitude and keep up at the same time, hearing calls over her song and calls over Aqua's yelling.
Ugh... that bitch better find a better pokemon to ride!

Steelix might not be a bad idea once they get into the open mountain terrain... unless.... avalanches.
UGH! This sucked do bad...

Rapidash snorted a few times as the ground below her hooves started to get muddy and cold, the snow not too far up ahead. Axel was starting to get worried too. Unlike the rain or puddles, water didn't usually stay around. Now... it would be constantly wet around her hooves, where her fire blazed. That meant her legs would become weaker before anything else.... unless he kept a fire pokemon out to keep her heels aflame.
"Maybe we should head back..."

[Reno]

Everyone hoped that with Shaymin's good graces, they might have a little more luck as they raced down the mountain trial. They hoped that maybe Arceus would take pity on them, give them some mercy for their good deeds.

But instead, they found the trial growing rough and cold. They found water melting in large, deep puddles on the ground. they found the wind biting their cheeks and noses red and forcing many of them back with their strength. It was nothing but discouragement and hopelessness, their hopes being shredded to bits as they saw the mountains shadowed by deep dark clouds and cold white ice.

"I know!" Terra called back to Ven, leaning forward across Flygon as the winds got rougher and even his Pokemon, strong as he was, was struggling to fly against the currents. It was no wonder Shaymin had fallen with how tiny he was! Of course, the fact that hitting the cold snow turning him back into his non-flying form had something to do with it too... "Damnit!" The brunette cursed. This was impossible!

"Ah, shit!" Aqua snapped as Moana gave a yell her body blown back some by the winds. "Come on girl!" She snapped the reins and the dragon drove on but she was losing speed. They couldn't go on much longer.

Roxas shuddered against Axel, water being kicked up by the horse and wetting their legs uncomfortably. It had been awhile since he had felt the cold like this, having grown used to Lavaridge's boiling temperatures. And they weren't even in the snow yet! He heard the other's call and sighed but nodded. This had been a waste... a stupid idea all together. But maybe they could find a different trial, a different way across...

Sora looked about the area, looking up towards the Flygon who were falling further in further behind, then back at Rapidash who was losing speed and her flames no longer as bright. This wasn't going to work. "Riku, I've got an idea. Tell them to land!" He ordered the silverette who was leading once more, also having been given the communicator because of that reason. "Arcy, dry the land with Fire blast."
"Ar!" The dog barked in understanding before taking a breath and aimed at the ground. A blast of fire shaped like a star blew out and swept the land in front of her. Steam rose as the water was burnt away and the dog stepped onto the nice dry land, sighing happily.

The other's, under Riku's orders, got the idea and landed in the area, the air slightly warmer thanks to the fire. Rapidash particularly found it a relief to have her hooves on dry land. Everyone slowly got off their Pokemon, giving them a rest.
"What's wrong?" Roxas was the first to ask watching as his brother and lover got off the dog.
"Well, this isn't going to work." Sora said. "Rapidash and the Flygon are having a really hard time right?"
Terra spoke up, "Yeah and what fucking choice do we have? Their the only ones who can travel except Steelix and if we ride him we'll be buried under five feet of fucking snow in two seconds!"
"Well... we'll have to wear a couple layers of clothes and walk it." Sora said.

This got him a lot of answers of incredulity. Walk?! That was insanity. They'd never make it.
"Wait, wait, listen to me!" He rose his hands calming them some. "We might not be able to go over the mountain here at all depending on how packed the trial is. Arcanine is really good in the snow, so I was thinking of sending her up and having her see if she can test part of a trial and see if it's passable by us. If not, we'll have to move on and find a different area to cross at."
"Well that would work in theory but the whole trial may not be like that and unless we want to wait her for a day for her to come back..." Aqua was saying.
"I know. I thought of that too. But I figure well... the parts we can't cross we can melt away. Between all of us how many fire Pokemon do we have, or Pokemon that know fire-type attacks? I'm pretty sure, with Axel alone, we're gonna have a lot of fire power. We can switch between the ones we have so no one gets exhausted and we can even use Pokemon that can use electric attacks, since that generates heat too."

Roxas frowned, crossing his arms but nodded. "Zan can stand some of the cold too, we can have him walking by us to warn us of avalanches. But even still Sora what if someone gets hurt or... anything like that?"
"Well... Arcy knows what to do in emergencies if someone needs to get out of here. Her collar has slots for pokeballs too. She can get to Pastora quickly if she needs to."

