Chapter Text
”Phew! Finally…”
The nicely dressed woman enters Frostia’s Place and sighs. It’s been a busy trip to the grocery store in Downtown Springdale, and Ms. Frost wasn’t exactly keen to miss out on the latest deals. Granted, there was a bit of a long line, but she managed to get everything on her list. …At least, she hoped she did. Might as well check the bag.
Usual brand of alcohol? Check.
Blueberries? Check.
A couple bags of chips for the kids? Check.
Black Syrup for sweetness?
…Oh. She forgot the Black Syrup.
It’s fine, at least it wasn’t the-
Oh. She forgot the refreshing herbs.
That’s gonna be a problem. Those herbs were for the special brew she’s been using to soothe her customers, an alcoholic smoothie called the Soothing Smoothie. It’s an aptly named drink that makes up most of the profits she gains in her bar due to its special calming properties. Unfortunately, Ms. Frost was so worried about grabbing those deals that she forgot to do her morning routine of grabbing the herbs as a Frostina and setting up the drinks. She could go and try to get them right now, but it’s the middle of the day, and making the special brews would take until nighttime.
" *sigh* What to do now…"She contemplates, putting her hand on her face.
While she ponders what to do about the refreshing herbs, outside the back entrance to Frostia’s Place lies the duo of Nathan Adams and his Yo-Kai Butler, Whisper. So far in their journey, they had just recently upgraded their watch rank to B, which meant they could bypass that B watch gate and go to Eddie’s House. Nate thought it was weird that a gate would be there, considering it’s literally his friend’s house. How did he get in the first couple of times before he had the Yo-Kai Watch? That question would have to wait however, for they have more important matters at hand.
”Alright, this is the only area we haven’t checked in Downtown Springdale, Whisper.” Nate says as he begins to look around the alleyway while shining his Yo-Kai Watch light on everything.
”I‘m telling you Nate, the only Yo-Kai we’re ever going to find in these alleyways are those two little onis, Signibble, and Mynimo. Nothing new is ever going to show up!” Whisper groans, crossing his arms.
”Didn’t we encounter a Cynake here?” Nate points out.
”We did, but that’s in the bushes. This is an ALLEYWAY Nate.” Whisper raises his hands as he says this. “I think you’ll have better luck in Breezy Hills instead, where your friend Eddie is waiting.”
”Well I’m not giving up! There’s gotta be something here, I just know it!”
After shining his light a couple more times (and subsequently revealing the same Yo-Kai Whisper mentioned), he realizes that there wasn’t anything new to find, and he sighs.
”Well, I guess you’re right, Whisper. Time to go to Breezy Hills then- huh?” Just as Nate was about to leave, he noticed a door on the right side of the hallway.
”Was that door always there, Whisper?” he asks.
”Of course it was. You were too busy looking for B-rank Yo-Kai to notice.” Whisper dryly retorts.
”Right… Do you know where it leads?”
”If I remember correctly, this should be the back entrance of Frostia’s Place.”
”Frostia’s Place? Oh, you mean that karaoke place we visited at night!”
”It’s called a snack bar, Nate. Plus, you’re not old enough to drink.”
”I wasn’t thinking about that! Anyways, you think the owner’s still here?”
”Well, um… it’s certainly possible. Why don’t you find out for yourself?”
Accepting Whisper’s proposition, Nate walks closer to the door and puts his ear on it. On the other side, he hears a muffled, but familiar voice coming from the building.
”Whisper, I think she’s actually here.” He says, continuing to listen.
”Really?!” Whisper exclaims, going over to Nate and hearing the owner’s voice.
”Well I’ll be! What is she doing here?”
”You think we can find out?”
”Not right now, Nate. Give it a decade or so, and you’ll legally be allowed in.”
”Eh, a decade’s too long for me. I’m just gonna knock.”
Nate knocks on the door. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
From inside the bar, Ms. Frost stops thinking upon hearing a familiar boy’s voice.
”(Wait, is that the Yo-Kai Watch user I’m hearing?)” She thought to herself, getting up and approaching the door. “(What could he be doing in the back alley? Hopefully nothing dangerous…)”
The door knob turns, and Nate steps back to wait. When the door opens, a brown-haired woman wearing a sky-blue kimono emerges. The very same person that Nate and Whisper saw back when they first visited the snack bar.
“Hey… are you that kid I saw a few nights ago?” She asks, tilting her head to her left.
“Oh, you mean with that guy who was singing a lot? Yeah, I was there to help.” Nate said nonchalantly.
The woman claps her hands together. “You are! I never got a chance to thank you properly. He was messing up the customers’ vibes.”
“No problem! Just happened to be there when it happened. Oh right, my name is Nathan Adams, but I go by Nate.”
”All my customers call me Ms. Frost. Nice to meet you again, Nate!”
