Wollminster's Winter Market: Christmas 2017

Wollminster’s Winter Market

Far deep in the corner, in the land of FB, lay a small and quaint town, with one enormous pine tree.
The land was plain grim, stuck in perpetual snow, where the clouds were oft grey, and the cold wind did blow.
The villagers worked hard, as they toiled through their day, though they never complained, not once, no way.
The people were merry, I know it’s hard to believe, all for that one week, leading up to Christmas eve.

It is in this period, during these fine celebrations that they open up stalls, markets and other workstations.
The vacant town square, a centre in mute snore, comes alive with energy, with the civilian uproar.
Wax candles are lit and choir music is played, as the villagers gather to gossip and trade.
They rejoice in their company with a warm cup of tea, and some other hot drinks, that might make one feel tipsy.
Statues and theatres, both quiet and loud, for you to join in and show to the crowd.
Ice skating and snowballs, or, if you want to relax; Tapu Cocoa by fire, surrounded by knick-knacks.
Singing and chanting, if you don’t want to dance. Come and join in while you still have a chance.

But the biggest of all, is the large Christmas tree, adorned in its entirety, down to a tee.
Behind that of which lay the small town’s small temple, which was usually dull, but today rather special.
At the holidays climax, when all’s said and done, they hold hands and sing, all man, everyone.

And so we invite you to visit us, sweet dear
To Wollminster's fest, which only comes round once every year.​

Entertainment Exhibitions
An area filled with artisan’s drafts, displaying statues, portraits and other fine crafts.
The most visited place here is the annual scene, a show of sorts, though nothing too obscene.
Costumes aplenty donated by realtors, for you to try on and join in the theatres.
It is here you will find much to be held, some which have been said to make Pokémon excel.
Though to try something on, is a pact with a stagehand, to act out on set with your Pokémon in hand.


Merchant’s Market
Along the thin lanes of rustic wood cabins, lie shops full of trinkets produced by men’s talents.
An ocean of scents wafts through the air, as wise men from the east show off their wares.
Amidst all the trifles, the sparklers and doodads, lie mysterious orbs brought by these nomads.
Jewels and gems, strange rocks and glass eyes, all neatly lined up for you to ogle and buy.


Snacky Stalls
The local cuisine is too much to take in, as all the chefs in the area converge and begin.
With grace and dexterity, and a tad bit of rush, the cooks cater snacks after you’ve drudged through the slush.
They cook their speciality, all just for you. So take a sip and a bite as you take in the view.
They each compete, or so their songs do tell, as music is played with high decibels.
Plastic discs, coloured, and neatly lined up, to aid your digestion and accompany your cup.
Their dish is quite hearty, it boosts many strengths, as is your Pokémon’s by the songs’ wavelengths.


Trim-a-Tree
Out by the park, trees have been gathered, all in anticipation for them to be slathered.
Tinfoil and baubles are lying in wait, to be hung from a pine by a trainer and mate.
There is no admission, no fee to pay, simply decorate a tree on this holiest of days.
Ornaments are provided by retailers from near, all free to take, so there’s nothing to fear.
When everyone’s finished and proud of their feat, the judges may pass and provide something neat.
But there’s no need to fret, no reason at all, everyone’ll receive the leftover balls.


Sweet Stockings
If you’ve had enough of the cold, and need a place warm, then come on inside, away from the storm.
Nestle by the fire, all proud a crackling, and enjoy Tapu Cocoa while you hear the crowds laughing.
Children join in as they hang up their stocking, eagerly waiting for the Delibird’s knocking.
Trainers may join, along their Pokémon friend, by the fireplace a sock that they may append.
A bonding experience between buddies of gold, with sweeties delivered to both young and old.
Fruit to the good and candy to the better, all will feel right in spite of the weather.


Christmas Carolling
Off to the side, you hear Christmas cheer, as a choir has gathered, though they need volunteers.
Join the ensemble and go door-to-door, to invite people out and sing carols galore.
Many may thank you for the songs you endow, and reward you in kindness, though who can say how.
Whatever may lie in their pocket lining, is yours to keep, perhaps something shining.
Gold, silver, buttons and trinkets, all may be given, as well as stale biscuits.
​

Rules:
1. Your character may indulge in 2 areas/activities in this event, no more, no less. You cannot visit the same area twice.
2. You may quote and reply to this post with the areas your character will visit and what they will do, up until 24 December, 11:59 PM GMT.
3. An update will be posted after the deadline to which you may respond and/or pick-up rewards.
4. You may claim a $250 reward for either the intro post or the pick-up post.
5. You may NOT claim Bond points for either post.
6. Consider this to be more of an RP prompt than a zone intro. You're allowed to decide yourself (to an extent) what your character sees and does.

 

​

"Hey, you're going to buy me something, right? That's like, the entire reason we came here." Remilia grumbled as she walked from stall to stall, looking for something that would catch her fancy. Lillian moved at a slower pace than her partner, balancing prices and quality in her head. She was overwhelmed with the number of vendors and merchandise in this marker, a bazaar beyond something she would have imagined. The Three Wise Kings, with gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and also literally everything else imaginable under the sun. The merchants and nomads called out to her, offering articles of clothing of a variety of fabrics, colors, textures, designs, fabrication, and prices. Each one was going to match her hair, her eyes, make her more beautiful, make her more irresistible. One particularly bold gentlemen said that it would allow her to charm anyone she wanted into her bedroom. While Remilia loved the attention she gathered, Lillian was nearly driven sick by it and trying not to have Remilia bankrupt her only added to it. Lillian finally caught up to Remilia, who was busy in a makeshift changing room. Lillian watched the shopkeeper, making sure that he wasn't trying to peek or be a creep, but instead the man peddled his speech onto her.

"Hello there young lady, and welcome to my shop. Here I sell only the finest in gowns and dresses, hand-woven by both myself and my wife! Our material is made from organic, free-range Caterpie silk, and its smoother and lighter than anyone else can offer. I'll bet my life on that fact!" Lillian pretended to be interested as she perused the man's wares. She looked at the price of the garments and felt the quality with her hands. Truthfully, she had absolutely no idea how to determine whether silk was of good quality or not, but it did feel really nice in her hands. The price, however, almost made her heart stop. Maybe it was the "organic, free-range Caterpie silk", but this was definitely one of the most expensive stalls Lillian had stopped at. Remilia exited the dressing room wearing an ornate gown, and it made Lillian's heart skip a beat. Even ignoring if it was a little revealing, somehow, the dress seemed to fit onto Remilia's body almost perfectly. It was like the man had somehow learned of her measurements and made the gown for her in the time Lillian had lost her. More likely though was that this merchant had experience in his trade and found something that would best fit her. The wine-red color with golden embroidery seemed like the kind of thing Remilia might wear, and for a moment, Lillian couldn't think of telling her no.

"H-how much does that cost?" Lillian blurted out, trying to regain her sanity. Remilia looked for a bit before finding a price tag on the dress. "Twenty-thousand Pokedollars, why?" Lillian's heart seized again, although for an entirely different reason than just a few seconds ago. However, to her surprise, Remilia fished around in a pouch she was carrying around and pulled out a small jewel, handing it to the man before whispering to him. He smiled at the sight of the gem, before smiling even wider, nodding his head. "Normally I wouldn't do this, but this gem is marvelous and I can use it to make a ring as a Christmas gift for my wife, so I'll consider it a fair trade. Plus, I wouldn't want to rob your girlfriend there a feast for her eyes, would I?" He winked at Lillian who blushed a little bit before Remilia pulled her away. "You don't have to worry about anything today, okay Lillian? I'll cover the cost of anything we buy today, and trust me, I highly doubt I'm going to run out of any money soon." Lillian was surprised at the charity Remilia showed, although this also probably meant for her that she was going to be able to buy a lot more things for herself.

"Why don't we keep a lookout for gifts for each other, okay? Of course, if you see anything else you'd want, in particular, don't be afraid to ask me." Remilia said brightly before walking off to go look at the other stalls. Lillian realized she hadn't taken off the gown, and worried that she was going to have to fight off unwanted suitors. Sticking close by to Remilia, Lillian browsed the stalls and vendors, looking for anything that suited her fancy, and anything that might serve as a nice gift for Remilia..

---

However, at some point, both Remilia and Lillian tired of the cold. You'd think in a silk gown that Remilia would be the first one to want to head inside, and you'd be exactly right. No subversion here. Lillian was appropriately dressed, she didn't get cold. Things only make sense here after all. As both Lillian and Remilia went into the chalet, they were greeted by a sweet blast of warm air, and both instantly relaxed. They sat down on one of the large couches and a cup of Tapu Cocoa was brought to them. They gingerly sipped at the hot drink before putting it down on the table and watching what other people were doing. Children were putting socks on the mantle of the fireplace. Remilia looked around to see where the kids were getting the socks, before seeing a large pile on a table in the back. She quickly got up and was sorting through the socks, before pulling out a couple of socks. One has a light blue and pink striped sock, while the other was a red sock with a silver design on the front. Remilia bounded up towards the mantle, placing the socks on top of each other in a place where she would easily be able to remember where they were, before sitting down right next to Lillian.

Lillian's mind wandered from point to point, and she began to feel foggy. The warm air and warm Tapu Cocoa, combined with the warm body right next to her, was lulling her to sleep. She felt completely safe in this place with Remilia nearby. She leaned over onto her slowly, almost purring with delight as she felt Remilia's warmth and listened to the faint pulse of her heartbeat. She thought that vampires didn't have heartbeats for a minute, before choosing to ignore that. Even if it was only imagined, it was so nice to be able to listen to it. She felt herself slowly fading away as sleep took hold. A dream took hold, with her and Remilia sitting at a fireplace of their own. Maybe it was somewhere in the mansion Remilia had previously lived in, but she felt comfortable and calm here. All of a sudden, however, she felt something tug on her sleeve. Turning over, she saw that there was a young girl of about six looking at her. Immediately Lillian saw that she had her lustrous silver hair, but also Remilia's frame and eyes. "Mommy, I'm cold. Can I sit down you?" Lillian smiled and nodded, and the little girl positioned herself snugly between the arm of the couch and Lillian. Remilia kissed Lillian on the cheek. "She's so adorable, isn't she, our daughter"...

"Hey, Lillian, what do you think? Christmas is really pretty fun, isn't it?" Remilia turned over and saw that Lillian was asleep on her arm. I guess I tired her out a bit with our shopping. Really though... Remilia kissed Lillian on the forehead gently, trying to not wake her up. Where does she get off on being so damn adorable? I swear, its like she's even cuter as a girl then...before. Remilia sipped on her Tapu Cocoa again, hoping that she would be able to get a warm cup for Lillian once she woke up. "I love you, Lillian. So sleep soundly, I'll always be here for you."

 

Professor Rorik, middle-name Pine,
Rejoiced every year on Christmas time.
Tradition not foreign to the Heiml-born,
To remember the date he'd forever sworn.

"Come to think of it, what strange way to talk",
Thought Rorik as he continued to walk.
But there was no denying these streets' decoration
Reminded the Professor of the old celebration...

Christmas in Heiml was sacred and merry,
No season for tears, no time to be wary;
A tribute to gods so old indeed,
Rorik knew none and cared not to read.

To the man of science no deities mattered
He thought men who prayed and adored were fettered.
But on Christmas the Holstadts would always gather
Around the same table, in seats of leather.

Those were times most happy and humble,
Days long gone, before his family crumbled.
Still, he admitted, this season felt warm
Like a blanket, a shield that repelled all harm...

"Go enjoy the festivities", Rorik beckoned,
Though where Guntz would go he already reckoned.
He watched as the Snorlax ran straight for the food,
Followed by Zyll, while the others stood.

With his usual fury, the Snorlax ate
While the Deino watched, to prevent ill fate.
Guntz cared more for the dishes than sound,
But the drake was enamored by songs all around.

One after another Guntz tasted the meals
Sweet, salty, spicy, all manner of deals!
To silent Zyll music was food for the soul,
Songs and tunes were what made him whole.

Meanwhile Rorik was craving some heat,
Enduring this cold was no minor feat!
He turned to Volg, his beast of fire,
Now peaceful but once so consumed by ire.

The dragon agreed, they should look for shelter,
Stay out of the cold and the helter-skelter.
Stahl followed suite, but stopped just then:
Berg had gone missing, but to where and when?

It then dawned on Starmie the cause of this mess,
Berg hated noise, no more and no less.
The Sandshrew, a loner, resented mankind,
And would likely make sure he was hard to find…

Captured by Rorik, pulled from his kin,
Berg rejected the team he was in.
He wanted no more than his own, quiet space,
As far as possible from the human race.

Now lost in a crowd of a million feet,
It all fell on Stahl to locate and meet
The runaway mouse, most likely scared,
To track him down and see how he fared!

“Oh dear! Say Volg, where did Stahl and Berg go?”
Asked Rorik by the fire, little did he know…
The dragon just shrugged and sipped his drink,
There’s nothing they can’t handle, he’d come to think.

Rorik stared at his Cocoa, long lost in thought,
All that they’d been through, all that they’d fought;
This break was earned, this rest was fair,
But he truly wished they were all there…

Not a moment too soon, Stahl returned,
Most of the firewood had already burned.
In its Psychic grip was Berg, unharmed,
Looking all around, still quite alarmed!

As it turned out, he had lost his way,
Having panicked, cried and ran away.
Through a swirl of cheers and applause,
He’d wound up next to Santa Claus!

Stahl had found Berg frozen in fear,
Staring at the old man and his white beard.
Was that the one who passed judgement?
The god who came to reward atonement?

Once Stahl explained it was just a game,
Berg went back to his old same,
Curled up in a ball and refused to follow,
But against the Starmie, protest was hollow.

Now reunited, against his will,
The Sandshrew did not know how to feel.
He hated Rorik, he meant to shout…
So why had his Pokemon sought him out?

“I’m so glad you’re safe, come join us please,
Enough of this cold and the winter breeze.”
Rorik smiled and held out his hand,
And Berg was conflicted on where to stand…

He wanted to hate him, he knew he should,
So why did it feel like he never could?
The human had trapped him, taken him away!
He had every right not to care or obey!

But the way Rorik smiled, how he looked relieved,
Made Berg question how he had perceived
This human, who after all seemed to care
Whose comfort and love he seemed willing to share…

And so in the end, despite his reserve,
Berg decided to join in and observe,
To sit by the Trainer, to see and hear,
And maybe, just maybe… share the Christmas cheer.

 

There was a smile on Keith's face. There was always a smile on his face around this time of year. And why not? Christmas had that kind of effect on him. A truly festive and enjoyable time of the year, a time of giving, and this year, it seemed, a time for a new tradition. It was the first Christmas since the new Elite Four stepped up and took charge of the region abandoned by its previous leaders, and this year, all the big celebrations were going on where the ghost town known as Grandio City once stood. It was much more bustling this time around, having been rebuilt completely, and also renamed Beeyemgee City.

Keith, however, was not the only one enjoying this festive atmosphere. Running in circles around him was an excitable Shiny Eevee, and an equally excitable Poochyena. Eon and Noxie's tails were wagging faster than the average Yanma's wings beat as they chased each other around. Meowth, of course, was seated on Keith's shoulder as per usual, and a definite newcomer was present as well- floating beside Keith was what appeared to be a sentient snowflake of some sort. And though the Cryogonal wasn't physically capable of smiling, something about Winter's demeanor betrayed his happiness and excitement in any case.

"Here we are," Keith grinned, as a beautiful sight lay before them- Beeyemgee City's town square, where a number of shops and stalls had been set up. And in the very heart of it, a gigantic pine tree, decked out with shiny ornaments, and so beautifully dusted with snow. "This is it- Wollminster's Winter Market!"

