Festival Visions

Vision 1: Wind

The Winter Festival. One of the more widely celebrated of the various holidays, and definitely one of the most hyped. It gets tons of media attention, you know? The stores go kind of ballistic, but who can blame them? I mean, they do get thousands and thousands of people and Pokemon alike, wanting to spend their money on (usually rather useless) gifts to give to their friends and family and teammates and whoever.

Bleh.

What, you think I don't know, or something? Do I honestly look stupid? Please. I was a Winter Festival gift, and I certainly had more of an education than most.

Pleased to meet you (I guess). You look like some flavor of peasant, but that's to be expected. I shouldn't assume everyone comes from as elite a breeder as I.

But I suppose you wish to know my name? I'm surprised you don't already - I'm as powerful as I am refined. However, if you are as blissfully ignorant as you appear, I suppose I'll just have to tell you.

My name is Wind, and I'm an Altaria. Yes, yes, I am fully aware my trainer has never set foot in the Hoenn region, but like I said, I'm from a breeder. Last year, when my trainer began her journey in Johto, she received me as a present from her parents for the Winter Festival. Today marks my one-year-training-anniversary. Or whatever I should call it.

Feh. She'll probably think it's some super-sentimental thing. But whatever. As long as she gives me a good gift to make up for it, I humor her.

She'd better. She knows I've been her best fighter this year. More so than that idiot Jolteon, anyways, even though he was her starter. I know I have no competition from that Swinub, or that Raichu, and that Stantler is just too insane to pose a threat. That Ninetales, though...I guess he fought well. His firepower has won our dear trainer many a gym badge.

Ah, I seem to have begun to ramble. But you must understand, that is how my day began. I woke up inside my Pokeball - something like waking up without opening your eyes - and simply sat there. I would have preened, and made sure my cloud-like wings were as beautiful as they should be, but being digitized makes it hard to do so.

Since, you know, you don't really have any body. You're just information, with the body stored somewhere else. I think. Ah, I don't really care much about that.

Anyway, it was the third and final day of the Winter Festival, and we were at the heart of it all - the ancient city of Ecruteak in the tradition-steeped land of Johto.

For those of you who don't know about the Winter Festival, it isn't too hard a concept to grasp. Basically, it's a three-day festival honoring Pokemon, trainers, and three legendary Pokemon (identity unknown). The legend says that during an ancient epic war, some Pokemon and their trainers bravely guarded the mountain borders, but they ran out of food during this huge blizzard and some of them got lost, blah blah blah. Then this legendary Pokemon guided the ones who got lost back, one dispelled the blizzard, the supplies lost in the blizzard were replenished by another one, and that same one gave gifts to the families.

The third day of the present-day festival is the one where gifts are exchanged, and stuff actually happens. During the first two days, people just light candles in small personal shrines and pray. They don't actually worship Pokemon and stuff, Shinto died out long ago, so I guess it's just a cultural thing.

Blah.

But at least I get honored with gifts (you know I deserve them).

Suddenly, like always, my darling trainer dragged me out of my sapphire-blue Pokeball with a cheerful "happy Third Day, Wind!"

Blinking my stunning onyx-colored eyes, I quickly adjusted the billowy feathers on my wings to make myself look perfect. Then I finally glanced around.

My trainer, Mori, stood next to me with another one of my teammates, Vul the Ninetales, next to her. She wore a green parka over some thick black pants, and already wore her snow boots.

Hold on...that meant...

"MORI!" I shrieked, taking into the air of the small Pokemon Center room. "It's snowing outside! I'm totally weak to the cold!"

"Er, yeah, well..." My trainer glanced nervously at Vul, the one who she frequently called "the normal one." Her brown eyes and brown hair certainly made her look bland today, and her outfit wasn't great either. Seriously, Mori, am I the only one who cares about our appearance? "I wanted to go to the mall, since I already ordered all your presents online, and got them wrapped...I just need to pick them up...and I thought, maybe, you, Vul, and Hop could come with me! I know you love the holidays-"

"Not the snow, idiot," I chirped, landing on the single wooden chair. Seriously, the Pokemon Centers are nice and all for providing a free room (at least we got a SINGLE this time), but this militaristic-styled decor is not quite fitting for an Altaria of my stature. "I'm doubly weak to ice-types, and the snow is like that. I don't feel well." With that, I stuck my snowy white beak in the air, and gave my snowy wings a flap.

