A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
OCs in the story:
-Christmas Eve [commonly called Eve for short] (daughter of Red and Yellow)
-Cade (son of Green and Blue)
-Stanum (son of Gold and Crystal)
-Argentum (daughter of Silver and Lyra)
-Ame & Thyst (twin daughters of Ruby and Sapphire)
-Cova (son of Diamond and Platinum)
((AMG, I used my chemistry knowledge, like, a lot in naming their babies.))
"Look Eve, Santa Claus is here!"
A goofy Santa, apparently too lean for the role bounced clumsily into the ward, jingling the bells he held in his hands. The little pink bundle barely reacted to the woman's cheerful squeal in attempt to excite her nor the childish antics of the man to amuse her. The aforementioned baby merely opened her crimson eyes for a fraction of a second before closing them once more, oblivious to her father's disappointment.
"Don't be disappointed Red. She's tired," reassured the new mother as she shifted the bundle in her arms. "Being born takes a lot of effort you know."
The corners of Red's mouth curled up ever so slightly before he sighed and removed his Santa hat. "Well Yellow, I can't help it... I did go all the way across town just to find this outfit to surprise her, but now..."
"You're already a good father Red," chuckled Yellow. "Not every new father would run out in a blizzard on Christmas Eve just to cheer his newborn daughter with a Santa costume, especially a daughter born on the night of Christmas Eve."
Chuckling slightly, Red peeled the Santa costume off him and walked over to the bed where his wife and his new baby laid. There he stood at the side of the bed, watching his daughter drift off into dreamland with his crimson eyes.
"Thank you for the early Christmas gift Yellow," he breathed as he leaned over to land a chaste kiss on her cheek.
A small 'hmm' was the reply he received before the silence enveloped them again. It was truly a silent night before Red looked over at the clock on the wall with both of its hands pointing at 12.
"It's Christmas," he whispered. "Merry Christmas Yellow."
"Merry Christmas Red," replied Yellow softly before they both looked down at their bundle of joy simultaneously.
"Merry Christmas our lovely Christmas Eve."
"Eve! Eve! Look, who's that? It's Santa Claus!"
As the little two year old turned to the door, her crimson eyes widened as she caught sight of a man dressed clad in red with a large white beard. She was in so much shock that when the man cried out merrily, she jumped in fright.
"Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas Eve!"
Almost immediately, a sharp scream pierced through the air and crying sounds followed soon after. "Papa! Papa! Papa!" cried Eve as a look of pure terror crossed her features. Quickly, Red ripped the costume off him and kicked it aside before rushing forward to relieve Yellow of their flailing child.
"It's okay, it's okay..." he cooed, hugging her and patting her to soothe her. He felt as if his heart was pierced. Who knew that something he thought would amuse his daughter bring so much terror to her?
"Papa... Gone? Gone?" whimpered Eve feebly. "Don't want. Don't want."
Sudden realisation dawned on him that Christmas Eve hadn't notice that it was him in that Santa suit. If she knew... Would she distrust him forever? Would she show terror the next time he approach her? Red didn't even want to think of the possible outcomes.
"He's gone Eve," he reassured. "Papa will protect you."
"Are you sure you want to do it again?" asked Yellow uneasily, watching her husband pull the Santa costume over his clothes. "Eve was terrified the last time you wore that."
"She was 2 then, now's she's 5," replied Red. "I doubt that she'll be scared now. Plus, the rest of the kids are around, she'll feel more secure."
With that, Red lifted the Santa sack filled with Christmas presents and trudged down the stairs to the living room.
"Look everyone! It's Santa Claus!"
Seeing the man she was so frightened of years back, Christmas Eve shrank back and cowered in fear. She was scared and the rest of the kids were uncertain, until the rambunctious offspring of the Breeder and the Capturer jumped up excitedly. "It's Santa Claus! He's got presents!" cheered Stanum as he bounded over to Red.
After Red produced a present from the sack and passed it to Stanum, the other kids jumped up and rushed forward to retrieve their presents.
"Children... All they need is a present to make them open up to strangers," sighed Crystal. Bending down, she gathered her toddler who was busy ripping the wrappers off the gift into her arms. "Stanum, where are your manners?"
"Thank you!" cheered the toddler with a toothy smile.
