Well, although it's doubtful that people will actually look at this fanfic today as it's Christmas, or Christmas Eve depending on the time zone, I guess it was just something that I could use to pass the time.
In terms of the actual storyline, think nothing of it. Just a kind of side story like format that is not really canon at all. So for everything that is mentioned in this, take no serious note of it. Especially the meetings between the characters. Should the characters actually meet in the actual storyline then THAT is how they will react. This chapter was really just putting the characters that I've developed and twisted their interactions into this one chapter.
And also, this is kind of like a breath of fresh air after what happened last chapter. No real violence whatsoever and the spirit of Christmas evident in the storyline.
At the same time, I guess some people are in the same boat as I am and awaiting their Gen VI game for Christmas (gonna get Y). At the very least, thanks to everyone that has read and supported this slow going project and for those that read this today or whenever, I hope that you enjoy.
Apart from that, there's not much to say but:
Enjoy. And Merry Christmas.
Mr Question Mark
Ash Ketchum looked out the Pokémon Centre doors and his eyes sparkled as he looked at all of the floats that were passing in the town in the afternoon sun. Pikachu sat on his shoulder and did the same, almost captivated by the awe that had been put into the celebrations.
"It's only Christmas Eve!" he said towards the people next to him. "But look at everything that they've set up!"
"Pika pikachu!"
A Stantler float that had been decorated to look like a Christmas reindeer passed in front of the group and impressed most of the people there by its mere size and work that must have been put into the art itself.
"I can't wait until tomorrow!" exclaimed Iris as she tried looking down the large street that the Pokémon Centre was on in order to have a look at the other floats, using her Aura in order to increase and enhance her eyesight.
Axew tried to do so from her hair however its Aura was too weak and it did not get the chance to do so. However that did not really let it down as the floats continued to run in front of the Pokémon Centre all the same.
"Axew axew!" it said in excitement.
"Yeah! This will be your first Christmas right Axew?" asked Ash towards the small Pokémon. "It's the greatest! I mean the chance to spend it with those that you care about and give presents to each other! That's the best feeling that you can have!"
"Axew?" asked the small Pokémon towards Ash.
"Indeed." Said Cilan to Iris's right. The small Pokémon turned and looked towards the Connoisseur to find him nodding. "Christmas definitely has the acquired taste of friendships that will last and the spirit of joy. I always looked forward to spending time with Chili and Cress during this time so it will definitely be something to spend it with everyone." His tone was light and everyone nodded as they saw the second Stantler float come in front of the Pokémon Centre.
And the spirit did not even end there. During their journey, Ash and the others had found themselves in the heart of one of the most popular festive towns in Unova; Joy Town. Of course, this was not the first day that they had spent here and it was with persuasion that Ash had been made to stay in order to give his Gym Battles a rest.
And he didn't regret that at all.
"Well, you certainly chose the right place to do it." Said Nurse Joy as she came from behind the group and they all turned in order to look at her. She came forward and looked at the passing float, past the people who had made Aura Platforms so that they could get a better look. Even the media was allowed to get up close which had definitely annoyed Ash.
"Joy Town is constantly having these festivals leading towards events such as these. Even the primary schools in the town itself have these large festivals. In fact, one of them is having them tonight. The Christmas Eve celebration it is."
"A school celebration?!" asked Ash as his eyes seemed to practically sparkle with excitement. "Where is it?!" he asked.
Nurse Joy gave a small chuckle at the young boy's enthusiasm. "Well, you have to go down this main street, turn left at the second street, right at the street after that and it's right after the Poké Mart."
"Left at the main streets, right at the second and then left after the Poké Mart! Got it!" said Ash as he turned towards that direction. Pikachu on his shoulder gave a small sigh at the complete lack of direction that its trainer had and Iris groaned while using an Aura Hand to grab Ash by the collar.
"Gack!" he let out a cry of surprise as he was dragged towards where Iris was.
"How can you be so clueless?" she asked as she gave a small shake of her head while Cilan merely gave a slight chuckle. "You got the directions completely wrong!"
"Oh yeah?!" protested Ash even though he was being grabbed by the back of the neck. "Well, what do you want me to d-"
He was interrupted by a crash from the Pokémon Centre and a number of people in the crowd turned to look however were then engrossed in the proceedings that were taking place in front of them.
The group turned towards the source of the sound and saw someone wearing a Western style business suit however the untucked white shirt that he had ruined the image that he was a high-class type of person. From where the group stood they could see that the boy had one eye blue in colour, the right and another red, the left.
The boy immediately stood up and straightened his black necktie, as if nothing had gone wrong. He gave a slight wave in the direction of the staircase without even looking at it.
"I meant for that to happen." He said offhandedly to those that were looking at him. He turned towards the entrance and saw the people that were there before waving a hand in greeting and heading towards them.
"Ash. I see that you and Iris are enjoying yourself as always." He said causally before turning to Cilan. "And Cilan, good to see you. Since when were you guys-"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ENJOYING OURSELVES?!" blurted Iris, unconsciously using her Aura to project her voice, causing the boy to be blown back to which he fell over. He groaned as he slowly rose his head to look at Iris and her red face, Ash and his confused face and the intrigued smiles of Cilan and Nurse Joy.
"I feel that I did something wrong again. Am I right?" asked the boy to which Ash turned towards him, even though he was still being held by the collar.
"I have no idea any more Liberty. But since when are you here in Joy Town?" he asked.
Liberty Knox stood up and slowly approached the group in order to not aggravate Iris any further and the group seemed to wonder where the denseness of the boys came from. However that was not the issue at the hand.
"Hmm? Well I'm always a few steps ahead off you Ash." Liberty gave a grin and then turned towards Nurse Joy.
"So, where exactly was this school you were talking about? I feel in the mood to give the Christmas spirit towards those that can enjoy it. Christmas always seems to blow up in my face anyway so..." A slight wave of the hand again and Nurse Joy relayed the directions that she had gave towards the others and he gave a nod.
"So, straight at the main street, right at the third and then straight after the Poké Mart. Understood. Liberty started to wander off however stopped as he felt a sharp pain in his head, causing him to fall to the ground where he felt something grip his leg, looking towards it and seeing that it was an Aura Hand.
"It's a good thing that we hardly see you every day Liberty." Growled Iris. "Honestly, it's like having another Ash. I doubt my sanity would be able to handle it…." He said as she began to drag the boys towards the school, Ash by his collar and Liberty by his leg.
"WAIT! That's tar burn! Tar burn! Cilaaaaaaaaaaan! Help me! Help me!" protested Liberty and Cilan merely followed behind him and gave a small smile in apology. After all, in his travels with Iris, and even the times where Liberty had managed to save them from a pinch, he knew that when Iris was angry, you did not step on the thin ice.
"Pika pika Pikachu." Said Pikachu as it got a free ride from Ash's shoulder to which Axew appeared out of Iris's hair and gave the same nod from it.
"Axew…." The two Pokémon looked towards the trainers that were being dragged along the ground.
"Liberty! Look! I got half a chopstick!" The Pokémon seemed to sigh at the fact that he was amused by such a pointless object.
