"It's a mistletoe." The woman stated for the second time.

"Yes. I am familiar with that flora." I informed her as politely and as patiently as I could. She put her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes at me. Her hair was a soft, natural red though there was a green streak of false hair clipped in near the roots for a decorative touch. Standing off to the side was Touya, awkwardly looking away.

"…when you step underneath it with someone else, you're supposed to share a kiss." The woman stated.

"And I am familiar with that tradition." I added. I knew what she wanted, but I was hardly comfortable doing it. And I was certain if I ever considered Touya my first human friend, I no longer did because he was a terrible one just letting me deal with this on my own.

"Well?" She leaned in closer.

"Supposing to and having to are two very different words, ma'am with drastically different meanings and as I am in something of a hurry I would be most grateful and pleased if you would permit this case of 'supposing' to off and accepting that this is a rare event in which neither of us partake in this holiday tradition that doesn't really make sense especially when you take into account that kissing complete strangers during a time of year in which diseases are most commonly caught and spread practically guarantees some sort of epidemic sweeping the surroundings area and I would rather not be associated with becoming a cause and instead I think it would be beneficial if we both agreed we are doing the community a favor by not-"
"He and I are boyfriends and he is not interested in women." Touya finally blurted at light speed, his face a scarlet red again. The woman and I stared at him, each of us trying to register that blurb that came spilling out of his mouth.

"…oh." Figuring it out first, the woman turned her own shade of red before walking away in an embarrassed fluster. Then I figured it out, and blushed as well.

"Touya!"

"You wouldn't shut up!" The brunet squeaked in response.

"You lied to her!" I hissed, looking around before hurrying to stand next to the other again. Angry, hushed whispers became our tones.

"Sh-she wouldn't go away! A-and I don't think she was going to accept any of your other excuses!"

"They weren't excuses, they were facts that I was utilizing in a discussion to persuade her to my side in an attempt to get out of a situation I was not comfortable with and that until you lied you were refusing to help me in!"

"What, did you want me to go over there and kiss her in your place?"

"Yes!"

"No! I'm not doing that for you!"

"I noticed!" As people walked by us two, occasionally they would exchange quizzical glances but otherwise we were left alone to bicker. This wasn't the first time we had this argument. I fervently do not approve of lying in any way shape or form, regardless of the reasons behind it but Touya insists on keep doing and I suppose in a fashion it bothers me immensely because I worry he's lying to me as well and…

Squeals of small children interrupted us, running past with frightened cries and squawks as an ice beam trailed into nothing. The brunet and I looked at each other, and then raced forward to try and spot where it came from. Are we under attack…? Part of me hoped not, but another part hoped so – it meant we were in the right area for a change. Another ice beam, this time aiming at an entirely different section of town. My first instinct was to see where it was aiming, which was a Gigalith – Touya's actually. I frowned, watching the creature scamper across the snow and distantly I could hear his curses.

Next to me Touya groaned, and took off. Blinking, I raced after. The shovels we had originally being carrying after asking someone to borrow them lay discarded and forgotten beneath the mistletoe in the snow.

The brunet ran towards a false tree in the town's center, and he skidded to a halt at its base. "Cryagonal! Get down here!" He yelled, raising a fist and then pointing down at the ground. Glancing up, I sighed spotting the Pokemon nestled comfortably atop the tree like a star ornament. The creature gave an icy grin down at the brunet, but made no move to come down. Biting my lower lip, I tried my best to be a good boy and not laugh at Touya. There was an ongoing war between the two as to who the real trainer was – personally I thought it was Cryogonal, but I refrained from openly making these remarks to the brunet. Instead, I generally stayed out of it. After seeing this a few times, I knew well-enough that Touya would do nothing to harm his friend and that his friend in return would not harm him. Cause him some minor grief and embarrassment, yes, but certainly no harm.

"Crygonal!" Touya whined, hopping up as if he could jump high enough to reach the creature. The action did nothing to sway the creature. At least the attention got him to stop ice beaming children and Gigalith for the moment. "It's already cold enough here, people don't need your assistance!" From atop the tree I heard the creature's casual response, I'm happy to help them suffer though. I held up one hand to stifle the beginnings of my laughter. Naturally, the brunet had no idea what he said so simply continued, "They don't need any of that! Getdownhere!"

