Sometimes in Winter... {A Palletshipping Fanfic}

Chapter IV: Settled-In for the Night?

"Hello! You two must be Ash and Gary. I've been expecting you. My name is Amaya." The young lady said. She had been waiting in the airport lobby for the two travelers. She looked about seven or eight years older than Ash - but then again, almost everyone looked older than Ash. Her long black hair reached to about her thighs, and she wore wide-framed glasses and a long, white lab coat.

"Hi, Amaya. Do you know where exactly we'll be staying?" Ash asked. A growling noise sounded, and he laughed. "I think I'm getting a little hungry! Airline food isn't exactly gourmet, y'know."

The young lady laughed. "I can show you to your campsite. You won't actually be staying in Snowpoint, but you'll be close by, I promise. You might want to bundle up first, though. It gets to extremely cold temperatures up this north."

The boys nodded and bathed themselves in coats, hats, scarves, gloves, boots, you name it. Once they had been completely covered, they resembled marshmallows more so than humans.

"You ready, baby?" Ash taunted.

Gary stuck his tongue out, threw open the door, and made a break for it. Ash trailed behind, but it was hard to catch up in the waist-deep snow.

"Guys, you could just take the Mamoswine rides they offer! For free!" Amaya advised, to no avail. "Alright, whatever floats their boats..." She sighed and shook her head, strapping herself to a Mamoswine's back.

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"Hey, Ashy-Boy! Take this!" Gary laughed as he randomly threw a snowball behind him.

"Oww! You hit my forehead!" Ash giggled and yelled back. "And stop calling me that!"

"But that would be no fun!" Gary turned around. "How 'bout... this!" The obnoxious teenager threw another ball of ice.

"Owie! Hey, that was right on my nose!" The adorable raven-haired muffled through his gloves, which were now holding his nose.

The brunette jumped up and down. "Yess! Bull's eye!" He laughed.

"Oh yeah? Prepare yourself for this one - I'm winding up!" Ash prepared a huge compact ball of ice and snow, almost the size of his body. In fact, the clump was so big, it covered his face, so he couldn't even see where he was going. he threw a rock at Gary's hood to distract him for a minute, then full-on charged at the boy, the monster pile of snow between his arms.

"What the-

Ash, are you crazy?!

What are you-

OOF!"

The ravenette full body tackled his friend to the ground; with the huge snow pile and excessive amount of winter clothing being the only thing between them.

He laughed triumphantly as if he had just won a great war. "I... Have... PREVAILED!"

Ash began to laugh nervously, and then stop laughing altogether when he realized there had been no response given by Gary. "Hey? Baby?"

Ash stopped.

What did I just call him?

I mean, I had called him a "baby" before, but my voice... What did it just do?

"G-Gary?"