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Hey everybody... oh yeah, what was it... was gonna say something... oh yeah!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
As promised here's the first chapter of my Christmas story... will admit I dunno when the other chapters will be coming (stalled out on them baaaad here) but gonna try and get it all done before New Years so wish me luck ^,^
In the meantime let me tell you a tale that's been already told, told, and retold... not~
This here is a bit of twist on the tried and true Dickens "Ghost Story for Christmas" used to share some warmth, cheer, and feel-good-holiday fluff we could all use~ Guest starring our favorite (or at least I hope he is) little diaper clad teddiursa Petie~
Here we have the first of three ghosts... lets look at a past not-so-tense, shall we~?
Characters owned by me
A Christmas Carol made by Charles Dickens
Pokemon NOT owned by me
To one small teddiursa the big wide world of his home felt at peace.
Sitting on the couch in the living room Petie was dimly aware of several things. The sparkling lights on the Christmas tree gently bouncing off the ornaments, stirred by the wind of the pets romping around the presents underneath as their personal, brightly colored playground. He was aware of the soft tones of an age old animated (or claymation, he wasn’t paying enough attention to tell) Christmas special playing on the tv and Jules happily singing along with the familiar and warmly worn songs. He was aware of Rose holding the twins on her lap as she sat on the floor, letting the infants giggle and squeal as Felina batted some of the wrapping paper cut offs back and forth in front of them… for the babies amusement and her amusement at their happiness more than anything else.
He was also strongly aware of the empty baby bottle next to him that used to be full of warm cocoa. Warm cocoa that was now filling and warming his rounded tummy underneath his snowflake printed footed jammies. Snowflakes like the ones he could instinctively tell were falling softly outside and joining in the warmth of the cocoa to tell him it was time to take a nice, looooong sleep…
As, a dopey smile on his face past the paw in his mouth, the tiny teenage teddiursa let his eyelids droop shut…
****************
A strange yet familiar feeling of floating and falling was all around Petie as he found himself aware enough to realize he had to be dreaming or starting to dream… which was odd in its own right. He shifted through his sleep fogged mind for what this was… lumbar… livid… lullaby? No, no, lucid! He was having a lucid dream! Which means he could control it if all the tv he’d watched was right… and he’d really wanted this floating while falling thing to stop. It was twisting his tummy into knots and he didn’t wanna wake up being told he’d messed up the coach-
“Sorry about that~”
And the unfamiliar voice made Petie stop just laying there and sit up as he got his wish and the strange sensation stopped… in favor of a strange situation starting.He found himself in a misty, wintery… void? He wanted to call it a void but it didn’t feel empty. He could see illuminated christmas trees among the snow hills and the fog and the sky was dark but had colors smeared across it like the northern lights. If the northern lights were christmas colored anyway. All of this, coupled with the fact he was still in just his diaper and jammies sitting in what looked and felt like fresh snow without feeling cold or sleepy, made only one conclusion obvious-
“I’m dreaming and that cocoa was too strong.”
“You’re free to think that~”
And like that Petie felt rather than saw he wasn’t alone. Craning his neck back and forth as he scrambled clumsily to his feet revealed nobody he could see… but he somehow knew there were three sets of eyes on him. And just like that it somehow clicked. He wasn’t sure if what popped into his head was logic, dream logic, or just him being annoyed the first shot at lucid dreaming (that he could remember anyway) was being hijacked but the pieces came together and he let the sass flow.
“Is this one of those Christmas Carol parodies? Cause I’m gonna file a complaint if it is! I’m notta Scrooge!”
“You’re right, you’re not… you’re our afternoon off~”
“… what the heck does thaAAAH!!
A bright flash of light sent Petie tumbling back into the snow as he scooted away from the source… or tried to anyway. He was pretty sure he was at best making snow angels as a figure floated above him. Wreathed in a sparkling glow, decked in white garments, crowned with a candle like burst of flame over its head, and… only relatively bigger than he was? He found himself looking up at an Uxie, it’s broad smile somehow perfectly conveying a mischievous sense of joy despite it’s shut eyes.
