Foreword: First off, I must say I apologize for the incredibly long hiatus. Unfortunately, due to various reasons that will be explained in my bio, it won't be over. Then again, good things come to those who wait, right?

Also, I have an announcement to make. If I can finish this fanfiction off with this season, I will. Right now, I'm rewriting my plans and trimming episodes off, which means that there probably won't be a movie, and this will be the very last season.

Not only this, but you should also note a change of style. First, I've actually started spell checking my work (cough), and second, I've simply made an effort to improve upon my writing. I hope to give Apollo, Artemis, Ash, and everyone else better characterizations, not to mention something far more interesting to do. Bill will play less of a role, and the question of why Ash is in the fanfiction at all should be answered (hopefully).

I would have left this fanfiction for dead, but there are people who like it and have supported me throughout all this time, so I owe it to them to at least tell what happens to Warp.

Also, please note that because QuickEdit is a piece of fodder that just had to touch my symbols Pokémon speech is now denoted with double colons ( :: ) around them. Likewise, the triple hyphens that used to separate the foreword from the chapter ( --- ) are now being used as scene separators, and the foreword is above a single, solid line. Lastly, the footnote numbers are now in parentheses, rather than asterisks. Blame FFNet for going down the crapper on this one.

That said…

Episode 23—
Christmas Joys

"Do you have any idea how crazy this is?" a sharp voice chided him over the phone. "Listen, High Rise Circle could be anywhere or anything at anytime. And do you know who they're after? All of us. Do you really think it's wise to—"

Bill mentally sighed as he leaned back on the bench. He listened to Artemis carry on over his cell phone (on a collect call from the latter, no less) as he watched people mill about in the train station with mild interest. Jude sat next to him and nodded off every so often, only to be awakened by several occasions where she nearly fell off the bench. After one last such event, she yawned, stretched her arms, and glanced at her brother.

"Still going?" she inquired.

The elder closed his eyes and nodded slowly. It was obvious a small part of him wanted to hang up, another really didn't care either way, and the last was worried about how much this collect call would wind up costing him.

"And another thing!" Artemis snapped. "Who do you think you are, leaving us in charge of your lighthouse while you went off on 'holiday' to your folks' home!?"

If Bill was a simpler minded creature, he would have shot back that the Sneasel was the only one who objected to being left to tend the lighthouse while the McKenzie siblings were gone.

"Do you have any idea how stupid of an idea leaving Ash in charge of anything is!?" Artemis questioned.

In the background, the distant voice of Ash Ketchum responded, "I heard that!"

"Yeah, well, it's possibly the worst idea you've come up with since tofu-based Pokémon food!" the watcher insulted. "I mean, geez! Do you have any idea the sort of damage Ash will—"

At this point, Jude grabbed the phone off of Bill and hung up. Bill merely stared blankly at her as she turned the phone off and it in his lap. With a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and put her arms behind her head.

"Well, somebody had to do it," she muttered.

---

Back in the lighthouse, the albino Sneasel sat on the table supporting the video phone. Apollo watched in half-amusement as his watcher rambled on through a Bellsprout-shaped receiver that was almost literally his size. Ash, meanwhile, muttered something about lousy weasels as he continued to sweep the hard, tiled floors framing the red carpeting of the front hall under Ziggy's watchful eye.

"Do you have any idea the sort of damage Ash will do within the next couple of weeks!?" Artemis finished.

Ash stiffened and gritted his teeth. He usually loved Pokémon (except for Team Rocket's) and wouldn't willingly hurt one, but in Artemis' case, exceptions could be made.

At long last, there was a pause. Ash had hoped that it was Bill trying to reply with something to defend the young trainer, but unfortunately, luck (nor Bill, for that matter) wasn't on his side. Artemis flinched as nothing but a single tone indicating that the person on the other line decided to hang up reached his sensitive ear.

"Hello?" Artemis hissed into the receiver. "Hello!? Hey! I'm not done with you yet!"

Ziggy took her eyes off Ash for a moment to throw a look at Artemis.

"You know, you should really leave him alone," she told him. "Bill's had it rough lately. He deserves a break. Same thing with Jude."

