A/N: Sorry for the late update. Finals and stuff. Just graduated with my bachelor's though, so I should have more time to dedicate to writing. Hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Chapter Ten: A Tale of Two Christmases

"Alright, those should just about be ready," Nora said, not looking up from her current task of mixing the batter. "Mind pulling them out?"

"Sure thing." Aaron opened the oven door, catching a full scent of the lightly browned sugar cookies. Damn, these smell good. Knowing his pokémon, there was little chance that the twenty-four cookies would survive the night. As he set the tray down, his finger slipped within the heavy mitt, coming into contact with the thinner fabric. Immediately he felt the heat of the metal. He winced and retracted his hand. The typhlosion looked over her shoulder to a trainer clasping his burnt finger and giggled.

In the living room, Marcus and Krista were facing off against one another, jousting playfully and laughing all while ruining two perfectly good tubes of wrapping paper. Aaron had hung four color-coded stockings over the gas fireplace, and in the corner of the room was a small, fake tree that he had purchased on clearance from Megamart once the previous Christmas had passed. A box of plastic ornaments and a single garland spiraling downwards were the only decorations it boasted.

"Anything I can help with?" Aster offered. The serperior was sporting a santa hat and a genuine expression.

"Not really," Nora said. "You look really happy."

"Probably has something to do with the other day."

"Yeah…"

"Oh? What happened?" Nora asked.

"When we went over to Nathan's. He and I went fishing… well, if you call me tangling the line, losing two hooks, and not really catching anything 'fishing.' But a certain someone was in the house with Naomi the entire time." Aster looked away from the implications.

"Wait… did you…?"

"NO! Nothing of that sort!" he stammered. "I don't even know if she feels that way about me. We just talked…"

"Someone's still too nervous to make the first move. Nothing ever comes from indecisiveness, buddy." He pulled the mitt off and shoved it back into the drawer, a small mark making itself apparent on his finger.

"He is right though," Nora added as she prepared to pour the batter into the pan. "Girls tend to like a guy who's a bit assertive. Well… most girls, at least."

"Oh…"

"That doesn't mean you should be a jerk, though," she said, flicking the spoon towards him and accidentally flinging a few drops in the process.

"O-of course." Krista soon joined them near the kitchen, drawn in by the aroma. Nora set the pan into the oven and closed the door, shaking her head when the audino eagerly gazed at the sugar cookies.

"Unless you want to end up like Aaron here, you'd best let those cool," she said. The trainer smiled, not because he was the subject of the joke, but rather because it was nice to see her so excitable. Perhaps that had something to do with the recent call. Aaron was still surprised that he'd been able to bring himself to say what he had.

He had told Sofia that he understood the harsh nature of the competitive circuit, and he could respect hard decisions needing to be made – he himself had to make one when it came to Pierce. The only difference was that his was done out of love. Then he said some things, looking back, he probably wouldn't have said had his mind been clearer. But what he had witnessed in that bathroom overtook the desire to be inoffensive. It certainly hadn't been his proudest moment, but hearing an awkward and heartfelt apology made towards Nora the following morning had been worth it.

They would be spending the next two days at his parents' place before returning Christmas night. That was when Aaron and his pokémon would exchange their own gifts. And he was admittedly looking forward to that; Aaron felt he had done well this year.

The phone had already finished ringing a few times before he'd finally gotten around to answering it. Aaron had been too busy poking fun at Nora whose fur was coated with powdered sugar. That was, until she grabbed a pinch and tossed it in his hair before dipping out of arm's length.

Aaron was running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to remove it while he answered the phone. "Hey," he said, giving the typhlosion an irritated glare that ended up with both of them laughing. "What's going on? Got everything packed up?"

"Just about. Not a lot of stuff since I'll only be gone for about a week," Nathan said.

"Might just be for the best," Aaron joked. "Wouldn't want you to get tangled up with Alpha down there."

"Yeah, well… that part's inevitable. Going right into the belly of the beast."

"Wait… you mean—"

"Unfortunately. Dad's an admin. Has been since it started from Clay's old gym." He glanced at the serperior, who had overheard the conversation and was equally as shocked.