"You should really work on your techniques of persuasion." I chuckled, and started to laugh harder when Touya tried to glare at me.

"Sh-shut up! Fine, you get him to come down! He's going to draw too much attention!" He pointed out. Still snickering some, I looked up at Cryogonal.

"Could you please come down? Touya and I would be most appreciative if you did, unless you're up there trying to spot something or someone of use?" I would be lying if I said I took no pleasure in finding a means to justifying Cryogonal staying up there just a little bit longer to annoy Touya. Leaning to one side, the creature considered my words, mulling over them. Finally, I see squat up here. That said, he hopped down from the top branches. While Cryogonals have no actual genders, much like Reshiram… this one in particular, unlike Reshiram, actually liked having a male pronoun attached to it. "Thank you." I smiled broadly at Crygonal, who gave me his equivalent to a toothy grin in response. I suppose we were comrades in driving the brunet crazy.

"…thanks. Both of you," Touya remarked, and gave me a pointed look as if I was going to go on an hour-long rant about how rude it would have been of him to only express gratitude towards me.

I would have shortened it to thirty minutes.

"You're welcome." I smiled, and Cryogonal gave his version of a bow which mostly just consisted of his body leaning forward. Glancing at me briefly, Touya sighed and started to walk back towards the shovels to leave myself and the Pokemon behind. He used to be funnier, Cryogonal commented and began to hover over the snow in an aimless direction. "I don't believe you method of cheering him up is very effective." The ice-type glanced at me. That's because he doesn't think it's as hilarious as I do when people slip on ice and bust their ass, he remarked in response. My lips quirked slightly. See! You have a proper sense of humor… coming from Cryogonal, I knew he intended it as a compliment but I wasn't sure if from any other perspective it could be viewed as such.

Deciding against dwelling on it, I hurried after Touya. Part of me felt guilty, always pressuring the brunet into letting his Pokemon roam around when we stopping in any particular area while simultaneously keeping Reshiram inside its Pokeball. But Reshiram insisted on not minding, and it was for the best – a giant dragon furnace was pretty noticeable. At least Zoroark had the freedom to roam thanks to her ability to alter her shape. Nearing the area beneath the bridge, I attempted to offer Touya another smile in hopes he wouldn't give me the silent treatment (which he sometimes did when I annoyed him more than usual). Carrying both shovels, he was walking at a rapid pace while approaching me. Frowning slightly, I squinted trying to see what was wrong. His face was beat red, and behind him I was almost certain that was the woman from earlier…

"Walk fast, walk fast, walk fast, walk fast!" Touya hissed, pressing my shovel into my hands while doing a power walk towards the old woman's home. Perplexed but not wanting to question it, I followed after with long strides. It took little time to reach our destination, and Touya hurriedly began working at the snow. Maintaining my silence, I set about helping as well… though I was not entirely sure where to put the snow once shoveling it up. Following by example, I tossed my collection in the same pile as where Touya put his.

"…sorry about that." He finally murmured. Nodding my head, I tried to concentrate on the work. Several minutes later he piped up, "I've been wondering… N. How long have you and Zoroark been friends?"

"Fourteen years, five months, and thirteen days." I said automatically. The sound of the other shovel paused, and I could feel brown eyes staring at me.

"That's… oddly specific." Touya noted.

"You should be used to that by now." I answered in a bored fashion.

"…how did you meet?" He asked hesitantly. My turn to pause arrived, and I looked over at him. He stood there, leaning on his shovel and curiously looking at me.

"Why do you suddenly want to know?" I didn't mind answering, exactly. It happened long ago, and while those scars still remained the pain had since dwindled to where I could discuss it even with Zoroark within hearing range without either of us minding. But, the inquiry seemed too sudden for me to be able to pass it off as a random question that he was asking simply to pass the time. Not to mention, if there was no cause behind it then why stop shoveling snow?

