After Cynthia's quality time with her family, we'll be exploring a little bit more of this quality family time. Cynthia's not the only one with family troubles, after all.

KedharS: Well, not yet anyway.

Aquahaze675: Me neither, tbh. Should be fun though.

Rosealine gold: What do you think Maddi would be like drunk?

Thunder Fire: Somewhere at the beginning of the arc. Wanted to use her for the sister, but decided on the next best thing.

JoshGamerV: Because I know a real Elyse and I was tired writing this chapter. It'll go back to the old way next time she shows up.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 430

It turns out that Cynthia's grandparents didn't have any alcohol anywhere in the inn, much to Cynthia's chagrin. Sango was about to suggest that, in her current state, maybe alcohol wasn't the best thing to do. She was tired, and was clearly not thinking rationally. Cynthia admitted that this was probably the case.

So, with a look of relief on her face, Sango enjoyed the fact that they could get through a delicious Christmas Dinner with little incident. Surprisingly energetic and excited to prove herself in comparison to Marion, Cynthia was eager to prepare the dinner herself, preparing a seafood chowder that Sango stared at cautiously, as well as thick noodles in a cream sauce that also gave off a very fishy aroma that filled the dining room.

Sango was wary.

It smelled great.

It looked great.

But Cynthia had made it. Cynthia talked a lot about how great of a chef she was. But it was Cynthia. Sango couldn't imagine it. So when the bowl of chowder and the plate of pasta slathered in alfredo sauce and topped with grilled chicken were set down in front of her, Sango desperately hoped it would be as good as it looked.

There were six of them, Cynthia, her grandparents, Sango, Marion, and to everyone's surprise, even the normally withdrawn and antisocial Maddi had joined them for dinner. While Cynthia was cooking, Sango relayed to Maddi Cynthia's offer to have her food brought to her room so she didn't have to eat with them, but Maddi said that Cynthia didn't have to bother with that, and that she'd come eat dinner with them.

That made Sango smile. Maddi had been keeping her distance from Cynthia, and adding Marion on top of that? That had all the makings of a horrible time for Maddi, and yet she was still willing to come and eat with them?

Maybe she was making an attempt to meet Cynthia halfway. That was a nice start.

Sango glanced across the table at Maddi. Sango was sitting next to Marion, who was also sitting beside Cynthia, Maddi seated as far away from the redhead as possible, with Cynthia's grandmother to her left. The look on Maddi's face told Sango that she was probably thinking the same thing about the meal in front of her that Sango was. Was it fit for human consumption?

Sango glanced at Marion. She hadn't hesitated in the slightest to begin digging into her supper. Cynthia wore a proud look on her face as she watched over Marion, which should have been a relief to Sango if it was anyone but Marion. It could probably have tasted like garbage and if it had fish in it Marion would have been totally fine. Not exactly the best recommendation. Sango and Maddi exchanged a look of tension, and they began to eat the food, starting with the chowder.

Sango's eyes shot open and her spoon nearly slipped out of her fingers. Her head shot up and she shared another look with an equally surprised Maddi.

"How is it, guys?" Cynthia asked, her eyes shining brightly.

"It's delicious!" Sango gasped, taking in another dozen spoonfulls. "Silver, try it!"

"Castform!" Silver took a sip, his eyes widening. Suddenly, the room became very bright, and he transformed into his sun form.

"…I think he likes it," Cynthia's grandfather joked.

"That's our granddaughter, your food is always delicious!" Rose beamed at Cynthia, who blushed, squirming in her seat.

"Th-thank you," Cynthia murmured.

"Yeah," Maddi said shortly. Her tone of voice was brusque but her face had a small smile. She took another sip, and then offered the spoon for Grim to try as she told her "it's really good, Cynthia. You're a good cook."

If a smile was worth a million bucks, Cynthia's looked like she had just won the lottery. Her face was somehow brighter than Silver's sunny day.

"I gotta admit, I'm the fishing master, but when it comes to cooking 'em up you're probably even better than me!" Marion said, already done with her chowder and moving on to the pasta. "Well, just as good anyway. Or maybe almost there? You're decent, is what I'm trying to say."