"I gotta say, dis looks nice," Meowth purred, eyeing the festive environment.

"Cryo! Gonal!" Winter replied, enthusiasm in his slightly echoing voice.

"I'm guessing Winter's agreeing with you?" grinned Keith.

"If da tone o' voice ain't tipped youse off, yeah," Meowth grinned back.

"Heh, yeah, that was a big clue," Keith acknowledged, grinning at his Cryogonal. "I get the feeling you're gonna love this, Winter." Indeed, since catching the Cryogonal, Keith came to realize that the Ice-type's frigid exterior said absolutely nothing about how he was on the inside. Once one realized that looks said nothing, and that his quietness was more due to shyness than anything else, one would quickly realize that Winter was far warmer than anyone would expect a sentient snowflake to be. Winter, Keith soon learned, also had a fondness for the festive. Not long ago, Keith had started to decorate his Secret Base for Christmas- it'd be his first Christmas at Sludge Wave Coast- when Winter unexpectedly and enthusiastically joined in, up to and including causing a light dusting of snow to fall on the Christmas tree Keith had set up, producing an effect that just about everyone could agree looked amazing.

"So wat are we waitin' fer?" Meowth demanded. "Let's go see wat's goin' on!"

"I'm all for that, Meowth," grinned Keith. "Let's-"

"AAAAABOMAAAASNOOOOOOOWWWW~!"

If Keith thought his spirits were high earlier, that was nothing. Suddenly, he found himself being pulled into a tight hug by a large Abomasnow, much to the great surprise of Eon and Winter. At first, the Shiny Eevee started to growl at the newcomer, until she realized that Keith was laughing and hugging the Abomasnow back. Noxie, on the other hand, greeted the Abomasnow warmly, jumping up and licking the Frost Tree Pokémon.

"Heh," Keith grinned, looking up at the Grass/Ice-type. "Looking good, Jack. It's been a while, huh?"

"Bomasnow!" Jack nodded in agreement.

"Heh... oh, yeah, that's right, you guys never met him," Keith added, hearing the now confused sounds Eon was making. "This is Jack- he's the Snover I used to own. A few years back, I hatched him from an Egg, and welcomed him onto the team, but not long after, he decided he wanted to stay in the old Adoption Center, keep spirits up- it kinda used to be a crappy place, you see." He then gave Noxie a look, for the Poochyena gave an uneasy growl at the mention of the old Adoption Center. "Noxie?" he asked. "You've been there?"

The Poochyena gave a nod, looking down. She'd been there, alright. Unceremoniously dropped off by her original Trainer among a number of other Pokémon she hatched, until the time came that she was adopted by the Trainer who would eventually trade her to Kawaii, who would in turn trade her to Keith. Her time there was short, but she remembered vividly that this Abomasnow was the only glimmer of hope- back in those days, Jack had made himself kind of the unofficial mascot of the Adoption Center. The manager at the time wound up training Jack himself when nobody came to adopt him, and he eventually evolved into Abomasnow. And all the while, Jack never stopped doing his best to cheer up the various Pokémon who called the Adoption Center home.

Keith scooped Noxie into his arms, hugging the small Poochyena. "It's OK, Noxie," he reassured the Dark-type. "I'm betting Jack always told you that someday you'd end up with the right Trainer for you? Well, he was right," he smiled. "You're a part of this family, and that's never gonna change."

"Dat's right," Meowth added, reaching down to scratch behind one of Noxie's ears.

"Oooeevee!" squealed Eon, jumping into Keith's arms and nuzzling the Poochyena she'd come to know as a friend.

"Gonal," added Winter, extending his ice crystal chains to Bind the whole lot of them in a heartfelt hug. Even Myrtle, one of Keith's Banette, emerged from her Luxury Ball and got in on the hug. While normally unusual for Myrtle to do such a thing, Keith wasn't surprised this time- Noxie and Myrtle became practically best friends surprisingly quickly. Indeed, it was the Banette's doing that got Noxie onto the team in the first place.

Tears flowed from Noxie's eyes, tears of joy and happiness. She may have felt like an outcast previously, but Keith and his Pokémon made it clear to her in no uncertain terms, time and time again, that she was no outcast, not with them. The Poochyena did not wish for this heartfelt embrace to end, not even Winter's contribution to the hug, considering he could only hug with chains of ice. Keith even wordlessly motioned for the Abomasnow to get in on the hug as well, which Jack was only too glad to do. Between the frigid weather, and the multiple Ice-types getting in on the hug, Noxie shivered with cold just a little, but was ultimately not bothered at all- the external cold was doing nothing to dampen the warmth she felt in her heart, even as the falling snow started gathering on her black and grey fur.

And then, quite suddenly, the group found themselves hugging a glowing mass that was getting steadily larger. Noxie, almost seeming to absorb the snow that was falling onto her, was now changing shape. Her body grew larger, her fur fluffier, and soon, to Keith's astonishment, there now sat on the ground a truly remarkable , howling triumphantly.

"...Noxie?" Keith murmured, taking in the newly-evolved Mightyena's appearance. Having trained Sirius, he knew pretty well what Mightyena generally looked like. Two fur colors- light grey and pitch-black. Instead, Noxie had fur as white as the snow that fell all around them, and instead of the pitch-black fur, hers was a very cool shade of icy blue.

"Now dat's cool," grinned Meowth. Keith grinned back, exchanging a fistbump with Meowth in response to the pun (while Myrtle and Noxie both rolled their eyes- one thing they both had in common was a distaste for puns).

Myrtle floated beside her friend's head. "Ve-ry un-u-su-al," she stated, though her zipper mouth sported a small yet genuine smile. "I like it."

The other Pokémon voiced their agreement with these sentiments, and all the while, Noxie's tail was wagging a mile a minute.

After a little while, however, Jack piped up. "Boma! Abomasnow!" he said eagerly, gesturing to Beeyemgee City Town Square.

"Ah! Right!" Keith smiled. "The Winter Market! C'mon, everyone, let's check it out!"

And so that's just what they did. First, Jack led them over to the Entertainment Exhibitions, a haven for arts and crafts. Keith briefly considered accessing a PC and bringing out his Smeargle, but decided against it- Chromium would likely clash with the other artists, deeming her own works to be far better. Or something. But besides all the portraits, the statues, the various crafts, there was also a show going on, with costumes aplenty for people and Pokémon to borrow- performances from the visitors were highly encouraged. Myrtle did not initially want to join in on such festivities, but Noxie's enthusiasm proved contagious, and the snowy Mightyena convinced her friend to get in on the action. Myrtle relented and started going through the various costumes, and to her utter astonishment, found that someone had actually donated a Missingno. costume. Though it was clearly made to be worn by humans, Myrtle donned it herself, using Psychic to fill it out and prevent it from collapsing in on her, and floated around in it, even demonstrating her Sky Attack. She would vehemently deny it whenever asked, but she smiled and shed a few happy tears upon hearing the tumultuous applause her performance got her.

Myrtle was not the only one to get in on the action, either. Eon practically dove into all the boxes, looking for cool stuff to wear- not even going for a theme, just looking for anything that caught her eye. The end result got a lot of good-natured laughs, and more than a few "awwww"s from those who found the Shiny Eevee's antics adorable. Which was nearly everybody present. And Jack was treated to a look at just how much his former Trainer had improved when Keith decided to put on a perfomance in the form of a Pokémon battle against the Abomasnow.

"Boma! Snooooow!" Jack bellowed, his Snow Warning whipping up a hailstorm on the stage.

On the opposite side, Keith grinned. "We can handle this!" he declared. "Noxie, you ready?" The Mightyena barked eagerly in response, tail still wagging. "Then let's go!" Keith stated. "Noxie, use Incinerate!"

And Noxie opened her snowy maw, firing a great fireball from within. The Abomasnow tried to dodge, but was hit by the super effective move. This, however, did not deter him, and Jack responded with a powerful blast of Blizzard! Noxie was unable to dodge the Blizzard, not within a hailstorm, but was not defeated by any stretch of the imagination. As the attack subsided, Noxie still stood strong, barking defiantly.

"Way to go, Noxie!" cheered Keith. "All right! Now use your Poison Fang attack!"

Noxie growled, charging at Jack, potent venom dripping from her teeth as she jumped up. Jack tried to deter her with a sharp Leer, but the Mightyena kept going, and sank her teeth in, landing a picture-perfect Poison Fang, even badly poisoning the Grass/Ice-type.

"Snoooow... ABOMA!" Jack exclaimed suddenly- despite the crippling poison, he was able to lash out with a powerful Brick Break, flinging Noxie off of him. Keith raced backwards and caught Noxie as she fell, even though this sent him falling to the ground as well.

"Ooof," Keith grunted. "You OK, Noxie- gah- ackpth- I take that as a yes," he chuckled, for Noxie had interrupted the question by eagerly and gratefully licking his face. "Alright, OK, good girl- let's keep this going, huh? Let's show Jack one of your new moves! Fire Fang attack!"

Noxie gave a single affirmative bark before her mouth ignited. She lunged at Jack again, and chomped down once more. By now the Abomasnow was weakening, and Keith knew it. Knew it was time to not only finish the battle and show Jack just what he was capable of now, but also give this performance a spectacular finish.

"Now, Noxie!" Keith declared, moving his arms, activating the Poisonium Z set into his Z-Ring.

"Gonal?" Winter murmured curiously- he'd never seen Keith go for a Z-Move before.

"Our hearts, our minds, linked as one!" Keith was saying as he moved. "A power as intense as the Plague Swamp of Cascadia! Feel the poison- BE the poison!"

"Here it comes," grinned Meowth- he was sitting in the audience, watching the battle. His words came as great surprise to those seated beside him, but they kept their attention on the great quantities of Z-Power flowing into Noxie, powering up her Poison Fang greatly.

"Let's do it! Use Acid Downpour!!!" Keith bellowed.

Swirls of poisonous energy spiraled out from Noxie, and the stage beneath Jack turned to a smelly, horribly poisonous swamp. At the same time, vicious purple clouds formed above the Grass/Ice-type, and once the Mightyena let loose the energy, the clouds opened up and rained a horribly poisonous substance down onto Jack, reacting with the swamp below to deal even more damage. And then, it was all gone, nothing left but one completely knocked-out Abomasnow.

Following this, once Jack had regained consciousness and had recovered enough to continue showing them around, he next led them to the Merchant's Market. This was a bustling marketplace, full of all sorts of objects and trinkets for sale. A great opportunity for some last-minute Christmas shopping, Keith realized. He was able to find a cool-looking decorative firefighter's helmet- a perfect gift for his dad, he knew, who worked for the Lavaridge Fire Department. And the exquisitely crafted crystal Wobbuffet figurine, he paid a sizable sum for that- that, Keith knew, would be ideal to give to Grandma Masters, who was better known around Lavaridge as the crazy Wobbuffet lady. He also bought a container of Odd Incense to be sent to his great-aunt Fateen, a notable fortune teller from Pyrite Town, chuckling as he realized she very likely already knew what he was getting her. She was that good at what she did.