Artemis whirled to face her. "And what about us!?"

"Duty is my vacation," Apollo replied flatly.

"I'd be perfectly fine if you weren't insulting me every five seconds," Ash added with a frown.

"This is my break," Ziggy finished with a slight frown.

Artemis stood where he was, just a bit dumbfounded. "…Am I the only one in need of a vacation from this place?"

His three companions looked at each other for a moment, then back at the Sneasel. With short nods, they gave their reply.

"Yep."

The Sneasel growled a bit before stiffening. A strange sensation ran down his spine, and he knew immediately what to do about it. He looked at Ziggy, who had shut her eyelids for a moment as if she was listening. And indeed she was – to the exact same message Artemis had heard moments before. After awhile, she finally opened her eyes and looked at her fellow watcher.

"You got the message too, huh?" he queried.

She nodded. "Yeah. Who would've thought. Of all people…"

Ash and Apollo looked at each other with curious glances before finally turning to Ziggy and Artemis.

"What's going on?" Ash asked, mainly to Ziggy.

Ziggy grinned. "You both have a shift. Really big one, too. Someone important's asking for you two specifically."

"Who?" Apollo inquired.

The hologram winked. "I'll tell you later. Just go."

Ash gave her a puzzled look, but nevertheless, he followed Apollo out.

---

Jude was drifting in and out as she listened to the train clack along the Kanto countryside. She sat on the soft, red seat as she stared out the window at the trees whisking by. Every so often, she'd be able to spot a Primeape, with its fur fluffy and coated with a thin layer of snow, napping in the branches of its selected tree. Jude glanced at her brother and opened her mouth to say something, but she quickly turned it into a draw of breath when she saw his expression. He was across from her in the car they shared with his head leaning against the cool window. His eyelids were at half-mast, and it was obvious he was half asleep as well.

All of a sudden, a beeping noise shattered the quiet of the car. Jude jumped and looked around with flustered eyes for a moment before she realized what it was. Quickly, she rose to her feet to pull her backpack down from the rack above her head. Still standing, she unzipped one of the pockets as Bill stood to look over her shoulder. With a quick motion, Jude pulled out her COM device and pressed a button. In moments, Ziggy's voice came over it.

"Hey, Jude!" she greeted. "Listen, Ash was called in for a shift, but I'll take care of it for you. And just to let you know, I want the both of you to have a good time in Goldenrod City, so I'll watch over all of Ash's shifts."

"Ziggy, what's up with this shift, if you don't mind me asking?" Jude asked.

"Well, it's going to be pretty interesting," Ziggy replied. "You see, Ash and Apollo shifted into these two Stantler belonging to San—"

At this point Bill took Jude's COM device off his sister's hands and shut it off. He raised an eyebrow at her as he handed it back without a word. Jude smirked at him and narrowed her eyes.

"Touché," she muttered.

---

Ash opened his eyes and found himself in the darkness. That wasn't the only thing he noticed. He also noted that the place he was in was cold. Bitter cold.

::Hey, Apollo!:: he called out softly. ::Where are you?::

The smell of hay and unwashed animals filled his nostrils. Ash gagged a bit as he crawled forward in attempt to find his fellow shifter. At least he knew one thing: he had four legs.

::Apollo?:: Ash shouted again.

Grunts and snorts filled the room. Apparently, Ash had awakened those around him. For this, he felt a hoof connect with his front leg. His leg buckled under him, and before he could stop himself, he was sent crashing into the floor. Ash groaned a bit as he saw a flicker of red light in front of his eyes. At this point, he was far too dazed to really recognize its source.

At long last, he felt another hoof nudge his side. Quickly, he covered his head with his front feet, only to realize two things: that he had hooves too and that behind these hooves (on his head, to be more precise) were a pair of antlers.

::Get away from me!:: Ash screamed, expecting the hoof to come crashing down on him.

::Ash?:: the other being whispered. ::Calm down.::

Slowly, Ash put all of his hooves on the dirt floor and hoisted the rest of his body up until he was standing.

