Ron the True Fan:


hours local time - Day 635 of Ash Ketchum's Journey


Ash Ketchum never really celebrated holidays.

For obvious reasons, see Altomere. But with winter hitting Johto hard, it was decided to rest for the winter at Olivine. Ash was not stupid enough to drag everyone out there, not when he nearly froze to death in the LAST timeline on that mountain.

Winter gear or no winter gear. Fuck. THAT.

But Serena was plotting something. And while he was more comfortable with her thanks to drawing lines and his vow being no longer necessary…he still felt on edge.

"...ashing through the snow, with a one-rapidash sloppen slay, over the hills we go, laughing all the way!"

"...really?" Ash asked, looking to Kyoji, "I'm surprised you're all for Christmas given you're from Ransei,"

"Oi, Santa comes to Ransei too," Kyoji stated.

"As far as you know. If he exists." Ash said dryly. He knew better - Santa DID exist - but Kyoji's exclamations over his amazing adventures that, eventually, were just mundane for him, but it was better to not mention it instead of getting the excited exclamations.

"You don't believe in Santa." Kyoji said, annoyed.

"I've had next to no presents over the last 9 years." Ash said simply. "And not because I haven't been nice. I just believe life hates my guts. That's fine. So long as people are happy, I'm OK with that."

"Well you've been busy saving the world and travelling," Kyoji stated, smiling as the yellow land shark's fin poked through the snow, sharking around."Probably hard to pin you down for deliveries assuming he doesn't just drop them off at your mom's place!"

"Nothing there, either." Ash said dryly, before picking up the little yellow Gible and petting him, his fin recovered from the wounds the Iron Masked Marauder gave him. "So…No point. Besides, the last time I celebrated anything, it all went straight to hell, so every day is just another day."

"Pikapi." 'It might be depressing, but Ash has a point to temper expectations.' Pikachu added.

"You are depressing." Kyoji said.

"I haven't had a life that hasn't hammered the fact that the universe hates me into me." Ash said as he put Gible down, but not before putting a little Santa hat on his fin. "But if people are happy, I'm happy."

"You say that, yet you've got your own little harem," Kyoji stated with a little teasing smirk as he pet his Gible. "I'd say that's proof the universe doesn't completely hate you."

Ash glared at him, Kyoji knowing damn well if Ash had his way, he'd be with no one because he felt unworthy. Serena was the only one with true power over him.

But fuck his vow. Dead or not.

There was a knock on the door. "Yes?" asked Kyoji, before Serena poked her head in, a hat on her head.

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose. He KNEW she was up to something.

"Merrry Christmas!" She announced cheerfully as she stepped inside - dressed up in a… function yet undeniably sexy santa outfit. "Surprised, love?"

Ash stared. Serena's bust was just BARELY hidden, her jacket barely shorter then a miniskirt, though the stockings only made it skimpier somehow and the jacket only added it instead of hiding it.

Kyoji wisely turned away from Serena, keeping his gaze away from her. 'Well… okay, fair enough.' he thought, 'He deserves having her with him… wish Sabrina were here though…'

'Who says I'm not?' came the call from his girlfriend. 'Want a sneak peek of what I'm wearing~?'

Kyoji shot up at the sound of her voice before Neesha poked her head in, wearing a similar hat. "Hey, Kyoji." she said, showing off her near-identical outfit.

"Gible!" 'Yay! Pretty ladies!' declared the 'Santa' shark before chomping on Neesha's head.

"O-Oh!" Kyoji blushed at the sight, "Are… h-how many of you…m-made it?"

"We had some help." said Serena, even as Misty walked in, only instead of a dress, she was wearing a festive bikini with stockings and a jacket.

"Leavanny." Ash said. The seamer Pokemon enjoyed making outfits. "Why are you wearing a swimsuit, Misty?"

"We all asked for 'themed' outfits." Misty said, even as made Iris walk in, wearing…Ash wasn't sure HOW an Arabic belly dancer outfit was mixed in with a Santa's elf theme…but Leavanny pulled it off.

