Pokémon The Feelings I 'Delibird' [ Red's bittersweet Christmas on Mt.Silver ]

[Redenne_Moon]

“Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden.”
― Cormac McCarthy

Red has to spend his first Christmas alone on Mt.Silver after dropping his Champion title and disappearing from the public eye. Feeling homesick and miserable, it’s hard to find anything worth celebrating, even with the company of his beloved Pokémon. But on such a magical night, you never know what might happen.

A bittersweet tale about Red’s lonely Christmas, and how he came to be there.

Status: Complete (8 Chapters)
Tags: Game-verse, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Christmas Magic, Action/Adventure

WARNING for non-graphic violence. Specific warnings, which may spoil, below:

Spoiler

Home invasion, Severe burns / fire related injury, Hospitalization.

This is Part 1 of my Reguri (Red x Green) series called "I'll Always 'Pikachoose' you!"
(But all parts can be read and enjoyed on their own)
This tale is a prequel / Christmas special, mainly focused on Red, and is also my first completed fic ever (finished early 2024) ❤️
[ AO3 Series Link ] [ Ship Playlist ]
[ Part 2 - Ongoing ]

(Open to feedback on the story / writing & how I've posted this. I've not shared fic to a forum before!)​

 

[Redenne_Moon]

Part 1 - The Night Before Christmas

On Mt.Silver
Christmas Eve

---

The Kanto and Johto regions were blanketed heavily with snow, the perfect setting for yet another Christmas Eve. Most folks were bundled warmly inside, cuddled up to their partners for a romantic evening, enjoying dinner celebrations with family and friends, or fruitlessly trying to settle excited children down for bed before Santa’s arrival. Others, however, were contemplating their loneliness on this quiet night.

Atop Mt.Silver the cold was particularly bitter as a snowstorm raged with enough ferocity to bury a Mamoswine from head to toe. Red held his Charizard close for heat within their humble cave shelter. The bright flame of the Pokémon’s tail was a beacon of hope in the unforgiving landscape.

There wasn’t a sane human in this world who would willingly spend their holidays in a place like this, and Red was no exception. Any other year he would have been at home in Pallet Town, celebrating with his mother and their neighbors to combine their small, broken families. It was a humble tradition, but Red wouldn’t wish for any different. He could almost smell his mother’s pecha berry cake, Daisy’s assorted tea and wagashi, and the comforting cream stew that Leaf’s dad always made. And once everyone’s bellies were nice and full, Professor Oak told the best stories. He fondly recalled curling up in his pajamas by a warm fire with Daisy, Leaf, and Green to listen to them. Red would try his best to stay awake all the way to the end, but inevitably his eyes would get heavier and heavier, and next thing he knew he was waking up tucked into his own bed on Christmas morning. The fun only continued when the children all too excitedly convened together to share what Santa left for them under the tree and spent their entire day playing with them.

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to make new memories with everyone this year made Red’s heart ache. He’d never spent a Christmas away from home, and under these circumstances it hardly counted as a Christmas at all. Red had been brave in sticking to his convictions, but now that he was living with the consequences it was harder than ever to keep up his resolve. The more he wallowed in his own thoughts, the more his homesickness gnawed at his stomach. For the first time Red realized why they call it a sickness. He’d been plagued with constant nausea, shortness of breath, and a tight chest that only seemed to grow worse with each day, but there was nowhere to go to alleviate himself of this pain. This was his new home, at least for the foreseeable future.

“Zar…” Red’s Charizard let out a rumbling sound as he nuzzled his trainer’s head in a comforting motion, and Red reciprocated by rubbing his neck idly while staring off into space. After a time, his calloused and blistered hands trailed down Char’s scales for a final time before pulling away and rummaging through his bag for an old, tattered notebook and pencil.

To satiate his loneliness Red thought to write some letters for his loved ones. He knew he couldn’t deliver them, but somehow it made him feel a little better to pretend that he could. Clearly he had nothing but time, so Red took a lot of care in putting his feelings into words, thought that was something he struggled with. At the very least it kept his mind occupied as he focused on what he had to be grateful for.

After all, without the support of his loved ones, he never would have made it through what happened…

 

[Redenne_Moon]

Part 2 - The Hottest Scoop

On every television in the Kanto region
A few months prior…

---

A Pokéball launched forward on the screen, opening up to capture the audience and envelop the television before it faded to reveal the set of a popular, bite-sized daytime news broadcast. A short jingle followed, one every trainer would recognize as the capture sound, but with a unique melodic twist.

“Aihime has caught you~!” the female host with luxuriously long red hair announced cutely. She held a Pokéball to her cheek - her signature pose.

“Not unless Akihiko caught you first,” the male host with ivory white hair countered in a suave manner. He delicately held another Pokéball towards his lips - his signature pose.

Then, in unison, they exclaimed, “Welcome to Critical Capture!”

“Now don’t go anywhere because you’re not going to want to miss what we’ve got in store for you this time! Right, Aihime?” Akihiko began, allowing his co-host to bounce off of him seamlessly.

“That’s right! As always, we cover the latest and hottest news on the trainer scene in Kanto, and right now the whole region is buzzing big time! In fact, I’m sure you at home already know where this is going.” Aihime winks before striking a dramatic pose. “Hot off the presses! The grandson of Kanto’s most acclaimed professor achieves greatness as the region’s youngest Champion, only to be dethroned by an unknown, yet equally young upsetter from his own hometown. No way!”

“The headlines just write themselves with this one!” the male host joked, “This mysterious new Champion is pretty tightlipped and everyone is just begging for answers. Fortunately, our journalists have been on the ground getting all the info gathered for you in one place!”

“Lucky you~! We’ve got so much to look forward to here, so let’s lay out the basics. Who is this kid?” she prompted, looking to Akihiko with intrigue.

“It’s been confirmed by the Hall of Fame records that our new Champion’s name is Red Nishida, hailing from the quiet and humble Pallet Town. His birthday is on the twenty-seventh of February, he got his first Pokémon at eleven years old, and became a Champion at twelve!” The screen behind the hosts soon revealed Red’s Hall of Fame picture, with his registered team below it. The boy appeared a bit stone-faced, almost like he was posing for a mugshot.

“Ohh, a Pisces~,” Aihime cooed in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.

Akihiko shook his head and pointed to the graphic. “More importantly, look at those Pokemon! A Raticate and a Butterfree in the Hall of Fame? Talk about unconventional.”

“Just goes to show that it’s all about skill, Akihiko!”

“And speaking of skill, can you believe he’s only twelve years old? I’m still not over it from when we talked about Green Oak, but I could at least sort of come to terms with it because of his grandfather’s influence, and his big sister’s stellar contest skills.”

The woman nodded emphatically, which was followed by a wistful sigh. “I know right? It’s too bad Green declined to comment but I understand it’s a hard time for him at the moment. I think he might have had one of the shortest Championship reigns in Kanto’s history.”

“Ouch! But nonetheless, to achieve as much as these two trainers have in such a short time and at such a young age is an amazing feat nonetheless! What are the chances that they’d be rivals from the same town?”

“That’s real bad luck in my opinion. I bet it must be frustrating to be a prodigy in a rivalry with another prodigy!”

Akihiko laughed. “So true! But maybe that’s what pushed them to do their best.”

“When did you get so wise?” Aihime gave him a surprised look before shaking her head and moving on. “Anyways, we were just as curious as you all were to know more. Understandably, some are dubious of the character and capability of someone so young and wonder if he really deserves such a prestigious title, so we’ve gathered several accounts from those who claim to have met this trainer on his underdog journey from obscurity to success.”

“Roll the footage!”

