A/N: Welcome to a semi-late Christmas story. There will be Jaylon and Vekra from Fallen Trainers, so this is a spoiler story for those who have not read Fallen Trainers yet. Merry Christmas.
"Who left the ice Pokémon on? It's flippin' cold out here!" Jaylon grumbled and pulled his inch-thick coat closer around his shivering body. "Why can't it be like a Hoenn Christmas?" he complained.
"Because, genius," a strict voice behind the shivering teen corrected, "We are in Sinnoh, the northern most region of the known Pokémon World." The speaker was an equally dressed blonde girl with stylish boots hiding under thick snow pants in a desperate attempt to appear fashionable.
Jaylon smirked at his friend. "I know, but still, it's our first Christmas in such cold weather. How are we supposed to live here for a possible year if not more?"
"Why are you asking me these questions?" the teenaged girl huffed back, showing that she was equally cold. "And you know as well as I do that we need to get stronger with our Pokémon and the politics have to be just right for us to take back our home from the anti-trainer movement. Kasmir has been checking the government and will send word the very second things look good for a take-back." Vekra sighed and stared at the mist of breath coming out her mouth. She put on a tough face again and said, "And what are you doing outside to begin with?"
Jaylon opened his mouth, and then closed it when the explanation failed to form words. The brown haired teen gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. "I was just… you know Christmas specials about it snowing on Christmas? Well, living in Hoenn I never really got that. And now that it is snowing, I wanted to feel it for myself."
"Oh Jay, you are so weird…" Vekra shook her head slowly, shaking the falling snowflakes fall off of her green coat. She noticed where he was standing almost as a last minute addition and said quietly, "She would have been shivering with us if things had been different…"
Jaylon sighed and glanced at the stone marking where his best friend lay buried. "Yeah, Hiku would've even been inside preparing hot cocoa or something for us." He let his shoulders drop a little and watched his misty breath disappear into the snowfall.
The two Hoenners stood in a moment of silence for their third member of the Hoenn trio, Hiku Turret, a raven-haired girl that died in the flight out of Raquaza's base near Mt. Silver in Johto. So many things had changed since that day. The trainers in hiding had joined small colonies with like minds to avoid the imminent extermination of all Pokémon wielders. Vekra and Jaylon were living in Iron Island in Sinnoh, along with many of Raquaza's/Corinne Martin's captains and Raquaza herself.
When Hiku died, her brother Weyler decided that he, Jaylon, and Vekra would take one of her three trained Pokémon in memory of her. Weyler had chosen her Kirlia, Jaylon had taken Tamaki the Breloom, and Vekra adopted Nano the Mudkip. Weyler then proceeded to follow Rin and Caprico to Unova, a trainer haven from the chaos of the rest of the known Pokémon world. In fact, he had called the Hoenn pair from a strange device called an Xtransceiver and later that day he promised to call them for the holidays.
"Well, Jay, shouldn't we get back inside? I've had my fill of snowflakes." Vekra Ashcroft muttered. "I swear I saw a Dewgong or Spheal swimming down in the water."
"Fine, fine, you don't have to be pushy about it." Jaylon replied with a smirk. "It's Christmas for crying out loud. The least you can do is to show some Christmas cheer… unless you want to play a Scrooge in a Christmas Carol."
"Please, they've made way too many versions of that story!" Vekra smirked back. She linked her arm in his and forced him towards the cave opening. "Don't you remember that Hiku's brother Weyler will be calling on the visual telephone thing?"
Jaylon stopped fighting her lead and slapped his forehead. "I guess I did forget… Thanks."
The two trainers entered the gaping dark hole. Jaylon rubbed at his eyes to try to hurry his pupils to widen from being out in the white snow to the natural dark cave. He smiled as his eyes adjusted and at the sight of his faithful Combusken keeping up one of the fireplaces. "Hey, Hearth! Good work girl."
"Comb, comb." The chicken-like Pokémon chirped back.
The two trainers paused at the fire to heat up and remove their overcoats. Underneath Jaylon's red coat he wore a sweater that his aunt and mom had made over the time spent in Iron Island. Vekra on the other hand had a much flashier and fashionable set of decorated jackets and costume jewelry. If her hair wasn't a slight mess from the coat hood she would have been near-model looking.
Jaylon noticed her frizzy hair and snickered. "Nice head you've got."
Vekra clenched her fist and glared at Jaylon. "Come again, afro man?"