“W-who are-“
“Your momma bear has read you the story enough you know it by heart, you tell me~”
“… don’t remember the Ghost of Christmas Past being a-“
Petie stopped mid sentence as he pulled himself up from the snow and realized a glowing, flame topped Mespirit was now smiling at him. The legendary, spirit, or whatever it was just let out a giggle that reminded the teddiursa of sleigh bells before reaching out and gently closing his still open mouth.
“Come now, you know the past is different depending on how you look at it~ But that’s the here-and-now so it’s not my job, no no, lets talk about what happened before we paid you this visit~” Petie found the legendary flying in circles around him… and having shifted to an Azelf the moment he lost sight of it as he shivered a little despite not feeling any winter cold… and promptly had his face smushed by an unwelcome head hug from the ghost “Oh no, none of that~ You’re no Ebenezer in need of a wake up call~ Be not afraid little mortal~” they cooed as the smell like scented Christmas candles was strong around them…
And they just giggled as Petie shoved them off as best he could. He was getting flashbacks to Diana when she was one of her playful moods. Undeterred the Ghost started bobbing in midair, candle flame over their head flickering as they did so “To put it in very simple terms our 6’o’clock got canceled and we have some time to kill~ The threads of fate led us to you and it has been a while since we just had a little fun without a hard moral lesson attached…” twirling in midair the spirit suddenly gave a steep bow fit for a Christmas play “So here we are~ And as you know by your warm little heart I am the first of three ghosts~” it finished, putting a hand on the teddiursa’s chest as he stepped back, still lagging behind the explanation.
“… your appointment canceled… what does that mean exactly?”
“Weeeell turns out they weren’t bad enough to need the appointment, for all their grumping they know the true meaning of Christmas and keep it in their heart… even if it’s deep, DEEP in their heart~”
“… and what if I say I don’t want anything to do with these random visits since I don’t need them apparently? I get a say in this?”
“Say the word and you wake up getting a change from your dear Momma or your patient Father… just in time for bedtime proper~”
Petie bit back the urge to add a “Step” in front of that Father comment since he knew that was wrong (he didn’t do it when people called Rose his sister after all)… and instead focused on the fact he could clearly hear the “Unwrapping a present early” joke Momma would make if he woke up during that change. Avoiding that was almost enough to make him agree to it… almost. He still had one question though…
“So… what would you show me anyway? If there’s no lesson then… what are we going to see?”
“Happiness~ Warmth~ Christmas cheer without any hang-ups or catches~ In my case? A few select scenes from your Christmas past when you were small… er~”
“Cheap shot.”
“Don’t care~ Soooo… little mortal, are you interested~? There’s no Marley warning, no catches, shall you journey with us on this night~?”
As annoyed as he was by all this Petie couldn’t help but mentally go over what the ghost had said. He was reluctant to admit it… but being stuck having to constantly teach people to change their ways sounded like a gig that got old quick even if they loved doing it. And the way they phrased it… he couldn’t really object to the idea of wanting to see warmth and good cheer this time of year. Christmas Spirit for the… Christmas… spirits… lord was that weird to think. He pouted hard, the more he thought the harder it got to say no…
“Fine.”
“Knew you’d be too nice to turn us down~”
“Don’t rub it in. So… is this the part where you tell me to grab your robes or your hand and I’ll be upheld? Blanking on which one it was…”
“Usually yes… but lets try THIS instead~”
“WhaEEEP!”
The ghost suddenly ducked behind him before he let out a squeal of surprise as its hand slipped under his arms and he found himself lifting smoothly into the air in the classic “Up goes the baby” manner, his legs dangling and kicking as he went. Not giving him a chance to protest they were off… maybe? Petie couldn’t tell if they were moving or the world was moving around them as the serene but mysterious setting he’d been in before just dissolved into a swirling tunnel of white, yellow, and red lights that seemed to whoosh past them even though he felt no wind. He could also swear her heard a clock… maybe even clocks rapidly ticking (likely backwards he was guessing) as they flew towards the blindingly bright horizon…
A brightness Petie shut his eyes tight as they flew into as he could hear the toll of bells chiming the hour.
****************
And before he opened them again he was already aware of several familiar voices… all sounding younger than he could ever consciously remember hearing them… in person at least.
“Settle down, settle down~ It’s Petie’s turn to open one~”
“Oh come on Momma, the baby’s not gonna remember any of this.”