With a swift transition, Professor Oak was suddenly shown on screen. He looked confident and comfortable around the camera as he said, “Red will be a great Champion and I am so proud of him. I’ve known him since he was a baby, and he’s always had a good heart and shown great potential for his age. He and my grandson keep each other on their toes, and I think they learn a lot from each other. This occasion will be a lesson for Green, I think. I know he will come back better than ever, in time.” He smiled. “I feel grateful to have been able to witness their growth firsthand. Now, always remember, loving your Pokémon is key, and there are no shortcuts to success.”

Once he had finished, the camera cut to his granddaughter, Daisy Oak.

“I’m so proud of him!” Daisy said, her voice as delicate as a breeze. “I appraise Pokémon and I can assure you that his care for him greatly.” The young girl cupped her face in her hands and gave a sweet smile. “That should tell you everything you need to know," she concluded, thus ending her portion.

“That boy helped me find my false teeth!” the Safari Zone Warden declared, and showed off his golden grin for the remainder of his short amount of screen time.

Then an old seasoned sailor appeared to say, “He was a strangely quiet young man, but he was kind enough to rub my back when I was seasick.”

“Seasick? Aren’t you the Captain of the S.S.Anne?” the interviewer asked quietly.

“This interview isn’t about me…-” he began, and the footage was quickly cut off to show a youthful boy with an excitable disposition. He held up a hand drawn sign with the web address for an independent forum.

“I was a fan of Red’s before he got big. I knew he could do it! I can’t explain it, I guess I just have an eye for what’s cool, you know?” he huffed proudly, “I’m actually the first member and founder of the Red Fanclub, which is now growing in numbers everyday. Check out our forum and join today!”

The footage then revealed the outside of the Pokémon House in Lavender Town, where one of the volunteers stood awkwardly with their hands pressed at their sides. “So… Mr.Fuji is too shy to do interviews so I am speaking in his stead,” they explained.

“Thank you for sharing your time with us. From working with Mr.Fuji do you have any insight on his opinion of the new Champion?” asked the interviewer.

“Yes, I would say he likes Red very much. He bravely saved Mr.Fuji in the past when Team Rocket was causing trouble, and he kindly adopted one of our orphaned Pokémon that we housed here. So... please consider supporting our efforts as well. Thank you.” They bowed deeply, bringing their interview to an end.

“As the President of Silph Co. I would like to personally commend Red for his efforts and achievements. When I made my statement following the siege of our Head Office in Saffron City, I was not able to offer you my full public acknowledgement and appreciation. But now I have a name to put to the face. Thank you, Red. If you’d ever like to work at Silph in the future, let me know.” The man offered a cheesy wink and then the footage then cut back to the hosts.

“Did you hear that? Red even faced Team Rocket!” Akihiko looked at the camera in exaggerated amazement.

“Crazy stuff! Loyal viewers will remember our past coverage of Team Rocket, in which we went over accounts of unknown vigilante trainers who seemed to be giving the organization a run for their money! It looks like Red was one of them?” The woman turned towards her colleague with raised eyebrows.

“Seems so! Only the strongest and bravest trainers would have stood a chance, so it makes sense. That’s definitely the kind of trainer you want as a Champion.”

“In that way he really reminds me of a young Lance! And speaking of Lance, we are pleased to have gotten a short word on the subject of Red with each of our illustrious Gym Leaders and Elite Four members. This is what we like to call: The League Review!”

On cue, a series of short clips began to play.

“He has a rock hard resolve, I believe he will go far,” said Brock, the Rock Type Gym Leader.

“I have to give him props! He looks pretty harmless, but he was entertaining to battle,” said Misty, The Water Type Gym Leader.

“I’ll admit I underestimated him, but he really shocked me!” said Lt. Surge, the Electric Type Gym Leader.

“He’s quiet and calm, I quite admire that for a Champion,” said Erika, the Grass Type Gym Leader.

“It’s necessary for the new Champion to not become complacent. If he works hard, he can achieve great things,” said Koga, the Poison Type Gym Leader.

“I can sense his strong love for his Pokémon. That’s what matters most," said Sabrina, the Psychic Type Gym Leader.

“Wahaha! I was just talking about Red with Mr.Fuji the other day! I like his spunk," said Blaine, the Fire Type Gym Leader.

“That challenger was sharp and adaptable with out-of-the-box strategies. I’ll be asking for a rematch soon,” said Lorelei of the Elite Four.

“Battles like the one we had is the reason I do what I do,” said Bruno of the Elite Four.

“I have high hopes for that one. He better not go soft, and I’ll be watching,” said Agatha of the Elite Four.

“I appreciate trainers that stand for justice. There is no limit to what can be achieved from here,” said Lance of the Elite Four.

The clips came to an end with an obvious gap left in the lineup. The two hosts returned on screen and quickly addressed the matter.

“Due to the recent exposure of Giovanni’s relation to Team Rocket and subsequent disappearance there could, of course, be no commentary from Viridian Gym,” the man explained.

“On that note,” piped Aihime, “Viridian Gym is looking for new management! Could being a Gym Leader be in your future? Contact the League for more information.”

“Now that’s a job opening that doesn’t come up very often!” The man laughed. “I’ve got to say, though, that this has been very insightful. After hearing all those enthusiastic accounts, I might just have to join the fanclub!”

“I think you’re a bit too old for fanclubs,” she jabbed lightheartedly, “But I understand completely, if I got the chance, I’d definitely want to battle this kid! What do you all out there think? As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Send in your opinionated letters to our POBox on the screen and we’ll read them out for our next Letterday Special.”

“Thank you all for tuning in today. That’s all the time we have for right now, but Akihiko will catch you again.” The man struck his signature pose.

“Not unless Aihime catches you first~!” the woman followed up, naturally taking on her signature pose as well.

Together, the hosts signed off in unison, “Catch you next time on Critical Capture!”

 

[Redenne_Moon]

Part 3 - The Darkest Night

At the Nishida Residence, Pallet Town
A month prior…

---

“Mom, I’m home,” Red announced as he removed his shoes at the entrance. The instant he closed the door behind him his whole body seemed to deflate as the tension melted away. His mother, Aiko Nishida, was rugged up under the kotatsu watching TV, and as soon as she turned around to look at her son she gasped.

“Honey, your lips are blue!” She stood up and came to him in a hurry, her steps made small by the blanket she clutched around her body like a cocoon. “It’s really starting to get cold now, you can’t be wearing jeans and short sleeves out at night.”

“I-I know. Sorry… It’s just… the Winter clothes I wore last year don’t fit me anymore,” he finally admitted.

“Oh, Red…” Aiko cupped the boy’s face in her hands and sighed hopelessly. “You really should tell me when you need something. You’re a growing boy! It’s only natural. We’ll go shopping together tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.” Red smiled easily, only to be thrown off balance shortly thereafter when his mother threw the blanket she was wearing off her body and onto his. In a loving yet firm manner, she tightly wound him up in it until all that was visible of him was his eyes and nose.

“That’s better. Please go sit at the kotatsu - It’s all warm and toasty. I’ll make us some tea.”

Red was pretty tired, especially with how many people had approached him that day, but he knew his mother would worry if he wasn’t sufficiently warmed up before he went to bed, so he would be sure to do as she said. Since becoming a trainer he had come to sorely miss her company and these quiet, domestic comforts.

With a softly spoken, “Thanks, Mom,” Red hobbled over to sit down and tucked his legs under the quilted blanket. Right away the kotatsu got to work defrosting his toes and he felt his entire body start to relax into it. The romance drama rerun on the television kept Red occupied until his mother returned with a hot teapot and two small cups on a tray. She sat down right next to him, and together the pair enjoyed their hot chamomile tea with honey while lightly discussing the show.