[Rikugurl]

"WHAT!? I'M NOT WALKING THROUGH THIS SHIT!" Ven growled as he heard his brother's crazy idea. Who knew how bad it was going to be... but he glanced at the flygons, seeing how they huddled next to each other for warmth. Being insects... they probably hated this idea. He gave a sigh and shook his head. If they were going to cross this mountain... they would have to go by foot.
"Well... at least I grabbed a lot of blankets." He noted as he pointed to a pouch on Arcy. He had shoved in at least seven in there. They could also use their blankets that they slept with.

There wasn't much anyone could say. They already had wasted a lot of time and if they went back, they would only lose more. Who knew what else had happened since they left Jubilife City. Thankfully... the rescue centers seemed very well equipped and could handle most things on their own.

"Alright then... let's bundle up." Axel said in defeat, getting the others to follow his lead as he started to get out his warmer clothes and a blanket.


"TYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Another flame blasted out and more snow started to melt, revealing the small trail through a gorge. The tall pokemon panted a bit, leaning over himself as his eyes closed. "That's enough, Ty! You did a great job!" Energy encased the creature before it disappeared back into a ball that slender fingers held. The ball was replaced on the opposite side of his belt where two others were. Rapidash and Camerupt.

Blue claws walked foreword and red eyes peered around the entrance of the gorge. "Sol..." He said softly, not seeming to like this idea.
Green eyes peered up as well, seeing the snow caps above. "If we pass through here... we have to be extremely careful and quiet. The last thing we want to do is have the snow cave in on us or any of the entrances..."

They had come up to the mountain trail easily. Well, of course with the help from Arcy, Rapidash, Camerupt, Flareon and now Ty. The sun was slowly starting to dip in the sky and in a few more hours, it would be dusk.

"Great... we'll never make it." Fuu sighed as she pulled her blanket closer, glancing at their loud mouth Ven.

[Reno]

"Flaaaar!" This was like a dream come true. Little foxy paws rushed across the cleared snow and bounced in slushy snow. "Eeeeon!"
"Flareon!" Roxas called in reprimand. "You're not supposed to play in it, you're supposed to burn it!"
"Eon?!" Now that was horrible!

Arcanine chuckled and fetched the little fox out of the snow, setting her back in line with the other fire-types. She was so spirited, even when she got older and should be acting more mature. "Arrr..." She growled softly to the dog and nodded. she should listen to her master.

Flareon sighed but opened her mouth and a spiraling flame burned into all the wonderful beautiful snow. She could of cried!

Roxas shook his head but sighed drawing his own blanket closer as he walked close to Axel and Zan, listening to his lovers' worries. He knew it was dangerous - damn Sora and his out-of-the-box ideas! But he had to admit, solution wise, this was probably the best way to cross. Fire Pokemon did well in ice type environments, the key was to not exhaust them. He glanced at Axel and smiled. "We'll be fine Axel."

But everyone was a little more worried when Fuujin spoke and they looked towards the sky. The sun was pretty low...
"I can sent Arcy up the trial to find something shorter?" Sora offered. He'd already done this many times, the dog having been able to lead them through trials packed with less snow and easier for their Pokemon to burn down. This part was a little dangerous because of the gorge... but it was the best she could find.

"Houndoom." There was another bright light, and the devil dog trotted over to the fire line, already knowing what he was supposed to do. Terra huffed and crossed his arms, "Fucking cold..." He grumbled. Even with the cold front from the ocean the desert area in Sandgem never got this cold. It was fucking unbearable! "You know if you just called out Moltres it would take her five fucking seconds to burn away the whole mountain?"

[Rikugurl]

Fuu shook her head as she continued to walk. "That's not what I meant Sora. I just can't imagine Ven being any too quiet."
"HEY!"
Up on the front line, a little grey blob with two grew balls (in which Ven said should be hair on them) went about blowing out flames as he hovered around.

Axel shot Terra a glance, frowning as he rolled his eyes. "For one, if she did that, we'd have more problems with avalanches because not all the snow is going to melt at once. And secondly, I don't want her to bump into her sister or whatever Articuno is to her. Things might turn out for the worse..."