Ah, irony, how it graces us all.

"The mall's indoor, though, and I thought you might like to maybe do some clothing shopping or-"

"Fine," I snapped, glaring at her. "But only because you desperately need clothing that isn't quite so bland."

"Wind..." Vul groaned, shaking his tan muzzle. I could tell he loved the weather - since fire-types have their own built-in heaters. Does nobody care for the well-being of us poor, poor dragons during the winter? "You should be more considerate. We should assist Mori because we're all a team. Please try to be less selfish."

Mori laughed nervously. "That's okay. So, shall we leave? I think Digi," she eyed one of the glistening Pokeballs on the desk, "should stay here. You know how she hates this time of year."

"Yes, poor Digi." Vul agreed, nodding. "I can stay and keep her company, if you'd like. She shouldn't be left alone, especially during the holidays."

"Yeah."

It took awhile for me to realize I was going shopping with alone Mori...and Hop. Hop, the ESS...Extremely Stupid Swinub. Why, Rayquaza, why?

I sighed, wallowing in my grief. I heard Mori and Vul talking behind me, but I couldn't pay attention. I had to spend hours with my peasant trainer and stupid Swinub teammate. Why did Mori catch that thing, anyway? She could barely hold her own against Eev, who isn't counted on for defensive skills.

Finally I was jolted out of my reverie by Mori and Hop, now out of her Great Ball, ushering me out of the room. Giving one angry look at the clueless little pig-Pokemon, I took to the air, and flew out of the building...

And into the frigid winter air.

Cursing, I tried to flap my wings harder, to get the blood moving. The picturesque city of Ecruteak looked rather pretty underneath the thin layer of snow - all the pagoda-like structures frosted with white, people cheerily wishing each other a Happy Winter Festival...

But why did it have to be so cold? I could practically feel my hit points draining away into the clouds above. Stupid Mori...making my fly to the mall with her...at least it was an indoor mall.

At last, however, we reached the (rather diminutive) structure, all decked out with electric candles, various evergreen plant life, and the like. I swooped down, relishing in the indoor heating. I landed on Mori's shoulder (after she removed that hideous parka), and sighed happily.

Ah, the mall...the mall...

We passed by dozens of stores, and I gladly pulled Mori into the Trainer's Attire to help her pick out new clothes. Luckily, since her accompanying Pokemon were female, we could assist her in the dressing room.

An hour or so went by, along with dozens and dozens of shirts, skirts, jackets, dresses, pants, and even a few swimsuits. Well, they were on sale, and some of them weren't too bad. I even found a jacket that made her face look rather model-like, if I do say so myself. Although she should really think about some eye shadow...

Mori groaned as I came in with another dress. "Again, Wind?"

"Of course!" I quipped, dropping the hanger as the human in question tugged off her shirt. "You need at least one good knee-length dress. This one could go well with your boring brown hair and eyes...it's a nice, earthy green with some brown. I think it matches. Now put it on. And for Rayquaza's sake, woman, lose the pants! They do NOT go with this dress!"

My trainer rolled her bland brown eyes, ripped off those ugly pants, and slipped the dress over her head. You know, seeing her in something not so bulky lets you see she has an okay figure. Mine would be better, of course, if I was a human, but hers didn't look too bad.

Although, I suppose she could stand to loose some of the weight around the midriff region. That does cut down on the appropriate swimsuit-wear...

She glared at me after the dress had been properly put on. "Is this one okay, Wind?"

"Maybe...if you do something about your hair. Brush it, perhaps?" I countered, sneering. My white cheeks make my sneers look very stunning, I must say, since I caught a glance of myself in the rather large mirror. I had been quick to nab this large dressing room from the other female trainers, knocking over this short, dumpy blonde girl in the process. It was a worthy sacrifice on her part, since nothing she had with her could pull of a miracle and make her look good. Maybe my fashion expertise could help, but I had my own disaster to deal with (AKA Mori).

The disaster in question rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Hey, Hop, what do you think of this dress?"