…Was Iris always so busty?

"I… see…" Kyoji nodded, focusing on Neesha "So… how wide a theme are ya'll going for?"

"Oh… whatever we feel like…" Sabrina chimed as she teleported in, Kyoji turned and… blinked, before blushing at the sight of Sabrina in an… oddly sexy reindeer outfit, complete with deer ears.

"...where are the antlers?" Ash ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Only male deer have antlers, dad." Sabrina stated.

"...why a deer though?" Kyoji asked.

"Oh… reasons," She mused coyly with a grin, before he heard in his head 'So you can ride me all night long…'

Ash figured she said something telepathic to Kyoji judging from his immediate reaction of a blushing red face.

Dawn then came in, a little more conservative with her elf outfit, not that they could blame her, as she grew up in a far, FAR more conservative society then they did. More skin was covered, but it was accenting rather then hiding.

That did not mean she wasn't pretty.

"A-ano-"

"Unovan, please?" Ash asked, hoping his language lessons over the last few months were working.

"A-uh…ho-how do I…look?" she said, blushing.

"Like a figure of beauty." Kyoji said, Sabrina giving him a look. "What?"

"I know she's kinda your type, but you're eight years older then her." Sabrina said. "Also, I know you're being nice, but it's coming off as a little creepy."

"Hey, she might be a figure, you're a full-fledged angel of beauty, " Kyoji said, being completely honest - which Sabrina could tell. 'Plus, I know you'd snap my neck if I even thought of doing anything like that to someone THAT young,'

'And THAT is why I love you,' Sabrina smiped, leaning over to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

It was unsaid that Sabrina would have to get in line, as Ash gave him a VERY annoyed look. Fortunately, he didn't ay anything before Mei walked in, annoyed.

"I do not see the point of these outfits." said the maiden, reluctantly wearing a elf outfit. "I don't even celebrate this holiday!"

"Technically, neither do I." Ash said. "But that's just because the world seems more interested in making me work then relax." It was also unsaid about the vow, but Serena, his Serena, stabbed it in the chest because that girl had more power over him then Arceus did.

"Then you're overdue!" Serena declared. "Girls! You know what to do!"

Ash groaned. "Any other god then Arceus spare me-"

"Gibby, the red-finned Gible!" sang the girls, Dawn struggling because of the lyrics AND primarily speaking Hisuian instead of modern Nihonese, but trying.. "Had a very shiny fin! And if you ever saw it, you would say it never dims!"

Kyoji's shark cheered at the song.

"All of the other Gibles Used to laugh and call him names~" the girls continued, making him pout. Because Gibles didn't do that. They chomped regardless. "They never let poor Gibby Join in any Chomping games~"

Ash chuckled despite himself. Corny or not, they were enjoying themselves.

"Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say 'Gibby, with your fin so bright, Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?'"

Gible made a happy 'Gib!'.

"Then how the Gibles loved him~ As they shouted out with glee 'Gibby the Red-Finned Gible, You'll go down in history~!"

Ash laughed loudly, because he could TELL they were enjoying the song, even if Dawn was having a hard time with it.

"I'd say encore, but poor Dawn looks like she's going to faint." he said, the bluenette blushing before Kyoji's shark chomped on her head.

Mei scoffed before they heard the door open.

"ARCEUS' HANDS, THAT'S FUCKING COLD!" came the voice of the Ranseian Crown Princess, Tatsuki Yamato. "HOW IS IT COLDER THEN RANSEI?!"

"You're not exactly wearing much, your majesty." giggled psionic soldier Hitomi Tachibana.

"Gib!" Both Ash and Kyoji's Gibles rushed over towards the nearby fireplace, and hit it with fire as a burning flame was quickly started inside - which the Crown princess quickly ran towards and sat next to it.

If anything, she was wearing LESS then Serena. Not quite Misty bikini levels, but…

"You walked in the snow in THAT?" Ash exclaimed.

"I teleported!" Tatsuki protested. "I thought I'd pop in inside, not at the door!"

