Author's Note: Sorry about the delay between chapters. I've been racking my brain, trying to figure out how to tackle the first batch of OCs. Sorry if it's not quite right, but I hope you still enjoy it!

Credit goes to xoxomelodyrosexoxo for the characters Lucy Rose and Josh Campbell. Thanks!

Day Six: OC the First

Josh Campbell had seen better days. Specifically, most days, he didn't randomly black out in the middle of Cerulean City's business district. Or if he did, he could usually figure out what caused it (typically one of his own pokémon getting a little excited with a new contest combination), and he certainly wouldn't wake up in a cave.

Not that he didn't outright hate being there. It was beautiful, actually. Huge crystals grew out of the rocky ground all around him, placing him in the center of a large, circular clearing. Some seemed to emit a soft, blue light that dimly illuminated the small chamber. Azure patches spread across the circle of bare earth and highlighted the form of the only other person in the room.

Jolting, Josh moved to the girl's side and carefully turned her over. His hands brushed her long, black hair away from her face, and immediately, he knew who she was.

"Lucy?" he whispered.

Slowly, her gray eyes fluttered open and fixed on Josh's face. Then, she screamed and swung her hand up. The sound of the resulting smack across his cheek reverberated off the cavern walls. Josh fell to the side at its force.

"What's the big idea?!" he demanded.

Lucy sat up. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought you were a per—oh."

"Oh?" Josh rubbed his reddening cheek and glared at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She blinked. "Nothing. I just didn't expect to see you here. Did you black out too?"

Josh smirked and stood up. "What do you think? Of course I didn't! I'm just here to train, and I just happened to find you lying around in here! Lucky I did because who knows what would've happened if no one found you? You oughta be more careful! You shouldn't be wandering around caves you don't know too well."

"Weird. The last thing I remember was crossing into Cerulean City…" Lucy brought a hand to her mouth. "Well, no need to worry about that now! Since you came in here by yourself, you must know how to get back out, right?"

Suddenly, Josh stiffened. He looked to the side as he fidgeted. "Er, well, you see…"

He's lying to you.

Josh whirled around, trying to find the source of the voice. Lucy looked up as well, equally confused. It seemed to come from all directions at once, but with the acoustics in that chamber, it wasn't an effect that was all that difficult to pull off.

"Hey!" Josh called. "I don't lie, and I definitely wasn't lying to Lucy just now!"

Yes, you were. I know because I brought you here.

Josh's eyes widened. One of his hands reached for a poké ball, but he paused when he felt nothing there.

"My pokémon," he whispered. "They're gone!"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Lucy reached for her own but, likewise, found nothing there. "Hey! Mine too!" She jumped to her feet. "What's the big idea?! You're not a thief, are you?!"

Of course not, the voice said. You will get your pokémon back soon. I simply wanted to ask a question.

Lucy hesitated. She could sense something behind the forest of crystals directly in front of her. A gray blur appeared beyond them, and something purple swayed behind it. Around it, a blue light flared, filtering through the crystals to add to their azure glow. Whatever it was, it felt warm and friendly – curious more than actually malicious. She slowly relaxed.

"Why didn't you ask us in the city?" she asked.

I cannot go there, it replied. Too many people.

Josh gritted his teeth. "Look, just give me back my pokémon, take me back to Cerulean, and get your answer from someone else!"

Lucy glared at him. "Josh!"

Immediately, he jumped at her tone and turned to face her. He fell silent, allowing the involuntary cringe to do all the talking. If there was just one thing he had to admit, it was that he didn't entirely like it when his rival looked at him like that.

Luckily, the expression dissolved into a smile as she turned back to the creature.

"Well, we can try to answer it," she said. "What would you like to know?"

Many people have told me about Christmas, it said. I know and understand what it means. Also, I understand your holiday of New Year's. However, I do not fully know this holiday you call… Hanukkah. What is it?

Lucy blinked. She, of course, worshipped Mew and the other legendary pokémon, so her winter holiday was just a festival dedicated to Articuno. Glancing at Josh, she shrugged in a silent question. He only shrugged in response. Josh, after all, was a Christian, so he celebrated Christmas. Between the two of them, they had nothing.

"Well, uh… we don't actually know," Lucy admitted at long last. "I just know that they call it the Festival of Lights, and there's that spinny little top involved. And oh! Eight days of presents!"

"There's more to it than that," Josh said.

Lucy turned to him. "Really? Like what?"

Josh shifted on his feet. "Well, for one, it's all about giving, right? All of them are – the holidays in December, I mean. It's a whole month of giving. You give to the people you care about because it's supposed to be a time of peace and happiness. You give because it makes other people happy, and they give to you as a sign that you mean something to them."