::Apollo?:: Ash questioned.

::You make quite an entrance,:: he commented. ::Thanks to you, the others are awake.::

::The other what?:: Ash asked.

"Stantler."

Ash and Apollo turned towards the source of the voice. They could hear Artemis, but in the darkness, they couldn't see him.

::Artemis? What's up?:: Ash inquired.

"Simple," Artemis responded. "You've entered the bodies of Stantler. One of nine, in fact. Do the names Rudolph and Dasher ring a bell?"

::Anyone could name their Pokémon that,:: Apollo pointed out.

At that moment, Ziggy's voice floated through the barn. "True, but how many Pokémon work for a certain someone in red?"

::Carmen Sandiego?:: Ash guessed.

"What!?" Ziggy twitched in the darkness. "No! Geez. Sometimes I wonder…" She paused to sigh. "I was talking about Santa Claus."

Ash felt his face turn hot under a layer of fur. He shifted uncomfortably as embarrassment set in.

::Oh,:: he mumbled. ::I knew that.::

Ziggy ignored him and continued. "Like I said, the two of you will be working with Santa Claus throughout this shift. You see, he used to have a team of Rapidash(1) pull his sleigh, but most of the team have fallen ill at the last minute. It will take all of his Stantler to carry his sleigh to each house on Christmas, but the team isn't exactly up to it, morale-wise, if you know what I mean. It's your job to boost the team's confidence and get the journey started."

::If that is our complete mission, then this will surely be an easy task,:: Apollo noted.

"Well, there's just a bit more," Artemis inputted. "The person who called on you knows that a naughty little someone has been plotting to attack the team sometime soon."

::The person who called on us?:: Apollo queried. ::Do you mean Lady Aigori?::

Ziggy shook her head. "No, actually, he means Santa Claus himself."

There was a long pause among the four of them as both of the shifters allowed this idea to sink in for a bit.

"Well, that's about all the time we have right now, so we're signing off," Artemis announced in a corny game show host voice. "Good night, and good luck!"

With that, both Ziggy and Artemis left the Stantler alone in peace.

---

Ash slowly awoke where he had left himself the night before: lying between two Stantler in the bitter cold on a bed of straw. He felt the warmth of the bodies around him and decided he wouldn't move just yet. After all, what harm could a little more sleep do?

His relaxation, however, was interrupted as the wooden door to the barn slid open rapidly to reveal a Jynx with a whip in her right hand just behind it. With her came a blast of frigid air that quickly filled every empty space it could find. Every Stantler's eyes shot fully open as each Pokémon scrambled to his feet as he mooed in protest. Soon, all nine Stantler stood shoulder to shoulder as they shivered in chill. The Jynx ignored this and walked forward, tapping the palm of her left hand with the handle of the whip. She carried herself like a drill sergeant as she examined each Pokémon with a pair of narrow eyes.

::As you all know,:: she said, ::Christmas is a mere day away. Yesterday's performance was far from acceptable, so we will spend all of Christmas Eve trying again. You will pull the practice sleigh until you get it right. We have no room for mistakes this year, so I had better see some improvement.::

As she spoke, three more Jynx hurried in with silver trays topped with three covered bowls each. Carefully, each Jynx took each bowl and placed it in front of a Stantler and removed each cover. Ash's mouth watered as he glanced down to see the steaming vegetable soup sitting in front of him. Any sort of food would have satisfied him at that point; he hadn't had anything to eat since the day before.

The head Jynx waited for the others to place the bowl covers on their trays and hurry out. As soon as they were gone, she continued.

::After breakfast, you will all report to the field,:: she instructed them. ::I will be waiting with the practice sleigh loaded and ready to go, and I will be very disappointed if I don't see you out there in a half an hour. Do you all understand?::

::Yes, ma'am!:: each Stantler responded in unison.

Jynx gave a content nod. ::Good. I'll leave you to your meals. Remember, though. One hour.::

At last, she turned, walked through the threshold of the barn, and closed the wooden door behind her.

::Prissy little humanshape,:: one of the Stantler muttered.