“Come on bro, it’ll be cute~ And he’s got presents under the tree so it’s only fair~”
Am almost achingly familiar view out a window greeted Petie as he opened his eyes… the familiar bumpy skyline of skyscrapers and high rises, gently bedecked in a blanket of falling snow, that was Saffron City in winter. Wobbling on his feet Petie almost felt faint as memories were rushing back to him since he knew where he was all too well. Their old apartment on the 7th floor, apartment 62… home till they’d moved when he was 8. Suddenly a hug from behind kept him from falling back onto his bottom as the spirit gently whispered in his ear.
“Now, now, you’re barely old enough to roll over on your own this far back~ No falling down and going boom, you’ll miss the show~ Look, do you recognize this scene~?”
Petie could only nod numbly, barely registering the ghost was now back to being an Uxie (for however long that lasted). He did recognize it… in a few ways. The scene itself was something he watched more than once on embarrassing home movies (which is why he recognized all the voices)… but the decorated room, the brightly lighted artificial christmas tree, the fake fireplace scene playing on the tv… all so very familiar in a distant way. This had been… this had been Christmas before they’d moved to Viridian.
And filling the room beyond the decorations? Momma younger than he could remember personally seeing her, his big sister Sarah who… he’d forgotten how little she’d been as a teddiursa… but she’d always been bigger than him being seven years older than him so that did make sense, which just left… Alex. He only acknowledged the annoyed looking ten year old rattata busy rolling in passing cause even he had to admit his currently disowned older brother was cute before he evolved. It was weird seeing his family so young in person…
“Abaababgaapphhh~”
And it was downright embarrassing to see the tiny ball of baby fat and bunting bag cupped in Momma’s paw. She’d always mentioned how very small he was as a baby… he’d have been just as happy not to see it first hand. Petie had no clue how old he was at this point, just that it’d be measured in months as he watched a giggling Sarah hold a present out to him and, as he already expected from the home movies, his infant self spent all of 5 seconds pawing at it with his lil paws before plopping his chubby cheeked face on it to gum and drool on the wrapped box innocently. Much to his mother and sisters amusement, Alex’s annoyance, and his present day embarrassment.
“Why did you bring me back to see this?”
“You MIGHT remember this from the story but these are shadows of things that HAVE been. They are what they are, do not blame me.”
"Who choose to bring us back to this Christmas then?"
“THAT you can blame on me~ You were cute as an infant... and so liddle too~“
Groaning and putting his burning face in his paws Petie peeked through his fingers to watch Momma swap the present out for a cookie for him to chew on instead as Sarah eagerly got to unwrapping it for him. Right on cue gingerbread man themed footed jammies were pulled out and happily shown around before the two got to work dressing him in it, his infant self too absorbed in suckling on the cookie to care. All just like the home movie even if he was seeing it from a different angl-
“No thought spared for your father in the corner of the room?”
“James isn’t here and I don’t know the guy in the corner with the camera, never did.”
“A fair answer~”
He had a sneaking suspicion the ghost was smirking as they said that but he refused to look… just like he refused to recognized the raticate she’d been addressing as anyone of importance. He might not have been comfortable considering James his dad yet… but the abomasnow was sure hell more of a father to him that Momma’s ex-husband even if this was before he outright abandoned them. The only question he had left was if they were gonna make him sit through the entire scene or-
“Come, let us see another Christmas~”
****************
The world flickered and changed like shifting candle flame as the ghost put its hand on his shoulder and turned him around. He now found himself looking at a more currently familiar setting… as a much more recent and personal memory suddenly rushed back to his mind. It was the living room… their living room, from the house they were still living in in Viridian. The bare walls, the different furniture, the few moving boxes in the corner… he knew exactly when this was…
“Look Petie~ We got it up a little late… but it’s our tree this year~”
“… i-it smells a lil funny Momma…”
“That’s cause it’s real~ We can have a real tree now that we’re in a house~ No apartment rules against it~”
In a daze he turned around to watch Momma carry an eight year old version of him up to the tree, Sarah age 15 following behind with a cardboard box marked “Christmas” in her teddiursa paws. This had been when they’d just moved to Viridian part way through 3rd grade… even if he’d hated his old school he’d left behind so much back in Saffron City and he’d been too little to understand why back then. Momma had wanted to get away from her old life, from her former husband… he could remember clearly just missing the one friend he had back in Saffron and being so scared about the new city-
“Go on Petie, see how it feels~ This is the real deal~”
“… I kinda like it Momma, it smells nicer up close and feels funny~”
And he remembered giggling that little giggle as Momma held him out to let him paw at the branches of the tree before Sarah started passing decorations to them. A happy memory during stressful times… and Alex had taken the fact he was 18 as an excuse to ditch the house so he wasn’t around to ruin it either. Aware and unashamed of the dopey grin on his face Petie watched the scene play out, knowing it’d eventually lead to him dozing off under the tree to wake up surrounded by presents the next morning…
“Could fast forward so you could see WHO actually brought those presents if you want~?”
