Getting to Lucas's home was a bit more difficult than usual. It always was a bit out the way, being in the hillier part of town, but rarely before had Sean's father had to weave his through parked cars at such a rate. Lucas had warned him about this, but Sean had no idea it'd be this bad.

"Dad's throwing some sort of office party," Sean recounted Lucas explaining. "Everyone from work will be there, apparently. Be careful out there."

Sean again scanned the roadside, looking at each and every car parked neatly alongside the curb. Unsurprisingly, there was an abundance of BMWs, expensive hybrids, and other polished sedans. For all these cars, Sean thought, you'd think there'd be more of a racket. Despite the abundance of vehicles implying a small army of guests, Sean could barely hear the clamor outside the house, even as he approached the door. This has to be the tamest party I've ever seen…not that I've seen many, but still.

After an awkward encounter with Lucas's mother, who had taken it to herself to open the door for new guests, Sean made a beeline for the basement, paying little mind to the guests. He descended the staircase to his destination, quickly and quietly, the polite myrth of the office party beginning to be traded for a more juvenile but genuine joyfulness.

"I'm just saying, I think they made a mistake in the seeding." The voice was clearly Adam's, on the defensive. "There's no way Blitz Beast is a seed 8."

"What," chortled Sal, "you think he's better?"

"Worse, honestly. Have you seen his past few fights? They put him too high."

"Woah, looking honestly at the people who play your favorite clan?" teased Lucas. "You could learn a few things from him, Nathaniel."

Nat shrugged. "Speak for yourself, Robertson. Don Coleo has a better chance of advancing than Iron Fist."

Sean smiled as he entered the basement's main room. According to Lucas, the basement was originally meant to be a game room, hence the rustic wooden walls, billiard table, and trio of dart boards. As time went on, and as both of his parents climbed their respective corporate ladders, the interest in such a room had diminished, and the room was bequeathed to Lucas, who turned it into a cozy little den. With his parent's blessing, he added a sizable TV, couch, game systems, and various wall decorations to make it the perfect hangout spot.

"Ah, at last our ensemble is complete," Lucas said, noticing Sean admiring the room. "Over here, good sir."

Sean nodded in acknowledgement, approaching a haphazardly circle of chairs surrounding a small pile of presents. He gently tossed his own gift on the pile before taking the only empty seat- a barely padded wooden folding chair, same as all the others- between Shu and Nat. "Sorry I'm late. My aunt was visiting and my dad wouldn't stop chatting her up. Not to mention trying to find a dropping-off point was...a nightmare."

Lucas grinned. "I told you about the party, didn't I?"

"Stiffest party in the universe," quipped Sal. "There's like thirty people up there and I can barely hear them."

"No kidding," chuckled Shu. "I've seen book clubs with more life in them."

"I'd pay good money to see a book club with any life," Lucas said. He clapped his hands together authoritatively. "Alright, everyone's here. Welcome, dear members of the Cardfight Committee- and Shu- to our White Elephant gift exchange. Does everyone know the rules?" There was a stifling silence, a sharp contrast to the comedic atmosphere of before. "Okay then, let's take it one step at a time. This," he pointed to the stack of gifts in the center, "is our present pile. The person going first takes a present from the pile and opens it."

"Alright," said Adam, "so we just go in a circle picking random gifts?"

"Ah, but there's a catch. After the first person opens a gift, everyone after them gets a choice- they can either open a new gift or steal someone else's."

"Oh, spicy," teased Shu. "We're all thieves today."

"So," Sean inquired, "what happens if you have their present stolen?"

"Excellent question," answered Lucas. "The person who got stolen from gets to open a new gift."

"Makes sense. So we keep going until everyone has a present?"

"Not quite. After all presents are open, there's a lightning round where people can swap gifts with someone else or pass. Once everyone passes, we're done, and we can watch some of the Christmas Cup or something."

"Sounds entertaining," said Midori. "Might I propose a rule, though?"

"Fire away," said Lucas.

"You cannot open your own gift. You must pick someone else's."

Carlos scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "I mean, I get it, but what if yours is the only one left?"

"Then you steal someone else's," concluded Nat. He pursed his lips, as if the words had some sort of bitter aftertaste. "That sounds off…"

"Don't worry, Nathaniel. We all know what you mean," teased Lucas. He cleared his throat. "One last rule- when someone picks a present, the gift giver raises their hand. So now that we're all caught up, let's get started. As our guest of honor, Shu, you get the first pick."