"Uh… and are you…?"

"At one time, but not anymore," Nathan replied. "But that one's a story for another day. Right now, I need your help with something far more important." Aaron refrained from asking the multitude of questions that had formed, and instead trusted that his friend had done what he'd done for a reason – and left it for a much better one.

"Alright, what's up?"

"Got some new button-down shirts the other day. Thinking about wearing the green one over there, but Adira here seems to think the red one's better. Thoughts?" Aaron rolled his eyes, then opened the text message that came immediately after. Both were plaid, one with primarily green and dark blue while the other was various shades of red.

"Your wife is right, like always," he mumbled. "But don't think we're done with that whole Alpha thing. When you'd get back, I'd like to hear that story."

"Not as eventful as you think. When you're born into it, being a member seems only natural. It was me leaving that really caused a stir. I might fill you in on some of it – one day."

"Yeah, I'm holding you to that…" His hand had found its way to his temple, trying to make sense of what Nathan had said in such a nonchalant manner. But he knew Nathan; he was nothing like those people from Alpha – especially the ones on the television. No doubt it had been a matter of circumstance. And besides, he'd left on his own accord, likely against the pressure of his family. That sure as hell had to count for something. Aaron surely wasn't in any place to judge him for his past.

"Welp, I'm going to get some rest. Gotta wake up around five if we want to catch the plane, and I really don't favor the idea of driving all the way to Kanoma." But before he could fully wind the conversation down, Nathan could faintly be heard saying something, probably to Adira. "Oh! Almost forgot. So in terms of your gift… well, it's a two-part thing. One would spoil the other, so I'm holding off until your twenty-first birthday. Seems more fitting, anyways."

"Well… I appreciate it. But you know you don't have to get me anything…"

"We both know that isn't gonna happen. Anyways, I'm out. Enjoy your Christmas with your normal family," he joked.

Once the call had ended, he hooked the nearly dead phone to its charger before heading back into the kitchen. Krista had already grabbed two of the cookies, which were still soft enough to bend over their own weight, and once he grabbed one, Aaron stood near the typhlosion.

"I hope you didn't think you were getting off scot-free after that little stunt." Nora's eyes shone with playfulness. That alone was better than any gift he could have received.

Nathan stepped out of the airport, appreciating the warmer climate; snow had been a constant companion the last month, and receiving a warm coastal breeze was a welcome change. Adira held his hand as they approached one of the many cabs. Their destination was Southeast of the city. A small, quaint suburban town bordering the ocean. Agave Bay.

When he had been little, he used to stay up late, silently listening to conversations unbefitting of his age, tuning in on topics of strategy and politics. The scent of applewood in the outdoor fireplace mixed together with the salt from the gulf. Those nights, Walter and his companions debated their flavors of conservatism, puffing cigars and planning their next move against the local Delta chapter. Clay himself had been at more than a few of those meetings.

The town bordered a crescent inlet, but palm trees quickly gave way to rolling green hills and farmland. It was here that Nathan learned to shoot a quarter-inch group at two hundred yards, to fix a flat tire, live off the land and labor under the sun. It should have been nostalgic. Should have.

But as much as the rolling auburn hills may have enamored him, Nathan felt the dread that always accompanied his talks and visits with his family. The dread of being the black sheep. And as much as everyone tried to pretend like everything was alright, he knew from experience that several people whispered when they thought he wasn't looking. But Walter seemed to be trying – in his own way, at least – and for that, Nathan was willing to at least show up. It was the first time in over seven years.

Rolling hills flattened into sandy marshland. When he had been little, Nathan remembered watching the krabbies blow their bubbles, scurrying into their small dens when he came to collect sand dollars and conch shells. Those very shores had remained unchanged all this time, but now it felt different. The taxi pulled up to his stop, and after paying the driver, Nathan tightened his sleeves. The first thing he noticed was the cars filling the driveway and the side of the road.