They all paused as they reached the mouth of the gorge, seeing how beautiful it was compared to what it probably was suppose to look like. There were large formations of ice coming down it, the walls shimmering as the sun reflected down and the shadows coming up them from the lack of light at the bottom. Oh yea... they would have to be extremely careful.

"Maybe we should send quite pokemon through to see what it looks like." Riku suggested as he huddled close to Sora.
"WHAT!?" Axel cried as he looked over at the silverette. "Are you nuts? Why would you want to put your pokemon in danger!?"
Riku blinked before his eyes narrowed, about to snap back but then he remembered: Axel was a Pokemon Rescuer.

"Why don't you just have Moltres melt the snow that might cave down into the gorge?" Ven asked, raising his eyebrow to only have Axel sigh and look back at him. "Because, that won't work. If you---"
"What the FUCK do you know about how snow works!? You lived on a fucking VOLCANO!" Ven snapped back.

[Reno]

"Oh..." Sora said before cracking a smile. Poor Ven...
But it was so true! Their mom always said Ven had cried the loudest when he was a baby, yelled the loudest when he had a tantrum, and played the violin the loudest when they were in music class. Ven liked loud things - he should really have some Pokemon to go with that personality!

Terra rolled his eyes at Axel argument, "Oh stop coddling her. She's a fucking legendary I'm sure she could hold her own." For fuck's sake they had left probably the SMALLEST LEGENDARY EVER behind to fend for himself. A big fucking ass FLAMING BIRD could probably take care of herself.

Before the two males could get into an argument, they reached the gorge - and found their newest problem. Hiow where they going to get across the gorge?
Sora was about to agree with Riku that maybe Arcanine could do it since she was nimble on ice if the heat radiating from her didn't possibly weaken in the structure, but stayed quiet as Axel seemed to flip out. Ven's solution also seemed slightly probable, but the red-head didn't like it either.

Aqua rolled her eyes, finally fed up with it all and glared at Ven and Axel. "Enough!! You all are stupid! We don't need to melt anything at all. As long as the temperature is maintained, none of the goddamn ice is going to break and fall onto us. Do you guys like... practice screaming at ice cubes in hopes their split in half or something?" She pulled off the first Pokeball on her belt and released the pokemon inside. There was a flash and an ice blue fox yawned before her coat bristled at the surrounding environment. "But we SHOULD send a Pokemon across if for nothing else to check for thin fucking ice. Glaceon can do that and they'll be no danger so don't you're fucking panties in a twist Axel!"

[Rikugurl]

Axel's mouth hung open for a bit before he frowned, looking away. He was just trying to be cautious. If they could make sure all the pokemon were safe, he wouldn't have to go and SAVE THEM ALL. He shook his head and sighed a bit, staying silent as the other talked. Maybe... he shouldn't be SO protective. Pokemon were strong creatures and his aunt always told him that they shouldn't try and domesticate them if it was possible. They were still wild animals, though loyal... and very powerful.

Riku nodded as Aqua came in. She knew more about water... so he trusted her judgment. He took a ball from his belt as well, an energy appearing before an ice ghost appeared. "Frossss~" She sang before looking around, seeing all the snow and ice before seeming to smile. "Laaaaas~"
"Froslass can go just to give Glaceon some back up and maybe check the walls."

They all looked at Axel to see if that was alright, only to see him looking away and silent.
"Alright, then... You two look around and make everything is safe to cross. Be careful."
The ice pokemon replied before heading down into the gorge.

As they disappeared, Ven sighed and sat down on a dry place, breaking out some leftovers from the morning. As he rose his first bite though, he shivered... seeing snowflakes right in front of his eyes.
It was beginning to snow.

[Reno]

"Ar?" A black nose twitched as a single flake landed on it, made it tickle. "Archoo!" The dog sneezed, scaring the other fire types with the noise.
"Wow, nice one." Sora said, a little startled himself as he pat the great dog.
"E-E-E-E-E!" Flareon laughed before something hanging from one of the trees nearby. Her head tilted before she wander over towards the hang icicle. "Flar!" She put her paws on the trees and turned her head to reach it. She licked it.

...And then her tongue got stuck!
"E...? ...E...! ...EEEEE!!!" She tried to pull away and couldn't.
Luckily her master noticed. "Flareon!!!" Roxas sighed and shook her head, before hurrying over to the poor fox. He looked at it and frowned before grabbing the icicle and snapping it off from the branch. Flareon landed on her feet and shook her head before trotted around him with a large piece of icicle jutting out on either side of her mouth comically.