By the end of the hour long episode they had finished the whole pot between the two of them, and neither could keep their eyes open for longer than a few seconds at a time. As nice as it would have been to just sleep right there under the kotatsu, Aiko encouraged her son to brush his teeth, put on some pajamas, and get into his own bed. Red reluctantly obliged, and with a lazy stretch, headed upstairs.

“Goodnight, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you too, Red. Sweet dreams.”

… … … … … … …

Clack.

Pallet Town was a quiet and peaceful place to live.

Crack.

So Aiko didn’t think much of it…

Creak.

… When she awoke to the sound of someone moving around inside her home in the middle of the night.

“Red, honey, is that you?” the woman mumbled groggily, rubbing her heavy eyes. “Are you okay?” There was no reply, but she figured he probably didn’t hear her.

With a click of her lamp, the room lit up in a soft orange glow. She shivered as she left the comfort of her cozy bed and put on her fuzzy Dewgong slippers. When she wrapped her hand around the doorknob, she hesitated from a sudden wave of unease. There was no light pooling in under the door, like one would expect if their son was rummaging around the kitchen. Nonetheless, she persisted.

As the door drew open, instead of meeting warm, red eyes, she found herself staring into ice cold blue.

A tall man with cyan hair whom she had never seen before lunged at her like a predator that had been lying in wait for its prey. She began to scream, but he quickly made moves to cover her mouth, and that was when she noticed the Houndoom by his side, poised to strike at any moment. She froze in place.

“Apologies for the intrusion, Ms.Nishida,” he said, the words sickly smooth and laced with a poison that dripped with every word, “But you’ll be coming with me.”

He wasted no time in putting the woman into a restrictive hold to bring her towards the front door. She knew the moment he got her outside and onto a Pokémon or getaway vehicle, it would be over. Thankfully there had been enough concerning noises from her struggle that, in just a few heartbeats, Red was racing down the stairs. His hair was tousled messily and his pajamas in complete disarray. In his panicked haste he nearly fell most of the way down, but he caught himself and boldly approached the stranger with a Pokéball held tightly in his fist.

“Well if it isn’t the little Mouse. I was wondering when you’d make an appearance.” The man didn’t seem at all surprised by Red’s arrival. “I wouldn’t do anything with that Pokéball if I were you. Right, Houndoom?” On cue, the hound bared its teeth at Aiko with a growl. Flames started to dance dangerously around its open maw.

Red wavered, hesitantly lowering his hand as he locked eyes with his fearful mother and then with the perpetrator, who smiled widely. “Oh? Look who’s a scared child now! This is why children shouldn’t get involved in adult matters, but you just didn’t know when to quit, did you?” The man cocked his head to one side tauntingly, relishing in the look of horrified recognition dawning on Red's features. He spoke slowly as he enunciated each word with a purposeful, cold malice, “Now you must understand, don’t you? None of this is about your mother. This is about you. If you want me to let her go, you’ll have to come with me. Just you. No Pokémon. So what will it be?”

His mother began to shake her head desperately, willing him to not make the choice they both knew he would make. It was too hard to face her directly, so Red dropped his gaze to his Pokéball instead. His Charizard was inside, and it was hard to tell whether his hands were trembling, or if his partner was shaking to be let free. As a team, they’d always faced everything head on, but he couldn’t risk it this time. He couldn’t pay this price, even if it cost him instead.

‘I’m sorry, Char,’ he thought, as he forced himself to place the Pokéball out of reach and approached the 'ex'-Rocket member.

“Smart choice.” The intruder carelessly discarded the woman he’d used as a bartering chip and yanked Red towards him by the back of his collar. “Let’s go.”

As the man led Red away, Houndoom cornered his mother against a wall to keep the boy incentivized to follow along quietly. Aiko was frantically searching for a way to help her son, and that’s when she noticed the house plant by her feet. The idea that came to mind was nothing short of madness, but it was her only chance.

Slowly, Aiko lowered herself down to the ground and cowered beside the potted plant to get her arms around it. The Houndoom kept a close eye, but did not act. She took a few deep breaths and then, with a kick of her foot, she sent one of her slippers flying into the Houndoom’s face. With just a few moments to spare as the Pokemon reeled in surprise and readied an attack, she pulled the houseplant out in front of her. Flames engulfed Aiko’s hands and forearms along with the leaves and peat moss in the pot, the latter of which created a generous amount of smoke. She let out haunting shrieks of agony as she felt her skin burn, melt, and meld in on itself. She held on as long as she could before it slipped through her trembling fingers, the terracotta pot shattering on the floor just before the fire alarm set off. It blared loudly, enough for the entire immediate neighborhood to hear.

Aiko shakily looked up at her son’s horrified face, which was blurred by her own tears. She then looked to the nearest window. The Oak’s lights had turned on. She managed the smallest smile of relief before falling unconscious on the floor, her body crumpling from the overwhelming amount of pain.

“You fucking -” the man cursed, unable to even conjure up an insult in his rage and sudden urgency. In that split moment, he had to decide whether his chance for immediate revenge was worth more than the risk of being caught and having his plans of future glory ruined. The answer was obvious, but he didn’t let go of Red just yet. He forcibly grabbed the boy’s jaw so that he couldn’t look away from his mother’s body as he hissed a final message into his ear, “Listen to me and listen closely, Mouse. I want you to burn this image into your brain. And the before you think about playing the hero and sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong ever again, remember that next time I’ll make sure she won’t be able to wake up.” Then, without missing a beat he said, “Houndoom, Smokescreen.”

The entire house filled with a dark, thick smoke and Red was finally let go. He heard the man’s hurried footsteps and some thumping as he made his escape, but Red didn’t try to follow. Instead he stumbled and crawled around blindly to find his mother. To hold her. He coughed and wept as he called out in a croaky voice that was barely audible past the alarm, “Mom…? I’m sorry, Mom.”

When Professor Oak and Daisy made it to the house, through the dissipating smoke they would find Red cradling his mother in his lap with their foreheads pressed together.

 

[Redenne_Moon]

Part 4 - The Peculiar Pair

On Mt.Silver
Christmas Eve

---

It had grown quite late once Red had finished his letters. He was taking some extra time to read them over to himself silently when there was a sudden crash in the distance. It was loud, lengthy, and cacophonous. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound good.

The trainer tensed immediately and quickly tossed the notebook and pen side, stuffing the finished letters he’d ripped out of the book into his vest pocket. He looked to his Charizard anxiously, and could immediately tell that they both had the same fear. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone other than Pokémon on this mountain, but what if…?

After taking a moment to think, Red unclipped a Pokéball from his waist and let his Lapras out. “Lacey, could you please watch the cave?” he asked. “If anyone comes, send an aurora into the sky.”

The Lapras let out a shrill, sing-song reply in agreement and Red managed a smile. “Thank you,” he said. Her powers were all the more potent in this weather, so if anyone were to try to get past her, they’d be sorry.

A low growl rumbled from Char’s throat as he rose to his feet and offered his wing as a protective shelter for his trainer. After gathering a few supplies, Red was quick to take him up on the offer and pressed close to his partner’s side before they headed out on their investigation.

The cave soon disappeared behind them and it became impossible to see anything but flurries of snow in any direction they faced. They searched blindly for a while, bracing themselves through the wind as they trudged through the thick layers of snow that Char helped pave through with his flames. This went on long enough that just when one would think that anyone else would have given up, they persisted even longer until they finally found a lead.

“Over there!” Red pointed Char towards a mysterious dark figure in the sea of white. The shape was difficult to make out, and its movements were jagged and unnatural, but it appeared to be a Pokémon of some kind.

As the pair drew in closer, they realized that there was not just one Pokémon, but two, and both were clearly injured. The first, which had initially caught their attention, was a limping Stantler. The second was a Delibird riding on its back while nursing one of its wings.

