EVERYONE: - Complete AdvantageShipping In... Natsume's New Christmas Crisis (The Christmas Special)

[RichestAirPirate]

MATURE Themes

1. No MATURE Themes Apply

TEEN Themes

1. No TEEN Themes Apply

EVERYONE Themes

1. Mild Violence

Other Content Warnings

This series is rated E for Everyone, only containing minor violence for a containing a simple brief Pokémon battle.

This was a fic I've been waiting to make for a long while. A holiday special! A Christmas special! I've had ideas for this lingering in my head for a long time too, so it felt satisfying to get it down at last!

It took a bit of thought but I ended up making this fic a multiparter. Trying to put it into a single parter was difficult and made the fic look a bit sloppy. Either way, I hope to have this fic all complete sometime this week or next week, just in time for Christmas or New Years. This fic is generally rated E for Everyone, but each chapter will be warned individually.

Anywho, enough preamble, let's-a get this party started.

Spoiler: CW: None

Natsume’s New Christmas Crisis​

Chapter 1: Parade on Pasio!​

Pokémon Center, Pasio, 4:01pm​

---

Decorations of the Pokémon Center had been hung up around the building. Festive music was playing on the radio. That only meant one thing. The Christmas Bash was incoming!

In one room, Rosa clapped her hands to call the attention of Siebold, Eirka, Skyla, Nessa, Leon, Jasmine, Whitney, Viola, Professor Sycamore, Bugsy, Lillie, and Arven. “I hereby declare that this year’s Christmas Bash planning meeting has begun! We all know what we’re meant to do, right?” She asked.

Everyone affirmed. Nessa, Leon, and Rosa were on present duty, tasked with delivering presents to others on the Christmas bash. Whitney, Jasmine, Skyla, and Erika were team decorations, entrusted with decorating the city for the celebration. Viola and Sycamore had the job of photography, set to take photos of the occasion. Arven and Siebold had the job of cooking, since they were no doubt the best people to make treats and snacks for the party. That left Bugsy and Lillie with music. Good thing they’ve practiced for the past few months.

“Okay! Do we have any questions on what we can do to make this year’s bash the best one yet?” Rosa asked.

Lillie raised her hand. “What if we did a parade?” She asked. “It’ll be something new to celebrate the holiday and the new year!”

Whitney tilted her head at the mention of the new year. “But why would we celebrate the new year? This bash is for Christmas!” She wasn’t saying she was against the idea, but she was… confused.

“I’m not sure if we can even do a parade.” Skyla said with a hand to her chin. “If we could, I’d totally love to go into the air for an air show of sorts!” She may not have ever done an air show before, but there’s a first time for everything, right?

Arven crossed his arms and thought for a moment. “A parade would be kind of cool though…”

“It would likely mean more mouths to feed as well.” Siebold added.

“And more photos to take!” Viola smiled, ready to put her photography skills to the test.

“But if we want to celebrate the new year, shouldn’t we contact one of the New Year’s team?” Leon asked.

“You’re looking at a member of the New Year’s team!” Lillie smiled. “I already asked Lance what he thought of the idea and he thought it sounded like a great idea!” She pulled out her Poryphone to call up the Indigo League champion.

“Hello?” Lance asked, over the phone.

“Hey Lance! You’re on speaker!” Lillie said.

“Hi! This is Lance, right?” Rosa asked. “Lillie here wants to do a parade for this year’s Christmas Bash to celebrate Christmas and the New Year? Think you can help?”

Lance chuckled slightly before cracking a smile. “We can do that! We have the manpower to back you up!” He replied.

Rosa smiled brightly. “Then it’s settled! Thanks!”

And so, this year’s Christmas Bash was confirmed to be a little different. A parade to be a big finish for the holiday season. The Pasio New Year’s Christmas Bash Parade! And the flyers and posters that were sent out sure got the people talking, and many people were excited at the grand finale! Many, but not all.

While seated on a bench in Centra City, Sabrina stared at one of the flyers, her face holding an unsure expression that was noticed by Lisia. “Hey Sabrina!” The contest star called out. “What’s got you in a funk?”