And as for his mother? Keith knew exactly what to get her, but it wasn't something he could buy at the marketplace. He knew a few key things- that his mother missed him, and that she loved beautiful pictures of cozy-looking snowy landscapes. Also, both his parents had longed to see what snow really looked like. And Keith had a feeling he knew how he could bring all of this together into one perfect gift.

~~~

"Alright, right here should do it," Keith stated, once he'd reached the outskirts of town. They were on a slight hill, offering a beautiful, beautiful view of the snowy town they'd just left. "Myrtle, are they on their way?"

"They are, Meat Sack," confirmed the Banette. "He-le-na is bring-ing them now."

"Excellent," nodded Keith. "Now we just wait for- ahhh," he grinned, seeing something in the distance. "Here they come now."

And sure enough, a large crowd was approaching from the distance. A lone woman was leading the way- this, Keith knew, was in fact his other Banette and older sister Helena, using her illusory capabilities to make herself look the way she looked when she was alive. And behind her? Every last one of Keith's Pokémon that he was unable to bring along with him.

Soon, it was all set up. The biggest ones were in the back. Salazar, for one, of course- Scolipede was, after all, the largest known Bug-type in the world. He was in good company, however, along with Keith's Blastoise, Hariyama, Haxorus, Camerupt (complete with trademark fedora), Venusaur, and Feraligatr. Peeves and Liliana, Keith's pair of Dusknoir, were also in the background, holding hands.

In front of them were all the smaller Pokémon. Tinnitus, Keith's Seismitoad, was even holding Zygill the Wishiwashi and Pisces the Blue-Striped Basculin in his arms. There was Scorpius, Keith's Drapion, with his beloved, Hermione the Weedle, on his shoulder, and he cradled their son, Albus the Kakuna, in one of his armored arms. Crabbe the Swalot was present, alongside Strychnine the Muk, Bellatrix the Skuntank, Malfoy the Toxicroak, and Chuck the Gengar. There was James the Vileplume, Nagini the Arbok, Goyle the Victreebel, Marvolo the Seviper, Ruby the Houndoom, Godric the Nidoking, Rowena the Nidoqueen, Aquarius the Tentacruel, Ariana the Garbodor, Aria the Roserade, Bart the Scrafty, Neville the Dragalge, Kyle the Heatmor, Andromeda the Starmie, and Sunny the Ninetales. Pomona, Keith's Ivysaur, was also there, hugging her son- Aletri, Keith's Druddigon. And of course, there were Sirius and Noxie, the pair of Mightyena, sitting side by side, each a stark contrast to the other.

In the foreground, there were some of the smallest of them. Chromium the Smeargle. Jack the Ditto. Cotton the Slurpuff. Aster the Shiny Toxapex. Anion the Minun. Elliott the Binacle. Eon the Shiny Eevee. Blinky and Inky the Darumaka duo. Hebenon, Keith's famous Qwilfish, was also in front, beside his son, Brighton the Chinchou. There was Shelley the Torkoal, Rubeus the Stunfisk, Cyanide the Umbreon, Six the Amoonguss, Lenny the Weavile, and Aragog the Ariados.

And flying overhead were the ones capable of doing so- Gemini and Mustard, Keith's Weezing and loyal starter. Hedwig the Crobat. Lily the Venomoth. Myrtle. Luna the Swoobat. Severus and Fatale, Keith's Dustox and Shiny Beautifly, along with their daughter, Artemis the Shiny Dustox. Ginny the Pawniard was in midair, courtesy of her Magnet Rise move, hovering beside her beloved Stewie, Keith's Ledian. There was Melittin the Beedrill, making sure his Beedrillite was quite visible. Fang the Carnivine. Violet the Dunsparce. Colin the Yanmega, Selia the Musharna, Apamin the Vespiquen, and of course, Winter.

All of this centered around Keith and Helena, the siblings posing for the camera with their arms around each other. And taking the picture with Keith's PokéGear was Jack. Keith's whole entire Pokémon family, including his own long-lost sister, against the picturesque backdrop that was Beeyemgee City's Town Square in the snowy weather. And finally, after much preparations, the Abomasnow took the picture.

"Bomasnow, Aboma," Jack murmured once Keith had gone back to one shop to get something done. I lied earlier- he did in fact need to go to a shop for his mother's present. He had gotten the picture Jack had taken printed out, blown up, and framed.

"Don't worry, Jack," Keith smiled, handing the framed photo to Jack, along with the firefighter helmet. "They'll love you. Besides, with your ability to make it snow on a whim, Dad's gonna really love you. And his Blastoise is just like Chance, too."

"Mr. Masters?" came a voice. Keith turned to see the clerk who had been helping him, clutching a red-and-green sphere. "The Christmas Ball you ordered, sir."

"Thanks very much," Keith replied, accepting the ball. He paid the man, including a more-than-generous tip, and turned back to the Abomasnow. "Alright, old friend- ready to meet the Masters family?"

"Boma," nodded Jack. And with that, Keith tapped the Abomasnow with the Christmas Ball, catching him instantly. Then, he packed the sphere into a cardboard box, already plastered with postage, and addressed to his parents' house in Lavaridge. Finally, he sat down and wrote out the card;

Keith smiled, satisfied with what he'd written. He placed the card in the box, next to the Christmas Ball, and sealed the whole thing up. And now, it was just a matter of finding somewhere to mail it.

 

As Gary and his Pokemon had been traveling the region of Fizzytopia during the winter season, a terrible calamity had struck their adopted home in the Cloud Garden. Because of this, Gary unfortunately had to cut their travels short and hurry to help with the rescue and restoration cause, arming himself with his best-equipped Pokemon in the process. With full knowledge that many of his beloved Pokemon would not be able to handle the tough opponents and harsh temperature, Gary left many of his younger and weaker partners behind so that they could stay safe and continue their vacation. If that was the case, then who would be left in charge of all of these fledgling critters as the designated babysitter?


The thin layer of snow crunched underneath Amph’s feet as she trudged forward, making her way towards a small and isolated town on the outer edge of the Fizzytopia region. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Gary and his Pokemon wouldn’t be able to spend their first Christmas together since returning to the continent, so Amph had decided on this renowned winter market to get the little ones in the festive spirit. Being Gary’s first capture, the Ampharos was considered one of his oldest and most experienced Pokemon. On top of that, Amph was frequently viewed as the mother figure to the rest of her teammates.


Amph stopped momentarily to catch her breath and turned her long neck to look behind her. There was a small wagon that had been fitted with skates as a makeshift sled with a rope tied to it that she had been pulling. Five small and innocent heads poked out of the sled and admired the winter scenery. First was thin green horn, that of a Larvitar. Tyrant was the oldest of the group in the sled, but he was still young enough to enjoy a fun adventure. Next to him was a Happiny, who was busy cleaning snowflakes off of the egg-shaped stone in her stomach pouch. Belle was very picky about her appearance, with the ponytail on her head glossy and neatly brushed. There was also Trunks the Phanpy, and fitting to his name excitedly lifted his short trunk into the air to catch a whiff of the scent of food coming from town. He perked up his ears excitedly, hoping to arrive as quickly as possible. Slumped down in the sled next to the others was a young Slowpoke named Pokey Jr., who lazily laid on his back and stared up at the cloudy sky while the other Pokemon used his warm blubbery body to huddle for warmth. Lastly, a green, jellybean-looking blob squished next to the others, her malleable body filling in the gaps. It was none other than Pickle, the shiny Pyukumuku, who sat there and quietly as snowflakes collected and dissolved into her squishy body.


It was a short journey as Amph continued pulling the sled, and eventually they arrived upon the small winter town. The group of Pokemon stared in wonder at all of the festive decorations, taking in the excitement in the air. As Amph pulled the sled up to the town square, the Wollminster Winter Market stood before them in all its splendor. There was a massive pine tree that had been decked to the nines in ornaments, while stalls lined the street filled with interesting trinkets and appetizing food. Amph tied the sled to a bicycle rack and turned to the group. She began carefully instructing the five young Pokemon that they would all need to stay close to her in order for her to keep an eye on them and so they wouldn’t get lost. The moment she finished speaking, Trunks couldn’t contain his excitement anymore and bounced out of the sled, bolting down the street. Quickly after him followed Tyrant.


“Guys, come on!” Amph exclaimed at them in a huff, frustrated that her instructions fell on deaf ears so quickly. Turning back to the sled, she was in shock to find that Pokey Jr. was also missing. Her head craned back in the other direction and saw the adventurous little Slowpoke was slowly wandering off. How he had gotten out of the sled so quickly was beyond Amph. The next deserter was Belle, who gracefully stepped out of the sled and politely announced to Amph, “And I will be checking out the pretty hairpins. I hope you have a pleasant day.” With now four of the five fledglings gone, Amph turned back to the sled to the final Pokemon who had not bailed on her. It was Pickle the Pyukumuku, who wasn’t very mobile to begin with. “Well, at least you’re still here,” Amph sighed as she quickly picked up the squishy Pyukumuku in her arms and hurried off after the other Pokemon.


Amph and Pickle came upon the Merchant’s Market first, as the beautiful knickknacks and doodads caught their attention. The Ampharos also spotted Belle out of the corner of her eye at one of the stalls trying on hairpins of pretty pink flowers in her ponytail. “There you are!” Amph scolded as she approached the Happiny. “Oh good, I could use a second opinion. How do I look?” Belle asked, ignoring Amph’s frustration. “Actually, it matches you quite nice,” Amph replied as she began to check out an assortment of bows. Maybe she could find one that matched the pink ribbon she always had tied to her tail. The three girls continued browsing the goods for a short bit until Amph snapped out of it and remembered her mission. “Oh my! Come Belle, we must find the others!” Now satisfied, Belle complied and followed Amph to find the others. Tyrant wasn’t too hard to find, as Amph located a vendor chewing him out for attempting to eat his precious stones for sale. “So sorry about that!” Amph exclaimed, grabbing the Larvitar by the horn and dragging him alongside her. “I only wanted a taste of one, I swear,” he pleaded.


The next destination the group arrived at were the Snacky Stalls, filled with an assortment of delicious looking foods. There was a kind of commotion going on, and they proceeded further in to check things out. There was none other than an all-you-can-eat contest, where teams of Pokemon would compete to see who could eat the most food. The catch: it’s only free if you can finish all of the food. Sure enough, Amph located both Trunks and Pokey Jr. there, as the ambitious little elephant had signed up and roped the sloth-like Slowpoke into joining him. Naturally, Pokey wasn’t listening to Trunks’ pleas for help but randomly began gorging on food of his own volition regardless. From the look of things, the two Pokemon were having trouble clearing their plates. “What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?” Amph demanded, as she sternly looked down at the Phanpy. With a mouth full of food, Trunks slowly lowered his head and bashfully replied, “Sorry… I thought I could finish it all…” Amph let out a sigh and passed out plates to Belle and Tyrant. “Alright guys, dig in or else you’re going to have to explain the food bill to Gary.” The Pokemon all gulped and nodded before helping themselves to plates full of food. Amph even laid out some snacks for Pickle, who slowly extended her digestive tract and pulled a handful inside her body. A short while later, the team emerged victorious, grateful that they didn’t have to pay for it.


With full bellies, the group made their way back to the sled where Amph helped load them up. Her heart melted as the five young Pokemon all appeared quite tuckered out from the day’s events. “I guess it’s okay to spoil them a little,” she smiled, ready to take them home. As she began walking, Amph was met with great resistance and fell back onto her rear. “No more dessert for a month though!” she announced as she got up and began pulling with greater force, finally able to set off. As they headed off into the horizon, the faint voice of Pickle moaned, “I think I’m going to pyuuuuke…”

 

​

It was Patches’ favorite time of year and there was no way she was going to miss it. She was charging through the snowy streets with her Alolan Vulpix, Noel, behind her trying his best to keep up. She was having a hard time making up her mind on where to stop first because it was all just so amazing to her. “Isn’t it wonderful Noel??” She finally stops in the center of town and throws her arms up in the air, taking in a deep breath. “You can even smell the Christmas trees!” She then randomly takes off in a sprint and Noel sighs before he is once again chasing her. They’ve been at this all day, just running around the town and not doing anything in particular because nothing has managed to grab her attention for very long. This needed to stop, he couldn’t take it anymore. This was his first day out with his trainer since she caught him and he was already wishing he was back in the Cloud Garden assisting in taking it over with ice. He didn’t ask for this new life.

With that thought in mind, he wondered why it was he was following her around in the first place. He came to a complete halt and it wasn’t long before he lost her in the crowd. He didn’t care anyway, it was clear that she only ever cared about her own agenda and probably wouldn’t even notice he wasn’t even with her anymore. Nearby, he noticed some Snacky Stalls and figured he’d grab himself a bite to eat since all of this running around was exhausting. Of course, unsurprisingly, there were humans serving the food here. It wasn’t that Noel didn’t like humans, he just didn’t understand the point of being around them like many other Pokemon willingly did. A chef finally approached and put down two plates. “Where is your trainer little one? Aren’t you lonely?” Noel obviously didn’t answer and the chef soon left once Noel began eating the food that was offered to him. The plate was decorated with holly which was a design that Noel didn’t recognize, nor did he care too much about it anyway. Once his plate was cleaned, he looked toward the second plate that the chef had brought that was still full of food and began to think about the chef’s question. He began to wonder why someone would think he’s lonely. That was when he began to look around, he saw other Pokemon looking very cheerful while at their trainer’s side. He was surrounded by many people and Pokemon and yet all of them were strangers to him. He watched as a nearby trainer gave their Plusle a gift and the joy on the Plusle’s face is something that Noel realizes he envies. He returns to staring at the plate with the untouched food and convinces himself he doesn’t need that kind of thing anyway, it’s not like he’d ever be able to bond with his trainer like that.

--------------​

There was just so much going on that Patches could hardly stay focused. It was hard to decide what to do first because she wanted to show Noel everything, since he is the newest addition to her team they have a lot of time they need to make up for. As excited as she is for the holiday entertainment and tree decorating, she has Noel on her mind as she considers all of it. “Alright Noel what do you think about decorating a tree!? I’ll even let you eat some of the garland popcorn! That is always the best! My mom and I would…” She looks around and realizes that Noel is nowhere to be seen. This is something that seems to happen to her often with her Pokemon and they always find their way back to her so she isn’t panicking just yet but she can’t help but feel a little worried since they haven’t been together for very long. She reaches into her bag, ready to send another one of her Pokemon out to help find him but then she stops herself. “No… This is me and Noel’s day!!!” She loudly announces seemingly out of nowhere, causing a few people to startle and some parents to pull their children away to keep their distance. ‘But I wonder where he went, we can’t have a special day together if we aren’t actually together…’ Suddenly a chilly gust of wind blows by, causing Patches to shiver from the cold.

“Oh no! That’s it!” After another verbal outburst, she makes a speedy beeline right toward one of the clothing stalls in the Merchant’s Market. She looks high and low but this stall seems to only be selling clothing for people. It’s full of Christmas themed clothing from ugly sweaters to Santa hats. She glances away from the stall and doesn’t see any shops around her that specifically sell Pokemon clothes and she doesn’t have time to waste so she knows she will have to make do, she needed to get something fast and find Noel. As she rummages through a pile of miscellaneous clothing, suddenly something hits the floor with a jingle. “What’s this?” She bends down and picks up a red scarf that has bells clipped onto one end and holds it out in front of her to get a good look. “Oh this will be perfect!” She exclaims and then reaches into her bag, pulling out a handful of money without counting and shoving it into the nearest person’s chest. “I’m buying this!” The person stumbles and reflexively grabs the money before it falls. “B-but I’m not–” Patches takes off through the crowd before they can finish, leaving them slightly stunned. “… But I don’t even work here…” The person says under their breath as they stand there staring at the money in their hands.

--------------​

Deciding that he didn’t want to hang around lost in thought any longer, Noel prepared to leave when suddenly he was stopped by a familiar voice. “Oh Noel! Thank goodness!” Patches approaches him, slightly out of breath but still full of energy. He was a little surprised, he didn’t expect her to actually notice he was gone or to even remember long enough to come find him. “I bought this for you Noel. I realized you were probably so freezing cold out here without anything to keep you warm. This is your Christmas present from me, I know it’s early but meeting you was my early Christmas present this year and you’ve made this the best Christmas I’ve ever had because you’re the best gift in the whole world, so I wanted to make sure you got something special because you’ve made me so happy!” With a big smile, Patches bends down and gently wraps the scarf around Noel’s neck, the end with the attached bells is dangling in front of his chest. “Do you feel better now Noel?”

Noel is shocked for a moment. He would have never dreamed that she thought of him so much. Tears began to form in his eyes but before he could really react, Patches was already changing subjects. “Ooooo!!! Did you get all of this for me Noel!? Thank you so much!” She was now sitting on the ground scarfing down the food from the second plate that had most likely gotten cold at this point but she seemed to love it regardless. “Oh, look at this plate Noel!! It has the cutest little holly pattern!” Noel chuckled as he watched Patches’ reactions change from one moment to the next and then looked down at his scarf and a small smile spread across his face. Maybe there was a good reason why Pokemon and humans come together after all. She may be a bit excitable with a short attention span and she may do silly things like buying a scarf as a gift to keep an ice type Pokemon warm, but she was now his human and he was starting to think that maybe this was going to be his best Christmas ever too.

 

Mint shivered a little bit-it really was a cold one out today, after all. Celeste was also absent from her shoulder, preferring to stay in her decidedly warmer Poke Ball as much as she could. The snow was coming down abundantly, probably fueled by the Snow Warning abilities of many an Abomasnow, Alolan Ninetales, or Aurorus that roamed the grounds, some dressed or decorated quite festively to suit the atmosphere. Mint smiled at just how much effort had to have gone into the vibrant festival before her, though none would see the gesture, her mouth relatively well obscured behind a bright azure scarf wrapped around her neck. Matching Woobat-themed earmuffs adorned her head, keeping her hair in check. With this, Mint wore a light-purple and white parka and matching snow pants, complete with light purple gloves, hand warmers, and bright white snow boots. Not needing her more adventure oriented supplies, she merely kept Celeste's Poke Ball in an inside jacket pocket. Keeping himself warm by hiding out in Mint's parka, just beneath the back of her neck, was Sprocket, who had vastly underestimated how the cold might affect his mechanical body's function, but still adamantly refused to jump in a fridge for the duration of the event to stave off such effects.

"I'm a tough Rotom! I'll tough it out, you'll zzzzzee!" he'd said, before promptly tucking himself away again-Mint had silently thanked Arceus that she'd decided to wear a warm sweater under her parka as opposed to a T shirt as she normally might.

Back in the present, Mint perused the various trees that hadn't been decorated yet.

"Too short...too many holes...that's a bit tall for me...Eastern White Pine? Not the best for heavy ornaments..." she muttered as she passed several trees. Finally, her eyes alighted on a tree that was (mercifully) close to the rest of the decorated trees still.

"Let's see...it's a good height...no holes in sight, and it's...Scotch Pine! This one's perfect!" Mint said excitedly, placing a sticker on the sign by the tree to mark it as taken before she went back to get materials.

Several trips later, a small workstation of sorts was laid out before Mint's tree, which was mostly just a table covered in strings of lights and various ornaments in the shapes of various Pokémon and famous figures real, fictional, and mythical, all vaguely organized but still very much scattered about, with one large object kept under wraps, Mint insisting it be a surprise.

With that, she and Sprocket began decorating, though Sprocket, for lack of any grabbing appendages, merely helped Mint find the ornaments she wanted once she finished stringing up the lights.

"Alright, let's get to work!" Mint said, hanging an ornament of Professor Oak amidst ornaments of Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Pikachu. Other professors were also hung near their respective starter Pokémon. Various other Pokémon were sprinkled throughout the tree's branches along with Champions hung amidst their teams. When all was said and done, the ornaments formed a splendid display of just about every identified Pokémon species, though the Ultra Beasts reportedly sighted in Alola had not yet been fashioned by any ornament craftspeople, and were thus not present. There was only one Pokémon missing, and Sprocket was quick to bring it up when they looked to see only the cloth-wrapped surprise left on their little worktable.

"Hey! There'zzzz someone missing from all this! Someone important, too! Where's our Chatot?" the Rotom Dex inquired, prompting Mint to chuckle as she unwrapped the mystery object and placed it atop the tree, plugging a short cord extending from it into the rest of the lights strung into the tree.

Atop the tree now sat a beautifully lit Chatot, with a cheerful carol emanating from a speaker inside its open beak. The musical-note head offered a small perch atop the whole display, the lights sparkling off the various glass ornaments, cleverly woven among the tree's many branches. Taking a step back to admire her handiwork, she noticed a young man in a cowboy hat taking a photo with a copious amount of Pokémon, an Abomasnow holding the camera. Mint reached into her parka, having an idea, and let Celeste out onto the table by the tree.

"Hey, Celeste, do you think you could perch at the top of the tree for me?" she asked the Chatot, who nodded, flying up and perching atop the decorative Chatot's eighth-note head, gleefully singing in tune with the decoration's own song. Mint, for her part, stood next to the tree, gesturing as if showing off. Sprocket immediately got into position, snapping a perfect picture of the scene, as Mint called Celeste back into her Poke Ball. The time for their creation to be judged (and for their picture to be developed for the scrapbook) would come later, first, it was time to head inside and get warm.

