For several weeks Anton had been constantly reviewing the jobs listing next to the Pelliper's Mail Office. A-tier jobs and even some S-tiers are all that had been posted. No short delivery work, or simple search and rescue jobs, were available for the longest time since the Charmander had begun his work as a Rescue Team Leader. 

At the end of a string of weeks, he had let out a soft sigh. The defeated fire-type was low on cash, and rent was coming up soon. He almost chuckled at the fact that the region had remained, largely, peaceful in the months leading up to spring. It was that peace and prosperity that lead him to a board full of high-tier work. Wild Pokemon weren't being rowdy and out of control. Such lack of aggression has brought about safe travels and safe gathering. Work that could be done by anyone, meant a rescue team wasn't necessary. If he was going to come up with funds for rent, he'd need to take up another occupation. 

While the little lizard did have some cash stored away for emergencies, it wouldn't last forever. He pondered the idea of evolving himself, despite it's permanence, and then imagined himself as a stronger Charmeleon, or even a Charizard. 

He tossed the idea away, as he preferred his short stature, and began to brainstorm a few more ideas. 

"Well, I could take up gardening...Making my own berry farm would help keep my own stores of food stocked, and bring in quick cash if my prices are better than the Kecleon brothers." Then again... "...Mmm, don't want to piss them off though." 

...Anton tucked that idea away in his head and began heading back to town. His walk was solemn and without energy. He kept a level head, gazing over towards the other side of Town Square, and walked through crowds of other Pokemon. 

Eventually his stubby legs pulled him through the usual chaos of the hustle and bustle in the morning activity. The charmander headed out towards the Kecleon brothers and picked up some seeds and plant starts to grow his own berry trees. They seemed excited to hear the mander being open to planting and gardening. Anton figured they would be angry or unhelpful, but was proven wrong with their enthusiastic display of different berry seeds. 

The charmander bought a few and headed back home, he was looking over his purchase and realized that he didn't have any way to til the soil outside his home, water the seeds, or have fertilizer for growing healthy plants. He literally only bought seeds. Quite useless without water to help the precious baby plants to achieve their destiny. 

Anton, frustrated, headed into his house and tossed the bag of Oran Berry seeds on his table. He then flopped, face first, onto his floor and let out a dismayed sigh. 

Crunch...Crunch....Crunch 

The charmander looked up from his spot and saw a Scolipede, inside his home, eating his berries. "Hi" The mander said. 

"Hi there." The bug-horse said with their mouth full. "Nngglmph." 

There was an air of silence before them, eyes locked together, as the mander pushed his chest upward. "Who are you, why are you in my home, and how did you get in my home?" 

The Scolipede walked over to the Charmander and poked his noggin with his right foreleg. "Well, I'm Claude Evertree. I'm here because I wanted to talk to you about that time we had together. To be honest, I kinda just squeezed through the door, and my body is very compressable....sometimes." All three questions asked.

"Time...we had together...." It hit the fire-type like a slippery fish. He let out a gasp and rolled onto his rear-end. He sat, legs crossed, on the ground and nodded. "...I remember that time. How are you and the Gengar doing?" 

"...we broke up" 

Anton blinked and frowned. "Oh Arceus...Don't tell me you regulated me to being your back-up. I couldn't handle that kind of stress." 

"Huh? No, I just...well...I wanted to know if you wouldn't mind it if...Well...if I stayed here for the winter? It's nice and warm, perfect for a bug like me to keep alive through the season." Claude said, his cheeks blushing quite a little. "Plus you and I like to play card games together, thought it could help pass the time?" 

The charmander, confused and too exhausted to refuse, nodded and let down his guard. "Alright, you can stay here for the winter weather. Wanna watch a movie or...?" 

The scolipede raised his right brow and tilted his head in curiosity. "A movie? Got any video games?" 

Anton tapped his foot on the floor, nodded, and pointed directly towards his old CRT T.V. "I've got a few classic systems we can play, so long as you don't question how power works." 

"Deal!" 

As an agreement was made, the two got the television set up in the middle of the cottage. Anton plugged in all the necessary cables to get the goods going. Claude, after organizing the game system controls, elected to lay at the front of the first player controller. Anton, who did most of the work, finally got a cartridge into the system and turned on the power. 

"Do you want to play first?" The charmander asked, looking over at his guest. 

Claude shook his head and nudged the controller. "You can go first, I haven't been real good at video games in a long time." 

Anton shrugged and laid down on his belly. He brought the controller up and started a new game. 

