Pachirisu and Snubbull

Sitting in a tree on a warm summer evening, Philippe the Pachirisu was busily grooming his tail. He was very particular about his appearance, making sure that his white fur stayed white and soft. After all, one never knew when a chance for a romantic encounter would come by. He sometimes thought about staying with a human, as then he could stay inside and get access to professional grooming. But, there was a risk of ending up with an adventurous Trainer. Even if he found one that wasn't, there would be more restrictions in going out and about. So he was going to stick to the city park, taking care of his own appearance.

As he brushed through his tail, he kept coming up with paws of loose fur. That was fine, as it gave him material for one of his hobbies. He gathered up all of the fur he was getting into one clump, which he kept in a split between two branches so that it didn't get lost. Once his grooming was done, he busily patted and rolled the clump into a ball. He also brushed it against the yellow pouches on his cheeks where he stored electricity, to give it some extra snap. After some work, he had a white puff of a fur ball that crackled with static every time it was touched.

"Another perfect puff," Philippe said to himself proudly. He tossed it up into the air, bumping it lightly with his knuckles to keep it aloft. Over the months of his life, he had mastered a technique to make sure that his fur puffs kept their static for much longer than any other Pachirisu's puff. He liked playing with them, but always ended up putting them in with his food store. It kept other Pokemon from raiding his berries and nuts, as well as keeping them fresh longer. At least, he thought so.

He played with it a bit, then started thinking about what to do. It was too early in the night to be going to sleep, although a good number of his kin preferred to sleep once the sun fell. But the evening was the perfect time for romance! Such a pity that they didn't agree with him. Looking around, he considered plotting out how to woo a particular Pachirisu girl who lived in a really nice tree nearby.

Then he saw something that astounded him. It made his jaw drop so much that it should have fallen right out of the tree and onto the ground. Over on a table that sat on a hotel balcony close to his tree, there was a snowy white ball of fluff that was as big as he was. Philippe had never seen a fluff ball that big before. Even if he worked all his life, gathering his loose fur and carefully patting it together, he didn't think he could make one that big ever. He had to have a closer look.

Glancing at his newest fluff ball, he considered tossing it but decided to take it along as he bounded through the branches and onto the railing of the balcony. A quick hop and he was right next to the large fluff. Taking a hold of a piece, he noticed that it was a loose heap rather than an actual ball and that it was made of feathers. But the feathers were so fluffy and soft, puffed up just with air. How would it look when energized with static?

"I bet this could make me irresistible," he said in a quiet voice, pulling on the strand and finding that it was one long piece. He thought about taking off with it, but then he heard girlish giggling going on nearby. Noticing that it came from inside the hotel, he moved to the edge of the table quietly and glanced around.

The door was mostly shut, but it was made of glass so he could see three unusual Pokemon inside. They had reddish-pink fur with light blue spots; their coats shone from special care and grooming attention. Their large ears were floppy, split in such a way that they seemed to have four. As they were gathered in a tight circle, he couldn't see their faces well. But from where he could see, they seemed cute.

"Must be travelers with their Trainer," Philippe said, rubbing his chin. Then he grinned. "All the more reason to try this out on them!" He pulled on the feather fluff and started to wrap it around himself.

First, he did some around his neck, with an end of it hanging in front of his chest. Humans were fond of scarves, which were said to be highly fashionable, so he would wear it as a scarf. But it was much to long to just be a scarf, so he wrapped the other end of it around his large tail. If it stuck the end of the feather fluff to the tip of his tail, he could curl the end and hold onto it securely. This was sure to make him fluffier and cuter than ever! But as he was trying to get the other end gripped in his tail, he couldn't watch where he was going and stepped right off the table. Giving a startled squeak, he hit one of the chairs just right to tip it over, causing him and the chair to crash onto the floor right outside the door.

"Oh my goodness!" one of the Pokemon inside said, coming over and pulling the glass door aside. "What happened out here?"

The other two followed. "We seem to have a peeper," another said.

"Are you okay?" the third asked, bending down to look at him.

Philippe looked up and saw three of the ugliest and most terrifying faces he'd ever seen. These girls, twice his size, had huge fangs coming out of their mouths; their noses seemed to be squashed flat and their brows were slanted as if furious. For a moment, he was too stunned by falling and seeing those faces to do anything.

"What's he doing with the lady's feather boa?" one of the girl Pokemon asked. "It seems to be all tangled up."

"More like he was wrapping himself up to steal away with it," another said with a chuckle. "A romantic thief maybe, trying to look marvelous at his craft?"

One giggled. "At least the feathers match his fur, although it'd look a sight better if the boa matched his size."

"That would be so dashing!" She clasped her paws together and wagged her tail in delight.

Philippe managed to get back onto his feet, but his mind was working quickly. So these girls had scary faces; they seemed nice and normal enough from their words. Besides, his pride in his charm wouldn't let him run away now. "Hello, ladies," he said, giving them a confident sparkling smile.

They all started laughing. "Or maybe he's out to steal hearts," one said.

"Such a rogue."

One of them reached over to pat his head. "Aw, you're not scared of us? Most little Pokemon, when they see us Snubbulls, run away as quick as we face them."

"How could I be frightened of such dainty damsels?" Philippe boasted, taking her paw and giving it a kiss. "I have never seen your like before, but I am certain that your hearts are as lovely as roses and as warm as the summer sunshine."

"A bluffer and a flirt," one of the Snubbulls said in amusement. "You have quite a repertoire of questionable skills."

"Aw, but I think he's a cute little sweetie," the one closest to him said. "Here, let's get that sitting better on you." She started to wrap the boa around his tail better.

"You're the sweet one here, thanks," Philippe said, watching to see when he could grasp the end of it. "If you keep me closer, you might find that I'm spicier than you think."

"Oh ho ho, I don't think so," she said. "The lady might not approve."

"She doesn't have to find out," he said. Seeing that she was done, he took hold of the boa with his tail. "We could go out and see the sights of the city by night. I know of some of the most amazing places around to show travelers like you ladies. And some secret spots that most won't even think of."

"Sounds fun, but no," another Snubbull said. "We've got a big contest tomorrow, so we can't be tromping all about dirty alleyways and dusty rooftops."

He considered sticking around and seeing if he couldn't talk them into it anyhow. But, he felt that keeping the feather boa would be beneficial to other romances, not mention impressing any other Pokemon that saw him. "That's a real shame; you might find yourself dreaming in regret. But you've been wonderful to talk to, lovely ladies. Here, take this to remember me by." He gave one of them the little static puff ball he had made earlier. "I made it with all my love and affection. Good luck with your contest." He hopped onto one of the remaining chairs, then up to the railing. There, he turned and blew them a kiss before leaping back to his tree.

"Hey, he took the lady's boa," one of the Snubbulls said.

"Oh, she has a hundred of those," another said. "Let him."

Philippe grinned as he made his way to his sleeping hole. Tomorrow, he'd definitely see about getting this boa charged up so he could amaze everyone who saw him. That had been a good, if chaste, encounter.

...

Snubbull Emerald entry: By baring its fangs and making a scary face, it sends smaller Pokemon scurrying in terror. The Snubbull does seem a little sad at making its foes flee.

Pachirisu Diamond entry: It makes fur balls that crackle with static electricity. It stores them with berries in tree holes.

For the third day of Christmas... a story about tolerance. Maybe. Or maybe it's about kissing under the mistletoe! hehe.