"Hey, Maya, you're really slackin' today. Everythin' okay?"

The young woman paused, her knife stopping between the slices of vegetables on the cutting board. "Wha? Oh, I'm fine." She forced a reassuring smile. "Just a bit…tired today. That's all."

Kofu placed a hand on his nearly bald head, frowning slightly. "It's the sea, isn't it?" His correct guess made Maya stiffen. "Ya can't hide it from this ol' man. You're missin' the waves." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, staying that way for several moments before smiling wide. "I've an idea for ya! Somethin' to take yer mind off it!"

Maya trudged through the deep layer of snow. The fierce, chilling wind beat against her. She was caught up in a blizzard threatening to bury her alive. Despite being bundled in a thick coat and pants, the frigid cold of Glaseado Mountain was proving to be too much for her. She wasn't accustomed to the cold. She hugged her arms and squinted through the stinging winds.

"Vaultin' Veluza!" she exclaimed, trying to keep her teeth from clacking together. "It's so cold!" A strong gust howled in her ears and forced her to stop momentarily to avoid being swept off her feet. "Try snowboarding, he said! It'll be fun, he said! You know what's not fun? Turning into an ice cube!"

Her complaints were only met by more wind and falling snow in her face. It was bad. She couldn't find where she even was anymore. There were no landmarks of any kind, just hills of snow and occasional trees covered in sheets of white. To make matters worse, she couldn't feel her fingers, or her toes. Her lips were turning blue, too. It was getting difficult to even move her legs. Another harsh gust blew her back into the snow where she found herself too weak to pick herself back up.

"So…cold…" Her voice was barely audible and her vision was growing dark. "Miss the…sun…and beach…and…water…"