The telepath didn’t respond with words, but instead turned her face away a bit. That only led to Wallace catching onto her puzzled look. “You look stressed, Sabrina. Something wrong?” He asked.

Sabrina let out a sigh. “It’s nothing.” She said, knowing that she was lying through her teeth.

“No, it’s definitely something.” Lisia said. “Got a crush on a guuuuy?” She teased as she sat down beside Sabrina and leaned closer. “Wanna ask him out on the celebration?”

Sabrina shook her head. “No. It’s just that… I have issues with Christmas.” She answered. “I don’t hate the holiday, god no, I just… I feel like I’m not using the holiday effectively. I’m missing its meaning, its passion, its-”

Wallace interrupted. “Its spirit, you mean?” He asked.

“You could say that, I guess.” Sabrina said while her foot bounced a bit anxiously. “I prefer New Years since it's about looking back on the past and using it to better the future. A fresh and new start built upon the foundation of what occurred before.” She added as she looked into a Pokéball containing Chingling. “And Chingling helps me see that new start, I think.”

“So what you’re saying is, you don’t know what’s the best usage of Christmas?” Lisia summarized. “Well, maybe this year can help you achieve that! But personally, Christmas is best used for bringing a smile to everybody!”

Wallace gave a short laugh. “I second that. It spreads the joy and warm feelings of the holiday, y’know? And for the parade, me and Lisia plan on showing off our routines with our Pokémon. That’ll surely bring smiles to all who witness!”

“Hey Sabrina, out of all the smiles you wanna make, which one do you look forward to the most?” Lisia leaned in closer to the psychic expert.

Sabrina blushed a little. “I’m not sure if I could even make anyone smile… I don’t know what to do.” She framed her cheek with a single hand as she thought for a bit. “But there is this one young man…”

“What’s he like?” Lisia asked.

Sabrina blushed a bit more. “I… don’t want to speak too much about them. However, I can say that he’s handsome, if occasionally oblivious. He stays true to his heart, nonetheless and I admire him for it.” She explained.

“Aw… I know a guy just like that!” Lisia giggled.

“Whoever this special someone is, you should get ideas on what to do so you can make them smile.” Wallace suggested.

Sabrina wondered for a moment. Who would be best to go to? Her mind ultimately settled asking someone she was more familiar with. She hated to interrupt Lance’s conversation with Clair, but she did need his assistance. “Excuse me, Champion.” She said as she tapped Lance’s shoulder.

“Hm? Sabrina? What’s up?” Lance asked.

“What can I do for the parade? I’m assuming you and Clair will be our announcers.” Sabrina said.

Clair nodded. “You can um… hm…” She had a look around, tapping her chin in thought. “Honestly, not sure what you could do with your Chingling…”

“How about you try helping Whitney?” Lance suggested.

That sounded like a fair idea to Sabrina. Whitney was working alongside Skyla, Poppy, and Erika in decorating the town, tree, and parade floats while Jasmine and Volkner tinkered with the lights.

“Hey Whitney, what do you think of this light pattern?” Jasmine asked before showing off a float with red, blue, and white lights. Electivire and Ampharos gave it a little voltage to cause the lights to turn on.

Whitney squinted her eyes. “Hm… it looks good but try replacin’ the blue with green! And maybe make the lights turn on 1 color at a time!” She suggested.

“Excuse me, Whitney?” Sabrina raised her voice.

“Hm? Oh! Sabrina! What’s goin’ on?” Whitney asked after she turned around. “You seein’ what everybody’s up to? Leon and Raihan are gonna do a choreographed battle, Bugsy and Lillie are gonna do the music, and Jasmine and Volkner are doing lights!” She explained.

“Well, I know that but that’s why I’m reaching out to you.” The Saffronian answered. “What can I do with Chingling?”

Whitney snapped her fingers, almost quickly coming up with an idea. “Ever heard of bells around Christmas time?”

Sabrina nodded. “Yes. Are you suggesting using Chingling as a decoration? While I’m sure Chingling would be fine with that, you… are aware I only have one Chingling, right?”