Shu smiled slightly. "You flatter me, kind innkeeper. Lesse…" He leaned off his chair, stretching one of his wiry arms to tenderly slide one of the flatter presents from the stack. The paper was a plain metallic grey, neatly wrapped and sparsely but strategically taped. "This is a nice one."

Carlos softly raised his hand. "That's, uh, mine."

"Well, thanks in advance, Carlos," Shu said. Turning the gift on its back, he removed most of the paper with a single drag of his hand. He casually tossed the paper aside before holding it closer to his face. "A frame?"

"Turn it over?"

Shu followed suit before a wide smile spread across his face. "This is brilliant."

"What is it? You gotta show us, man," Lucas interjected.

Shu turned the frame to face the rest of the group. "It's the Green Power Ranger in a Santa hat. Wielding a candy cane sword." The rest of the group shared a raucous laugh, Carlos smiling along sheepishly. "Where'd you find this, man."

"Oh, uh, I made it," Carlos admitted. "I mean, the frame isn't mine, but the drawing is."

"Woah, really?" admired Adam. "It looks really good. At least, from here."

"Yeah, this is some primo work," agreed Shu, admiring the drawing up close. "Not a Ranger fan, but this is pretty great."

"Do you do commissions?" joked Sal.

Carlos couldn't meet the rest of the group in the eyes. "T-thanks," he blushed.

"Well, that's a keeper," grinned Lucas. "You're up next, Sean."

"Right," nodded Sean. After a quick scan of the present pile, he snatched a small, cube-shaped gift, clumsily wrapped with creased and wrinkled red paper. "If my past Christmases had taught me anything, it's that the best presents are the small ones."

"True that," Adam chuckled. "That's mine, by the way."

Unwrapping the present took mere seconds. Sean held the small orange box closer to get a better look. "Tabletop Bowling," he read. "Comes with pins and everything."

"Gonna be honest," admitted Adam, "kinda drew a blank on what to get."

"No, I like it," Sean said. "It's a gag gift."

"Not a particularly funny gag," Nat shrugged.

"Swing and a miss," agreed Sal. "Now if was Tabletop Cricket-"

"See, the problem is there is not a soul outside the UK that knows jack about cricket," Shu chimed.

"That's the joke, big guy."

"I think it's humorous," defended Midori. "Not laugh-out-loud funny, but the absurdity of playing something like bowling on such a small surface is fairly amusing."

"Mini-Skeeball would've been worth a chuckle," suggested Nat.

"Not really a sport," nodded Adam, "but yeah. The shop didn't have it though. I think you're next, Nat."

"That I am." He carefully glanced over the pile, examining each gift. After a few seconds, he placed his hand on a smooth, cube-shaped present. "Let's try this one."

"That's mine," said Lucas. "You're welcome in advance."

Nat furrowed his brow. "Well, too late to change my mind, I suppose." He took the gift back to his spot. "Probably some lowbrow waste of a gag," he muttered, tearing off the paper with one clean sweep. He held up the box, a bit quizzicle. "Unstable...Unicorns?"

"It's a card game," said Lucas, grinning. "I thought you liked those, Nathaniel."

"Well, I haven't heard of this one…"

"It's actually quite fun," said Midori. "My brothers absolutely adore it."

"Looks pretty funny, too," said Adam.

"Oh, it is," Shu said. "One of my Fremont friends brings it to meetings. It's always worth a go."

"Fremont friends?" repeated Sal. "Is that how you refer to them? Are we your 'Sutter Friends?'"

"I don't, but that's largely because I'm not that close with most of you."

"Oh, you're breaking my heart," said Sean, struggling not to laugh.

"Nah, you're alright. I know you."

Nat tossed the game up in the air, catching it casually. "Well, if it has an endorsement, it can't be that terrible. It's your turn, by the way, Midori."

"Very well, I'll be the first to steal a gift then," she said, leaving her chair.

"About time," said Sal. "I was worried we'd all just keep taking stuff and passing."

"I'm taking the framed drawing."

"Nuts," Shu said. "I kinda liked this one. But if it's what the lady wants, it's what the lady gets." He handed the drawing to Midori. "You a fan?"

"Of sorts," Midori said, tucking the frame under her arm. "I just find the picture to be amusing." A keen observer could see Carlos take a special interest in the ground beneath him, face aflush.

"Welp, since I'm a victim of theft, guess I gotta go fishing again." Once more, Shu extended a gangly arm and picked up a new present- irregularly shaped with crinkled polkadot paper. "This looks...promising."

"Oh, yeah, that's mine," Sal remembered.