~~~~~

Inside the nearby lodge, a sizable crowd bustled in the main area, but first, Mint unzipped and shed her parka after getting Celeste's ball from inside, revealing the Abomasnow-design knot sweater underneath, accompanied by denim shorts over thick navy blue woolen tights. All her outdoor gear shed, boots included, Mint stepped inside, Sprocket staying close by, observing all the various Pokémon inside the small enclosure. Mint herself eagerly got herself a piping hot mug of Tapu Cocoa, with plenty of big marshmallows and whipped cream, but not before letting Celeste out to perch by the roaring bonfire, along with several other cordial Flying Types, all flocked together to share their warmth and that of the fire. Mint sat down in an open chair (in full view of Celeste and Sprocket both, of course) and sipped her cocoa, making small talk with several Trainers and ordinary folk alike as they passed by. Eventually, one small child approached her as she was finishing her first mug of cocoa. The child had obviously not taken off most of her winter gear yet and had just come in-she was all bundled up and covered in quickly melting snow.

"Hey, are you gonna hang a stocking? You gotta if you want anything from the Christmas Delibird!" the little girl said.

"Oh, I suppose that's what all those stockings around the place are for, then! You know what, I think I will! Can you show me where to get one?" Mint replied.

"I can show you! Come on!" the little girl says, leading Mint along, Mint calling for Celeste to join her, the Chatot perching on her shoulder once again. The little girl lead the two to a crowded table where piles of multicolored and multi-patterned stockings lay strewn about. The little girl immediately plucked a pink stocking covered in Clefairies from the table, taking a bottle of golden glitter glue and squeezing it with all her might over the wide white top of the stocking. She stops after making the letter A-it's clear that it's a lot of work for her.

"Here, let me take care of it. What's your name?" Mint says, taking the bottle.

"I'm Ally! A-L-L-Y!" she responds, and Mint smiles.

"That's a nice name! Alright then, here we go!" Mint said, spelling out the rest of the girl's name in the golden, sparkly glue.

"Thank you! I'm gonna go get this ready to get hung up!" Ally said, and departed for the next table over. Mint, for her part, found a blue stocking patterned with stylized Chatot heads, and drew her name on the top in matching blue glitter glue and followed her compatriot over. Volunteers ran hair dryers over the tops of their stockings to dry the glue and directed them to a nearby wall for them to hang their stockings.

"Hmmm, we have a problem." Mint observed. The wall was filled with stockings! While there were places higher up to hang them, Mint couldn't quite reach them. Finally, an idea came to her. "Hey, Celeste?" she asked her Chatot.

"Yes?" they squawked back, causing Ally's eyes to light up.

"Could you hang these up on those higher hooks for us? I can't reach them." Mint said, holding up Ally's stocking.

"Yes!" Celeste squawked again, eagerly taking the stocking and flying up to the hook, letting the looped ribbon fastened to the stocking slowly slide off her foot and onto the hook: a perfect transfer! Celeste came down and did the same for Mint's stocking as well.

"Wow! I heard Chatot could talk, but I've never seen it before! That's so cool!" Ally said excitedly. "Thank you, Celeste!" she added.

"You're welcome!" Celeste replied, prompting more wonderment from Ally as Sprocket joined the two of them to go get themselves some more Tapu Cocoa. It was to be a wonderful Christmas indeed.

 

Isaac walked towards the town square, despite being a Unova native the young man had heard all sorts of rumors and mumblings about Wollminster's Winter Market --- and for once he was actually in the area. Despite years of touring all across the Pokemon regions, he had never once been to this portion of the world. He wondered what it looked like without all the festive cheer? He assumed just as drab and emotionless markets, the same sort of thing he was used to at home. He hadn't been home in quite a while, not since he ran away. He was sure that his parents knew that he had made a name for himself, he wondered if they missed him --- or if they resented him for wasting their money and not being man enough to simply tell them. It was a grim reminder every holiday and birthday, they never contacted him and he never contacted them. It seemed as though they had washed their hands of him, and maybe that was for the best. He wasn't exactly the best person, hell, he hadn't started being a good person until the last two years. He was sure that Lily would've been destroyed by his destructive habits had he still been around them, and she was too young and full of life to become the same deep void that he had become. But, he was here to have fun, not to dwell on the past.

He walked forwards, clad in a Christmas sweater. It was the sort of thing you'd usually see on someone in college. A picture depicting Jesus Christ saying 'Party like it's my birthday'. Probably somewhat offensive to some, but he thought it was far too funny to simply leave on the shelf at the store. Vinny was at his side, her body was clad in a small sweater, her chest read "Jingle if you're single". She didn't seem as enthused as Isaac did, probably due to the cold weather gently blowing on the small Leafeon's face. As they walked, Isaac looked around. Various vendors caught his eye, but he was mostly looking forward to the Entertainment Exhibitions.

Isaac loved local entertainment, and he loved supporting local artists. Hell, that was how he himself got his start. He actually admired Fizzytopia and it's branches as a whole for one thing, he really didn't have to hide his identity. Anywhere in the mainland, he would be instantly recognized. Luckily, it seemed as though the mania behind his stardom had died --- or that it simply had not reached this portion of the Pokemon world. Nonetheless, it was a welcome change compared to what he was used to. He was sure that his fans were itching for his return, but they would simply have to wait. The duo finally arrived at their destination, and Isaac's eyes were immediately drawn to the costume portion of the stage. He smirked at Vinny, causing her to smile back. The young Leafeon was no stranger to acting, hell, she was considered a backup singer and musician for Isaac's act. The two approached the costumes and tried on some costumes, a little old looking --- as though they belonged in a royal court of some kind. A stage hand approached, a large smirk strewn across her face.

"Hello sir! Trying on costumes is always free, but we do ask that you participate in a scene if you try any on." Isaac and Vinny looked at each other, unsure if they wanted to do this. Isaac wasn't even sure of the lines and opened his mouth to protest, only to be shoved out onstage in front of a large group of onlookers. Isaac looked out upon the crowd, nervous that he wasn't going to put on a good show. Vinny looked out, flopping over and playing dead. Isaac was concerned at first, thinking that it was possible that the Leafeon had fainted due to not being on display in quite some time. However, as Isaac approached the young fox --- he noticed her slyly wink at him. Isaac put on his best grim expression, tears in his eyes beginning to form due to forceful acting. He walked over and held Vinny's body in his hands, looking down at her and letting the fake tears stream down his face.

"Alas, poor Vinny! I knew her, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: she hath borne me on her back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen? Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that." He clutched Vinny's fur, burying his face into her fur. The fragility of life had come and gone once again, and the audience seemed moved by his performance. He stood, picking up Vinny along the way. He gave a strong bow, and Vinny blew kisses into the audience. Always quite the stage hogs, the pair of them. As much as Isaac would never admit it, he loved the attention once again.

Danielle walked towards the market, she was never a winter person --- ironic as it was, considering Winter was her last name. She was cold, bitter, and a little salty. She was supposed to meet someone at the market from that stupid dating app that her friends had made her download, but after standing in the cold for half and hour, she had to guess that they had flaked out on her. She gave an angry huff, looking down at her Pokemon that had accompanied her: Forte the Sentret and Momo the Skitty. The two females seemed to be somewhat irritated for their trainer, looking at her with pity in their eyes. Both were clad in small toques and scarves, Forte's being red in colour, while Momo's were an orange peach-like colour. Danielle was clad in her full winter gear, still shivering as the trio waited. Danielle sighed, looking at the two female Pokemon.

"I think we were stood up." She said simply, looking in the crowd. No one was coming towards her, and no one even seemed to be paying the brunette any attention. She sighed, looking around. They needed to warm up, and she needed some chocolate after being stood up for the second time in a month. As she looked around, she spotted a small building ---- adorned with children peeking through the window, waiting for the Delibird to come around and give them all sorts of goodies. She smiled at the sight, as much as she loved the holidays, she wished she was still filled with that child-like wonder that once encompassed her. She approached the building, her Pokemon in tow. As they entered, Danielle could feel her cheeks begin to redden. She slowly took off her jacket and hung it by the door, looking out onto the sea of people.

She approached the counter, ordering a Tapu Cocoa for herself. The Johto native had never had anything like it, as before coming here she had never really ventured too far outside of her hometown of Mahogany --- let alone out of her region. The person at the counter had offered her some sweets for her Pokemon, various poffins and Pokebeans. She placed them in front of the two girls, smiling as they happily chowed down. It was going to be her first Christmas away from home, she missed her parents and Johto. However, she admired the solitude that being able to be alone and free had given her. She looked around, seeing various children hanging their stockings by the fireplace, their Pokemon in tow as they did so. She chuckled to herself, looking at Momo and Forte.

"May I get one of those stockings to hang?" She asked the man at the counter, he smiled at the young woman, offering her a variety of colours. She chose a light pastel blue, representing the cold winds of winter that lapped at the building from the outside. The man smiled as he slid it towards her, and then looked at the young woman once again.

"Did you want to decorate it? We have a variety of things to make it yours." He asked, looking at her face. Danielle gave a large smile, grabbing for the glitter that he pushed towards her --- as well as the fanciful bubble letters.

"O M G, my stocking is gonna be hella cute!" She exclaimed, causing the barista to laugh. He always admired watching the patrons have a good time as they worked on their various projects. As she gracefully made a snowflake design with some glue and glitter, she made the bubble letters spell out her online alias, rather than her real name. Mostly because the man had only given her one of each letter, and her name was a tad hard to spell with such limitations. Luckily, Naru was much easier. Following the completion, she picked up her two Pokemon --- forcing them to help her hang the stocking by the fire. With each contained in the crook of each of her elbows, she laughed --- she probably looked pretty silly, but at least she was having fun.

She took a picture of herself and her Pokemon in the crook of her arm, or, to be more accurate --- she asked one of the children to do it for her. She dubbed it #Pokemon-Mas, #Family, #DontStandMeUpEverAgainBradley. She laughed as the likes poured in on her picture, she had way more fun in this little nook than she ever would have with one stupid boy.

 

Melissa normally wouldn't have gone back out into the snow after facing off with a manufactured blizzard in the Cloud Garden, but they'd gotten an invite to this small winter village and she'd figured it couldn't be as bad as Cloud Garden's blizzard. Of course, once she arrived, talk of a market with all kinds of glittery, shiny treasures prompted Ore to pop himself out of his Pokéball and scamper towards the shops, chittering giddily to himself.

Melissa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling noisily before trotting after her Sableye. She had a pretty good idea what Ore was up to and that wasn't what she'd planned for when she'd decided to come here. Hopefully, the shop keepers would understand when she got Ore to return their wares.

---

"Sorry 'bout that," she said not long after, handing the stall owner his box of Nuggets and Pearls. "He likes shiny things and treasure, but we haven't really done any spelunking ourselves yet. I've promised him a treasure-hunting trip, but this wasn't supposed to be it." She scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

The stall owner riffled through his box, likely taking an inventory to make sure they hadn't stolen anything, and then smiled up at her. "It's alright. Everything's here and we've all had that one troublesome Pokémon. Just try to keep a better eye on him, hm?"

Melissa nodded and smiled back at him before heading after Ore once again. She thought she saw him head this way, but she didn't see anyone looking either frustrated or surprised, so she could've been wrong. It didn't hurt to check, though, so she glanced at each stall she passed. Some stalls she recognized were selling hold items or items mostly traded for cash, while others sold fossils and battle items. There was even one selling evolution stones and she was a bit surprised not to find Ore there. When she arrived at the stall showing off Mega Stones, though, things made sense.

"I hope he hasn't been bothering you too much," she said as she came up behind Ore, who only glanced up at her and then turned back to the Stones he was eyeing.

"Not at all," the shopkeeper said, smiling at Melissa. "He definitely knows what he wants, though."

Melissa huffed, glancing at the Sablenite and Aggronite her Sableye was staring at. "Yeah, I can see that. I think that might actually be what he was after when he kept asking me to go treasure-hunting with him."

"Well, it probably wasn't much of a hunt, but they're available for sale if you're interested," the shopkeeper offered. Ore chittered and pointed demandingly at them.

Melissa wavered for a beat and then shook her head regretfully. "Not right now. I haven't really had a chance to look around and I didn't really budget for a shopping trip, so I think I'm gonna look around first before deciding."

Ore frowned and crossed his arms, turning his back on the stall and grumbling, while the shopkeeper nodded. "Alright. They might be gone when you come back though."

"Yeah," Melissa sighed. "Well, if it's meant to be, then they'll still be here when I get back. Thanks, though." She nodded at the shopkeeper and then turned to check out the stalls more leisurely.

When she'd taken a few steps, she paused and played a hunch, glancing over at her Sableye. "Ore, you should probably put it back before she notices. I don't want to get her mad at us and then refuse to sell them to us."

Her Sableye scowled and grumbled, turning to trudge back to the stall.

-----

Meanwhile, a lot of Melissa's Pokémon were trying very hard to decorate a tree and...having quite a bit of trouble with it.

Cirrus, Breeze, Zephyr, and Spirit draped strings of garland, ribbons, and lights around the tree, while Vine and Caterpie hung ornaments and decorations from the branches. Hex argued with Cirrus about where things should go, while Eve quietly enlisted Annabelle and Imp's help with rearranging the decorations appropriately. Prince did his best not to look amused next to Desertsong, who didn't bother hiding her amusement as she chewed on a flavored icicle Snuffles got when he trailed Melissa and Ore. They all chittered and chattered, argued back and forth on decoration placement, discussed color coordination and patterns, and then ended up covered in glittering powder when Vivillon got tired of all the talk and got Ledyba to join her in dusting everything on, near, and around their chosen tree.

There was a moment's pause as they all blinked and/or spluttered, turning to look at Vivillon's grumpy and annoyed expression. Ledyba ducked his head sheepishly under their gazes. Coulter and Fawn drifted back to the group, the former announcing mildly that this wasn't the right tree, while the latter declared that it was fine. The noise picked up again as everyone reacted and tried to talk over each other, some moving to strip the tree as others moved to intercept them.

All in all, it was chaos and those Pokémon that opted out of the whole thing watched on in amusement from a good distance away, sipping warm drinks and huddling closer to the Fire-types among them.