"My fault." Hitomi said, wearing her typical skimpy bodysuit instead of a themed outfit. "I miscalculated the jump."

Ash pat Tatsuki on the head, making the future Empress blush. "So…Unovan or Nihon? Because if I remember correctly, this is a chocolates-and-kisses holiday over here." he asked.

"You're not even sure about your own holidays?" Hitomi asked, eyebrow cocking upward.

"I never really celebrate anything, ma'am. Too busy cleaning up Arceus' messes." Ash said dryly.

"Well, perhaps you're not too busy for a little game?" Sabrina asked, grinning.

"...what sort of game?" Ash asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Well…" Misty mused, "We were thinking spin the bottle… but we didn't bring a bottle… so we're gonna need to improvise."

"Improvise with-" Kyoji asked, before…

*Swoosh* "Gib!"

The two land sharks jumped in, eyesmiling.

"Improvise with Gible!" Sabrina said, holding Kyoji's loveable land shark. "We use yours…"

"Gible!" 'Yay! I ship!' cried the land shark.

"While Ash's ladies use his." Sabrina finished, both sharks eyesmiling.

Iris looked at Tatsuki and Sabrina. "We'll…have to take up different rooms." she said. "I'm pretty sure Kyoji doesn't want to watch his sister kiss Ash and I KNOW Ash doesn't want to see Sabrina kiss Kyoji."

"Sabrina's a grown woman. She can do everything short of stripping him naked and engaging in certain activities in public and I won't do anything about it." Ash replied. "She wants to make the beast with two backs, she can do it in private. THAT I don't want to see!"

"...weird, but… alright," Kyoji muttered, before Sabrina began to drag him into another room - while his Gible jetted behind him to catch up.

Neesha and Hitomi followed them, leaving Ash alone with the girls.

"...I am a thousand kinds of screwed." declared the trainer.

"You're fifteen. We're not legally able to do that sort of thing yet." Serena deadpanned before looking at Tatsuki, who was…drooling. "No matter how much some of us WANT to."

"Pot calling the kettle black." Tatsuki said after wiping her mouth.

"I'm restricting myself to cuddles. You're the real danger." retorted the future Queen of Rota before sitting down. "Now, let's spin the Gible!"

"Gible!" 'Spin!' cried the land shark before looking at Dawn. "Gib-Gible!" 'You're going go kiss Ash! YAY!'

"N-n-nani?!" Dawn stuttered out, looking at Gible before hastily looking at everyone else with a red face.

Of course, there was a conference of the ghosts - and Anabel as a conduit - as all four of them discussed recent events.

And Ash being an idiot.

'Seriously. Six years. Every fucking chance.' Astral Misty groused. 'NOW I CAN'T EVEN ENJOY IT!'

'It could be worse.' said Astral Serena. 'You could share headspace with a mentally fractured girl who's a pervert most of the time.'

'I DON'T EVEN HAVE MY WEDDING DRESS PLANS!' Astral Dawn cried. 'Do you have ANY idea how long I spent making dress designs for that?! And MY counterpart can't even speak anything but archaic Sinnohan!'

Astral Iris pinched the bridge of her nose. 'Girls, we're all getting what we want. Please stop complaining.' she demanded, trying very, VERY hard not to slip to her old, childish self. They were all acting like children, so she'd be well within her right.

The girls all sat around the land shark, who was VERY happy to be the center of attention. Why wouldn't he?

Gibles were attention whores. Adorable attention whores.

"Alright, Ash…spin!" Serena said happily.

Ash sighed as he grasped Gible who eyesmiled, before spinning the little landshark who 'Gibed' while spinning around… before his spin ended with his fin pointed towards… Anabel.

Astral Dawn pouted. She thought Gible would game it in her favor.

Ash sighed. "So…on the cheek?" he asked, trying to not be rude.

Anabel shook her head. "On the lips, Ash." she said, smiling. "But you're trying to be chaste, so I won't ask for anything too extreme.