Two men were on the porch: one seated on the steps and the other leaning against the railing. Both had cowboy hats and AR-15's. The guards didn't make him nervous; whatever was inside that house did. He nodded to the first one who seemed friendly enough. When he paused before entering, though, Adira lifted his hand and gave it a gentle peck. She smiled that very same smile he'd fallen in love with several years ago. A smile that said that everything would be alright, and that the two of them could take on the world together. What was behind this door was no different.

As he turned the knob and headed inside, Nathan found himself trying to discern between voices. His grandmother from his mother's side was the first to notice him, telling him how different he looked and grabbing her husband from the crowd, gaining more attention than he liked. His other grandmother – her husband had passed – refused to even look at him.

All the men inside carried, and as he smiled politely and answered most questions directed towards him, it became clear exactly why there were guards outside. "Been awhile since I seen you around these parts," the man said. His sideburns were large, and though his hair had taken a silver-white sheen, the large figure before Nathan looked like he was still ready to take on the world. A felt cowboy hat and matching suit were the most noticeable features on his person.

"Hello Clay," Nathan said politely. "And I can say the same for you. You've been pretty active in Unova lately."

"Well, Unova needs our help more than Kanoma at the moment. Your father's been doin' a fine job of defending the home turf. Now it's time we take back the cities we built – all us hard workin' folks." Nathan was in the process of thinking up a response when his father walked in from the kitchen, leaning against the doorway with his arms folded.

"Hello son," he said. His gray hair peaked out from underneath his own hat. Walter was cleanly shaven, the only facial hair being a small, neatly trimmed mustache. "Glad you could make it." He made eye contact with Nathan's wife. "Adira," he said with a nod, to which she hesitantly responded in kind.

"Glad I could make it, too," Nathan said. While he was prepared for several days of tension – and probably wishing that he'd stayed home – Nathan couldn't deny that it was nice that his father at least wanted to try to patch things up. Especially after what had happened once he had made his plans to marry Adira known. He was willing to look past the venomous words, skipping his wedding and severing ties for years if it meant that Walter had changed for the better.

Unfortunately, given Alpha, Nathan didn't know if the word 'change' was in their dictionary. But Walter was trying. At least, it seemed that way.

Once everyone had returned to their previous interactions, Nathan motioned for his father to follow him into the hallway. "I thought you agreed to no politics," he said quietly.

"He ain't here for business, son. Known Clay since before you were born. As far as I'm concerned, that counts for something."

"Right. And the twenty guards around the property? You've known them, too?"

"Most of 'em. But Clay's a target. You know that much."

"His team would beat most champions, and I know he carries," Nathan replied. "I doubt anyone would manage to get to him."

"You're assuming he'd always get into a fair fight. You know damn well those tactics ain't in Delta's dictionary. Besides… you managed to beat him. And you aren't the only good trainer out there."

"Whatever the case, I'll tell you this: I know we haven't seen eye-to-eye on quite a few things the past decade. I know your opinions. Still share a few of 'em. But you've gotta look past what happened then. I'm where I'm at for a reason – because that's what I chose. And I'm not sorry for that. I know you don't like it, but you have to accept that." Walter's eyes were fixated on his son, and for a moment, it didn't seem like he would respond, but a gruff reply came.

"Yeah. Let's get back in there. Your mother's fixing a cobbler." Nathan nodded, admittedly having missed homemade southern meals. Hopefully, those wouldn't be ruined by the presence of Alpha. A red Christmas wasn't what he had hoped for.

Snow crunched every step he took, and as Aaron trudged towards his parents' house, slender icicles poked down from the roof and gutters. After the door was answered by his mother, he wasted no time in hurrying inside, grateful for the warmth after having walked there from the bus stop. One of these days he would get a car of his own and finally put the nearly useless driver's license in his wallet to use.

"Good Lord," his mother exclaimed, "you're freezing! Go warm up in the living room. Your father just fixed the fire, and in a few more minutes, the hot cocoa should be ready." He nodded and kicked his boots off by the door, then hung his coat.

Aaron's pokémon were released and scattered about. Aster joined him on the couch by the fireplace. Robert was sitting on the recliner opposite to them, reading a magazine with a picture of a pyroar standing proudly within the savanna. The television was off. A few scented candles had been lit throughout the house, each releasing the faint smell of peppermint.