Char's and Red's eyes met, and that’s all that was needed. Not a moment later, Charizard called out to the Stantler and Delibird to announce their intentions. Meanwhile, Red grabbed the healing supplies he’d brought with him. He knew that Stantler were often shy, so he kept his movements slow, cautious, and purposeful. However, to his surprise, neither the Stantler nor the Delibird seemed to show any apprehension once they noticed them. In fact, they actually looked happy.

This didn’t stop Red from keeping his wits about him as he held his hand out for the Pokémon to sniff. “Hello… I’m Red," he said, “I have some healing supplies for you.”

Oftentimes, wild Pokémon hesitated to accept help from trainers and their partners. They could be flighty, or even fighty, out of fear or jealousy. Despite this, however, the Stantler was quick to press his warm nose against Red’s hand when it was offered to him. His gaze was soft, yet sharp. The Delibird followed suit, opting to shake his hand like a human would. These were very trusting Pokémon, Red noted, for being out in such a remote area. The trainer found himself entranced for a short while before he finally pulled his hand away and shifted his focus to their injuries.

Gently, Red guided the Pokémon down onto the ground and began inspecting them. Char used his wings to shield them from the worst of the snow, which allowed Red to work on spraying and bandaging their wounds. The Stantler had a sprained ankle and a few abrasions, while the Delibird had a laceration on his wing, but thankfully none of the injuries looked so serious that some basic first aid wouldn’t do the trick.

“You’ll feel better soon, I promise,” he assured them.

 

[Redenne_Moon]

Part 5 - The Escape Plan

In a private room in Viridian Hospital
Less than a month ago…

---

The hands of a taunting clock ticked in a slow, rhythmic harmony with whirring medical machinery and various beeping monitors in an otherwise much too quiet room. Red held his Espeon close in his lap and stroked her sleek fur in a repetitive, self-soothing manner as he watched over the hospital bed where his mother slept. His Pikachu, Chu, was curled on top of her chest, sleeping soundly along with her. The woman’s arms and hands were in casts after her surgery, but he wished so badly to be able to hold them.

“... Red?” The door creaked open and shut in a quick and discrete manner as a familiar voice piped up. Both Pokémon in the room quickly roused and scampered off to greet the visitor, earning them some well-earned pats on the head. “Ah, hello to you too.”

“Hi, Leaf,” the boy greeted softly as she approached, forcing himself to turn away from his mother to look his friend in the eye. Now that he couldn’t pet Eve anymore, he had quickly resorted to rubbing his knees. Soon enough, he noticed Leaf’s expression contorting in concern, and he suddenly wondered if he looked as much of a mess as he felt.

“Hey.” Leaf swallowed and took a seat in the chair next to his. Eve and Chu followed suit shortly after and gathered by their feet. “You still haven’t slept, have you?”

Red averted his gaze and shook his head.

“Have you eaten?”

Again, Red shook his head.

“I know you’re having a hard time, but punishing yourself won’t move things along any faster.”

“I know.”

Leaf narrowed her eyes at him like she wanted to say more, but ultimately sighed and shook her head. “Well, it’s a good thing I got this,” she said. After some rummaging, Leaf pulled out a plastic bag with some packaged red bean buns and a bottle of water. She held it out towards Red expectantly. “Here. I stopped by the convenience store on the way. It’s probably better than the hospital food anyway.”

There was quite a bit of hesitation on Red’s end, just enough that his Espeon decided to keep him from potentially turning it down by using her telekinetic powers to move the bag and its contents into her trainer’s lap. Red blinked down at her in surprise before offering her and Leaf a guilty glance. “... Thanks.”

“Of course.” Leaf watched on with a melancholic smile as her childhood friend gingerly unwrapped one of the buns. He tore it off into four pieces, giving one piece to each of his Pokémon before taking his first bite, and offering the last piece to Leaf. She shook her head and held out a hand to stop him. “No, thank you. I’ve already eaten,” she said, to which Red had no choice but to rescind his offer and eat the rest of the bun himself.

Once Leaf was satisfied seeing Red eating and drinking water, it was time to share why she was here.

“So, I’ve found somewhere you could hide,” Leaf divulged, “It’s a place called Mt.Silver. Lorelei gave me the tip.” She pulled out a map to show him. “It’s the highest peak in Kanto and Johto combined, so it’s pretty much always snowing. No one lives there, and people rarely go up it. The Pokémon there are really tough, and the climb is dangerous. That sounds like what we’re looking for, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess it does,” Red agreed stiffly and gave a thoughtful nod.

“I made sure to scout it myself first,” she assured him, “It’s definitely not… comfortable. But there is a cave near the top which looks like it’d work as a shelter. It’s an option, anyway. What do you think?”

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Leaf was a little taken aback by Red’s quickness to commit. “Are you sure? This was just the closest place we could find, but that doesn’t mean it’s your only choice. We could look further out, maybe a few regions away.” She paused to formulate her words a little more. “What I’m saying is, there’s no rush. We can keep looking if this seems too harsh.”

“No, I… I don’t want to be too far away. Just in case something happens,” Red said, “Plus, I trust you.”

Leaf pursed her lips together and nodded slowly. “I kind of thought you’d say that.” With a sigh, she slumped back into the chair and crossed her arms with a half-smile. “Well, at least it’ll be easier to send you letters and supplies. It’ll get pretty hectic after Lance makes the announcement, so we’ll lay low for a while, but in the meantime I’ll work on how we can send stuff back and forth without drawing attention.”

“Hey, Leaf?”

“Yeah?”

Red tugged at his wrist bands and looked down at his lap. “Thank you. For everything. I don’t know what would happen if you weren’t here…”

Leaf turned back to Red, looking at him long and hard before pulling him into a hug. The plastic bag crinkled as it slipped and fell onto the ground. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m always here for you.” She squeezed extra hard before letting go. “We’re just lucky that I stayed under the radar. And I’m gonna keep it that way.”

“You sound like a secret agent.” Red smiled fondly as he looked at her, and Leaf burst out laughing.

“Ha! Who says I’m not at this point? That’s Ms. Vigilante Secret Agent to you.”

While the trainers were distracted Chu tried to sneak one of the fallen red bean buns for himself, but was quickly thwarted by Eve’s watchful gaze. The Pokémon began wrestling and weaving around the chair legs as they chased each other. Red and Leaf stopped talking to watch them in surprise before glancing back up at each other and snickering conspiratorially.

“I’m glad you have your Pokémon keeping you company. Being stuck in this room for so long must get pretty dreary,” Leaf said.

“Mm… Yeah, but it would be worse if someone saw me,” Red replied. There was a pause that followed as he took on a thoughtful expression. “So when should I go to Mt.Silver?”

“Well, the Professor is still working with Lance on how to present the news to the public, and they’re getting some guys down from the Interpol to help with Pallet Town’s security. Um… That should be all sorted sometime next week?”

This new topic of discussion caught the attention of the Espeon and Pikachu, who stopped roughhousing to listen in on when they’d be leaving to their new temporary home.

“Okay. Maybe I’ll wait until the night before Mom is discharged? I could sneak out the window and Char could fly me to the mountain.”

“Yeah! That sounds good. That way you can say goodbye to her.” Leaf smiled sympathetically. “And it leaves enough time for Daisy and I to pack some things for you. I’ll put them in the cave before you arrive. Once your mom is settled in at the Oak’s house we’ll wait an extra day or two before making the announcement.”

“Alright. Then, it’s a plan.”

“Yeah…” Leaf trailed off and it got quiet for a while. “We’re all going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too.”

