Chapter 110 - Returning To An Old Lifestyle
As the group casually trot along toward the mountains bordering the valley, the girls slowly recovered from the harsh lecture given by Rapidash, eventually returning to their talkative selves while enjoying the scenery and discovering all of the Pokemon living in the surrounding area, revealing a much different variety in comparison to the areas they'd tread before crossing the sea. "Doesn't matter if it's the scenery or the life around here, it's an entirely different world no matter how you look at it!" Chris chuckled as several Cryogonal and Vanillite hovered around them, curiously looking over the group and the carriage. "They're a lot more relaxed too! In the other places we've been the Pokemon were always kinda naturally distant from others but here they come right up to us!" Rose giggled as one of the Vanillite hovered in front of her face, blinking at her curiously. "Th-They come really close." she smiled nervously. "Well, think of the surroundings here. There aren't many humans willing to live in this kind of climate, and the only time there's probably an abundance is when something special is going on that brings in tourism like the Aurora Festival, so it's only natural they'd be curious about the sudden traffic going on." Chris point out, nodding at one of the Cryogonal and getting a nod back from the Pokemon. "We don't mean any harm. We're just passing through, you have my word." he assured, waving at the groups hovering around them. "Long as they not do anything bad I not mind." Serenity chimed in, reaching a finger out and touching one of the Vanillite while its back was turned, making the Pokemon shout and shoot behind one of the Cryogonal. "...Jumpy." Serenity scowled before stretching with a sigh.
"Hey Alicia, wadaya think of the Pokemon around here?" he asked, glancing back. Inside, the snake was warily lowering her head as curious groups looked in through the windows, making Alicia feel a strange sensation of unease and embarrassment. "It's alright I suppose, but for some reason it sends a chill down my spine having so many of these wild things gawking at me." she replied. "Well, they are ice types, guess that's why!" Chris laughed, nudging Serenity and Rose with an "Eh? Ehhhh?" hoping to get a reaction out of the two. Looking at one another, they gave him a pity laugh in response, the two glancing away nervously while Alicia scowled behind them. "Always the corny one." she muttered. Letting out a sigh, Chris shook his head before snapping the reigns lightly and clicking his tongue as they approached another upward slant. "Sorry again about the noise before Rapidash! We're not used to other company so you'll have to give us time to get used to having someone else around, especially another guy! It's actually kinda nice to have one of my own along with us for a while, helps me feel not as outnumbered as usual. I hope you don't mind me relying on you in the future if they get outta hand!" Chris grinned, the horse glancing back with a "they're not my responsibility" look in response, giving Chris a grunt while the girls scowled at him and crossed their arms. "What that suppose to mean?!" Serenity asked, giving him a stern glare. "I don't think I liked that either." Rose scowled, giving him an agitated look of her own. "You wish to encourage that beast to foul mouth us?" Alicia chimed in, making Chris jolt and lower his head between his shoulders.
"J-Just kidding! K-Kidding..." he replied nervously. "Yeah, better be joke." Serenity warned, leaning toward him making Chris shrink down. "That wasn't right." Rose added, leaning toward him as well making Chris feel like he was barely an inch tall between them, apologizing once more as Rapidash shook his head, seemingly in disbelief of Chris's loose lipped manner of speaking in front of the group. Glancing back, the horse spoke to Serenity, making the Pokemon nod in response. "You right about that. I can agree." she affirmed as the horse glanced at Rose, speaking once more making the rabbit nod with an "Uh huh! Exactly!" in response. "Wh-Wadaya talking about now?" Chris asked, looking at the two with slight sweat on his face. "How stupid you are for opening your mouth basically." Alicia revealed behind him. "H-Hey!! I'm not stupid!! I was just trying to talk to a fellow guy!!" he snapped. "Yeah, and your fellow guy thinks you should learn to watch what you say." Rose point out with a scowl. "Horse have bad mouth, but he not wrong. Well, about you." Serenity affirmed, facing away with her nose up and a "hrmph!" making Chris sulk with a scowl. "Well excuse me, princess..." he grumbled. Glancing back at him, the horse gave Chris a "be a man" look, scowling at his behavior. "Would you stop lecturing me?!" Chris snapped, Rapidash rolling his eyes once more before focusing on his task of pulling them along. "Oh, so it okay if WE get lecture but not you?" Serenity asked. "That doesn't found very fair." Rose added. "Doesn't feel too good being on the other end of the stick, does it?" Alicia smirked. "Perhaps that foul mouthed beast isn't too bad after all." she nodded, Serenity and Rose doing the same.
"I finally get another guy around and he winds up on your side... I'll never win." Chris grumbled as they made their way along. "He's a male that knows the proper side to be on if you ask me." Alicia smirked smugly, only for Rapidash to glance back with an "I'm not on any of your side" look on his face. "Ha!! See that look? He doesn't support you!" Chris smirked. "Doesn't it also mean he doesn't support you?" Rose point out. "W-Well yeah, but still! He doesn't have a side! He thinks we're all...!!" Chris paused, cutting himself off as Rapidash showed a sudden grin of sorts, giving him a "go ahead, finish what you were saying" look on his face. "I don't think I like the way you think." Chris scowled, making the horse unable to resist laughing. "A horse made a horse out of you. That's rich." Alicia suddenly laughed. "That payback. Karma for letting horse be mean to us!" Serenity grinned. "I gotta admit, it does even things out pretty good." Rose giggled. "Okay, okay. How about we just go back to enjoying the ride, huh?" Chris scowled, the girls looking at each other and grinning, the scale now balanced between them once more. "You know, it's pretty neat how they keep this path maintained so well for folks traveling between the village and that town on the other side of the mountains instead of making everyone travel through some totally unmarked wilderness..." Chris point out as they trot past random snow plows busily clearing the way, along with other trucks full of dirt and fine gravel along with salt all mixed together that were scattering their loads along the path as they cruised along, groups of crew using smaller machines and shovels to spread things out evenly at different locations.
