High School Union, Chapter 37
EmDrago; Hey peeps, I'm back with another. Well, I'm sad and sorry the condo arc is over, but a new drama arc shall begin. If you all recall, Giratina had her fortune read. I won't say much more than that. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy.
A Variety Of Celebrations; Giratina
Giratina woke up and stretched, remembering it was Christmas morning. Yesterday, Arceus had graciously dropped her off here, and she spent the night with her parents. Her father had reported that he thought he had a cold, or perhaps bronchitis. At any rate, nothing was going to spoil her mood today.
She got dressed and walked down the stairs from her old room, seeing a multitude of presents under the tree. She chuckled to herself, thinking
"Some things will never change. But I'm okay with that."
She finished walking down the stairs, then looked over some of the presents, not actually touching anything. It seemed to be fairly even all around between her and her parents. Feeling pretty good this morning, and with still a couple of hours before her parents would get up, she decided to make breakfast for all of them, using the methods she had learned from Dialga.
She gathered the necessary supplies, going quite fast since she knew where everything was, but stopped when she realized she didn't have a personal stopwatch. She whipped her phone out and waited for it to start back up.
"I need to replace this thing" she thought to herself. When her phone (finally) turned on, she searched through it until she found the stopwatch app. She set the phone on the counter and began by setting four pieces of bread in the four-slot toaster, making sure to set it low and already having a cookie sheet prepared with the oven heating up. There was no chance in heaven or hell that she could predict the toaster's exact time of completion, so having everything out ahead of time would save her some.
Once she got the toast going, she set out a pan and turned the fire on for low heat. Then she took the pack of bacon she absconded from the fridge and took a small slab of about four or five pieces. She set that on and waited for the sizzling to pick up, at which point she turned the heat down a little.
When the toast popped up, she quickly put four squares of butter, one on each, then stuck the whole batch at once in the oven, putting only two more slices of bread in the toaster. Then she moved to the fridge and took out five eggs. She went back to the counter and flipped the bacon over, mindful of the grease popping periodically out of the pan. Next, she took out a bowl and cracked the five eggs in it, then took some salt and pepper and sprinkled a bit of each on the eggs.
She whisked the eggs for about five minutes until they were a consistent yellow. The toast popped out, ready, and she repeated her earlier process, taking out the fully ready slices of toast and popping in the last two. Then she checked her bacon again, pleased to see that it was cooking very nicely. Not quite to the standard of Dialga, but far surpassing her usual skills.
For the next step in her plan, she took the pancake batter and mixed it with the right amount of water, then mixed the concoction until she got a rich, creamy white gooey glob. She set it aside and covered it with a towel like she had with the eggs, which she checked again to make sure they weren't settling, mixing them again for good measure.
Now for the bacon. It was done at last, and Giratina scooped them up in her spatula, lightly shaking off the excess grease, then putting it on a plate, also covering it with a towel to preserve the heat. She took the grease can and poured what she could into it, then took another slab of bacon and put that in. While she waited, she searched around to see if there was anything else to be done. Then she smacked her forehead and remembered
"Of course, the table."
She brought out three plates and sets of silverware (the basics) and set a place for her and her parents. Once that was finished, she went over and flipped the bacon, then went to the other counter and began to prepare coffee.
"This is going to be the best breakfast I've ever made."
She chuckled to herself again, happy things were going so well. Once the next set of bacon was finished, she piled it with the first and poured most of her grease out in the can. Then she took the pancake mix and stirred it up, next pouring a small amount to make her first pancake. She kept careful track of it, and when the timing was right (or so she hoped) she dug her spatula underneath it and flipped it over. She breathed a sigh of relief when the cooked side proved to be a tasty golden brown rather than her typical black.
"Who knew bacon grease was so useful?"