"Is that so?! Well then, Sir Ash! Sir Liberty challenges you to a duel to see who is worthy of their knighthood!" Liberty grabbed another chopstick half from the ground and pointed it at Ash and Ash crossed his half with Liberty's.
"Challenge accepted! Take this!" said Ash as he begun to swing the chopstick and the Pokémon gave a sigh.
Those two seemed to have a bond that was questionable. Although Pikachu knew the nature of that bond, the two Aura Zeroes definitely got up to too much trouble when they were around. However at the same time, it seemed that everything was …lighter with those two around. As if the 'act' that they were putting on right now was something that they wanted to make sure remained so that the laughter that they had was something that they had to look forward to.
"Hey! My hat is off limits! Off limits!" said Ash as he let out a laugh. Liberty responded and the two Pokémon and the people gave small smiles as they listened towards the both of them.
In the end, that laughter and happiness was what Christmas was all about.
"You know what the perfect Christmas present would be?" asked Meowth. Of course there was no response. The answer was obvious to say the least. In fact there was no other option that was available.
"There is only one answer." Responded James in his white uniform, as they watched the group of twerps being dragged towards the school that they were supposedly going towards in order to check out the Christmas Eve celebrations.
"And that is?" asked Meowth.
"Getting Pikachu for the boss." Said Jessie in reply.
"Which leads to?"
"All-together-now." Said James as he looked towards his fellow teammates.
"PROMOTIONS!" They yelled together.
"No longer will we be forced to eat cheap, unhealthy take-out food." Said James as he held the packet of instant noodles in one hand. Where was the nutrition?! Where were the VITAMINS!?
"No longer will we have to endure massive amounts of debt." Said Jessie with a sparkle in her eyes. Their recent machines that they had gotten from Rocket HQ had meant that there was a large amount of 'unpaid debts' towards what they were doing. Of course, the jobs that were specifically asked for by the boss were another matter entirely, but still, those twerps managed to take everything apart!
"And no longer will that Persian be the boss's right hand cat!" said Meowth as it clenched a paw. "And I have the perfect thing to do it!" Meowth pointed towards the mysterious black box that sat in his hand and the others looked towards it.
"This...is a multi-functional purpose device. Apparently, according to HQ, it is the unannounced prototype for an investigative device for the AJD. Our mole there sent the blueprints so only Team Rocket is the one that has access." Meowth gave a small grin. "And with this…Pikachu will be ours."
James and Jessie looked at each other and gained a sinister grin on their faces. "And then….all we need to do is strike while the iron is hot."
The school outside itself seemed less like a school and more like an office building. It was tan in colour on the outside and had two windows and each of the three floors, at the front at least. However upon closer inspection, it was clear that the back of the school connected towards another part of the park that was behind it.
Parents and children filed in and out of the building, apparently eager to get on with the preparations with the event at hand. The occasional teacher came out as well, holding some kind of empty crate with their Aura and then at the same time, someone else would enter with a crate filled with items of sorts.
Baubles for the Christmas tree, candy canes for the children, party poppers and tinsel, the list was practically endless for the party items that were being dragged into the school.
"Now we have made it." Said Iris as she released her Aura Hands and the two boys fell towards the floor where their semi-serious chopstick duel came to an end.
The boys looked up toward the school and everyone that was filing their way out and in of the school itself. Adults without children came in and children without adults did as well. While the entire town seemed to be engrossed with the parade, the same could be said for those that were wandering around with the food stalls and other celebrations in the air.
"Joy Town indeed." Said Cilan as he breathed in the fresh air. "Just smell that happiness in the air. It's almost intoxicating! No wonder Joy Town is one of the more popular festive destinations in Unova!"
"I get what you mean!" agreed Ash. "I just want to run into the school right now!" he said however did not, feeling Iris's evil eye towards him.
"Although…there was something like this in the Village of Dragons." She said. "Once a year, we would always have this celebration known as the Dragon Festival. We would always get around and share the same stories over and over again about the Unova legends and even those from other regions. There would be re-enactments and the like."
"Did you get a part in one of them?" asked Ash and Iris blinked in surprise at the fact that he was actually taking an interest. Axew popped out of her and with an "Ew!", revealed how it too wanted to learn more about its trainer.
"Y-Yeah." Said Iris as she looked away.
"What was it?" asked Cilan, getting in on the topic. Even Liberty arched an eyebrow at the topic and seemed to be genuinely interested in her answer.
"W-Well…..H-Hah! It was the best part in the entire re-enactment. We were doing the Reshiram and Zekrom one and-"
"You got the part of the White Orb didn't you? Or the Black?" asked Liberty and Iris frowned, the aura that circulated around her in response to her negative feelings confirming his suspicions. She grumbled under her breath and both Cilan and Ash looked away in order to try and hide the fact that they were laughing.
"Aright! It was the Black Orb! Guessing like that takes the fun out of things you know?!" exclaimed Iris as she started to make her way towards the school entrance, everyone moving with her except Liberty.
"Huh?" asked Ash. "Aren't you coming Liberty?" The boy nodded in response, looking at something in the distance. The group turned and saw that it was a police car, parked on the same side of the road that they were on, however in front of a building that was quite a ways away.
"Officer Jenny?" asked Cilan. "What is she doing? Shouldn't she be in the parade?"
Liberty looked at the car before giving a sigh and scratching his head, before looking up at the school.
"Looks like there's trouble in paradise." He said cryptically as he entered the school grounds, the other following.
Despite appearances, it was the inside that completely destroyed the feeling that the school was a pitiful building. To the extreme right there was a staircase going towards the upper floors however no-one was using it. It was the ground floor that got everyone's attention.
People moved in and out from then wooden floor which had been polished within an inch of its life. Tables lined the walls and there were a number of stalls there, face painting, food, arts and crafts, even aura training which was teaching children the basics towards tricks they could do with their aura.
There were basics such as Aura Platforms and the like and it got more complicated depending on the table with some skills being manipulating water using aura and using it to create one's own musical instrument. Even Pokémon were being used in order to demonstrate and Ash could see some Lucario, Trubbish and Deerling among them. Ash, Iris and Cilan looked in amazement at the commotion that was inside this one hall.
This hall rivalled that of the parade outside and the clamour of people made it clear once again just how Joy Town was one of the more popular of Unova's destinations. However it did not end there.
The group walked through the mess of people and to the outside area, which was connected towards the park, a large Christmas tree standing right next to the back of the school building, parents lifting their children into the air using their aura as they attacked baubles and tinsel using the same method.
Pokémon did the same and the children chased some of them around playfully, Ash spotting that Tepig was one Pokémon that seemed to be popular while other children tried their best to try and knock down Darumaka with their aura.
"Wow…." Said Iris as she looked around. Even though she had her own festivals in the Village of Dragons, even these types of events here made her think just how small her village actually was on comparison. Ash merely smiled as he looked on, happy memories of times past with his friends flowing his mind. Cilan did the same, memories of his brothers going through his head.
Pikachu leaned against his trainer's cheek as they came to remember the same memories while Axew leaned in close to Iris in order to make sure that she was close when it faced such happy memories ahead of them.