"I don't know much about you, or Zoroark." Touya answered. "You always know what to say to my Pokemon without even trying, and pretty much any others you meet… and my mother always told me our experiences with Pokemon in childhood shape how well we understand and treat them when we're older… and you two seemed so close, I was wondering…"

"How Zoroark shaped me?" I finished for him. Thinking on his mother's words, I did wonder. How had Zoroark changed me? "…we met because her original trainer was trying to breed her at a very, very young age… her egg didn't make it, and she barely did. Her original trainer, she… left Zorua to die. Probably thought Zorua was already dead, and was too ashamed to try and take her to a Center to heal her in case she wasn't. I found her by accident. I was chasing a Ducklett my… my father had brought home, to take care of its broken wing.

She tried to bite me. I wasn't her trainer, and I was a human… and a human had left her in pain, in suffering, in death. But she was too weak, and I was able to carry her back home. We were barely able to save her. Zorua was grateful, she knew what we did for her. She wanted to say thank you… so she took a human form like mine, and tried to learn how to speak. Through me, she learned to speak human when she has a human's vocal chords… through her, I learned to listen. Pokemon understand our words, but cannot speak them. But we never listen to what they say, so most people never understand them. But she taught me how. So I suppose… she changed me, in showing me that open communication between all accomplishes and means more than just a one-sided dialogue." Stopping there, I took a deep breath and blew it out.

Even now, I could still remember each and every Pokemon I saved or tried to save.

"...I always thought Touko was pulling my leg about that." Touya said softly. "That you could understand Pokemon. I suppose I've been watching you do it all this time, but I just guessed it was coincidence…" Reaching over, I tousled his hair.

"Well. Now that you know my life story, what's yours? What Pokemon shaped you?" I asked, reciprocating the inquiry. The brunet gave a sheepish smile.

"It isn't quite as interesting as yours… when Touko and I were seven, my mom brought home two Purrloins. She said she wanted to teach us to respect Pokemon, and Purrloins tend to scratch you if you do something they don't like. So we learned pretty quick through our mom and the Purrloins how to treat a Pokemon with respect and care. Of course, the sister became a bit lazy over time… but you know Liepard isn't so bad." He shrugged.

"What of the other Purrloin? Or Liepard…" I wasn't sure if the other one evolved – Touya hadn't exactly been clear.

"Her brother passed away five years ago of a brain tumor." Touya answered flatly, and then went back to shoveling snow. My lips became a thin line, and while I wondered at that reaction I didn't bother to press further. So instead I tried to think of where we could go from here, once we finished doing this for the old woman. Honestly, I figured we could just get out of it – but no, Touya said it was rude to just leave without doing the favor she requested after letting us stay with her last night… and then there was the information.

Last night the old woman looked to me. "You wanted to know about the monster? Well, it's pretty basic. There's a horrible, huge monster that terrorizes our town. Has for generations. According to legends, it's been around since Unova was born. A horrible monster, one of the creatures left behind by the higher design on accident. It just hungers, it just craves. If it catches you outside at night, it eats you to fill the nothingness that is its soul.

No one's seen it in years, though. And travelers have been coming through more and more often for the winter and summer festivals. Hardly anyone believes it really exists, but still we stay inside. It's one of the bedtime stories that lingers in the back of your mind, the kind that every time someone goes missing and is never found we wonder… was it the monster? Yes, we're very superstitious, but beneath that is a raw fear. Sometimes, in the summer for no reason it'll snow. Anyone who wanders to the Giant Chasm never returns. Maybe they get lost. Maybe get trapped, and can never get out.

A few tourists like yourselves have been trickling in the past few days. I try and warn 'em. Any of them listen? Nope." And with that, she leaned back with a satisfied smile.

"…what about this monster? Does anyone know what it looks like?" Touya asked, enthralled by the story.

"They say it's a gray beast of great stature, and a mouth wide enough to swallow a full-grown person whole." The woman replied with a soft nod. The sarcastic demeanor was gone, and I wondered if she was joking or dead-serious. Judging by her expression, she believed in this tale far more than she initially let on. If that was the case, she truly felt she was saving lives by inviting us in instead of offering us a place to stay with a false tale simply to achieve a goal of earning some free help in caring for her home but on the flipside that was probably a nice benefit in her eyes though I wondered if the free help wasn't a higher motivation than the good feeling one got when doing a kindness for another living creature I guess I could have asked but how would I been able to without Touya being so… Touya.