"Afro man?" Jaylon asked and patted his own head. He chuckled slightly. "Ok, don't get angry… My hair is much worse than yours. Don't hurt me…"
Vekra patted her own head in an attempt to make herself a little more presentable with a sour look on her face. "Just keep your mouth shut…" She mumbled angrily.
He giggled in a higher pitch than he intended and patted his hard-working Combusken for solace. "At least I know Hearth won't turn on me if I notice on of her feathers is ruffled." He muttered.
"Comb?" Hearth called and started inspecting to see if she was in fact ruffled.
Jaylon face palmed and sighed. "What's with you people… people and Pokémon…?"
Vekra crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, "Well, are you ready to see if Weyler has called yet? You know there is a big time change from here and there so we'd better talk to him soon."
Jaylon stood back up. "Fine, yeah, we'll see how he's doing." He walked down the dark corridor with a wave to his Combusken. He glanced at Vekra's profile and admitted, "I know why you want to hear from him so badly."
"And what do you think I want to hear?" She replied testily.
The messy brown-haired teen shrugged and said, "I dunno, I kind of want to hear about Rin and Caprico and Weyler… and hear about a nice place where trainers are accepted like the old times… I'm guessing you want the same, right?" he glanced at her profile again and saw his inclination was right.
Vekra fought to hold back her emotion. She wanted more than anything to travel around Hoenn once more without fear of being killed. She wanted to be a trainer again; winning badges like all the others seemed to do. She wanted this so badly, but not enough to travel to Unova in a strange land with a strange language and stranger Pokémon. She wanted more than anything to have the perfect crime-fighting team of Pokémon and defend the streets of Hoenn from wrong-doers. But situations had not gone the way she wanted and Vekra couldn't help wanting it back.
In reply to Jaylon she nodded slowly and put on a false smile to hide the emotion clouding her voice.
Jaylon could read her and clapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, cheer up, we've got to convince Weyler that he's missing out over here! I mean, I bet Rain misses him a whole lot (what with that Seviper he decided to train and all)!" he grinned to show he was being sarcastic.
Vekra choked out a laugh and leaned closer to him. "You're right… I mean, even though we are freezing our butts off, we all speak the same language. Weyler doesn't have that…"
Six months ago (when Hiku died) she would have punched Jaylon for getting anywhere near her. But things had changed at they had matured together. They were two of the trio Hiku left and they had agreed to try to get along for Hiku. While in the process of holding herself back from insulting Jaylon at every moment she could get, she actually found that he was an optimistic person and great company in such a dreary time. He kept her out of doubting good could ever gain the power of the Pokémon world. She couldn't say she liked him a whole lot as in a boyfriend or such, but he was good company.
Jaylon patted her back as if reaffirming her statement. "There you go! Come on and let's get the calling machine free and call up the pioneer." He broke from her side and ran forward to where the two calling machines were.
Raquaza was smart enough to plan ahead and installed two calling machines in Iron Island before the group of fleeing trainers had come and it was a blessing to use to contact the outside world and other trainer colonies.
Vekra and Jaylon arrived just as a group of three trainers got off the phone with a family member conference call. Jaylon waved to them a friendly goodbye and took the chair before anyone could take the calling machine. It was the holidays so there was a rule of a set amount of time a trainer could use to give others a chance to talk with others.
Vekra raised her eyebrows at Jaylon. "So where am I going to sit?" she said, her haughty tone covering up her previous misery.
The messy haired brunette slid half-way off the chair and pointed. "I bet this chair can hold both of us."
She rolled her eyes and sat down uncomfortably. The cushioned chair seemed too small for her taste to be shared, but she tried to ignore the fact and started typing on the call machine. "Ok, let's call Weyler and see what he's up to." She pressed the enter key with gusto and sat back, pleased with herself.
The screen flickered and became grey and fuzzy while searching for the distant signal. The picture came up eventually, wasting a few minutes of the trainer's allotted time. But after the loading, the face of the short-haired brother of Hiku came to the screen.
*Hey guys! It's been a while huh?* the static voice of Weyler came across the speakers.
Vekra smiled and nodded while Jaylon jumped forward and sent Weyler a huge grin. "Hey, thanks for not speaking that foreign crap like last time. I swear that language is the weirdest thing ever!"
*No kidding,* Weyler's face leaned back from the screen in a chuckle. *You wouldn't believe the amount of rules and exceptions to the rules in that language's grammar! But it has a much easier way of spelling than our writing, so it's a give and take. People talk so fast here it's hard to understand.*
Vekra smiled again. "So how's it over in Unova?" She asked, afraid of what a fun time he was having and if she wanted to think about learning that Unovian language.