 

"I'm telling you Geddy, this I don't know if this is a good idea." Big sighs looking through the costumes. "I really don't think they will appreciate you hijacking the show to sing your song. Plus it isn't exactly a holiday song." The Tynamo swims through the pile of clothes coming out with a set of sunglasses that were somehow his size. "It's got snow in it, that's close enough right? Plus we are going on during their intermission, it's not like we are actually interrupting anything eh." He replies and from the side laying with one arm propping his head up Hotstuff is watching amused and translating since he was the only one close enough to Big for the human to understand. Sitting next to the fire type is Elsa the Swinub, watching the scene curiously and quietly and with a slightly confused look. The Tynamo seems to gasp and digs more into the clothes and comes out as a giant white hairball. Big lifts what turns out to be a wig off the tynamo and the eel looks at his trainer expectantly. Big starts shaking his head. "Uh-uh, no way, I draw the line at a wig.

The scene shifts and Big is standing very unhappily stage left of the theatre area, wearing the white wig and a plastic dog nose, as well as carrying an old school boombox. Geddy is still wearing the shades and has a big grin on his on his face. There is an announcement for an intermission and the curtains close on some other amateur actors doing a rendition of Charlie Brown's Christmas with a Rockruff playing Snoopy. Big and Geddy head onto the center of the stage and Hotstuff manages to wrench control over the curtain from a stagehand and pulls it up before the audience can leave. Big sighs and presses play and Geddy begins to sing.

"Tombs of Hades, lit by flickering torchlight
The netherworld is gathered in the glare
Prince By-Tor takes the cavern to the north light
The sign of Eth is rising in the air

By-Tor, knight of darkness
Centurion of evil, devil's prince

Across the River Styx, out of the lamplight
His nemesis is waiting at the gate
The Snow Dog, ermine glowing in the damp night
Coal-black eyes shimmering with hate

By-Tor and the Snow Dog
Square for battle, let the fray begin

The battle's over and the dust is clearing
Disciples of the Snow Dog sound the knell
Rejoicing echoes as the dawn is nearing
By-Tor, in defeat, retreats to Hell

Snow Dog is victorious
The land of the Overworld is saved again"

As the song comes to an end Geddy waits expecting applause and Big winces, waiting to be rushed off stage.

​

Later that day:
Geddy rests in his pokeball as Big and the other two pokemon walk through the food stands in search of something to eat. IT smells absolutely wonderful. "Ok, do you two see anything you want?" Big asks. "I don't think it's actually Ho-Oh but the meat from that stall over there looks mouthwatering." Hotstuff points toward a stand advertising Ho-Oh legs. The fire type nudges Elsa. "How about you?" The swinub jumps a little at the touch and is obviously shaking nervously at the number of people around. "O-oh I-I um." She stammers out. "I-I think I smell some funnel cake." Big nods and smiles once Hotstuff translates. "Let's go find some then." They get the not-Ho-Oh leg and track down the fried dough for Elsa and drizzle some chocolate on top of it. Once she has some food in her Elsa seems to have calmed down somewhat. "Oh, I almost forgot." Big says and goes into his bag. "I got these a while ago and I guess now would be as good a time as any to give them to you, tis the season and all." He takes out the light blue Ice Beam TM and what seems to be a quarter-sized Magical snowflake. "These should help you out in battle." Elsa wipes a little bit of powdered sugar off her nose and comes to examine the items. "Thank you." She says softly. "It's been a long time since I got any kind of gift." She bites down on the snowflake and allows Big to hold the disc to her head, allowing her to learn the moves. "Hey, where's my gift?" Hotstuff asks a little childishly and Big and Elsa laugh as the scene fades out.

 

Jayson had left her in charge, his trust wouldn't be misplaced thought Atalanta as she rode through the snow. The Decidueye was still getting used to riding her mount, she was more used to perching on the Mudsdale's head, but since evolving she had become too big to do so without causing Boudicca discomfort. Jayson had raced off to the Cloud Garden, taking Boudicca's new friend Thowra as speed was of the essence and things were sure to get chilly. Due to the threat they faced, Jayson had carefully selected his team, however not all of them had made the team, her included. Although she was his starter, Jayson was a tactical trainer and knew better than to take her into a fight where she would be at a great disadvantage. Instead he had left her in charge of the rest of his Pokemon. They were sitting around his base when Trieu the Skorupi had burst in, a flyer in her clutches that provided details of a rather fun event. With everyone bored senseless and somewhat worried about their trainer's wellbeing, Atalanta had made the executive decision to take a band of them to the event. Traveling in there band of 'merry mons', along with Boudicca and herself were Alexander the Nidoking and Ajax the Chespin, the pair of pals had been the first to jump at the opportunity. Ajax sat upon Alexander's shoulder, laughing into his ear as the two traded stories. Trieu had also brought her new friend along, Tomoe the Wimpod had struggled socially since joining Jayson's team, however her and the Skorupi had developed a strong bond. The Wimpod clung to the oversized Skorupi's back as she scuttled through the snow, doing her best to keep up with the rest of the gang.

They seemed to arrive in time for the event, the town was full of trainers and Pokemon. They made their way through to the marketplace, where numerous stalls and events seemed to be running. The band of Pokemon looked around, unsure where to get started. "You four can go find something fun to do", instructed Atalanta, "Boudicca and myself will check out the Merchant's Market, hopefully we can find something for Jayson." With that the group split up, with the two senior team members making their way to the wood cabins of the Merchant's Market, while the band of four friends went in search of something more fun.

"What are those?" question Tomoe as she perked up her head, staring at a strange fireplace covered in large socks. "No clue", replied Trieu as she made her way towards the fire, intent on finding out what exactly was going on. "They look like socks", Ajax pointed out, "but much bigger." Alexander laughed, "aren't socks meant to go on your feet though?" Still unsure of what they were doing, the quartet made their way over to inspect the Sweet Stockings. Upon eavesdropping on others participating, they quickly learnt that people weren't hanging socks from the fireplace, they were hanging stockings! They didn't really understand the difference, but apparently a strange Delibird would appear and fill them with goodies, the prospect of which excited them all. So they each grabbed a stocking and marked it as their own, hanging it by the fire before leaving it alone. All they had to do now was sit and wait, but what could they do to pass the time?

"Would you like to join us by the fire?" A friendly face appears, a great big Beartic filled to the brim with holiday cheer. He offered them Tapu Cocoa which they couldn't pass up, so they settled around the fire, listening and laughing as the big bear regaled them with Christmas stories.

Atalanta and Boudicca continued their search, but each store seemed to offer something better than the last. How could they decide what to get their trainer? He had taken such good care for them, looked out for them through thick and thin, not just any gift would do for him. "Keep looking Boudicca, we'll find something soon", urged Atalanta, even if she wasn't so certain herself. "We better find something soon, I'm getting cold and we shouldn't leave them four on their own for too long." Atalanta agreed, they must make haste, "alright then, just one more place...."

 

The festivities were really something in this part of the world. Lots of decorations to be seen, lots of activities to do. Shops, food courts, contests, and so on, littered the area as Bill walked onto the snow covered ground, it was cold, sure, but that didn’t bother him as much. The Wollminister’s fest was a famous celebration to be sure, with the streets packed with all sorts of trainers. Travelling alongside the trainer were all of his Pokemon, except Swift the Finneon, whom was in the trainer’s arms. Megas, the Golett was the most excited, running around like a kid in the candy store. It kept visibly pointing to anything and everything in sight, with a glee in its voice.

“Careful, Megas,” Bill said. “We don’t want to pay for anything broken, understood?”

The golett gave a nod, but continued its excited journey anyways.

“Squirtle, squirt!” Silver ran to catch up with Megas. It would be best if it actually listened to the trainer.

“So, sir,” Trono the alolan Geodude spoke up. “There does seem to be a lot of activities for us, what shall we try first? Perhaps something small to get us into the mood of holiday cheer?”

“Actually, Trono, I had a better idea,” Bill said as the group approached a group of trees gathered for a decorating contest. “Let’s go!”

Bill, Swift, and Trono went to what appeared to be a large tree in the group, they also found a table littered completely in decorations. Trono started off by grabbing some ornaments and started hanging them in strategic places to be noticed by all who see. Various colors some shiny, some dull, a few of them depicting various ice types dancing, or singing, or playing, but all of them having fun.

Swift, on the other hand, was more concerned with the lights. It looked over the lights carefully wanting to choose something that would stand out, but also complement Trono’s choice in ornaments.

Bill grabbed some green tinsel and was ready to throw it onto the tree, when the tree started to shake. Eyes opened up on the very top and a very audible “ABOMASNOW!” rang through the area. Bill backed away, Swift and Trono got into a battle stance, but then the Abomasnow pointed at a table holding red tinsel. Bill looked over at the table and realized what the Ice/Grass-type Pokemon wanted. Bill ran over to grab the decoration and place it onto the Abomasnow.

After seeing the tinsel chosen, Swift knew what kind of lights should be used. Orange mixed with some yellow to help complement the decorations already put on. It put the lights on top of its mouth before using Water Gun to throw the lights at Bill for him to hang them. The four worked together to get the Abomasnow looking good. When it came to putting the star on, the Abomasnow reached down and picked up a nice small Jirachi-like statuette and placed it on its head.