Within a half hour, she had used up the entire pancake batter and made six pancakes that were decently sized. She set those on a plate and covered them. Finally, she poured a bit of the bacon grease back into the pan and heated it up so it would be a liquid again. Then she grabbed her bowl of mixed eggs, stirring them up again, then pouring the whole batch into the pan. It made a loud sizzling sound, and Giratina took a fork and began to scramble the eggs. After about five minutes, the eggs were finished and Giratina set the whole thing out on the table. She began to put the dirty dishes in the sink when her parents walked in, her mother sniffing the air and saying
"Something smells delicious!" Then her eyes feasted upon the spread Giratina had set out and she had a hard time keeping her eyes inside her head. She turned to Giratina and asked
"Did you do all this?" Giratina stood up straight and proud, saying
"Yep! Merry Christmas, guys!" Her parents came over and hugged her, her father being careful since he was convinced he was sick. Nevertheless, the family shared a tender moment. They broke apart and began to dig in, Giratina's parents quite impressed with her cooking. She explained her trip at the condo, not even omitting the business in the Jacuzzi. Once breakfast was finished, they all washed, dried, and put away the dishes as a family.
They adjourned to the living room where Giratina's father said
"Go ahead, honey, you get the first crack." Giratina hesitated, then said
"You know, this isn't really what Christmas is about." Her father nodded and said
"I know that; it's a perk." Giratina snorted in laughter, and she rolled her eyes, saying
"Alright, dad, but you're goin' next." He nodded and said
"Fair enough." Giratina walked over to the tree and looked over the small pile, her eyes latching on a small, rectangular package wrapped in red paper. After checking the tag, she noticed it was for her. She picked it up and began to gently undo the paper, making her father chuckle. Giratina turned to him and asked
"What?" He chuckled again and said
"Oh, I just miss the times when you would eagerly rip the paper apart, almost taking the present with it." Giratina and her mother joined in on the laughter, and Giratina looked at the half-opened gift. Then she shrugged and said
"Ah, whatever" and ripped the paper the rest of the way off. She gasped as she saw the iPhone5S, one of the latest models and the most advanced for her plan. She looked up at her parents, her mouth hanging open and grinning at the same time. Her mother grinned and said
"Merry Christmas, dear." Giratina squealed and ran over to her parents, hugging them close. After a moment, she stepped back and said
"Okay dad, your turn." He chuckled and walked over, looking everything over before picking up a medium-sized package. He shook it, listening closely, and said
"It's pretty heavy." Giratina's mother nudged her and winked, then watched as he tore through the wrapping, eventually unveiling a new bowling ball. He chuckled and said
"The boys don't stand a chance now!" They all laughed together again, and Giratina's mother stepped up to the plate. She picked up a long, thin present and opened it, finding a set of expensive perfumes she was rather fond of.
For the rest of the day, Giratina and her parents would enjoy the best Christmas they had ever shared together.
Arceus
He woke up on Christmas morning, feeling quite content with the world right now. He was just a bit sad that his parents wouldn't be around for the holidays. It was a routine he was accustomed to, but it still hurt.
When he walked down the stairs, however, he found his mother and father waiting for him with wide grins and the usual
"Merry Christmas!" Arceus' face broke out in a wide grin and he rushed down to them, hugging them close very suddenly.
"Whoa, son. What are you so excited about?" Tears filled Arceus' closed eyes, and he said shakily
"You're here, on Christmas. I wasn't expecting you to be." His mother stroked his long, silvery hair and said
"Well, we decided it was about time we started spending a bit more time with you. And we figured, why not start early?" Arceus nodded but asked
"But what about our finances? Won't they suffer?" His father scoffed and said
"Everyone takes Christmas off, son. I don't see why we shouldn't. I hate to say it, but we weren't able to take any time to get you presents." Arceus couldn't stop the tears from flowing as he said
"I have all the presents I need right here."