Another gasped. ::Blitzen, careful! She might be listening!::

Blitzen scoffed, ::Let her listen. See if I care.::

With that, he lowered his head to eat some of the soup. Ash did the same, lapping it up with his Stantler tongue. He was rather disappointed to find that it had turned cold thanks to the gusts of winter air that came in while Jynx was lecturing them.

::I think we should listen to her.::

In the corner of his eye, Ash saw another Stantler – apparently the one Apollo had taken over – standing stiffly. He hadn't touched his soup, and quite frankly, Ash wanted to know if he could have Apollo's bowl.

Blitzen's head rose again. ::Dasher, are you mad? You know what she does to us! And weren't you the one who said we should go on strike because of her?::

Thankfully, Apollo ignored him. ::All the children of the world are counting on us to help Santa deliver Christmas gifts. It would be wrong to disappoint them all. Jynx is simply trying to make us do our job. We are needed to perform a single task, and she wants to see to it that it is completed. How could she be so cruel if she urges us to deliver the happiness of others?::

::Obviously, Dasher has lost his head,:: yet another Stantler murmured.

Ash licked his bowl clean and looked around for more.

::Hey, Rudolph! What's your opinion on this?::

Ash's head swiveled around so he could face the Stantler right beside him. He didn't know the name of that particular Stantler, but he did know that if Apollo was Dasher, and if Ziggy had told them they had taken over Dasher and Rudolph, then Ash had to be Rudolph. He reminded himself to test out the glowing nose bit later.

::Uh, um…:: Ash searched for the right words but couldn't find them. ::I… don't know.::

The Stantler snorted. ::Figures. Pretty boys don't have much going for them in the intelligence department.::

::Hey!:: Ash began.

The other Stantler, save for Apollo, simply ignored him and bent their heads down into their soup bowls.

::Don't worry about them, Rudolph,:: Apollo told Ash in an effort to console him.

With that, Apollo bent his head down, leaving Ash to just stare blankly into the semi-darkness.

---

The sky was still dark over the field of snow. Of course it would be. The sun of the North Pole always played with the horizon in the winter. It knew better than to rise over such a frigid, almost desolate land. It wasn't that Jynx minded this exactly. She felt right at home in her element, surrounded by pristine snow and subzero temperatures. She was hardly shivering.

With half interested eyes, she lifted her head and watched her superior's nine Stantler drag themselves towards the sled. She smiled with the last expression a person would be happy to see as she turned towards the sled.

::Alright, you! Line up according to rank!:: she ordered. ::You know the drill! Rudolph in front, with the elder Stantler behind him and the youngest in the back.:: She lifted the leather straps attached to the front of the sled before realizing no one else was moving. ::What are you waiting for!? Next Christmas!? Get over here!::

With several groans, each Stantler shuffled forward and lined up the way they knew how. Ash went in front with Apollo and Dancer just behind him. Naturally, the others followed suit. Without a word, Jynx harnessed each Stantler until all of them were ready to pull the sled. Satisfied, she sauntered over to the back and hopped onto the wood of the sleigh. Earlier, she had placed her whip near where she now sat, and sure enough, there it was, waiting for her. With a sly grin, she picked its handle up and cracked it over the heads of the Stantler.

::Mush!:: she cried. ::Let's get going!::

Ash threw himself against the bonds of the leather straps, but the sled was hard to move. Each Stantler put their weight into their work, but for awhile, it didn't seem to pay off. At last, everyone felt the lurch of the sled beginning to slide forward. Happy at this, Ash led the team into picking up the speed until the sleigh was finally moving at a good speed.

Then, Jynx snapped her whip again. ::Ascend!::

The youngest shifter was a bit flustered by this command, but soon, he understood. The Stantler behind him jerked upward, and he had no choice but to follow, pushing off the ground and kicking his legs desperately in mid-air. He wobbled awkwardly as he led the train into the inky sky. He shut his eyes tightly for a moment to keep himself from looking down, which only threw him off even more. It didn't help him when he noticed the rest of the lines drooping behind him.

He heard the whip crack the air again.