Soon, the other children were opening presents of their own, all except Eve. Smiling softly, Red went forward and held out a gift to her. Uncertainly, the five year old tottered over to hide behind her mother's skirt, out of shyness or fear Red knew not, but most likely the latter.
"Here Eve," he cooed, imitating the gruff voice of an old man. "This is for you."
After her mother's constant encouragement, Eve finally reached out a hand to receive the gift. Fiddling with the ribbon tied on top of the gift, Eve shyly looked down at her toes, shifting her weight forward and backward in an uneven tempo.
"Santa," she spoke in a meek voice. "Will you come again next year?"
That certainly was unexpected. Red was taken aback, but seeing how children's thinking are easily swayed, he brushed it off and nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, if that's what you want."
With that, he ruffled the top of Eve's yellow hair before leaving the room to remove the outfit. A sincere smile stuck to his face. If his daughter finally got over her fear and expects 'Santa Claus' to visit again, he wouldn't mind doing this annually.
"Eve, once again, Santa is here like he promised!"
"Oh please Dad," chuckled Eve, jumping to embrace 'Santa Claus'. "You know that I know it's you."
"Old traditions die hard dear," laughed Red as he stroked his 13 year old daughter's hair. "I've been doing this ever since the night you were born."
"It wasn't my fault that I was born on Christmas Eve," teased Eve as she looked over at her mother jokingly.
Catching her daughter's mischievous grin, Yellow chuckled silently, going over to run her fingers through Eve's yellow hair. "Well, it wasn't my fault either," she laughed.
"13 years," sighed Red in disbelief. "Look at you, all grown up and ready to leave the nest on an adventure. What happened to the little baby in my arms?"
"She grew up Dad," replied Eve. That line pierced through Red's heart. Was this how his mother felt when he left his home at the age of 11? Probably so.
"Have you gotten everything packed up and ready?" he asked. He just wasn't ready to let his daughter go, just not yet. "Why don't you wait for spring to leave?"
"Dad, Cade and I already agreed on this date months ago!"
"Alright alright, also be careful when you're around Cade though," warned Red. "Being the son of Green and Blue might have side effects on that kid."
((Green: Bitch please.))
"She'll be fine Red," reassured Yellow. "You thwarted Team Rocket's evil scheme at an age younger than her and I fought the Elite Four at 11. If she's anything like us, she'll be fine."
With that, Yellow turned on her heels and disappeared into the kitchen. She soon stepped out once more, balancing a cake in one hand. After lighting the candles, she turned towards her husband and daughter, calling them over.
"Happy Birthday Christmas Eve," said Yellow. "Blow out the candles Baby."
"Mom..." groaned Eve. Nevertheless, a smile was plastered on her face as she leant forward to blow out the little flickering flames.
"Eve, maybe you should take one of my Pokemon along with you tomorrow," suggested Red.
"Dad..."
Snowflakes danced in the cold winter air as a lone figure propped up by pillows on the bed lazily watched their ballet. It was all silence which enveloped the room before knocking sounds emanated from the door. The doorknob was twisted and the door creaked as knocker swung it open.
"Red, Eve's coming back for the Christmas gathering this evening," said Yellow.
"Really? I thought that she's all the way in Unova?" asked Red.
"Well, she said that Cade and the others are returning home too to visit their parents, so she's coming along," replied Yellow.
"Well if that's so," began Red as he lifted himself off the bed. "I have to find my Santa outfit."
With worried eyes, Yellow watched as her husband dug through the wardrobes in search of the aforementioned outfit. Red recently had been diagnosed with leukemia, making her stand on the edge worrying about him. She could tell that he was tired just by moving all the boxes about, but he seemed determined and Yellow decided not to stop him. Instead, she went forward and gave him a hand.
When the evening rolled in, the couple made their way over to Green and Blue's home where the gathering was being held. The children hadn't arrived yet, giving the 'old folks' some time to catch up with each other.
The sounds of large wings flapping outside signified the arrival of their children. Immediately, Red looked out the window, spotting his daughter climbing off her Altaria beside Cade and his Pidgeot. It was when she and the other children started returning their flying Pokemon when he rushed off to put on his Santa Claus outfit.
Gold was the first one to react upon the children's entry. Rushing to his son, he enveloped the poor teenager in a bone crushing hug.
"Stanum! Boy, had I missed you young man," said Gold.
"Dad..."
"Don't be so super serious like your mother," groaned Gold. "Are you my son or not?"