 

[Redenne_Moon]

Part 6 - The Call

On one of the Sevii Islands
A few weeks ago…

---

It was windy on the Sevii Islands and the icy air lashed like a whip, but Green was out training more aggressively than ever. Judging by the permanent crease between his brows and the way his nails dug into his palms as he ran laps with his Umbreon, it seemed that he had a lot of steam to let off. When someone called him on his new Pokégear suddenly, he nearly fell over himself in his efforts to pick up as swiftly as possible.

“Hey, Sis,” Green panted heavily into the microphone as he settled his breathing. His tone was curt and serious, leaving no room for smalltalk. “How is Red’s Mom? Did something happen?”

“Hi, Green…” Daisy replied softly. The usual sugary warmth in her voice was replaced with an overarching sense of caution and need for delicacy. “She’s recovering well from the surgery and she’ll be able to be home for Christmas. They’re discharging her from the hospital the day after tomorrow, and she’ll be staying with us.”

“Oh. Okay... Okay. That’s good.” Green nodded over and over as he began to pace. “So then she’ll be fine, right? Is it clear for me to come back now?”

“Yes, you should come home as soon as you can before she’s discharged. At night, if possible. We’ll have to be hunkered down at home for the most part until after New Year’s,” she explained.

“Uh, alright.” Green didn’t sound too pleased at the idea, but he didn’t complain. However, there seemed to be a certain someone left unaccounted for in this conversation. “Is Red staying with us too or something?” he asked.

Daisy paused before replying, “Actually… no. That’s one of the reasons I called, actually. There’s been some, uh, developments.”

The way his sister beat around the bush put Green on edge, no matter how gently she said it. He knew that it meant she was holding onto information that she knew would upset him. “What is it, then? Spit it out,” he snapped.

“... Red is surrendering his position as Champion.”

Green could hardly believe his ears. “He’s… what?”

“He’s surrendering his title, and he will be leaving for a while until things die down.”

“But- He- Then… Where is he going? For how long?”

“We can’t share this with anyone, but he’s going to a place called Mt. Silver. No one knows how long yet -”

“You’re telling me he’s running off to live on a- !” Green quickly bit his tongue and lowered his voice to a quiet hiss. “A fucking mountain? By himself? Indefinitely?!”

“... Yes?” It was all too easy to imagine the guilty look on sweet little Daisy’s face as she forced out the answer, but it didn’t curb Green’s shock.

“Why all of a sudden?!”

“It wasn’t really that sudden I just… didn’t know how to tell you,” Daisy admitted shamefully, “Leaf has been helping him plan this out with Lance. They’ll announce that Red left to travel the world and train, but that’s just to lead those awful people off his trail.”

“That’s absolutely insane, first of all! And second of all, how could you not tell me?! Or if not you, someone should have told me! Shouldn’t I be the first to know?” There was just the slightest waver in Green’s voice that betrayed the hurt he felt beyond the outrage.

“You know how Red is once he’s made his mind up on something...” Daisy inhaled sharply. “I’m really sorry, Green. I’ve - I think everyone has just been so overwhelmed by everything.”

“So when is he leaving?”

“Tomorrow night, but -” Daisy was cut off before she could finish.

“Okay. The trip isn’t that long, I’ll be home before then.”

Daisy seemed to cringe over the phone. “No… That’s… I was going to say that he’ll be leaving right from the hospital room. We won’t get to say goodbye in person.”

A long, long silence followed.

“Green?”

“Who… Who said anything about a goodbye? It’s not like I even asked… Whatever! That’s just fine with me,” Green spat, struggling for words as he tried to keep his voice even. In his attempts to bury his sadness deeper, anger and resentment was quickly bubbling over the surface. “He can go freeze on a mountain alone all he wants, it’s not my business anyway!”

“Come on, don’t say that,” Daisy pleaded, knowing he didn’t mean it.

“I’m going to pack my stuff. Bye.”

Green hung up in a huff without waiting for a reply.

“Am I just a fucking afterthought? Just chopped liver?” he exclaimed exasperatedly at the sky before sinking to the ground with his knees tucked close to his chest. Umbreon approached her trainer and tilted her head as she stared at him. Green’s breath was shaky and deep, teasing his true emotions as he met his partner Pokemon’s gaze.

“Ree…” Umbreon let out a tiny, sad cry and forced her way onto his lap. When she rubbed the top of her head under Green’s chin comfortingly, he pulled the Dark type close and buried his face in her fur.

“He’s such an idiot,” Green said.

 

[Redenne_Moon]

Part 7 - The Mountaintop

On Mt.Silver
Christmas Eve

---

“How is that? Do you feel any better?” Red asked as he secured the last bandage. He leaned back to review his handiwork as both the Stantler and Delibird sounded their approval. The trainer seemed relieved. He sunk into the snow and rubbed his hands together for warmth. Now, there was another matter at hand. “So… Do you two live on this mountain?”

The Pokémon shook their heads. Delibird even seemed a bit offended. He puffed out his little chest and stood up on Stantler’s head to wave his good wing around while going on what must have been a very detailed, proud speech. Only Char and Stantler could understand, and judging by the way Red’s partner’s jaw dropped, this must have been a very shocking reveal. This was one of those many times in which Red wished he could understand the language Pokémon spoke, but instead all he could do was look to his Charizard for a sign of what they should do.

“Ch-Char… Zard!” Char pointed up the mountain with his claw. At first his gesturing was shaky and flustered, but it became more confident as he built up a sense of excitement and urgency.

“They came from the mountain peak?”

The Charizard nodded eagerly and, for the first time in far too long, Char was as giddy as a baby Charmander. It brought a smile to Red’s face that melted some of the ice in his chest.

“Let’s go then!” Red enthused before quickly adding, “Um, slowly, of course. Let’s all be careful.” The trainer helped Stantler onto his hooves and he and Char stood on either side to support him and Delibird as they headed up towards the very peak of the mountaintop.

The trek was an unforgiving one. The snow and low levels of oxygen fought against them with each step, but Stantler was holding up surprisingly well despite his injury. The cold didn’t seem to bother him or Delibird at all, while Red had been reduced to a shivering icicle. He definitely regretted not telling his mom much earlier that he’d outgrown his Winter clothes, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Delibird was nice enough to offer him a scarf that he’d stored in his tail. Despite it being Delibird-sized, it did help, just a little.

When hiking up a mountain full of strong and dangerous Pokemon, especially with injured party members in tow, it’s only a matter of time before trouble finds you.

It began with a boulder they passed close to the peak, which had a peculiar symbol etched into its side with scratchy claw marks. Red stopped for a moment to look at it, only to be knocked over when Char suddenly stumbled forward and bumped into him. The Charizard growled angrily and quickly whipped around, but there was no sign of a perpetrator. Delibird began to cry in alarm, pointing in another direction. Red pushed himself up onto his feet just as a Weavile charged over with its claws raised to attack.

“Flamethrower!” Red called, and Char released a burst of fire in the Weavile’s direction. When the flames had died down, the Weavile had disappeared. All that was left was a trench of snow from where the fire had melted a path. In that brief moment of confusion, Char was attacked from behind again. This time it was stronger, and he roared out in pain.

There was no time to process that before they were attacked from another angle. This time, the Weavile targeted Delibird and Stantler. Red and Char clamored to protect them, but before they could intervene, Delibird skillfully pulled out a present and threw it at the Weavile’s head. It exploded, knocking the Pokémon back, and making it quickly retreat back into the snow. He honked haughtily at their attacker, as if scolding them.

As a trainer, Red felt responsible to properly assess the situation and keep Char and the other Pokémon safe, but he was out of his element against a Pokémon he’d never battled before. Weavile was a Dark and Ice Type from Johto, that much he knew, but they weren’t native in Kanto. Without a solid point of reference, they'd have to formulate a strategy on the fly.