::What is wrong with you, Rudolph!?:: Jynx snapped. ::Straighten yourself! And the rest of you! Up! If I have to use Ice Punch, I will!::

Slowly, Ash opened his eyes again and groaned, as did the other Stantler. Carefully, he forced himself to straighten his body so that the straps were untwisted. He and the others struggled to increase their altitude by kicking their legs harder. Slowly and surely, Ash was getting the hang of it, though the rest of the train reluctantly saved him several times as he continued to drop suddenly now and then.

Alright. Flying was easy enough. Ash only wondered why Jynx kept cracking her blasted whip over and over again.

::Rudolph! Shine your light and lead the way!:: she ordered.

A feeling of panic rose in Ash. How was he supposed to do that?

::Easier said than done,:: Ash mumbled.

Nevertheless, he tried. He focused his energy into his nose and finding a way to "flip a switch" to make it glow. At first, nothing happened as he led the train around a curve and back over the field. Then, nothing happened as they galloped over the workshop. Still nothing happened as they turned a curve again and galloped back. All the while, Jynx cracked her whip in the air, and Ash noted that her aim was getting closer and closer to his shoulder.

Finally, after several minutes of doing nothing but flying in midair, his nose flickered. With a short gasp, Ash tried again, and this time, the light stayed for a few seconds longer. He heard Jynx's whip above him and tried one more time.

This time, the red light from his nose blazed and lingered. With a triumphant laugh, Ash picked up the speed, pulling the convoy (most of whom only wanted to rest) into a faster flight around the field and back to the workshop. Little did he know that he was only making the train into a moving target.

Suddenly, however, he learned. A tower of flames erupted from the ground Ash was just about to pass over. Startled, he jerked the team to the right, but it was too late. The fire caught the leather strap between himself and Dancer and grew quickly as the procession began to panic. Before anyone knew it, the entire unit, sled and all, descended like a comet as the flames rushed across the leather harnesses. Each Stantler cried out in pain and fear as Jynx screamed and held on for dear life. Within seconds, their fall was broken by the soft snow beneath them. The leather straps were smoldering, the sled was broken, Jynx was unconscious, and most of the Stantler remained where they were in exhaustion. Ash and Apollo, however, forced themselves to their hooves to find out where the jet came from.

They didn't have to travel far, however. The source came to them.

Steam hissed beneath the feet of the three Pokémon as they came closer and closer. Eventually, they towered over the team of Stantler as wide grins crossed their faces. Ash stumbled backwards as he eyed the Charizard and the two Magmar that flanked him. This situation certainly didn't seem good in his eyes.

::So, we meet, Warp,:: the Charizard began. ::Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jeremiah, fire master of High Rise Circle. These are my associates, Gabriel and Joseph. I believe they will keep you company while I proceed to take over Master Claus' workshop.::

With that, he turned away and began walking towards the nearby building. Ash, meanwhile, stumbled towards him, only to be blocked by one of the Magmar.

::What do you want with Santa's workshop!?:: Ash demanded.

Jeremiah chuckled. ::Silly boy. Think! What's in the workshop?::

Ash's eyes widened at this statement. ::You can't take the gifts! They're supposed to bring happiness to the world!::

The rest of the team perked up a little as the thought of the children crossed their minds. They looked at each other, finally realizing that it was their job to spread joy in the holiday season. It was something that was told to them over and over again, but it wasn't until that concept truly was threatened that they saw it. And when they saw the passion in their comrade to carry this mission out, each of them suddenly felt a spark of inspiration.

Jeremiah laughed. ::Oh, honestly. What made you think I wanted to stop you from delivering the gifts? You will, but each one will bear a message from High Rise Circle. Soon, every child will respond to our call!::

::What!?:: Ash yelled in a startled voice. ::You can't do that!::

::Oh, I can,:: Jeremiah replied with a chuckle. ::You just watch me. Or better yet… Minions! Take care of them!::

With that, Jeremiah turned and began making his way towards the workshop. Ash tried to follow, but a stream of fire blocked his path. One of the Magmar rounded on him with a flaming fist, prepared to strike. The Stantler backed away slowly, not knowing whether to just run around him to get to Jeremiah or fight the Magmar.