Palkia
She was with her parents, having a good time with her younger sister as well. Despite the fact that the siblings didn't get along too well, they agreed to settle their differences for the holidays. They got a multitude of gifts, mostly dolls and makeup for Palkia's sister, and Palkia got jewelry and various cosmetics. The four of them laughed and enjoyed each other's company.
Dialga
He was enjoying some of the new car accessories he had found under his tree. He and his father went outside to put some of them on while his mother leaned against the doorway with a cup of coffee in her hands. She smiled as Dialga's face lit up every time he looked at the new accessories and how well they went with his car; a steel-gray steering wheel cover, new rims, and some cliché fuzzy dice to hang from the rearview mirror that he liked anyway.
Shaymin
She woke up gently before the dawn and set out to make sure her garden was still safe. She had spent her weekends during the school year, when she wasn't hanging out with her friends, making a special greenhouse tent so her precious Gracidea garden wouldn't be taken with the winter's frost. Celebi had helped her make and perfect it after they had gotten together.
She got outside, shivering in the chilly air, her breath clouding up in front of her face. Then she pushed forward and stopped by the tent, peering inside. For the most part, the plastic she used was heavily condensed. She opened up the flap to let out some of the excess heat while at the same time picking three Gracidea Flowers. She placed one in her hair, gently inhaling its sweet scent that she never tired of.
She closed the flap and walked back inside, gently placing the Gracidea Flowers on the table. Then she walked back outside and grabbed her watering pail, going to the hose and filling her pail up. It was pretty old and leaky; she needed to get a new one, and soon. Maybe she would get lucky this Christmas.
She smiled as she thought that, knowing it didn't really matter. She gently watered her precious plants, then made sure they would survive another day, another night. Afterward she walked inside and made herself a simple breakfast, waiting for her parents to get up. As she finished washing her dishes and put them away, they walked through and she smiled softly at them, picking up the two extra flowers she picked and handed one to each of them, saying softly
"Merry Christmas, mom and dad." They smiled and drew her in for a hug, then led her to the closet where they kept the presents. Shaymin wasn't too big on the Christmas tree, since she preferred living plants, and it wasn't practical to put the presents outside. So this was the compromise.
She had received, as it turned out, a new plastic watering can, the same shade of green as her hair. She also got a new trowel and some specialized fertilizer. Being the gardener she was, Shaymin was ecstatic to receive the gifts. She hugged her parents again, thanking them in her soft voice.
Celebi
He, his brother, and his sister were all making breakfast for their mother and father. They all had a fairly mild nature, though Celebi's younger brother was notorious for his occasional wild run. But nobody really minded, so long as the damage wasn't too high.
Celebi's younger sister was still at the age where she needed her big brother to help her in almost everything she did. He didn't mind though; he loved his siblings dearly and would die for them. Not that anybody expected that to happen, but he would still do it.
Once the breakfast was ready, Celebi divided the work evenly among them all, making sure his sister knew she was an important part to all of this. They carried the trays up to their room, Celebi balancing his tray in one hand, opening the door silently, and holding the tray up while his siblings burst into the room, shouting
"Wake up, wake up, it's Christmas!" Celebi smiled as he entered and flicked the soft fluorescent lights on, saying
"Breakfast? Merry Christmas mom and dad." His dad grunted and sat up, reaching for and putting on his glasses, saying
"Son, it's still the crack of dawn. I am an old man and deserve to get my sleep." Celebi half-grinned and shook his head, replying
"Come on dad, eight-thirty isn't the crack of dawn. And you're not that old. Besides," he motioned to his siblings, continuing "they insisted, even giving me the puppy eyes. What was I supposed to say?"
His father grunted and rolled out of the bed, grabbing some of the toast along the way. He stepped into his slippers and shuffled to the bathroom. Meanwhile, his mother said
"That was sweet of you all. Thank you." Everybody grinned and came together for a family hug. Their father walked out and was coerced into joining them, though it didn't take much. Soon they all walked down with the empty dishes, their parents reassuring them that it was a perfect way to start the day.