Terra sighed as the snow started to fall and sat next to Ven, both to him him warm and himself. He drew an arm around Ven, scooting him closer. "Want to share some of that with me?"

Aqua meanwhile just stood with her arms crossed, watching the gorge intensely for her fox, obviously still worried about her when she was the one who said the fox would be fine. She relaxed on a little when she saw the fox on the gorge, digging her paws down and walking all across it to check the strength of the ice.

[Rikugurl]

The ghostly figure floated silently as she passed by the icy walls. She looked at them close. Everything seemed well frozen. Whoever pokemon did this was very powerful if they could make a mountain freeze up so quickly as if it had been here for months. She sighed softly, a chilly wind coming from her as she followed after the ice fox. "Laaaasss, laass...?" She spoke softly, her words sounding whimsical. "Why would they do this?"

Ven blinked as he was pulled close and looked up, frowning a bit. "In other words, you want a piece?" Terra nodded and Ven just grinned, looking away. "Well, maybe if you weren't such a pig, you'd have left overs too. So tell me... why should I give you mine?"

Axel sighed as he found a place to sit as well as Roxas went over and helped Flareon. Dammit... he hated the snow so much. He hated it the first time he saw it and never liked it since. It stung when he touched it and he could never get warm after seeing it. And they said that it was suppose to be warming when it snowed in the winter. Bah!
He ran his shaking fingers through the fire fox, pulling her up into his lap and resting his hands on her fire sac. Aahh.... that felt better.

Riku watched closely as well, frowning when he felt some flakes land on his cheeks. Hopefully it wouldn't turn into a blizzard... and if it did, hopefully they would be in the gorge by them and safe from the whipping winds. He glanced at the fire pokemon, all looking up at the cloudy sky with frowns on their faces, giving grunts of disgust.

[Reno]

"Because..." Terra hesitated thinking of a good argument before he lent over and whispered sensually, "Next town... what do you think of me licking chocolate over inch of you?" He licked the other's ear teasingly.

"Mmmmmmemmmmnnn!" Flareon said in a muffled tone her mouth still sealed around the icicle though it didn't seem to bother her any. Her tail wagged happily.

"Glaaa, ceon gla." The fox called, jumping up and down on the ice. the ice didn't even crack or make a noise at all! "Who knows? Maybe they don't care." She crossed over some off the frozen river, glancing back at Riku's Frosslass. "After all we're just- AAAH!" There was a loud crack and then the fox went falling into the ice water below.

Aqua started panicked from where she stood, watching the ice intensely as her fox went falling in. She was just about to start hurrying down to the gorge, when she saw the pull fox pulling it's head from the ground and slowly climbing out, shaking her body of the coldness. Aqua sighed in relief. Dear Arceus Glaceon...

"Well that was refreshing!" The fox said with a laugh!

[Rikugurl]

Ven looked at Terra from the corner of his eyes as he leaned in, frowning some that he'd come up with some stupi---- "Nnnngh..." His already red cheeks shifted another shade as he blushed, getting the mental picture in his head. He should of known better that they didn't have the time for that kind of stuff but not having seen Terra for awhile... anything sounded good and practical... and the sound of being warm AND hot sounded nice about now. His eyes closed as he felt the hot tongue on his ear before handing his leftovers to the gym leader.

"Hehe... you're so silly..." Axel smiled as he rubbed her sac, feeling how naturally warm it was before grabbing the icicle, helping her melt it down as she seemed to enjoy the fresh water it supplied. At least that was the good thing about snow. He looked up in panic though as he heard Aqua, Sora, Fuu and Riku call out in panic. "What happened!?"

Riku shifted as he saw the ice break, about to run down there with Aqua but luckily... the fox knew how to swim. Of course she would... they lived on a cruise ship! He sighed and shook his head, looking back at the redhead. "Nothing! False call!" His eyes widened a bit as he saw his breath in front of him. It was getting colder... and the snow fall was getting thicker.

"OH!" The ghost called as she floated over to where the fox broke through, looking at her reflecting in the icy water. What was she--- She blinked as the fox popped out and gave her room to surface back onto the ice. "Oh... but you must be careful! You worried me, my friend." She nodded, being the motherly pokemon in Riku's group. She then circled around the cracks that had been made, blowing out a frost that put a pretty design in the ice. It was to ward off humans and pokemon so they wouldn't make the same mistake.