All of a sudden, though, his decision was made. One of the Stantler rammed into Magmar's side. Caught off guard, the Magmar found himself flying into the snow. His fist was driven into the snow, which quickly melted to extinguish the flames on his knuckles. Ash's gaze went from the Magmar to the Stantler. It certainly didn't look like the one Apollo was occupying.

::Sorry about not introducing myself before,:: he apologized. ::I'm Jake. I figured the two of you were in trouble, so I came to help.::

Ash tilted his head in confusion. ::You're a shifter too?::

::Oh yeah,:: Jake replied. ::There's a lot more of us than you think. But listen, I'll help the other shifter hold off these Magmar while you go stop Jeremiah.::

Ash blinked for a moment but stood his ground. ::Wait! Why are you helping us?::

::Let's just say a friend of yours did a favor for me,:: Jake answered with a wink. ::Now go!::

Of course, Ash didn't need to be told twice.

---

"My dear, there is no need to worry."

Ziggy sighed. This was hopeless. Still, she remained where she was, sitting upon the mahogany desk of the tidy office on the top floor of the workshop. Her green eyes stared with mild interest at the impossibly long list, which her elder, chubbier, and jollier companion was going over one last time.

"I am aware of everything you just told me," he added. "Now, let's see… Timmy Johnson was a nice boy this year…"

Ziggy closed her eyes and tried again. "Listen, you need to get out of here quickly, Santa. These Pokémon are dangerous!"

Santa didn't even look up from his work as he replied, "There is no need."

Ziggy's eyes shot open as she looked over her shoulder at him again. "Why do you keep saying that!?"

At last, Santa looked up and smiled beneath his snow-white beard. His eyes glittered, and his wrinkles creased.

"Zigurat Alpha," he addressed. "Do you have faith in your friends?"

Ziggy looked at him with a curious glance, but before she could say anything, an explosion rocked the house. Both Santa and Ziggy stood and walked towards the door of the office. As soon as Santa opened it, the two of them knew what was wrong.

Down below on the factory floor, Jynx were scrambling about in panic. A Charizard had blown the door to bits with one Dragon Rage, and he wasn't about to stop. He stomped inside, tilted his head back, and roared loudly to intimidate everyone around him.

"Oh no!" Ziggy gasped. "It's too late!"

Santa merely grinned. "Have faith, Zigurat."

Before she could question him again, she spotted something brown coming through the doorway. At last, she smiled.

::Hey, you!:: Ash called out.

Jeremiah whirled around. ::How did you get past my Magmar!?::

Ash merely snorted and pawed at the ground. His head was lowered and ready.

::So, I see you want to fight,:: Jeremiah muttered. ::Alright then. I'll give you a fight.::

With that, he opened his jaws wide as sparks of fire formed in the back of his throat. Moments later, a jet of flames flew out of his mouth and straight towards Ash. The Stantler dodged by jumping to the left before rushing towards the Charizard. Quickly, Ash threw his entire body into that of his opponent in an attempt to knock him off his feet. The attack did its job, but it didn't do much more. Jeremiah stood up not long after as if nothing had happened, only to exhale flames once again on Ash. The Stantler gritted his teeth as the flames burned his flesh, but he refused to scream or give up. Instead, he stood up once again.

::Well, at least you aren't the boring type your leader is,:: Jeremiah commented. ::By now, he would have surely gone into his lecture about how it's better to work for the side of good.::

::It is!:: Ash responded.

::Oh, please,:: Jeremiah hissed as he rolled his eyes. ::There is no good or bad. There is just power. In fact, let me show you.::

Again, Jeremiah blasted Ash with a Flamethrower. Still, the Stantler refused to give in.

::You see? You couldn't beat me if you tried,:: the Charizard stated. ::Let me show you again!::

Jeremiah inhaled deeply and blew out another stream of flames that once again engulfed Ash. Ziggy trembled. She knew that another strike would bring Ash to his knees. All this fire was inflicting more damage than Ash could have stood. Jeremiah knew this and poured all his might into the flames for awhile until he let them die off. What he saw, however, surprised him.