“Look out!”

Red tried to warn Char when he spotted a black blur behind him, but he was too late and the Weavile had landed another strike. His Charizard staggered and shot a Flamethrower in the direction that the blow had come from, but again, nothing was there. Type advantage meant nothing if they couldn’t land a hit.

The onslaught was merciless and methodical. Red had no time to think between the non-stop barrage of attacks from all sides. Visibility was low, and once the Weavile had burrowed back into the snow, it was impossible to track where it would come from next before it was too late. Not even the Pokédex could get a read. Red felt his anxiety spike as he saw his dear friend bear the consequences.

“Del del!” Delibird got the crestfallen Red’s attention with a commanding cry. He had Stantler pull out a Pokédoll from his tail and throw it to the trainer, who caught it despite his shock.

“Th-Thanks?” He never expected to receive such a helpful battle item from a Pokémon, but there was no use in questioning it. He threw the Pokédoll as a decoy to draw the attention of the Weavile, and like a charm, the wild Pokémon fell for the ruse. It attacked the doll instead of Char.

Delibird and Stantler went ahead and brought out more Pokédolls to pass to Red. He appeared to be urging Red to use them all at once. He wasn’t exactly sure why they needed so many, but nonetheless he trusted Delibird and followed his wishes.

After Red threw all the Pokédolls out onto the field to surround them, he finally had the opportunity to stand back and observe a fascinating thing. Each Pokédoll was getting hit only moments apart, so close that one attack hadn’t quite finished before the other began. Witnessing this it became clear that it couldn’t just be one Weavile - This was a whole pack!

If they were being strategically hunted, then just one Pokémon wasn’t enough.

Red unclipped two Pokéballs from his waist and launched them in the air to reveal Champ the Hitmonchan and Sniffy the Raticate. These two were fast, so they’d support Char well. Champ’s moves would be four times effective against a Weavile, and Sniffy could burrow into the snow and find them at the source.

“Okay, I think I know what we have to do,” Red began in a hushed voice. He rallied his three Pokémon together while their opponents were still distracted. “There’s a pack of Weavile surrounding us. They’re really quick and they keep hiding in the snow, but with the Pokédolls we can single them out. Char, could you focus on exposing them with your fire, then Champ can move in to strike. And Sniffy, if they run away could you burrow and surprise them?” The trainer’s eyes were wide and hopeful as he looked at his partners. They gazed back at Red intently, observing that his nose and cheeks were severely red, and his lips were blue and chapped. The longer they spent out here, the more likely it was that he would get sick later. This seemed to fire them up even more.

“Zarrrr!” “Chaaa!” “Raaa!”

All the Pokémon cheered together and worked out a formation. Red stood back with the injured Pokémon, ready to receive more Pokédolls when they needed replacing. Char stood nearby so he could protect them in a pinch while still being able to clear away the snow. Champ and Sniffy were at the front, using the Weavile’s strategies against them by picking them out one by one.

Red kept a keen eye on the field, watching the pack’s numbers go down as his team either sent them running or caused them to faint in the snow. He figured that once they had defeated enough of them that the pack would see their hunt wasn’t going well, and scatter without them having to beat every single one. So when the attacks stopped altogether, and it seemed that all the Weavile had gone, Red relaxed.

“Good job you guys,” he praised his Pokémon warmly as they returned to him, “You were amazing.”

Then, out of nowhere, a squawk rang out.

In their moment of distraction a singular, large Weavile had snatched Delibird into its claws. It laughed deviously as it tried to pry open the other Pokémon’s tail and take what was inside. Delibird bravely hung on tightly and wouldn’t allow Weavile to take anything. Unperturbed, Weavile started to shake him in hopes that something might fall out instead. He made his displeasure very evident, but was not able to defend himself effectively with an injured wing.

Was this why the Weavile were hunting them? They wanted something of Delibird’s?

“Hey, you shouldn’t do that,” Red said, trying to plead to the Pokémon’s good will, “If you need something, you can just ask for help.”

“Wea?” Weavile stopped for a moment to narrow its eyes at Red. For a split second, he thought he might have gotten through to the Pokémon, but then it stuck out its tongue mockingly with a loud, “Blehhhh!”

Clearly not interested in playing nice, or perhaps being aware that what it wanted was something that wouldn’t be given freely, Weavile then tried to run off with Delibird in its clutches. What a rascal! Thankfully, carrying such heavy luggage slowed the Pokémon down considerably and Red was able to make a silent signal to his Raticate.

The tubby rodent burrowed into the snow and followed Weavile in hot pursuit. Just before the Delibird-napper could scamper off out of sight, Raticate popped out of the ground and chomped on Weavile’s red tail with its massive teeth. The troublemaker yelped and dropped Delibird into the snow. Raticate quickly postured itself in front of his fallen comrade protectively.

Weavile tried to knock Sniffy away with a Night Slash, but the Raticate cut in first with a Sucker Punch. Meanwhile, just behind them, Delibird managed to fight through his pain to search in its tail for another present bomb. As the Sucker Punch and Present collided together for a double impact, it sent the Weavile flying backwards. After that, it finally cut its losses and ran away with its tail between its legs.

Red dropped to his knees in both exhaustion and relief. Delibird returned to them on Sniffy’s back and reclaimed his rightful place atop Stantler.

“Thank you,” Red said to his Raticate before turning to Delibird and Stantler, "Thank you as well. You really saved us. I’ve never met a Pokémon holding Pokedolls before... Do you have a trainer?”

Unfortunately this question only prompted another wordy spiel from Delibird, so he was left in the dark once again. However, the rest of his Pokémon seemed pretty excited about whatever he was saying. His Hitmonchan had even started jogging in place like he was ready to race up the mountain himself! Red accepted that he would just have to wait and see the answer for himself once they reached the top.

“Well, um… I appreciate your help anyway,” Red said with a lopsided smile.

The party took a small break to tend to the damage taken from their fight, especially Char’s. Delibird kindly shared some berries with everyone for a boost of energy, and once they’d gathered their bearings once more, they made their final push towards the mountaintop. Red leaned heavily on his Pokémon for the remainder of the climb, as he felt himself growing weaker from the harsh conditions.

He hoped the end of their adventure might be growing near when a large silhouette eventually came into view through the falling snow.

“Deliiii!” Delibird cawed happily while jumping up and down, so Red could confidently presume that this was what they’d been searching for. He squinted ahead and made out the shape of antlers first, which he guessed to be a herd of Stantler, but that wasn’t all… there was a trainer, and some sort of… sleigh?

“Ho ho ho!” a deep, hearty laughter, warm as a crackling fire broke through the frigid air, “Thank you, Red, for looking after my dear Stantler and Delibird.”

The boy froze in shock as a large, bearded old man clad in red stepped forward to reveal himself. His wise charcoal eyes crinkled with joy as their gazes met. The man’s presence felt bigger than life itself, yet it was somehow comforting and familiar, as if they’d met thousands of times before.

Red knew who this was. There was no mistaking it. Yet, he couldn’t get the words out to confirm it aloud. His mouth was left gaping open like a Magikarp as he awkwardly grasped at his clothes to keep his hands busy. In the end, all he could manage to do to acknowledge the legend before him was to tip his cap silently.

“My, you’ve always been a shy young man,” he remarked fondly, “But there’s no need to fret around me.” Santa chuckled and touched the tip of his nose with a wink. “I was in a bit of trouble there. I’ve never had to deliver a present to Mt.Silver before, and this awful storm threw off my Stantler. We wound up making a crash landing! Poor Kringle got caught up in the mix, since he jumped to try and save Prancer here, who got detached from the reins during the fall.” Santa petted each Pokémon as he spoke about them. He then reached into his pocket to pull out a red and white hat matching his own, which he placed atop Kringle’s head. "You lost this, my friend."