"You're a bit late," his father said, not looking up from his reading.

"Yeah, so was the bus."

"We could've come and picked you up."

"It's fine," he replied.

Nora walked in, carefully holding three mugs and joined them on the couch. Both Aaron and Aster readily accepted them from her. He quickly took a sip to warm himself, but not enough to scorch his tongue. Nora took no precautions.

"You're lucky. We have to wait for it to cool," he murmured.

"Maybe you should have been born a fire-type," she said with a shrug. The faintest of smirks was on her face, causing him to roll his eyes. "Well… sort of a fire-type…"

"Uh huh. Totally my fault for being a human."

"Yep." She lowered her mug which was now half empty.

"Jeez, take it easy," Aaron said. "No need to rush."

"Well, I told your mom I'd give her a hand in the kitchen," she replied.

"Gotcha." Though it was only the second time the typhlosion had been with his parents, Aaron was glad that she enjoyed the company of his mother. And after her recent breakdown, it was nice to see Nora continuing to open up.

Marcus eventually joined them on the couch while Krista joined Nora and Aaron's mother in the kitchen, though she was likely to be a hindrance rather than a help.

"There's something you forgot to tell me," Robert said, hardly glancing up from his magazine.

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"Grades. You haven't mentioned what you've made over the semester, and they should've been in for a few weeks."

"Oh, right… I got two A's, two B+'s, and… well… you know calculus isn't my strong suit."

"What'd you get?"

"A C+ after getting some help from Nathan and his wife. But with the others, my GPA still went up a little."

"That's good," Robert replied, setting the book down. "Really good. Maybe you'll even pull it up to a 3.5 when everything's said and done."

"Maybe." He wasn't so sure that would happen; the classes definitely got harder from this point forth. But he would do his best. After all, a higher GPA meant more job opportunities in such a competitive line of work.

"That's a good friend you've got."

"Yeah," Aaron said, "I know. Though I'd still like to know how his wife, who never even went to college, was able to pick apart that stuff after looking at it for a few seconds."

"That is kind of weird."

"Mhm. Hope they're doing alright. He mentioned that they're going down to red territory for the holiday." That part caught Robert's attention for sure.

"You mean to tell me your friend's in Alpha?" Aaron's father asked.

"Well his family is."

"And what exactly did you say he does for a living?"

"He uh… works in the nuclear power plant up north…"

"Huh… that's concerning," Robert stated.

"Oh, Nathan isn't in Alpha. At least, not anymore. Still holding him to his word, though – I'd like to know what happened. He mentioned something about being born into it, probably since they're active in Kanoma and his dad is an admin. But when he left, it apparently caused a commotion of sorts."

"Imagine so. I'd still be careful around him," Robert stated.

"Nathan? I can promise you he's not a threat. He dislikes Alpha about as much as I do," Aaron said. "Still, I want to know. Guess I'll just add it to the list of questions I have."

"Hmm," his father mumbled. "As long as he isn't running around with those terrorists…"

Silverware clinked as everyone ate in silence. Nathan occasionally saw glances cast about through his peripheral, and both he and Adira remained silent and tried to ignore the awkwardness for the most part. It was a ticking time bomb. After all, what conversation could be made without referring to work? Everyone here did the same thing minus him. What of hobbies? Busting up protests and the occasional assault?

Walter must have known this when initiating some small talk. "So… how's work been for you?" he asked Nathan.

"It's gone very well," Nathan replied. "Things have become a lot busier lately, but it's been alright."

"I see. You uh… picked up any new hobbies?" It was clear he was trying, perhaps a little too hard. Nathan at least appreciated the effort.

"Not any new ones. But fishing off Undella's coast is really nice. Funny enough, that's how we get a lot of our meat. You should see the size of the sea bass you can catch up there this time of year."

"I can vouch for that one," Clay said with a laugh. Nathan pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photos before selecting one and showing it to him.

"Arceus…" It was Nathan standing unsteadily on the boat while holding up a fish that was a little over two feet in length and around eight pounds. "That's a big bass."

