This story is dedicated to KotorThePlayerVII and Swack16. Think of it as a christmas present for reading my stories, Swack for reviewing them like there's no tomorrow, and Kotor for thinking they're good enough to parody. This takes place about five months after The Guardian Father.
I know a track that works nicely with this story, and a link is on my profile in the media section. It's not essential and there may be some issues with it, but it enhances the reading experiance.
Lateral Ganon.
# # # Story Specific Notes # # #
Italics are Ganon's thoughts/ telepathy.
# # # at the start and end of a line indicates music in the background.
You may notice another link to the media section on my profile. ;-)
I apologize to blondes, but the stereotype was too funny to miss out on.
Ganon was dashing through the snowy streets of Oapert City. Both he and Laura had arrived the week before to spend Christmas together again, after the several years they had been forced apart due to rather unavoidable circumstances. However the time had clearly taken its toll on Ganon, because he'd completely forgotten that it was customary to exchange gifts on the twenty-fifth day. Today was the twenty-fourth, and the watch on his wrist told him it was already ten in the evening. Two hours left.
Come on! There has to be something somewhere. I need to get her something!
Ganon bustled past several people carrying veritable mountains of coloured boxes around.
Show-offs! He mentally yelled at them. The two men jumped in surprise, the piles in their arms collapsing. Ganon slithered past under the shower of boxes, before continuing along the road. He noticed he wasn't the only male that was dashing around frantically, but his lack of concentration caused him to collide into another man that was dashing around, causing them both to crash to the ground. Ganon rubbed his head and looked at the stranger who had crashed into him. The boy was wearing a red and white striped jumper, and black trousers. It took Ganon a second to recognise the brown hair combed into a curtain cut as Ross, the gondolier from Altomare.
"Ross?! What the hell are you doing so far from Altomare?" Ganon asked him. Ross looked up at the silver haired boy addressing him.
"Ganon? What are you doing here?" Ross asked.
"Going for a walk. What about you?" Ganon said calmly, although Ross could tell it was a lie.
"Well I'm here to get a present for Misty. The department store here was the only one I've seen adverts for."
"Doesn't she have her eye on Ash?"
"Didn't you hear? Misty broke up with him a while ago to run the Cerulean Gym." Ross announced, rather pleased at the outcome. Ganon stared at him in shock for a while, before jumping into the air, ecstatic.
"Finally! He's rid of that loser!"
"She's not a loser. She's really sweet."
"Ross, deal with it. She's a toad. A ginger toad at that." Ganon said grinning. Ross folded his arms smugly.
"Well it looks to me like you're in a hurry yourself. Shame I can't tell you a major tip for finding a good present for a girl…" Ross teased. Ganon slumped forwards, his jaw dropping open in shock.
"What did you get?" Ganon asked. Ross looked triumphant and pulled a sparkling blue stone out of a velvet bag.
"Water stone. She'll love it." He said, watching the mineral glintin the light of the streetlamps.
"Yeah, but my girl isn't a nutter that spends all her time talking into ponds. Any helpful advice?" Ganon said. Even Ross struggled trying not to laugh.
"Okay then. From my experience, women do not consider the following to be gifts: diet books, cooking utensils-"
"But she likes pans. They make a nice sound when she hits someone with them." Ganon interupted. Ross gave him a strange look before continuing.
"Cleaning products, or anything from the Pound Shop. Look for the true spirit of Christmas. Just not pans. By the sounds of it, it's not something you should encourage. Nice trenchcoat by the way." Ross finished. Ganon nodded his thanks before running back through the road towards the department store. He jostled his way through a crowd of people moving through the atrium for a general inquiries desk. He looked at the elderly clerk trying to answer about twenty questions at once, and turned around, looking for another one. He spotted only one counter that was unoccupied.
Refunds. Empty today, overrun tomorrow.
Ganon walked over to the blonde woman behind the counter who was working on a Christmas crossword in a small newspaper, apparently deep in thought.
"Excuse me, but where-"
"One condition. What's the answer to fifteen down?" Ganon leaned over to look at the paper to read the clue.
Five words. Man who dresses in red and white, who delivers presents to children on the night of Christmas Eve. Rhymes with Fanta. You have to be a genius obviously.
"Ooh. This is hard isn't it?" Ganon said derisively. The Clerk didn't notice the sarcasm, and nodded. Ganon groaned, and the clerk looked up. He was fed up playing the game of tolerance.
"Oh! Something's coming to me now… I think… Santa! Does that work?" Ganon said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, again oblivious to her. The clerk looked over the crossword again, a smile slowly working across her face.
"By gum! I think you're right!" She filled in the relevant squares, "Oh my! A new record! I've got a word! Now, what do you need help with?" She asked calmly.
"Where is the true spirit of Christmas?" Ganon asked. The Blonde smiled and pointed at a lift.
"Bloomingdales, Ladies Apparel, third floor." She said, smirking.
How the hell am I supposed to know her underwear size? How do you even get underwear for a Latias? I can just picture it now, 'Oh hi Laura. What size lingerie do you wear?' I'd probably need to buy her a new pan after that. Ooh! Better idea.
"Just a second, what gifts have you got that I could give to a Pokemon?" He asked. The clerk pointed over to a few net Christmas stockings on a clip strip with various animal treats inside. Ganon frowned.
"And what about for Pokemon that we think of as work partners or close friends?"