"I know right!" said Ash as he looked at everyone that was moving. "I can only imagine what it's like at Christmas!"
"Pika pikachu!"
"Look! Look! It's a Pikachu! A Pikachu!" shouted a bright voice and the group turned their heads in order to look at the group of children that were heading straight for them. The first group, a group of four was followed by other children that wanted to get a good look at the Pokémon that they held.
The person who had spoken was a small boy with red hair, wearing the uniform of the school, perhaps so the teachers could tell that he was a student. It consisted of a blue shirt with a short, red necktie with the same coloured blue shorts. The girls that were in the area wore the same however their red necktie was a red bowtie and blue short were skirts.
"Hey there! Are you a Pokémon trainer?!" asked the boy who was practically bursting with excitement that the group was scared that he would leak it all out.
Ash nodded. "Sure am! My name is Ash! And this is Pikachu, my best buddy."
"Pikachu!" said the Pokémon as it looked at the red-haired boy.
"What about you?" asked Ash towards the boy.
The boy grinned and he showed his sparkling white teeth as he pointed to himself with a glowing blue hand to emphasis his point. "I'm Bryan!" said the boy.
He pointed towards other people in his group of four, the other people being a boy with black hair and a girl with pink hair and another girl with brown hair.
"And that's Nathan, Louise and Nina!" The children gave off small waves as a result and Ash nodded.
"Nice to meet you!" said Iris as she knelt down towards their eye level. "I'm Iris and this is Axew."
As if taking a silent cue, Axew appeared out of her hair with an "Axew axew!" as it waved towards the children. They seemed to be as excited to see the Pokémon as they did to see Pikachu.
"And my name is Cilan." Said Cilan as he gave a small bow. "And it is a pleasure to meet you."
"Say, do you want to see some other Pokémon?" asked Liberty, without giving his name as the group turned towards him. Whenever he met someone new, he always tried to avoid giving his name unless someone persistently asked or, in Ash's case, a definite connection could be made in one look towards them.
"Huh?! You have other Pokémon?!" asked Louise as she came forward and looked towards the trainers.
"Sure we do! And I don't think that there's a problem right? I mean, your principal definitely will allow us to show you right?"
The children looked awkwardly at each other as the Pokémon that they were going to be shown were not a part of the main event however another voice from behind the children seemed to answer the question for them.
"Well, as long as it's alright with you then the children will be fine." The group looked up to see a woman, middle-aged heading towards them. She was wearing what looked like an apron that was pink in colour and was wearing a Christmas hat on her head, which seemed to accent her light brown coloured hair.
"Thanks Mrs Moore!" said Bryan and Liberty arched an eyebrow towards Mrs Moore. She smiled towards him and stuck out her hand.
"I'm the principal of this school. Everything that goes on here passes through me so it would be greatly appreciated if your suggestion to show the children your Pokémon is met." Liberty hesitated before he shook Mrs Moore's hand with a faint smile of his own.
"Well then, what do you guys think?" asked Liberty and the answer was practically immediate.
"Sure thing!" said Ash as he reached for his Pokéballs and threw them up into the air, Cilan and Iris following suite. With a burst of light, the Pokémon from the Pokéballs took shape.
"Te, tepig!"
"Osha!"
"Snivy, vy!"
"Dove, dove!"
"Pan pansage!"
"Dwebble!"
The new Pokémon seemed to put the children into awe as they looked towards the Pokémon, Iris frowning towards Excadrill who did not seem eager or willing to move from its position that it had assumed for this entire time.
"Come ON Excadrill!" shouted Iris as she grabbed the Pokémon with her aura and tried swinging it so that it would react however there was no response whatsoever. She slumped and the others gave small smiles at her lack of luck regarding Excadrill.
"OK guys." Said Ash as he looked towards his Pokémon but also at the children that were looking eager to play with them. "Make sure that you have fun that no one gets hurt OK?" he asked and the Pokémon responded by nodding.
"Look! Look! Look at Pansage's hair! It's like a broccoli!" said one of the children who had come behind the group of Bryan, Nathan, Louise and Nina.
"And Tepig's snout just breathed fire!"
"I wanna play with Oshawott's scalchop!"
"No me!"
"No ME!"
"Look at Excadrill! It's funny!"
The children seemed to all want to play with the Pokémon and in an effort to try and get towards the Pokémon that they wanted, children floated with their Aura Platforms seemed to be everywhere and the group sweat dropped at the sight of the children.
"Now now, calm down children." Said Mrs Moore as she tried to calm the children down before looking towards the trainers. "What about you?" she asked Liberty. "Don't you have any Pokémon?"
Liberty gave a sigh. "You'll have to read a canon storyline for that answer." He responded. "But….what about that boy over there?" he pointed in a certain direction and the group looked towards a boy that was leaning against the side of the school building, next to the Christmas tree watching as other children hung out decorations.
"Ah…..you mean Liam. I'm not sure. He's always been away from other children. Whenever I try and get him close, it's just….hard. I try and get him to play with Bryan and the others however…But I don't really think that he would-" She trailed off and Cilan looked at her.
"Mrs Moore?"
"It's nothing." She said with a slight wave of her hand. "I'm only thinking towards myself. There just have been some problems with the celebrations as of late so that's all. After all, this is Joy Town. And last year's celebrations are something that we have to try and meet!"
"Problems?" asked Iris as she inquired into the issue. "Is it something that's serious?"
"If it's not, then we can help out!" said Ash without consulting the others. "I mean, there's nothing better than the feeling of helping others at Christmas Eve!"
Mrs Moore gave a small laugh. "Thank you. But no, it's not something that children should deal with. I've already told everything to someone else so in the end, all they have to do is find what I'm looking for and that's the end of the issue."
"Is something lost?" asked Cilan with concern. There was nothing worse than having celebrations go south just because there was one thing missing. Cilan was sure that that feeling was something that wasn't just limited towards him.
"Well….you see….." It was clear that Mrs Moore was uncomfortable as she tried looking away from the others however it was Liberty that spoke up.
"What was stolen?" he asked.
The group turned towards him with a look of surprise and he gazed back at them. "What? It's obvious. Something lost. The police car that is parked further than the school building as to not attract attention. Asking someone to find it. Piece them together. So Mrs Moore, what was stolen?"
Mrs Moore seemed lost for words and Nathan came up to her and looked at the trainers. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.
Mrs Moore seemed stunned however she shook her head. "No no Nathan. These trainers and I were just talking. Go and play now." She said as she pushed the child away and when he successfully was back with the others, she looked towards the others.
"Please come with me then." she said. She took the group inside, towards the main entrance and then took them towards another section of the main hall, a room that had the sign 'Staff only' on it. She opened the door and there was a small desk along the right most wall while a number of large filing cabinets were along the back wall.
Near the desk, another door led towards what looked like a conference room that was discussing lessons and another door that led towards a large closet. Mrs Moore opened the door and the group looked inside, only to be stunned at what they saw.
A number of items were on the floor, a vase broken and other pieces of glass scattered around the floor. Parts of the shelves that were along the very top were empty while the shelves that were under them were empty as well. Blackboard chalk and whiteboard markers lay on the floor in a jumbled mess as well, almost as if someone had simply decided to strewn everything on the ground. Bits of smashed wood lay on the floor as, not only that but they were also in the ceiling.