Ash leaned forward, planting a sweet kiss on Anabel's lips. Astral Serena was pouting. This WAS countered by their kiss in Greenfield, but…

"More spinning shark!" Tatsuki demanded.

"Why not make this interesting, and turn it into a full-fledged game of truth or dare?" Asked Serena with a grin.

"Gible!" 'Spin!' declared the shark before Dawn spun the land shark really hard, the shark making a prolonged 'GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBB!' as he spun around.

"...I think you spun him a little too hard…" Misty said as Gible came to a stop, spirals in his eyes, his fin pointing at…her.

"...You owe me for a lifetime." she said to Ash.

"Well, you're right about that, so-"

Misty cut him off with an aggressive, passionate smooch. It almost went Kalosian before Misty noticed Serena making a perverted grin.

Pot and kettle, indeed. But Serena was a generally harmless pervert, so…

"Once Gible's not dizzy…" Iris said, petting the land shark. "How do we do it? I mean…Other then Becca, Tatsuki and Mei, he knows pretty much everything about us."


"Okay…" Kyoji gulps as Gible moved to the middle of the much smaller circle than the one occupying Ash at the moment. "I'll spin first…" He gave his Gible a good spin, who happily 'Gibed' rapidly as he spun around before slowing down, and landing before…

"GOB!" declared the happy shark girl Sphyra, who came from an alternate timeline - see SOT Johto Chapter 13 (WHACK!) - where everything was…lewdified to the point of parody. Kyoji, perhaps wisely, decided she'd be better off staying at Pallet Town.

Then she poked a Pokeball. Which, somehow, WORKED. It registered her as a Gible, though.

"...oh boy." Kyoji muttered, before sighing. "Alright, Sphyra… truth or dare?"

"Dare!" said the shark-girl as she eyesmiled.

Hitomi and Neesha shared a look. "Why is she so cute?" asked the Ranseian psychic.

"Uh…ok…wasn't expecting a dare…" Kyoji said, suddenly on the spot. Then again, Sphyra was…well…like her Pokemon counterpart. "I… dare you too… ummm…" He tried to think of something to dare her to do. He looked around, before looking at Sabrina - who gave an approving nod. "...uh, kiss Sabrina!"

Sabrina snorted before Sphyra planted her lips on hers, the shark girl trying very, VERY hard not to progress any further.

Mostly because Kyoji asked her not to. Because that would make the people renting the house to them for the winter MAD as she got very loud when she got into it.

"Probably the easiest dare you could've ever made." Neesha said, amused. "Ready to spin, sharky?"

"Gib!" Gible nodded before Sphyra gave his… cousin? A good spin, once more spinning around… before stopping - fin pointing towards Neesha herself.

"Truth!" said the shark girl.

"Ok…I'm enjoying the crazy." she said. "No matter how much danger we're in, what happens…I would not want to be anywhere else. Or love anyone else."

"GOB!" CHOMP!

And there was the chomp. It was almost cartoonish how her mouth grew like that and chomped like her 'cousin'. But she was basically a humanoid Gible.

"...Its amazing how she just unhinges her jaw like that…" Hitomi muttered, looking at the sight while Neesha spun the shark as Sphyra continued the chomp… before it landed on Kyoji.

"Hm… truth I guess?" He shrugged, not sure what he could say - but got forbid they dare him to do something stupid.

"Do you…" Neesha mused, putting her hands together with a devious grin. "...have any shameful kinks you haven't told us about?"

...

"...can I change it to dare?" Kyoji muttered, blushing bright red.

"Come on, Kyoji, don't chicken out now." Neesha teased. "We all got something. I mean…your sister's got babymaking on the mind-"

"I-Its just they're really weird!" He stated, "I mean… Sabrina's the only one who knows, because my mind is literally an open book to her so I can't hide anything from her, and even she admits some of them are… off."

"I mean…" Sabrina mused, "Off without context at least."

"...okay, I am legit curious now…" Hitomi asked, leaning forward. "Come on, give us something!"

Kyoji pouted a bit, crossing his arms - trying to ignore them… but they just kept on staring at him expectedly. "F-Fine! G-Gender swap!" he blurted out.