"They eat well, too." Nathan laughed. "One time Naomi and I were out there and I'd hooked one. Don't know what species it was, but as soon as it got close to the boat, a dewgong swam up, grabbed the fish and cut the line before swimming off." Several people around the table laughed. "Yeah, I wasn't very happy about that one. But Naomi sure got a laugh outta it."

"I bet," Walter said. "How's the team doing?"

"Everyone's good. They all more or less do their own thing while I'm at work, especially since half of 'em have their own jobs. More of a family than a team." And he knew that they of all people could understand that. Given their line of 'work' – if one could call it that – was so ideologically driven, the humans and pokémon that participated in it shared a bond that tended to be stronger than the average trainer with their pokémon. It was a shame that bond was formed over such vitriol.

"I sure can respect that," Clay said, lowering his fork to his plate. "My excadrill has been with me since the very beginning. He's a bit old to be fightin' nowadays, though."

"You still have an excadrill on your team," Nathan replied. "They related by chance? Son, maybe?"

"Grandson, actually. I've trained the whole lineage, and each one of 'em has been just as threatenin' as the former."

"I'm sure," Nathan said with a nod before returning his focus to the meal in front of him. He quietly cut his steak, then glanced over at Adira's plate. She had neatly cut it into miniscule pieces, to which she gingerly popped them one at a time into her mouth. For a minute, it seemed like everything might just work itself out.

But then Clay had to open his mouth again. "Yeah. It's a shame you left, too. You'd have been a damn good admin with that team of yours." His fingers tightened around the steak knife ever so slightly, but they soon relaxed as he continued cutting.

"Yeah, well… I couldn't support the cause anymore. And you all know why. Plus, I don't much fancy the idea of curb stomping activists that I disagree with, regardless of how annoying they are." Adira nudged him under the table, likely to tell him that he hadn't done himself any favors just then, but Nathan wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by the crowd.

"You know as well as I do that I didn't order my men to do that," Clay replied. "And it ain't like we haven't suffered losses, either. But at the end of the day, these degenerates get up in your face, threatenin' you and doin' everything in their power to make you look like the bad guy, well… they asked for this war. I don't know how someone like you can just sit by while they ruin society." Great, Nathan thought, here we go.

"Clay…" Walter said, but his intervention might as well not have existed.

"No, no – I can respect that. Everyone else has been on edge since I'm here, too afraid to actually speak their minds. So I'll humor you. It's not a matter of 'sitting by.' I just don't think your methods are for the best. I get it – they've got control over education and the media – but there are other ways than spreading the idea that the world would be better if nearly a third of it was dead. At the end of the day, you took your tactics from the same book as Delta."

"You little shit," Clay muttered.

"Clay!" his wife snapped. Everyone frantically glanced around, and more than a few hands lowered under the table.

"Go ahead," Nathan said. "I strongly encourage someone to do something. I'm not about to start anything, but I'm definitely not going to stand by and take it, either." He looked over at Clay, and despite the terror that was gripping everyone at the table, he smiled. "I don't think you'd be dumb enough to make a move, either. And don't get me started on a battle. I swept your team with two pokémon last time, and we're significantly stronger now." To make his point, he slowly pulled a luxury ball from his belt and set it on the table. Valerie's ball. Hopefully, they'd back down from the bluff and he wouldn't have to risk leveling the house.

"Nathan!" Walter said sternly. Nathan just shrugged.

"The way I see it, you all can just sit down and shut up. Or maybe, for once, find something else to talk about aside from calls for violence. Either way, I'd like to finish my steak in peace." He sat down and went back to eating, feeling that coming here had been a mistake of sorts. Hopefully they'd be gone by morning.

Aaron's keys fumbled around until finally the lock clicked open. He still had yet to set everything out, so he left the four pokémon in their balls while he went about placing the gifts around the fake tree and filling the stockings with the more minor items. Once that was done, they were released, and it didn't take long for each of them to separate. Krista and Nora retreated to the bedroom to grab their presents for everyone while Marcus simply slid a few boxes from behind the couch. Aaron was surprised that he hadn't noticed them considering he'd slept near them all this time.

