It's Christmas! And I would like to thank all my readers who have stuck with me till the end of Roses of La Rousse even with my terrible update rate. This bonus chapter is dedicated to all of you who still have this fic on alert, and a special thanks to those who bothered to review! I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and hope you enjoy both the festivities and the fic! On to the story!
True Love (A Christmas special)
On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
It was Christmas in Petalburg city. Even without snow, the seasonal cheer filled the city. Everywhere, even the Petalburg Gym, was decorated lavishly with lights and Christmas ornaments. Every household was in high spirits for the coming festival. Of course, the home of the gym leader was no exception.
May hummed cheerfully as she twirled around the house putting up the last few decorations. She admired the large Christmas tree they had placed in the middle of the living room. Various pokemon ornaments dangled from its branches along with the traditional tinsel and star. There were cute Skitties, Beautiflies, Mudkips, Taillows and a life-sized Masquerain.
Wait... May's gaze landed on the Masquerain. "Huh? I don't remember placing that on the tree... And somehow it looked seriously real..." She poked it. May shrieked in surprise when it came to life, fluttering its wings nervously.
The girl stared at the bug pokemon in bemusement. "Hey, aren't you Drew's Masquerain...?"
It was then that she spotted a small box attached neatly to its back with a ribbon. "Are you here to send this to me?"
When Masquerain nodded, May sat down on the floor so that the pokemon could settle on her lap. Gently, she took the gift. Reaching into her bag, she offered Masquerain some pokeblocks.
"Thanks, Masquerain!" May tied the red ribbon to the top of Masquerain's head, saying with a grin, "There, now you're dressed for Christmas too!"
As Masquerain flew out of the window in a happy mood, May hugged the present to her heart. As expected, there was a lovely red rose stuck to the top of the box. A small Christmas card dangled from its stem.
'Merry Christmas, my love.'
On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
2 Turtle Doves
May stared at the gift she had bought for Drew. Frowning, she contemplated the various ways to give it to him. Posting it by mail might damage it. The safest way would be to ask her pokemon to send it, but her choices were limited.
A flying pokemon would make the best time, but Beautifly couldn't possibly manage the parcel on her own. Blaziken, Wartortle or Venusaur might drop it; Skitty and Eevee were both too small; Munchlax's speed was simply out of the question.
Feeling rather dejected, she wandered around the house. Her gaze alighted on a small basket with two handles. Struck by inspiration, she dashed towards her cousin's house across the street.
"Christie! Can I borrow Butterfree?"
One flying pokemon might not make it, but with two, her problem was solved.
On the third day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
3 French Hens
In La Rousse city, the residents were bustling around the town hall in preparation of the Christmas event. There was to be a ball, so everyone was doing their part in decorating the hall. Drew and Darryl had been put in charge of the huge tree in the compound.
Masquerain twirled around the tree, a long strand of tinsel held in its mouth. From below, Kirlia levitated ornaments onto the branches, while Flygon and Altaria helped wherever they could. Humming lightly, Darryl sat on the ground weaving garlands of roses to be hung on the tree like tinsel. Drew was busy arranging some ornamental presents under the tree, with bunches of roses added to beautify it.
Thus, no one noticed the three pairs of eyes staring at them from a nearby bush.
"It's the green-haired coordinator twerp and twerpette!"
"I say we swipe all their pokemon. We'll give them to the boss!"
"Imagine, the boss wants to put the star on top of his tree, but he can't reach! Then he'll see Kirlia floating it up for him! Then the flying pokemon will add tinsel and ornaments, so that it will glitter like diamonds! The tree will be a masterpiece all will admire! He'll say, they helped me create this wonderful tree, Meowth and Team Rocket has given me the best present!"
"We'll get a Christmas bonus!"
"Let's do it!"
So the Team Rocket trio put on their disguises and walked up to those at work. "What a beautiful tree! These pokemon are so talented!" Jessie exclaimed, hugging Kirlia. At her side, James had grabbed Masquerain.
"We'll be borrowing these two to help us with our decoration work! See you!"
They turned only to find Altaria and Flygon blocking their escape. Drew and Darryl stood, glaring suspiciously at the three. "Not so fast. Who are you and what do you want with our pokemon?"