There was no other way to describe the brunet at this point. Our heads collided often, and I was regularly reminded that just because he was Touko's twin that did not mean they had to have anything further in common. But they both had the same look on their faces when they listened to me, though the reasons for those expressions varied. Touko always opened her ears to my words when I spoke of my truths, of my hopes and dreams. On the other hand, her brother only seemed interested when I talked about myself or my friends. For him, my interests in obtaining equality amongst humans and Pokemon were irrelevant – they were a part of me but not what made me who I was. Instead, my experiences, the creatures I surrounded myself with… all of these were factors he cared about.

And then sometimes he threw me off entirely. Touko opposed me, she was my opposite in almost every sense of the word. Without even speaking, I knew what she was thinking and feeling. But with Touya, I assumed I knew his response and then instead he would make a statement that I neither expected nor knew how to respond to try hard as I would to find a way so as to not appear a fool. For example, the other day I began a conversation about the two brothers who separated the entity that was before Zekrom and Reshiram became individuals. Trying to make conversation while also understanding my traveling companion better I remarked that they say the descendents of the brothers continued to fight over who was right or wrong, and then asked if he thought this implicated there was a relation between us.

"Just taking the possibility of there being a familial relation of blood origins between us into consideration and wondering your thoughts on it. It would be interesting and certainly a case of repeated history if relatives for generation after generation argued the points of truths and ideals, with no real conclusion being reached due to a refusal on each side to never concede the other's opinion. Of course, there is always a right answer to each question but neither of ours seem to really work for the other, but I am digressing immensely. The point is, if I were related to yourself and Touko I would not mind but I suppose in a rather roundabout way I am asking if you would mind by basing my assessments of what you think on your response but you seem rather groggy and less than inclined to give me any real direct reply." Had been my more in-depth statement when he seemed hesitant to give any real response.

"N… to whatever you just said, I think I would rather just…" He had furrowed his brows, trying to think of the right word. "…just call you a friend, than a family member." My eyes widened slightly, surprised the other would use that term in reference to me. "And did you ever take into consideration a truth and an ideal could be the same thing based on interpretation?"

"…it… what? Touya, I don't…" I was flustered – a human friend? The thought was something of a novelty, I had to admit. Never before had I been able to call a fellow human being a friend. There had been the Grunts, who were servants… the Sages, who were guides… and then Pokemon, who were friends. Did I consider Touya a friend? That was the question of the night, as I had no idea. Never even taken it into consideration. Touya was just Touko's brother, someone I was helping and traveling with. Though, I did like having Touya'd approval. Did human friendships function in the same way Pokemon ones did?

I still knew not what to make of his words. How could a truth and an ideal be the same thing based on interpretation? And did he genuinely consider me a friend, or did he simply prefer to call me one for fear that if we were related he would have finally found that shameful black sheep of the family? These were inquiries I wished to make of him, but I did not for fear he would laugh at me or even worse – say something that confused and bewildered me further. And then there would be more questions and so many variables in a single equation I would be hopelessly groping around in the dark trying to find hints and formulas to find some miniature hope of solving this puzzle that was Touya.

We finished up shoveling soon after, and all that remained was to give the shovels back. And then we could investigate the town and ask about this influx of tourists. Apparently it was normal for the weeks leading up to the winter solstice to have many come in, as there was an on-going festival. Yesterday was apparently a day dedicated to indulging their gluttony and lusted for altered mental states as much of the people were drinking heavily. The streets were filled with children and a small selection of adults, likely the only ones that were not so hung-over they could not stand the squeals of the boys and girls. Today people were supposed to exchange gifts, but how I figured it since we were transient visitors there was no need to bother with such things. Although, I probably should see if there was time to get something special for Reshiram and Zoroark…