The Goldenrod girl crossed her arms in thought. “Hm… Darn. That’s a prob, huh?” She pouted slightly.

The telepath let out a sigh. “We’ll have to make it work…”

“It can’t hurt to try, anyway!” Replied the pink slugger. “Besides, one bell is better than none! We just gotta find the best spot to put ‘em!”

Sabrina sent out her Chingling, who happily rang upon release. “Chehehe!”

“Chingling, think you can attach to a spot for us?” Sabrina asked.

Chingling nodded before hopping up onto Whitney’s Sawsbuck’s back. “Like here?”

Sawsbuck felt a bit confused by that position. She was far from the sharpest crayon in the box when it came to holiday decorating, but she knew that bells don’t go on her back. “Um, try again, little guy.” She said, looking back at the little bell.

Sabrina closed her eyes to think deeply. “I wonder if Lillie’s having an easier time with this.” She murmured. How would a girl like Lillie prepare for Christmas?

 

[RichestAirPirate]

Spoiler: CW: None

Chapter 2: Good Ideas, Bad Ideas​

Centra City, Pasio, 5:06pm​

---

Meanwhile, in the forest near Centra City, Bugsy and Lillie rehearsed their musical performance while Dawn and her Oricorio danced in time with the tune. After another successful round, the bug expert twirled his baton. “Alright! That was a good one! Thanks everyone!” He said before turning his attention to Kricketune. “Great work buddy!”

Lillie smiled before turning to her Primarina and Ribombee. “You two did great! Especially you, Ribombee!” She honestly wasn’t expecting the bee to fit in so well. But when she’s surrounded by a fellow Fairy-type and a fellow Bug-type, adapting shouldn’t be too hard.

Dawn lightly patted Oricorio’s head. “Excellent job, Oricorio! We’re getting better at this, aren’t we?” She asked.

“Ribombee’s buzzing was just light enough to create a good melody!” Bugsy added.

“I just thought she’d make a good twist in the performance!” Lillie smiled as she rubbed the heads of both of her fairies before turning to Dawn. “And Dawn! You and Oricorio had near perfect timing!”

Dawn smiled at the compliment. “We’ve been working on our dancing for a long time now! Even my mom started to take notice!” She laughed a bit.

And then, a somewhat intrusive thought popped into Bugsy’s head and came forward. “Hey Lillie, do you think everyone’s gonna be fine with a parade this holiday?” He asked.

Lillie was a bit confused by the question. “What do you mean?” She tilted her head.

“I don’t think a parade is a bad idea, Bugsy.” Dawn replied, also not sure what Bugsy’s trying to say here.

“No no. I mean like, will everyone know what to do?” Bugsy rephrased.

Lillie hadn’t actually thought of that when she came up with the idea. “Um… I just figured the two groups would blend in well. But now that you mention it, Christmas and New Years are pretty different, aren’t they?” Her face gained a slight frown, feeling a bit silly for not coming to that realization sooner. “Now I'm wondering if this is a good idea or a bad idea…”

Bugsy was quick to catch on to Lillie’s expression. “Hey, that doesn’t mean we can’t make it work!” Great, now he felt like he ruined someone else’s spirit. “J-Just forget I said anything!”

Dawn patted Lillie’s back. “As different as they are, we can still make this work out! I’m certain of it!” She said, hoping to liven the mood again. “We gotta make people smile bright to end the holiday season with a bang!”

“As an aspiring professor, one of the lessons I’ve learned is the importance of having ideas!” Bugsy said as he raised a finger, ready to speak like a true Pokémon genius. “You’ll have seemingly good ideas, and you’ll have seemingly bad ideas. However, no idea is truly good or bad until you see its results!” He advised.

Dawn piped in. “Oh! Professor Rowan taught me something like that too! You can have many ideas and theories, but the only way to know how they work is to put them in action!” She planted her hands on her hips with a bit of pride.

The day went on with preparations. By nightfall, everyone had returned to the Pokémon Center. Some were calling it a night, but a few others held off on sleeping to catch a chat with friends.