“No thanks, just as happy not knowing.”
“Cute decision, speaking of that particular topic…”
****************
The world rippled again and Petie found himself in Momma’s office as he could see her typing away at her computer… leaving him briefly lost on when this might be in his Christmas past… until the door was pushed open and Sarah carried him into the room. He knew exactly when this was and what was about to happen as his big sis rubbed his whimpering nine year old back as Momma sighed and swiveled in her chair. Sarah started the exchange as he just watched it play out silently.
“Momma? We got a situation here…”
“I heard Junior leave, what did he do this time?”
Before he’d, thankfully, stopped showing up at all Junior had made a point of dropping by the house during the holidays after he’d left to pursue his sport stardom. All so he could honestly say he’d visited family if asked and try to look better for his public. Petie couldn’t remember a single good thing that happened during any of these visits… for example, right before this he could remember the raticate telling him-
“Momma… is… is Santa real?”
He winced a little at the sad warble in his younger voice as he turned around in Sarah’s arms to look to his mother for guidance. Now he could also clearly see the unspoken “He didn’t tell Petie-“ “He did and he enjoyed it too.” exchanged between the two older bears via looks and winces he’d somehow missed as a kid. Fortunately he also remembered what came next as he watch Momma scoop him out of Sarah’s paws…
“Come here honeypot… I’d been thinking about what to say when you eventually asked me this-“ as he was now Petie could almost see Momma fighting to not add a grumble about this being earlier than expected before she continued “and I think I have an answer for you~ I wanted you to pay very close attention, okay~?” watching Momma lightly boop his younger selfs nose, making nine year old Petie let out a weak giggle, made him rub his own as he found himself nodding in time with the younger bear in agreement.
“Okay then~ Now… does believing in Santa make you happy~?”
“Uh… uh huh?”
“Then he’s real~”
“… bu-but Junior said-“
“We’ve talked about stuff Junior has said before sweetheart, but that’s not what’s important right now. If believing in Santa makes you happy Petie, then he’s real~ As real as Christmas spirit~”
“… bu… e-even before Junior said d-dat… I kinda thought…”
“Huh, well that’s a bit of a surprise… but still, if you want to believe in Santa and it makes you happy honeypot~? Then he’s real~”
“… but what if he’s just… justa… fig-ga-ment… lika ‘maginary friend or a dream?”
“Sweetheart, not all dreams come true or become real… but that doesn’t make them not worth having~ If a dream makes you happy, then that’s a good dream~ Okay?”
“O… okay Momma~”
He hadn’t really understood back then if he was being honest… Momma’s confident tone had more put him at ease than anything else… but he still remembered this conversation clear as day even it took him a few more Christmas’s to understand it. He planned to always remember it both for when the twins were old enough to ask about Santa and if any of the kids he babysat asked (though he might have to rephrase it to make it easier to digest). All so they wouldn’t get clubbed over the head with “Santa’s not real you stupid baby” like a 2x4 like Junior did to him back then…
Even if looking back he couldn’t help but cringe a little at seeing how badly Momma and Sarah babied him. He could remember they always tried to coddle him but seeing it first hand like this… well…
“So… is this why you didn’t wanna see who left the presents~?”