Now and then, the group found themselves being passed by other carriages and cars alike, some coming from paths branching off the main trail while others came from the direction of the mountains ahead, each turn-off they passed peaking Chris's curiosity more and more. "I wonder what's down all these other roads... Some kind of farms maybe? No... I dunno about farms here. There's a bunch of woods dotting different places, bet there's some neat Pokemon..." he muttered, looking around. "It's kinda like being back at the village all over again. I bet there are a ton of nice cabins down some of these roads." he added, suddenly showing a nostalgic look on his face making the girls tilt their heads curiously. "Back at village? This place look like home?" Serenity asked. "Home..." Chris muttered, looking at her before facing up, thinking back on how he gave his grandfathers cabin away to Alakazam and his grandfathers other Pokemon before he left and smiling. "Nah... Just the village I came from. I can't call it home anymore." he replied. "Why not? If it's where you came from, then that's your home." Rose chimed in. "Not really... It was my home in the past, but after my old man died it's kind of like the feeling of home went with him." Chris explained. "My home isn't in that village anymore. Now that I'm with you girls, it's more like I'm at home as long as I'm with you, no matter where we are... I feel more at "home" I guess being with you than I ever could if I were still in the village." he affirmed, Serenity and Rose showing a slight blush while Alicia smirked behind them with a nod. "I guess, maybe if you were there with me, then I could find a way to call the village my home again someday..." he added, giving the girls a smile.
"Buuuut that's a LONG way off. I don't have any plans of settling down anytime soon! I hope you girls can put up with traveling around with me until then!" he grinned. "I feel same. Home with you. I not mind where we go." Serenity nodded while holding his arm. "Plus, even if we're always traveling, it's always fun! Exciting and scary sometimes, but I still like making all the memories, even the scary ones!" Rose added, holding his other arm. Chuckling in response, the group suddenly let out a shout when one of the wheels hit a hole in the road, making the carriage bounce sending Alicia flipping inside while Serenity and Rose fell across each other on Chris's lap. "E-Everyone okay?!" Chris panicked, looking back as Alicia raised up and shook her head. "Watch what you're doing!!" she snapped. "W-We okay." Serenity smiled nervously. "Another scary memory." Rose laughed with slight sweat on her face, the two raising up off him and fixing their clothes. "You okay up there Rapidash?" he asked, the horse glancing back and nodding with a grunt. "I gotta watch out for holes like that. A road like this is easy to weather away..." he muttered, having the girls look over the sides of the carriage to make sure the wheels were alright. Continuing along, the further they traveled the more hilly the terrain became, and once they neared the half way point to the base of the mountains, the found themselves traveling between hills that grew higher and higher around them, the girls looking around in surprise as the land evolved. "The hills will continue growing from here on the closer we get to the base of the range. This happens to the land a lot of the time as ranges move over the course of a TON of years." Chris explained.
"Move? What mean? Mountains move?" Serenity asked, tilting her head and blinking confused. "Oh yeah. Mountains change throughout their existence. They shrink, grow, spread apart, push together, and over the years you get this kind of terrain around them where the ground just kinda folds up in a way. It's hard to explain, and it happens so slowly you never notice any changes really. You'd have to live for hundreds of thousands of years, maybe even a million to see any big changes to mountains." Chris explained with a smirk. "A mountain makes a Slowbro look like the fastest thing in the world." he chuckled. "Huh... Mountain moves." Serenity muttered, looking up and picturing mountains walking around on a pair of feet. "Plus, since a lot of this place consists of snow and ice, glaciers and stuff, it helps make the land change even faster. So around here it might only take, say, half that amount of time to see big changes. Depending on how much of these hills are made of snow and ice, if things got hot enough this whole valley could just be flat as a board if everything melted! Or... Most of it could just all turn into ocean..." he added, looking down at the ground. "For all we know we might be walking across the sea right now, making our way across a bunch of small islands hidden beneath the snow and ice. Think of it as if we're on top of a GIANT iceberg that swallowed a bunch of islands as it grew." he tried to explain, now getting Rose and Alicia's imaginations involved as they pictured a piece of ice eating islands and growing bigger. "You describe things in a very strange manner." Alicia point out. "Well, I'm no scientist. That's just what I think happened. Maybe the mountain range was a big mass of land, and the places with nature still growing around it is on top of all the places that used to be islands?" he asked.
Looking at one another, the girls gave Chris a confused look, causing him to laugh and wave his hand in response. "Just forget about it." he smiled as Rapidash pulled them along. "The world is a mysterious place that evolves over time, just like you girls did. Only thing is, for the world to evolve, it takes way, WAY longer. Many years ago, where we are now could have been a really tropical place. Then at some point, the world evolved and this place turned into what we see today." he explained. "I'd call that a devolution." Alicia scowled. "Well, to you maybe. But thanks to this place turning into what it is now, think of how many Pokemon have benefit from it!" Chris point out. "I think that's enough of a lesson on the world for now though. I'm not the best teacher and I'll just wind up giving you girls a headache." he laughed. "I not argue with that. Now can't get picture of mountains with feet out of head." Serenity nodded. "Or pieces of ice gobbling up islands and getting all fat." Rose laughed. "I really did sound dumb didn't I?" Chris smiled with slight sweat on his face. "You always do." Alicia nodded behind them. "Hey! Take it easy..." Chris scowled, the snake sticking her tongue out at him with a chuckle. "You're too easy to tease." she smirked. "Especially since you tease the one you love most?" Chris asked, glancing back causing Alicia to jolt and blush slightly. "Th-That has nothing to do with it. I'm just having fun." she scowled. "Uh huh... You tease all of us, but I'm always your favorite target." Chris point out. "Oh leave me be." the snake scowled while facing away. "I win." Chris thought with a smirk before snapping the reigns lightly and clicking his tongue, having Rapidash pick up the pace slightly.