Ash was still standing. The only difference was that between him and Jeremiah, a brilliant screen of light stood. It was this new wall that kept Ash from taking severe damage all along, but only now did it shimmer with its golden brilliance.

At that moment, both Magmar stumbled into the workshop. Jeremiah turned to them and grinned.

::Ah! Good! I see you've taken care of the other Stantler,:: he said. ::Now, take care of this last one. Combine your powers and blow him away!::

They simply stood there, staring at their master. At this, Jeremiah's anger increased.

::What are you standing around there for!?:: he demanded. ::Do as I say and take out this last shifter!::

In response, both Magmar fell forward. Both had fainted, and behind them were eight Stantler, ready to fight. Jeremiah backed away as the Stantler team, now accompanied by Ash, advanced.

::Good work, Ash,:: Apollo complimented out loud. ::You've held Jeremiah at bay long enough for us to get together.::

::Now, let's show our guest what real teamwork can do!:: Jake added. ::What do you say, guys?::

The other Stantler didn't need to reply. Each of them lowered their heads as the bulbs on their horns began to glow with a bright red color. Psychic waves rippled through the air at Jeremiah as the Stantler surrounded him. There was no escape. He was caught in the middle of it all moments before he could even realize what they were doing.

In moments, he fell to the ground in slumber.

The Jynx in the workshop erupted in cheers as the Stantler gathered in triumph and looked up at their master. Santa merely nodded and extended his right arm over the edge of the platform he stood on. Slowly, he uncurled the fingers of his balled fist to reveal a blue powder. He blew on this and watched it descend upon the Magmar and the Charizard.

"May the spell on you be broken," he murmured to them.

Ziggy turned her head to him. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

Her companion smiled. "Zigurat, I know everything."

"Of course," Ziggy replied with a chuckle as she watched the sparks of her friends ascend into the sky.

There was a long pause between them as they watched the commotion below. At last, Santa turned to Ziggy one last time.

"Ziggy, to reply to something else you said to me earlier," he stated, "I can give everyone else their Christmas gifts without a problem, but your Christmas wish may be a bit difficult. You will only get to experience it for a short time."

Ziggy's smile faded away as a saddened expression crossed her face.

"I see," she whispered. "But… I only want a few minutes. It should be enough."

"In that case," he said, "Christmas is almost here."

At that point, the bells of a grandfather clock signaled the truth of this fact. Ziggy understood perfectly.

---

In a room made of black marble, Keios paced. He glanced up now and then at the glowing cage that contained Lady Aigori, who merely smiled sweetly at him. He snorted and continued to pace.

At that moment, Lucius entered the room through the large, mahogany doors. Keios whirled around and started towards the young human.

"You lost a master," Keios sneered. "Jeremiah would have been a great ally to us, but you allowed him to be taken so soon."

"Jeremiah, as was the spell that held him, was weak," Lucius scoffed.

Enraged by this comment, Keios reared back as a ball of black energy formed in his hand. When it grew to be a considerable size, he thrust his hand downward, throwing the ball into the floor near Lucius. It exploded, throwing Lucius off his feet and a distance away. Lucius shook off the pain and trembled at the demonstration. Keios, meanwhile, straightened up and glared at his subject.

"If I were you," Keios growled, "I would be wary of what I said to beings far more powerful than myself."

Lucius nodded. "Of course. My mistake, Master. I will see to it that the others strengthen themselves before challenging Warp again."

With that, Lucius scrambled to his feet and jogged out of the room. Keios watched him leave and frowned.

"Your subjects will never be completely loyal to you," Lady Aigori pointed out. "They may fear you, but someday, they will revolt."

"Silence!" Keios roared.

Lady Aigori merely smiled at him in defiance.

---

Artemis was waiting for them as soon as they shifted back. Ash and Apollo remained lying in the front hall for a long while before looking up at Artemis as the Sneasel stood over them with his paws behind his back.