Petie wobbled on his feet while to pretend he hadn’t been startled enough to jump at that question, and hadn’t forgotten about the ghost (who was once more an Azelf). After a moment of composing himself he just glanced at the spirit and, after another minute of considering how to answer, just rolled his eyes and shrugged as he watched Momma carry him, with Sarah close behind, out of her office. They kept teasing him so he was gonna play coy with this. Though he hadn’t a clue what they could show him next… short of jumping back he could really remember any other-
“Well as much fun as it would be to tease you and ask if you still believe in Santa I’m afraid my time grows short~”
“Huh?”
That brought him up short as he turned his full attention to the spirit… whose usual teasing smile had faded to a soft warm one as the flame over their head started to flicker. Their form shifting (for the first time while he was watching) between Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit with each flicker as they bobbled in the air before him.
“Come now~ Even for as little time as you’ve had on this world you know it’s not healthy to keep looking at the past~ Thank you though, this was a fun little break~ But now I’m afraid I have to pass you off~”
The ghosts tone was warm, thankful, and just a touch of sadness to it that almost made Petie sad to see them go even if he’d been annoyed moments before. Opening his mouth and realizing he wasn’t quite sure how to just say “Okay, see ya” in this situation he noticed something. The world around them had glittered away into a million points of soft light that was rapidly fading to darkness leaving only the spirits flickering light to give illumination in the void.
“Oh~! One last thing before you go~ You know the best part about the present~?”
Petie eeped as suddenly the ghost was in his face picking him up under his armpits again as they lifted him high, giggling and giving one last teasing grin.
“If you’re not paying attention~? It comes as a big ol SURPRISE~!”
And with a soft sound like a candle being snuffed out the spirit vanished… along with any force holding Petie aloft as he squealed and tumbled through the void.
To Be Continued
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
As promised here's the first chapter of my Christmas story... will admit I dunno when the other chapters will be coming (stalled out on them baaaad here) but gonna try and get it all done before New Years so wish me luck ^,^
In the meantime let me tell you a tale that's been already told, told, and retold... not~
This here is a bit of twist on the tried and true Dickens "Ghost Story for Christmas" used to share some warmth, cheer, and feel-good-holiday fluff we could all use~ Guest starring our favorite (or at least I hope he is) little diaper clad teddiursa Petie~
Here we have the first of three ghosts... lets look at a past not-so-tense, shall we~?
Characters owned by me
A Christmas Carol made by Charles Dickens
Pokemon NOT owned by me
PCA - A Beary Merry Christmas Carol
Part 1: Visited by Three GhostsTo one small teddiursa the big wide world of his home felt at peace.
Sitting on the couch in the living room Petie was dimly aware of several things. The sparkling lights on the Christmas tree gently bouncing off the ornaments, stirred by the wind of the pets romping around the presents underneath as their personal, brightly colored playground. He was aware of the soft tones of an age old animated (or claymation, he wasn’t paying enough attention to tell) Christmas special playing on the tv and Jules happily singing along with the familiar and warmly worn songs. He was aware of Rose holding the twins on her lap as she sat on the floor, letting the infants giggle and squeal as Felina batted some of the wrapping paper cut offs back and forth in front of them… for the babies amusement and her amusement at their happiness more than anything else.
He was also strongly aware of the empty baby bottle next to him that used to be full of warm cocoa. Warm cocoa that was now filling and warming his rounded tummy underneath his snowflake printed footed jammies. Snowflakes like the ones he could instinctively tell were falling softly outside and joining in the warmth of the cocoa to tell him it was time to take a nice, looooong sleep…
As, a dopey smile on his face past the paw in his mouth, the tiny teenage teddiursa let his eyelids droop shut…
****************
A strange yet familiar feeling of floating and falling was all around Petie as he found himself aware enough to realize he had to be dreaming or starting to dream… which was odd in its own right. He shifted through his sleep fogged mind for what this was… lumbar… livid… lullaby? No, no, lucid! He was having a lucid dream! Which means he could control it if all the tv he’d watched was right… and he’d really wanted this floating while falling thing to stop. It was twisting his tummy into knots and he didn’t wanna wake up being told he’d messed up the coach-
“Sorry about that~”
And the unfamiliar voice made Petie stop just laying there and sit up as he got his wish and the strange sensation stopped… in favor of a strange situation starting.He found himself in a misty, wintery… void? He wanted to call it a void but it didn’t feel empty. He could see illuminated christmas trees among the snow hills and the fog and the sky was dark but had colors smeared across it like the northern lights. If the northern lights were christmas colored anyway. All of this, coupled with the fact he was still in just his diaper and jammies sitting in what looked and felt like fresh snow without feeling cold or sleepy, made only one conclusion obvious-
“I’m dreaming and that cocoa was too strong.”