The fact that Marion seemed so incapable of snide remarks was what kept Cynthia from decking her, the girl was just saying her mind. The look on her face was enough anyhow.

"I'm glad you girls came her," Roland said, drawing the attention of the table. He had a warm smile on his face. "Most holidays, there are all sorts of tourists around the inn celebrating Christmas. But due to bookings, it was looking a lot like we were spending Christmas alone. And now, not only do we have one grandchild visiting us for the holidays, but two! And one of them even brought her friends from school! It's always nice to have people around, that's what this inn is for, after all."

"If only Violet had stayed for dinner," Rose sighed. "She just dropped off her things in her room and headed back out! What a pity. She really could have stayed for some of Cynthia's cooking, after all, isn't Christmas a time for family?"

"Violet has her own stuff to deal with, grandma," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "Besides, Violet's never really been a fan of my cooking anyway, you know that…"

The table took on a somber tone for a few moments before Cynthia managed to push the smile back onto her face.

"A-Anyway, this is good enough, right? I really tried my best!"

Sango could see that Cynthia really was trying her best, in more ways than one. She knew there was probably something going on between Cynthia and her older sister, but she wasn't sure if it was her place to pry into it. She knew from talking with Violet that it wasn't as simple as Violet not liking her sister or the two of them fighting. But whatever the problem was, it wasn't like Sango could really do something to help.

"Yes, you did great dear," Rose said, nodding her head.

"You're right, Rose," Roland agreed, smiling at Cynthia. "It's always nice to spend Christmas with the family."

Sango bit her lip, and slid back from her seat, standing up. "May I be excused?"

"Seriously?" Cynthia asked, her eyes widening. "But you didn't even touch your noodles! I prepared the cream sauce specifically because you like food with high calories!"

Maddi was stunned. The thought that Sango would walk away leaving food on her place was so far out of the realm of possibility she didn't know how to respond. Luckily, Sango quickly put their concerns to rest.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," she assured them with a cool smile. "I just have to make a phone call first. It shouldn't take too long!"

With that, Sango headed out of the dining hall and walked into the lobby of the inn, fishing her phone out of her pocket. She began to dial. As she listened to it ring, her heart was pounding anxiously in her chest. She glanced at Silver, hoping that everything would turn out okay. He would pick up, right? It was Christmas, after all, he had to.

"Hello?" Hear her father's gruff voice brought a smile to his face, immediately banishing all the worried thoughts from her mind. She sighed with relief and relaxed, sinking into one of the fluffy armchairs littering the room.

"Hey, dad, it's me," Sango said.

"Sango? How are you doing? You never call me these days," Uboss said. That was certainly true. Sango wasn't all that comfortable with calling her father, even now that they had finally fixed a lot of the issues between them. It was stupid, but it was a lingering fear from when she was a girl, listening to her father's voice mail over and over when she was trying to reach him after having a bad dream, or because she was lonely, or because she wanted someone to talk to on her birthday. All these years later and the sound of a ring in her ear still made her feel more than a little queasy. But now that he'd answered her, well…

"Yeah, I know, it's just… well, I was thinking about you," Sango whispered. "…You know. Because it's Christmas."

"It's what?!" Uboss's voice rang in her ear. She heard fumbling and rustling, like her father was digging through a stack of papers. Was he at a desk or something? She hoped that she hadn't interrupted him in the middle of work. A few seconds later the rustling stopped, and he spoke up again, his tone contrite. "…So it is. I'm sorry, honey, we've been working on a dig recently and I just forgot all about-"

"No, no, it's fine!" Sango said, the way she always had when he had spurned her for work in the past. But unlike then, when she had plastered a fake smile on her face and forced the words out of her mouth, this time it really was fine. "I'm okay. I'm actually in the Hoenn Region! I went on a trip with my friends, Cynthia and Maddi! I don't think you've met them but they're really nice! Oh, and Marion showed up, too! Marion Rivers!"

"…Well, that's good." Sango could hear a sigh of relief, and that made her heart skip with joy. He really had been concerned about the fact that she might be spending Christmas alone, at least when he became aware of it.