Red continued to look more fish-like as he put the pieces together. Kringle was the Delibird who worked alongside Santa as his counterpart by delivering presents to all the Pokémon in the world. Now all of his Pokémon’s reactions made much more sense, as did the Weavile attack. Feeling flustered at this belated realization, Red offered another tip of his cap to Kringle out of respect, to which the Pokémon guffawed with a laughter not too dissimilar to Santa’s.

“He’s rather impressive, isn’t he? Kringle is our master of tough terrain. And as for me, well… I could learn a thing or two from him.” Santa grinned impishly.

“Um, Mr.Claus, sir…” Red began sheepishly, “You said you have a gift to deliver here?”

“That I do!”

The thought that Santa and his Pokemon might have gotten into trouble for Red’s sake made him want to melt into the snow and disappear. “But I… I’m the only human living here. And I didn’t ask for a gift,” he said.

“You’re right, Red, you didn’t.” The man’s cheeks grew rounder as his smile widened. “But someone else did.”

From his sleeve, Santa pulled out a present that was far too big to have come from such a small space and held it out to Red, who had no choice but to accept it.

“Go on, open it,” he enthused, “We can allow an exception this once.”

When the boy opened the perfectly wrapped package, he found neatly folded bundle of clothes inside. A matching Winter set consisting of a coat, scarf, pants, gloves, socks, and even boots, all in his signature colors. Red lightly grazed his fingers over the fabric as he pulled each article of clothing out.

“From… my mother…?” he asked.

Santa simply nodded.

Red’s eyes began to well up as a surge of emotion squeezed at his chest. He’d held his feelings in for too long, and now they spilled over in spades.

“Oh dear… My dear boy.” Santa pulled Red into what could only be described as the softest, coziest hug in the whole world. “I know you miss them so. And they miss you too.”

“I… I want to…” Red trailed off.

“Tell them how you feel?” Santa prompted, his eyes twinkling knowingly as he pulled away.

Red nodded.

“You were writing some letters before, weren’t you? Why don’t you deliver them?”

Red looked surprised at first, but then lowered his head and shook it. “I can’t. It’s too dangerous.”

“Ho ho ho!” Santa bellowed with laughter, “Don’t forget who you’re speaking to, boy.” He held his hand out to ask for the letters and Red offered them to him clumsily. They were all crinkled from being in his pockets, but Santa still treated them with the utmost care as he folded and tucked them into his coat with a wink. “I know just the way to get those letters to Pallet Town. Don’t you worry.”

 

[Redenne_Moon]

Part 8 - The Letters

On Mt.Silver
Christmas Morning (The following day)

---

The dawn of Christmas morning brought clear skies as the warm yellow glow of the rising sun splashed over the towering peak of Mt.Silver. The storm had settled, leaving many of the cave structures snowed in, with the exception of where Red slept. The boy lay in his sleeping bag surrounded by all of his Pokémon in an impressively sized cuddle pile. On the other side of the cave was their pile of unopened presents, courtesy of Kringle.

As soon as light began to pool in through the rocky entrance, the Pokémon started to stir. Some rose more quickly than others, but all were eager to open their gifts. They prodded their trainer impatiently, who awoke with a warranted groggy sluggishness after his previous late night escapade.

“Mmm… Yes… Good morning…” he slurred as he rubbed his heavy eyes, “Merry Christmas, everyone.”

For the sake of his friends Red got up without dallying for too long. He changed into his new warm clothes to save him from the crisp air that nipped at him outside of the sleeping bag and grabbed a breakfast snack from his stock of supplies.

Once they had all gotten settled around the presents Red held his hands out encouragingly, and at once all the Pokemon got into the pile to look for what was theirs. Naturally Red had to help them a bit with the wrapping here and there. His Lapras, for instance, couldn’t get much done with her flippers. But when he wasn’t needed, Red just watched with a smile as stray wrapping paper rained over him like confetti.

Frequently, his mind wandered back to Pallet Town. He wondered how everyone else was doing. Were they awake? Had they opened his letters yet? Did his feelings come across? At the thought, his heart felt a little lighter.




At the Kobayashi Residence, Pallet Town

---

Leaf took her time getting up that morning. She had nowhere to rush to. The usual Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas morning gift opening at the Oak’s wasn’t on this year, so she had eaten takeout the night before with her father, Mori, instead. Today they’d open their presents together at home and then, presumably, carry on as if it were any other day. It was sad, but Leaf would hate it more if her friend’s sacrifice was in vain. All she could hope for was that the hype about Red’s departure would die down once the media found their next big thing to obsess over.

With a yawn, Leaf poured some boiling water into a cup and plopped in a teabag that Daisy had recently given her. She waited for it to brew before greeting her father at the dining table.

“Merry Christmas, Dad,” she said with a sleepy smile.

“Merry Christmas, Kiddo,” he replied. Leaf peeked at him over the rim of her tipped mug as Mori finished off the last of his toast and got hundreds of tiny crumbs caught in his beard.

“Have you snuck a look at your presents yet?” Leaf asked teasingly.

“No, but your mother mailed a gift over for you. I snuck it under the tree last night. Oh, and she called earlier. She wants to wish you a Merry Christmas, so you should probably ring her later.”

Immediately Leaf’s expression soured, and she dropped her gaze down towards her tea disinterestedly. “... Okay.”

Sensing the tension, Mori decided not to press her any further and stood up a bit hastily to move towards the Christmas tree. “So, uh, how about we get to the fun part and start opening everything?”

“You should probably clean your beard first, Dad.”

“My…? Oh, right! Yeah, just give me one second.”

In just a few minutes, the father-daughter duo got themselves situated around the tree, clean and crumbless.

Leaf continued sipping her tea as she got a good look at everything and tried to decide what she should open first. In her search she noticed an ornate festive envelope that looked a bit too out of place. It was sealed with a wax stamp, and on the back it had exquisitely written cursive that read, ‘To Mr.Kobayashi and Leaf’.

“That’s weird…” Leaf thought aloud as she grabbed it and sat back down. She looked to her father and asked, “Is this from Mom too?”

“Huh? N… No, I don’t think so. No, definitely not. I’m not sure where that came from.” Mori seemed to question his own memory as he scratched his head in befuddlement. “I’ve never seen Santa leave a letter behind before, though.”

Thoroughly intrigued, the girl popped the seal open and extracted the letter from the envelope. What she found inside was a crumpled sheet of lined paper that had clearly been ripped out of a notebook. The contrast between the contents and its packaging were so astounding that she couldn’t help but unfold the paper with baited excitement

In messy, large handwriting, with layers of eraser smudges underneath, it read:

Dear Mr.Kobayashi and Leaf,
Merry Christmas.
Mr.Kobayashi, you have raised a wonderful daughter. Thank you for supporting her and looking after her, and I’m sorry if I’ve caused you stress. Leaf, thank you again for everything. This mountain feels a little less lonely knowing that you’ve visited and picked it out, and because of all the nice things you packed for me. I keep the photos you left inside my pillowcase when I sleep. I hope to see you soon. Please take care.
Yours,
Red

“It’s from Red!” The disbelief was clear in Leaf’s voice as she read the note a few times over. She felt a strange mix of joy, heartbreak, and confusion as she thought about it from many angles.

Her father read it next, his expression softening as he did so.

“Aw, how nice of him to send a letter.” Mori accepted it without question, but such an easy explanation didn’t add up to Leaf.

“But, Dad, Red and I agreed he couldn’t send letters yet… He’d never break that promise. And there’s no way he could have gotten an envelope this nice, or written in cursive.” Leaf dangled the fancy envelope between them. “I think Santa must have delivered this, somehow. I know it sounds crazy but… do you think maybe Red could have met Santa?”