Besides Gold, the other Dex holders had also went forward to greet their children and scenes began to unfold. Cade was seen blushing brightly, showing his tsundere side as Blue fondled about with him, squealing over how big her baby has gotten while Ame and Thyst, the twin daughters of Ruby and Sapphire were seen sighing at their parents who were bickering away about their new hairstyles.
Argentum kept her silence as her mother suffocated her in hugs and smothered her with kisses, nevertheless, her lips curved upwards upon seeing her parents once more. Cova, on the other hand began a conversation with his parents about the unique culture of Unova, hinting business opportunities to spread their family name.
Catching sight of her mother, Christmas Eve went forward and gave her mother a hug. "Hi Mom," she greeted before looking around the room. "Where's Dad?"
No sooner after the words left her lips, Red bounced back into the room, dressed clad in his Santa Claus costume. At the sight of his daughter, he cheerfully bounced over to her, oblivious to his surroundings. All that mattered to him at that moment was his baby girl.
"Hi Baby," he called. "Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas! Santa Claus is here!"
At that, blood bubbled up to Eve's face and it flushed crimson. She was embarrassed and just wished that the ground would swallow her up. Behind her, Eve heard several faint snickers and suppressed laughter which made her clench her fists in anger. It took only a few seconds for her to lash out in anger and embarrassment, not to her friends, but her father.
"Dad! You're so embarrassing! That's all you ever do! You're embarrassing me in front of my friends!" she yelled. Everyone looked up in shock and Red took steps backwards with hurt evident on his face. "I'm not a little girl anymore! I know that Santa Claus isn't real!"
With that, Christmas Eve stormed out of the house and called her Altaria out. She was about to take off when her father stopped her.
"Eve, I'm sorry!" called Red. "I was doing it because I love you!"
Pushing her yellow bangs out of her face, her crimson eyes narrowed to slits as she glared menacingly at her father.
"Well, too bad Dad. I hate you."
After uttering those words of spite, she commanded her Altaria to fly, leaving her dumbfounded father behind with a broken heart.
After her disappearance, her father kept trying to contact her, emailing her, calling her and messaging her. Eve ignored every single means for her father to contact her. Soon, emails and messages from her father stopped and her mother began writing instead. Nevertheless, she knew that they all held the same content, so she heartlessly deleted each and every one which came her way.
There were several times when her parents' Pokemon found her and tried to bring her home. She would deal with all of them in a similar manner. She would battle them, beat them to the pulp until they become too weak to move and evacuate the area immediately. Eve didn't know if the Pokemon manage to drag themselves back to her parents or not, but she couldn't care less.
Living in the regions where her father's friends reside in was hard for Eve. Once or twice, she would almost bump into either her father's friends or their children. Knowing so, she began to change her identity every once in a while, but due to how troublesome it was, she migrated to Kalos, where she was sure that no one would find her.
For the months she resided in Kalos, she continued her career as a Pokemon trainer and battler. Being the child of Red with his blood in her veins, she was a truly passionate battler, challenging any trainer who wished to battle. It was one day when a seemingly strong trainer crossed her path and challenged her to a battle when drama unfolded.
"Go Ninetales!"
"Umbreon, it's your battle!"
Standing at the side of the battle field watching her Umbreon clash with her opponent's Ninetales, Christmas Eve snuck a glance at the challenger. His piercing green eyes seemingly shot through her with obvious confidence.
"Ninetales! Double team!"
Multiple images of Ninetales appeared on the battlefield, stalking Eve's Umbreon in circles. The Umbreon twitched his ears back and forth, trying to listen to the rustle of the grass under the Ninetales feet to determine the real one. It was futile though, for the real Ninetales dashed towards his left side and tackled him to the ground with a Flare Blitz.
"Looks like Umbreon is unable to battle anymore," said the challenger with a smirk. "I win."
"I admit defeat, but in all fairness, I need you to answer my question. How did you know Umbreon's weakness?" asked Christmas Eve. "Umbreon was trying to locate the sound of the footsteps of the real Ninetales on the ground, as the real one will obviously produce more noise. But your Ninetales stalked on his left side, which is Umbreon's disadvantage for his left ear is deaf. How did you know?"
"It should be no surprise," chuckled the challenger. "After all, he is the offspring of your father's Espeon and my mother's Ditto. An Eevee born with hearing disabilities in his left ear due to past experiments on his sire, I know him all too well."