In no time at all, the floor around the false tree they brought out and decorated every year with joy was littered with wrapping paper, tape, and ribbons. Celebi's brother and sister were quite happy with all the stuff they got, mostly video games for his brother, dolls for his sister. He himself received some books he'd had his eyes on for a while, which made him very happy. They were gardening books, which he planned to share with his girlfriend.
He'd also gotten some new clothes, which he appreciated more than most children would. He imagined if anyone would appreciate books and clothes more than him, it would be Uxie. Even if he had been faking his persona for five years (and this was before he knew him personally) there was no doubt that he was a practical kind of guy.
One of the usual traditions they had in this household was a yearly family photo. Hopefully this year his brother wouldn't get a wild urge and knock the camera down again. It took a while for that to settle down, but things panned out in the end. Celebi helped his technologically hopeless father set up the camera, then set the timer and made sure everyone was in place. At this point he could use Dialga's strength for timing, but he didn't think there was much to screw up.
Once everything was set, he hit the timer and ran to his family, standing between his mother and father with his hands on the shoulders of his brother and sister. The camera flashed once, twice, thrice, and it was over. Celebi went to check the results, his mother joining him. They looked over the pictures and found that there weren't any problems this time. Nobody had blinked or moved suddenly, everyone was well-behaved, and nothing was cut out. Celebi looked at his mother and smiled, saying
"I'd say this Christmas was successful." She nodded and took the camera, saying
"Probably the best we've had so far." Celebi reflected on that for a moment as he took his gifts up to his room, and on the way back down to commence the next part of their family Christmas traditions, he thought
"There really is no best Christmas. As long as you get to spend time with the ones you love, there is no true factor that makes one year better than another."
Latias
She had walked outside of her room, not fully dressed for the day, opting to stay in her nightshirt and pants. She was yawning on the way out of her bedroom, and she traveled to the living room, where she saw Latios and his parents conversing with hers. She exclaimed in joy and they both ran at each other, hugging each other close and tight. Latias looked up lovingly in his eyes and he gazed down at her in the same manner. They began to share a compassionate kiss, but Latias' parents interrupted, saying
"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast! You should probably open the presents first." Latios grinned slyly and said
"What are you talking about? I've got all the present I need right here." Latias giggled, and both their parents rolled their collective eyes. Then Latias pulled away and walked over to the closet, bringing out a secret present she had made for Latios whenever they would have the chance to be together, since generally this holiday was spent with each person's separate families.
Luckily for her, it seemed that their parents already considered themselves a collective family, and the schedule was thus; Latios and his parents would spend the day with Latias and her parents, and then they would go to the opposite house for Christmas dinner. A perfect plan in Latias' mind, given that she got to spend the whole time with Latios.
She presented him the gift, and when he opened it he found a new throw blanket shaded a bright red. He smiled at her and drew her in for another kiss, which she eagerly accepted. Over the course of the day, the families talked about various things, playing some card and board games, and even having a bit of fun with the Wii. Once dinner rolled around, they all traveled to the other house, where Latios' father had it set out, cooking slowly. They ate and laughed together, and once everything was finished, Latios went up to his room to retrieve his own present to Latias.
She was in a fit of ecstasy when she saw the romance novel she had been dying to get for a couple of months now, but couldn't work up the money to get. She kissed him with a level of passion reserved for whenever she was particularly happy. Latias' mother rolled her eyes and whispered to Latios' mother
"You watch and wait, they'll be married right out of high school." Latios' mother chuckled and responded
"If they had their way, they'd have been married a while ago." The two mothers were laughing over this gossip as they watched their children exchange the love they felt for each other.
"You know, I think this was one of the better Christmas celebrations we've had on our block." Her companion nodded absently, thinking about how her little girl wasn't so little anymore.