The man blinked slowly at his daughter with wide eyes as he processed what she was saying. His gaze wandered to the side for a moment, as if searching for a camera to side-eye, then pressed his lips into a fine thin line as their eyes met once more.

“Honestly, Leaf… When it comes to you kids, I wouldn’t put anything past you. I really shouldn’t let anything surprise me anymore.”



At the Oak Residence, Pallet Town

---

“Has Green woken up yet?” Daisy asked her grandfather as he came down the stairs.

“I think so. But he won’t answer my knocking.” The old man rubbed the back of his head with a weak, defeated laugh and an even flimsier excuse of, “Maybe he’s doing his hair?”

Her younger brother had been particularly moody since he came back home. Things had already taken turn with him after he lost his Championship, but now he was even more closed off. Everyone knew why, at least to a certain extent, but he refused to talk about it. Little things would frustrate him, he and Professor Oak would clash, and he’d storm off to his room. Being stuck inside probably wasn’t helping matters either.

The young teen sighed to herself and briefly glanced at Red’s mother, who sat quietly next to her on the couch. She wore a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Only time would alleviate the dark cloud that had been hanging over them for the past month, but Daisy wanted to bring as much cheer to Holidays as she could. For everyone’s sake.

“I’ll go check on him,” Daisy said, and left to stand outside of Green’s door on the second floor.

Knock, knock-knock, knock, knock!

He recognized her knocking pattern and grumbled, “Not in the mood.”

“I’m coming in!” she announced, ignoring his dramatically loud groaning as she opened the door a crack and snuck her way inside.

Green was face down in his bed, covered completely by his Squirtle quilt cover - a gift from a few Christmases ago. His room was incredibly tidy and minimalist, the same as he left it before setting out on his journey. His Gameboy and all of his games were meticulously arranged on the dresser, and his extensive collection of Pokémon books were lined up on the shelves in alphabetical order. He used to have many cute mementos on display, but Green had said he was ‘too old for them', or some such thing, and Daisy hadn’t seen them since.

The only difference from then to now was that Green had left his travel gear and luggage from the Sevii Islands scattered all over the floor and had yet to pack it up.

“You’re so annoying,” he told her, but the rudeness of his words was undermined by the whine in his tone.

“Annoying you is my job.” Daisy rolled her eyes and sat at the foot of his bed. “You should come downstairs. It’s Christmas.”

“The worst Christmas ever, more like.”

She frowned as she tried to offer some encouragement, “But it can’t get better if you stay here being sad all by yourself. I’m sure Ms.Nishida would appreciate your company.”

“I just can’t,” he said, “I can’t act all pleasant like you can, okay? If I go down there it’ll just get worse.”

Daisy reached out and started rubbing Green’s back over the covers.

“I’m worried about you.”

“No surprise there. Everything’s a mess.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Green grunted and changed the subject, “You should go and open presents without me, I’ll catch up later.”

“... Alright,” Daisy reluctantly backed down, but not before saying, “I’m always here when you need me, though. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” was his only reply. But as Daisy was exiting the room, she heard her brother’s voice quietly add, “Thanks, Sis.”

It was with a heavy heart that Daisy returned to the living room without her brother in tow.

“He’s not feeling well, but he said we should go ahead,” she explained, and was quick to move onto a lighter topic, “So, Ms.Nishida, are you excited to open your presents?”

“Ah, I didn’t ask for anything this year. I asked for something for Red instead,” Aiko replied.

“Really? That’s so sweet.” Daisy clutched her hands to her chest in admiration.

“Maybe you should open yours first, Daisy,” Suggested the Professor.

“Yeah, good idea.” Daisy nodded agreeably and knelt down at the bottom of the tree. She reached for a box that had been addressed to her, but as she did so she could have sworn she caught a glimpse of the words, ‘To Mom’. Daisy did a double take and her gaze finally settled on a beautiful envelope sitting atop one of the other presents. Underneath it was a second letter that was addressed, ‘To The Oak Family’.

This left her a little stunned, and her grandfather spoke up to ask, “Everything alright, Daisy? Having trouble deciding?”

“Um… Yeah, everything is okay. I’m just surprised.” Daisy turned around with the envelopes in hand. “I think I found some letters from Red.”

“That couldn’t be…” Aiko’s voice was small and uncertain. “He told me he wouldn’t be able to write for at least a month or so.” But despite her doubts, she couldn’t help but lean forward with eyes that betrayed her desire to hope otherwise.

Daisy hurried over to her and opened the letter, holding it out in front of Aiko so that she could read it first. The way the woman’s eyes immediately welled up with tears in recognition of her son’s handwriting was enough to confirm to both Daisy and Professor Oak that the letter were indeed from Red.

It read:

Dear Mom,
Merry Christmas.
I miss you a lot. I hope your injuries are healing well and that they won’t cause you pain for too long. I’m really, really sorry again for what I caused. But I will make it right, I promise. I’ll find a way to send letters when I can and hopefully it will all blow over soon. Until then, I’ll think about you every day. Thank you for always believing in me, even when I make choices that make you worried. I promise I’ll be okay.
I love you.
Yours,
Red

“Oh, my baby.” Aiko’s voice cracked and quivered as she spoke. Tears were spilling over before she could stop them, and she was unable to wipe them herself because of the casts. The Professor patted her back comfortingly, and Daisy placed the letter onto the coffee table before running off to find some tissues. When she returned, she ever so gently patted under Aiko’s eyes and over her cheeks to dry them. “Thank you,” Aiko whispered.

“Would you like to see the other letter?” Daisy asked.

Red’s mother nodded.

Together, they read the second letter that was addressed to the Oak family. It read:

Dear Professor, Daisy, and Green,
Merry Christmas.
Thank you for looking after my mom when I could not. I know she’s in good hands with you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t say goodbye in person. I wish that I could have, and I wish that I hadn’t put any burden on you. Be safe and look after each other. Please have fun and don’t worry about me. When I can, I promise to send a lot of letters, and I’ll see you again when things are better.
So it’s not really a goodbye, but a “see you later”.
Yours,
Red
P.S. Green, I’m sorry. Don’t give up.

Between the sincerity of her friend’s words and seeing a mother cry, Daisy found herself tearing up as well. Somehow her grandfather was able to stay unreadable, but he was notoriously good at keeping his emotional side to himself.

“Your son is a very special young man, Aiko,” he said. “Let’s make sure to write to him often when we can, and give him a warm welcome on his return.” It was an almost obvious thing to say, yet focusing on what they could control seemed to make the other two feel a bit better. They both nodded as Daisy wiped both of their tears.

None of them speculated on how the letters arrived, or perhaps they were too swept up in their feelings to care. After Daisy took a bit of time to compose herself, she excused herself to take a visit to Green’s room once more.

Knock, knock-knock, knock, knock!

Rather than opening the door, she simply slipped the letter through the gap underneath.

“Sis?” Green called, but there was no reply, “... Daisy?”

He groaned and reluctantly poked out from the covers. When he saw the envelope, he got out of bed and pulled out the letter to read on the floor. Once he’d reached the end, his grip on the paper tightened and he threatened to crumple it into a ball with his other hand, but ultimately he thought better of it.

With a weak sigh, Green stood up and opened his closet door to pull out a particular storage box that was stuffed into the back corner. Inside was a small Pokemon card binder, various plushies, photographs, an assortment of handwritten notes and cards, as well as what appeared to be children’s arts and crafts projects. Notably, many of the notes and crafts were signed by Red.

Green folded the letter back into the envelope and placed it inside the storage box at the top. He sealed it back up and put the box in its place.

“‘Don’t give up’?” he scoffed. “I’ll show him.”