Bugsy was about to eat up dinner with Lillie and Dawn as they discussed any more plans they had. A nice plate of hot wings and chicken sandwiches wasn’t a bad dinner. He didn’t get stuff like that often in Johto anyway, unless he were to spend some money in Goldenrod. And something about the way Pasio makes them just hits so right. “Mmmm… I dunno what the nurses do to this stuff, but this is amazing!” He said as he got a waft of the meat.

Dawn was already chewing a wing, even licking the excess sauce off her lips. “Delicious too!” She commented.

Lillie was unfamiliar with this food, but before she could eat, she noticed an approaching Sabrina. “Oh! Hello Sabrina!” Lillie waved to the incoming psychic expert.

“Excuse me.” The Saffronian sat down next to Bugsy at the booth the group was seated at. “You won’t mind if I joined you, yes?” She asked.

“Not at all! You’re fine, Sabrina!” Dawn answered.

The Azalean gave the newcomer a warm smile. “You’re always welcomed by my side, Sabrina. You know that.” He chuckled a bit. “How’s your preparations going?”

Sabrina’s cheeks grew a tad blush on them. She didn’t want to be super blunt to Bugsy, but she couldn’t lie and not say her start has been slow. “It’s… well, I’m… trying.” She settled on those words for now.

“Trying your best is always good, Sabrina! I’ve seen you during New Years celebrations!” Lillie laughed a bit, remembering how Sabrina was adamant about ringing her Chingling proudly at the end of last year’s celebration.

Dawn piped in as well. “This holiday should also be easy for you, Sabrina! So, what’s your plan?” She asked. “How are you gonna make others smile during the parade?”

The blush on the psychic’s cheeks grew brighter. “I… um… well, I was thinking maybe some bells and ringing from Chingling could be good but… well, I don’t know if one Chingling would be enough for a parade…” She confessed.

“If you had more Chingling, then maybe it would be easier. Or maybe a really big Chingling!” Bugsy joked a bit.

“That feels like… hm…” Sabrina thought about that. “I want something to make everyone be in awe. Something that makes everyone gain the warmest of smiles…” She said, rubbing her chin.

“Well, I’m gonna be excited with what you come up with!” Bugsy replied. “I bet it’s gonna be really special!”

Sabrina lowered her hand from her face. “Surely, you know this is the first time I’m doing this. So please, cut me some slack, BG.” She didn’t sound confident, that’s because she wasn’t confident at all!

Dawn smiled, noticing Sabrina’s demeanor. “Sabrina, you can do this. Whatever your idea is, we’ll be ready for it!” She replied.

After dinner, Sabrina would normally be sleeping. It was fairly late into the night after all. However, the stress of getting her decoration idea moving forward kept her awake. With only one Chingling, she wondered long and hard on where to put it. However, all her contemplation led her nowhere but to one conclusion. She grabbed her Poryphone and started dialing.

“Sabrina?” Erika groggily answered. Her eyes were squinted, struggling against the light of her Poryphone. “Is… there a problem?” She yawned.

“I need your help.” Sabrina stated, getting right to the point. “What’s the best spot to put Chingling for the parade?”

Erika rubbed her eyes to stir herself more awake. “I would say place it on Whitney’s Sawsbuck, but there’s many other good spots…” Her eyes went up to the ceiling before getting wide. “Sabrina, do you have other Chingling?”

Sabrina shook her head. “No. This Chingling is my only one.”

“I can tell the one you have isn’t the same one as last year. You use a different Chingling each year, don’t you?” Erika asked.

Sabrina nodded. “That’s because all my previous Chingling have long since evolved.”

And that led to Erika reaching an idea. “Bring them.” She requested.

Them? The Chimecho? “Um, are you sure? How many?” Sabrina asked for clarification.

“As many as you can.” Erika replied. “Please and thank you.”

“Thank you. And sorry to ruin your sleep.” Sabrina apologized before hanging up. Her thoughts continued to wander. All of her Chimecho? It couldn't be that bad of an idea, right? She let that thought ring in her head before her eyelids got heavy. Slumber overtook her senses... She'll have to try this plan out in the morning.