“Same to you, Ms. Frost!”
“You know, it’s a good thing you’re here. I’d like your help with something, so please, come inside.”
“Um… okay!”
Ms. Frost lets Nate and Whisper enter the back entrance of Frostia’s Place. Behind the counter, Nate notices some boxes of chips underneath, and on top are a couple of groceries still lying in their bags.
“You finished a shopping trip?” Nate asks as he closes the door behind him.
“Well I thought I did, but as it turns out, I forgot to grab something. Can you be a dear and grab some black syrup for me at the supermarket?” Ms. Frost requests. “I’ll write down directions on where to go from here-“
“There’s no need for that, Ms. Frost! I got plenty of them stashed in my bag!” Nate drops his backpack on the counter and searches for some packets of black syrup. He pulls out a handful and dumps it near the other groceries.
“There we go! A bunch of black syrup!” Nate announces proudly.
Ms. Frost’s eyes widened a bit upon seeing these familiar black syrups in small packets, as she was used to using the jar versions. “Oh my! Are those black syrup packets from Jungle Hunter?” she asks.
“Well, most of them are! Some of them were found on the floor!” Nate answers.
Ms. Frost’s eyelids squint a bit. “T-The floor?” she stammers.
“Oh… do you not like it?”
“I do like it Nate! I just… didn’t think they would be found there. I’ll make do with these.”
“Sweet! Is that all, Ms. Frost?”
“Actually, there’s one more thing I’d like for you to get.”
“I think I would have it in my bag somewhere-“
“It’s not available in stores.”
“Oh, nevermind.”
“Have you ever heard of Refreshing Herbs?”
“Not really. What are they?”
“They’re a secret ingredient for the special drink I give to my customers… to help them “chill out” if they’re ever heated. Huhu!”
”Heh… heh… …Good one.” Nate laughs awkwardly.
“Anyways, they’re located up in Mount Wildwood, near Catfish Pond. Can you grab them for me?”
“Of course! I’ll be back in an hour!” Nate waves goodbye as he and Whisper leave the snack bar, leaving Ms. Frost to wait patiently for her order.
“…An hour, huh? …I wonder what they’re doing in that hour…” She says to herself.
Out of curiosity, Ms. Frost dropped her human form and assumed her Frostina form, a short blue-haired girl wearing a snow-colored cape outside a blue kimono.
“Well, I might as well see for myself!” She says excitedly, exiting the bar and floating in the air.
Following Nate and Whisper around proved to be a bit interesting. On the way to Mount Wildwood, they moved around the entire area of Springdale on bike looking for B-Rank Yo-Kai to fight and befriend. Nate would always groan whenever he couldn’t get a Yo-Kai he wanted to befriend, which while humorous to Ms. Frost, also made her question if he would like to be her friend. This routine of finding Yo-Kai took around half an hour until they finally arrived at Mount Wildwood… to which they made a right and went for the Crank-a-kai.
“How long is this going to take?” Ms. Frost sighs, hiding behind a tree. “It’s almost getting dark… I gotta open soon…”
Thankfully it didn’t take long, and after three cranks with mediocre prizes, Nat and Whisper finally venture to Catfish Pond, where they find their friend Walkappa sitting behind a tree.
“Hey Walkappa! What are you doing here?” Nate asks.
“What up Nate! I’m just sitting here, watching the fish swim as usual.” said Walkappa, gazing in the pond.
“Are you not aware of the dangerous SV Snaggerjag from last time?” Whisper asked, recalling their previous encounter with SV Snaggerjag.
“Nah, he’s cool now. Currently napping at the bottom of the lake and all that. What brings you here?”
“Do you know where we can find something called Refreshing Herbs?” Nate asks.
“Refreshing Herbs? Do you mean those plants that the little girl wearing a blue cloak harvests every now and then?”
“A girl wearing a blue cloak? …Maybe? You know where it is?”
“Uh… I think it’s up the stream on the left side. But uh, there’s a trio of Mad Mountains guarding the area, so you might have to deal with them.”
“Mad Mountains, huh? I’m fairly certain you can take them on, Nate!”
“You betcha! Let’s see what they’re up to!”
Nate and Whisper go around the pond and follow the stream, where they are currently witnessing what appears to be a sumo training session between two Mad Mountains, with the third watching over them as a referee.
So far, it seemed to be an even stand still. However, the left MM decides to break the stalemate by launching a barrage of palm strikes, but the right MM counteracts with a sidestep and his own flurry of strikes, pushing him slightly out of the center.
“Woah, those guys are strong!” Nate admires them as they arrive at the stream.
“It seems they’re likely practicing for a match. And look! Those must be the Refreshing Herbs!”
Whisper points to the patch of grass behind the observing Mad Mountain. However, his astonishment attracts the attention of the brawling Mad Mountains, and the observer walks to the human and ghost butler.