Would Touya get something for his friends? All of them, or merely some of them? Shortly after we escaped on… the holiday was Halloween, yes… shortly after that, when we finally got a chance, he switched them out with an explanation that I still only partially understood. On one hand, I could understand not wanting to bring Frillish along since sending water-types that lived in the water onto land was cruel and unusual as while Unova has coastlines all around and a few island properties there were other Pokemon that were better suited to the dominance of land locations but could still function in water just fine. I did not understand his reasoning for putting Golett, such a polite Pokemon, into the box very well. But Touya just stared at me gravely and said, "Trust me." I find it difficult to trust anyone who stores their Pokemon into the box system like some kind of hoarder that just collects and collects simply in order to obtain some fancy certificate that says they spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on various Pokeballs and captured wild creatures that deserved to live freely rather than be trapped at some woman's home named Amanita that may have been taking questionable care of the Pokemon and well I said all of that but Touya only rolled his eyes and told me most of the Pokemon he called his own didn't happen intentionally. I'm still a bit unclear as to what that means.

"Shall we split up and ask around?" Touya asked me as we headed back to the man who lent us the shovels so long as we were quiet about it. Rather knock and disturb him, we set the shovels in front of his door.

"No." I said, shaking my head and knocking some stray snowflakes out of my hair. Considering something, I nodded my head. "We'll stick together and ask people, and to cover more ground I'll ask Zoroark to assist. She's good at what she does." Touya looked ready to say something, but I waved him off. My old subordinates were after him, their reason not necessarily clear but I had no doubt their motives were dangerous. They would not harm a Pokemon, but they were willing to harm a person. My best guesses were that they wanted Touko's brother as a hostage because he did not have the protection his sister did – a legendary Pokemon that held no remorse in protecting one it felt worthy of its power.

If they had Touya as a hostage, Touko would be forced to tell Zekrom to back down so her brother remained unharmed and then endure what punishment they felt inflicting upon someone they blamed for Plasma's downfall… even though that was not her fault. She simply exposed all that was corrupting it from within, and ultimately it was me and my father's error that destroyed something with so much potential. I let him corrupt it, and he did so with no remorse.

Or, they just wanted to kill Touya as her punishment. Either way, I would not let them harm Touko and I would not tolerate the execution of an innocent who had nothing to do with any of this. So even if neither of us liked it, I would not permit Touya to walk around by himself. He was not a poor trainer, and his Pokemon were strong… but their strength was not enough when overwhelmed by sheer numbers or underhanded tactics that were they still in Team Plasma they never would have implemented.

Arceus… how far had these men and women fallen?

Giving a high-pitched whistle, a few heads (mostly Pokemon) whipped in our direction. Next to me, Touya looked around as if he had nothing to do with me. This was nothing new. Neither of us had to wait long before a Liepard came bounding towards us, hopping through the snow. I smiled, knowing this was Zoroark in disguise – Touya's friend was not nearly so inclined to frolicking unless there was a promise of warm arms scooping her up. Their spots were also in different places.

Slowing to a trot, Zoroark stopped at me feet and looked up at me curiously. Bending down, I leaned in close to her ears. "Touya and I are going to ask around about the tourists that have been showing up lately. You heard the old woman last night, correct? She mentioned there were a lot of them… and those people in Nimbasa led us here, even if they didn't know it. Would you mind helping us in asking around?" Taking a few steps back, Zoroark nodded her purple head. Beaming at her, I thanked her and stood once more. "All right. I guess starting at the Pokemon Center would be best – most people stay there, yes?"

"I thought we were supposed to avoid them." Touya teased as we started heading that way.

"Yes, well we can only avoid them so much. Are you good?" I disliked discussing his hemophilia – mostly because I only remembered half the time, since I always believed someone with it would be anemic half the time and the brunet was a rather energetic person. At least he never seemed bothered talking about it.

"I'm not running low on DDAVP if that's what you're asking." Touya answered with a grin. "But I'll get some more, just in case we don't get a chance later." Hearing that, I relaxed some. My initial curiosity when I found out in the beginning led to me understanding a few things about it better, but not entirely. Such as when he was younger, he had received several transfusions because his mother did not believe in stopping him from being a kid. From this apparently stemmed some sort of inside joke within his local community about him being a vampire, since he received blood donations from various adults there. This was… a peculiar fact to me. That growing up, other people's blood was pumped into him on such a regular occasion he was unbothered by it. And yet… and yet he was squeamish.