"I found this this morning." Said Mrs Moore with a depressed expression. "This was exactly the way that I found it." She pointed towards the top empty shelf. "And the thing that's missing are the presents for all of the children."
"WHAT!?" yelled Ash, Iris and Cilan as they looked towards Mrs Moore.
"B-But, you can't have Christmas without presents!" protested Ash.
"I know. That's why I have to find them. The presents are Secret Santas, presents bought by the children for their friwnds. We were going to give them out tonight but with what happened here….." She sniffed and wiped one of her eyes and there was a creak from the conference room and the group turned to see Officer Jenny walk in with a note pad of her own.
She seemed surprised at the group that was in front of her and looked at Mrs Moore. "Mrs Moore. You know that we can't have civilians intruding in then investigation."
"I know. But they wanted to help in some way. I don't know what they can do with their aura or their Pokémon but we need all then help that we can get at the very least." Officer Jenny seemed to be conflicted however knew that the woman was right.
"Please. We want to help." Said Ash as he looked towards the enforcer of the law.
"I suppose….."
"Well then….there's only one thing to it." Said Cilan with a mischievous grin.
"No. Please no. Anything but that." Said Iris as she put a hand to her forehead as if she was developing a migraine.
"Nono! Go for it Cilan!" said Ash with enthusiasm.
"Alright then! Because…..it's Detective Time!" Cilan's whole body seemed to glow blue for a moment before it faded and appeared with a cap of blue upon his head and a magnifying glass in his other hand that shined with the same colour of blue. He spun the magnifying glass in his hand once and then grinned towards Officer Jenny.
"Have no fear Officer! Now that we're here the case is sure to be solved!" he announced and Iris let out a groan. She was glad that she had left Axew with the other Pokémon instead of having it witness this monstrosity once again.
"Um…OK. I suppose at the very least, I can give you a case overview of what we have."
"Yes please." Said Cilan.
"Well, yesterday the preparations for the Secret Santa were finished. The parents were the ones that put the presents in the closet and the children were not even told where it was hidden. Not only that but there was a secret roof that prevented anyone from actually having a look at the presents should they simply open the closet. This 'false roof' was something that could only be opened using a medium level of aura or higher. As the children are still developing in that regard, there is no problem with them opening the roof using simple means. However, from late last night to where Mrs Moore opened the closet today no alarms were set off."
"I see. That leaves the major question of who entered the building? And how? But in regard to suspects, does that mean that the suspects are limited towards the parents that put the presents away and the teachers that had access to the closet?" asked Cilan.
Officer Jenny was about to speak however it was Liberty that answered his question where he was squatting on the floor in front of the closet, having donned his glasses. "No, it was definitely a child that did this."
"How can you tell?" asked Ash as he looked over his shoulder and into the closet, only to see the broken pieces of wood on the floor.
Liberty pointed towards the broken pieces of wood in the ceiling and on the floor. "These. Should the person have a medium level of aura or higher, then all they would need to do is open the 'false roof'. Seeing as the roof is completely broken, the suspect saw the need to smash it beyond repair. What does that tell us?"
"Well, for one that the suspect is either someone who did not know how to open to roof or has a low level aura level." Said Cilan is response. "However…." Cilan trailed off. "If it was an adult, then the chances that they slipped away undetected are extremely low. The chances of it being a child are higher. But…that doesn't give us much."
Liberty nodded and then pointed towards the broken piece of glass that seemed to be the remains of the vase. "Yep. But that is where the vases come in. Judging by the artwork and the size from then amount of shards, I'd say that this is worth…1 million? 2 million Poké?" Liberty looked towards Mrs Moore who nodded in surprise that he had gotten it somewhat right.
"And an adult would definitely not leave something like that or smash it." Said Cilan. "Even at a glance, it might seem valuable so if the culprit was an adult then they would have definitely taken it with them. But to a child…."
"It wouldn't seem that valuable in terms of theft." Responded Officer Jenny. "And that is where our assumption that the culprit was a child comes from. But the issue is….."
"Trying to find out who did it." Said Ash with a scratch at the back of his head. "I mean, we can't just ask the kids if they did it can we?"
There was a silent pause and then Liberty took a look at Mrs Moore. "I get it now. That's why you suspect Liam."
"Huh?" said Iris as she looked towards Mrs Moore. "You think it was that boy? Why?"
Cilan put a finger towards his chin. "Well…thinking about it, the boy does seem socially awkward. I mean, taking into account that he might want to ruin everyone else's Christmas because his is probably going to be ruined due to a lack of friends seems like a motive to me. But why have you not questioned him?"
Officer Jenny frowned. "It's Christmas Eve. And he has his rights. What do you think?"
"So….what now?" asked Ash. "It's not like we can simply ask him what he was doing last night. And there's no proof! What if someone else did it?"
"That's the main problem. We have no idea what's going on here." Said Officer Jenny. "We're trying to get an aura analysis of the scene here to see whose aura pops up however we need something to compare to. We don't have that with the children. If we could subtly get aura samples from the children then everything will be fixed up quickly."
"If that's the case, then let us help!" announced Iris. "I mean, every one of the children is here right?" The question was met with a nod. "Then, we can ask what each of the children were doing last night and then see if they know what Liam was doing. Since there's more of us, it'll be easier!"
"That' right!" agreed Officer Jenny. "At the very least, we need to hurry then! There's only so much time until the end of celebrations and the present giving so…."
"Right!" said Ash. "Well, the children are with the Pokémon so there's so much that we can do in the space of time! Let's go!" Ash said towards the others and they all nodded in agreement save for Liberty.
"Are you coming?" asked Iris and the boy shook his head.
"I have an idea that will bring this to a speedy end. At the very least, you guys can help me try and find those that are involved quickly. I have no idea how it will take though. How long do we have Officer?"
"The celebrations start at the start of the evening, so less than 2 hours." Answered Mrs Moore for the Officer.
"I think that will be fine." Said Liberty as he filed out of the room.
"But what are we going to do then?" asked Ash.
"I don't know. Just ask them what they were doing. Everything should piece together from there." Said Liberty cryptically as he made his way out of the room.
Ash, Iris and Cilan all looked at each other. Liberty had his job, they had theirs. At the very least, the most that they could do was make sure that this Christmas for the children of Joy Town was not ruined.
So….where to start?
"What are you doing? The twerps are all inside! We can just snatch up Pikachu right now!" said James in protest towards Meowth.
"I'm trying ta figure out how this thing works! Hold your Ponyta!" said Meowth as he fiddled with the small black box.
The Team Rocket Trio sat on the roof of the school, looking down at the children that were playing with the Pokémon. It was an easy catch. Simply and enough to get all of the Pokémon and then some.
However the giant flaw with the plan was that they did not know how to work the device that was their secret weapon.
"What are you wasting time for?!" said Jessie. "Come on already!" she said.
"I can't do it!" said Meowth as he threw the black box onto the ground in rage. "You try and figure out how to manipulate that infernal thing! Why can't our mole get the instruction manual or something?!"