“Who dares trespass in our private training session?!” The Mad Mountain shouts directly in Nate and Whisper’s face.
“We didn’t mean to trespass, Mr. Mad Mountain sir! We just want to harvest those herbs you have behind you!”
“Our most sincere apologies, good sirs.”
“Hrn…” the main Mad Mountain stares down the duo.
”We don’t believe you! C’mon boys, we got some ‘training’ to work on against these fools!”
“Oh crud!”
“Looks like we have no choice but to fight!”
“Alright then, time to call on my friends!”
Nate shines his Yo-Kai Watch and opens the lid, then pulls out three medals.
“Come on out, team! Calling Thornyan, Walkappa and Betterfly!”
One by one, Nate inserts the Yo-Kai Medals and summons the aforementioned Yo-Kai, who looked prepared to fight.
“ *Achoo!* Did you have to summon me like this, nyan?!” said Thornyan, holding back his thorns from erupting.
“Not to worry! With me around, it’ll be all BETTER!” screamed Betterfly, flying around Thornyan to try and heal his cold.
“Dude, you could’ve just asked me to come with you, y’know? I was right there, man…” complained Walkappa, pointing to the spot he was back at Catfish Pond.
“Whoops! Uh, my bad, Walkappa!” Nate apologizes, rubbing the back of his head. “Anyways, go and stop those Mad Mountains!”
“Sure thing, dude!”
“I got your back *sniff* nyan!”
”LET’S DO THIS THING!”
The three summoned Yo-Kai brace themselves for a fight.
“A kappa, a butterfly, and a sick cat… Ha! As if they could stand up to us!” The leading Mad Mountain said, getting into a battle stance.
“We’ll teach you to not mess with our training!”
“Come on!”
- - - - -
“ Thorny Thwacks, Nyan!”
Despite their best defenses, the Mad Mountains all went down thanks to Walkappa’s rapids piercing their defenses and a well-timed Soultimate from Thornyan inspirited by Betterfly.
“WOO! WE DID IT!” Betterfly celebrates.
“Thornyan, my man! Good stuff, dude!” Walkappa dabs up Thornyan firmly.
“Thanks, ny- *Achoo!* Uwah… I’m gonna need to fix this cold again, nyan… Later Nyate…”
“See ya later!”
“BYEEEEE!”
The three Yo-Kai go their separate ways: Thornyan decided to go back to Nate’s house to find some medicine, Walkappa walked back to his spot at Catfish Pond to nap, and Betterfly enthusiastically flew to the deep forest of Mount Wildwood.
“Well, that takes care of that-“
“Hold it!”
The leading Mad Mountain gets up, albeit still covered in spiked bruises, and puts up a fighting stance once more.
“You may have bested my comrades, but I’m not going down so easily!” the Mad Mountain exclaims, stomping his right foot in fury.
“Take thi-Gwah!”
From seemingly out of nowhere, a giant ice ball appears and hits the Mad Mountain leader on the head, knocking him out for good.
“W-what was that?!” Exclaimed Nate, trying to look around for whoever made that ice ball.
“I don’t think we have time to worry right now! Get the herbs quickly before those Mad Mountains wake up and make things worse!” commanded Whisper, looking at the unconscious Mad Mountains.
Going to the spot the Mad Mountains were training in earlier, Nate rummages through the grasses and pulls out the growing herbs.
“Got it!”
“Great, now let’s take it back to Ms. Frost!”
Nate and Whisper leave the Mad Mountains and make their way back to Downtown Springdale. In the distance, standing in the middle of the wooden bridge is Ms. Frost, who launched that giant ice ball to stop the Mad Mountain’s attack.
“Phew! That was close…” she says to herself, panting. “I haven't used my powers for a long time... but I’m really glad I can still pull it off…” She smiles to herself, walking back to the left side of the bridge. …Until she realizes something crucial.
“Oh no, I gotta get back to the bar! Nate’s going to be there any minute now!”
Ms. Frost jumps and flies off immediately to the direction Nate and Whisper are heading. She sees them in the distance, just entering Downtown Springdale via crosswalk.
“Darn it, I’m not gonna make it in time! I gotta speed myself up, fast!”
Ms. Frost turns her body around and uses her ice powers to blow a gust of chilly wind, propelling herself ahead of Nate and Whisper. She stops the wind and dives headfirst into the back of Frostia’s Place, creating another gust of wind to cushion her fall. Finally, she opens the door, assumes her human disguise, and catches her breath after running and flying so hard.
“ *huff* *huff* Made it… Now… *huff* Just act normal…”
After a few seconds, Ms. Frost regains her composure and sits on her stool as if nothing happened. Suddenly, the door opens, and in comes Nate and Whisper.
“We’re back with the herbs!” Exclaimed Nate, holding them in his left hand.