Bill might not have won due to not actually decorating a tree, but it was fun regardless.

~~~~~~~~~~`

Meanwhile Silver and Megas ended up wandering the town finding a group of caroling Pokemon. Their singing seemed to calm the Golett down and allowed Silver to finally catch up with it. Both of them sat down and listened to the nice singing. One of the carolers, a Chikorita, invited the two into caroling, seeing as their trainer was likely busy elsewhere.

They started going door to door singing songs like “Deck the Halls” and “Jingle Bells”. The Pokemon were all having a blast. Bill and crew (minus Abomasnow) finally found his two Pokemon after finishing on decorating the tree. He ran up to them, “There you are.” Both Pokemon gave a happy affirmation. It seemed like they were going to one last house. The Chikorita from before gave Bill’s other Pokemon their own music sheets, though the five were left alone for this house. Bill knocked on the door, an elderly lady answered before the group started to sing in part.

Bill started off, “We wish you a merry Christmas”

Silver followed, “Squirt, Squirtle Squirtle Squirt Squirt”

Megas afterwards, “Golett, golett, golett”

Then Swift, “Finneon, Fin Fin!”

Trono, “Good tidings we bring to you and your kin”

Finally, all three of them finished with “We wish you a merry Christmas, and a Happyyyyyy Newwww Yeaaaaaar.”

 

​

After all of the mess with the bone-chilling Snowdown, Alice Hope had been glad to just calm down and enjoy the season for what it was. It was her second Christmas in this crazy world – of the ones she remembered, at least – and this one she wasn't spending holed up in her home freaking out and getting to know her gang. There had been many additions to it since last December, although it was her less ventured team members that joined in the activities today. The active trio were wrapped up warm, enjoying the merry atmosphere.

Music played over the speakers, Alice still enjoying the more traditional carols and the ones unique to a Pokemon world, gloved hands handling the ornaments that the group had chosen and picked out for their box. Eliza the pink Ekans, with a long fluffy coat on, remained snaked around the young woman's body for warmth and vantage while the others aided in the decorating. They had already done this at their base in the recovering Cloud Garden, but it wasn't an activity that got old-- especially for Alice who hadn't really bothered to do it in her apartment back in the 'other world' when not with her family. She was just too lazy.

“Nice work, Kara!” Alice praised her bright pink Koffing, the poison type making a slow descent from where she had been helping set the tinsel. She had chosen to stick to silver to lace around the tall green tree, but given her short stature and lack of balance, the tiny female had needed some aid with that and the multi-colour lights that had taken an eternity to untangle. The Pokemon absolutely loved beautiful things as Alice well knew by now, and had dressed her in a cute little coat that wrapped about her round body; the holes unblocked, with a fluff-rimmed hood that hung off the back. Kara sounded out her approval, bobbing about the blonde and the rest of their team. Bea the Cubchoo kept looking off to sneeze before hanging off another bauble or ornament.

Honestly, it wasn't as if Alice was going for a particular aesthetic or trying to be super fashionable or classy. More than anything they had just picked out whatever looked good to them, just as it had always been at home. It was obvious that some pieces were better loved than others, or older, and that was fine. There wasn't much pink to be seen on the tree, either, the only trinkets of that shade picked out by her Pokemon who wanted to match themselves or delight their trainer. No, Alice had wanted to go for more 'Christmassy' colours like reds, greens, golds, white and silvers – although with the baubles, at least, there were blues and purples dotted around, too. Translucent plastic snowflakes and stars could also be found, a few little Piplups and cartoonish Santas and elves. The entire tree had been covered from head to foot, time taken to make sure that it wasn't bare or too busy. Kara had also had the honour of placing a yellow-golden star on the very top, a difference to the angel that her family had used for so long.

“Ahh, oh my gosh, you guys! It looks so damn good!” Snow boots crunched on the grass, hands clapped together as she hugged and high-fived the creatures around her. She pestered one of the others around to help them all take a picture in front of their hard work before the judge came around. Nani the Machop looked happy with the glitter 'make up' that she had applied all over her and the wreath-like necklace. They awaited their score, but after that, it was time to sit down and get out of the cold that the adopted bear was enjoying so much. Alice walked everyone off to one of the taverns that had been set up, admiring the wooden and homey aesthetic.

It was a bit crowded but they were able to find a table and Alice took Nani with her to help carry the tray back. The fighting type and a few others had hot chocolate, but given the human's dislike for hot drinks she had indulged in a more wintry themed cocktail instead. The Cubchoo snuggled up close, Kara still hanging about to enjoy the company while Nani and Tobin the Spinda sat at the table (the latter swaying from side to side). It was Minnie the Minncino that joined Alice in hanging up a cute red stocking, one with a Delibird head and torso on the top. Alice couldn't risk the Spinda tumbling into the fireplace and Bea disliked the heat.

“Well, we've made a good few days out of this.” The blonde said, occasionally smiling and waving at curious onlookers. Her team did tend to draw attention for their odd appearances, although sometimes people recognised her from War of the Roses or other places now, like the internet (trying to become an idol was tough). “I think it was worth the trip. We'll sleep well tonight.” Alice concluded, pressing a kiss to the ice bear's forehead; arms snug tight around the sniffling being. “I had a lot of fun and we really deserved it. So Merry Christmas everyone. Cheers!”

The glasses girl lifted her drink, those who could doing the same to clink their glasses together. Snacking, talking and drinking they took a rest from the day's festivities in the warmth, awaiting their gifts before they would wander off somewhere new.

 

Kawaii walked into the crowded square as she followed her eagerly racing pokemon. She rode atop her ponyta, which kept her warm with it's flaming mane and tail. Victoria and Rumpleteaser, a purrloin and skitty respectably, left immediately for the inside where most of the young and more impressionable pokemon were. Victoria's mind scheming on how many recruits were possible. Of course, their plans were unknown to their trainer as they crept away. The Skitty was still very young and in training. Her mistress was going to let her do her first recruitment that day.
On the exact other side of the personality spectrum, two pokemon wandered into the market alongside their trainer. One was her ever faithful Espeon, Frieghya, who was looking for a gift for her mate. A Swoobat named Nadie. They had met a little bit ago and had instantly connected psychically on another level. The other pokemon was a spoink whose bounces left circular markings in the snow.
MARKET:
The two psychic pokemon raced ahead of their trainer and into the market. Kawaii chuckled and slid off her ponyta leading her into the market by the halter. The three of them examined the stalls. Frieghya looked around and looked back worriedly at her trainer I don't know what Nadie likes. she said in her psychic speak. Her trainer giggled and caught up with the espeon who was looking at the leather necklaces. She reached down and pet her pokemon's head reassuringly "Just get him something that makes you think of him."
Frighya waved her tail happily and smiled at her trainer I will, thank you.
Porco Roso, the spoink, hopped around looking mildly interested. He wasn't searching for something in particular, but he was always looking for rare items. The psychic was an explorer through and through and treasured everything he found.
SWEET STOCKINGS:
The two feline pokemon entered the building where all the young pokemon hung out. Victoria closed her eyes, sorting out the scents swimming through the room. "hmm...it's a good thing they have eggnog and coco here. There are so many potential recruits." She purred and nodded to her trainee. Rumpleteaser wandered around the room, her nose twitching. Finally, she found a female pokemon sitting by the fire. The skitty wandered up to her and waved shyly. 'Hello there, can I get you some coco?" she murmured to the pokemon. Breathing in Rumpleteaser's scent caused the pokemon to start to be attracted to the skitty. (without using the move)
"s-sure." murmured the pokemon.
Victoria watched from affar, smirking with pride.

 

The first fallen frost fluttered flagrantly floorwards, frigid flecks floating freely through fields of fluffy fjords.
With nought but a flourish, the crowds milled and sifted, in a hurry to finish all the festivus lifting,
yet slowly tramping through the snow one would find a man, beasts in tow,
fatigue on his face and chill in the bones, they shivered in silence as the cold gripped their throes.

"Why can't winter be warm?" the man's cry was borne,
he was no fan of the freeze that never brought him much ease.
Behind him however there was no fervour
for none of his allies had the power to fry.

Well, that was a lie. A little, white lie.
The navy shark sighed, though this was in glee,
this time of year always kept Caladbolg gay,
the Garchomp ecstatic at the sights he would see.

Next to the beast, a pseudo like him, though from the first glance you'd be fooled on a whim,
for Attila was winter, in the harshest of terms. Callous and cold, with no thoughts but for growth,
she was here on strict business, to endure the weather, for to have strength on the cold would have some revere
and the Larvitar barked a challenge to nature, she had no terror of the weather or so.

Not far behind was a being of menace,
her dark fur a contrast to the Wollminster pleasance
yet Totsuka, for all her shadowness
was as lazy as Slowpoke and would make no mess.

The fourth and the fifth of the frivolous friends
were a Seadra and Swampert sauntering so smoothly
Napier in Mjolnir's grip, the pair were with Cal
more to ensure that no trouble was caused by their pal.

Last but not least, in a bit of a twist,
Alex had brought along his butler Drowzee
Vog sniffed the air, exhaling a light mist,
he didn't get out much, so there was much to see.

Entering the square, the trainer did dare
to turn to his team and gave a deep cough,
the sextet stopped quick, he was starting to get sick,
so after a moment he raised head, mouth frothed.

"We're here at Wollminster's now, but I don't feel so proud...
gimme a few minutes to find some shelter before I end up dead on a belter..."
Stumbling forwards, tired eyes caught sight of a grotto with warm glow, a serenade light
as he was drawn to the inside of the building, his ears catching the carols of children singing.

Vog valiantly ventured, vouching to veer for various reasons
as Totsuka trailed, taking ten tricky steps to topple a teen,
while Mjolnir ushered Napier in, his lack of legs a seafarer's treason
joining Cal and Attila, the three of them a team.

The human and friends sought the sweet stockings grotto, Alex pleased to be heated and no longer blotto,
he beckoned for his trio to come nearer, as a Wigglytuff hopped over with a large pot of cocoa,
all four were grateful for the generous drink as Alex did sip to avoid becoming extinct,
while the three pokemon eyed up the mantel, socks dangling and filling with treats. My, how loco.

"Gods, I needed that!" the man did chirp, as he watched his squad head for the pyre,
oblivious to their chatter, he felt they were glad to be in haven.
Vog got there first, path paven, with the seahorse and mongoose taking the latter,
the shadow mon didn't like running, and almost retired, but Napier was never one to shirk any work.

"It appears we have a stocking each," the Drowzee would then preach,
"I have faith that we should write a wish on our foot
then attach our stocking to the piece with the other ones, then retreat for some peace
while the Delibird visits and fills them, and hope for treats at a whim."

With all said and done, the tapir did jot and affixed to the fireplace his very own sock,
with only a simple request: a brand new gizmo for zest,
for he was a budding baker, and that certainly meant he was no faker.
After all, you've never been been more drawn to one of the psychic's home-baked scones.

With no fingers, the Seadra did struggle, but in the end he managed a scribble
and handed his to Vog to hang on the place, while eagerly awaiting for the right time and place.
His wish was a simple one, to become a true dragon, and just had to wait to ask while Alex finished his flagon,
hooking tail 'round the Drowzee's arm to ensure the Zangoose brought them no harm.

Speaking of which, the purple one frowned. What was the meaning of this lunacy?
She was still confused, taking a second gulp down, was Christmas not a time of taking, like a charity?
If so, then what was all this giving about? Taking into thoughts, she started to have doubts,
and would have thrown the wool sleeve to the flames, were the next sight not to blame.

A young girl had scribbled her wish, and toddled to hang sock on the bricks,
when she stumbled and tripped, wool thrown to the cinders and the fire did lick
the youth lay there stunned, her dreams scorched to ash,
and her cries were but shunned, only one sock the rules asked.

"Am I getting soft?" the furball did ponder as she started to meander and wander
to the upset child she offered her claw, the timid child fearfully reaching with her own paw.
Helping her to feet, the Zangoose gave over her very own sock with a nod at the hangover
and with her greater size pinned up the child's own wish: she wanted a Lillipup.

Totsuka was taken by surprise, the small girl's warm cuddle,
and the words she did mumble served to further bemuddle:
"You look so scary but you're as warm as Clefairy,
thankies big kitty, you're a good kitty."

It was at that moment that the Zangoose felt something she hadn't before.
Her ice cold heart, was it her or was it getting a bit warm?
Certainly not, she mused, who could befriend a monster like her
with soul of Seviper in form of Zangoose, a curse that was worn.

Pushing these thoughts aside, the shadow returned to Alex's side,
her glance from dark eyes warning friends not to let slip this side
as she lay there brooding, the ferret had much to assume:
was the time coming up to dispel this lax ruse?

Further away in the bustle of commerce, the ground types were bumbling
through the stalls and the halls, Attila was grumbling.
"Why must I be thrown with you two? You don't seem so mighty,
and it is of importance to me that I get strong fast, so spite me."

The Swampert rubbed head as the Garchomp squawked
at one merchant's stall, strewn with pretty wee baubles,
all decorative and delicate, the man watched him like a hawk
and no wonder, with those claws prodding round his marbles.

"Oooh, what about this one? No, this one!" Cal beamed,
the excitable dragon to her was a fool, it seemed,
while the muscular one was just unnerving,
Mjolnir by name, yet he was merely serving.

"Cal, how about we go find some sort of thing for the lass?
She's starting to get irritated and I can almost feel her sass..."
the Swampert advised, to the horror of the young queen.
How dare he address her as 'lass' and hit her self-esteem!?

Giving an indignant stomp, the Larvitar bolted
head aimed low to barge through the crowd
she cared not where she went, nor if she's scolded
yet as fate would have it, it was somewhere loud.

"Stop, thief!" a merchant cried, as his hands were currently tied,
a rascally puffball absconding with pearls, dodging and weaving and creating peril.
The Whimsicott tossed cotton all round, and only made a sound
when the hardened horn of Larvitar collided and smacked them afar.

"Owch! You little lout! Watch where you're running,"
the prankster barked at her, only to smirk with cunning
as he made a swift switcheroo and swapped gems for nowt
before giving a cheeky wink and catching wind, seeking a way out.

A swift rock to the face laid this plan astray, however
as the pokemon glowered and spat out, "Never.
What sort of peasant are you anyway
to rob a man of goods and run away?"

The puffball cackled and retorted with a call of "catch!"
a ball of energy flew forth, Attila's negative match,
yet she stood fearlessly, grunting at the grassy burst,
before leering at the fairy. Man, but that one hurt.

"You're outmatched, girly boulder!
Do me a favour, hand 'em over and move over!"
The Whimsicott drifted closer, another ball readied
only to be met with a sneer, head lowered and steadied.

Lobbing it forth, it smirked for surely this projectile would pound her
but to the plant's shock the orb fizzled out as some sludge splattered,
while the Larvitar's iron-hard head landed strong,
and as it hit the wall the lightweight looked up, and knew he was dead and wrong.

As the merchant finished attaching the Whimsicott to his friend's loom,
the fairy knew he'd have to provide for the locals or this was his doom,
while the grateful man nodded to the trio, "keep them as a gift."
Cursing their names, he watched the trio as their movement likened to a drift.

"See, weakness is something to be worked around.
Me, I don't like the grass either, and Cal's no friend of frost,
but we choose our fights carefully and are never bound
and that's why the two of us have never really lost."

"Attila, whether you seek knowledge or strength, both have importance
in love and life, but know when to fold them and hold them."
The Swampert's sage words were taken to heed by the youngster, through resistance,
she had to admit he was right, and was grateful for him.

"Yup! I may seem silly, but I can be serious too!
Watch out though, I'm a scary guy when the need rises!"
Caladbolg was jovial in light of this, no fool.
The Larvitar paused for a second, before taking a look at prices.

"I should apologise for going off. It is not of my stature to do so,
and if I should be honest, respect is something I wish to earn, though."
Attila replied to the pair, a lesson in humility learned,
as the snow fell on the three, she knew what she yearned.

It was no simple bauble such as the ones in bag,
nor was it a set of move discs with brown tags,
but rather the firmness of self and belief,
and with this Attila breathed a sigh of relief.

The three would shortly rejoice,
for it was at grotto that they had a choice.
Tapu Cocoa, Minccino Mocha, Clamperl Gray or Ludi Cola,
refreshments were available and free, all they had to do was say "alola."

And so it was that merry christmas eve
that Alex and friends enjoyed the winter fayre,
learning much of each other and reprieve,
so sings the sonata of silver-sleeved Swablu squatting serenely on the stairs.

 

"Well, this is new."


Liawe thought she'd eventually stop using that phrase, but it seemed apt at almost every turn on her chaotic adventure thus far. Everything was so bright and... different to how she was used to it. Both from her childhood home of Lentimas Town, and her current abode of wherever she pitched her tent. Bright, colorful, cheerful... and cold. Coldness seemed to be a recurring theme for her in recent times, what with the shenanigans in the Cloud Garden that had sent her rushing off there. But for now, it was nice to have a brief reprieve, where her only worry was this eclectic mix of oddities that was her squad. She wasn't even completely sure which batch of her menagerie she was dealing with today. At the very least it wasn't Caeda and Hope. She'd left the Skarmory and Shuppet duo in their Pokeballs while she took some of the others for a taste of the festivities. Caeda would be too busy trying to keep an eye on everyone to enjoy herself and Hope... Hope had been with her for her investigation of the Halloween festivities, she reasoned, so it was only fair to let others have a go. So at the very least, it'd be a calmer event, and with less chaos and mayhem due to the overprotective bird and the psycho ghost. Or so she thought, as unbeknownst to her Hope and Caeda had gone ahead with the rest of her group.


A mild twittering broke her from her train of thought as Carl glided down to land on her shoulder, clearly unsure of the white stuff all over every single flat surface nearby. The bird had never seen snow before, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Just like me, thought Liawe, thinking back to her first encounter with snow in the Cloud Garden, although that was under more... hostile conditions. Her little veteran Caterpie was on her other shoulder, the Bug having earned its stripes in the aforementioned situation. Liawe shook herself from that train of thought. Enough dwelling on the past.