The creature's blue aura brightened a little. I see. Is that all?

"Well, no," Josh replied. "There's a whole lot of other things to it, too. Like… Well, okay, I don't actually know the story of Hanukkah, but it's called the Festival of Lights because of the menorah. They light candles on each day to represent… hope or something. Like, the light will never go out until the end of the eighth day because it's sustained by the hope of the people. It represents the fact that no matter what, if you just believe, you'll make it through the dark times."

That sounded vague and generic enough for Josh. A lot of what he said was just a bunch of themes that were usually applied to Christmas, but the winter holidays were really all the same for him.

"Really?" Lucy said. "I didn't know any of that!"

Josh leaned towards her and whispered, "I don't know. I'm ad-libbing. Look, Lucy, I want to say something, and I don't want that thing to know about it."

"What?"

"If we don't make it out of here alive, I'm sorry about giving you such a hard time."

At that, Lucy stared at him for awhile. Then, slowly, she grinned and blushed. "It's okay, Josh. And you're doing great."

Josh blushed. "I'm doing great?"

Lucy nodded. "Well, you sound convincing, anyway. Ad-libbing or not, I think it's buying it."

At that, Josh felt his shyness creep in as he gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

The male coordinator didn't know whether or not the creature heard him. All it did was flick its purple appendage back and forth for awhile in thought. Finally, it spoke again.

And what about this… spinny top you mentioned? What does it represent during this holiday?

Josh shrugged. "I don't know. What does a dead pine tree covered in metal balls represent during Christmas?"

At that response, the creature chuckled. I see. You have quite an interesting mind, young one. From what I've heard, I think I understand the meaning of this holiday. To give… to hope… to love. You humans have such fascinating customs and beliefs.

Lucy happily smiled. "Thanks!"

Around the creature, the aura grew and brightened more than it had during the entire course of the conversation.

Yes, the creature whispered. That is all I wished to know. I will transport you back where you came from. And Josh…

"What's that?"

Do not lie to her. For any reason.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Before Josh could get his answer, his entire field of vision was engulfed in bright, blue light. Then, for a second time that day, he blacked out.

---

When Josh awoke, he found himself sitting on a bench. His hand wandered to his belt to find that his pokémon were magically there. Next to him on one side sat a pile of boxes, all neatly wrapped and tagged. On the other side, he felt a warm weight. Turning his head, he found Lucy leaning against him, grinning in her sleep. Instantly, he blushed and blinked. Awhile later, he smiled.

The strange thing was, though, he couldn't remember how he got there. Not that he complained about it or anything.

Slowly, Lucy opened her eyes. When she realized she was lying on something, she tilted her head up to see Josh. Her eyes widened, and she pulled herself up.

"Josh?"

He snapped his gaze away from her. His eyes settled on the buildings around him, and immediately, he realized he was sitting on a bench in front of a row of colorful shops – the very same ones he was wandering past before he blacked out.

"I only let you fall asleep on me because it's cold out here," he snapped.

Lucy rubbed her eyes. "What're we doing out here?"

Josh shrugged. "I was just going shopping. I don't know what you were doing."

Yawning, she stretched, and Josh couldn't help but look at her. She had a nice figure, framed in a black-and-red checkered jacket that somehow still highlighted the right assets and a pair of tight jeans and black boots that hugged her long legs. Josh ran his fingers through his dirty-blonde hair and looked at the gray sky with his deep, blue eyes.

"Sorry," Lucy said. "I've been traveling non-stop for days. Thanks for letting me use you as a pillow."

"Yeah, well…" Josh turned to the presents. "Just don't do it again. I've got better things to do with my time than wait for you to wake up."

Then, he noticed something. The present at the top of the pile next to him, the one wrapped in red and black checkered paper, had a label that addressed it to Lucy. The handwriting was his, but strangely, he couldn't remember ever actually getting her anything. With a blink, he picked it up.

"Something wrong?" Lucy asked.

He shook his head. "No."

Then, he plopped the package in her lap, gathered the others, and stood up.

"That one's for you," he told her.

Immediately, she turned her wide, shining eyes towards him. "Oh, you didn't have to! I didn't get you anything…"

He waved a hand in the air and turned. "Forget about it. That's not the point, is it?"

Suddenly, he paused. Something about that last sentence gave him a weird feeling of déjà vu. Shuddering, he closed his eyes and shook his head to dispel it.

"Uh, anyway, happy holidays."

Before Lucy could say a word, he jogged away. He imagined her smiling at him, and, unable to help himself, he grinned.