“Oh, you are?” Ms. Frost asks, pretending to be surprised. “Let me see…”
Nate hands over the Refreshing Herbs and Ms. Frost inspects them carefully. After a few seconds, she puts it down on the counter.
“Just as I ordered! Thank you so much!”
“Happy to help, Ms. Frost!”
“I know you traveled a long way for me, so let me give you something in return!”
Ms. Frost puts her right hand into her sleeve and grabs what looks like a silver coin.
“It’s something pretty special to me, and I want you to have it!” she says, offering it to Nate.
“Wow, thank you Ms. Frost!” said Nate, taking the coin. However, the moment he touched it, the coin seemed familiar somehow… Upon looking at it closer, Nate and Whisper gasp in shock.
“Nate! That’s a Yo-Kai Medal!”
“Wait, does that mean…”
“Huhu… Yep! I’m a Yo-Kai known as a Yuki-onna, also known as a Frostina!”
With a puff of smoke, Ms. Frost reveals her Frostina form, which is half the height of her human form.
“I’m a lot cuter like this, right?” she asks, winking and smiling.
”N-no kidding…” Nate replies, still in a state of shock.
“I knew I sensed some kind of aura on you Ms. Frost, but to think you were actually an adorable Yo-Kai in disguise! Your disposition is dramatically different!” Whisper exclaims.
“I’m not sure what you just said Whisper, but I agree! Were you always like this before?”
“Well… only when I’m alone. And talking to other Yo-Kai. Otherwise, I‘m a lot more serious in my human form. Honestly, I’m really glad we’re friends now, Nate, because… I’ve always wondered what the life of a Yo-Kai is like ever since you came here. For the most part, I've always just ignored the Yo-Kai side within me and only made human friends as a human.” she answers, tilting her head to the floor.
"Do you not like being a Yo-Kai, Ms. Frost?" Whisper asks.
"It... has its benefits... but being exposed to a world where some of the actions humans take are not their own is... a bit scary. This is why I opened up this bar, serving Soothing Smoothies. The drinks help purify anyone inspirited by any Yo-Kai ruining their day." She says, pointing to her ingredients.
“I can understand your perspective, Ms. Frost. But I must ask, what happens to the Yo-Kai who were inspiriting the person?” Whisper wonders.
"They get extracted from the person. ...Most of them just leave the store without a care, but some of them go up to me and complain about "ruining their fun" when they were ruining that guy's life! ...I'm sorry, this happened a week ago, so I'm still aggravated from hearing them.”
"Those guys are just jerks, Ms. Frost! You don't have to put up with them!" said Nate.
"But the thing is, I'm in my human form, so they think it's fine to say whatever they want because I can't hear them. Plus, I can't exactly fight back when I'm running a bar, I'd cause a scene and everyone would freak out! ...So I'd like for you to call on me every now and then, so I can learn more about myself and how Yo-Kai live their lives. It'll help managing Frostia's Place a lot easier if you do."
“That’s a very noble goal, Ms. Frost! It’s just like Master Nate‘s own goal of bridging the relationship between humans and Yo-Kai!” Whisper proclaims, gesturing to Nate.
Nate stares at Whisper. “That’s something you wanted me to do ever since we met… still, if it’s help you want, I’d be glad to have you as a part of my fighting team!”
“You mean those three Yo-Kai you summoned to deal with the Mad Mountains?” Ms. Frost asks, tilting her head.
”Well, there's three other members of the team, but I think you'll get along with the others!” Nate encourages.
Ms. Frost's eyebrows frown. ”But... I'm not sure if I can fight like them..."
“That’s just quitter talk, Ms. Frost! After all, you sent that Mad Mountain packing with that ice ball! What you need to do is believe in yourself, and you’ll be a powerhouse just like the rest of Nate’s crew!” Whisper encourages, flexing his arms to make fake muscles.
”Right! And if you ever need any help, we’ll be there to help you train!” Nate adds.
”That’s… really nice of you. Thank you so much!” Ms. Frost beams happily.
”…Oh! But I can’t introduce you to them until later. I gotta meet up with Eddie at his house, and you got that brew to make, right?”
”You’re right! I almost forgot about that again!” exclaimed Ms. Frostina as she assumes her human form again. “I’ll get started right away! Have fun with your friend!”
”Bye Ms. Frost!”
”We bid you adieu!”
Nate and Whisper wave goodbye to their new friend, Ms. Frost, as they close the door to the back entrance. Finally, with all the ingredients at hand, she got to work on the special Soothing Smoothie. As she chopped the blueberries, she wondered if she could ever harness her powers properly with Nate and his friends’ help… Not only that, but what will the Yo-Kai world have to offer that can help her out? All these questions would have to wait for later. For now, it looks like it’s time to open up shop.