"...really?" Neesha asked, tilting her head.

"Just… curious what it'd be like to… ya know…" he muttered under his breath "...get screwed as a girl… I mean, I know it's probably nothing nearly as special as… um, certain media makes it out to be, but it'd be a different experience… b-but its literally impossible, so it can't happen … like most of my kinks…"

"Well, THAT'S debata-"

A thump on the roof got their attention.

"What the hell?" Sabrina asked, putting on a jacket and heading for the roof, opening a hatch and finding a depression in the snow.

"What is it?" Asked Ash, sounding relieved. He probably WAS: this sort of thing was so far outside his comfort zone, it wasn't funny.

"I don't know." his surrogate daughter answered before clearing the snow away and found…

…a red fin?

"...what the heck is-" Ash began, before he heard a familiar jaws-like theme, only… Jingle-fied, before…

CHOMP! "Gib!"

Sabrina blinked, looking up and noticed a totally new Gible now chomped on her head, overall looking normal… save for looking a bit more white and gray in coloration… but for some reason, his fin was… red?

She carefully made her way back in, land shark - or rather snow shark - on her head.

Kyoji stared. "The song's REAL?" he said in a mild amount of shock.

Ash facepalmed, Pikachu snickering. "Pikapi." 'Well, Ash, there goes your plan for a quiet winter before we go to Altomere.' said the mouse.

Kyoji turned towards Ash. "Santa is REAL?" he asked.

Ash sighed. "We had to help a Jinx who was working for him get back to the North Pole during my first run through Kanto." he admitted. "I decided, mostly selfishly, to NOT mention it. Plus I think Santa wouldn't want people bothering him. He's a VERY busy man."

"...wait, Santa's fucking REAL?!" Serena - both current and Ghost shouted simultaneously. "And you KNEW about it?!"

Ash looked at Kyoji. "See what I mean?" he asked drily.

"...I am just gonna relish in the fact I was fucking right," Kyoji said confidently with a smile, before looking at the Gible. "So… Gibby, I presume?"

"Gib!" 'That's right!' said the red-finned shark. "Gible!" 'I guide Santa's sleigh! I can light up the sky for miles!'

"You must have powerful jets." Iris said, Anabel using her powers to tap into Ash's near-instant translation…then touching the shark. "COLD!"

"Gible." 'Of course I'm cold. I'm a dragon/ice-type.' said the snow shark.

Memories of her home flooded in. Of cruel boys freezing her in place with Vanilish and leaving her in the cold-

"Iris." Ash said, holding onto a shoulder before making her face him. "He's a dragon first. He can't help being cold, but he's not going to hurt you. Unless chomps hurt."

CHOMP!

Cue an eyesmiling snow shark to the head.

"So what happened? How'd you slip your reins, if that's how you guide the sleigh, that is?" Neesha asked the snow shark.

"Gible!" 'It was loose! We were doing a test flight - we have a new Sawsbuck and she needed to be broken in - and I slipped!' said the land shark.

"...well, looks like we have to do some rescue work.." Kyoji smiled.

"Returning a land shark to his guardian." Ash said, before petting the shark. "Not exactly our usual sort of quest, but one I can get behind."

"Simple, easy, no fate-of-the-world stakes. I can see why." Sabrina said before looking outside. "That radio tower, the one near the lake? Santa should be able to see his light from that point. It's the tallest thing around."

"Welp, sounds like we gotta suit up again ladies and gentlemen," Kyoji said as he grabbed his coat. "Looks like we're doing some Gible-rescuing!"

"Gib!" 'Yay!' Gibby jumped back into the snow, his jingle-themed music playing in stereo as his glowing red fin lit the way as he sharked towards the tower.

"Wait up, you jolly land shark!" Iris demanded, getting her sweater on. Too cold for her more risque outfit, after all.


Taggard glared at the building. This was the PERFECT chance to get at least ONE of them knocked up.

"Chemical aphrodisiacs, alcohol, psychic tabs." he listed. "Not even he can resist THESE in tandem." Then he heard…Jingle Jaws?

