Welcome to Gaia! ::

He probably had. For a start, he existed.

"It'd mean leaving everything here," was Hayes' calm reply as he pulled out the tent stakes. Breaking camp took less than fifteen minutes; it had been a minimal affair in the first place, not a long-term base from which to stage further operations. The Rocket's work was quick and efficient but without the hurry that bore mistakes.

Once he'd gotten things put away, slung his pack on his shoulders and retrieved the now-empty bag and cozy from the Glaceon, Hayes retrieved the portable GPS from the front pocket of his jacket. Luckily, it had survived.

The Rocket tapped the screen, then surveyed the landscape. Much lay changed in the wake of the avalanche, but you couldn't argue with satellites. "Okay. Car's that way," he pointed, and started to set off.

The snow had fallen here too, and frozen in glittering, wind-sculpted drifts. One markedly higher than the rest had wheels and a pair of rear-view mirrors.

Though most of his face was covered, the way Hayes' eyes briefly widened and his shoulders relaxed when Nikki produced the keys conveyed obvious relief. He hadn't considered that they might have been lost with the rest of her equipment until now, and it was a small comfort in the midst of everything to find a problem appear and immediately resolve itself.

"Sure thing," he breathed as he took them and pulled off a thick outer mitten to work the buttons. There was a muffled beep from under the thick cap of snow and the lock mechanism clunked open.

The Rocket slung his pack down and set about brushing off the worst of the snow from the passenger side.

After a couple of tries and a grunt he got the door unstuck. Ice crackled in the hinges as held it open so Yuushi could deposit her trainer inside.

The blond was looking past the van back toward the snowy mountain with a distant expression, holding the keys in his free hand. "Yeah," he agreed, retrieved the ice scraper, and shut her door. He headed around to the driver's side, leaned in and turned the key in the ignition. There was a moment of tension when the engine whirred but then it sputtered to life. "Give it a sec." The Rocket reached over the center partition, fished around for a moment, then pulled a thick blanket from under the driver's seat within Nikki's reach.

The door shut again and the van was dark.

The interior lightened by degrees as Hayes started to scrape snow and ice off the windows, working his way around to the back. "Still doing okay?" he called as he slung his pack in, followed by a half-laughed "Hey!" of surprise.

The Glaceon came flowing through the back, stepped neatly into and out of the net basket strung between the front seats, and hopped into the driver's seat.

The Glaceon looked around, spaded tail waving lazily in the air. It cocked its head at the sound of the whirring motor, pawed lightly at the upholstery, and peered around the seat at Hayes. The Rocket paused, about to shut the back hatch, and met her gaze. "Coming with?"

In answer the Pokemon leaped down, heading toward the back. Hayes moved aside to let her out, but the Ice-type stopped at his pack and nosed along it, searching. She rolled a Pokeball out from a side pocket, looked pointedly at Hayes, and touched her nose to the release button.

The orb snapped open and she disappeared inside. There was a 'ding!' of success.

A moment later she rematerialized, shook herself all over, and stretched like someone coming out of a stiff sleeping position.

"..okay then," Hayes smiled, and shut the door.

The call made him pause and look toward the unconquered summit, and for a moment he stood there, brow furrowed in thought. Then he opened the driver's side door and got in.

The Glaceon leaped into his lap and let out a contented huff as the vehicle began to move. After a while she opened one eye, and, sure that Nikki was sleeping, slipped down and formed a mound under the blanket on the girl's lap to keep her warm on the drive back.