Uboss continued, "and you're enjoying yourself? Having fun with your friends?"

"Yeah," Sango said, smiling. "But still… it's Christmas. So I thought about family. I mean… I know we can't be together on Christmas because you're working, but I still wanted to talk with you at least, is that okay?"

"…Of course it's okay," Uboss said. His voice sounded unusually gentle. "To be honest, Elizabeth has been telling me to reach out to you more, it's just… well, you're getting older, and you should be independent, but-"

"That's crap!" A familiar voice called out from the distance, Sango sitting upright in her chair in surprise. She heard fumbling on the other end of the line, and a few seconds later her dad's voice was replaced by the sing-song tone of a woman that she knew quite well.

"Hey, Sango!" Elizabeth chirped. "It's me, Elizabeth! You remember me, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Sango said, nodding. "What's, um… what's up?"

"Oh, nothing, just enjoying things over here. We're in the Johto Region right now, actually!"

"Johto?" Sango asked, surprised. "So close!"

"Yeah, we're studying the Ruins of Alph," Elizabeth said. Her voice carried a tone of sadness in it. "Actually, Sango… to tell you the truth… meeting you really made me think hard about some stuff, you know?"

"Oh, really?" Sango asked, surprised.

"Mhm. I was thinking about family. About… my daughter. And when I thought that she might be spending Christmas alone… how many Christmases she must have ALREADY spent alone… I put what I was working on aside and came back. I even brought your dad with me!"

"You really think…"

"I'm going to find my little girl," Elizabeth vowed. "Even if it takes the rest of my life, I'm not going to stop searching."

She let out a light giggle.

"After all, Sango, you and your dad reminded me of just how important it is to have a family. And that's why I'm so happy that you allowed me into yours."

Sango turned bright red.

"Err, um, th-that's-! I-I didn't-!"

"I know I'm not your mother, Sango, but that doesn't mean I don't think of you as my family. You're Uboss's beloved daughter, after all, and that makes you precious to me," Elizabeth assured her. "I hope that, in the future, we'll be able to get along even better. As a real family. What do you say, Sango? Care to give it a try?"

"…Yeah, sure," Sango said, smiling. "I'd like that."

"I'm glad. Merry Christmas, by the way," Elizabeth wished her. "I'll give you back to your dad now. And trust me, your dad wants to reach out to you more. He's just bad at it. Oh! Let me give you my number instead."

"Your number?" Sango asked, confused.

"Unlike your father, I'm not the sort to lose myself in my work and not answer my phone," she explained. "…Okay, well, I am, but not to the extent that he is, of course! So if you want to call him, you can just call me, and I'll get him on the line. Sound good?"

Sango nodded. That did sound good.

"Y-Yeah, if you would, that would be great," she admitted.

"Great! He really wishes you would call more, even if he won't admit it," she laughed. She told Sango her phone number. "Now, I'll turn you over to your dad. You have fun with your friends! And be responsible, but not too responsible! It's Christmas, so it's okay to cut loose every once in a while, you know?"

"Ha, sure," Sango laughed. Elizabeth turned the phone over to her father.

"I hope Elizabeth didn't put any bad ideas into your mind," Uboss said, trying to play at the role of stern disciplinarian. Sango laughed.

"It's fine, dad," she assured him. "You know me. I'm the responsible sort."

"…Yeah," Uboss said, his tone holding a hint of remorse. "I can never apologize enough for that, you know. Making you grow up so early. You didn't have a chance to be a kid."

Sango laughed, shaking her head.

"I am a kid, dad. Don't worry. I know you did the best you could. And so does mom."

"…Thank you, Sango. Take care of yourself. Merry Christmas. I love you."

"…Yeah, dad," Sango said, wiping away the tears that had begun to build up in her eyes. "Yeah, I love you, too. Merry Christmas."

With that, she hung up the phone, sniffled away the rest of her urges to cry, and rose to her feet, returning to the dining hall.

"You're back!" Cynthia said, smiling. "Great! We were worried!"

"Almost sent out a search party!" Roland laughed.

"Yeah, sorry, the conversation went a bit long," Sango laughed back, taking her seat.

"Your pasta went cold," Maddi said sympathetically.