Maya lost consciousness. Her body laid there, slowly getting buried in the blizzard. In the eerie howling of the storm, there were heavy footsteps approaching her, accompanied by a much lighter set. Snow was shoveled off her, and she was lifted onto the back of a large, round pokemon.

~~~~

Grusha stared over at the woman laying across his couch, bundled in blankets. She had, fortunately, regained some color to her skin and lips. Her long hair, which was white with strips of blue about halfway down, was splayed out around her, no longer in the low twin tails they'd been in before. The flames in the fireplace crackled and gave off warmth and light.

"How stupid can someone be?" he muttered, sitting back in his armchair. "Climbing the mountain in a blizzard…"

Judging by her clothes underneath her coat - a white button up shirt and dark jeans - she wasn't a student of the academy. He almost wanted to take a peek in her backpack on the floor next to her just to figure out some kind of background or motive for being there. Grusha got up from where he sat upon seeing her move slightly, beginning to stir at last. He silently went to the kitchen before she had a chance to notice him. When she peeled her ocean blue eyes open, she found herself on a comfy couch near a fireplace. She turned her head and blinked several times to clear her vision. It seemed she was in a cozy cabin. Glancing down at the blanket on her, she slowly sat up to get a better look around.

"Take it easy," a voice said, causing Maya to look toward the doorway leading to the kitchen. The young man had long, icy blue hair and wore a black sweater and some thick pants. "You're lucky I found you out there. You could've froze to death." He brought a mug over, setting it on the coffee table in front of her. "Some hot cocoa should help warm you up."

Maya looked down at the piping hot beverage, smiling as she took it. "Thanks." She took greedy gulps, the drink warming her from the inside out. "This is exactly what I needed." She glanced around once more. "Um, so where am I?"

"My home. I live here near the peak of Glaseado Mountain. Name's Grusha."

The girl nearly spit out her drink. "Grusha?! The Grusha?! One of the world's best snowboarders?!"

He nodded. "So you've heard of me. Cool."

"Of course I've heard of you! You're awesome!" Maya managed to rein in her excitement. "Sorry, I just…didn't expect to end up in your house. I'm kind of a fan." She smiled wide. "Well anyway, it's a pleasure. I'm Maya."

Grusha tilted his head to the side, that cool, stoic expression of his still present. "Maya… I feel like I've heard that name before." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, aren't you Alola's surf champion?"

"That's me alright! I'm surprised you know who I am. I haven't been in Paldea very long, hence why I underestimated this mountain." She shuddered and took a sip of her hot cocoa. "Going from extreme heat to extreme cold is not fun. My body hasn't adjusted to the drastic change yet."

"Why are you even here, then? What reason does a surfer have to come to this isolated mountain?"

"To try snowboarding, duh," she replied dryly. "Surfing is the absolute best, but the waters around Paldea kinda suck. They're way too calm for my liking."

Grusha raised a brow curiously. "And you're in Paldea because…?"

"To help my uncle with his restaurant." Setting her nearly empty mug on the table, she reached for her backpack on the floor. She zipped it open to grab her phone, which, unlike most in Paldea, wasn't imbued with a Rotom. She showed him a picture of herself and her uncle in front of the restaurant. "I'd heard he needed a hand balancing his Gym Leader duties with running Kofu Lounge. So, since I'd already won gold medals in all of Alola's surf competitions anyway, I decided to come to Paldea to help my uncle and catch some waves…minus that last part, apparently."

Grusha's eyes widened slightly upon seeing the image on her phone. "Hold up. Gym Leader Kofu is your uncle?"

Maya blinked at him before frowning a little. "Uh, yeah. Got a problem with that? You don't have anything against my sweet, caring uncle, do you?"

The man shook his head rather quickly. "No, that's not it. I didn't know old man Kofu had family in Alola."

The grin returned to her face. "Well, he does. And my sweet, sweet uncle, being the kind soul he is, noticed I was getting bored helping with food preparation every day. He suggested I try snowboarding. So, here I am! Ready to hit the slopes!"

Throwing off the blanket, Maya jumped to her feet. She showed an obnoxious amount of enthusiasm that made it seem as if she hadn't nearly frozen to death out there. It actually kind of overwhelmed the ice type user. He could barely even get a word in before she was already pulling her hair into low twin tails using spare hair ties from her backpack. They hung over her shoulders, giving her a somewhat playful air despite her mature figure.

"Wait, right now?" Grusha questioned. "You can't go outside. There's still a raging blizzard out there."

The woman waved a hand dismissively. "I'll be fine once I get my blood pumping. I'll admit I was unprepared for the low temperature, but I won't let it get me again."

Grusha was unsure whether she was brave or just stupidly reckless, but he crossed his arms. "And do you even know how to snowboard?"

"No, but there's a board and some snow. How hard can it be? It's just surfing without water." She started bundling up in her coat, zipping it up. "Look, Mister Grusha, I appreciate your concern, but I know how to handle myself."

"Just Grusha," he corrected. "And I have to disagree considering you could've died out there if I hadn't found you."

He didn't know why he was arguing with her over the issue. He shouldn't care so much. She was an adult and could make her own decisions, whether they be dangerous or not. But he also knew Glaseado Mountain all too well, including its many unpredictable hazards. Not only that, there was something about Maya that drew him in. It was that spark - that burning flame in her eyes. She couldn't wait to get out there on the slopes. She reminded him of himself before the accident, when he took risks and thrived on the adrenaline rush.

"Whatever." Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "But seriously, I've got this. I'll prove it to you."

She headed for the front door, at least until Grusha stopped her with another question. "Do you have any equipment, or…?"

Maya, hanging her head with embarrassment, slowly turned back around toward him. "N…no. I, uh, was thinking there'd be a place to buy stuff up here."

Grusha sighed in exasperation. "Geez, you really don't think things through, do you? You risked your life to climb all the way up here to snowboard only to not actually have a snowboard or anything." His criticism made her press her index fingers together in shame. "Wait here. I'll be back in a moment."

She watched Grusha go to a door at the far wall and slip inside. It was probably his bedroom since it was one of the only other rooms in the little cabin. The other remaining door was most likely a bathroom, then. Upon looking around, her gaze landed on a display case back behind the couch she'd been sitting on. She went over to it, in awe of the numerous glittering awards inside. There were gold and silver medals alike with labels of varying competitions. Then there were several trophies representing some of his biggest wins. It gave her a melancholy feeling knowing that he could no longer compete. The news of his accident had spread even to Alola, and Maya had always felt bad for his forced retirement. But at least he still had his position as Gym Leader. That was something, at least.

"These will have to do." His voice forced her to turn away from the display. He was lugging a board, boots, a helmet, goggles, and multiple layers of clothing. "Some of these might be a bit big on you, but they're just for practice. This was the equipment I used when I first started."

Maya smiled wide. "Wow! It's all so cool! Thank you!"

Just as she was reaching for the board, Grusha pulled it away. "You can use this stuff on one condition." The woman's face fell. "Since I'm willing to let you borrow my old gear, you may only use it when I give you permission to. For instance…" He glanced toward the nearest window where he could see nothing but white between the curtains. "Today is out of the question. I won't let you take my things out in a blizzard to get torn up or lost under the snow."

Maya crossed her arms and pouted like a child. "Seriously? That's so lame." Even though she was giving him the most annoyed look possible, she ended up grumbling, "Fine. I'll wait till this dumb blizzard is over."

For the first time yet, Grusha actually smiled ever so slightly. "That's all I'm asking." He glanced toward the door to his room with a hum. "Hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch for the night. Montenevera is too far to reach in this weather."

"I don't mind." Maya eased up with her attitude when she realized how generous he was being. "I'm grateful for the hospitality."

That comment seemed to make the Gym Leader turn away to look nonchalant. "Yeah, well, I'm not gonna force someone to fight through a blizzard just for a place to rest. That wouldn't be cool."

She eyed the equipment in his arms. "Could you at least go ahead and show me how all this stuff works?"

Grusha looked a bit taken aback before a somewhat impish smirk stretched across his face. "Didn't you say earlier that it was 'just surfing without water'?"

His remark made her blush lightly and frown at him. "I-I was wrong. There's a…lot more equipment than I expected."

"Alright. I'll show you the ropes, at least."

The two gathered around the fireplace and proceeded to spend the remainder of the evening discussing snowboarding. Grusha showed her how to put on each piece of equipment and explained their uses. Maya listened attentively, and willingly put on everything to see for herself how it worked. Honestly, it was just nice to hear someone else as passionate as her. As for Grusha, he surprised himself with his own eagerness to teach her about his favorite sport. No one had ever asked him about it before, not since the accident. But she did. She wanted to learn. And simply talking about snowboarding was enough to stir a little excitement in him.