It was by this point that she realised she'd caught up with a couple of her other squad members who had gone on ahead, as her squad tended to do. She barely had control of them. They just did what they felt like half the time while she tried to be there to keep them safe. Then again, it wasn't like Kaitlyn or Anna needed much safeguarding. The two Grass types were getting along swimmingly, with the little Petilil sat on a bench looking at the lights, snuggling with the Cottonee. It was a beautiful moment, just the two of them huddled together on the frosty bench, and Liawe didn't really want to disturb them. Unfortunately, it wasn't down to Liawe, as Hope used her Telekinesis to tip the bench forwards and pitch the girls into the snow, causing them to squeal in fright. "Hope! Stop being mean to Kait and Anna!" Liawe ordered, causing the once-cheery Shuppet to glare at her before floating over and joining the girl and her growing collection. The entire squad was out for these festivities, and Liawe didn't mind. Caeda flew overhead, and at a motion from Liawe gently glided down and landed on the girl's armguard, perching with practised ease as the trainer carried her starter into town. With a Caterpie on one shoulder, a Starly on the other and a Skarmory on her arm, she felt like a walking Pokemon stand, which was admittedly alleviated some when Carl decided to stretch his wings and fly around a bit, Hope chasing the bird around the trainer and her squad. Calem had also woken up and sloped off too, crawling down Liawe's arm and mounting Winter upon her arrival, as Anna and Kaitlyn greeted the pale Vulpix on the newcomer's arrival. And now, with all members present and accounted for... Wait, one short. Sheut was still somewhere to be found, but no sooner had Liawe wondered where the Baltoy had gotten to than she heard it making its rather graceless entry, spinning rapidly and intending to kick up a flurry of snow for effect. ...It didn't seem to have noticed the bin in the way. Sheut ended up clipping the trashcan, sending the Ground type bouncing off into the snow, before hurriedly self-righting and floating after Liawe, catching up as Hope and Carl stopped their merry little game and joined their Trainer as they entered the festivities properly, now the squad was fully present and somewhat correct.


Wandering the markets, Liawe and her squad were bombarded with a complete sensory assault. Sights, smells, sounds, even tastes from the free samples she frequented a bit too often. Eventually though, she found herself looking for something to do rather than simply wander, and began looking around for some of these promised activities. It was a bit confusing, but thankfully Liawe didn’t have to choose: Winter had already wandered into the Trim-a-Tree area, so Liawe and the rest of the menagerie followed. It seemed a relatively simple task at first- how hard could it be to decorate a tree?


She got her first taste of how difficult it’d be when it came to the tree Hope had selected. Or more accurately, uprooted and brought over via Telekinesis. Thankfully it wasn’t someone else’s for a change, but Liawe had a right hassle persuading the Ghost-type to put the tree back where it came from before it died. Then came the task of actually decorating it. Sheut and Caeda met them at the tree, having appropriated some of the free decorations on offer. Where from, Liawe didn’t dare ask. Quite quickly it became clear that most of the Pokemon had little clue as to what the blazing fuck they were doing in the slightest. Within minutes there were ornaments strewn throughout the snow, tinsel draped haphazardly around the tree, snow on most branches, Anna wedged on top of the tree somehow (Liawe suspected as the result of one of Hope’s ‘pranks’) and Calem dangling off one of the branches, having taken a fancy to the needle-like pine leaves. “...I can’t leave you guys to it, can I?” Liawe laughed, as she began throwing out orders to have Hope and Sheut fix the tinsel, while Caeda freed Anna and Carl picked up the spare ornaments from the snow, passing them to Kaitlyn and Winter to put on the tree, as Liawe herself engaged Calem to try and extricate the diminutive Caterpie from the tree. “We’ll get food later, ok? Something probably a bit nicer than needle-leaves.” Calem was clearly having a bit of a strop over this, as he apparently thought the leaves were perfectly fine for a meal, but eventually he relented and climbed onto Liawe’s shoulder, where he promptly fell asleep. With that calamity settled for now, Liawe returned to the task at hand, dislodged Anna from the branches once again and lifted Winter up for some artistic Powder Snow on the branches, interspersed with the tinsel and ornaments to give a truly authentic Christmas feel. The squad was stood back, observing the masterpiece, and it wasn’t long before Liawe joined them on a bench that conveniently appeared from somewhere. It had in fact been ‘borrowed’ from elsewhere by Hope and Sheut, but Liawe didn’t need to know they’d stolen a bench. And besides, they’d probably return it if they remembered to. Liawe finished her sketch of the team around their masterpiece and packed it away, before Anna and Kaitlyn jumped on her and looked at her pleadingly. She was confused, until she received a snowball or five to the back of the head from Hope and Sheut. “Something tells me you’re all hungry?” Liawe enquired, to the predictable response of vigorous nodding from her assorted squad. “Well then, come on! Let’s go grab some food from the market. We can probably be back before they judge this anyway.” This plan was vocally agreed upon by her collective, and so it was that Liawe and company ended up heading to the Snacky Stalls in search of their dinner.


And so it was that the motley array of Pokemon led their Trainer to the equally as eclectic Snacky Stalls.With such an assortment of food on offer, even Hope was impressed by the cacophony of light, sound and smell. Some of the squad dispersed, trying to find what they’d like, with others deciding to stay close, especially Kaitlyn who was panicking and had grabbed Liawe’s leg. It was an interesting search to say the least, and it wasn’t long before the food was obtained for each of them, much to the relief of Liawe (and to the agony of her wallet). Winter was the first to settle on her choice, the Ice type feasting on a small bowl of dumplings, while Calem managed to obtain the lettuce from Hope’s burger, after a bit of a struggle. Carl settled for a small portion of seeded breads, while Caeda elected to devour a kebab of likely dubious origins, as was customary for kebabs. Sheut had a slightly harder time, the statue being all of a spin with the options, but in the end it plumped for a curry, resulting in the Psychic type sitting downwind of the others. As for Anna and Kaitlyn, the inseparable Grass types were sat together, a slight distance away, looking at the stars as they shared a portion of poutine together. It warmed Liawe’s heart to see the two of them getting along so happily. Especially the way they shared the last chip between them… She smiled. ‘Friends’ hardly covered it with those two, she thought, as she and the rest of her squad packed up to move back to the trees in time for the judgings, with Kaitlyn and Anna being alerted to the fact by another volley of psychically-launched snowballs from Sheut and Hope, prompting Liawe to carry the sodden Grass types for the rest of the journey. The day had been totally worth it though, regardless of the shenanigans. Or perhaps because of them?

 

"Drudd drudd!"

There in front of one of the confection stands stood a large Druddigon, holding out a Rare Bone in the direction of the bucket of caramel, and as he continued grunting and making a downward motion with the artifact, the chef there had no clue what to make of the entire situation. He figured out that the earnest cave dragon wanted it dipped in the caramel, but why? Did he not realize the value of the bone he was holding? Did he even think it was anything other than something to stick in his mouth and chew on? Why was a Druddigon even in front of his stand in the first place? There were so many questions in his mind, but he soon decided it was better to give in to the strange Pokemon's request than risk his ire, so he carefully grasped the bone, not once thinking about switching it with an apple on a stick, dipped it in the salty, brown liquid about 2/3 of the way down, then handed it back over, at which the Druddigon gave a happy grunt before walking off with the sticky...uh, stick.

Caramelized bone in hand, Sarkhan went back to Wendy and said, "Here you go~" before handing her bone back. "Oh haha, I didn't want it for me, silly!" Wendy laughed. "We've got someone else here who I bet would love more than a few licks of it~" She, of course, was staring at her new daughter, Kima, as she was saying this. Without another word, he offered the item to Kima. "Really~? I can borrow it??"
"You're not just borrowing it, you can keep it if you want!" said the mother Salamence. "Think of it as a gift, your first ever gift from your proud mother and father!"
The younger Druddigon's jaw dropped out of excitement. "Really, you mean it!? Aaaaa, thank you so much~" she squeaked before hugging her parents around their necks.
"No problem, kid~" said Sarkhan. "Merry Christmas, that's what the humans say!"

Once Kima grabbed the bone, she immediately gave it a long lick to get as much caramel as she could on her tongue, then shoved the caramel end in her mouth and started suckling on it. While that was happening, the dragon family could hear coming from the caramel man, "No, no, no!! I draw the line at dead Emolga! Besides, it's already covered in chocolate, you probably went to that chocolate chef first, didn't you? Now off with you, Seviper, and take your...food, with you!"

**********

Meanwhile, other Pokemon were indoors, one of them being a Zangoose who was looking around holding a strange purple orb. Soon enough, he saw what he was looking for: a tiny Ralts who was busy sipping some nice, warm Tapu Cocoa his mother gave him before she went to another room with her trainer to get some more hot drinks for the others. With a smirk, Rengar walked up to the baby and said, "Hey kid, I've got a present for you."

"Huh? Me?" I asked. I had seen him around sometimes, but he was one of my teammates that just ignored my presence. "Yeah, sure, your mom thought this would be a great present for you, so go ahead, take it-MMMPH!!"
"Hey Brian, watch this!!" the Blaziken named Vi approached, shoving Rengar's face into the floor before taking what looked like a mug of some mysterious drink, chugging it down before looking off to the side, saying, "Wait for it..." After a few seconds, she expelled what looked like a normal Flamethrower, but it smelled differently, I could tell, and the way she did it sounded differently too. She was then able to do it two more times, though they were both weaker than the first. "What do you think, pretty cool, huh? All because of what I was just drinking: it's called Fiery Fizzybrew Beer, and most Fire Pokemon can't handle it, but I sure can! Just don't ask for a sip, I don't want to get in trouble with your mom for giving you something you're too young for! Now if you'll excuse us~"

Vi then dragged Rengar where I couldn't see them...where no one else could see them, actually, before slamming him against the wall of the small room and holding him there. "All right, what kind of sick prank did you think you were gonna pull there?" she asked harshly. "Heh, all I wanted to do was give somethin' of mine to one of the new kids, nothin' to get worked up over!"
"Grrrr, you know what your stupid ball could do to someone fragile like Brian; you were trying to kill him!! Why do that!?" She then grasped his neck with her talons. "Answer me!!"
As the Zangoose struggled for a breath, he spoke as best he could: "What, my Toxic Orb? Nah...kid like that wouldn't die...he'd just get sick for weeks until they figured it out, that's all!" Instantly, a Fire Punch was dealt right to his face before he was thrown back to the ground before his neck was grabbed again. "Next time you pull a stunt like that, I'll take the pulp I beat you into and feed it to the Seviper myself," came the Blaziken's threat.
"Tch...why do you...care so much?" he asked with a much less snarky tone. "All those times you've bailed me out from those asps...stoppin' me from doin' stuff that'll make that...human regret holding onto me all these years...no one else has stuck their neck out for me...no one's come close to what you've done. My turn to ask you why...why not let me get what I deserve? Why won't you let me just...just go away!?" Vi raised her fist at him and ignited it again. "...Well? Go ahead...you've got me right where you want me...I'm done fighting...you can end it all right now...you can end me, and you can save your precious trainer the headache!"

A long few seconds pass before the flames in Vi's fist die down, and she lowers it ever so slightly. "Can't do it, can you?" Rengar spat, still weakened from the blows he had been getting but gaining in resolve once he saw he wasn't in mortal danger. "What, your Fighting-type blood keepin' you from beatin' up someone who won't fight back? Or maybe you're finally gonna give up and stay out of my way, let me implode on myself the way I want to-"

"SHUT UP!!"

And with that, her fist opened up to expose her palm which swiftly smote against his face, her claws Slashing his cheek afterward leaving straight cuts that added to his streaks of red fur. Next, she lifted him up by the collar, her talons still clutching him by the front of his neck. Her spare hand touched his cheek once again, though...softer this time. She held his cheek more tenderly, allowing him to feel the warmth of her other hand that was gained by igniting it earlier. "If you really want to know why," she whispered to him, "look at what we're under."

Slowly, Rengar cast his gaze toward the ceiling, and he recognized the single decoration in view was a plant known to the humans as mistletoe. That was the last look he got before Vi's hand moved to the back of his head and his muzzle was shoved straight into her beak and she closed her beak tightly around his. Initially, he tried to pull away after having suddenly been bitten by the Blaziken, but he was in no position to escape. Fortunately, he realized she wasn't trying to rip his mouth off, and his breathing started to calm down, and once that happened she loosened her beak a little bit but only to move it around. He couldn't explain why, but the way her beak rasped and scraped against his skin started to...to feel good, and it was that moment where she finally let go of his mouth. He was speechless for quite a while after that, and even then, he could only utter, "...Why me?"

Vi's beak touched Rengar's sensitive nose before she said, "Someone needed to keep you in line...and that someone might as well be a someone who loves you. Someone needed to be your friend, your guide, your...your family. I could tell from the time I first saw you...you had none of that...you've never had any of that, have you?"

He didn't say anything, his expression said it all for him. Looking back, he wasn't always at the top; even when he hatched, he had no one to care for him, no parents, nothing. He was a pathetic, cowardly crybaby who would rather run away from everything, even natural prey items for Zangoose, and only when he was cornered by none other than a Seviper did something finally snap inside him. He gave in to the instincts inside him, and he was rewarded with his first kill, his first real meal...he savored it, took his time, licked the bones clean. That was when he finally had a taste for blood, for power over the other creatures of the forest. His proudest moment was sitting on that throne of his for the first time, the previous owner, a Scyther, lying dead at his feet. He earned that throne, his place at the top of the food chain, and he did it all by himself. None would see him as some stupid crybaby, he ate well from the corpses of those who dared to remind him of those times...

Then he showed up. Other humans had come with their Pokemon and challenged him, and all had failed. He had the most fun torturing that dumb kid with the Milotic, who he could tell wasn't even the Pokemon's proper owner, before taking the Toxic Orb from him as a trophy. But the kid after that? He was something else entirely. Not only did he bring him down, he used none other than a Seviper to do it, but no, that wasn't enough to humiliate him. Next thing he knew, he was inside the ultimate insult a human could ever give to a powerful Pokemon like him: a Pokeball. And it was done when he was unconscious, when he couldn't fight against it. How dare he! Stripping him of his territory, his infamy, his reputation...and worst of all putting him on the same team as the same Seviper who beat him, who was essentially given license to reduce him into a mere plaything. And the others weren't much better either. They either completely hated him for what he did to their friends, like Laika, or had heard about him and just generally distrusted him. All of this together caused him to hate them back, to hate the boy named Hyrem for making him nothing again.

Vi was different from everyone else. That silly Combusken who was the first to approach him and not scold him for something, the only one who put herself in harm's way for him, the one person who actively tried to dissuade him from going through with his plots not just because she cared about her trainer but because she cared about him as well. As he thought about her more and more, he looked right at her face, her eyes as a Blaziken still showing that same care for him that she had as a Combusken, and he realized it was time to admit something he had never admitted before, not even to himself...

"All right, everyone! I got us some nice stuff, so gather around!" came the voice of Hyrem in the main room. Vi gently set the Zangoose down, a blush on her face as she said, "You don't have to tell me, I already know. Once we're done out there though, let's come back here so you get the chance to show me, kay~?" His own face turning a bright red to further complement the shock of fur as well as the cuts on his cheek, Rengar could only chuckle before nodding as she headed back to the others, her feet clacking against the hard wood floor, and he followed her back to where Hyrem was, along with Sera, Ulysses, and Brian (oh wait, that's me!). Who knows, maybe he'll actually get some gifts this time around, but even if he didn't he already got the best Christmas present he had even gotten; nothing could possibly top it, only add on to the best night he has had in years.

 

"It's the most wonderful time of the year."
It's a statement repeated with cheer.
But for one lonesome youth,
t'was far from the truth,
for she had neither family nor peer.

Haawi was a bird with a goal,
to give gifts while the silver bells toll.
But with each passing hour,
her companion grew sour,
as if they were giving out coal.

Ō'pio had no seasonal joy.
The festivities served to annoy.
A massive Kangaskan,
with incredible brawn,
violence she preferred to employ.

The children awaited Delibird,
the sounds of webbed footsteps were heard.
When Haawi walked into the room,
it dispelled all the gloom;
the excitement was nearly absurd.

One by one the stockings were stuffed.
In the corner Ō'pio just huffed.
Kids and Pokémon alike,
faces merry and bright,
had no time for the surly and gruff.

Haawi was the star of the show.
Who cared about lame Ō'pio?
Yet somewhere in here,
amongst the holiday cheer,
was a gift only she could bestow.

The little one had no one this day,
though she continued to frolic and play,
But the sight of broad horns,
like those with which she was born,
from the games it did cause her to stray.

Ō'pio at first didn't see,
for she rose to only her knee.
When 'Kanga!' she cried,
Ō'pio finally spied,
an infant quite tiny and wee.

"...where's your mother?" Ō'pio asked.
To tend to her young was her task.
The little one's reply,
was to blot a wet eye,
and try to maintain a tough mask.

"I'll never see mama again,"
was the tale the wee one did spin.
With a watery gaze,
she talked of the old days,
and the last time she ever saw kin.

She hailed from the land of Kanto,
born in the Safari Zone.
Paying with cash and coin,
a game trainers would join,
off to catch what they could, they would go.

A trainer with red hat and vest,
took upon himself this conquest,
The fee was quite steep,
but what he caught he could keep,
so he combed through the grass without rest.

Mother and child he came across,
first with bait and then rocks he'd accost.
From her pouch baby fell,
"Run away!" Mama yelled.
As the boy grabbed a ball to be tossed.

In red light Mama disappeared,
from the bushes the lost baby peered,
As it shook thrice, then -- click!
The boy felt rather slick,
and, seizing the ball, he then cheered.

It was a sad tale for Ō'pio to hear,
Her eyes sad as the infant grew near,
As Haawi passed out the toys,
to good girls and boys,
Ō'pio blinked back a tear.

"My mother I never knew,
Under the care of a trainer I grew."
Ō'pio explained to the child,
that life with Tate could be wild,
But if she wanted, she could come too.

