~Orange~
Samus wasn't never that approachable, even around the holidays, but she did try. Instead of scowling wherever someone greeted her too early, she instead acknowledged their existence with a wave. Instead of growing irritated at the incompetence of many people, she took a deep breath, gave them the benefit of the doubt, and carried on.
However, Samus couldn't forgive the mistletoe.
It was everywhere.
With the increase in female Smashers, the more or less deprived males decided that this was the perfect chance to finally get a Christmas smooch from someone who wasn't already taken…or Samus. Still, it was just really painful to watch.
Pit, Ganondorf, and at one point Ike tried to run into Palutena at the right time and place, while some of the outliers were targeting the female Wii Fit Trainer. Mysteriously Captain Falcon and Robin were really going after Lucina, while Lucina herself seemed fascinated by Dark Pit for whatever inexplicable reason. Rosalina wasn't nearly as sought out, but a few still tried. And somehow, even Viridi had shown up on the prowl for Link-
But that wasn't the point. Samus was just sick of this needless Christmas romance. It was on the same level as Valentine's Day at this point! A Christmas tree goes up, and suddenly everyone was love starved! Did you really need some significant other to enjoy your holiday? You know, what if someone was perfectly content being by themselves? Then having their holiday ruined by someone trying to weasel in on their personal space…? There had to be something wrong with that in some way.
Samus wasn't completely anti-social; she liked having an intellectual conversation with anyone she could relate to. It was when it suddenly turned into a 20 Questions Dating Simulator did it start to grate on her nerves. Maybe if they weren't so obvious with their attempts she'd consider giving them the time of day…but was it truly too much to ask for some distance for Christmas? She wasn't Peach, who had Mario and sometimes Luigi waiting on her. She wasn't Zelda, who had a long history with her hero Link. She wasn't Palutena, a goddess who had twin angels at her side and who knew what other men?! Samus didn't need the attention. And she was content with that.
So as all the men scrambled around her trying to sort out their holiday love lives, Samus just smirked and sipped her drink out of her orange mug, happy enough not to be a part of it. The closest she came was when Captain Falcon briefly took his mind off Lucina and attempted a move on Samus- which was shot down, quite literally.
There was nothing wrong with being single for Christmas. Samus certainly didn't mind.
. . .
People somehow always pegged Captain Falcon as a romantic…which was strange, because he was frequently alone when he was at home, as he preferred to be a lone wolf. After winning his races, he tended to zip straight back home and practice some more…alone.
But on the other hand, it was true. He became a bit of a romanticist around the holidays, though he couldn't help it. That was how he got into the Christmas groove. He was alone a lot at home, but at the stadium he was surrounded by plenty of friends, and an ever-growing number of ladies. He was infamous for leading the charge of the "mistletoe everywhere" campaign, which was still far more popular than Peach's "pink tree" idea.
But it wasn't really romance that he wanted- not necessarily, anyway.
The Smash Stadium was the only place where he could join a big gathering of people who all –mostly- reveled in the holiday, and Captain Falcon found that he rather liked that. The company of another was a precious thing that many took for granted, and the racer counted himself lucky that he was aware of its significance. Still, too much of a good thing could quickly turn bad, so if he managed to spent the time with just one person, that suited him just fine.
Ike was among the many that tried to get him to "slow his roll", but he really didn't need to be told that. He hated that his advances came off as too strong sometimes, or that he pushed a little too hard otherwise, but his fellow Smash Brethren really made it seem like he was some love-crazed imbecile…!
No, he just wanted someone to be next to for Christmas. Nothing more, nothing less.
. . .
Ike wasn't huge on holidays, but as the time was revered as one of family and friendship, he made sure to get his fill of that. Despite his new buffer appearance for the new tournament, he was still the same overall softy with a little edge he'd always been, and still cared greatly for his comrades. He gladly talked strategy with Robyn and her male counterpart from time to time, he showed Lucina a few maneuvers whenever she asked, but Ike above all else looked forward to his sparring matches with Marth. Just because it was the holidays didn't mean the battles had to end, and Ike wouldn't have it any other way.
To him, there was nothing more important than bonds made on the battlefield. Nothing brought you closer to another person than putting your life on the line right next to them, just as anyone else would bond over a snack on the couch. Granted, he was against Marth in this battle, but worthy opponents earned their respect as well.