James smirked. Quick as a flash, Meowth locked the two pokemon they had captured in a cage.
"Prepare for trouble now that Christmas is near."
"Make it double for Team Rocket is here."
"To protect the world from Santa Claus."
"To unite all people to support our cause."
"To denounce the evils of the winter cold."
"To extend our reach to the North Pole."
"Jessie."
"And James."
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."
"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
Kirlia tried to teleport to safety, but couldn't, much to the delight of the trio. "That cage is charged with static electricity, you won't be able to teleport out!"
"Then we'll just have to do it another way! Absol, go!"
"With a small cage like this, you'll hurt your pokemon if you cut the bars..." Meowth blinked as the weight left his arm. Absol had used its horn as a hook to grab the cage from Meowth's grasp.
"Now we don't have any reservations! Altaria, Dragonbreath!"
"Flygon, use Gust!"
"Team rocket's blasting off again..."
On the fourth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
4 Calling Birds
Tap. Tap. Christie glanced towards the window to find Wally's Pidgeotto knocking firmly on the glass with its beak. Jumping to her feet, she opened the window so that it could hop in. It stuck out a leg, revealing the reason for its visit. Christie untied the card attached to its leg.
"Thanks, Pidgeotto," she said, patting its head affectionately. With a regal nod, the bird pokemon flew out of the window towards Verdanturf, its mission accomplished.
'Merry Christmas, Christie. It's lonely without you here.'
Picking up the Christmas card she had been meaning to send him, she added a postscript. 'I miss you too. See you in La Rousse for the party?' She attached it to a ribbon, and then released Butterfree from its ball.
"Send this to Wally for me, will you?" When it agreed she attached the card to its leg and it flew off.
Later that day, Butterfree returned with Wally's letter, along with his Pelipper who bore a present in its bill. 'I won't miss it for the world. Even better, I'll be moving back to Petalburg with Mum and Dad afterwards since my health has greatly improved. We'll be able to see each other more often! PS- Hope you like the gift.'
This time, she called out Swellow so that Butterfree and Pelipper could rest. 'Awesome! I can't wait till then. By the way, I sent your present by mail a couple of days ago. You should have received it by now. Love, Christie.'
As Swellow took flight, she smiled happily at the gift. It was going to be a great Christmas.
On the fifth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
5 Golden Rings
Darryl turned over on her bed, but was awakened from her peaceful slumber by a sharp knock on her head. Opening her eyes groggily, she stared at the wrapped box sitting next to her pillow.
Rubbing her eyes to rid them of their sleepiness, she read the card placed on top of the present. 'Merry Christmas, sleepyhead.' That blew all thoughts of lazing in bed from her mind. She would recognize that handwriting anywhere. Even though they had been in a relationship for some time, he would never stop teasing her. She huffed in annoyance, but then that was part of his charm. She wouldn't want him to change.
But how had Bernard managed to get the gift into her room? Even Drew was locked out when she slept. After some thought, she decided to stop pondering about her boyfriend's mysterious means.
Pulling open the ribbon keeping the box closed, she found a lovely jewelry set inside. There was a simple pair of small hoop earrings, two delicate bracelets made of thin golden chains and dangling green crystals, and a ring attached to a chain as a necklace. The ring had little hearts carved into it.
"Wow..." She gaped at the beautiful gifts for a stunned moment.
A knock on her room door snapped her out of her daze. "Merry Christmas, Dari."
"Merry Christmas to you too, Drew!"
Placing the present carefully into a drawer, she got ready for the day's festivities. It was Christmas day. Soon, she would see Bernard again.
On the sixth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
6 Geese a Laying
Christie excitedly unwrapped her gift from Wally. Removing the lid from the box, she found a mass of blue woolen cloth. A card had been placed at the top of the box.
'Merry Christmas, Christie! The scarf's from Mum, she insisted on knitting you one. So I took the chance to use it to wrap my present in. The wool will keep it warm and safely cushioned.'
Curious, she unraveled the scarf to reveal a large egg snuggled inside. 'You know the breeding center near my uncle's house? The owners found this pokemon egg and were looking for someone to take good care of it. I'm sure you'll do a great job raising it with love.'