Making what progress he could in what was left of the daylight, Chris managed to make his way past the half way point to the base of the mountains, the girls enjoying the colors around them changing as the sun began to set in the distance, catching even Alicia's attention as they looked around curiously together. "It's so pretty... We've seen the sun set a lot of times, but here it really stands out. All the colors..." Rose point out. "Indeed, the mountains certainly look impressive. In this shade of light they look rather tropical despite the ice." Alicia added. "I think it makes everything look like shaved ice covered in syrup... I wonder if it would taste like strawberries and oranges since the colors changed?" Chris joked, Serenity looking at him wide eyed. "Ice change taste when color change?" she asked, causing Chris to pause and look at the Pokemon in surprise. "Y-You really...?" he asked. "That was a joke Serenity." Rose smiled nervously. "My word you ARE slow." Alicia scoffed. "What?! I not know!!" Serenity snapped. "I not know anything about this place..." she added, crossing her arms. Looking at her pout, Chris couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt deep down. "W-Well, technically the color of ice DOES determine its taste." he clarified. "What are you talking about? Frozen water does not change taste because of color." Alicia scowled. "I wouldn't encourage this." Rose added. "Well, think about it. If you see yellow ice..." he explained. "Of course, you don't want any part of THAT color!" he laughed, all three looking at him confused. "Y-You know? Yellow snow...?" he asked, the girls looking at one another and tilting their heads. "Y-Yellow snow... It's pee." he point out, all three suddenly letting out a simultaneous "GROSS!!" while Serenity and Rose gave him a push.
"That nasty! Not say that stuff!" Serenity snapped. "You really tried to make a pee joke?" Rose asked. "Put nothing past him." Alicia sighed, shaking her head. "I-I was just trying to help!" Chris affirmed as they trot along, Rapidash rolling his eyes yet again. "Geez... Sorry. I didn't want Serenity all sulky." he apologized with a scowl. Looking at him, Serenity sighed before leaning against him. "It okay." she smiled, making Chris blush slightly while scratching his nose. "Bein' grossed out is better than you bein' all depressed..." he affirmed shyly. "Still not like being grossed out either though. Pee snow? Really?" she teased. "J-Just forget it!!" Chris shout before grumbling as he began looking for a place to set up camp. Eventually, he managed to find a good place at the base of a nearby hill not far from the trail just as the last of the sunlight began fading, where a wall of exposed rock stood that would be good for keeping the night air off Rapidash along with his makeshift stable. Bringing the carriage to a halt, Chris climbed off before helping the girls off the seat, all three stretching in relief before Chris reached up and took his staff from the seat. "Alright then... Been a long time since we've done this!" he grinned excitedly. "You sure look hyped." Rose giggled. "Of course I am! We're finally back in my home turf! The great outdoors, stars in the sky... Scenery for miles and great fresh air." he replied while taking a deep breath. "The city and all was fun, but sometimes the barren country kind of environment really can be the best. This will be your first time camping with us too Rose!" he point out, making the rabbit jolt before looking up and thinking. "Oh yeah... I've only lived with you while you were staying around inhabited places." she replied with a smile.
"Now that it's just us and the basic necessities you can finally get a REAL taste of my cooking! Believe you me, I'm great with a fire. Give me a pot and a pan and some ingredients and..." Chris paused, kissing his fingers like a chef and winking. "Serenity can vouch for me, right?" he asked, the Pokemon facing him and tilting her head. "Yeah, cooking really good when camping." she nodded. "Come to think... This first time get to SEE what you do when camping." she point out, making Chris pause before his eyes widened. "Th-That's right. You've never..." he muttered before suddenly taking her hands in his making Serenity flush as he grinned. "I promise Ill give you an amazing show tonight! You can see how I start a fire, how I cook stuff, the stable I set up for Rapidash and all... I'll make it really fun!" he affirmed, making Serenity seemingly glow with a shy nod. "N-Not have to get so excited..." she replied before showing a flattered smile. "Same to you Rose! I'll make sure you have an awesome time!" he assured, squatting and rubbing her on the head. "I'll make the food extra tasty, just for you!" he smiled with a thumbs up. "I-I don't mind normal food! No need to go so far!" she panicked before facing down embarrassed. "But... Thank you." she nodded with a smile. "Hey Alicia! If your collar is good to go, how about coming out and joining the rest of us?" he asked with a wave, the snake looking out before glancing away. "I feel unnatural in this atmosphere." she replied. "Aw come on. As long as you're with me it won't be bad, right?" he asked, the snake looking at his eager and almost child-like expression causing her to blush slightly before letting out a sigh and nodding.
"I'll be out shortly." she replied. "Awesome! I'll get everything set up then!" he nodded before hurrying to the storage area beneath the carriage. "This one... That one... Press..." he muttered while unlocking things as Serenity and Rose watched before looking at one another and giggling. "It been long time since he act like this." Serenity point out. "It's really sweet the way he's so excited over this being our first time camping with him. Well, my first time. Your first time seeing everything." Rose clarified. "That another thing love about him. He always get excited when think he has chance to make us happy. No matter how much he do, it always make him act like this when he think he have chance to surprise. It cute." Serenity point out. "G-Got the stuff for the stable!" Chris called out, a pile of tarp and metal rods in his arms making him stumble about, the girls reaching out due to fear of him falling as he made his way along. "J-Just gimme a second. I'll show ya' how good I am at this stuff!" he added before placing the supplies down near the rock wall and hurrying back to the storage. "Tools... Tools. Wire and..." he muttered while digging. About to stand with the things he'd gathered, Chris paused when the carriage door above him opened and Alicia started slithering out over him, looking up wide eyed. "A-A-A-Alici-AAGH!!" Chris shout as the snake dropped down on top of him, making her jolt wide eyed before looking down as Chris lay beneath her with his arms sticking out, waving them around as though he were a bug that had just been squashed. "S-Sorry!!" Alicia panicked, quickly slithering off as Serenity and Rose looked at one another and shook their heads with a sigh before walking up and helping him stand.