Entering the Pokemon Center, I quickly took a few steps to remain behind Touya. There was a great deal of people, most of which were cradling some kind of drink while the remainder were maintain quiet conversations with each other. Come to think of it, it was about lunchtime… I noticed there were several plates of food, with the local nurses rushing around to ensure everyone was fed – human and Pokemon. With a casual gait, the brunet walked straight up to the front to talk with the only nurse maintaining the front desk still. As those two began their exchange regarding his medicine, I let my eyes wander around to try and pick out any suspicious actions or familiar faces.

Frowning slightly at not seeing a single familiar one, I hoped this was not another dead end.

"…you know what I've been worrying about?" Touya asked me last night. I made a small sound of interest, knowing he liked having acknowledgment before continuing in saying his thoughts. "What if none of those places were deadends, N? We don't know what they're trying to do…"

"They were deadends because they want Touko." I tried to explain patiently. Now, in the afternoon and looking around I wondered why he even asked that. It unnerved me, because now that the seed had been planted I was curious as well. What if they weren't deadends? If that was the case, what did it mean? Had we missed Touko somehow?

Sighing, Touya tapped me back into the present. "All set." He informed me, shaking his head.

"You do the talking." I nudged him forward, and he rolled his eyes at me. Making our rounds in the Pokemon Center was relatively easy, as most the people inside didn't seemed inclined on carrying a long-winded conversation. Most answers were straight to the point because they wanted the conversation to end quickly, though there were a few that resisted heavily. The only really eventful thing that happened was a few men invited us to join them for lunch, and after several pressing requests the two of us simultaneously decided to end the discussion rudely and simply leave to talk elsewhere. I didn't personally care for some of the comments they made as we were leaving, and judging by how red Touya's face got neither did he.

Wrapping up there, we went outside to ask people we saw. With luck, the locals would have more reliable information that any of the tourists still recovering did. By around four, both of us were hungry and our leads were as empty as our stomachs. "I think we asked everyone in town." Touya whined.

"One more walk-through. And by then, it'll be nightfall and we'll just stay with that woman and have dinner there. Maybe we'll get find something…" His visage told me he doubted that very much.

"N… we're not cut out for this detective work." He concluded.

"Are you giving up?" My words were quiet. Part of me didn't want to leave him somewhere that I couldn't keep a close eye on him. Perhaps this was my idea of redemption, my apology to Touko.

"No. Just thinking we should find out how to go about this in a smarter way." He explained with a shrug. My mind wandered to the Shadow Triad of my father, and my shoulders slumped. They had always been kind to me – but in the end, they chose Ghetsis over me. Somewhere out there, I knew they were trying to find a way to break him free from jail. Would they succeed? Was this related…? "Shit, it's that woman again." Touya murmured, and started nudging me to go with him away from her. My eyes widened.

"Touya, we haven't spoken to her yet!" I pointed out. He wavered, not wanting to go near her but there was a hope in there that maybe… I decided to jump on that hope. "She might have seen something. She's practically been loitering in that spot near the mistletoe all day, getting every man that's walked underneath it to give her a kiss-"

"Except us,"

"…yes, yes except us. But if anyone noticed something weird, wouldn't it be her? What's the worst that could happen? If she knows anything, yes it may be uncomfortable giving a kiss to a woman that neither of us are attracted to and somewhat repulsed by the possibility that somewhere in today's festive emotionally void kisses there's the start of a horrible flu to be spread but if she were to know something, anything…" I pleaded. The wavering ended, and he stopped trying to pull us both in the opposite direction. "Good." Satisfied, we hurried over to where she was. The woman spotted us both, and gave a quizzical smile. "Good afternoon ma'am, we have returned in hopes of some type of exchange." She became confused.

"H-he wants to know if you've seen a group of… strange-acting tourists today…" Touya chirped up, shifting from one leg to the next uncomfortably. The woman looked between both of us, and raised a brow. "O-other than us, that is…"

"Define strange-acting." The woman sighed, crossing her arms and expectantly looking between us.