After another hour, their fears turned into reality. A blizzard was hitting but it was just that time when the two ice pokemon returned. They had scouted out the path and found the safe path to journey. With that, everyone got up and Pokemon were pulled in so they could start their journey through the gorge. By the time they would reach the exit, it should be dusk. That itself was a little risky. They would have to cross the icy waters in the dark.

[Reno]

Terra smirked, realizing he had won the minute he saw the blush and heard the little moan. Ven was too easy. Although he had to admit it was an idea he had been considering for awhile now... chocolate itself was a sort of aphrodisiac adding that and sex would just be delicious.

He took his prize with a grin, "Why thank you~"

Sora sighed in relief as he saw the fox getting back up to the solid ice, Froslass hurrying over to make sure she was alright before freezing over the crack in the ground. Even from here he could tell how different it looked and knew it would stand out like a sore thumb while they were crossing. He huddled closer to his dog, starting to shiver. Maybe this was a bad idea...

The blue fox chuckled. "Oh don't worry about me I'll be fine." She turned and started to walk along the ice once more, walking a little more delicately so she might be able to jump away next time.


By the time the fox and the ghost came back the found the eight trainers huddled together in a circle for warmth as the area got colder and colder. Riku and Sora were shaking as they cuddled close Arcanine laying around them protectively, her body blocking the harsh winds and dusted with snow.
Aqua and Fuujin were crouched in the ground bodies touching as they held their hands out towards Rapidash like she was a bonfire. They were shivering lightly and the blue-haired woman was now blue and white haired.
Roxas and Axel had their blankets overlapping each other like a tent between them, practically fused together as they embraced for warmth. In their lap, hidden under the blanket was Flareon, keeping their legs warm.
Terra and Ven were in the same position as before, but now Houndoom was laying across their laps his body glowing a faint red and radiating enough warmth some of the snow was melting around them. He must of been storing up the energy of overheat. In fact so much, everyone had gravitated close to him then any other fire Pokemon.

"Good job girl. Is it safe?" Aqua asked curiously.
"Gla!" The fox nodded proudly. There was a bit of reluctance before everyone slowly recalled their fire types and stood, following the two ice-type Pokemon down the short path that lead to the gorge. As they reached the end of the bank, they hesitated again, though Glaceon stepped onto the snow-covered ice, starting to walk along the path she had marked. When she noticed no one was following she glanced back. "Eon?"

"How are we... going to do this?" Roxas asked hesitantly.
"Well we can't all go across in a group the ice'll break." Terra pointed out. Ven started to bitch about how going across one by one would take fucking hours but Terra covered his mouth before he could get too loud. "We have to go single-file and keep a distance from one another so we don't overstress the structure."
There was another pause, but they seemed to agree with that idea. Now... the only thing left to decide was...

"Alright let's go." Sora said before taking a breath and tentatively testing his foot on the ice. He slowly lent more weight onto it before bringing his second foot off of the snow bank and beside his first. When the ice didn't immediately collapse under him he sighed in relief before starting to slowly follow the Glaceon's footprints, walking carefully so he didn't accidentally slip on the ice.

Once he was a good distance away Terra told Riku to go ahead, knowing the silverette wanted to be as close to his lover as possible now that they were in a danger zone. He had a similar beginning as Sora but found his footing and started to walk. Glaceon continued down the trial letting the two follow her and get further away so a third could join on the ice.

Aqua and Fuujin went next, respectively, both of them uneasy on the ice but also able to get enough guts to cross further onto the icy terrain. Ven was next, and the minute he stepped he slipped since the snow was less patched down, Terra grabbing his arm before he could go breaking his pretty face on the ice. The blonde slid a few more times before he got his footing and was able to follow after.

Then it was Terra's turn. Everyone watched holding their breath as the stepped onto the ice, knowing he was the heaviest of them. The brunette seemed a little nervous himself, a little pale with the realization eh was walking across frozen water. But the ice didn't break and everyone took a breath as he started to follow down the trial. Roxas and Axel followed last, the red-head taking the rear of the group with Froslass floating nearby.

With everyone on the ice it was time to start moving.

[Rikugurl]

Out of everyone, Ventus was the one who couldn't seem to get it straight. He slipped and slide every time he took a step but was able to catch himself. "This would of been fucking easier if we had ice skates!" He complained again before almost falling on his ass. He glanced back at Terra, hearing him laugh and chuckle every time he slipped up. "Fuck you, jackass!"