"You okay?" Serenity asked as she and Rose pat the snow off his body. "F-Fine, just was surprised is all." he laughed nervously. "Why on Earth were you on the ground right where the door was?! Have you no common sense?!" Alicia lectured. "I-I was just getting some stuff outta storage." Chris point out with a nervous smile, squatting down and gathering his things. "Honestly, be more careful..." the snake sighed before slithering up as he stood and looking his back over. "Uhh, what are you doing?" he asked. "Just... Checking. Is everything okay?" she asked, making Chris tilt his head at her behavior before looking toward his back and showing a sudden irritated look. "I'm fine!!" he snapped, his sensitivity over his spine drawing out a temperamental side. "You know he touchy over that." Serenity scowled. "Well excuse me for worrying after I landed on him! He called me out! I'll just go back inside!!" the snake snapped, about to slither back into the carriage, only for Chris to shout her name. "Wh-What?!" Alicia asked, startled by the sudden call. "Don't go back in... Stay with us. I'm uh... Sorry." he apologized, looking down with a guilty expression. "Thanks for worrying, but really, I'm fine!" he smiled, the snake looking at him for a moment before nodding and returning to his side. "Just be more careful and aware of things." Alicia warned, getting a nod from him in response. "Now then! Time to watch your man work!" he grinned, pushing the atmosphere back into a lighter one as he returned to his supplies and started setting up the metal rods to frame the stable with. "There's a fallen tree right there, have a seat and enjoy the show!" he smiled, Serenity and Rose nodding before sitting down while Alicia slithered up behind them to watch.
"This rod in there... That one over here... Push that in..." he muttered while connecting the rods. "Look at him go!" Rose giggled. "I not know what in world he doing... But it neat!" Serenity smiled. "That's supposed to be a stable of some sort, remember? Not that I can tell..." Alicia chimed in, her last sentence fading into a murmur as they watched. Eventually, he managed to get all of the frame work finished, and took a step back to look over his work with a sigh of satisfaction. "Alright then, now for Rapidash..." he muttered, heading to the horse and freeing him from the restraints before guiding him into the framing. "Good... Good! It's just the right size." Chris grinned, the horse looking at all of the metal before giving Chris what could only be described as a "the hell kind of home is this?" look since there were no walls or roof. "What's wrong? It's perfect right?" he asked. "Looks like you've got plenty of room to move in here!" he smiled, the horse twitching an eye in agitation. "Pardon me but, should an abode not have... Walls and such?" Alicia asked, Serenity and Rose jolting and quickly shushing the snake. "Oh, that's coming next!" Chris assured. "I just wanted to make sure the framing was right. No point in finishing if it was too small, I would've had to change things first." he point out before he started working with the tarps, securely tying them to the framing around and above Rapidash, the horse watching curiously while the girls let out a simultaneous "Oooohhh..." while watching. Once he was done, he gave the tarps a tug at various places, pushing against the framing to ensure its stability before stepping back and turning to the girls. "Ladies! I present to you, a makeshift stable!" he exclaimed before taking a bow as if he were on stage, Serenity and Rose smiling and clapping for him while Alicia smirked with a nod.
"That was pretty neat! I was worried Rapidash was gonna kick you for a second there." Rose laughed. "Yeah, probably should've explained things to him before doing that." Chris nodded. "You do good work. Look nice!" Serenity praised. "I too was thrown off for a moment, but you pulled it off rather well. Nicely done." Alicia nodded. "It was kinda tricky putting up but I'll get better. It's set up so it's sturdy against the weather, but at the same time easy to take down when I need to. Wadaya think? A good enough place to rest for the night?" Chris asked, Rapidash looking around before tapping his hoof and chomping his teeth. "Don't worry, food and all's coming up soon." Chris assured, the horse giving him a nod. "Just watch your flame so ya' don't burn the tarp. It's wide and tall enough so you can release some extra heat if you get chilly at night without messing anything up, but no promises if your flame gets too hot so moderation, alright?" Chris instructed, Rapidash nodding once more before Chris returned to the carriage. "Alright then, now for the fire! Gettin' dark so... he muttered. "Want help?" Serenity asked curiously. "Nope! The show's not over!" Chris grinned before taking out an ax. Walking past them, he found a small and thin tree nearby with just enough wood on it for a good fire for the night, and went to work cutting it down before chopping and snapping it apart, making a pile of wood near the carriage. "You do that hard way you know. Why not use Ninetales power and do easy way?" Serenity asked. "Just because I can doesn't mean I should. That's for really specific occasions only!" Chris affirmed. "If it's something I can do on my own, then powers or not I'm doin' it by myself without em'!" he affirmed, giving his chest a "man pride!" kind of bop with his fist along with a grunt and a nod.
"Okay, okay. You look good when working anyway." Serenity smiled, making Chris jolt and blush slightly. "Y-Yeah? I am kinda strong." he smirked. "The tree was rather tiny..." Alicia point out with a smug smirk making Chris slump. "C-Come on." he sulked. "Oh, fine, fine. You showed that tree who's boss." the snake praised in a teasing tone, showing a playful grin making Chris stick out his tongue. "Anyway, now that the wood's ready, just need to light it." he point out, gathering nearby stones and putting them in a circle. "What that for? Rocks not make fire." Serenity point out. "Well, actually they can! But these are just to make a border for the fire." Chris explained as he fetched the wood and placed it in a pile. "You can make fire with rocks?" Rose asked curiously. "You've never seen it done?" Chris asked in surprise. Shaking her head, Chris gave the rabbit a puzzled look. "You've seen it done, right Alicia?" he asked. "Hmm... Perhaps on TV... I've never seen it done in person." she point out. "Huh... They must've been pretty amateur." Chris muttered. "Well, gather round' and watch." he smiled, taking two rocks along with a small twig. "There are two ways to light a fire in a more natural kinda way. At least, what I'm gonna show ya' is two of the most common ways." he point out, taking the twig in his hands. "One way is like this..." he paused while rapidly twirling the twig between his hands with the point pressing down into the wood. "That's rather odd..." Alicia muttered. "How's that gonna make fire? Won't your hands get sore?" Rose asked. "It can make your hands sore if you're not careful." Chris nodded. After a moment, a faint aroma of smoke could be smelled coming from the wood.
