Type: Dragon
Shipping: SarcasticShipping

One-Shot 11: Dragon Christmas Along…

Ash, Brock, May, Max and their Pokémon friends returned to a snowy Petalburg City for a holiday gathering. "It was nice for Norman and Caroline to invite us to a party," Brock mentioned. Pikachu also seemed excited to join in the festivity.

"Pikachu's ready to celebrate," Max chuckled. "As am I!" Ash giggled as he looked around to the white-out streets.

"It amazes me that it's around Christmas time and how it's so perfect," he pointed out.

"Well, what did you have in mind to go along with this?" All Ash did was laugh. That laugh was cut short with a roar and Pikachu turned to something big and blue with red wings. It alerted the others.

"What was that?" asked May. All saw the dragon in the sky and freaked. "What IS that?!"

"It's a Salamence!" Ash wanted to be sure.

"Really?" he wondered as he brought out his PokéDex and pointed.

"Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon," it registered. "Salamence is the evolved form of Shelgon. Its dream fulfilled, Salamence soars like a jet in the sky." Salamence landed and stomped to the trainers.

"Here it comes!" gulped May. Salamence stopped in front of Ash.

"Careful, Ash," Brock warned. "Salamence can be aggressive at random." Ash heeded the warning as he became face-to-face with the Dragon Pokémon. Salamence sniffed at the still Ash and Pikachu. That's when it growled and pounced on Ash to the ground, freaking the rest.

"Ash!" they yelped. Salamence began to lick at Ash's face in delight where he began to laugh.

"Hey!" he cackled. "That tickles! Stop! Cut it out!" Apparently, Salamence became happy to see Ash and Pikachu as he now licked on Pikachu's face.

"Looks like Salamence came to see Ash and Pikachu," Max huffed.

"But why?" wondered May. "Is it familiar with him?" Brock had a funny feeling.

"I think it may be," he studied. "Bagon evolve to Shelgon before it becomes Salamence, so it's possible this one's from a run-in we've had." Proving Brock's point, a voice rang out.

"So that's why you wanted to come here, Salamence!" a young woman voiced. Salamence stopped the licking assault to find a purple-haired woman in a new red dress. Standing by her was another familiar person: rotund with a beard as white as snow and donning a red suit.

"Michelle!" Brock dashed to Michelle's side, clasping her hands with his. "Oh, Michelle! We can let Bagons be Bagons about our past and start anew with a relationship that flies to the-" Max heard enough and snagged Brock's earlobe.

"Unfortunately, your brain has Shelgon!" he nagged as he dragged Brock away.

"Ow! Max! Ow!" May came to the other person with sparkles in her eyes.

"It's… Santa Claus!" she cheered.

"Ho ho ho!" chuckled Santa. "It's nice to see kids before I deliver gifts to the good boys and girls." Ash and Pikachu also met Santa. To them, nostalgia returned to them. "And if it isn't Ash and Pikachu… It's been awhile since you two, Brock and Misty visited me."

"Don't we know it," Ash huffed. Pikachu squeaked to greet the jolly one. "So, did you come for the Christmas party?"

"Ho ho ho! Of course, I did! I came to see the little boys and girls and introduce the Stantler to them." May and Max couldn't believe Ash and Santa knew each other.

"No fair!" snapped Max. "You and Santa are friends?!"

"Sure are!" laughed Ash. "Misty, Brock and I helped return one of his helpers." To May, there was one place for sure Ash and Pikachu had been to meet Santa.

"You mean you guys went to the North Pole?" she guessed.

"We did!" The siblings awed the achievement. However, the same can't be said for Team Rocket watching from afar.

"So, Santa's the VIP for this party," Jessie watched. "At least he can't Jynx us like the last time." James and Meowth weren't paying attention to the face of Christmas.

"I'm more inclined to steal that twerpette's Salamence," James plotted. "You have any idea how much Dragon Pokémon go on the black market?"

"For sure," Meowth sneered. "It would be what we need to get out of da red with da boss!" Jessie sighed but found a topic to plan.

"So, we go to the party, steal the twerp's Pikachu and twerpette's Salamence and run off into the night?" she started.

"Luckily for us, I've got the tickets for entry," James sneered as he waived a ticket in hand. "Someone was invited when he had a family emergency and gave his invites to me." A stroke of luck made Jessie and Meowth glee.

"Talk about luck," she laughed. "We're in before we can plan." As they prepare, the party at a huge hall in the outskirts of Petalburg began. Kids and parents gathered to celebrate the festivity and with Santa present, it seemed to be the time of everyone's lives. Ash and his team weren't aware that Team Rocket had infiltrated the party and their disguises were pretty good: wearing ugly sweaters and wearing beanie hats with Jessie's long hair in a braided ponytail and tucked under her sweater. Both wore sweatpants to add to their disguises. Meowth pawed around and didn't mutter a word, trying not to blow his cover as he inched over to Pikachu. He returned to his favorite shoulder of his master.

"Couldn't you hold still, Pikachu?" he growled. Ash heard the Alley Cat Pokémon and spotted him as Team Rocket's mascot sweated in fear.

"I thought I smelled a Rocket nearby," he glared. Meowth tried to play innocent but even his own tongue betrayed him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, twerp." Ash had a pretty good feeling as to their ploy.

"You didn't want to see Santa?" Meowth gawked before leaping onto Ash's shoulder.

"Okay, so I wanted to plead to Claus not to give me coal for da holiday! I know we've been not so good…"

"Let alone your job…"

"But I'm just a Pokémon. I don't deserve da same punishment as Jessie." Pikachu didn't believe Meowth, knowing how Team Rocket operates.