The clerk pointed at a clip strip next to it, which was the same except the word Pet had been scribbled of the words 'Pet Christmas Stocking'.
"Oh screw it." Ganon said, walking back out of the store. He checked his watch again. Eleven PM. He shook the watch and put it to his ear, before remembering that resistance watches didn't need to tick, and they didn't break. He shivered slightly in the cold, thinking back to the conversation he'd had just before he'd left.
"Ganon, where are you going?" Laura asked the boy trying to sneak out without being noticed.
"Oh nothing. I'm just going for a stroll."
"On Christmas Eve? But it's snowing."
"Yeah. I thought I'd try and build up a resistance to the cold, and make a start now before the snow has chance to melt." Ganon said. Laura shrugged and wandered back into the room.
"Just make sure you get back by midnight, okay? I don't want to be worrying about you all night." She called backwards as Ganon unlocked the door.
"Sure darling." He called back slipping outside quietly. He looked at a little flower arrangement besides the door, taking a little blue flower from it and attaching it to the lapel of his coat. He ran over to the stairs, vaulting the banister and following them down to the ground floor, dashing out the front door of the hotel they were booked into.
"Please. I don't want to spend Christmas alone again." Laura said softly, her amber eyes watching the crackling fire in the grate.
And now I'm just sat here daydreaming.
He ran across the road, looking quickly into each shop front, hoping to find something that caught his eye. Nothing. He spun around again, and nearly crashed into a black haired boy his own age.
"Hey! Watch where you're-" The boy suddenly recognised Ganon's face, "Oh shit." The boy turned tail and ran, Ganon after him in a heartbeat. The boy looked back to check if Ganon was following, and crashed into someone on the busy street, knocking them both over. Ganon bent down and picked the boy up.
"Oh come on, bro! It's Christmas!" The boy said, his physical similarity to Ganon almost perfect.
"X, I'm a bit busy to start a swordfight, so give me a good idea for what to get Laura, and I'll let you go."
"What? Chocolates! Every time." Ganon released his hold on X's collar, and he darted away. Ganon laughed as he saw that X also had a box of some sort tucked under his arm.
No doubt to placate Sarah. He mused. He looked back down the street, and eventually spotted the chocolatier's shop at the far end. He groaned as he realised there was probably about two-thousand people between. He sighed and sat on the pavement edge to try and think. He needed something unusual, something with special meaning, and something that wasn't dependant on private details. He sighed, rolling the forget-me-not from his lapel between his fingers. He couldn't go home empty-handed. He could hear a busker begin singing somewhere on the street, and had an idea.
Laura looked at the clock. It was five minutes to midnight, and still no sign of Ganon. She was beginning to worry about him. She had considered trying to sightshare with him, but his eyes would have started glowing and passers-by would probably notice.
"There you go sir. Happy Christmas." The tattooed man behind the counter said, handing the bag to Ganon. He smiled broadly, before dashing out into the main street. He took one look at the crowds, and groaned.
Run or fly? Run or fly? Run or- He looked up to see a fast moving stream of snow in the wind,effectively a river of acid to the Dragon type. Run.
He began sprinting through the street, accidentally knocking over several people. With only four minutes to go, he was really going to have to get a move on. He pushed past a black haired boy holding a box out for a Blaziken, sending him flying. Sarah looked at Ganon dashing past, before looking back down at X sprawled on the floor.
"Now why couldn't you show that kind of enthusiasm for me?" She asked. X picked himself up and tried to make himself look presentable.
"He got a choice for his girlfriend, and ended up with someone he loved. I didn't." He said. He instantly regretted that as Sarah roasted him to a crisp.
Laura was considering going out to look for Ganon when she saw him running up the street with a bag. She squealed in delight, dashing over to the stereo. She put in one of her CDs, and pressed Play. She waited next to the door for about a minute until Ganon came in. He stopped in the doorway and listened to the song that was playing.
# # # Oh I won't ask for much this Christmas, I won't even wish for snow # # #
"You forgot didn't you." Laura said as he entered.
"What?!" Ganon began in panic, "No I-"
She gesturing above their heads to a sprig of a plant hanging there, and Ganon suddenly realised what she was talking about.
# # # I'm just gonna keep on waiting, Underneath the mistletoe # # #
Ganon smirked at her.
"You do this on purpose don't you. Just to tease me." He said as she leant towards him.
"Mm-hm." She hummed before kissing him on the lips. Ganon hugged her closer to him, deepening the kiss.
# # # I won't make a list and send it, To the North Pole for Saint Nick # # #
Laura pulled back slightly, and Ganon smiled at her again.
"I got you a little something." Ganon said, holding out the bag for her to take. Laura looked up at the clock and saw that it had just struck midnight.
"Christmas day." She said as she accepted the bag and opened it. She reached inside and pulled out a box marked 'Danny Elfman: Edward Scissorhands.' She was speechless.
# # # I won't even stay awake to, Hear those magic reindeer click # # #
"You actually found it?! I thought they were just a myth."
"Just for you." Ganon said, hugging her against him.
# # # 'Cause I just want you here tonight, Holding on to me so tight # # #
"You didn't have to go to all this trouble just for me." She cooed in his ear.
"It's always worth it for you." He said, stroking a lock of her hair back.
"There was only one thing I wanted this Christmas." She whispered softly into his ear. Ganon smiled into her neck before bringing her back again into a gentle kiss.
# # # What more can I do, Baby, all I want for Christmas is you. # # #