As everything was set into place, he briefly pulled Nora aside. "Your main gift is in the back," he whispered to the typhlosion. "I'll give it to you afterwards." She nodded meekly.

They opened gifts in a cycle, starting with Aaron and going in the order each member had joined the team. It had become their tradition of sorts and had been practiced each year since.

Asters' was by far the largest. The serperior investigated the box, determined to find the best way to open it, before simply tearing the paper down one of the sides. It was then he saw the product image. "Yes!" he exclaimed, tearing through the tape on the cardboard box and opening the lid. "This is perfect!" Aster wasted no time in hugging his trainer.

They went through the gifts in a similar manner. Marcus was thrilled with his gift from Aaron – a set of training items including a DVD series created by Cynthia's own lucario – and the presents from the others complimented these. Krista received the same warning she had received and ignored last year: to make sure all the wrappers made it into the trash. Aaron fully expected to find them left out around the house for the next couple of months.

A new pair of tennis shoes, a phone case with a screen protector after his had cracked, and some new clothes were among the items Aaron had received. Each of those had been a dire need. Typically, the three of them would battle a trainer or two in order to purchase gifts, so when Nora handed out a few boxes of her own, he was quite surprised. "Did you battle?" he asked. She nodded.

"I might not be able to make fire, but I can still fight." He had to remind himself that she had, after all, trained under Sofia for over two years. Once he opened the box, a light jacket – one of many worn by trainers – was staring back at him.

"Wow…"

"I noticed that the old one in the closet had a hole in it. And seeing that you'll be battling a bit more…"

"Thank you, Nora," he said. "This is really nice." The typhlosion smiled and looked away, noticeably glad that he liked it. He looked forward to putting the jacket to use.

Wrapping paper littered the floor after the gifts had been opened. He carried a large wad of it, ducking a candy cane that Krista had thrown towards Marcus as he made his way to the trash can. Aster was already in the process of setting up the heating pole. Aaron paused in the doorway until he managed to catch Nora's attention, motioning for her to follow him while the others were occupied.

"As much as I'd like to take credit for this," he said on their way to the bedroom, "it was Krista's idea."

"O-oh?" Aaron knelt by the dresser, pulling out a relatively small box wrapped in red and green paper from underneath. Nora shyly accepted it, and the two of them sat on the edge of the bed. He wordlessly nodded and she started to open it. The paper wasn't even halfway off when she gasped. "No… this was too much." The typhlosion raised a hand to her mouth as she stared in disbelief.

"Krista noticed that you were almost out of the stuff and brought it to my attention when I asked for some ideas."

"How did you do it?" she asked. "I know you live paycheck-to-paycheck. How could you afford this?" He didn't like the idea of bringing up price for a gift but ended up telling her the truth.

"I was able to pick up a few extra hours at the store." She nodded in understanding, but then looked down.

"I… I got you a jacket."

"And I love that jacket," he said.

"But this was worth ten times what I spent," Nora said.

"It isn't a contest," Aaron replied. "Besides, you stepped out of your comfort zone and battled so you could buy that jacket. That really means a lot, Nora." She didn't say anything, but her hands gripped the white box. It looked as though she were about to cry. "I know I can't provide for you the same way Sofia could, but I promise I'll always do my best for you all." He nudged her gently. "Hopefully I at least somewhat compared to her."

"No…" she said, rubbing her eye. "You're much better." Without warning, Nora threw herself onto her trainer and embraced him. Aaron was shocked, but raised his arms and returned suit, running his hand along her back.

He lost track of time as they held each other. A pink movement in the dark caught his attention, reminding him that he hadn't closed the door. Krista raised her hands to her mouth, visibly overjoyed, and immediately retreated. It seemed like they would have privacy for a moment. That is, until Aster and Marcus peaked through the opening. Aaron cut his gaze at the audino before slightly moving his hand, raising his middle finger. She responded in kind before shooing the two males off. Aaron rolled his eyes.

"Thank you," Nora said, her cheek pressed against his as they held their embrace. "For everything. You're by far the best gift I could've asked for."

Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.