"They function in only group rather than individual settings and have a tendency of intentionally sharing similar physical appearances such as dying their hair the same colour and wearing identical of matching outfits to emphasize that they are different from the world but the same as one another and are immensely rude and derogatory to people they meet though show a kindness around people's Pokemon they also alternate between whispers and forced conversation as though trying to cover up something." I tried to explain, without having to blatantly saying, "They're basically Team Plasma members that aren't members anymore." That never worked.

"…You must be one hell of a kisser, being able to talk like that without having to stop for a breath. He do that all day?" The woman asked, turning to Touya before grinning. "And am I right?"

…oh. Right. This was the woman he lied to about us being a couple. I tried to not relish his discomfort too much, as I understood this meant I would either have to tell her the truth or go along with a lie. But telling the truth meant she would flirt with me again, and that seemed about as bad as lying suddenly…

"So did you spot anyone like that?" He asked instead, averting eye contact and trying to skip her questions to get our answers. Teach him to lie. Pursing her lips at his dodge, she shook her head before holding it up high.

"Well right now I'm spotting a couple beneath a mistletoe and doing nothing." She pressured. Simultaneously Touya and I looked up. And there it was. That accursed flower. Never before in my entire life had I loathed a single flora more than that one. Our heads went back down, glanced at each other, and then the woman.

"We don't do PDA, only PSA." Touya informed her, paling despite the cold. I learned in closer to him.

"What's the difference?"

"PDA is public display of affection, and PSA is public service announcement. You're good at that one." Touya whispered to me in response. I learned something new today.

"Fine." The woman snapped. "You offered an exchange? Then let's do that. This is a tradition you're both trying to get out of, and I will not have it. Only once a year can I get kisses from men that aren't half-wrinkled or have mouths buried beneath beards that have been growing for probably longer than either of you have been around. You're not taking this away from me. I can tell you about any and every strange tourist I've seen come through this year, and we've gotten an influx this year in the level of strange.

You want to know about it? Then we're all kissing each other. Take it or leave it."

"…at the same time?" Touya asked, scrunching up his nose.

"At different times." She clarified, and her eyes sweeped between both of us.

"One moment." I pulled the brunet off to the side with me. "Well? Do you think she knows anything?"

"She might." Touya murmured, still pale. "If she doesn't, I'm going to hate myself though…"

"As will I. But if she does know something, it'll be worth it… right?"

"Of course it will!" Touya scowled. I smiled, seeing he was a little more willing. Good, if he could do it I could.

So long as I tried to stop my brain from trying to calculate just how many different varieties of germs were currently calling that woman's mouth home. By no means do I suffer from mysophobia (popularly known as germaphobia), but kissing that woman made me as uncomfortable as shaking hands with a whore because I had no idea when that hand (or in this case mouth) was last washed.

We walked back to her. "Okay." Touya told her. "And… and will you tell us if you've seen two girls traveling together, one blonde and one brunette?" There was a quick nod that yes, she would. Excited the two that had gotten away from her earlier were now agreeing to make up for running away.

Touya was first, and I already felt nauseous I was next. I will not remark on that kiss, because I would prefer to not have it any further ingrained into my memory that it already is. But the woman did discover that not, I had never really kissed anyone before and unfortunately I could hold my breath for a long time.

Feeling rather violated, I gathered all my willpower to not wipe my mouth or vomit. My disgust was not unnoticed, mostly because I was trying to stop myself from spitting up bile. "Well, I guess you weren't lying about the not being into woman thing…" She observed, tapping her finger on her cheek. "All right, now you two."
If this didn't count towards redeeming myself after all of the people and Pokemon I caused pain to by refusing to see reality, admittedly I'm finding myself afraid of what will. The two of us just stared awkwardly at each other, and then at the woman. Tapping her fingers, she waited as if she had all the time in the world.

"On the count of three?" Touya asked, cringing slightly. I nodded. "One… two… three." We tried a quick peck to the lips, but we both misjudged the distance the other could cover and I found myself accidentally mashing my lips into his eyes and his hit my throat. We pulled away, me gasping for air and him fervently rubbing his eye. A few feet away, the woman was howling in cackles at our failed attempt. "Th-that counts, right?" Touya asked.

