The goose-feather snow beat wildly against the ground, accompanied by the whistling wind. Yet, the cabin in the pasture remained as stable as a rock, unfazed by the howling wind and snow outside. Inside, it was still as warm as spring.
The ranch owner searched the room and then took out a pot. "Here, would you like some milk tea?"
The two girls sat in the cabin on the Sheep-Sheep Ranch. Shen Yu asked, "The snow outside looks quite heavy. Are the Pokémon in the ranch really okay?"
"I'm so glad you care about them. Don't worry, they'll be fine. They've all experienced worse snow than this and can handle it with their own group abilities. Humans are much more fragile than Pokémon in these conditions."
As she spoke, the ranch owner took out a large tablet. "Although our ranch hasn't been established for long, we've already advanced to the stage of informatized breeding. Through this, we can observe the current status of all the Pokémon."
The ranch owner tapped the screen a couple of times and then turned it to Shen Yu. "See, they're all safely huddled in the sheds. They're very safe."
The two girls chatted while warming themselves by the fire. "Mu Qingqing, after I graduate, I want to open a ranch like this too and live a simple life with my Pokémon."
"That's great! Be sure to invite me over to play then."
The two girls bonded in the midst of the wind and snow until it was almost lunchtime. Shen Yu glanced outside. The snow was still falling and didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon.
Mu Qingqing angrily tossed her phone aside. "It's always like this when it snows. I guess we'll have to wait for the snow to stop before trying to contact the hotel. Don't worry, they won't overcharge you. We have our limits."
Shen Yu wasn't short on money for accommodation. She was more concerned that it was already noon. Human physiological needs are hard to suppress with willpower. Hearing their stomachs rumble in protest, both girls stood up. They had indeed drunk a pot of milk tea earlier, but what good was that? It was just water.
Fortunately, Mu Qingqing and Shen Yu's house had plenty of food. They had lunch while watching the blizzard, replenishing their body heat, and then continued to chat while waiting out the annoying heavy snow.
Shen Yu and Mu Qingqing weren't sure when the heavy snow stopped. It's likely it stopped sometime in the middle of the night when they were fast asleep. When Shen Yu and Mu Qingqing got out of their warm beds at six in the morning, the weather outside was calm and clear.
Shen Yu looked towards the window. Frost covered the entire windowpane, completely obscuring the view outside. All they could see was a hazy white expanse.
She walked to the door and pushed hard. The door remained stubbornly shut, indicating it was completely blocked by snow outside. Shen Yu turned to seek Mu Qingqing's opinion. If Mu Qingqing had no idea how to get out of the house, they would have to resort to more destructive methods.
Mu Qingqing looked at Shen Yu's expression and asked, "The door won't open? Then let's pull it open."
Shen Yu blinked. Didn't this door open outwards yesterday? How did it start opening inwards after she slept? The world changes so quickly.
Mu Qingqing went to the main door and skillfully pulled it inwards. "There's no other way. It snows here often, and we never know how heavy it will be, so our houses have the option of opening inwards as a last resort."
As the main door opened, a blast of cold air rushed into the house. The two girls, still groggy from sleep, shivered and quickly closed the door again.
"Let's eat first."
After a simple breakfast, the two began to consider how to get out. Usually, they would use the most brute-force and straightforward method, digging a path with shovels. But neither girl had that kind of stamina.
"If I remember correctly, you have a brother, don't you?"
Mu Qingqing gave a wry smile. "This ranch is indeed managed by my brother and me, but he's rather frail and not as strong as I am. Who knows, one of us might end up rescuing the other."
Shen Yu thought for a moment and took out her two Poké Balls. "Then we'll have to burn our way out. As long as we can create a passage to get out, that's all that matters, right?"
The two agreed and got to work immediately. Mu Qingqing, who had opened the door, quickly dodged aside. Shen Yu commanded her Delphox and an unknown Pokémon to unleash their attacks simultaneously, targeting the thick snowdrift outside the door.
Although Delphox and the other Pokémon were powerful, they were in a precarious situation. They couldn't possibly set the house on fire for warmth.
The two Pokémon slowly melted the snow outside, and soon a hole about a meter wide was created at the entrance. Shen Yu and Mu Qingqing climbed out through the hole onto the snowdrift. Looking at the vast expanse of white around them, Shen Yu asked, "Where should your brother be?"
Mu Qingqing looked around and then pointed uncertainly in one direction. "He should be that way. But I'm not sure, he tends to be a bit of a troublemaker..."