Silence.

Mori looked around, curious. "Hop? Hop, where are you?"

I shrugged, and checked myself in the mirror. "The little Swinub's room? I don't care. Hey, do you think a white ribbon around my neck would accentuate my lithe figure?"

I received no answer, and soon realized Mori had left the room. "Mori? Mori, you shouldn't wear that dress outside, you could get it dirty!" With a glorious flap of my wings, I flew out of the room...and slammed into my trainer. "Oi, Mori! Watch where you're-"

"Hop's gone."

"Hm?"

"Gone. I checked the whole store while you were staring in the mirror."

"Oh. Really? That was fast."

"No, you just took awhile to check yourself out." Was that comment really necessary? "C'mon, Wind, we have to go look for her. I'll by this stupid dress, and that jacket, and that shirt-"

"And that one black skirt."

"Fine, the skirt, too. But then we need to go look for Hop. You know how she can get into trouble when she wanders off."

Oh, I knew too well. Generally, when that stupid brown pig got lost, somebody ended up having to bail her out of some horrendously dangerous situation without any sort of reward for doing so. And this somebody generally was me...well, sometimes Vul or Eev did it, maybe Digi or Onna once, but usually me.

And did I ever get something for it? No. Just a "oh, hi, Wind!" from the idiot in question.

So, fifteen minutes later, Mori and I were running and flying, respectively, through the mall at top speed (which, for Mori, isn't too fast). Half an hour after that, we stopped in the food court, relatively tired out.

When I say "tired out," I mean Mori. I, being in top physical condition, hadn't even worked up a sweat. Of course, it was still rather cold, but I think that has absolutely nothing to do with it.

"Wind...what if Hop left the mall?" Mori wondered aloud, leaning against the plastic red table. I landed daintily on the matching chair across from my partner-in-shopping, and shrugged. "I mean...that's three missing. I'm not too worried about Onna and Eev, since they're together-"

"Wait, Onna and Eev are missing, too?" I asked, a little surprised. I didn't know they were missing in action...of course; they usually are sneaking off together to do whatever, but oh well. Needless information.

However, my oh-so-lovely trainer rolled her eyes at that. "Yes, Wind, Eev and Onna were missing, too. Now, if you'll be so kind as to-"

I never heard the request my trainer made, for at that very moment, her Pokegear cell phone rang. Blinking, she grabbed the contraption (not a very stylish one, but oh well), and pressed the needed button to connect her to the caller. "Hello?" A pause, then a surprised look. "WHAT? Somebody stole Digi? How do you steal a Stantler! She's huge!" Another pause. "Wait, Vul, a psychic Pokemon?" A short pause. "Okay...so, which way did they go?" Paused again. "Okay. Well, Hop's gone missing, too. Can you go look for Digi?" Short pause. "Thanks, Vul. If you need help, we'll be at the mall. Bye, Vul."

She clicked the Pokegear phone off, and then sighed. "This is turning out to be a bad Winter Festival. Digi got Poke-napped."

"Oh?" I asked, absentmindedly. Then I realized something else. "Wait, Vul can use a phone?" Seeing as Vul, being a Ninetales, lacked opposable thumbs, this surprised me.

Yet again, all this earned me was a Mori Eye Roll. "Yeah, Wind, he can. Now come on," she ordered, gathering her bags and standing up. "We need to find Hop."

Groaning, I took to the air, flying low above all the other mall-goers. After another pass through the shopping arena, we decided (or, rather, Mori decided) to check outside. I did not appreciate this decision, since it forced me to spend time in the snow, but Mori wouldn't hear anything else.

Apparently, that girl knows not how lovely Pokeballs are in the snow.

So, as she crunched around outside in the dying light of the afternoon, I shivered in the air.

Then, when we rounded a corner around the south end of the mall, something large, furry, and delightfully warm slammed into me. Unfortunately, before I could keep from slamming into the snow-covered ground...I did just that. Shrieking, I turned around to see my attacker...

"VUL?" The Ninetales looked rather surprised.

