Happy New Year, lovelies ~ ! I hope you all have had a great start to the new year (*waves goodbye to the burning viking ship that holds the dumpster fire that was 2020*). My New Year's gift to you all is a new update for 'All I Want For Christmas is a Pokémon'. After the big roster-wide meeting Stephanie had last time, what's next for dealing with the elusive stowaway Pokémon? Read on to find out, my loves. =)

The next day, AJ was up fairly early. She wasn't even sure just why she was awake at this time; the only guess she had was that she was feeling weirdly excited about the search for the stowaway later tonight.

'I don't even know why I'm excited about something like that. The possibility of being used as live bait should not make anyone feel excited. ...But, who knows? Maybe everyone won't want to try to use me and Alex as live bait to try and catch the stowaway. ...I can only hope at least,' she thought as she nervously bit her thumbnail.

Peeking out from where it managed to find a hiding spot, the stowaway watched and listened as it saw a gathering of a number of the people it had been following.

"OK, Orton. Ready to get beat again by the A-lister and his awesome team?" Miz asked.

"In your dreams, Mizanin. I've got you this time," Randy said as he pulled out one of his Pokéballs.

"So you say now. But, don't be too upset when we beat you," Miz smirked, mirroring Randy's actions.

Acting as referee of the impromptu Pokémon battle, Paige stepped forward. "Alright, gents. You two know the rules. Three Pokémon to each team. First to win two rounds is the winner. Now, send out your first Pokémon and let's battle!" the raven-haired woman said before heading back to where she was standing with Emma, Naomi, and Maryse.

"OK, Seviper, come on out and show your stuff!" Randy and as he pressed the white button in the center of the small red and white capsule before pointing the now slightly larger capsule in the space in front of him as a red light could be seen shining out from the capsule as it helped wake up and send out the sleeping Pokémon within. As the light finally went away, what was left in its place was a rather large snake Pokémon with red eyes, long red fangs, areas of yellow and purple scales, and a tail that ended with a fairly sharp-looking blade.

"Should've known you wouldn't have used your Ekans. Luckily, I came prepared for this," Miz said as he let his own Pokémon out. "Go, Manectric! Show Orton and his snake what we're made of!"

"And I should've known you wouldn't have used your Minun," the older man scoffed with a laugh. "No big deal. We'll still beat you two. Seviper, go!"

Later that evening, AJ and Alex made their way to Stephanie's office before the evening's show started.

"And I agree. I don't think us Pokémonless folk should have to be used as live bait. I mean, I know we're cute and everything, but that's just not cool," the youngest Chickbuster said.

"Well, Alex, maybe Steph has her reasons for including us in all of this," AJ said, stifling a snicker. "Guess we'll find out when we get to her office."

"Yeah, I guess you're ri-"

"Oh my God, are you kidding me?!" Natalya could be heard shouting.

Sharing a look, the two younger Chickbusters took off in the direction of where they heard the Canadian's voice. It took a few minutes until the pair had gotten to where the second generation Diva could be seen outside of the locker room she and Beth shared holding what appeared to be a torn t-shirt.

"Oh, damn, Nattie, what happened?" Alex asked.

"'What happened?' Are you blind? Do you not see what happened to my shirt?!" the Canadian snapped as she held up the black t-shirt that the Chickbusters could see had rips, tears, and slashes in the fabric and all but destroyed the graphic on the shirt, which looked to be a skull of some sort. "And this was the first of the new shirts they were making for me."

"Well, for what it's worth, I think it looked kinda cool," Alex said, trying to calm the Canadian down.

Seeing the slowly building look of irritation on the older woman's face, AJ said "Don't worry, Nat. I'm sure they'll be able to get more made for you. Just don't make too big a deal of it."

"I'll try not to, AJ. But, so help me if I find out who did this, I am so going to make them pay," Natalya scowled before turning and walking back into her locker room, slamming the door behind her.

"Well, that was pretty rude," Alex said.

"Don't take it personally, Alex. It was a pretty cool-looking shirt, and I can see why she was pissed. After all, it did have the Hart Family emblem on it, so…."

"Yeah, I get what you mean. And I guess what I said didn't help things," Alex said as she and the Latina headed in the direction of Stephanie's office. "But, the way her shirt was shredded, I wonder…."

"Wonder what? Sounds like your gears are starting to turn like crazy over there."

"Well, I don't exactly feel any closer to figuring out the culprit. But, what I can say is that whatever it is, it's got some pretty sharp claws."

"So, what you're saying is that you think it was the elusive stowaway that decided to use Nattie's shirt as a scratching post?"

"It's just a guess, AJ. Now the big question still remains here: Just what in the hell are we dealing with here?"

"I don't know, Alex. But, what I can say here ...is that I don't think it may be all that friendly."

"Well, I reckon we'll see when we can finally find and catch it," Alex said as the pair finally reached Stephanie's office. "Now, let's see just what Steph's got in mind for us in that pretty boss lady head of hers."

Not even stopping the laugh that escaped her, AJ followed the younger brunette into Stephanie's office where they would hopefully figure out just what their fates would hold in regards to the big stowaway Pokémon hunt.

So, it looks like the stowaway has a fairly ...destructive way of getting the attention of the roster. Seems like Alex and AJ may have a slight idea of just what they're dealing with Pokémon-wise. But the question still remains: Just what kind of Pokémon are they dealing with? What could Stephanie have in mind for the Pokémonless folk? And most importantly of all (...not really), who won the Pokémon battle between Miz and Randy?! These questions and more shall be answered...in coming chapters. Until then, don't forget to RR please. =)(Stay safe, warm, and healthy out there, lovelies. *sends love and good vibes out to you all*)