As she spoke, they heard a boy's voice from nearby. "Ah!"
They looked in the direction of the voice and saw a heavily bundled-up boy speeding across the snow on a sled. His movements were fluid and seamless, showing no signs of stopping. Suddenly, the sled hit something, and the person on it was thrown onto the snow.
The boy, getting up and spitting out snow from his mouth while patting himself down, looked at Mu Qingqing. "Sister, is this your friend?"
Mu Qingqing nodded. "Yes, a friend I just met yesterday. But speaking of which, what happened to you?"
The boy pointed to the roof in the distance. "Of course, I came out from the roof! As for the sled, isn't this powerful launch-start sled amazing? I just don't know what it got caught on earlier that threw me off."
Mu Qingqing clicked her tongue. "Alright, alright, stop tinkering with your sled and hurry up and help clear the snow."
The boy pulled his sled out of the snow. "I saw the news. They said the average snowfall last night exceeded thirty millimeters."
The conversion rate between snowfall and snow accumulation is generally fifteen to one, meaning ten millimeters of snowfall equals fifteen centimeters of accumulated snow. An average of thirty millimeters means nearly half a meter of accumulated snow. This can't be explained by a blizzard; it must be a severe blizzard.
And this is just the average snowfall. Because the Sheep-Sheep Ranch is close to the snowy mountains, the snowfall is even more extreme. Otherwise, it wouldn't have exhausted Delphox and the other Pokémon so much just by opening a hole with fire.
With an additional person, the ranch team began clearing the snow in the ranch and heading towards the garage. The ranch had a small snowplow, which would make the work much faster. However, before using the snowplow, it was all Shen Yu's show.
"Delphox, Akong, no need to hold back anymore. You can go all out."
With Shen Yu's permission, Delphox and the other Pokémon unleashed their full power, quickly clearing a path to the garage in the ranch.
Halfway there, the sled boy stopped. Mu Qingqing asked, "What's wrong, Mu Lan?"
"I remember we have Ponyta and Rapidash in our ranch, right? Wouldn't they be faster than a snowplow?"
Mu Qingqing turned and glanced in the direction of the Rapidash. "Couldn't you have said that earlier?"
"I just thought that using Rapidash to pull a sled would be very fast..."
Indeed, human evolution stems from either laziness or wild speculation.
After an unknown amount of effort, the ranch team finally managed to clear most of the snow in the ranch. At least, it was enough for normal operations. Mu Qingqing also took the time to call the Sheep-Sheep Hotel and directly waived Shen Yu's expenses.
Shen Yu felt a little embarrassed. "Isn't that okay?"
"It's fine. You helped our ranch so much, and besides, you're Boss Xia's girlfriend. You deserve some benefits."
Unable to refuse, Shen Yu accepted Mu Qingqing's kindness and let her make the arrangements. Mu Lan, meanwhile, had already started having fun. If there were no Rapidash to pull the sled, why not have dogs pull it? The Sheep-Sheep Ranch was a considerable ranch, and besides Hayork, who always followed Mu Qingqing, they had other dog-type Pokémon.
Mu Lan skillfully hitched up the dog-pulled sled. A few dog-type Pokémon, with Mu Lan, the "human-dog," in tow, raced wildly around the ranch. Since the snow had been mostly cleared, Mu Lan wasn't worried about encountering any random obstacles on the ground that would tip the sled. Therefore, he was only faster than his previous launch start.
Watching Mu Lan, the human-dog, go wild in the ranch, Mu Qingqing smiled sheepishly at Shen Yu. "Sorry for the spectacle."
Shen Yu also smiled. "It's okay. Maybe all boys are like this. Xia Huanao is like this too."
Just then, Mu Lan, with his Pokémon, came charging towards them and stopped abruptly in front of Shen Yu and the two sisters. "Sister, what do you think of my sled?"
Mu Qingqing praised him casually. Mu Lan then said, "Sister, do you think I could venture into the snowy mountains in my current condition?"
Mu Qingqing shook her head. "No, your physical condition simply doesn't support you doing something like that. Moreover, the weather has been increasingly erratic lately. Such a severe blizzard in October is quite abnormal. You should just stay put."
The unintended remark resonated with Shen Yu. Since she was already in Snow City, it would be a pity not to visit the snowy mountains. However, the problem was real; if she went in, she might not come back.
As she hesitated, Shen Yu heard a voice in her ear. "Go. I'll protect you. Nothing will happen."