Eyes widening in realisation, Eve took jittery steps backwards, stopping only when her shaking fingers hit the bark of a tree. Sliding against the tree, Eve drew in a sharp breath.
"Cade... Why did you come to find me?"
"I couldn't have cared less, since it was your family's affairs," he answered coldly. "I was already planning to journey here, but something happened back in Kanto which made me open my eyes more to look out for you, lest you may be hiding here."
"And the 'something' would be?" spat Eve with equal coldness in her tone.
"Your father you idiot!" yelled Cade. "Your father kept emailing you, messaging you, and heck, he even sent letters to every place he knew you once resided!"
Shocked by the silent tsundere's sudden burst, Hara lost her coldness and cowered slightly. "My father? I-"
"Don't you know how much of a fool you are? Your father sent you messages and letters until he couldn't even lift his pen!" continued Cade. "Now he's lying in the hospital! The doctors said that he doesn't have much time left, and yet, you're here avoiding him for a simple childish reason?"
"Wait... I don't even-"
"Eve! He's dying you idiot!" yelled Cade. "The closest thing to an uncle to me and your father! What is a stupid Santa dress-up embarrassment compared to this?"
At that moment, Cade didn't have to waste his breath, the accused girl already had uncontrollable sobs wracking her frame as she called forth her Altaria. Without looking back at Cade, she climbed onto her Altaria and whispered in the dragon bird's ear. "H-home, let's... let's go home to Pallet Town..."
Upon returning to Pallet Town, Eve rushed to her home only to find it unoccupied before rushing to the hospital with Cade to lead her. Self control wasn't in her books anymore when she saw her father laying seemingly lifeless in the intensive care unit, with only the heave of his chest and the display on the CRO screen to show her signs of life.
Without a second thought, she rushed over to him and held his hand in one of her hands while her waterfall of tears rained down, dripping onto his pale face. His heartbeat was slowing down and she knew that he was going, but she didn't knew what to do. Without any other leads, she bent over and clinged onto him.
"Dad... what... w-what about next year? You still have to dress up as Santa Claus next year on my birthday!" cried Eve, gripping onto her father's limp hand tightly like a lifeline.
A hand was placed on her shoulder and Eve looked up only to see her mother. Yellow's eyes were red and swollen, a clear indication that she was recently crying as well. Seeing her heartbroken mother, Eve felt a two edged sword piercing through her heart and she hugged her mother tightly, crying on her shoulder.
"I don't want Dad to go..." sobbed Eve.
"I know dear... I don't want that either..." replied Yellow, swallowing back suppressed sobs as to not upset her daughter further.
Turning away from her mother, Eve hugged her father close to her, crying silent tears as the CRO showed a flat line and his chest stopped heaving.
"Dad... I'm sorry... I love you..."
"Hey Dad, if anyone asks me about what I desire most, I would say that I'd give up everything just to have you by my side now... Santa Claus may not be real, but you were always real from the beginning of time."
The petals of the flowers trembled in the late December breeze as Christmas Eve knelt in front of her father's grave on her birthday. It became an unspoken tradition for her, and she spoke as if her father was actually there.
"Dad, you're my hero. You've always been. I wish that I had the kind of power to turn the tide and turn back the time... It hurts so much that I can't even say I love you anymore..."
Stray tears rolled down her cheek and she hastily rubbed them away with her sleeve. Forcing a smile on her face, Eve stroked the engraved picture of her father tenderly.
"I have to go now Dad, everyone's waiting for me. Oh, and Dad, Cade's going to be your future son-in-law. He proposed to me last week and I just have to let you know... Alright, I'll take my leave. Goodbye Dad..."
With that, she left the flowers before the tombstone and dusted the snow from her clothes before leaving.
Behind her, she didn't notice a breeze blowing the stray petals of the flowers up to the sky.
((I wrote this because recently, my parents brought up the topic of me going to college soon and being 'all grown up'. My Baba seemed the most reluctant, I mean, he's even going all his way to make sure that I get into the university of my choice. He spoils me and all, and I know that I'm really a Daddy's Girl. I love my Baba.
Everyone, I hope that after reading this, you'll realise how great your fathers are and go give your father a hug. Your father is the hero of your life, through thick or thin. If your father is still with you, appreciate the time you have with him now, for time is a cruel one.))