Another swipe of his hand and the paper was off. "Ooh, this is neat." He flipped the gift to face the rest of the group. "A Nerf shogun. I can finally catch that rascally rabbit."

"Wabbit," Sean corrected, laughing along with the rest of the group.

"Where'd you dig that up?" Lucas asked.

"Honestly? A grocery store, of all places," Sal said.

"Man, what a store," Shu said. "Love to visit. 'Hey, I need some sugar, milk, and a freaking shotgun. Can you help a guy out?'"

Sal shrugged. "It was either that or a super soaker, and it's wet enough as is."

"That it is." Shu rotated the packaging, admiring the gift. "This is clearly superior. What a find."

"Awesome," agreed Lucas. "Anyway, it's Adam's turn. What do ya want, big guy?"

Adam looked at the present pile, which had become more of a present puddle due to most of the larger gifts missing. He took one lumbering stride towards the remaining gifts, taking great care not to step on anything. "Uh, I guess this one." He used his catcher's mitt of a right hand to pick up a light, box-like gift with striped paper, covered with an abundance of short tape strips.

"That's mine," claimed Sean. "Had a bit of trouble with the wrapping."

"No worries," Adam responded. "Better than mine. Anyway…" He tore off the entirety of the paper with a quick clawing motion. "Hey, it's one of those little chibi things!" He turned it to face the group. "This one's the genie from Aladdin."

Sal narrowed her eyes. "You did not just call that monstrosity a chibi. Chibis are actually cute."

Midori turned. "Well, so are those figures."

"...Please tell me you're not a fan of those things."

"Of course I am."

Nat blinked incredulously. "Midori, you of all people should know better…"

Sean let out a short, nervous laugh. "Man, are Pop's really that divisive?"

Lucas grinned. "People who don't like Pops are like vegans- self-righteous and never missing a chance to share their awful opinion."

Nat's incredulous blink became an offended one. "Oh, you're one to talk about awful opinions, Robertson."

"Guys, come on," Carlos whimpered. "It's just a figure."

"Yeah, calm down," Adam said diplomatically. "If this is causing this much trouble, I'll just pass my turn."

"Much obliged!" said Lucas. "I'm stealing for my turn." He leaned over and snatched the box from Adam's grip. "Yoink!"

"Ah, nuts," Adam sighed. "Kinda liked that one." Adam took another giant step towards the remaining trio of presents. "Well, uh, how about this one?" He picked up a flimsy but well wrapped package, complete with a sparkling red ribbon.

"That would be from me," said Midori, adjusting her glasses.

"I coulda guessed," said Adam, carefully removing the ribbon before swiping the paper effortlessly off the gift with a single stroke. There was a brief pause as he took a closer look at the unwrapped present before he burst out in raucous laughter.

"Ooh, sounds good," commented Shu. "What'd you get?"

Adam, still snickering, held up his new present. "Coloring books. Three coloring books. And they're all My Little Pony." It was the group's turn to rock with laughter, excluding Midori, who smiled with a sense of self-satisfaction.

"Dang, Midori," said Sal, steadying herself. "Didn't know you had it in you. That's flipping hilarious."

"Well, I had some helpful input," nodded Midori. "The books were Nat's idea."

"Woah, really?" asked Lucas, wiping a tear from his face. "Guess you're not as humorless as I thought, Nathaniel."

"Yeah, well," Nat defended, "I can be funny when I want to be, Robertson. Besides, it was better than her first gift idea."

"I wouldn't say that," said Midori. "It may not be as humorous as what we got, but 'Sense and Sensibility' is still a wonderful story."

"Well, I'm pretty happy with this," said Adam, chuckling again. "Man, just...wow."

Lucas turned to his left. "Looks like you're up next, Sal."

"Alright," said Sal, examining the remaining two gifts. She got up and strode to the two remaining gifts and picked one at random- a bulky box wrapped in a dark green paper with gold trim. "This looks promising."

"I hope so," said Shu. "That's mine."

"Well, let's see what you brought." She took a seat, dismembering the paper with a few tearing swipes. "Oh hey, a Transformer." She turned the box around, revealing an intricate robot figure.

"Not just a Transformer," Carlos said. "That's Optimus Prime. He's the Transformer."

"Ah, a man of culture I see," Shu chuckled.

"Well, sorta. Not really that big a fan," Carlos admitted sheepishly. "I just like the bots."