"Ahh, there it is. Lean down and smell!" Chris smiled, the three looking at one another as he pulled the twig away, allowing them to lean toward the wood. "H-He right. Smell smoke." Serenity muttered. "Ooohh, that's neat!" Rose added. "Not bad, but still no flame." Alicia point out. "Takes a bit more work. Watch." Chris replied, coaxing them back while adding some pine needles onto the spot he'd been working on before twirling the twig again. After a moment, sparks could be seen coming from the wood and needles, and after adding more onto the wood, a small fire started showing. "Alright! Now just gotta..." Chris paused, leaning forward and giving the tiny flame a soft blow, causing it to gradually grow. "You gotta be real careful with it at first, help it grow bit by bit. Put too much on, it smothers, leaving it be can make it die out too." he affirmed before handing pine needles to the girls. "Now, each of you take turns. Add the needles I gave you onto the pile and give the fire a careful blow." he instructed, the three looking at one another and nodding. Taking her turn first, Rose cautiously added her needles to the fire, causing the flame to rapidly twitch making her panic. "It's okay! It's okay. Just give the fire a nice little blow. It's kinda like you're helping it climb on top of the needles." he explained. Nodding, the rabbit got on all fours and blew on the fire, making it softly waft away from her before she pulled back and the flame stood tall. "Atta girl! See, it's not flickering anymore now that you've given it support! A nice, healthy burn goin' on." Chris smiled, rubbing Rose on her head. "Serenity, now you. Remember, careful." he instructed, getting a nod from her as she placed her needles atop the flame.
Copying Rose, Serenity got on all fours and blew on the fire, this time getting sudden loud crackling sounds from it making Serenity shoot back wide eyed, falling on her butt with an arm up in defense causing Chris to nearly burst out in laughter, quickly covering his mouth making his cheeks bulge out with a snicker instead. "C-Come on Serenity, you've heard a fire crackle before. It's just the fire burning the material you put on it." he point out, the surprised Pokemon blinking at him before sitting up and clearing her throat. "I-I know that. Just never hear it up close before... Was loud." she replied, glancing away embarrassed. "You acted like it was about to attack you." he point out. "SHUT UP!!" she snapped, her face flushing while turning away. "Ha ha... Okay, okay. Alicia, your go. Toss the needles in your vine on the fire and give it a blow, same as them." he instructed. "I-I'm not exactly very comfortable so close to a flame." she replied warily. "It's still pretty small, you'll be fine! Don't worry." Chris assured. Nodding, she slithered up and placed her needles atop the fire. "Uhh... Blow, right?" she asked. "Yep, just lean your face down and blow on the fire." Chris smiled. Nodding, she cautiously did as told, giving the flame a clumsy blow nearly making it go out. "Not quite... If it makes you too nervous, just pucker your lips up in a little circle when you blow, like you're trying to give me a real soft kiss!" Chris smiled, this statement causing Alicia to jolt and accidentally take in a breath of smoke, leaving her in a coughing fit as she pulled away and slithered back. "I-I took my turn!! I'm done!!" she coughed before facing away with a flush. "What a stupid thing to say when I'm near a flame!!" she snapped.
"Eh? But that's how it works basically." Chris replied, tilting his head. "I'm done!!" she replied before grumbling in embarrassment. "Alright, alright. You girls wanna keep helping it grow?" he asked, Serenity and Rose nodding before they took turns with Chris adding more material to the flame, using their breath to help it grow until it was a descent size capable of growing on its own. "Theeeere we go... Very nice! I'm proud of you girls! You made your first fire grow from scratch!" he praised with a thumbs up. "It kind of fun." Serenity smiled. "It was neat seeing it grow the way it did. That was kinda like taking care of a baby in its own way!" Rose added. "True, guess that's one comparison you could make. You had fun too, right Alicia?" he asked, the snake glancing at him before turning her gaze away. "Fire, whoopie." she replied. "Aw, come on. You got involved too even though fire isn't your thing. I really appreciate you doing that." Chris smiled, putting a hand on her. "I'm sorry for saying what I did. I guess that was a bad example... Don't be mad?" he asked, the snake looking down at him before smiling. "I'm not mad, no need to feel sorry. It was bad simply bad timing, but what you said wasn't bad per-se." she assured. "Great." he nodded before taking the two rocks he'd set aside in hand. "About how rocks make fire, it's a lot like what I did with the twig. You use friction to make fire, and that just means rubbing two things together just right." he explained, standing and stepping back from the girls. "You take two rocks in each hand, and...!!" he paused, smashing the rocks together in a sliding motion sending sparks flying from between them making the girls jolt in surprise.