Mespirit and Azelf
As the twins ran down the stairs, still in their pajamas, they paused for a second to lean over the railing and check the tree, which was abundant with presents. The two grinned at each other and ran down the rest of the way, jumping the last few steps and running to the tree, each picking up a gift, then tossing it to each other when the names didn't match. Mespirit paused for a moment, making Azelf do the same. Then Mespirit asked her sister
"Do you think we might be getting too old for this?" Azelf looked up at the ceiling, then shrugged and said
"Next year." Mespirit smirked, then tore apart the wrapping on her present, prompting Azelf to do the same. This year would prove to be a score in the line of designer clothes, which they greatly appreciated, tackling their father just as he got out of the kitchen with his coffee in hand, still bleary-eyed.
"Thanks, daddy!" they shouted simultaneously. Their father smiled warmly and rubbed each of their heads with his free hand, saying softly
"You're welcome." He looked up at the mess and chuckled, saying
"I see you got into everything before I could even wake up." Mespirit giggled and said
"Not everything, dad. There's still one more." He appeared genuinely confused and asked
"What do you mean? I don't think there's anything else there. Are you sure you counted correctly?" Azelf giggled and said as she pulled on his hand
"Why don't you come and see for yourself?" He chuckled again as he allowed his daughters to pull him along, saying
"Alright, alright. What do you have to show me?" Mespirit knelt in front of the tree and stuck her arm in it, ignoring the jabbing of the numerous pine needles. Eventually she signaled to Azelf, who confirmed it, then covered her father's eyes.
"Hey!" he shouted indignantly, making Azelf giggle as Mespirit continued pulling the surprise from the tree.
"Don't worry, daddy, we're not doing anything." He chuckled again and said
"Oh, alright. Tell me when you're ready." Mespirit soon pulled out their gift, and she motioned to Azelf, who uncovered her father's eyes again. He saw that his pink-haired daughter was holding a coffee cup in her hand, one that had "World's Best Dad" printed on both sides. He smiled as he accepted the mug. He looked it over, then poured his coffee into it, raised it in a toast, and said
"Thanks, girls." They beamed at their father, who had done everything in his power to provide the best for them after their mother left them while they were still young. Why she did it, no one was able to explain. Over the years, however, the twins had grown very close to their father, which compensated, at least in their minds, the lack of a mother.
Soon the girls went back up to their room to put away their new clothes, and Azelf held a new top over her body and turned this way and that, trying to imagine something.
"What do you think?" she asked, "Would Uxie like this?" Mespirit rolled her eyes and said
"Please, he'd like you in anything. I still can't believe he had us all fooled for five years."
"Uxie? What about Mew? He's had us fooled since we knew the guy! In all the time we've known him, when he was with you and when he wasn't, I've never known him to get serious." Mespirit hesitated, catching Azelf's attention. She looked at her sister in the mirror and said
"You're hiding something, aren't you?" Mespirit hesitated again, then said
"Well, you remember that dance you forced me to have with him back in middle school?" Azelf chuckled and said
"How could I forget? Your face was totally picture-worthy!" Mespirit rolled her eyes and said
"Well, around the end of that, he apologized without someone having to force it out of him." Azelf's eyes widened in shock, and Mespirit nodded. Then she continued
"And he also confessed that he pranked me the most because he had a crush on me. Took me a week to figure it out though."
Azelf was just speechless now, which left room for Mespirit to go to the window and stare outside and ask aloud but not to anyone in particular
"I wonder what he's doing right now?"
Uxie
Uxie was enjoying the holidays as best he could. There wasn't anything in particular that made him dislike this holiday to an extent, it was just that his mother sometimes overdid it. He had a renegade father, which severely disappointed Uxie. So his mother tried to make up for it, at first thinking she had to get another male into her life, to become part of his.
This decision was not looked upon favorably by Uxie, so she took herself off the market, so to speak. At around the beginning of the school year, two years before he hit middle school, he had spotted Azelf with her sister. As all boys will, he developed a crush on her. However, his crush didn't fade; as it turned out, it bloomed, to the point he couldn't get her off his mind. Not quite sure what to do at this point, he tried one day to just go directly to her and say it.