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN" The T.V. Boomed "HERE ARE THE COMBATANTS PRESENTATION! ICKYBOD CLAY, VERSUS, HELGA!" 

The charmander licked his lips and furrowed his brow. "Game Time!" He readied himself and began to slip and slide all over the arena, making a spectacle out of the combat zone. "Zip, Zippie!" He said, smashing lights into heavy attacks. Anton waited till his opponent was in a dizzied state before unleashing a special attack. 

BOOM 

The computer controlled character lost nearly all it's HP from the devastating attack! Anton smirked and ended the match with the most diabolical low light kick anyone had ever seen. If anyone were playing against him, it would surely illicit emotions of anger from the opposition. "Gottem" 

"ICKYBOD CLAY WINS THE BOUT!" 

"Round Two!"

As Anton played, Claude lowered his eyes to the small mander. He tried not to think of that night quite some time ago. The Scolipede adjusted himself to lay on their side, and watched his friend fight through an entire roster of clay-based characters. 

"So, um, who is your favorite character?" 

"I'm playing him. Love this ghost pumpkin head guy. He has a winning smile!" Anton said, as he made it to the second layer of battles. "I don't like taffy all that much. Just kinda annoying." 

As the two talked, and played games, the sun had gone down and night was upon them. The temperature descended into the low single digits and made the Scolipede very uncomfortable. "Hey, do you have anyway to centralize the heat in this place? The winter cold is kinda setting in." 

Anton paused his game and looked around. "Well we can move the stuff over towards the lava pit. It's pretty toasty there." 

Claude nods and helps the mander push and pull the T.V. set up towards the pit. He felt the heat pulse from the pit and let out a shivering shudder. "That...feels so nice and warm~" The horse-bug said. He lowered himself onto his belly and then onto his side. The warmth of the pit filled him with comfort, his muscles relaxing. 

Anton, who was moving back to pick up his controller, jumped onto his belly and scooped up his SNES controller. "Getting closer to the end of this game, just gotta beat N Boss." He unpaused his game and moved to finish what he had started. 

The Scolipede looked down to the Charmander and licked his lips. He couldn't get what happened to him out of his head. Claude moved closer, and closer, wrapping his forelegs around the waist of his mander friend. 

Anton gasped, looked back, and found his lower body being moved under the squishy under belly of the bug-horse. He gulped and tried not to notice being grabbed. 

"I could just..." 

The mander closed his eyes, hoping he wasn't about to be...

"...fall asleep with you in my arms." 

...He let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah? I don't mind if you hold me like that, just don't rail me like before~" The mander let out a small giggle and pat the underside of the bug-horse. "Lets finish this game and get some rest. Sound good?" 

Claude nodded and adjusted himself to allow the charmander to get the controller. "Thank you for being who you are, Anton." 

Anton smiled warmly, fighting the N Boss with vigor in his heart. "The best I can be." He hardened his grip on the controller and ducked most projectiles from the strange endgame boss. From pies, to musical notes, splatters of strange goo, fireballs, he calming navigated the field of damage. Eventually he'd arise as a winner, gaining the golden crown of the silly clay game. 

"Hey Claude, if it's okay to ask, why did you and Gengar break up?" 

The Scolipede's smile turned into a frown and looked down at the head of his friend, which was sticking out from under his underside, and lowered his gaze. "Well..." 

Claude went on to describe how the Gengar wanted more people to engage in sexual congress with them. The Scolipede wasn't interested in any of them, other than his ghostly friend. Yet it was the Gengar who described their intimate moments as "Mundane" and that broke the bug-horse's powerful heart. The Scolipede then explained why he chose Anton's place, rather than the two objectively stronger friends of his. 

"...It's because you feel more like a living creature, rather than a collection of warm holes or a dick to pleasure. Anton...I don't know why but...You feel so much more real than the others, you have goals and a reputation for wanting to help. Your heart is pure, despite everything, and you often understand more than just what is on the surface of things..." 

Anton looked up and saw the Scolipede blush. 

"...and you are fun to have sex with. It's just, well, there is more important things that make you great." 

The charmander felt his heart drop through his body, bouncing through his insides, and pulsing with a single beat, before getting back to it's normal rhythm.  He set the controller down and felt his blood pool into his cheeks. "Wow...I...I'm at a loss for words." 

"I'm not...I'm not trying to ask you out or anything...but can we be friends?" The Scolipede asked, his voice sounded like a shuddering sob. The bug-horse was clearly on the brink of collapsing. 

"...Yeah, Claude, we can be friends. Friends give each other big hugs and are there for each other. Could you lift yourself up a bit, so I can wrap my arms around you?" 