"W-Wind?" He stammered, looking rather sheepish. Luckily, he got off of me, and allowed me to shake off some of that horrid snow. "I'm sorry! Digi's kidnappers had a Noctowl, and you kind of looked like-"

"HOW IN RAYQUAZA'S NAME DO I LOOK LIKE ONE OF THOSE UGLY BIRDS?" Seriously, this was insulting. Have you seen those things? I am so much prettier!

Unfortunately, both Mori and Vul were too preoccupied with each other and whatever they were talking about to pay any attention to me, so ignored them. Served them right...then...

"Hey, in case you two were paying any attention...I see Digi."

This got their attention. After gaspy exclamations of "where?", I simply gestured with my beak towards one of the windows in the mall. Sure enough, the spazzy emo Stantler was standing their, looking pretty peeved at something.

So we dashed in, to find not only Digi, but also Eev, Onna, and even Hop standing around this large tree, a bunch of presents, and a ton of assorted humans and Pokemon.

Mori ran to each of them, acting all teary, and Vul chastised the Jolteon and Raichu for running off, but I was more curious about what was going on around me.

"It's a charity drive!" Hop chattered away as she stepped not-so-lightly towards me. I looked down at her, eyebrows raised. "I was helpin' all of them sort out the presents. They're goin' to less fortunate people and Pokemon, and I helped freeze some food to go to far away places! Like Orre!" She smiled, her large and hideous nose crinkling with delight. "So, how was your day, Wind?"

Oblivious as usual, I see, Hop. "Well, I had to spend a lot in the snow looking for you." I chirped curtly. Hop, of course, go the wrong impression, and started to ramble on and on about how she loved the snow. Idiot.

"Wind!" I glanced over to see Mori, the rest of my team, and...presents? And hold on! What was she doing with the clothes she just bought! Those were presents from US! "Um...can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it now?" She looked a little tired with my groan, but she totally deserved it! She knows how many favors I get asked around here!

"Can...can I donate all of this?"

"What?"

"Well, I was going...to donate the clothes you bought me." Mori glanced at the shopping bags guiltily. "I'd been looking to do something like this for the holidays, and I've spoken to the people here," she gestured towards the charity workers, "and I think the kids they'd be going to are more deserving. And...well...maybe the gift to you...could go to them, as well?"

I looked at the faces of the workers, and my stomach turned. Everyone was looking at me...waiting for me to say yes. Well, with all that attention, I guess I had to. So I agreed, feeling sick inside.

Donations make you happy? Yeah right. It all happened to fast, I didn't know what I was even donating too.

The seven of us said our good-byes to the people at the charity drive (whom I barely knew), and made our way through the frigid evening back to the Pokemon Center. I didn't speak to Mori - how could she waste her money on gifts that didn't even go to US?

"Wind?" She asked later that night, after dinner. "I'm sorry."

I tossed my head-feathers. "I deserved whatever was in that package to me. Not some dumb Swellow in some far-off land."

Mori looked guilty...but in a cute way. Somehow, her little purple flannel pajamas made her look better than the clothes she wore in public. Stupid trainer.

"I know."

Somehow, that comment made me feel guilty. I hung my sapphire-blue head, and felt my cloudy wings droop.

"You know," she began, stroking my feathers. "You should check out my hand mirror on the desk. You look pretty good."

Weakly glaring at her, I flapped over to land on the chair, took one glance at her mirror...and noticed it was under something. A snow-white ribbon.

I grinned at Mori, who came over and tied it around my neck.

I was right. I did look good.

"Happy Winter Festival, Wind."

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri, Gamefreak, and any other respective and legal owners.

Author's Note: Blaaah…there are supposed to be seven of these. And of course, I get busy and then sick during the week I should have spent working on this. Sigh…well, I hope to get at least the third or fourth up by the end of Christmas Day, but I apologize…some might have to wait a few days. I'm sorry! Anyways, this chapter, staring Wind the Altaria, is a present for my friend, Flamewind, author of Sara's Journey and Razzle Bedazzled (which you should read). Up next is Vul the Ninetales, a present for my other friend, VulpixTrainer, author of The Journey of Matt. After that, the chapters will be for…uh…Eevee-kun (no account here), Onna-san, Digital Skitty, Hoppy-chan, and MorriganFearn (no account here). Dunno if that's the right order, though…happy holidays, everybody! (Eheh.)