She cuddled it fondly. To keep it warmth, was what she told herself. But there was a distinct blush staining her cheeks along with a rather dreamy look that made her watching mother smile.
On the seventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
7 Swans a Swimming
In another house in Petalburg city, May had also opened her present. It was a beautiful charm bracelet. Delighted, she looked at the charm dangling from it. Seven charms, representing her seven main pokemon.
Blaziken, Beautifly, Skitty, Wartortle, Venusaur, Munchlax and Glaceon. Each pokemon charm had been delicately made to ensure the best likeness. It was in fact quite awe-inspiring.
Her face split by a wide smile, May clasped the bracelet around her wrist before skipping happily to the living room to celebrate Christmas with a family. It was a lovely start to a wonderful Christmas.
On the eighth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
8 Maids a Milking
"Hey, everyone! It's great to see you all again!" Darryl waved to her friends who had come off the train to La Rousse.
"Drew's helping out with some last minute decorations at the hall. He'll definitely be glad to see you." she slyly informed her brother's girlfriend.
"You two can head to the gardens if you want. No one will disturb you there." At the teasing, Christie merely stuck her tongue out at her best friend. Wally grinned, used to the two girls' antics.
"What about poor old me?" asked a voice from her back. A pressure on her head and two arms which slung themselves over her shoulders proved that it was Bernard. She jabbed him sharply with her elbow.
"You wound me, Darryl. Ignoring your boyfriend? As a girl, you should be more loving."
Darryl's eye twitched as she spun around to face him. Yanking him down by his tie to her eye level, Darryl kissed him long and hard, maintaining eye contact throughout. "Shut up," she murmured against his lips.
Breaking away from her grip, Bernard looked amused. "Usually," he drawled, "It's the guy who does that."
Darryl leveled a haughty glare at him. "You think I care?"
On the ninth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
9 Ladies Dancing
"Listen up, girls!" Darryl called out to her two friends and all their female pokemon. "The Christmas ball's tonight, so we're going to have a great time!"
Darryl wore an emerald green gown that looked as smooth as silk. It was a simple off-shoulder dress with a crystal trimming around the waist and fell softly to her ankles. She had paired it with a gold-colored pair of sandals and wore the jewelry Bernard had given to her. Her hair was partially tied into an elegant bun, with the rest streaming down her back till her waist.
May's dress was a bright blue, with a simple bodice and flared knee-length skirt. The long sleeves were made out of a semi-transparent material that floated around as she moved, and the same cloth formed the upper layer of her skirt. With the dress, she wore a pair of sparkly sandals, and chose a sapphire pendant with her new charm bracelet as accessories. She tied her hair into a single ponytail with a bright blue silk ribbon.
Christie had decided on a black dress with a large white bow at the waist. It was strapless, and its skirt just above her knees. Sparkles adorned the hem of the dress and she had also added some glitter to her short hair, at Darryl's insistence. Her necklace had a glittering heart pendant, and she tied a white ribbon around her left wrist in place of a bracelet. She also held a sparkly black handbag.
Their pokemon all had on various accessories like ribbons and necklaces that the girls had chosen carefully to match their coloring. Everyone was ready for the party.
"Let's dance the night away!
On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
10 Lords a Leaping
Mistletoe hung in various strategic places around the dance hall, thus naturally our favorite couples all found a chance sometime during that evening to conveniently move under them. One tradition that the La Rousse Christmas ball had decided to faithfully follow was to place a basket under each bunch. The males were supposed to present an apple taken from the basket to their partner.
Bernard, as expected, had no problems at all in grabbing an apple from overhead. Drew and Wally were slightly daunted by the basket's height, but fared admirably thanks to their recent growth spurts. Thus our three couples passed that hurdle without mishap.
Their pokemon though... encountered difficulties. Blaziken was the only one who could reach through traditional methods, so he gallantly handed an apple to Roselia. The others all came up with ways that matched their abilities.
Masquerain flew up to the basket to get one for Beautifly. Suddenly, Flygon's head appeared next to him to grab an apple with his mouth. Masquerain looked on in amusement as Flygon popped the fruit straight into Altaria's mouth. Shaking his head, Masquerain flew back to Beautifly's side.