The little one's face grew quite bright.
Would she find a family tonight?!
Ō'pio bent with a crouch;
the baby crawled into her pouch;
and they both found that she fit just right.

When Haawi finished her rounds finally,
Ō'pio was not in the vicinity.
She wandered outside,
and what did she find?
Ō'pio, content as could be.

She wandered through the market stalls,
poking at gems, rocks, and balls.
She'd show some to the child,
with a demeanor quite mild,
the pair of them truly enthralled.

Haawi wark'd as she caught up to them,
the evening light now growing dim.
She asked what was new,
and was shocked to find two!
While carolers sang out a hymn.

Ō'pio relayed the young one's sad tale,
and Haawi decided it was just as well.
To give was the aim
of this season's fame,
and a home was a present most swell.

OOC: If it isn't clear, Ō'pio the Kangaskan and Haawi the Delibird are visiting Sweet Stockings and Merchant's Market.


​

 

"Just look at everything! It's all so wonderful!" Anna exclaimed as she made her way down the snowy streets of the Wollminister's Winter Market.
Each sight was an amazement to the young trainer, and it wasn't long before she became completely distracted with something new that had caught her eye.
Accompanying Anna during this festive time was her friend, Robin, along with Benny the Snover, and Hazel the Jolteon.

"It does look pretty interesting." Robin replied, though the younger girl didn't appear to be nearly as invested in the experience.
"Yeah..." Hazel murmured, taking care to stay close to his trainer's leg as he glanced at the various stalls set up.

Benny said nothing at all, instead following quietly behind as Anna continued to look around with curiosity.
But as the minutes passed by, Anna still hadn't made any kind of decision. Just continued glances around her as she continued to march through the snow.

"Maybe we should actually stop somewhere?" Robin suggested, before letting out a light chuckle.

"Yeah yeah, I know. It's just so hard to decide." Anna replied. "Even the biggest festivals back home were never even close to this size. It just feels....overwhelming..."

"I get it. I was just teasing." Robin explained as the group slowly returned to their sight seeing.

But with her friend's words hanging heavily on her mind, it didn't take long for Anna to come to a decision. Thankful that they had finally found a place, the rest of the group gave no resistance as the older trainer guided them to their destination.

The area seemed to be filled with all sorts of art, from statues to portraits with various themes.
One painting that stood out in particular to Robin was a simple one. Detailed was a snowy landscape, with several Pikachu running through the white powder.

Meanwhile, Anna had become completely enthralled by a statue of a strange Pokemon, in the shape of an "L".

"Robin, check this one out." Anna said, grabbing her friend's attention away from the beautiful painting.

"Apparently this is some sort of Pokemon, one that was sighted on an island in the Kanto region." Anna explained, reading the plaque below the sculpture.

"Even now, many call into question if the Pokemon even exists, or if it's just a myth." Anna finished.

Robin couldn't help but smile as she recognized the statue. Another one of her friends had taught her about the strange Pokemon...MissingNo., was it?

But before she could say anything about it, Anna had already seemed to move on, this time a wood carving had grabbed her attention.

With their trainers busy, Hazel and Benny took the chance to enjoy the art for themselves.
Though Hazel was initially hesitant of the Snover, the Jolteon soon found his rather calm demeanor strangely comforting.

"Oh, I know that place!" Benny exclaimed, locking eyes with a large painting. Interested in just what the Snover's outburst was about, Hazel followed, soon finding himself in front of the snowy landscape the artwork depicted.

"W-what was that about?" Hazel questioned, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"I'm sorry, it's just....I know this place." Benny replied as he continued to study the snowy mountain.

"You see....before I met Anna, I was the leader of a pack of Snover. We used to live not to far from what this painting shows. On Yukinooh mountain." The Snover explained.

"I see..." Hazel murmured, before tilting his head in confusion. "So what made you leave?"

"It wasn't by choice." Benny replied. "One day...I got seperated from the group, I was completely lost. That's actually how I met Anna. I'm not proud of it, but on occasion, my anger gets the best of me, and I go into a rage. This was one of those times." The Snover continued.

"It wasn't until after Anna calmed me down, that I weighed my options out. Considering I didn't even know where I was, I decided to travel with Anna instead....at least until I find my old group."

"Wow. I-I'm sorry to hear that." Hazel muttered.

"It's ok, it isn't your fault." Benny said, giving his head a light shake.

"I'd be lying if I said I don't miss my group...but if I never got lost, I would never have met Anna, Leif...or even you and Robin. I think that would also have been an unfortunate thing to have missed out on."

"Benny, Hazel! Come over here!" Anna's voice called out, drawing the two's attention away from their conversation.

"Looks like she may have found something." Benny said, before making his way to where he had heard his trainer, Hazel following closely behind.
----
Upon reaching Anna, the two Pokemon looked rather confused. Benny's trainer seemed to be digging through a large crate, filled to the brim with all sorts of costumes.

"W-what are we doing now?" Hazel questioned, once he had noticed his trainer off on the sidelines.

"Apparently they're holding a show here, and guests are welcome." Robin explained. "So Anna's seeing if she can find a costume so she can participate."

"Not just me! You should join in as well!" Anna exclaimed, her attention removed from her search for a few moments.

"I...I don't think that's a great idea." Robin replied, looking rather nervous at just the thought of participating.

"Oh come on! It's be fun! Besides, I think I've found just the costume for you." Anna said, before pulling out to articles of clothing. The first was a classic santa hat, complete with a white pom-pom at the end. The other, was a red christmas dress, with white fluff decorating the bottom.

"Y-you want me to wear that?" The younger trainer stammered, her face flushed red.

"Why not? I think you'd look rather pretty in it." Anna smiled.

Robin had no words to reply to her friend's comment, but her face grew even more red then before, almost the same shade as a tomato by now.

Hazel was unsure if he should laugh, or try and help his trainer, who was becoming more and more flustered by the second. But it seemed that the Jolteon was taking much too long to decided, for it was Benny who spoke up next.

"If it'll help miss Robin, I'd be happy to join in." The Snover said.

"M-me too. If it'll help." Hazel added, though he too, was rather unsure of the idea.

Once Benny had translated the Jolteon's words to Anna, the older girl smiled brightly.

"Of course! We can all work together to create the best show ever!" Anna exclaimed

"O-ok. I'll do it." Robin said, letting out a small sigh. It wasn't like she had much choice at this point.

"Yay! I knew you'd do it!" Anna cheered, before handing the costume off to her friend.

With costume in hand, Robin glanced around, before finally spotting some change rooms nearby. As she left, the remaining three continued to search for the rest of their costumes, wondering just what they would find.
----
Exiting the change room, Robin began to search for the rest of the group. Her face was still totally red, still clearly embarrassed by the outfit she was now wearing.

"Robin, over here!" Anna's voice called out, alerting the younger girl to the group's presence.
Much to her astonishment, Anna and the others were already wearing their costumes....and they looked great!

How did they change so fast? Or was I just really slow? Robin couldn't help but worry as she approached the others.

"See? I told you you'd look pretty in that." Anna smiled, causing her friend to nearly melt on the spot.

"T-thank you." Robin managed to get out, before observing everyone else's costumes in closer detail.

Hazel was wearing Stantler antlers on his head, with a big red nose. On his feet appeared to be shes made to loom like hooves.

Benny was probably the least dressed up of the bunch, though that wasn't to say that his costume was bad. The Ice type had a black top hat on his head, and a carrot nose as well!

Compared to the others, Anna's costume was definitely the wackiest. In place of her usual straw hat, the older girl was wearing a mostly white toque, with a Snover pattern on the front. She was also sporting a rather ugly sweater, and some black dress pants. Around her neck some red tinsel was draped.

"What do you think? Pretty great right?" Anna asked.

"Yeah..it's certainly interesting." Robin replied, giving her friend a light smile.

"Awesome, then let's discuss our game plan." The older trainer said. "It won't be long until we take the stage."

Receiving a nod from Benny and Hazel, the three began to dive into just what sort of performance they wanted to put on. Listening to the others, Robin let out a light sigh, before jumping into the conversation. Just what had she gotten herself into?
----
"Alright, we're up. Let's go." Anna said, nearly pushing her friend as the group made their way on stage.
Looking out at the audience, Robin's heart began to race. For such an event, there was a surprising amount of people watching!

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Anna and Robin's magic show, where we'll display the full talents of our Pokemon." Anna began.

"This is my partner Benny, one of the talented Pokemon on our show today." The older girl continued.
At his introduction, the Snover waved to the crowd, earning him a cheer or two from the audience.

"A-and this is my partner Hazel, another one of our talented Pokemon." Robin added, though she feared she had spoken a bit too quickly.
Once he had been introduced, Hazel let out a rather cute cry, earning him even more favor from the crowd then Benny!

But now with introductions done, it was time for the show to begin! The act started out as a complete blur to Robin, but much to her surprise, the younger girl found herself enjoying the show as she continued to perform.

It helped that the audience didn't boo them off, much like she had feared. Instead, the audience seemed to enjoy the small show! They didn't even seem to mind when Robin had stumbled over her words, or when a stray Pin Missile had struck Benny in the face! Before anyone knew it, the show was almost over!

"Alright, now it's time for the final act!" Anna exclaimed to the crowd, before turning to her friend.

"Robin, if you please."

"Right." The Electric type specialist nodded, before turning to Hazel.

"Ok Hazel, launch your Swift attack into the air!" Robin called to the Jolteon.

"Benny, I want you to use Razor Leaf!" Anna ordered.

Each Pokemon gave their trainer's a nod, before they started to prepare their attacks!

Hazel was the first one ready, and the Jolteon wasted no time in firing a large amount of golden stars from his spiked fur, and high into the air!

Benny wasn't too far behind, and with a cry, the Snover sent out a wave of sharp leaves spinning towards the golden stars!

Upon making contact with one another, each projectile exploded, sending harmless, tiny stars raining down onto the stage!

With the show now over, the group of four gave their audience a bow as the remaining stars fell in front of them. Though she had originally been against the idea, Robin had to admit that the sound of applause from the audience was enough to raise her spirits considerably.
----
"And done!" Anna exclaimed, admiring her work with pride as it hung on the fireplace. It wasn't the greatest of stockings, but the older girl couldn't help but smile at it. With Leif the Sewaddle's help, Anna had managed to pull both her name, as well as Robin's onto the top of the red sock.

"It looks great." Robin replied, before taking a sip of her hot Tapu Cocoa. Sure, the words were nearly eligible, and the silk used would probably fall off rather quickly, but it was the thought that counts right?

Glancing around the room, Anna spotted Benny and Leif, along with all of Robin's Pokemon, conversing a sort distance away.

With the younger girl now all to herself scooted over beside her, watching as the fire in the fire place continued to crackle.

"So, what are your plans for Christmas?" Anna asked, before taking a sip from her own hot Tapu Cocoa.

"I.....I haven't really thought about it, as strange as that sounds." Robin replied.

"You don't have any family to see...or at least send something to?" Anna asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

"No." The Electric type specialist said, a small frown on her face.
"They um...all kind of disowned me." She added. It was a technically a lie, but Anna didn't need to know the truth. Besides, if any of her family knew about her condition now...they would disown her, no questions asked.

"That's a shame." Anna murmured. "For what it's worth, my mother kind of disowned me too...so I guess we have that in common."

In response, Robin simply nodded. She was very curious on just why Anna's mother had disowned her, no doubt. But she knew better then most not to pry into people's private information.

"Hey I know, how about you hang out with my family for Christmas?" Anna suggested, a large grin on her face.

"What? Anna...I-I can't do that..." Robin murmured.

"Why not? I know my dad will be all for it. And Lukas....well, don't mind him." Anna said.
"Besides...if it means anything to you....I know it'd make my Christmas to have you stay." The older trainer added, blushing slightly as the words left her mouth.

"W-well ok then. I-If you want me to." Robin stammered, her face also flushed slightly.

The two trainer's then turned their attention back to the crackling fire, soaking in the warmth and comfort as the seconds ticked by.

Rather sleepy from their busy day, Robin began to rest her head on Anna's shoulder, something that the older girl didn't object to.

"Thank you by the way." Robin finally spoke up, before letting out a small yawn.

Hearing her friends words, Anna couldn't help but smile once again.

"No problem. I'm just happy to help."

 

Something gold caught Eclair's eye. With a quick look over her shoulder to check that her trainer was not watching, the Mawile snatched up the treasure and turned it in her hands to admire it. The golden orb sparkled in the light. She helped herself to another, this one a deep red with swirls of glitter. Taking a few more couldn't hurt. There were lots of people around, but no one seemed to be watching this particular box of shiny goods.

"Eclair? Where did you go?" Called Athena. The trainer had been lagging behind a bit, concerned with taking pictures of the market lit up with Christmas lights. She glanced through a row of fir trees, trying to spot where her Mawile had run off to. The Scraggy perched on her shoulder scrambled down to the ground and after hitching up the shed skin around his legs, assisted in the search. "Eclair!" Athena gasped, her voice going up an octave with shock and anger. She had found her, Eclair was attempting to hide between the trees with an armful of ornaments and tinsel. She looked like a christmas tree herself with the amount of decorations hanging off her arms and the mouth on the back of her head. "Put them back." Athena demanded. With a sheepish smile, Eclair trudged back to the box she had found the ornaments and put them back in the box one by one. Athena looked around for someone to apologize to, spotting a man who looked to be overseeing the grove of trees.
"I'm so sorry about that, when she sees something she wants she usually just takes it..." Athena explained with a sigh. The man laughed, which quickly turned into a hacking cough and back into a laugh again.
"Miss, they're free! Help yourself to any of the ornaments and please decorate one of our trees here!" He gave Athena a friendly pat on the shoulder. Athena, who was too surprised and embarassed to say anything, looked over at Eclair. The Mawile was giggling and snatching up decorations once more. Monte joined in, grabbing ornaments and excitedly running over to a tree. Athena bent down to look in a box, finding it to be filled with knitted ornaments of popular Pokemon. She picked out a Pikachu, Eevee, and Minccino, cooing over their cute beady eyes and fluffiness.

"Ok, let's decorate!" Athena said cheerifully. Eclair and Monte had picked out a tree that came up to about Athena's waist. She giggled at their choice, but was glad that they didn't have to figure out how to decorate a full size tree. The Mawile and Scraggy had already wrapped a length of golden tinsel around the tree and placed a few sparkling ornaments. Athena dug in her bag for a moment and brought out three Pokeballs. In a flash of light, her other Pokemon appeared. Her Stufful, Mille, attempted to pick up a glass ornament in her paws but ended up crushing it. Athena quickly pulled her up off the ground before she was hurt by the shards. Mille flailed, wanting to be put down. In a panic Athena put her back down, worried she would be the next one shattered. Palmier the Litwick was being taught how to hang ornaments by Monte. Together they placed a heart shaped one on a rather high bough. Athena excitedly snapped a picture on her phone. Choux had located a string of popcorn and cranberries, and the Snubbull was happily eating chewing on it while he watched the other Pokemon. Athena took a moment to step back and watch. It was hard to believe it was the end of the year already. She looked over the little team she had built up and felt her heart soar. Maybe they hadn't gone through as much or fought as hard as some other trainers and their Pokemon, but she was proud of them. The five Pokemon finished up the tree. Unable to locate a star, Eclair had placed the initial golden ornament she had found on the very top. The tree wasn't incredibly well organized. Some boughs had five or six ornaments where others had none. Several ornaments hung broken on the tree due to Mille's inability to let anyone help her pick up the fragile glass ones. After taking several pictures(and posting the best to Instagram), Athena declared the task finished and recalled all her Pokemon but Eclair.

"Sorry for yelling at you..." She knelt down next to the Mawile. Eclair made a grumpy face. Sure, she had a tendency to nab things, but she did think Athena made too much of a deal of it. "Can I buy you something nice to make up for it?" Eclair perked up at the suggestion, then nodded furiously. Athena offered her hand to the Mawile, who instead jumped up into her arms. Although she was a little bit heavy, Athena didn't mind carrying her as they walked up and down the row of storefronts. Shopkeepers called out to the pair, advertising Christmas specials and last minute deals. They wandered past booths with scarves, handmade bags, toys, and poffins, but Eclair did not make any indication of wanting anything in particular. Even an extensive table of jewelry imported from Sinnoh did not catch her eye.

It was getting late. Several stalls were packing up which limited what Eclair could choose from. The pair looked at each other with the worry that they wouldn't find anything before the market closed. Toward the end of the lane they were in was a pair of girls about Athena's age offering a gift wrapping service. There was a short line of impatient folks with purchases from the day in hand. Athena was about to turn around and head back the way they came when Eclair suddenly pointed.
"Wile!" She jumped from her trainers arms and cut the several people in line to get to the table. Athena was about to scold her but held back to see what she was trying to do. The two girls at the table giggled as Eclair tried to reach something on the table. The people in the line didn't even seem to mind that they had been cut in front of. Athena apologized to the other patrons and joined Eclair at the table, who had grabbed hold of one of the rolls of ribbon on the table. She held it up to Athena proudly.
"This is what you want...?" Athena took it from her hand and held it up to get a closer look. It was just a thick, fabric ribbon, but it was a light purple and rather shimmery. It matched the one Athena typically wore in her hair when it wasn't covered by her winter hat. Eclair smiled and took the spool back, then started pulling a length of it out before handing it at one of the girls at the table. The Mawile made a cutting motion with her hand and pointed to the pair of scissors the girl was holding. Somehow the gift wrapper understood and cut the ribbon for Eclair, then wrapped it in a nice bow around the horn on the back of head. Eclair blinked a few times and posed with the new accessory. Athena scooped her Pokemon up into a hug and the two of them laughed.
"Merry Christmas Eclair!"

"Oh...how much for the ribbon?"