Ike definitely had the advantage in power, and many other things, but Marth was much more nimble and admittedly more experienced. Ike's slow and heavy swings only managed to connect a few times as Marth wove his way around the stage, going in for the attack whenever Ike revealed an opening. Something about Marth that impressed Ike was how he always kept his wits about him. He never got cocky when he was ahead, yet he never got discouraged when he lost, either.
At the moment, Marth was winning, and even after Ike had gone after the royal with a series of deadly sword slashes that caused billowing flames in their wake, Marth still managed to squeak out hardly scathed and knocked Ike to the ground, keeping him there with the outstretched Falchion.
Their bout was eventually interrupted by Fox, who was trying to tell them that it was someone else's turn on the stage. Ike frowned, but Marth released a spirited laugh, helped Ike from up off the ground, and assured the fellow swordsman that he'd emerge the victor next time.
Although it was demonstrated in rather unconventional ways, Ike didn't need Christmas to know who his friends were.
. . .
Fox was the absolute median when it came to Christmas. He wasn't overly crazy about it like so many others, but he wasn't detaching himself from it either. It came and went for him, and he didn't think twice about it otherwise. However, he couldn't help but flip through a few photos of the guys back home during this time, smiling a bit as he reminisced on the adventures they had together.
He wouldn't mind going home to celebrate.
Alas, as the latest tournament had just started, no one was going home anytime soon, so Fox knew he was going to have to buck up and make the most of it. He was emotional, but he wasn't a crier, so he kept a stiff upper lip and preoccupied himself by keeping busy with various Christmas activities. He became more animated than usual, pitching in on the decorating and even strapping on an orange apron and assisting Peach in the kitchen at one point. A few questioned his strange behavior, unable to simply dismiss it as "bitten by the holiday bug", but Fox never had a concrete answer. He just gave a smile and pretended like everything was normal.
Of course, this kept people talking, everyone being the secret gossipers they were. Some people suspected it was because he was deprived of such things as a child due to the loss of his father. Others speculated that Fox had some giant surprise planned for everyone, and he was just keeping quiet about it. When it got to the point that Fox had even offered to groom Charizard, the suspicions exploded.
No matter what they thought, they were always wrong.
While he was doing it all to get his mind off of going home, it certainly wasn't a very good reason to get into the Christmas spirit. For that, no special reason was needed, and he really wished everyone else understood that. All in all, he was content with the fact that he was fortunate enough to find something to smile about during the festive time. Not many could do that without a reason, and to think, that one person working to become so inexplicably happy was enough to get people spewing theories…
They were just jealous.
. . .
Charizard didn't care about Christmas, or any holiday really. Most Pokémon only participated in holidays when their trainers did, and as his trainer wasn't here anymore, he saw no reason to partake in the activities. He just wanted to be left alone and allowed to walk around in peace, without any interference of the holiday whatsoever.
Pikachu was his polar opposite however. He helped out whenever he could, nudged presents to see what was inside, and nuzzled into the lap of anyone lazing around the fire. Charizard suspected that this was only because Pikachu wanted to keep the traditions of his trainer alive, even though he could barely keep up with the demand. But bless his little heart, he certainly tried…
Charizard tried to stay away from the electric rat, as seeing him recreating Red's holiday antics was just too much. The Fire-type firmly believed that Pikachu shouldn't have been doing such- he hadn't needed Red's instruction for four tournaments now, and to only start missing him after he was there and gone was just an insult. Charizard believed that they needed to prove that they could get along just fine without him…and without the holidays.
...but it was everywhere! For Charizard, there was just no escape!
Everywhere the beast turned, the walls would be plastered with green plant things! Grating music was everywhere! The scent of foods he couldn't eat filled the air! Charizard couldn't even escape outside- the ground was covered with pesky white snow that he did NOT want to deal with. Reminded him too much of Mt. Silver…
Why was everyone going along with this ridiculousness?!