"Check it out..." Rose muttered. "Do again!!" Serenity grinned. "Alright, just like I showed you before, you take the rocks like this and...!!" he paused, doing the same thing a second time sending sparks flying. "Do it just right and those sparks can light a fire for you too!" he chuckled. "Want to try!! Want to try!!" Serenity shout with her hand up eagerly. "I-It's not a classroom, but sure, go ahead." he smiled nervously as the Pokemon shot up and snatched the rocks. "You just hit em' together in a sliding motion, like this." Chris demonstrated with his hands. Watching him act it out several times, Serenity nodded before gripping the rocks and smashing them together the way he had, causing sparks to fly once more making a grin spread across her face. "This awesome!" she exclaimed before making more sparks, repeatedly smashing the rocks together in excitement. "Just don't go too crazy." Chris instructed before letting Rose give it a try with a second pair of rocks, the rabbit tilting her head curiously before making sparks herself, causing her to jolt in surprise and blink curiously while looking the rocks over. "So weird... Fire, with rocks... Humans ARE neat." she giggled, trying it a second time. "Pretty fun huh? Although I think Serenity loves it more than any of us." he laughed, the two watching as Serenity sent sparks flying in different directions shouting "fire!!" each time like she was unleashing an attack. "I'm glad we're surrounded by ice." Chris point out with slight sweat on his face. "Yeah, don't think I'd let her do that anywhere else." Rose smiled nervously. "Putting her in control of fire is the worst thing you could do." Alicia chimed in, slithering next to Chris. "With so much ice around here she's harmless. Don't worry." Chris assured, watching as Serenity continued having fun making a smile appear on his face.
"...I missed this side of her." he exclaimed, Rose and Alicia looking at him curiously. "Being in civilization, around so many humans for so long, she hasn't been able to really enjoy herself. No matter what I tried, she was always tense in a way. Even when she seemed to be having fun, there was kind of an awkward vibe about her. Now that she's away from people, seeing her like this... It makes me feel like things are finally back to normal for her. She can relax again and have some real fun." he chuckled before walking up to Serenity from behind, Rose and Alicia looking at one another as he tapped Serenity on the shoulder, making her turn and shout "fire!!" with a grin before freezing when he gave her an abrupt kiss on the lips, making the Pokemon's eyes open wide before the rocks fell out of her motionless hands. backing away, Chris gave her a loving smile. "It's good to see you this way again." he chuckled, the Pokemon blinking at him with a bothered and bewildered expression combined after being given such a tender kiss out of nowhere. Squatting down, Chris picked up her rocks and placed one in each of her still raised and motionless hands. "Don't let me stop your fun!" Chris chuckled before heading toward the carriage. Watching him, Serenity subconsciously lightly clicked the rocks together, saying "fire" once more in a quiet and dazed voice as he started rummaging through their storage once more. "Alright... Here's the bucket for Rapidash's food." he muttered, taking it out before finding one of the bags of horse feed and filling it up. Taking it to the stable, he hung it up so Rapidash wouldn't have to lower its head and neck as much to eat. "You deserve to relax and eat like a king. Have your fill, there's plenty for the trip." Chris assured, the horse nodding before starting its meal.
Returning to the storage, he took out a second bucket for water, filling it with ice before holding it over the fire to melt the contents just enough to ensure it was still cold after the ice was gone and delivering the beverage to the horse as well. "Food, drink, stall... We good?" he asked, the horse giving him a nod before continuing to eat. "Awesome. Thanks for the work today." Chris smirked before returning to Rose and Alicia. "Okay, so now that the guy helping us along is served and satisfied, how about I start working on your grub next?" he asked. "Fine by me, I'm rather famished." Alicia point out. "Same here." Rose nodded with a groan. "How about you Serenity? Ready to eat?" he asked, turning to the Pokemon who now wad a wide and awkward looking smile on her face, still softly clicking her rocks. "Uhh... Eh?" he muttered, pointing at her while looking at the girls for an answer. "What do you expect? You kissed her outta nowhere!" Rose giggled. "I'll admit that would surprise anyone." Alicia nodded with a slight blush, scowling over the kiss not being hers. "Ah. Didn't think a kiss would still be that powerful. That does my inner man good!" he grinned. "Inner man? Does that mean you ARE a child on the outside?" Alicia asked. "N-No!! Inner and outer!! I'm ALL man!!" Chris snapped. "You've been pretty bad today." Rose laughed. "I-I'm just having an off time. You girls have been hitting me from all angles today!" Chris scowled with his arms crossed. "Well... I guess we CAN vouch for you being a man on the outside..." Rose affirmed, giving him a glance toward his lower half before blushing and biting her lip with an eager smile of anticipation. "H-Hey hey!! None of that!!" Chris flushed, covering himself embarrassed.
"I suppose she does have a point... I too can vouch for certain aspects of you being along the lines of a man. Too bad most aspects are still that of a child though..." Alicia teased for the sake of hiding her own similar thoughts, a smug smirk on her face along with a slight blush. "Q-Quit foolin' around! Focus on dinner!" Chris snapped. "I kinda am... It IS tasty." Rose giggled, glancing at him again. "S-Since when are YOU the pervy one?!" he panicked. "I'm not! I just... I dunno. Something's been feelin' weird on top of being nauseous lately. I feel more... Itchy, I guess?" she replied. "I-Itchy? A bite?" Chris asked. "No... Not that kinda itchy." Rose replied, fidgeting shyly. "THAT kind of itchy... You know. Down there?" she explained, causing Chris to seemingly glow wide eyed. "D-D-D-DROPPING SUBJECT!!!" he panicked before rushing toward their storage again to rummage for supplies to make dinner with. "Itchy, huh?" Alicia asked, slithering up next to the rabbit. "S-Sorry for talking like that." Rose apologized with a nervous laugh. "But lately... I kinda have been feelin' funny for some reason. I'm more... In the mood." she added. "Today was the first time I threw up, but I started feeling kinda sick a few days before, and it was around that time I started feeling more in the mood too. I... Really wanna do it a lot but I don't know why. I-I mean I love him so of course that's why! But... More than usual I mean. Kinda hard to control." Rose tried to explain. Looking down at her, Alicia nodded with an "mm" in response. "I... Have been feeling a similar strangeness myself. Nausea and... Curiosities welling up." she confessed. "Do you... Think we really do have something wrong? Like... We should go to a center?" Rose asked nervously.