Fuu slipped once or twice during the beginning, but she found her footing and the best way to walk in no time... actually watching Aqua as she just seemed to skim the top of the ice. How did she know how to walk so well on ice!? Maybe having ice type helped...

Riku was silent as he followed Sora, glancing back rarely to see how everyone else was doing. Honestly.. he was a bit timid himself. One false move and someone could be in freezing water.

Axel was the last to get onto the ice, swallowing as it was obviously his turn. He stared at the frozen water as if it was the scariest thing on the planet.
"Laass?" He glanced up, seeing Froslass look at him with some worry. "Uh...y-you go ahead, Madame..." She shook her head and presented the way for him but all he could do was look at it again. He swallowed once more before looking out, seeing that Sora, Riku and Aqua turned the bend and he could no longer see them.

Then he looked at Roxas who was mastering the art of walking on ice... unlike the poor Pokemon next to him. Zan fell a few times but got up the best he could, trying not to dig his claws into the ice. "Soooool~~" He whined as he tried to keep up with his master... and actually slid into him when Roxas stopped. The blonde looked back at his lover who was still on the bank, calling out what was the matter!?

"I...I NEVER WALKED ON ICE BEFORE!" He called back, pulling the blanket around his closer before he felt arms around him. His eyes widened as he was lead down onto the ice and...was pushed across!?
"Whaaa..." He blinked as he looked back, seeing the ghost smile at him. She finally stopped and Axel stood there like a sitting duck. Well.... he wasn't dead yet. Slowly, he started to shuffle his feet and started to follow the line.

The glaciers were beautiful and much like Froslass had thought, they were well formed and seemed like they had been here for awhile instead of a day or so. The only life they saw were birds flying over head... but other than that, the wind whistling through was the only thing they heard as well. Some started to think about the future, while others thought about still staying warm, some about still stepping right and lastly, about chocolate and sex.

They made good progress and ended up at the end of the gorge, only to realize that they had another meadow to pass before they needed to start climbing. When Axel saw that the ice was almost over, he grinned, shuffling his feet a bit faster.

Sora was the first to hit the bank, sighing happily as he turned and looked back. Riku was second, getting a big hug from his lover and a pat on the back as the silverette blushed.
Aqua was next along with Fuu, both petting Glaceon for the help and giving her a well deserved treat.
Ventus FELL onto the bank, quickly getting up and shivered as he twirled to get the snow off his blanket as Terra laughed his ass off as he hit solid ground as well.

Roxas and Zan reached the bank next, both giving the same sight of relief and--- "YES!" Axel smiled from ear to ear as he ran to the bank and PASS everyone else to get to the meadow.
"Geez, Axel... it's just solid land..."
Terra seemed to huff about it as Axel hit the top of the bank and jumped onto the meadow, his arms wide as he was about to kiss the snow when all of a sudden...

"ABSOL!" Zan backed as his eyes went wide and they heard a horrible crack and then a huge splash.
"SHIT!" Riku called, all of them rushing up the bank to look over at the side only to see.... that it wasn't a meadow at all.... but a large pond... and a huge crack in the ice.
"AXEL!?" Fuu cried as she looked out, seeing that the redhead was no where to be seen.

[Reno]

The further the team walked, the more nervous some of them got, meanwhile the rest of them seemed to be more at peace.

Sora hummed softly under his breath glancing back every once and awhile at Riku just to make sure he was still there. He was, still staring at the ice like he expected it to all suddenly disappear. He himself was feeling a little more confidant. Glaceon and Froslass knew what they were doing, especially when the fox in front of him barked and indicated a place of worry, having them steer clear of it while Froslass continued to watch the last four and do the same.

Fuujin's thought were right. Aqua had learned a lot about ice thanks to her Pokemon. Moreso then that, she had learned it thanks to all the time they spent in the mountains looking for the area where she would be able to evolve in! Glaceon had been very happy after she evolved and practically dragged her OUT on the first icy lake they found.

It had been back when she was still a young rocket. Still fairly innocent and ready to have fun... those days when she had still appreciated her Eevee and first friend just because she had always been there to love her. Never made her earn it like her mother...