"Here, let me help you there." Snickering, she walked over and put her hand on the back of both of our hands, fingers sliding through our hair until she had a good enough hold to guide our faces. Our eyes widened, horrified. And then she pushed our faces together, and I squeezed my eyes shut not wanting to see Touya that up close. At least our lips hit their targets this time, and while immensely uncomfortable the level wasn't nearly the same as my first with the woman. Both of our mouths were awkwardly puckered, and I began counting Mareep until the woman felt satisfied and let us free. Stumbling back from each other, redder than either of us ever have been before, the woman nodded her approval at us.

"Good. Now you," The woman looked at Touya. "You look like a chocolate-covered cherry, you know that? I hope this teaches you to not lie to cougars. And you," She swiveled on me and I immediately tensed. "You match the decorations brilliantly. Never seen a man with green hair blush, so thank you for that. I hope this teaches you to not ditch on your responsibility to tradition." Pleased with her announcements, she took a deep breath.

"Okay. A group of tourists have taken to camping out near the Giant Chasm. Occasionally they'll come into town to get food, and then they just… hang around, watching people. We've tried warning them about the monster that dwells there, but none of them listen. They just tell me they know and they don't care. They're weird, too. Kind of match your description, but not completely. They look different, but they… take better care of their Pokemon than themselves. A scrawny lot, them tourists.

As for the two girls… can't say I have. Seen a few blondes, seen a few brunettes… but not just a brunette with a blonde, and both being girls. Sorry." The woman shrugged.

"Err… th-thanks. For answering us, I mean." Touya stammered, still red. With a swift nod, she began making shooing motions.

"Now get, before you make the other men think I'm some kind of sexual harasser." There was no need for further shooing, we began walking as quickly from her as we could.

"…thanks for not throwing up on me." Touya murmured as we headed back to the old woman's house. I gave my whistle, knowing Zoroark would want to regroup with us now that we had another lead. Finally.

"It was my way of apologizing for spitting in your eye." I muttered.

"Oh. Sorry for almost choking you." He amended.

"Quite all right. Shall we never speak of this again?" I requested.

"Agreed. What beautiful weather we have…" He trailed, and a small smile quirked at the corner of my mouth.

"Indeed. I love it when I'm so cold I can't feel anything." I stated. Looking around, I frowned when not seeing the arrival of… well, anyone. On the off-chance she had not heard me the first time, I whistled a second time. Touya's hands immediately covered his ears, my second one being higher in pitch and more piercing. Frowning, he looked around as well.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know." A small panic began to rise, so I took a deep breath to calm myself. She was probably caught up in conversation with someone while disguised as a human, and now attempting to politely leave. It was still beyond me how she became so adept at being charismatic with people while I… still had ways to go.

"I'll go see if any of my Pokemon have seen her," Touya started to jog off, but stumbled backwards slightly when I grabbed hold of his arm.

"We'll go together." I said stiffly. If the tourists that woman was talking about were ex-members, then I really couldn't permit Touya to wander around alone. Especially now, when his friends were scattered all over the town. He frowned at me, sighed, and remained where he was. "Thank you. Now, let's find her together."


Disclaimer: I do not own, nor have any affiliation with, Pokemon or its offshoots. This is merely a fanfic I am having far too much fun with.
A/N: A few fun facts for you guys. Firstly, I don't think anyone noticed Touya's Maractus is actually a shiny Maractus. I was curious if anyone would, but apparently not. The next fun fact is that if any of you have heard of "Desmopressin" before are either mildly familiar with hemophilia, a type of "water diabetes," or you know a bed-wetter. One of those meds with lots of fun uses! Lastly, yes there is a bad joke with Touya having hemophilia - if he ever needed a donation N could... pfffttt... donate some of his blood plasma to him... pfffttt... oh gods, I'm so bad at being witty... why do I fail so hard at life...?
On a serious note, I didn't want to do a Christmas-themed chapter because... well, I think half the population will be doing that for me. Besides, in a world that worships Arceus the whole concept of Christianity doesn't... make sense. So I couldn't logically justify doing it. Instead, I am having them doing festivals for a winter solstice, and gift exchanging along with typical decorating the town for those who felt that wasn't "holiday" enough. There actually should be another update this month, given I have time.