 

[RichestAirPirate]

Okay so this fic might actually get finished like either today or ON Christmas. Heh. I hope my timing and schedule and energy allow me to do that...

Spoiler: CW: None

Chapter 3: Ching Chime Ringa-ling-ding​

Centra City, Pasio, 3:32pm​

---

The next afternoon, everyone gathered in Centra City to get back to preparations. However, Sabrina and Erika arrived a little later than the rest of them. “Erika! Sabrina! Where were you two?” Jasmine asked.

Erika smiled. “We had an idea and had to get the things to make it reality.” She explained before pulling out a few Pokeballs.

Raihan cracked a little smirk. “What, y’all needed to get bells and whistles?” He joked.

And then Sabrina and Erika tossed their Pokeballs, sending out multiple Chimecho! Well, that made Raihan feel a little dumb. “I was kidding when I said that, Y’know.” He propped his arms behind his head.

Nessa had a laugh, but she also had a question. “What are we gonna do with all these Chimecho?” She asked.

Good thing Sabrina had the answer. “We’re gonna attach them to different places. They’ll help cover areas Chingling can’t.” She explained.

Volkner looked at the areas where he and Jasmine had placed lights. “Hm… The Chimecho might feel a little shock when the lights come on. Think they can take it?” He asked.

The disclaimer actually made Sabrina think twice for a bit, but the Chimecho group didn’t get deterred. They instead jingled more. “Cho Cho! We’ve got this!” One of them said before they scattered about, sticking to wherever they could. On floats, on lamp posts, on lights, etc.

Not exactly what Sabrina had in mind, but it made everyone else get the general idea. “Well, it’s a start, I suppose. Everyone, try to give the Chimecho a little suggestion on where they should go, okay?” She said.

So the Chimecho listened in on the suggestions of others. Oddly, not all of the Wind Chime Pokémon didn’t have to attach to a spot in order to be useful. For example, a few joined with Dawn, Lillie, and Bugsy in musical performance. Others acted as a mini cheering squad for Raihan in his choreographed battle against Leon. Still, most of them acted as decorations to parade floats, lights, and even other Pokémon. Whitney’s Sawsbuck and Poppy’s Steelix weren’t all too bothered by their new friends.

All that was left was Chingling. But even with the good spots narrowed down, Sabrina still wasn’t sure where to place it. “Hm…” Her finger rubbed her chin intensely as she tried to figure it out.

“The Chimecho provide wonderful sounds, do they not?” Erika asked as she focused on the jingles of the wind chimes. “So lovely… I could almost…” Her eyelids began to droop and her posture faltered.

“Hey Erika! Don’t go snoozing just yet!” Nessa snapped her fingers to startle the grass specialist awake. “Remember, you gotta assist us with presents come tomorrow night!” She added.

Sabrina sighed. “Hm… I don't know where Chingling should go…” This issue was honestly starting to drive her a little crazy. “And the parade is tomorrow night… Ugh…” Her arms went crossed, her frustration beginning to show.

That evening, Lillie wanted to give a final check on what everyone had done. Whitney’s Sawsbuck had to pull the sleigh float that Nessa, Erika, and Rosa were gonna pass out presents from. Raihan and Leon had their own float, one where they would have their own choreographed battle. Lisia and Wallace had their own float for them to pull off a contest style performance. Each float had their own lights, courtesy of the collaboration between Jasmine and Volkner. Professor Sycamore and Viola agreed to work with Skyla, ready to take photos from the POV of her airplane during her airshow starter. And the finale was Poppy’s Steelix pulling the float that held the Christmas tree, where Bugsy, Dawn, and herself would play a wonderful song. Clair and Lance would provide the announcements for the parade and Arven and Siebold would provide the food and snacks.

All looked good to Lillie. All but one thing, Sabrina’s role. That was still up in the air. So, once nightfall came, Lillie reached out to the Saffron gym leader. “Excuse me, Sabrina?” She asked. “I noticed that you haven’t-”

“Decided what I’ll do for the parade?” Sabrina interjected. “Yes yes, I know. But truthfully, I’m not sure what I can do…” She sighed before closing the book she was reading.