"If you can't do it then I will!" said James as he grumbled, turning in order to retrieve the black box where Meowth had thrown it and froze.
"Come on then James!" said Jessie. "What are you wasting time for?! If you won't do it, then I'll j-" She turned as well and froze as well. Meowth looked at his two partners in crime and felt a sweat come over his body. He didn't want to turn around. He didn't want to however…..
He did so and his mouth dropped as Meowth saw who was there on the roof with them.
Liberty Knox fiddled with the black box that was the prototype for one of the leading edge investigative devices for the AJD without a care with who was in front of him.
"It's good that you guys managed to take this from them. It hasn't officially been invented yet but if I get the combination right….." Liberty tried twisting the cube in a number of directions, a beep coming from each twist and Liberty closed his eyes as he tried to remember the combination. He had still kept his listening device on Meowth's fur as well as the transmitter so there was no way that anything they said would escape his ears, thus how he had known about the device and location.
"But then again, your motives seem pretty twisted. It's Christmas Eve. Relax once in a while. Being the bad guys must be boring 24/7." There was a click and the cube opened up, to reveal a small holographic screen in front of him, something that he gave a few clicks as he pressed the buttons.
"How did you even get up here?!" asked James as he looked at the twerp in the suit.
"Sky light." Said Liberty as he pointed towards a glass pane that was open right behind him. "If anything, the culprit would definitely have to use that in order to escape and even on the roof, they would not be noticed. Evidence would be you guys right here. It was tricky for me but for a small child…."
Liberty turned and gave the sky light a scan, a blue light coming from the device where it then hit the sky light and the Team Rocket trio headed over to see what he was doing. Numbers scrolled along the screen and Liberty gave small grunt that he seemed to have a way to acknowledge.
He turned and went over to the edge of the roof where he saw Ash and the others talking towards the children on the grounds.
He pointed the scanner towards all of the children and the faint blue light went through the air however as he was far away, it lost its brightness as it went through the air however the results were still there.
"I would use my own of these. However it seemed a nice excuse to speak to you guys. After all, Christmas is just about everyone else as it is you and me. So, what do you want?" he asked them.
Jessie, James and Meowth stepped back cautiously at the question that Liberty gave them. However the chance leaped up at them for the perfect answer.
"We want Pikachu!" they all said.
"Yeah, let me know how that goes. There was a beep from the machine and Liberty looked at the results that it was giving off before slowly nodding. "I ….see…." he said before scratching his chin. "But why…..?"
It seemed that Liberty noticed something and scanned the area once again, another beep and another result coming from the small machine. There was a silent answer and Liberty gave a small smile.
"So THAT'S the answer. Very smart. Thank you AJD and the immediate aura analysis." He clicked the box back towards its original shape and then passed it towards the Team Rocket trio and Meowth caught it as Liberty walked towards the sky light and began to slip inside.
"Ah! And as for your request, I won't comply. However, I'm sure I'll think of something. Christmas is the season for forgiveness. While you guys are a pain most of the time, I do suppose your stalker tendencies are very….refreshing. Whenever you fail that is. When you succeed, that's when things go hairy. Merry Christmas." Said Liberty as he went back into the building and left the trio looking towards each other.
"Who's a stalker?" they all asked simultaneously.
Ash, Iris and Cilan all regrouped after having asked about the different children and what they were doing.
"What did you get?" asked Iris as she turned towards Ash.
"Well, Bryan was at Nathan's and Louise and Nina had a sleep over at each other's places as well. Other children were at home and watching TV and stuff. Nothing really jumped out at me. What about you?" asked Ash.
"Same." Responded Iris. "What about you Cilan? You talked to Liam. What did he say?"
"Nothing, which left a bad taste in my mouth." Replied Cilan. "I had to find his parents and they said that he was out like a light in the early evening. He could have snuck in but no alarms were set off so we don't know what it was like or how the culprit entered the building."
"I might have a solution about that." Said Liberty as he came down from the second floor that was cordoned off and the group looked at him with a strange glance. "At the very least, I know who did it and how they entered the buildings. The only thing is why they did it."
"What do you mean?" asked Ash. "Who did it?"
"Yeah! I want to know!" said Iris in response.
"Heh. Well then, let's get things underway. Cilan I need to get Liam towards a part of the school that's private. There's a small room upstairs that I've already found, number 225. It's empty of course and Nina is already in there. Is it OK, if everyone goes up there? I'll go with you and share you my results, see what you come up with."
Cilan slowly nodded and looked towards everyone as they went off in their separate directions as they headed straight towards the room after getting what they needed.
The classroom was small and a number of desks sat in rows of three, four seats in each row. Bryan, Nathan, Louise and Nina all sat in the front row while Liam sat in the one behind them, looking at both Cilan and Liberty who had managed to get him towards the room.
Iris and Ash stood off the side, Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and Axew in Iris's hair after having retrieved them from the group of Pokémon that were still plating with the children.
"Why are we here?" asked Bryan as he looked towards the boys.
"That's an interesting question Bryan. And let me give you an interesting answer. You're here because of a theft that happened last night here inside this very building. It seemed that someone stole all of the Secret Santa gifts that were supposed to be handed out tonight." Said Liberty.
"WHAT?!" The voice that spoke was that of Liam, his voice loud and his face white as he repeated what Liberty had said inside his head. He slowly sat back down, disappointment and anger on his face after having heard the piece of news.
"Yes." Said Cilan. "And we have a good idea of what happened here last night. But first, Bryan can you tell us where you were last night?"
"S-Sure. I was with Nathan, at his house."
"And you Nathan?" asked Cilan.
"Y-Yeah, I was with Bryan."
"Strange…" Put in Liberty. "Because, that's not what your parents say. They say that you went over to Bryan's for a sleepover." Nathan white in the face and Liam looked over towards him.
"You! Why….why did you…why did you ruin Christmas? Why did you-" Liam's anger was clear in the aura that circulated around him however it was Liberty that held up a hand in response.
"Hang on just a minute." Said Liberty. "There's just one other thing to deal with here. Louise, you were at Nina's for a sleepover last night right?"
She nodded and Cilan shook his head.
"Actually Nina. Your parents said that you went over towards Louise's for a sleepover. Isn't that strange? Because that means that you weren't where you were supposed to be."
Nina went white in the face as well and looked down towards the ground where she could not see everyone's face.
"So….was it Nathan and Nina that did it?" asked Ash in a whisper.
"Pika….." responded the Pokémon that was on his shoulder.
"But why?" asked Iris as she looked towards Cilan and Liberty. "Why would they lie? And why would they-"
Axew seemed to be asking the same questions with its eyes however it was Cilan that shook his head.
"You're forgetting something Iris." She frowned in response to what he said and then Cilan asked his next question.
"If that is the case and Nathan did not go over to Bryan's house last night….then what did you do Bryan?" The small child seemed to flinch at the question.
"What do you mean?" asked Ash towards Cilan.
"Axew axew." Axew seemed to repeat the question with its Pokémon speech.