"Something tells me you're after my Pikachu and Michelle's Salamence." Meowth gawked again, their plan discovered. Meowth bailed back to Jessie and James with Ash and Pikachu watching.

"Twerp found us out!" Jessie and James gasped as Michelle got to Ash's side. Seeing the pair with Meowth, the group saw Team Rocket.

"Lookee here, three scrooges to spoil the party!" she scowled. Their disguises ratted out, Team Rocket unveiled themselves.

"Prepare for trouble, or give up in a cinch!" snarled Jessie.

"Make it double, your Pokémon is our wish!" added James.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people's within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" finished Meowth. The crowd now turned on Team Rocket and Norman and Caroline weren't happy about the party crashers.

"You guys never learn, do you?" the Gym Leader snapped. "If you can't beat a kid, what chance do you have against a Gym Leader, let alone the father of a Pokémon Coordinator?"

"Please, I never listened to my parents!" scoffed Jessie. "And besides, Kris Kringle owes me for the last time I got hoodwinked by him!" Brock and May came to aid Ash. Michelle cleared the group back.

"How about we make you Kris-py?!" she sneered. "Salamence, go!" Her Pokéball opened and her Dragon Pokémon emerged.

"Dustox, you're up!" Jessie's Pokéball opened to reveal her Poison Moth Pokémon.

"Cacnea, let's go!" summoned James. His Pokéball opened for his Cactus Pokémon to appear. However, it hugged James in which he cried in pain. "Okay, Cacnea… Now let go!" To Michelle, this was an easy win.

"So, a Bug and a Grass Pokémon," she smiled. "Your funeral… Salamence, use Flamethrower!" Salamence breathed a heavy flame that engulfed Team Rocket and their Pokémon.

"Charbroiled, anyone?" moaned Meowth. Dustox and Cacnea fell on the first blow. Ash decided to end their charade.

"Pikachu, use Thunder-"

"Wait a minute, Ash!" halted Santa. Ash turned to Santa with his sack. "I just remembered that I have presents for Team Rocket." Casually, Santa brought out three presents of different sizes. Meowth got the smallest while Jessie had the largest.

"Thanks, Santa!" accepted James. Meowth opened his present first with a Scratch attack.

"Let's see what Santa got Meowth," he pondered. Looking inside, he found a dreadful surprise. "A lump of coal?"

"You may be a Pokémon with quite a tongue but it doesn't excuse your actions," Santa warned. "However, there's some good about you that I threw in." Looking again, Meowth's eyes widened. He found a pearl white ball of yarn. He began to play with it. James looked into his gift and discovered that he'd been naughty.

"I got a lump of coal as well?" he whined.

"Just like Meowth, you've made actions that don't excuse what you've done to people and Pokémon. However, look further in." James complied to find a binder with clear pouches. This delighted James.

"Wow! And I just discovered new and unseen bottle caps that I can add to my collection!" Jessie's last.

"Okay, my turn!" she insisted before opening her gift. What she got made her lose her mind. She poured out lumps and lumps and lumps of coal. "Is this some sort of joke!? All that's in here is coal!"

"Abusing your co-workers, assaulting children and Pokémon, even touting on parents protecting their flesh and blood," Santa listed. "You, Jessie, have been a very naughty girl." Jessie's face screamed murder to the Christmas idol.

"You don't understand… You can't deny me happiness. No one can deny me happiness!" Ash had a perfect response for Jessie.

"Is it really that hard to be a good girl or are you just that dense to follow common sense?" he sneered. Jessie heard enough from Ash.

"You shut your trap, twerp!"

"How about I shut yours? Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired its Thunderbolt attack which triggered an explosive under Team Rocket that sent them flying.

"Suddenly, Christmas is the worst holiday in my life!"

"Well, if you'd listen to us once in a while, Santa wouldn't be a problem!" argued Meowth.

"What Jessie needs is something she hates, and I can't say that to the little twerps and twerpettes!" advised James. All flew into the night sky.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off to the New Year!" they cried as they vanished. The party resumed as Santa had boys and girls sit on his lap for Christmas wishes. Ash and Pikachu watched for awhile before stepping aside. Michelle followed and joined them.

"Parties not to your liking?" she asked.

"It's not that," he tried to explain. "I guess it's that it's an honor of Santa, not me."

"I guess so. A party with your name would be when you win a Pokémon League, am I right?" Ash chuckled to the guess.

"Yeah… I would want one about an accomplishment, not one which I become older or holiday celebrations…"

"Hey, nothing wrong about celebrating a birthday." Pikachu agreed with a squeak. "Though, since you did play a part in helping Salamence evolve, I have an idea how to give it the proper honor." Ash turned to Michelle, wondering her method.

"And what would that be?" Pikachu saw the extended arm of Michelle and squeaked to it. Ash looked to Pikachu, then the arm. What he saw was a stock of mistletoe dangling over him. "Is that mistletoe?"

"It is part of the Christmas spirit." She leaned in and kissed Ash on the lips… and didn't want to part from them. Pikachu excitedly squeaked. It's a good thing they were far from Ash's friends. They'd be having a drag-on.

END of DRAGON
Last up: POISON

(Thank you for all the votes to make Volume VII possible. One more and I'm done with in 2017. I'll resume One Piece and the Delfino story in 2018. Once those are done, I'll have two more stories on hand, as well as a new poll for future stories. One is a Pokémon drama while the other is a crossover with "Legend of Zelda." However, it won't be a sequel to "Lon Lon Love." That's all I got to say at this point.)