"It's fine, it's fine," Sango assured her, sticking her fork into it and taking a big bite. It was the most delicious thing she'd ever had, and somehow she knew that it wasn't because of the fact that Cynthia was such a great cook. She wiped her lips off with a napkin and gave Maddi a smile. "The way things are going, I'm in too good of a mood to feel bad, don't worry!"

Maddi smiled a little and nodded, and they all resumed their dinner.

That night, Marion joined the girls for their bath, now that she was a permanent fixture of the inn while they were there. Sango had hoped that Maddi would come as well, but she had politely let them know that her room had a private bath, and as such, she would be a fool not to use it.

Sango didn't like it, but she couldn't exactly fault the girl on her logic. Presumably, Maddi had been "socialized out" and was going to retire to her room for the night.

But no. While the girls were gathered up in Sango and Cynthia's room playing cards, a light knock on the door caught their attention. Sango went to go answer it, but before she got there, Grim floated through the screen, flying around the room excitedly.

"…Yeah, it's me," Maddi's soft voice came from out in the hall. Sango slid the door open and let her in. It was an odd sight to see, Maddi in a bathrobe.

"Maddi!" Cynthia gasped, her excitement at seeing the girl momentarily overpowering her urge to keep from being too clingy and energetic around her. "I thought you turned in for the night! What's up?"

"…Can't sleep," Maddi said, averting her eyes. "You know. Sleep schedule is kinda messed up."

Sango smelled a lie. It looked like Maddi really did want to socialize, at least for a little bit. Sango didn't want to out her, though. So she just smiled and let Maddi in. Hopefully, Cynthia could be on her best behavior. This was an important shot for her, and Sango didn't want her to blow it.

Unfortunately, Cynthia blew it pretty damn fast.

"Now that you're here, Maddi, we can really get the party going!" Cynthia reached into backpack, and much to the shock of everyone there, withdrew a big bottle filled with a clear liquid. Sango didn't even have to read the label to know what that was.

"Wheeew!" Marion gasped, taking the bottle from the redhead. "That's some strong stuff!"

"I thought you couldn't find any?" Sango said.

"My grandparents don't have any," Cynthia explained. "But before the bath, I popped into the room my sister is staying in."

A cold smile crossed Cynthia's face as she took the bottle from Marion, rolling it between her hands with a mischievous look in her eye.

"I know my sister quite well, you see, and I knew she'd bring some stuff with her."

Sango scowled. She didn't know if she was okay with this.

"Look, Cynthia, I know we were talking about this earlier, but I don't think this is a good idea, us drinking that stuff."

"Come on, it's only 45%, that's not even 50!" Cynthia rebuffed. Sango didn't know what alcohol levels were, and didn't understand if that was a lot or not much, but that didn't make her want to drink it any more.

"I'm in!" Marion chirped. "I can always use a good drink!"

"Marion?!" Sango sputtered. She knew that the girl was a little flighty but she didn't think that she was the kind of person to drink while underage.

"I'll go get some cups," Cynthia said, popping up and skipping out the door past Maddi and Sango. "Be back in a flash!"

Sango sighed, rubbing her temples. She turned to Maddi.

"Look, Maddi, I know you were making an effort to come here when you don't want to spend time with Cynthia," Sango sighed. "Sorry that she had to be like… that. She's just excited. So don't hold it against her, she's a good person. I'll try to convince her that we don't have to spend our time drinking when she gets back, but-"

"I'm in," Maddi interrupted her.

"W-wait, what?"

"It was my idea in the first place, remember?" Maddi asked. Her tone was odd. Sango began to wonder if there was something under the surface that she wasn't telling them.

"You… you want to drink? With Cynthia? And Marion? For real?"

"Wouldn't be my first choices," Maddi shrugged, looking past Sango and at the bottle of booze. "But a drink's a drink. And I'm up for drinking. If you don't want to, then you don't have to, but…"

Maddi walked past Sango and sat down on the floor across from Marion, grabbing the bottle and unscrewing the lid.

Next chapter, the girls start to drink for real! Quite a Christmas Eve, I promise you. (Please drink responsibly)