"...What the hell?" said the guard before seeing a red fin cut through the snow. It took him a minute before he checked the alcohol.

"...I think I should make sure these are a little watered down." he muttered, assuming he was drunk off the fumes.


"Slow down, Gibby!" Kyoji said as they chased the fin in the snow.

"Gib-gib-gib-gib-gib!" Gibby chanted as he dug through the snow. "Gib-gib-gib-gib-gib! Gib-gib-gib-gib-gib! Gib-gib-gib-gib-gib!"

"He's not even saying anything," Ash muttered, "He's just singing 'Gible' to the tune of Jingle Bells."

"Does he need to speak to bring joy?" Kyoji asked him before the snow shark changed course, heading for…

A group of kids having a snowball fight.

A girl with light blue hair then got a Gible to the head, as Gibby chomped on her and eyesmiled.

Ash looked primed to scream. "Damn it, I don't want to make those kids sad, but we need to get Gibby to that radio tower…" he said, torn between making people happy and getting Gibby home.

And he wondered WHY he would be a bad father with those instincts…WHY?

"Hold on…" Kyoji rose a hand, "First… let the kids have their fun."

Gibby sharked around, going through the snow before chomping on another 'victim', getting pet before going onto the next kid to be chomped.

"He's gonna be at this for hours!" Serena declared.

"He could," Kyoji nodded, "But not the kids - they have a lot of energy, but if they get something fun in their hands, they will burn though that energy quick… just watch."

One of the bigger kids picked up Gibby, hugging him close before running to a snow fort. This was playful, not greedy, before Gibby spat out a snowball from his maw.

"…Snowballs. He fires SNOWBALLS." Misty said incredulously.

"Ice shark. Why not?" Kyoji said before he was set up like a machine gun as the other kids prepared to 'storm the fortress', as it were.

Then Gibby eyesmiled and started machine gunning out snowballs of energy, like a weak icy Draco Meteor, like what Ash's Gible pulled back in Celedon.

But instead of explosions…it was snowballs. And the kids were getting pelted with them.

"That's one way to make a snowball machine gun." Serena said with a little bit of confusion.

Dawn raised a hand. "Ano-er…would not this be…word, word-"

"Disrespectful?" Ash supplied for her.

She nodded. "Hai. He is a…Noble Gible."

"Well, if Gibby had a problem, he'd make sure they knew it." Ash said as the kids, all but frozen solid, ran for the hills. Or indoors as the case may be, for hot chocolates and tea.

The kid using Gibby as a machine gun put him down, shivering, but still pet the shark before going inside.

Gibby then began sharking off to the radio tower.

"We should make sure he doesn't eat it." Ash said dryly.

"I'm almost offended you'd say that!" Kyoji snapped.

"He's a GIBLE. Mine's eaten entire Team Rocket mechs!" Ash retorted. "A radio tower's nothing!"

Kyoji stared for a few seconds as he processed that. Ash's Gible ATE a giant mech?

…Hungry, Hungry Gible.

"…could you do that?" He asked his own Gible.

"Gib." 'I mean if I was hungry enough, probably.' The yellow Gible shrugged. "Gible!" 'But we have enough self-control to not eat infrastructure! I mean… normally.'

"...Normally…" Kyoji said dumbly.

"Gib!" 'Gib-chomp ate parts of a warehouse! No one got hurt, though!' said the shark.

He learned more about Gibles every day.


30 minutes later, they reached the tower. Gibby was trying to climb up, but…Gibles had short arms.

All it did was make him look cute.

"Anyone remember to bring their flying-types?" Kyoji asks as he put a natu-sized Jacket on his green bird.

Ash retrieved a Pokeball. "Noctowl will have to do." he said, releasing the owl.

"NOCT!" 'GOOD LORD, ASH, IT'S BUGGERINGLY COLD!' Noctowl declared.]

"I know, but someone needs help getting home." Ash said before reaching for Gibby. "Mind flying him to the top?"