"No... Perhaps it's because it's just us alone now. We've been stuck in the middle of so many humans and such for so long, it could just be the change of atmosphere. I think it will pass. Really as far as intimacy goes I shouldn't have any interest at all after what he did to me. But... For some reason what he did, admittedly, does give me a slight desire for more" the snake confessed with a scowl. "R-Repeat that and you'll regret it!" she snapped, Rose waving her hands with a nervous laugh."Don't worry, I won't. I guess you're right... About it being the atmosphere." Rose nodded while looking at Chris and blushing again. "But... It really is hard, not doing anything." she added, Alicia showing a slight blush of her own while looking at him before facing Serenity. "A wild guess perhaps, but she's likely in the same condition as the two of us." the snake point out, Rose letting out an "eh?" before looking at Serenity as well. "Yeah... Could be." she nodded. After a moment, Chris returned with a pot and pan atop a baking sheet, setting them down next to the fire and putting more wood on the flame before heading back to the carriage for other utensils. Once he had everything to cook with set up, he started bringing out various foods and ingredients to cook with, the girls watching him curiously as he poked at the fire with a long stick. "Okay then, got everything I need, except for..." he paused, heading back to the carriage and pulling out a black object and a pair of mitts. "What's that?" Rose point out curiously. "Ha ha, was hoping you'd ask." Chris smirked before unfurling the black cloth and donning it, revealing it to be an apron. "Who wants to kiss the cook?" he asked with a wink, making Rose and Alicia blush wide eyed. "Then again, guess that's a bad thing to ask the way you're acting." he laughed nervously before heading back to the fire.
"I'm thinking of a good ol' fashioned stew. Then afterward, some nice treats to nibble on and the best drink a person, or Pokemon, can have in a place like this!" he grinned. "Gather round' the fire girls! Serenity and Rose, get ready to see your man whip up the best dinner you've had yet!" he grinned while rolling up his sleeves as they relaxed around the fire. "Some of the ingredients I'll fry a little first before adding them to the stew, You don't want stuff like onions overpowering everything else." he chuckled while taking out various vegetables from a bag and chopping them up finely in his pan. After everything was nicely minced, he put the pan over the fire and started stirring his ingredients, eventually getting a nice sizzle as he added oil with a grin. "Ohhh that's nice. Been forever since I did this." he point out excitedly. "Get a good whiff of that girls! Food always smells best when fried over an open fire!" he affirmed, the girls letting out a sigh and nodding. "Not bad at all." Alicia replied. "I remember sounds and smells from when camping before. But getting to see you cook like this even better!" Serenity giggled. "I kinda envy it, all the stuff you can do I mean." Rose added. "Eh, it's nothing to envy. I learned all this stuff over MANY years thanks to the elders. All of you could do the same thing with enough training and patience." he affirmed. "Not think could wait years to learn that stuff." Serenity replied with a wave of her hand. "Well, the main reason I'm glad I know all this stuff now is because of you girls. Thanks to the elders, I can take care of you. I owe them as much as I owe Ninetales, because it's thanks to her I can protect you too!" he grinned. "I can't take credit for this kinda stuff really. All the stuff I can do, I owe it to someone else for taking the time to teach me..." he affirmed with a warm smile.
"A lot of people have to learn everything on their own in life. They're all by themselves... I was real lucky though. I had so many good people willing to teach me all of the necessities of living on your own. All the things I know, all the power I have, none of it's mine to gloat about. That right goes to the people who taught me everything who learned it all the hard way. I just sat there absorbing everything they knew like a sponge." he chuckled. Giving his ingredients a flip in the air before stirring them once more, Chris simmered the vegetables a moment longer before pulling the pan away and setting it on some rocks, taking his pot in hand before heading toward the wall of rocks near the stable. Looking along it, he listened before spotting water trickling down from above, showing a smirk before filling the pot and returning to the water. "What was that about?" Alicia asked. "It's kind of like spring water in a way." Chris answered, stirring the fire with a stick before setting the pot down atop the embers and shifting it about before adding needles around the pot for more fuel. "Alright... Now to add the...!!" Chris paused, jolting and letting out an "eh?" before looking around. "What? What wrong? Add the what?" Serenity asked. "Add the, uh..." he muttered. "You girls hear something just now?" he asked, looking at them curiously. "We... Heard nothing." Alicia replied. "I didn't hear anything, and trust me, I hear tons of stuff." Rose added, pointing at her ears. "I not hear anything either." Serenity chimed in, tilting her head. "What you hear?" she asked. "I... I dunno. It was like someone called me." he replied, looking around again. "Kinda like someone whispered my name from behind." he added before looking back, noticing the now dark mountains looming in the distance.
"...Guess it was nothing." he muttered before continuing to cook, the girls tilting their heads and looking at one another bewildered. "That kind of weird." Serenity point out. "I think it's more like kinda creepy..." Rose added, looking around warily at their now dark surroundings. "D-Don't worry about it! It was probably just the wind." Chris assured, waving his hand with a smile and slight sweat on his face. "Now then, all the stuff's in the pot, got the stuff I fried in too. Just gotta add in some sauces and a spice or two and it'll blow your minds!" he grinned as the stew came to a steady boil. Why don't you girls lend a hand? All you gotta do is stir! Wanna take turns?" he asked, Serenity and Rose nodding while Alicia let out an "ehhh..." noise in response before nodding as well. "Alright then, here's how ya' do it." he instructed, showing them the right steady movement before letting the girls take charge of making sure nothing stuck to the bottom. "It should be okay to taste if ya' want. Feel free! Long as sharing the ladle doesn't bother ya'." he coaxed. Nodding, they each scooped out a share for themselves. "Oohhh... IS good!" Serenity exclaimed in surprise. "She's right... This is better than the stuff at those places humans eat..." Rose added. "You mean the restaurants?" Chris laughed. "That's it! Yeah! It's good!" the rabbit giggled. "I'll admit, this is rather good." Alicia praised with a smirk. "Not bad at all considering how long its been since you've cooked using a campfire." she added. "I know, right? I was kinda worried I was promising more than I could deliver on, but it seems like it's really coming out great!" he grinned before taking the ladle and trying some of the stew himself, shuddering in response to the taste with a sigh.
