Universe Travels
Chapter 3: Christmas Special!
Author's note: I know, I know. If you're going to do a Christmas special one ought to start it before Christmas week and hopefully finish it and post it before Christmas day. But hey, at least I got it up before the new year. I apologize if it feels unpolished, but I was in a rush.
"What good is that thing? It doesn't even have any teeth!" Jessie pointed at the large white furry creature in a large non-furry metal cage.
Akira shrugged and returned to the book he was reading.
"It's got claws…" James tapped at a large claw that was wrapped around a cage bar. "But it doesn't seem like it wants to use them."
"Hey guys, look it that!" Meowth was standing on the counter of the large computer and held a claw towards a video screen.
"Off!" Erika shouted and whacked Meowth, sending him flying. He landed on James's head.
"Oh wow!" Erika stared at the screen. Nine reindeer were hitched to a big red sleigh with a little old driver. But the remarkable thing was, "They can fly!"
"Look at that one in the lead, he's got a red nose." Meowth pointed out.
""It's as red as an apple," said Jessie/
"I'd even say it glows," commented James.
Akira looked up. His eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up.
"Um, fellas, I think that's Santa Clause."
"What!?" exclaimed Jessie.
"No way!" Meowth jumped onto the counter for a closer look.
"Don't be absurd, Akira, there's no such thing as Santa Claus." Erika informed them.
"What?" James looked shocked.
"How can you say that?" said Jessie, "Santa never brings me what I want, but you can't just say he doesn't exist."
Erika raised her eyebrows.
"Besides," said meowth, "If there's no Santa, than who's that guy in the red suit?"
Erika rolled her eyes. She started typing something to the computer.
"At any rate, those flying creatures would be quite the catch. Especially that red nosed one."
There was a collective gasp from all the Team Rocket members, with the exception of Erika herself.
"No," Said Akira.
"You aren't going to, mess with Santa's stantler type creatures!" Exclaimed Meowth.
"It would interfere with Christmas!" Said Jessie.
"Then you really wouldn't get anything for Christmas!" Said James.
"Oh grow up, this guy isn't even from our world," Erika told them.
"Oh," said Jessie.
"Yeah…" said James.
"Now," Erika pressed a button and some probes activated, rising into the air.
The large white furry creature in the large non-furry cage, growled at the probes.
"What an abominable thing," Jessie commented, taking a step away from the cage.
"I though it was a snow monster." James scratched his head.
"Whatever."
The probes glowed for a moment, then vanished. The extra view screens activated. The probes spun around the man and reindeer.
"Ho! What in the world are those?"
"Santa! They have us surrounded!" called the red nosed one.
"What do we do?!" asked another reindeer.
"Stay calm!" Santa looked around.
The probes flashed rapidly until they reached a steady blinding light.
When the light faded, Santa and his reindeer stood in the computer room of Team Rocket. (Well, the reindeer stood. Santa sat in his sleigh.) They blinked, trying to clear the dazzling light spots from their eyes.
"Prepare-"
"Oh don't start that again!" snapped Erika. Jessie and James pouted.
"Where the blazes are we?" asked one of the black nosed reindeer.
"You are in the head quarters of Team Rocket, and you're about to get a new master, so say good by to Santa!" Erika pulled out a poke-ball and threw it at the reindeer. One of them whacked it away with his antlers.
"You have all been very naughty this year," said Santa looking at each face in turn. When he got to Celestial he paused for a moment, "except for you. You've been a very good dear."
The nine tails tilted her head, her tails flowing slowly.
"Santa, how come you never brought me what I wanted?" Jessie asked.
"my dear, I do not come from this world. However, if you did not get what you wanted there are two possibilities. One is that you were not good enough to earn it. But another thing that happens from time to time is that a gift is for some reason unattainable."
"Enough of the pleasantries, get those creatures!" Erika threw five poke-balls, but they were all deflected.
"Young Lady, my reindeer are not an option for you."
"Hah! Sorry Santa, but those rain deer are ours!" Meowth pounced on Rudolph, who swung his head and pranced around. Meowth slashed at him. Rudolph thrust his antlers at Meowth, who got caught in them. Rudolph tossed his head and sent Meowth flying.
Erika, Jessie and James threw a slew of Poke-balls.
"Now Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen! Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen! Dash away! Dash away! Dash away now!"
The reindeer charged forward, thrusting anything on their path out of their way. They approached the wood patched section of the wall. Rudolph lowered his head, and the other reindeer followed suit.
"Oh no…" Akira groaned.
"Not that wall again!" Shouted Erika.
Crash! The reindeer smashed through he wooden planks.
"We just got that hole fixed!…" Moaned James.
Over at the Seven Rapidash Inn, heather and her new friends (and her "old friend" Shadow) lounged in the lounge.
Ash, Brock and Tracy were watching TV. Misty and Heather sat talking as they groomed their "Pokemon". Misty was brushing Togetic while heather brushed Shadow. Wembly Fraggle was tentatively feeding FireWind treats.
"Breaking news!" exclaimed the TV. "Reports have come in that a sleigh is stuck in a tree, with stantler-like creatures hanging from it. Witnesses claim that a man who looks suspiciously like Santa Clause is sitting in the sleigh."
The TV showed a short clip of the scene.
"No way!" Heather exclaimed.
"Santa's stuck! WE have to help him!" Misty grabbed her bag and put it on.
"But it's not Christmas time," said Ash.
"Ash Ketchem, since when do you wait until Christmas to help people?"
"No, I meant why is Santa here when it's not even winter? But I'll still help him."
They all grabbed their gear and left the inn in such a rush that they left the door open.
"Darn kids," grumbled the inn keeper as he closed the door.