Lillie reached her hand out to pat the psychic’s shoulder. “I know that this is likely a difficult time for you, but you don’t have to be so difficult on yourself, Sabrina.” She said with a soft smile.

“To make matters worse, Chingling went missing!” Sabrina blurted out.

“Missing?!” Lillie’s eyes widened. “But how?”

“I don’t know! It just vanished sometime! I don’t know when but… it’s not with me!” Sabrina said, getting stressed by the second.

Lillie laughed a bit nervously. “‘Well um, maybe Chingling didn’t go missing. Maybe it just um… wants to surprise you.” She guessed, hoping to maybe lighten the mood. “Just breathe. I’m sure it’ll turn up soon enough.”

Sabrina took a deep breath in and back out. “Maybe you’re right… but still, I’m… worried. I don’t know if I can adequately participate.” She admitted.

“Just try your best, Sabrina. Okay?” Lillie asked.

“Alright… I’ll probably think it over some sleep.” Sabrina got up from her seat and headed off to the living quarters. “Good night, Lillie.”

“Good night, Sabrina.” Lillie waved the telepath farewell. Was Chingling truly missing or planning something? That question lingered in Lillie’s head. She hoped Sabrina wouldn’t figure out the truth.

 

[RichestAirPirate]

I was meant to have this finished on Christmas but I got distracted by my Switch 2 and ended up playing that a lot. Oopsie daisy.
Well, I at least got this fic done before New Years!
Happy Holidays everyone!

Spoiler: CW: None

Chapter 4: Shining Shing-a-ling Surprise​

Centra City, Pasio, 6:55pm​

---

The next night was the big day. The parade was just about to start. Routines have been practiced, the spectators have crowded around the city, and everyone has their costumes on. It’s time to get this show on the road.

Sabrina had a few deep breaths in and out. Despite searching all around for the majority of the day, she couldn’t find Chingling anywhere. She was just going to act like one of the crowd but she was interrupted by Lillie tapping her shoulder.

“Sabrina, could you please join our music float?” Lillie asked.

The music float? With Lillie, Bugsy, and Dawn? But Sabrina lacked an instrument. “May I ask why? I still don’t have Chingling.” Sabrina replied.

Lillie smiled. “You can be another vocalist! At first we were just going to use Primarina but we figured your voice could be a great help for us! And you can sing well!”

Well, Lillie wasn’t entirely wrong about Sabrina’s singing voice. She’s taken part in a few musical films before, so she could definitely sing, even without autotune. “Well, I suppose I can join you.” Sabrina said with a nod.

Lance cleared his throat before speaking into the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the very first Pasio New Year’s Christmas Bash parade!” He proudly declared.

Clair cleared her throat. “To begin, kindly bring your attention skyward! Overheard, you’ll witness a wonderfully jolly air show by Unovan Aerial Ace, Skyla!” She announced. “Be sure to smile for the cameras too!”

In the air, Skyla piloted a biplane that was decorated with blue and white lights. Oh, but that plane could do more than look pretty. It could maneuver very well too! Loop de loops, aileron rolls, all kinds of tricks to wow the crowd. Toward the end, she flew lower to ground level, just so Sycamore and Viola could snag photos of the awestruck spectators.

After that, Lance spoke up. “And now, welcome the presents party!”

Whitney was seated proudly on the back of Sawsbuck, who was not only decorated with jolly Chimecho, but also pulled the sleigh float where Nessa, Rosa, and Erika were standing on and passing out presents from. Their aim was very good too, tossing the right presents to the right recipients.

“Now it’s time for the proudest family performance! Wallace! Lisia! Show them!” Clair announced.

The next float that came had Lisia and Wallace together, performing a wonderful dance alongside their Pokemon. With a nod to each other, the two contest stars decided to perform their big bang.

“Alright! Rapidash! Dazzling Gleam!” Lisia ordered.

Rapidash neighed and used Dazzling Gleam, unleashing a bright flash of dazzling light into the air that wowed the crowd.

“Now Blacephalon! Mind Blown!” Wallace followed up.