"Oh yeah." he cooed before stirring the stew himself. Once it was finished, he portioned it out to the girls in bowls before starting on their dessert, the group watching curiously while eating as he took an extra bowl and started mixing flour and other ingredients together. "Now what making? Not going to eat before doing more?" Serenity asked. "I'll eat, don't worry. I wanted to try my hand at making something first." he smiled before mixing spices and sugar into the now moistened dough. "What did you have in mind? This is the dessert, correct?" Alicia asked. "You betcha!" Chris nodded before taking the baking pan and spooning out small globs of dough evenly across it. "What are ya' gonna make? You never explained that part." Rose point out. "Well duh! It's a surprise!" Chris grinned before taking the pot containing the remainder of the stew and pouring it into his own bowl. "There... Now the space is free." he smiled before stirring up the charred wood with another stick before placing the baking sheet atop it and shifting it about. "There! Not an oven per-se but with the right attention it should still turn out just as good." Chris grinned, the girls looking at the globs of dough. "Hope it cook right." Serenity replied. "Doesn't look too good to eat unless it's done right. The humans at the mansion pointed that out about the dough stuff when we were making that big cake." Rose added. "That's right, you never want to eat under-cooked dough." Chris nodded before joining their side as he started eating his portion of the stew, watching his sweets bake before them. By the time they finished, the dough had hardened and darkened slightly, taking on the appearance of small cookies peaking Chris's curiosity as he took a spatula and worked one of them off the sheet.
"Alright then... Taste test time. You girls have been real sensitive so I'll handle this one." he assured with a thumbs up before tossing the cookie into his mouth. "Well? It okay?" Serenity asked. "Doesn't taste weird, does it?" Rose added. "Better spit it out if you're uncertain." Alicia warned. "No..." he muttered before swallowing his mouthful with a sigh. "They're good! No need to worry!" he grinned. "They've got a nice crunch and the taste is great. I can't eat those Pokepuff things, but these are sweets we can ALL enjoy!" he exclaimed proudly, taking the sheet off the remaining embers before adding wood and pine to build a fire once more. "They're a little hot, but they taste as good as they look!" he assured, holding the pan out so the girls could look the sweets over for themselves. "No bad considering the roundabout manner you used to bake them." Alicia nodded. "Appreciate it! Hang on a sec." he instructed before piling the treats onto a platter and sitting between the girls. "There we go... A nice, growing fire, a cozy family, and some sweets to end a good meal! I'll make us some hot chocolate for us to drink in the carriage later after I get our bed set up!" he point out as the girls each took a cookie and nibbled on them. "Oh, turn out really good..." Serenity muttered, popping the rest in her mouth before taking another. "It's kinda like eating apples, but they taste different at the same time." Rose point out. "Good call! I used some apple spice, and mixed in some cinnamon spice too. You like?" he asked, the rabbit nodding with a smile before taking another cookie. "How about my favorite snake? Enjoying the treat?" he asked, arching his head back to look up at her making the snake jolt and glance away. "I-It's good. Thank you." she nodded.
"Once we finish these and enjoy the view for a bit I'll set up our little nest for the night in the carriage. I've got an idea that will make it feel like we're in a cozy lil' burrow!" he revealed. "Nest?" Alicia asked with a slight blush. "A burrow? For us?" Rose added, showing a blush of her own. "Yeah! Get all the blankets and pillows I got and make it like one big, round bed inside!" he smiled. "Why, does it bother you?" he asked. "I thought it'd be kinda neat..." he added with a slight sulk. "I not mind. I help when ready." Serenity shrugged before tossing another cookie in her mouth. "After eating sweets, kisses tonight taste sweet." she added with a sly smirk, causing Chris to jolt and blush slightly. "Th-The kiss earlier was enough!" he smiled nervously with a hand up. "You not allowed to kiss and leave at that the way you did. I get back." the Pokemon giggled, picking up a cookie while leaning toward him. "You give sweets, I give sweets back. Different kind of sweets..." she teased before putting the cookie in his mouth as it hung open. "I-I'll be fwine! Nwo need for dat tonight!" he assured with slight sweat on his face while swallowing his cookie and taking a deep breath. "Besides, gotta respect." he point out, reminding Serenity about Alicia before apologizing. "There's all the time in the world for stuff like that, but I don't think instigating that kinda thing in such a small space with all of us huddled together would be right." he added, making Serenity scowl. "Hate way you always give it then cut off. It not fair to put on leash way you do." she complained. Listening to the two, Rose fidget anxiously, showing a blush on her face as the two put thoughts in her already struggling mind.
"C-Can we talk about other stuff?" she asked with a nervous smile. "S-Sorry!" Chris apologized. "See? Told ya it wasn't the right time." he lectured, making Serenity cross her arms. "Not fair... Want more of way you did before..." she pout. "MOVE ON!!" Alicia snapped, showing a blush of her own as she grew anxious as well. "Wh-What's with you girls?" he asked, "Your moods have been weird today... All angry, then pouty, you've been full of taunts and laughs, and now you're all red in the face." he point out, looking at the three. "You girls gotta get whatever's going on under control. It's overwhelming." he added, the three looking at one another before glancing away and apologizing simultaneously. "It's fine... Just try to keep the moods on a level I can keep up with. One minute you're making fun of me, the next we're all laughing, then suddenly everyone's talkin' about... Stuff." he replied with a slight blush of his own.
Now sitting in silence together, the girls fidget while Chris sat with a nervous look, glancing at the three wondering what was going on while nearby Rapidash was looking at the group, tilting his head before shaking it with a "whatever" grunt and having a drink of water from his bucket, minding his own business as he finished settling into his stable...