"Look There hi is!" Brock pointed up at a tree. Sure enough, a bright red sled was lodged near the top. Nine reindeer hung from it, either resting on a branch or dangling in midair.
"HO! Hello down there!" a voice drifted down to them. Looking strait up they could see a man waving frantically from the sled.
"Hang on Santa, we'll get you down!" Ash called up.
"How?" asked Brock thought for a moment. he raised his finger, as if he was about to say something important.
"I have no idea."
Misty, Brock and Tracy fell over, feet in the air.
"I've always wondered what that would be like in person," said Heather, watching them climb to their feet.
"How about Brock's onix? Couldn't he reach them?" asked Heather.
"You're right! That's a brilliant idea! Go onix!" Brock threw out his poke-ball with such enthusiasm that it bounced off the tree. It released onix, and everyone had to scramble out of the way before it crushed them.
"ONIX" Onix looked at Brock for instructions. Brock helped Heather to her feet.
"Sorry about that. All right Onix, go up there and get Santa. Bring down the sled, gently."
Onix rose up, stretching out to full length. He reached out and carefully took hold of the sled. Slowly, ever so slowly, he eased the sled and thus the reindeer out of the branches. Once they were free, he gently set them on the ground.
"Ho ho ho. Thank you, dear fellow," Santa gave onix an apple. Onix carefully took it. As he crunched it, he nodded his head with pleasure.
"Thank you for helping me, but I really must get back to my own world. I still have quite a few gifts to deliver."
"Oh… Do you have to go so soon?" asked Wembly.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. But perhaps all of you would be willing to help me some more?"
"Yes, of course!" Heather, Misty, Ash and Brock all replied.
"We're always willing to help." Answered Tracy.
"Good. You see, there is this group of very naughty people who brought me here. And while my reindeer can protect themselves, they are not by nature fighters. So if it is not too much trouble, perhaps you could come along, in case those naughty people try to steal my reindeer?"
"Of course. We deal with Team Rocket all the time," said Ash.
"Excellent. Everyone in the sleigh than. Except for these creatures. I'm afraid they won't fit." Santa gave FireWind an apple, which she ate happily.
Brock returned onix to his ball, and Heather put FireWind in her's. Then everyone piled into the sleigh.
"Ready Santa?" asked Rudolph.
"Ready Rudolph!"
As the reindeer took off, Wembly gasped in freight and clutched Heather. She held on, but looked over the edge of the sled in amazement.
Akira dropped his book in surprise as the wooden slats newly placed over the hole burst into shards. Santa, his reindeer and sleigh and their new friends came through the opening.
"Mr. Claus, You're back!"
"Where's Team Rocket?" Ash looked around. Only Akira and Celestial were in the room.
"Erika went shopping. Who knows where Jessie, James and Meowth went? They're probably off getting themselves in trouble, as usual.
"Look, I don't know how to change the world settings, but I do know how to operate the transport mechanism."
"Meaning?" Brock and Ash exchanged slightly befuddled expressions.
"Meaning, I can send Mr. Claus home, but not the Fraggle creature."
"Well then, I had best be off…" Santa double checked the reindeer's harnesses.
"One moment please," said Heather, stepping forward, "I have some berries for the reindeer which will help give them strength for the journey."
"Very well."
Heather went to each reindeer, handing them a berry, which they ate.
"Now, before I go I have a present for each of you." Santa pulled a gift out of his bag. He handed a package to Heather, then Ash, Misty, Brock Tracy and Wembly.
"And you, Akira, need to stop spending so much time with the naughty crowd. But you are helping us, and I believe that goodness should be nurtured, so here is a gift for you." Santa handed Akira a present. Akira looked at it in surprise.
"I also have some here for your pets." Santa handed some more gifts around. He climbed into his sleigh, "Now, we are ready to leave as soon as you are able to transport us."
"Right. Oh. Thank you sir."
"Please, call me Santa."
"Okay Santa."
Akira activated the probes and they started spinning around Santa and his reindeer.
"Oh, don't forget to return the abominable snow monster!"
"I'll send him as soon as you get there!" Replied Akira.
"By Santa!"
"Thanks for the gifts!"
"Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" And with that, Santa disappeared in a flash of light with the probes.
"But it's not Christmas," said Ash.
"It's not night time either," said Heather.
"Okay fella. Your turn." Akira activated the probes again and they sent the snow monster back to his own world.
"You guys should probably leave before anybody gets back."
"Right," said Ash, "let's go!"
As they were leaving, Heather glanced back.
"By Akira! By Celestial!" Heather waved.
Akira raised his eyebrows, but waved back.
Let's wait until we get to the inn to open these," said Heather, holding up her gifts.
"If they're Christmas presents, then shouldn't we wait until Christmas?" asked Misty.
"No way!" exclaimed Ash, "Do you know how far away Christmas is?"
Elsewhere, in the world that he returned to, Santa and Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, and Rudolph too, delivered toys to all the good little boys and girls…
When they got back to the North Pole, Santa and the reindeer took naps, then started their own Christmas party with the elves and Mrs. Claus.
Mrs. Claus was happy to have her husband back home. They danced, and Mrs. Clause even managed to get Santa under the mistletoe with her.
The reindeer and elves danced and sung carols, having fun and often showing off.
"Every one, your attention please! It's time for Mrs. Clause's annual speech!" Santa called to everyone. They all gathered around.
Mrs. Clause cleared her throat.
"It was a bit of a rush at the end, like always, but we did it! This was another successful Christmas. Now we have a short break before it's time to start working on next Christmas.
"The new year is coming, and I'd like to take this time to wish every one a happy new year.
"May each of you find joy, peace, and harmony.
"And may love, kindness, compassion and wisdom guide you now, and forever.
"Merry Christmas."