"If Nathan's excuse that he went over to Bryan's is proved to be false, then what did Bryan do? Bryan's excuse is that he went over to Nathan's. This contradiction reveals that either one is lying but in this instance, it's unlikely. The more accurate reasoning is that they are both lying. So, Cilan's question is where was Bryan while Nathan was not at his house?" asked Liberty.
Bryan looked down at the ground as well and then it was Iris that realised something.
"Hang on then! But that means that Louise's excuse loses water as well! She has the same excuse as the others! What was she doing while Nina wasn't at her house?" she exclaimed.
"Iris is right!" said Ash. He looked towards the girl that had lowered her head, Louise who was silent as she tried to hide her guilty self.
Liam in the back row looked at each of them and the aura that swirled around him revealed just how angry he was at the situation that had unfolded. "You guys….!" He hissed. "Why would you-!?"
"H-Hang on a minute!" said Bryan as if to stand up for himself and the others. "Just because we weren't home doesn't mean that we knew where the present were! I mean, how would we have gotten inside the school? Just because the false roof was destroyed doesn't mean that you can say whatever you like!"
"Is that so?" asked Liberty. "Then tell me, when have I ever said anything about a false roof?" Bryan stuttered and his face went white and Liberty gave a sigh. "I'd say that the only people that know about that are the people that can open it….or the criminal. Or in this case…the criminals." He said as he looked towards all of the children.
The silence that followed was uncomfortable and Iris and Ash could not help but feel some sympathy for the children that were being accused, rightfully so. Only Liam sat in the back and stared in complete amazement at the group of people that had betrayed him and his only holiday that he looked forward to.
"W-Why?" he asked silently. "Why would you-"
"I think I can answer that." Said Cilan. "Tell me if I'm wrong everyone. The preparations for the Christmas Eve celebrations today would have still have been going on. So, you probably helped out or something and stayed behind." There were silent nods. "You probably saw where the adults had put the presents didn't you? So you simply snuck in and tried to find them. And when you found the false roof, you had no choice but to destroy it right?" Again there were nods.
"You took the presents. But what then?" asked Cilan. "You couldn't just take them for yourselves, that would defeat the purpose of taking them in the first place. So you hid them inside the school somewhere and then escaped through the sky light which you had left open the day before, using your aura."
That was what Liberty had found. Not one but all four traces of the children there on the sky light. Their only method of escape had been their downfall.
"B-But what was the reason?" asked Ash. "Why would they do all of this? Why hide the presents instead of taking them?"
"Don't you see?" asked Liberty.
"Pika?"
"Axew?"
The Pokémon answered for their trainers and the oblivious nature that they held.
"What is Christmas? It's the time where everyone is happy. Everyone needs to enjoy it. The Secret Santa was probably chosen by friends for friends. There was no way that someone like Liam would receive a present because he is separate from the group." Liberty looked towards Liam as he spoke and the truth of the words hammered home, Liam's aura circulating him losing its density.
"And Bryan, Nathan, Louise and Nina probably realised this." put in Cilan.
"Exactly." Said Liberty. "They knew that there was one person that would be unhappy. So they stole the presents. In order to make sure that the celebrations would be held off. Held off until they did something of their own. I noticed that for certain periods of time, only three of you were playing with Pokémon, while another was off doing something. It was a short cycle which ended fast however you were leaving in order to try and pitch in pay for Liam's present weren't you?"
There was silence and Liam looked towards those that he had misjudged. "What….? But why did you try and-?"
"Mrs Moore always tries and finds you friends. Sure, there hasn't been much success but still, the ingredients for true friendship is right here Liam. These people wanted to make sure that you weren't sad. Don't you think that….right here is the best present that you could ask for?" said Cilan.
"Is…are they telling the truth?" he asked and the four children turned around and slowly nodded.
"B-But why? Why would you-? For me. For…." Liam said no more as small tears began to run down his face as he bawled in front of the children, all of them, running towards him and trying to comfort him.
"There's ….nothing wrong with trying to help friends right?" said Bryan as his eyes began to tear up as well.
"There's no way that we could leave you to not have Christmas as well!" said Nathan, while wiping his nose of his sleeve.
"How can you think that?" asked Louise.
"We're all your friends!" said Nina as the five of them started crying into each other.
Cilan and Liberty joined Ash, Iris, Pikachu and Axew who looked on at the scene with faint smiles on their faces.
"Man…" said Ash as he started to wipe his own nose. "I think I'm gonna cry as well."
"Pikapi….." said Pikachu as it looked towards its trainer with a smile on its face.
"Hah! O-Of course a kid like you would cry at a time like this!" said Iris.
Axew looked at its trainer and subtly wiped the tear that was forming at her eye before anyone saw what it was doing.
"Well…" said Cilan as his body glowed blue once again and his detective hat and magnifying glass disappeared with his aura. "This definitely has the ingredients to become a great recipe for friendship."
"Didn't you already say something like that?" asked Liberty as he shook his head.
"Yeah, but what happens now?" asked Ash. "I mean, whatever they did, they did steal. What's going to happen?" The children looked towards the group of people that had solved the case and Liberty gave Ash a worried look.
"What are you talking about? Where was the theft? I mean, the children simply wanted to make sure that the presents were truly hidden from the adults in order for there to be a big surprise! They even managed to get us into it as well! What a pain." Liberty complained and everyone smiled as they caught on to the lie.
"Indeed! To think that this childish flavour caught on us as well!" said Cilan.
"We're almost as little kids as Ash!" said Iris with a grin.
"Hey!" countered Ash to which grins came on everyone's faces and the cheer was expressed through laughter.
"So, how did you do it?" asked Officer Jenny. The presents had been successfully recovered and the children unwrapped them and played with them as the night went on, the light of aura and the Christmas tree being the only source of light that was in the night as the clock came towards midnight.
"Well, it was tricky." Said Cilan. "But I doubt that you will press charges right?"
Officer Jenny shook her head. "Unlikely. Actually in fact no. It's Christmas Eve. I'm practically on holiday."
Liberty snorted and Officer Jenny gave him a glare.
Mrs Moore looked on with a smile as Liam ran around with the toy that he had been given with his new found friends, a plane that reacted to one's aura that made it fly around in the air. Other children had been given something similar and they were having mock dogfights in the air.
"Thank you everyone. I have no idea how you did it but thank you." Said Mrs Moore.
"Well it is Christmas! The season of miracles! This even reminds me of the time that I met Santa Claus!" said Ash with a grin.
"Pikachu pikapi!" said the Pokémon that was sitting on the ground in front of Ash as he sat in the ground as well.
"Oh as if!" said Iris. "There's no way. I refuse to believe that you actually met Santa Claus. " said Iris.
"Axew axew!" said Axew as it shook its head where it sat down in front of Iris.
"Honest! I did!" said Ash.
"Ash, to be honest, that's really quite nice and all but the issue is that, how exactly did you do so?" asked Cilan with a frown, Pansage in front of him looking at him from where they sat on the ground as well.
"Hey! I did! You believe me right Liberty!?" asked Ash.
"I'd like to say no, if I hadn't met him as well. He keeps on sending me repair bills from that time I had to work part time in his factory." Groaned Liberty. The group looked at him after his response. "What?"