She sighed some, seeing the fox still up ahead. And even after she became a total bitch, mistreated her, and stopped even caring about her most of the time... she still stayed. Still fought for her, protected her, still listened to every order. Still loved her.

She still had so many years to make up for... but she swore to herself she would.

Terra walked across the ice with an uneasy feeling in his gut, for once hating how much weight he held because each time he stepped on a new piece of ice it made a soft crunching nose. He knew it wasn't cracking, knew it was just the ice responding to the pressure he was placing on it. But it still made him nervous.

He glanced up at Ven, seeing he was having a little less trouble then before and smiled, remembering the proposition he had given him just an hour or so ago. Mmmm Ven sure would be delicious. Huh, since they made a lot of headway last night... He wondered if the blonde would ever get brave enough to say those types of things to him.

...Would he even WANT Ven to talk dirty about fucking him?!

Roxas, meanwhile, rather then ruminating on the ice or more perverted thoughts, decided to think about the things he and Axel had yet to talk about. Like, where were they going to live? How were they going to afford it? Should they quit the rescue center, at least until they get on their feet again? And the pups? What if they couldn't afford THEM anymore? They couldn't give them away!

There were so many things to consider, so many worries. It was good thought, it kept the blonde preoccupied for long enough that he didn't even realize they had reached the end of the line before he saw Sora and Riku standing together, hugging. One by one they all made it and the minute Roxas stepped down on more solid ground, ice giving under and the soles of his shoes touching the forgiving hidden earth underneath, he sighed and smiled before turning back to see Axel hurrying himself along the ice to meet them. He laughed as the other rushed past before looking down at Zan. "Good job boy you-"

The look on the wolfen dog's face changed, making his heart stop. He recognized the look - it was one he saw a million times on his father's face.

He was predicting a disaster!

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK

Roxas whipped around in confusion, hearing the sound of ice breaking and then a splash. The meadow... it wasn't a meadow at all. What they had once thought it was because of how thickly it was covered in snow, they had not realized the trees ringed specifically around the area.

Around a frozen pond.

The blonde's brain finally caught up with his heart and he realized with a terrible premonition who was gone. He didn't have to look at everyone else closely as they stared wordlessly at the pond. Just that lack of red hair told him everything.

"Axel... AXEEEEL!" The blonde suddenly rushed forward and it took both Terra AND Riku to hold him back from meeting his own damn fate. He struggled in their grasp his legs kicking up dirt. "LET ME GO! AXEL! AXEEEEL!!!"
"Roxas, be quiet! Stop i- FUCK!" Terra snapped as he was kicked.
"NOOO LET GO!" Roxas cried his voice breaking towards the end of his cry as tears started to stream down his face. Oh god... this was all his fault. If he had just agreed with Axel they wouldn't be in this situation! Oh dear Arceus no... "AXEEEEEEE-"
The brunette slapped him, cutting his yell off instantly, so that the shocked male could only sob softly. He was going to start a fucking avalanche and then NO ONE would be able to help Axel!

While the two men were dealing with Roxas, it was Aqua who knew what to do. She had learned thanks to all the cruise ships she and Fuujin had been on that went to icy areas. As she opened her bag, throwing things left and right, she called to the smallest of the males. "Sora, have Arcanine burn away some of that ice where he fell, hurry!" The brunette hesitated for a moment, but quickly called onto his tiger dog. After a quick order, flame burnt into the hole where the ice had snapped but covered the pond once more. There was some steam and then a large hole of water surrounded by ice was left.

Meanwhile, Aqua found what she was looking for: a long length of rope. She tied on end like a lasso and gave it to Glaceon to bite into while she held the other end. "Glaceon, get down there!"

"Glac!" A blue fox cried before jumping down towards the lake, her paws hitting nothing but water. The temperature was incredibly low, but the fox had no problems swimming through it, looking intensely for the drowning, sinking red-head. These temperatures were bad for humans... it slowly stopped their muscles from working. Her blue eyes widened, seeing a form flailing some in the water. She swum quickly down to him, fitting the rope over his head and arms so it curled around his upper chest, pulling it tight with her teeth.

On the surface Aqua was standing, holding the other end with Ven, Fuujin and Sora. The lower she went, the more coils of rope were pulled from the surface into the water, making all four nervous that the rope would run out before they found Axel...

Just as they were on the last coil the rope tugged sharply, telling them something heavy was on the other end. "Alright, pull!" Aqua said and all of them quickly did.