Disclaimer: I forgot to put this in the last chapter, but any recognizable, characters, names, places, ideas, etc. I do not own. Everything you recognize is owned by Nintendo, TPCI, and whomever else. All I own is the idea/plot behind this story.

Petalburg City, Hoenn Region

The massive Petalburg Gym, home to Gym Leader Norman and his family, was aglow with the luminescence of Christmas lights and the splendor of decorations. Various holiday bric-a-brac was strewn about in front of and around the gym, creating a very festive and wondrous atmosphere. A lit-up Santa graced the roof of the gym, complete with a glowing sleigh pulled by his team of Stantler. Even the greenhouse behind the gym was decorated for the season, various colored lights hanging from the roof and fake icicles dripping from the trestles. A small, brightly-colored tree could be seen through the panes of the greenhouse, an assortment of small presents already assembled beneath its evergreen branches.

The inside of the gym was just as warm and welcoming as its exterior. The walls were decorated with multitudes of red, white and green. Garland was stretched from wall to wall and sprigs of holly lent a festive, natural feel to the place. Small strings of lights streaked across the ceiling and ceramic snowflakes dangled down beautifully, wondrously shining in the bright lights. Even in the private recesses of the gym, that part that was home to Norman and his family, festive adornments could be seen. A second tree, this one larger and more conservatively decorated, stood in the corner near a small window, a white star gracing its top. Colorful presents were spread out beneath the tree, the bright colors of papers and ribbons bringing a warm feeling to the home.

A delicious odor wafted from the kitchen and joyful chatter could be heard. Three people were gathered around the table in the dining room: a man with dark hair sat at the head of the table, a grin on his face. He seemed to be listening intently to the young, dark-haired boy to his right. The enthusiasm and exuberance of youth was evident in this lad, as if he was restraining himself from jumping out of his seat to emphasize his story with each word spoken. A beautiful brown-haired woman sat across from the boy, her eyes shining with joy and love for her family. There was a wonderful Christmas feast spread out in front of the trio, much of it forgotten as the adults became engrossed in the tale the boy was telling.

"…and then Charizard used the most powerful Flamethrower I have ever seen! The whole field seemed to be on fire! But it wasn't enough. Swampert was able to use Dig to avoid it and when it came back up ready to grab it, Charizard was gone! It had flown up into the air to dodge. And it was quick, too! It started spinning in a blazing Fire Spin as it flew back down and Swampert used Muddy Water to counterattack. There was such a big explosion and when everything cleared, both Pokémon were knocked out! It was an awesome battle!" Finally done with his story, Max slumped back in his chair, out of breath but eyes sparkling with excitement. His parents looked on amused at his tired form before turning back towards their plates.

"Sounds like quite the exciting battle, son. Too bad I couldn't watch it with you." Norman smiled at his young son and watched as the boy smiled back. There was nothing more that Max wanted to do than to be the successor to the Petalburg Gym when Norman finally retired. With his love for and knowledge of Pokémon, the young boy was well on his way to achieving that dream. And he certainly was a bright and meticulous student, absorbing every lesson he was taught and eagerly observing Gym battles, watching for new strategies or new techniques that he would hopefully try out one day.

Caroline watched the two men in her life. They certainly were two of a kind. She glanced briefly at the lone chair at the other end of the table and for a moment, her eyes got weepy. It passed quickly and she turned back towards her family, hoping no one saw her little moment of weakness.

Unfortunately, her husband had noticed the way her eyes watered when she glanced at that empty chair and he felt his heart break a little. He knew that she was thinking of their daughter and the fact that she had been unable to make it home for the holidays. May had called them just the other day when she was in Ecruteak City and apologized for not being able to make it home in time to celebrate with them. She had been on her way to Mahogany Town for her next Contest and didn't have time to make it home and back beforehand. They had told her that they were glad that she was doing well in her travels and that she didn't need to worry about not coming back home; they knew that she was doing what she enjoyed and that was all they wanted for her. She had smiled and given them her love before wishing them a merry Christmas; they had told her that they loved her and wished her well on her journey and hoped to talk to her again soon. After saying good-bye, Norman had noticed the slight tears in his wife's eyes but chalked it up to just another instance of his wife missing their baby girl; she always got that way after talking to May. But now, at this moment, his wife had had the same look in her eye and he knew that she was missing her even more. Thankfully, Max didn't seem to notice and after finishing his meal, he excused himself from the table and left to his own room, leaving his parents alone.

As soon as their son was out of sight, Norman got up from the table, walked over to his wife, and put his arms around her. He held her that way for a moment before she finally allowed herself to cry in his arms.

"Oh Norman, I miss her so much! I know she loves doing what she's doing and I would never want to destroy that happiness, but she should be HERE with us."

Norman ran one hand through her brown hair, hoping to soothe her. "I know, Sweetheart. And I know how much you miss her; I miss her too. But we have to accept the fact that she is growing up and needs to do what she's doing."

Caroline sniffed, trying to compose herself. "You're right, Dear, I know you're right. I knew that when she turned ten, she would leave us to go on her own journey. And I know that she's been enjoying every minute of it. But I still miss her; I will always miss her, especially at this time of year." Norman nodded in sympathy, knowing exactly what his wife is going through.

"We're her parents; it's only right for us to worry." He gave a soft smile, which his wife returned. "She knows that we love her and that we miss her. She also knows that we worry about her. But she also knows that we trust her and that we accept the fact that she is growing up. That is why she calls us whenever she gets the chance; she doesn't want us to worry any more than we have to. We need to accept the fact that our little girl is growing up and will make her own choices. All we can ask of her is to be happy with those choices and to never forget us or how much we love her."

Caroline threw her arms around her husband's larger frame and squeezed tightly. After a moment she pulled away, but only enough to give him a loving kiss on his cheek. He always knew how to make her feel better; he always would.

"Thank you for that, Darling." She smiled a bright, happy smile. "I needed that."

Norman returned the smile and the hug. "Any time, my dear. Now, what do you say we call our Gym Leader-in-training for some warm cocoa and a movie in the family room, hmm?" Caroline smiled at him once again before getting of his embrace to gather their son, knowing that even if she couldn't be with her family during this time of year, their daughter knew that she was well-loved and that her family would be thinking of her, no matter how far apart they were.