"Well whatever. Who cares?" asked Ash. At that same moment, the sound of a bell filled the air and fireworks exploded into the sky in front of everyone looking.
"Merry Christmas." He said as he placed his arms around Iris and Cilan, Iris going red in the face however strangely, the feeling that was inside of her was something that was extremely relaxing inside of her. What was it? What was this feeling?
But it didn't matter.
And as the children in front of them played into the night, Ash's words filled their heads.
This truly was the season of miracles.
"Come on! Open them!" said Ash as he gave Iris and Cilan their presents while he was wearing a Christmas hat inside their room in the Pokémon Centre. He had a biscuit in his mouth and Iris and Cilan seemed to almost be smothered by his enthusiasm.
"Ok Ok!" said Iris as she used her aura to open her present, looking at it as she took it out of its box. She frowned as she looked at it before turning it over and looking at it at every angle. It…was a tiara.
It looked like a couple of horns with an emerald on them, gold in colour and Iris had some serious doubts that it would look good on her however she could not actually tell right now. [1]
"Wear it! Wear it!" said Ash as he egged her on.
Iris blushed. "N-No! I'm going to wait at least until the right moment! It doesn't feel right now!"
"What?! Come onnnnnnnnnnnnn." Said Ash in an annoying as possible tone as he could manage.
"NO!" said Iris as she used her aura to project her voice, causing Ash to be thrown back from the force of it.
"Fine!" said Ash. "At least open Axew's present!" Axew stood on its legs as it looked at the small box that had been given to it be Ash. Iris smiled at the Pokémon and it used its Aura Scratch in order to open the box, the wrapping falling apart as Axew saw what was inside.
It was…a matching version of Iris's tiara.
"See? Now you and Axew can be one!" grinned Ash as he pointed towards it and Iris gave a frown towards him.
"I can't tell if you're serious!" she said.
Ash paid her no heed, passing by Pikachu who had been given a bottle of ketchup as a present and gave Cilan his present. He received it graciously and opened it with his aura, looking inside and bringing out what was inside.
"It's….a magnifying glass! The latest model!" Cilan looked it over and over, stroking the item against his face. "Oh thank you Ash! At the very least, I won't have to use my Aura anymore to be a detective!"
"Ash…you've created a monster." Remarked Iris however he stood up quickly and raced out of the room.
"I'll be back soon! Hang on just a minute!" Ash ran towards the room that Nurse Joy had told him about, opening the door.
"Merry Ch-" he started however found that it was empty. He frowned and moved towards the bed that was closest to him, seeing the note and box that was on the bed. Pikachu followed Ash into the room as Ash opened the envelope.
"Pikapi?" it asked as it hopped onto the bed and looked at the note.
Ash read it.
Hey Ash,
Knowing you, you're probably reading this as soon as you wake up. If you remember, I seem to remember telling you that Christmas blows up in my face. Once again, someone has called asking for my assistance regarding a certain matter. As an Aura Zero there's not much I can do except hope that trouble doesn't follow me.
So much for that thought.
At the very least, consider that there will always be time for you if you need something from me at all. But also consider this: just like Liam, there are those that care for you; your friends other than me; past, present and future. So here we are Ash.
Although it's non-canon, Merry Christmas.
Liberty Knox
Ash put down the letter and opened the box that was next to him. And as soon as he saw the contents he smiled.
It was a small container, about the size of a coin. On one side it had the words 'Aura', the other 'Zero'. And in between the two sides, blue energy pulsed within it. It was a pure focused energy of aura, something that very few people had actually managed to acquire. And to think that an Aura Zero had one!
Ash chuckled at the irony and looked out the window of Liberty's room.
He did not know about the non-canon comment that Liberty had said however something rang true. He did have friends. Pokémon and human friends in the past, present and future that he could count on. After all, the spirit of Christmas was about spending it with those that you cared about. And that was enough for him.
He patted Pikachu on the head and it let out a "Chaaaaaaaaa" in response.
"Ash?" asked Iris as Ash turned towards the door. "Is something wrong?" she asked as Cilan popped his head into the door as well.
"Hahahahaha. No, not at all! But come on! There's more for me to eat!" he said as he raced towards the room with Liberty's note and present in hand.
That was right.
This was the spirit of Christmas.
"What's wrong with being bad guys 24/7!?" blurted Meowth towards Jessie and James however it seemed that they lost their energy, something that Meowth did as well as soon as he said that as they sat inside the tree outside the Pokémon Centre.
Even though saying it, there was no consolation by just saying it.
"What are we going to do for Christmas?" asked Jessie towards her teammates. What were they going to do? It was Christmas and they had very little left. So what were they going to do exactly?
Their question was answered as James said "Ow!" as something flew into his eye. He retrieved it using his aura and saw that it was a note.
Remember what I said? Even Ash pitched in.
Liberty
The note that was on the plane made each of the members frown before they looked at what was inside. They had a look at the contents of the plane and their faces lit up like Christmas trees.
Was this….
Could it be….?
IT WAS!
"This is better than our bonus!" exclaimed James as he looked at what he had, taking one of the three objects inside the plane before bowing towards the room in the Pokémon Centre where Ash was staying.
"Ladies get first serve!" said Jessie as she too bowed, taking the second of the three.
"Thank the twerps!" said Meowth as he bowed as well, jumping out of the tree as well and running after his teammates.
After all, the free all-you-can-eat buffet tickets only lasted the day.
Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum looked at the large package that Ash had sent from Unova. They had no idea what was in it however he had asked that it be placed in front of all his Pokémon. He had also asked that the present had to be opened using fire however the Professor and Delia had no idea what that meant.
"Ok then, Quilava. If you please."
"Qui-lava!" said the Pokémon.
The Fire Type came forward and unleashed a Flamethrower that engulfed the package for only a moment before the entire package set alight. The next moment, there was a bang and fireworks exploded into the sky, each and every one of them taking the shape of a Pokémon that was at the Professor's Ranch. Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Quilava, Snorlax, each and every one of the Pokémon's faces appeared before one final message appeared.
"Merry Christmas!"
The Pokémon let out roars of happiness from their trainer sending them his greetings and both Delia and the Professor smiled.
"Merry Christmas to you too Ash Ketchum."
Misty of the Cerulean City Gym twitched as she looked at the present that Ash had packed for her.
While she had given him a lure of her own, there was something here that she had not expected at all.
She gripped her hammer in one hand and looked at the lure that Ash had sent her.
It was one with his own face on it, Ash Ketchum clad in his own clothes that he had travelled with her in and she felt a smile come onto her own face as she looked at the ridiculous present. What exactly had she expected from that boy?
Honestly.
She placed the lure on top of the chest of drawers that she had and grinned with a faint red on her cheeks.
"Merry Christmas to you too Ash Ketchum."
Brock had no idea what to think. When he had opened the box, his first thought was that it was a recipe book for the next time that Ash saw him however it was not the case. Instead it was something else entirely.
"Look at all of them! Are those Nurse Joys in Unova?! And Officer Jennys!? Quickly, I have to docum- GACK!"