*It's good, I got caught in Icirrus during the winter, so things are cold… very cold compared to Hoenn!* replied the hazy picture of the trainer. *I caught a few Pokémon but I don't really want to train these foreign Pokémon.* The screen moved a little and a Gardevoir's face came into the picture. *Oh, and look at Akama. She's having a great time battling. I almost have every badge, but things got a little hectic, so I'm just waiting for things to work out.*
Vekra glanced at Jaylon and asked, "What is Icirrus? And what trouble are you talking about?" What if the government rule that she and the rest of the trainers in Iron Island was invading Unova?
*Oh, it was amazing. Some trainers here and fantastic fighters! I'll tell you more about it later.*
"No, what was it?" She said with a harsher tone.
*Don't worry, the trainers here are safe, no political takeover. It was just a skirmish…* Weyler replied, though there was beginning to gain some strange background noise. It almost sounded like that strange foreigner's speech.
"Where are you for Christmas?" Jaylon said conversationally.
*Icirrus, it's cold like I told you. The people here are very nice.*
"Well, we just wanted to call and tell you Merry Christmas, from the three of us in spirit." Jaylon sat back and placed his arm on Vekra's shoulders.
The image of Weyler shimmered a little and a static-like laughter came over. *Oh, getting close now?*
Vekra crossed her arms and gave the call phone a serious look. "Say anything more and I will personally find whatever that Icirrus place is and smack you!"
Weyler held up his hands and chuckled, *I didn't say anything.* he glanced behind him to the voices of the strange language and answered in the Unovian language. He faced the screen and said, *Sorry, but I have to go. Merry Christmas you two… though over here it's a different day. Anyways, see you later. Stay out of trouble.* The transmission fizzled out as Weyler ended the call.
Jaylon and Vekra got out of the chair just as anther trainer sat down to call up some family member. Vekra shrugged. "Well I guess he's having fun, whatever an Icirrus is…"
Her friend nodded. "I forgot to ask him if he bumped into Rin and Caprico yet… drat, we could've called them up too. They've got those weird Xtran-whatzitcalleds. But at least he isn't saying how warm it is and trying to make us feel bad."
Vekra shrugged. She still wondered how he could be such an optimist in everything. "Well, shouldn't we find the families and see if they need help with supper?"
He nodded and they walked down the chilly corridor to the home that Hiku's family and Jaylon's family had all gathered in. Vekra's family was more than likely still in Hoenn where she left them, or at least her dad. To Jaylon she never mentioned her mom; she didn't feel the need to. But Hiku's and Jaylon's family was enough family for her. After all, Hiku's family had taken her in almost as an adopted daughter.
"So, did you get any presents yet?" Jaylon asked pointedly.
"No. What, you think that there's a store close by to shop in? I'm lucky enough to get stylish clothes while in hiding. Our supplier will eventually give us away to the trainer hunters, I just know it…"
"Well," Jaylon rolled his eyes and pulled out a fist-sized box from his sweater, "I found something that I thought you might like. So as friends I wanted to give you this."
Vekra looked at the box and held out her hand to show that she didn't want it. "I don't have anything to give back and I just can't…"
"Just open it." Jaylon shoved the box in her hand anyway. He grinned and watched her, waiting for her to approve or disapprove the gift.
She sighed and opened the gift with a hint of annoyance. She frowned at the piece of knitted yarn and pulled out the item, letting the carefully folded item unfold. Vekra raised her eyebrow and waved the knitted hat at him. "I lost this a few weeks ago, jerk."
Jaylon guffawed and took off running down the corridor.
"Hey, I'm not done with you, Jaylon! Get your butt back here!" She waved the green Treecko designed hat at the retreating Jaylon angrily. "You stupid re-gifter!" She huffed and took off after him. Sometimes she liked to be in his company, but sometimes she just couldn't stand him.
A/N: I'm pretty sure they had a great Christmas dinner (or some people call it supper). So yeah, I'm bringing back some older characters from Iron Island in a little conversation/snippet of life. Some things have changed, mainly between Vekra and Jaylon :). I'm still waiting until Skyla's Gym is done before planning out a possible third part to my 'Trainers' story.
Also, there's a hint of a spoiler for Skyla's Gym ending if you squint, or are a PM buddy of mine that I brainstorm with :)
Merry Christmas one and all! :D