Meanwhile, Pidgeotto had already acquired an apple to be given to Swellow. Duskull floated up to the basket with Kirlia watching patiently from below.
Absol gritted his teeth as he glared at the high basket, but of course it didn't budge. Cutting the whole time down was out of the question, according to Skitty. He only had one choice then. Bracing himself, he sprung towards the basket, almost slamming straight into Gardevoir who had teleported to the basket. Remembering to grab an apple, he landed gracefully with his prize. Skitty smiled as he gave it to her.
Teleporting back down, Gardevoir presented the apple to Butterfree just as the music started. Taking her hand, they joined the dance floor with the other couples. The coordinators are in love, so what's stopping their pokemon for having romance?
(A/N: In case you don't know: Masquerain, Flygon, Roselia and Absol belong to Drew; Blaziken and Skitty are May's; That's Darryl's Altaria and Kirlia; Bernard's Duskull; Christie's Swellow and Butterfree; Wally's Gardevoir and Pidgeotto)
On the eleventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
11 Pipers Piping
"I love your gift, Christie." The pair was twirling slowly on the dance floor, quite oblivious to the outside world.
"I'm so glad you liked it. I felt that it would come in useful when you start traveling again. The egg you gave me, I'll make sure to take very good care of it! It's in my handbag now. I couldn't bear to leave it at home."
Her gift for Wally was a Blue Flute. She had been cracking her head over what to give him, when she suddenly remembered Fallarbor Town, and its volcanic ash which looked so much like snow. Inspired, she had rushed there on her bike to collect some ash for a flute.
"Speaking of traveling again, Wally. When you pack the flute, just remember one thing. You have to bring me along too."
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
12 Drummers Drumming
"Finally, the moment you've all be waiting for! Drum roll, please!" Darryl announced cheerfully. On cue, Skitty dutifully hit a drum with its tail. "After the careful selection by this year's Christmas committee, we've picked out a lucky pair to receive the title of the Best Couple of Christmas! Introducing Drew and May! Flygon, Altaria, bring them to the stage!"
With the two blushing coordinators on their backs, the flying pokemon soared over the cheering crowd. A few members of the amused audience wolf-whistled, making the pair turn even redder. "Aren't they cute?" Darryl was practically bouncing in glee as she continued her narration. "Here's to wishing them all the best in the new year! We all hope that they'll keep on being sweet and loving for many Christmas's to come, don't we?" The audience laughed good-naturedly as our favorite coordinator duo turned a color comparable to May's Hoenn outfit.
"Well, let's continue with tonight's festivities, shall we? Let's have them start the next dance!" At her signal, Roselia used Petal Dance and Beautifly added in Silver Wind. With the help of all the flying pokemon, the petals and sparkles were blown all over the hall, dazzling the audience. The music started up again.
"Merry Christmas, everyone! Let's have a great time!"
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
at the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Every couple tries to stop
Darryl laughed as Bernard deliberately led her directly under a sprig of mistletoe. Under the moonlight, they kissed, lost in their own world.
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Let the Christmas Spirit ring
Later we'll have some pumpkin pie
and we'll do some caroling
At the buffet table, Christie and Wally watched the dancers while enjoying some delicious pie.
"Hey, Christie." When she turned, his lips met her. Breaking away from the kiss after a long while, he licked his lips. "Yum, tastes like pumpkin pie."
You will get a sentimental feeling When you hear voices singing
"Let's be jolly; Deck the halls with boughs of holly"
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone's dancing merrily
In a new old fashioned way
On the dance floor, our adorable contestshipping couple had finally decided to ignore everyone around them. May laid her head against Drew's shoulder as they spun in circles.
"You know, we're under mistletoe."
So they kissed as they continued to twirl slowly across the dance floor.
You will get a sentimental feeling When you hear voices singing
"Let's be jolly; Deck the halls with boughs of holly"
Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone's dancing merrily
In a new old fashioned way
They are in love, and we know that they'll stay that way for a long time, don't we? Cheers to love, and a very Merry Christmas to all!