Claude's expression turned from fear to joy, as he lifted himself up and let the mander roll onto his back. Then he laid back down and felt the small arms of the charmander wrap around his underbelly. It had been a while since either of them had a simple hug, nothing extreme, just caring for each other's need for company.

"It's a Kodac moment~" 

A familiar voice broke them out of their trance, as both Pokemon turned to the door. In it's frame was Kura and Amare. 

The ghostly Pikachu, Amare, floated inward and looked over the state before him. "Hmm....Mmm...I'm shocked Anton, I can't believe you so willingly accepted getting dicked down by such a large partner." The rodent smirked and looked up at Claude. "Long-time no see, big guy, hows Gengar?" 

Anton cleared his throat and answered for the bug-horse. "They are no longer together." 

Amare gasped. "NO....DON'T TELL ME...YOU TWO ARE NOW A THING." 

The Scolipede shook his head and managed to retain patience with the Pikachu's light teasing. "I came here to hang out with Anton. I knew he would listen, and be a warm friend to keep me happy. I have no sexual intentions or needs, just hugs and happy thoughts." 

Kura, standing in the door frame, nodded in approval. "It's good to just relax. Especially here where it's warm and lively." The Hysiuan Typhlosion walked into the home and took a seat on one of the stone chairs. "Cool to see you playing video games again, Anton, you seemed out of it for the longest time." 

The ghost pikachu crossed his arms and closed his eyes, adamant, nodding to his partner's words. "Uh huh! I jest, but seeing you happy is as delightful as a BJ. Without the need for towels." Amare let his arms go to his sides as he looked away, worried. "But...There is another reason for us being here.A big blizzard is going to roll through here, and we were afraid you'd be snowed in. So we wanted to hang out here till it dies down...just making sure you're okay Anton." 

Claude looked over to the pair and gave them a powerful stare, implicating himself as a guardian. "I won't let anything happen to my new friend!" 

The Typhlosion put his hands together in a single clap. "Very well done! It pleases me that you are willing to help our friend as well!" His expression became more concerned. "However it's much bigger than we could have imagined. Some theorized that the coming storm is the wrath of an Articuno...but we could be wrong. Regardless of the whys, we should all stick together to ensure the safety of our Charmander buddy's tail-flame." 

Claude's eyes widened as he looked downward, he completely forgot about his new friend's critical weakness. "Where...Ah!" He saw it was to the side, away from being smothered by the Scolipede's belly. "I'm so sorry Anton!" 

The charmander laughed and rubbed his hands up the bug-horse's body. "It's okay big guy, I'm just honored to have friends who are looking out for me." 

Amare nodded "Anyway, the cold doesn't bother us ghosties, so we'll be back and forth from here and our home." 

Kura made his way to the door frame, then looked back towards the Scolipede. He was quite curious as to how the big bug type managed to get into the cottage, without breaking the entrance. "Scoli, are you part ditto?" 

Silence enveloped everyone. 

Claude gulped and looked nervously over to the Typhlosion. "........maybe?" He said weakly. 

Anton's eyes widened, to the sound of shattering glass. "You're what?" 

The Typhlosion smiled and waved off any negative feelings. "It's how I would expect you to be able to fit through this door. You can change your size, can't you?" 

The bug-horse lowered his head and nodded. "...cool trick right?" 

The charmander, swallowing his hurt pride for being deceived, hugged his friend tighter. "Doesn't matter what size you are, you're still my friend." 

Amare's heart nearly melted at the sight of such cute confirmation of friendship. He wanted to dog-pile onto them both, but restrained himself from intruding. "Arceus, that is just precious." 

Claude gulped and looked down at his new friend. "S...So you wouldn't mind if I was smaller than you? That you could hug and hold me, and keep me safe in your warm embrace?" 

Anton shook his head. "I wouldn't mind at all" 

In a quick flash, the Scolipede began to glow with a bright white light. His form scaled downward, down down down, till he was half the size of the Charmander. Truly an amazing gift. 

"G...Gengar always wanted me to be big, but sometimes I wanna be small and..." Claude stopped as he felt the warmth of the Charmander curling around him. The bug-horse was able to put both his forelegs onto the yellowish underbelly of his new friend. "...t...this is what it's like to be you? I'm...I'm so happy!" 

Anton "accidentally" rolled over the giggling Scolipede and let his belly grind the bug-horse into the ground. 

"Aaack~ Nooo, Don't hurt me big mander!" The scolipede feigned, as they both enjoyed a laughter and playful time together. The two snuggled into each other, holding on to survive the coming of the winter..