Blacephalon took off its head and tossed it into the Dazzling Gleam, creating an absolutely stunning array of bursts and colors! That sure got the crowd in awe!

Crash! Boom! Bwoosh!

“Oh? You hear that Clair?” Lance asked.

Clair gave a nod. “Ohohoho! Lance, in comes Leon and Raihan! Having another great battle once again!” She announced.

In comes the float with Leon and Raihan, locked in quite the bout. Calyrex proved itself an extremely fierce foe, but Sandaconda still held on against the Ice Rider.

“Calyrex, Glacial Lance!” Leon ordered.

Calyrex raised its hand, channeling a mini blizzard and turning it into a lance. It then threw the lance towards the snake. “Hm.”

“Fire Fang it!” Raihan retaliated.

“Sssss…” Sandaconda’s mouth turned into flames before it lunged up. “Hah!” In a swift hot chomp, it bit the Glacial Lance into pieces before diving down on Calyrex, but the attack was dodged.

“Psychic!” Leon commanded.

Calyrex attacked with a strong telekinetic force. “Begone.” The psychic type looked merciless, but in truth, it was holding back to an extent as to not gravely damage their foe.

The same could be said for Sandaconda, who withstood the attack quite well, holding its ground quite well. “Ssssheheheh…”

“Now try Blizzard!” Leon shouted.

Calyrex attacked with a powerful Blizzard. Luckily, it seemed that Raihan was waiting for that.

“Suck it up, Sandaconda!” The dragon trainer ordered.

Sandaconda breathed deeply through its nose, sucking in as much of the blizzard as it could. “Huuuuuuuuom!” This was a trick it’s been practicing with Raihan for days, but that didn’t mean it was easy. All that snow caused it to shiver a little.

“Now! Expel it!” Raihan snapped his fingers.

“SSSSHOH!” Sandaconda shot out all of that snow into the air. It did feel a little fatigued from it, but it held on just fine. Besides, the crowd was absolutely wowed by that!

No one knew the outcome of Leon and Raihan’s battle, because they didn’t have time to finish it. It was time for the parade’s great finale. Lance cleared his throat. “And now, welcome the musical crew!” He declared.

“Allow them to share their cheer!” Clair added.

Poppy rode on the back of her Steelix, who pulled the float that had Bugsy, Lillie, Dawn, and Sabrina all in front of a large Christmas tree. Bugsy mouthed a countdown before beginning to wave his baton to conduct.

Lillie and Ribombee played under Bugsy’s conducting, and Primarina sang along with them. While Dawn and Oricorio danced, Sabrina provided the primary vocals to go with the melody. “We wish you a Marill Christmas. We wish you a Marill Christmas. We wish you a Marill Christmas. And a Hoppip New Year.”

The spectators were amazed by the musical marvel, and they were even more amazed by the finish. Bugsy’s conducting led the way.

“We wish you a Marill Christmas. We wish you a Marill Christmas. We wish you a Marill Christmaaaaaaaaaas….” Sabrina was sure to hold on that note, just like everyone else. Once Bugsy brought his hand down, she was able to finish it. “And a Hoppip New Year!”

Bugsy flicked his baton up to the top of the tree, where a peculiar chime jingled rapidly to end the song. Sabrina knew that sound. She turned around and looked up at the tree’s star, only to find that the jingle came from Chingling, who was attached to the tree’s star! “Chingling?!” Her words were soft and quiet, but her surprise was still there.

“Hey!” Chingling giggled a bit before gesturing for Sabrina to turn around.

Sabrina put her shock on hold per Chingling’s suggestion. She joined the others in bowing towards the applauding crowd. However, she found herself smiling just as bright as the others as she did so.

Once the parade ended, the Christmas and New Years groups gathered all together for some closing words, thanking everyone for making all of it happen. When a moment arose, Sabrina didn’t leave the party just yet. She took time to savor some of the food on offer. She never tried Siebold or Arven’s cooking before, so her tastebuds were wowed when the flavors hit.

“Hey! Sabrina!” Bugsy called out as he approached the Saffronian with Chingling on his shoulder and a plate of 2 cookies in his hand.