"Well, merry Christmas," he greeted. "You both did excellently this shift. Santa is well on his way to making his rounds, and the Stantler are more than happy to help. And…"

He pulled three boxes from behind his back. Each were small, wrapped in white paper, tied with a red bow, and labeled with tags marked with each Warp member's name. Artemis handed two to Ash and Apollo before putting the third aside.

"One of the Jynx said she was pretty happy that you came, so she wanted to give you these to help you along the way," Artemis explained. "There's one for the both of you, plus Bill… who is away at the moment because he's a slacker. But anyways, go ahead! Open them!"

"Alright!" Ash exclaimed with a wide smile plastered on his face.

Apollo watched in amusement as Ash ripped off the bow and paper like a rabid dog ripping off the flesh of a rabbit. After the last shred of paper was off of Ash's gift, Apollo neatly unwrapped his own.

Both had slim, white boxes, about the size of the cardboard boxes bracelets came in. The shifters opened these, only to find that they did contain bracelets. Or, rather, slim, silver chains with a large, blue Cosmos Stone set into each of them. Underneath them was a simple note. Apollo pulled the one under his out, opened it, and read it aloud.

"Dear Warp," he began. "I'd like to thank you for all your help in protecting us all this past year. The road ahead will only get rougher, but hopefully, these will help. Use these to heal the other members of High Rise Circle. We all have faith in you."

"Who is it from?" Ash inquired.

"Isn't it obvious?" Apollo answered. "Santa."

---

Bill slowly opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep not long before in his old bedroom, in one corner of his parents' home. He felt warmer than usual, and in moments, he realized why. Someone was there with him.

He sat up in surprise and reached for the lamp on the bedside table. When he managed to click it on, he was even more startled to see Ziggy beside him. What's more, he reached out to touch her cheek, and his fingers brushed against soft, warm skin. She smiled and giggled for a moment before even attempting to explain.

"You missed a lot," she told him. "There's too much to explain, but let's just say I got to have a little wish granted. I can only stay like this for an hour, though, and it took ten minutes to finally get you to wake up. I… I wanted to talk to you."

Bill, of course, was at a loss for words. He merely stared at her as confused thoughts ran through his mind. He was almost convinced this was all some bizarre dream. He felt even more uncomfortable as Ziggy leaned over and put her head on his shoulder.

"I wanted to see if you would like me if I was real," she explained. "I know I've been sarcastic to you since the day I was reactivated, but… I don't know how to say this. I really don't. But… remember that time you shifted into a Bellossom to help Zoe?"

Her creator had nothing more to reply with except a nod.

"Well, you know how I kind of felt annoyed by how much you were swooning over her?" Ziggy asked.

Again, Bill nodded slowly. He didn't have the faintest idea where this was going.

"Then, do you remember when I asked you if you would ever think of me the way you thought about Zoe?"

At that point, the uneasy feeling grew inside Bill. He nodded again, though he wished this conversation would end. Ziggy, however, lifted her head from Bill's shoulder to look him in the eyes. He was a bit surprised by the gravity in her gaze.

"Can you answer that question now?" she inquired. "Now that I'm real, even for a moment… Do you…" She looked at her lap and tried to find a way to say something without being blunt for once. "…Do you love me?"

There was a long silence. A pang of despair entered Ziggy's heart as she stared into the face of her programmer. But Bill's head was bowed as he tried to come up with an acceptable response to her question. He didn't know what to say. Ever since he found out Zoe was taken, he hadn't been exactly willing to fall in love. Love was, in his opinion, a dangerous emotion, especially if that love was for someone other than a member of one's own family.

At last, he knew that the only acceptable response was honesty. He shook his head and mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to her.

Tears welled up in Ziggy's eyes, but she knew she couldn't start sobbing. Instead, she curled up next to Bill and muffled her tears in his pillow. He stared at her with great sympathy before laying his head next to hers. As he watched her cry, he wanted to say something, but there was nothing more to be said. He could only kick himself for knowing he broke her heart.

With that thought in mind, he reached up to turn the lamp out before putting an arm over Ziggy and falling asleep. Nothing more could be said.

---

End episode 23

Footnotes:

(1): See "Holiday Hi-Jynx."