However, his attempts were thwarted when he saw her sitting amongst her friends, laughing with them, so popular. It was at that point he knew he was no good for her. He wasn't anything special. He certainly wasn't rich, the way she was. He wasn't handsome, he wasn't funny, he wasn't smart… he was nobody. What chance did a nobody like him have with a girl who was clearly popular?
It was at that time he took his vow to end his crush on her, and he would do so by altering his personality. But what direction should he go? Well, everyone says knowledge is power… so that might be the ideal route.
From that point on, he had devoted himself to do nothing but study, reading book after book. His grades improved vastly, which at least was one benefit from this action. However, his plan had backfired. Azelf had taken notice of him, and it seemed she was trying to capture his attention. Had this happened before, he would have lost his will and gone for her. At this stage, though, he felt it was too late to go back. He was stuck, and he went to the only source of comfort he could afford at the time; his mother.
At least she had been there for him during that time of need. Over time, though, as he grew in knowledge, he would try to become more and more independent. But his mother had a hard time letting go. But now that Azelf was his girlfriend, he allowed his mother a little further in. They still had a somewhat difficult relationship, but in all truth, Uxie didn't imagine he would get the chance to have a relationship with anybody of any kind, whether it be boy/girlfriend, or mother/son.
At any rate, Uxie's haul consisted mostly of books, which he was happy for. True, he didn't have to be that person anymore, but according to his will, he had altered his personality. There really wasn't any going back, not that he wanted to. He had the best of both worlds; a superior intellect to most everybody he knew (though he didn't brag about it) and Azelf. What more did he need, really?
Once he had finished putting his new supplies in his room, he came out and did something he hadn't done for a while; he hugged his mother, and when he did, she was surprised and touched. She tentatively wrapped her arms around him in return, unable to believe her fortune.
"Merry Christmas, mom" said Uxie. She patted him on the back and replied softly
"Merry Christmas, son."
Mew
Mew wasn't home right now. In fact, he was walking down an empty street, with nothing more to do than kick a rock that was in front of him. Soon the rock wound up in the gutter and Mew made no move to retrieve it. He sighed heavily as he looked up in front of him.
There was absolutely no one on the streets right now. They were all too busy having a good time with their families, but that was a luxury that Mew hadn't had in seven, eight years. He thought back to his outburst back at the condo, and he sighed ruefully.
"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now. Sooner or later I'm going to have to explain myself."
He begged that day would never come, but he knew it would anyway. A police cruiser pulled up next to him, the window rolled down, and the officer inside asked
"Hey, kid, what are you doing out here?" Mew looked at him and replied
"Just walkin'. Not against the law, is it?" The officer scowled and said
"But on Christmas? You should be at home with your family." Mew smiled humorlessly and responded
"I could say the same about you." The officer's face closed off, and the last thing he said before rolling up his window was
"Just stay out of trouble, kid."
The car drove off and Mew watched its progress. A sharp, bitterly cold wind blew through, and he shivered, pulling his jacket tighter to him. Then he stuck his hands in his pocket and continued walking, finding another rock to kick around.
In time, he came to the park where his fondest memories took place. He looked over at the swings, the slide, and the little tunnels he had so enjoyed running through. Eventually he ambled to one of the tables and sat on the table itself, placing his feet on the bench. He looked up at the sky; it was cloudy today, suggesting there might be a bit of rain. But it wasn't cold enough for snow. It never was here.
Before he could stop them, tears came to his eyes and broke free of the emotional barriers he always tried to keep intact. He raised a hand and wiped away the tears, but more came. In time, he just gave up completely and surrendered himself to his sadness, his longing. The longing of what could never be.
And that finishes this chapter up. Tell me what you think of it! EmDrago, out!