Sabrina’s gaze turned to the bug catcher upon hearing his voice. She caught Chingling in her palms after it hopped off Bugsy’s person. “Hello Bugsy. You found Chingling? Where was he?” She asked.

Bugsy shook his head. “Well, Chingling didn’t get lost. It actually came to me and Lillie and told us where it wanted to be hung from! We wanted to keep it a surprise, so we didn’t tell you.” He explained.

Chingling hopped in place. “Did I do good?” The bell Pokémon asked, looking gleeful as ever.

“It was wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! You did great!” Sabrina replied as she patted Chingling’s head. “Thank you, Chingling!” She was a little bit upset by Chingling disappearing for a while, but she couldn’t lie about it being an impressive surprise. “Can I have a moment with Bugsy please?” She asked before recalling the bell into its Pokéball.

“Sorry if we scared you, Sabrina. We just wanted to see you happy for this holiday.” Bugsy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “I heard that you have issues with using the holiday season in the best way possible, but I think that just doing your best to make the people you care about happy is enough.” He grabbed a gingerbread cookie and took a large bite of it.

Sabrina rubbed her upper arm, feeling a bit embarrassed at what she felt Bugsy was implying. “...Maybe, I was trying too hard?” She asked.

“Just your singing made lots of people smile today! I noticed everybody was beaming!” The Azalean said after he swallowed. “Sometimes even the little things can make peoples’ days, y’know?”

The Saffronian rarely got flustered by attention. But the whole crowd of god knows how many showing joy over her singing? She felt her cheeks getting a tad rosy. “...Were you smiling?” She asked.

Bugsy nodded. “Mhm! Not only because your singing was great, but because you were smiling too!” He replied. “And seeing you smile always makes me smile too.”

Sabrina let out a small gasp at the reply. When her mouth went closed again, she was smiling softly. And sure enough, Bugsy was smiling too. “Oh Bugsy…” She placed her hand up to her cheek, looking into her significant other’s eyes. “It truly is the little things to you, isn’t it?”

Bugsy laughed a bit. “Haha! I like to think that’s my motto!” He said as he offered the last cookie to Sabrina.

Well, if the entomologist is offering, the telepath might as well accept. Sabrina took the cookie and had a bite. “Mmmm… Wonderful…” Her smile grew wider as she scarfed it down.

Bugsy tossed the plate into a waste bin before putting his full attention on Sabrina. “I hope this was a good Christmas for you.” He said as his fingers interlocked with hers.

“It was. I think I have you to thank for that.” Sabrina answered after she swallowed.

“Anytime, Sabrina.” Bugsy answered with a bright grin.

Without warning, Sabrina leaned in slightly downward, making lip contact with Bugsy’s mouth. The crumbs from her cookie weren’t wiped away and instead got passed onto his lips, not that he minded anyway. When they separated, Sabrina laughed slightly. “You still suck at kissing, you know!”

“Sorry! Sorry! I’m still not used to it!” Bugsy replied.

Sabrina gestured up to the lamp post above them. “Well it’s a good thing that’s there, then?” She asked.

Bugsy’s eyes went skyward, making him see that there was mistletoe hanging from the light. “Oh! Well, guess you’re right about that, huh?” He said as his gaze went down back to the clairvoyant’s. “But um, not sure we should do this in front of all these people.”

“That’s fair to believe.” Sabrina nodded, dropping the playfulness, only to be met with a sudden hug from Bugsy.

“Can we settle for this for now?” Bugsy asked as he nuzzled up into Sabrina’s body and wrapped his arms around her.

Sabrina smooched the Johtonian’s forehead. “If that’s what you want.” She said with a soft laugh. Her arms wrapped around Bugsy carefully, taking him into her embrace. “Merry Christmas, BG.”

“Merry Christmas, ‘Brina.” Bugsy replied, closing his eyes as he took in the warmth of the psychic. “Glad I could spend it with you.”

Sabrina’s smile grew extra warm. Making others smile on the holidays might really be the best way to spend the holidays, at least to her. She was glad Bugsy could help her realize that.