"...Noctowl." 'that is the strangest Gible I have EVER seen.' Noctowl said as he looked at the shark.

"Rude." Kyoji groused.

"Gib!" 'I got it a lot. He's not being rude. Besides, weird is great!' said Gibby.

"Love this guy's attitude…" Kyoji paused for a moment as he checked Gibby for a notch. "Yup, guy."

Noctowl then grabbed Gibby and took him skyward, the land shark making a long 'GIBLE!' as he was taken skyward.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think he was being kidnapped." Ash said. "But he's enjoying it."

Then came a bright, red light, visible for miles, as Gibby sat on top of the radio tower.

Then came the sound of…sleigh bells. Ash, jaded as he was towards life in general, couldn't help but smile.

"You better not shout…" Kyoji began with a sing-song voice.

"You better not cry!" Serena continued.

"You better not pout," Iris called out hopping in place excitedly.

"I'm telling you why…" Ash said, before everyone took a deep breath.

"Santa Clause is coming… To Tooooowwwnnn!" They all chorused together as a familiar red sleigh soared overhead.

"HO-HO-HO!" came the jolly cry of Santa Claus himself, Stantler and Sawsbuck drawing his sleigh before rounding the tower, coming in for a landing. "Ash Ketchum! I knew if anyone would find my little red-finned friend, it would be you!"

"Hello, Santa." Ash said, smiling at seeing the man of legend. Then coming from above was Gibby, dive-bombing for…

CHOMP!

"Why HELLO, Gibby!" cried Santa as he removed the snow shark from his red-capped head. "Have you been nice to your new friends?"

"Gib!" 'Yup! There's super nice!'

Santa looked to the group, then to his sleigh. "...Well…I do have room…would you like to visit my workshop?"

"What." Kyoji said. "You mean…visit THE Santa's workshop? See the magic take place?!"

Santa laughed heartily. "For people on the top of the nice list? Of course!" he said. "And you let Gibby have fun before bringing him back."

"I wouldn't say I'm on the nice list." Ash said, referring to all the bad things he'd done.

"If you mean the people who died at your order or your hands, you did it to protect MORE people. There is nothing naughty about protecting people from anyone meaning them harm." Santa retorted gently.

"Yet I haven't gotten any presents." Ash said in wry amusement.

Kyoji glared at him.

"Hey, people are happy." Ash said defensively before thinking. "...seriously, though, now that I think about it, why didn't I get any presents for the last few years?" Ash asked.

"Blame your mother," Santa grumbled.

"...huh?"

"After the… incident your mother took air defense very seriously." Santa nodded grimly, "I get within 5 kilometers from your house and my sleigh gets locked on by about two dozen different surface-to-air missiles and Triple-A batteries. I manage to circumvent this for most of the other kids around your house… but sadly, your mother, again, takes security very seriously so I haven't been able to get you or your siblings presents year-round… I apologize for that, but I have millions of kids I need to deliver presents too, and if I got shot down heading to your place that's millions of kids who won't get gifts."

Ash was touched…and disturbed. "Understandable." he said simply. "And I'm not so selfish to deny millions of kids joy."

"No…just yourself." Santa said pointedly. "Arceus didn't give me my job and NOT keep me informed about you. You might be the Chosen of Arceus, but the life of the Chosen isn't supposed to be joyless."

"Mister Claus, with all due respect…I am thrown into life-or-death situations at least once every three weeks." Ash replied. "It's really hard to find joy in that after almost ten years."

"Well, you could start by telling your mom to chill it with the ADF," Santa chuckled, "So I can start sending you a whole 11 years worth of backlogged presents, and your siblings for that matter."

"I'll call her up when we get back." Ash answered. "So, I'm sad to say we're going to have to turn down your offer to go to the North Pole just for that reason."

Everyone pouted.


Meanwhile, Pallet Town


Delilah watched the ADS radar system with the gaze of a hawk as she looked for that one contact that kept creeping around. Every time around christmas this one bugger comes around making a beeline to her house and she's never able to shoot it down. The speeds it traveled at were clearly that of a legendary pokemon - and like hell she'd see a repeat of what happened last time a legendary got so close to her home.