Lucario sensed Charizard's raging aura and tried to calmly explain how important the holiday was to everyone, but Charizard found no meaning in it, and therefore wanted nothing to do with it. He went stark-raving mad at one point, smashing gifts and burning down any flammable decorations. At the Pokémon's unexpected rampage, everyone had either attempted to stop him or fell into a mass panic. Mario quickly jumped to the rescue with FLUDD at his side, along with Greninja's water attacks, while Palutena pulled the Pokémon at fault aside and asked just what his problem was…
It wasn't that he hated Christmas. It was that he hated Christmas without his trainer... The holiday had no meaning if he wasn't around for it.
Pity for Charizard was short-lived, but after being sent on his way, he received several hateful looks. It was to be expected, yet it soured his mood even more. Just when Charizard thought he'd hit his lowest point, the Duck Hunt Dog and his duck friend suddenly wandered up and nudged his leg. Animals knew when someone was hurting…and right then, Charizard was hurting a lot.
But Charizard found that maybe he could ease the pain by fixing what he broke…and so, he started getting back into the swing of things, repairing what decorations he could and apologizing to the best of his ability. As it was Christmas time, people were plenty forgiving, and Charizard was now really looking forward to making things right…
It's what Red would've wanted.
. . .
All of the Duck Hunt Dog's life, he'd done some questionable things. To this day he was still surprised that he'd been selected to, um, "smash"…but for a dog, he was pretty introspective, as he wondered if he truly deserved the spot.
Being man's best friend, it was only natural that he would assist his master and help him nab as many ducks as possible. He was a mischievous sort, taunting his master whenever there was a miss, but he was loyal too, always holding up their catches of the day by the necks once they'd been shot down. Back then, that was good thing; that was sign of pride and victory…
But now that he was a Smasher, the canine knew better.
Being paired with one of very birds he'd spent his whole life hunting down was a very bizarre thing, but the more they fought, the more he came to realize that ducks made better friends than foes. He wasn't sure if THAT particular duck was aware of his past as a duck hunter (if their fighter name wasn't a dead giveaway already), but the dog still felt obligated to make amends with his past, and what better way to get a fresh start than with Christmas?
It was too hard to buy a present, given that he was a DOG, so he decided to ask the duck himself what he should do. Their trio had been separated for the day, so the hound had to rely on old instincts and his sniffer to track down his avian friend. However, he began to grown uneasy when the scent brought him to the last place he wanted the duck to be…
...the kitchen.
Peach was nowhere in sight, but in her place was Ganondorf, sporting a "Kiss the Cook" apron and highly engaged in some recipe he was reading from. He had a plethora of vegetables arranged on the counter, and a pot of boiling water was simmering on the stove. Again, the canine thought it all smelled delicious, and yet none of it would reach his taste buds. Still, why had the duck's trail led him here…?
And then he knew.
A loud "quack" squawked out from Ganondorf's hand, and the dog realized with horror that Ganondorf planned to cook the duck! Was he really going to go so far as to turn a fellow fighter into a main course for Christmas!?
Apparently so, as Ganondorf was seasoning the struggling duck before reaching for a very sharp knife.
Panicked, the dog charged immediately, bowling into Ganondorf's legs before he could grab the soon-to-be murder weapon. The warlock stumbled backward, the duck was tossed into the air, and the dog sprang up, catching the bird on his back where it belonged. The duck released a joyous cheer upon averting death, the dog scurrying around to avoid Ganondorf's angry lash outs. As the dog maneuvered his way out of the kitchen, he picked up on Ganondorf grunting something about "So much for his duck and rice dish", but the dog decided that it was best not to turn back and investigate.
To think, the canine renowned for being one of the best duck hunters around…would end up saving the life of the species he once sought the deaths of.
He halted in the living room and braked in front of the fire, allowing the duck to catch his breath. The bird waddled around for a bit, coming to terms with what nearly had happened, and attempted to hug the dog, wrapping his wings as well as he could around the canine. Touched, the dog returned the gesture with a paw to the duck's back.
Whatever history they had didn't matter anymore. The Duck Hunt Dog found that simply giving his friendship was more than enough of a present, which was one that could be enjoyed year-round.
Pac-Man noticed them begin to nod off, so he skipped out of the room and returned with a pillow, draping it under the head of the dog. With the dog curled protectively around the duck basking in the warmth of the fireplace, and the duck nuzzled softly into the dog's orange fur, the duo contently fell asleep.