"Same here. Love me some giant robots. Thought about getting a Gundam model kit for you guys, but I don't know many people who actually know the franchise, so…"

"Nah, this is pretty neat," Sal said. "I kinda prefer an action figure to a model kit myself."

"Assembly is overrated," Lucas agreed.

"Hey now," Shu mock objected. "Sounds like you're just jealous."

Lucas grinned. "Alright, last but not least, Carlos."

Carlos just nodded, picking up the last gift from the once proud pile- a thin but uniform rectangular box wrapped in a festive red-and-white paper. "I'm guessing this is Nat's?"

"Indeed it is," answered Nat. "Best for last, if I must say."

"We'll see, Nathaniel," said Lucas. "Let's find out what ya got, Carlos."

Carlos nodded again, carefully peeling the paper from the present. As he uncovered his gift, he blinked. "Oh wow…"

"Well, don't keep us in the dark, man," said Lucas. "Whacha have there?"

Carlos steadily revealed his open gift. "It's Season 2 of Futurama on DVD."

"Woah-ho," whisted Lucas. "That's a nice find, Nathaniel."

"Really nice," Sean added. "How'd you get that under $15?"

Nat leaned back a bit. "It was in a used book store for about $10. Hopefully they still work."

Adam blinked. "Is that a TV show or something?"

"Yeah, and it's...decent," Sal shrugged.

"Tell me," Lucas grinned, "how does it feel to hate everything good in this universe?"

Sal scoffed. "It's because Rod watches it all day. I'm just so tired of it."

Shu nodded. "Yeah, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Still, congrats Carlos. Easily the second best gift here."

Carlos blinked. "What's the first?"

"Your drawing," Shu smiled. "Speaking of, is it time for the lightning round?"

"Yes indeedy," Lucas said, clapping his hands together. "This is the last chance to steal something, but if you're happy with what you got, just pass. Remember, you can't steal back your own gift, and we keep going until everyone passes. Shu, since you went first, you start the round."

Shu nodded, studying the plastic shotgun with a fake intensity. "You know, I'm actually pretty happy with this. I'll pass."

"Awesome. We'll go in a circle. Sean, you're up."

Sean nodded. "Alright, I'm stealing Unstable Unicorns. Looks fun." He leaned over to trade gifts with Nat. "Sorry, but now you're stuck with bowling."

"Not a big deal," Nat commented. "Well, since it's my turn, I pass."

"I pass as well," said Midori.

Adam got up. "Well, I'm up. I'm stealing the Transformer." He swapped the coloring books with Sal. "My little bro loves this stuff."

Sal snickered. "I have a little sister, and she hates this stuff. Fair trade."

"Well, I, for one, pass," said Lucas, tossing his figurine in the air and catching it expertly. "Another for the collection."

"You say that like it's a good thing. Anyway, I'm stealing Futurama. Enjoy your new ponies, Carlos."

Carlos smiled softly. "Well, my sister will, at any rate." He shuffled the books in his lap. "If it's my turn, I pass."

Shu chuckled. "Are you really okay with losing some prime Futurama for some coloring books?"

"W-well, I can watch the show in other ways. And these really will make for good gifts."

"Fair enough. I pass again."

"Pass," said Sean, still reading the back of the box of his stolen gift.

Nat put his new gift into his pocket. "I suppose I can put this in my dad's stocking. I pass."

"Once again, I pass," said Midori.

"Yep, I pass," said Adam, smiling in satisfaction.

"What a coincidence, I pass as well," said Lucas.

"You're in good company, I pass too," said Sal.

"Guess I'll cap things off," sighed Carlos. "I pass."

Lucas clapped his hands together again. "Welp, that's it for our little gift exchange. That went faster than expected." He checked his phone's clock. "We're in time to catch some Christmas Cup fights, unless you guys have a better idea?"

"Nah, not really in the mood to watch the first round," Sal admitted. "1-16 and 2-15 fights are always too one-sided to be fun."

Sean looked over to the TV setup. "Do you have anything with multiplayer, Lucas?"

"Oh, nothing much," shrugged Lucas before grinning cheekily. "Just a humble little game called Smash Ultimate."

"Killer!" Adam cried. "That gets my vote."

"My vote as well," said Nat, raising his hand. "Prepare to be dominated, Robertson."

"I could go for a few rounds," nodded Shu. "How 'bout you, Sean?"

Sean smiled. "I'm a bit rusty, but that sounds terrific." He got up and stretched from his chair. Prepare to get Corrin'd…

A/N: This is our last filler chapter before Season 2 begins! Hooray! See you guys in a couple of weeks! Hopefully...