The phone rang. Delia picked it up, putting her hunting cap, somethinf she wore whenever this…thing came around. "Ketchum residence."

"Mom, can you turn the ADS off?" came the voice of her eldest son.

How did Ash even KNOW about the ADS?!

"Ash! While I'm happy to hear from you…an ADS?" she said, chuckling nervously.

"Mom, you nearly shoot down Santa every year. I know you think you're protecting us from Shadow Legendaries, but…I think Yellow deserves a backlog of Christmas presents." her son said.

Delia herself never knew where the presents came from. She assumed it was her now-dead husband, Grimsley. When he died, the presents stopped coming.

She reluctantly flipped the switch and shut it off, trusting her son.

Then something landed on the roof. She retrieved her rifle and ran upstairs, finding a MASSIVE pile of presents under the tree and a note.

'I know you were protecting your family, but that was OVERKILL. - signed: Santa'.

"...Santa's REAL?" Delia said incredulously.


At the Oak lab, a barely dressed Belladonna set out a plate of cookies and hot chocolate, as per tradition.

Santa ALWAYS nommed them. She knew it. It was always Santa. He didn't eat them at her mom's place for some reason though, she never really understood that.

"You still believe in Santa/?" Asuka asked, groggily following her motions - in a similar state of dress.

"Someone eats the cookies," Bell shrugs, "I doubt Professor Oak would keep up the illusion after all this time, so it has to be Santa."

"Or Pokemon who get inside…" Asuka sighed, "Even in Ransei, Santa is more of a mythological figure, he can't possibly exist… "

THUMP!

Asuka rushed for their bed, retrieving a knife before they heard someone downstairs. Asuka rushed down, before finding someone putting presents around a tree Haruka and Fuu set up.

A man in a red coat, with a red hait with a white cotton ball on the end of it, a nice bushy beard and red pants with leather boots.

It wasn't Professor Oak.

Bell ran down the stairs. "...Arceus preserve me. SANTA!" she declared happily.

"Hello, young Belladonna. Would you tell your lover to cover herself and stop looking like she wants to murder me?" Santa asked amusedly.

Asuka looked to her state of undress, then focused on the intruder. "...You're REAL?" she demanded.

The kind-looking man put a finger to his nose, sparkling magic forming on the tip as Bell ran upstairs, then back with the plate and cup.

"Here you go!" she chirped. "Sorry about my mom: after Dad died-"

"It's fine. Your brother understood." Santa said. "Millions of kids sad for one home? At least I can do my job. What's done is done, and now I've got a whole backlog of presents to get for your siblings."

"...how the hell do you-" Asuka began.

"Celebi!" A familiar little plant-like Pokemon appeared next to Santa, only dressed up like an elf as Santa chuckles.

"This time of year makes time manipulation a little easier," he explained, "So, Celebi helps me cover more ground in short periods of time with her powers without causing a paradox."

Both of them vanished - not teleporting, not shadow dipping, literally MAGIC - from the room.

"Santa…is real." Asuka said after a moment.

"Santa is real. Told you~" her girlfriend purred before dragging her back upstairs for more FUN.

Joy to the world, indeed.


Ron the True Fan: Gib-Gib-Gib! Gib-Gib-Gib! Gib-Gib-Gib-Gib-(CHOMP!)

117Jorn: Once again, a good old fashioned christmas special for the fans! Short? Yes. But better than nothing!

Ron the True Fan: Who cares HOW long it is? It's all about the feels. A wholesome fic where there's just happy feelings and a happy ending. …A VERY happy ending in Bell's case…

117Jorn: Just gotta make sure there is even a little bit of effort into it.

Ron the True Fan: Fair point, but as long as it's happy and not the usual SOT fare of dire situations and dark comedy, it works. Also…Snow Gible!

Gibby: (CHOMP!)

(Both authors turn into ice cubes)

Gible? Gible!

Gib-Gib!