Brock fell face forward as something jabbed him in the back, an Aura Poison Jab as Croagunk put him out of his misery. Still the picture fell in front of Brocks' face and he smiled as he took in the beauty that was Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny.
However that happiness was destroyed as Croagunk dragged him away.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried in helplessness however still, there was something else on his mind as he shook his head with a smile.
"Merry Christmas to you too Ash Ketchum."
Tracey looked at the package that had been sent towards him from Ash and he immediately got down to sketching.
The packets of charcoal and other sketching material as well as pads to draw on had been sent by him and Tracey immediately began getting down to work, looking at all of the Pokémon that were looking at Ash's fireworks, as he began sketching, noting the perfection of each Pokémon's face and how the material that Ash had sent him almost seemed to draw the picture itself.
This was where Tracey got his excitement from. This was where his passion lay and this was where his happiness in this season came from.
And there was only one thing on his mind as he drew.
"Merry Christmas to you too Ash Ketchum."
"Look Dad! Ash sent me a Pokédex!" said Max with excitement as he looked at the device that the boy had sent him. While May had been out in Johto, there was only that much that she could tell him. Although there was the excitement of a new journey to look forward to, Ash had always managed to surprise him.
Along with the Pokédex, a number of Ash's personal notes came with them, giving Max the intricate details that would not have been in any Pokédex.
Max cracked his neck and adjusted his glasses. This would definitely last him the next few months, all of the reading that was ahead of him, the capture of the Pokémon on paper.
And before he got down to it, there was one thing that he had to say.
"Merry Christmas to you too Ash Ketchum."
May seemed to drool at the mere presence of what she was looking at. It was small in size however big in value.
She was still in Johto and the fact that Ash had managed to predict exactly what she wanted was amazing. Goldenrod wasn't that far from where she was so there was no problem.
She almost imagined the buffet that she would have from the week pass for free to the all-you-can-eat buffet that Ash had given her. Not only that but it was available for ALL of the restaurants inside the Goldenrod. ALL OF THEM.
Strangers walked past her and gave her strange looks as she drooled however there was only one thing that she could say, while looking at the ticket with that drooling face and a blush on her cheeks.
"Merry Christmas to you too Ash Ketchum."
Dawn laughed as she looked at what Ash had sent her and Piplup. While he had heard about her relative success as a Pokémon stylist, she had never thought that he would have sent her this.
She showed it to Piplup and it let out a hearty laugh as a result and Dawn looked at the picture.
Much like Ash had done in Sinnoh, he had tried to do another dress up with Pikachu and the results were definitely interesting to say the least. He would probably get another one of the prizes that showed how 'original' the style was however that was Ash all over.
The pure nature that was present inside the photo itself made her day. And it was Christmas. And that was all that she needed.
She grinned and with a blush on her cheeks said only one thing, while looking into the sky above her.
"Merry Christmas to you too Ash Ketchum."
"Come on! Why are you so slow Clemont?!"
"B-Bonnie, the tree isn't going anywhere you know?!" Clemont ran as fast as he could down the stairs however missed one and tumbled down them head first when he hit the Aura Platform that he made quickly rather it hard it seemed to Bonnie. She stopped and turned towards her brother.
"Ow….." he said and Bonnie gave him a concerned look.
"Say, if that's how you run, do you really think that you'll be able to go on an adventure?!" she asked him.
In response, Clemont adjusted his glasses and glared towards Bonnie.
"Bonnie. If AT ALL we go on an adventure, I'd rather go with someone else instead of just you. And that person would be someone that I would trust greatly. You DO know that right?!" He practically shouted however did not use his aura to project his voice.
"Well, at least they should be able to use aura better than you!" said the girl cheekily and Clemont merely gave a sigh as he stood up.
"Clemont! Bonnie! Aren't you coming?!" came a voice from the hall.
Bonnie and Clemont looked at each other.
"Race y-" started Bonnie however stopped and both of them looked towards the door before frowning, slowly moving towards it and looking through the peephole, using their aura so to see better.
"That….was strange." Said Clemont as he looked at the door despite being in his pyjamas. Bonnie was in them as well and she gave a nod of approval.
It was like something was pulling them towards the door, as if something was simply asking them to go outside, outside Lumiose City and into the big world outside. However, when would that happen? And who would they go with? That question filled their minds in that moment, a question that they hadn't really considered until now.
"What do you think?" asked Clemont towards Bonnie.
Bonnie gave a small shrug. "I don't know…but…whoever we go with they have to be great!" she said with enthusiasm before knocking Clemont to the ground with her aura and using it to race towards the hall.
"Race you!" she said with a grin.
"H-Hey!" said Clemont as he tried to catch up using his aura however knew that it was useless. At the very least….
Whoever they had an adventure with, they would definitely have to show them just how wonderful the Pokémon world was.
"Well what are you going to open first?" asked Grace, Serena's mother.
"Stop asking me and let me decide!" shouted Serena towards her mother. Serena herself had not been woken up by Fletchling, thank goodness, however that did not mean that she could decide exactly what there was to open first!
Why was choosing so hard?!
Grace gave a sigh. "Alright then. Tell me when you decide please." Getting up, Grace went over towards the coffee machine for her first Cup o' Joe and glanced back towards Serena who was deciding on which present to get.
However there was something else that did not escape Grace's notice, the blue handkerchief that lay on the table right next to her.
She arched her eyebrow at it. Ever since, she had returned from Pallet Town from that Camp with that handkerchief, she had practically made sure that it was in the best condition. She treated it with more care than a normal girl should and whenever Grace asked about it, Serena seemed to dodge her questions with a red face, something that was quite amusing.
Still Grace turned her focus towards the coffee machine and manipulated it with her aura, just as Serena started to move her hand towards one of the presents. However she stopped.
She quickly turned her head towards the handkerchief that was on the table and then straight towards the entrance to the house.
There….was something there. It was almost as if something were pulling her closer and closer towards outside, something that made her heart race and go faster.
It was like there was something that she had been anticipating her entire life was just outside, so close yet so far. She did not know what it was however she felt her heart rate quicken. She wasn't ready for an adventure yet.
However…..it was like something was pulling her in. There was something that would serve as the catalyst for her to start that journey of hers. What exactly was that?
And how was it connected towards that handkerchief?
It seemed that the Christmas mystery had yet to end.
Liberty Knox chewed on the jammy dodger that he had taken from the Pokémon Centre and a couple of thoughts filled his head.
Hearts connected. Friends past, present and future. An unknown ahead of oneself. That idea was definitely present however there was something there, a small hope that every day ahead would be the best.
And even in the Pokémon world, that idea that there was that happiness ahead of oneself was definitely the heart of Christmas.
That was clear, everywhere he went.
And he was sure that it was the same for other places in the universe as well.
[1] This is the tiara that she wears as she is Champion in Black 2 and White 2.
But still…having Ash give Iris the tiara….that might be good in the actual storyline…..
Well whatever. Friends past, present and future. AmourShipping for those that want it and Clemont, Bonnie and Seerena, the XY gang, and me passing out for the year before I get into the actual storyline again.
OH! And one last thing from me , Mr Question Mark to end everything for 2013.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.