“You’re free to think that~”
And like that Petie felt rather than saw he wasn’t alone. Craning his neck back and forth as he scrambled clumsily to his feet revealed nobody he could see… but he somehow knew there were three sets of eyes on him. And just like that it somehow clicked. He wasn’t sure if what popped into his head was logic, dream logic, or just him being annoyed the first shot at lucid dreaming (that he could remember anyway) was being hijacked but the pieces came together and he let the sass flow.
“Is this one of those Christmas Carol parodies? Cause I’m gonna file a complaint if it is! I’m notta Scrooge!”
“You’re right, you’re not… you’re our afternoon off~”
“… what the heck does thaAAAH!!
A bright flash of light sent Petie tumbling back into the snow as he scooted away from the source… or tried to anyway. He was pretty sure he was at best making snow angels as a figure floated above him. Wreathed in a sparkling glow, decked in white garments, crowned with a candle like burst of flame over its head, and… only relatively bigger than he was? He found himself looking up at an Uxie, it’s broad smile somehow perfectly conveying a mischievous sense of joy despite it’s shut eyes.
“W-who are-“
“Your momma bear has read you the story enough you know it by heart, you tell me~”
“… don’t remember the Ghost of Christmas Past being a-“
Petie stopped mid sentence as he pulled himself up from the snow and realized a glowing, flame topped Mespirit was now smiling at him. The legendary, spirit, or whatever it was just let out a giggle that reminded the teddiursa of sleigh bells before reaching out and gently closing his still open mouth.
“Come now, you know the past is different depending on how you look at it~ But that’s the here-and-now so it’s not my job, no no, lets talk about what happened before we paid you this visit~” Petie found the legendary flying in circles around him… and having shifted to an Azelf the moment he lost sight of it as he shivered a little despite not feeling any winter cold… and promptly had his face smushed by an unwelcome head hug from the ghost “Oh no, none of that~ You’re no Ebenezer in need of a wake up call~ Be not afraid little mortal~” they cooed as the smell like scented Christmas candles was strong around them…
And they just giggled as Petie shoved them off as best he could. He was getting flashbacks to Diana when she was one of her playful moods. Undeterred the Ghost started bobbing in midair, candle flame over their head flickering as they did so “To put it in very simple terms our 6’o’clock got canceled and we have some time to kill~ The threads of fate led us to you and it has been a while since we just had a little fun without a hard moral lesson attached…” twirling in midair the spirit suddenly gave a steep bow fit for a Christmas play “So here we are~ And as you know by your warm little heart I am the first of three ghosts~” it finished, putting a hand on the teddiursa’s chest as he stepped back, still lagging behind the explanation.
“… your appointment canceled… what does that mean exactly?”
“Weeeell turns out they weren’t bad enough to need the appointment, for all their grumping they know the true meaning of Christmas and keep it in their heart… even if it’s deep, DEEP in their heart~”
“… and what if I say I don’t want anything to do with these random visits since I don’t need them apparently? I get a say in this?”
“Say the word and you wake up getting a change from your dear Momma or your patient Father… just in time for bedtime proper~”
Petie bit back the urge to add a “Step” in front of that Father comment since he knew that was wrong (he didn’t do it when people called Rose his sister after all)… and instead focused on the fact he could clearly hear the “Unwrapping a present early” joke Momma would make if he woke up during that change. Avoiding that was almost enough to make him agree to it… almost. He still had one question though…
“So… what would you show me anyway? If there’s no lesson then… what are we going to see?”
“Happiness~ Warmth~ Christmas cheer without any hang-ups or catches~ In my case? A few select scenes from your Christmas past when you were small… er~”
“Cheap shot.”
“Don’t care~ Soooo… little mortal, are you interested~? There’s no Marley warning, no catches, shall you journey with us on this night~?”
As annoyed as he was by all this Petie couldn’t help but mentally go over what the ghost had said. He was reluctant to admit it… but being stuck having to constantly teach people to change their ways sounded like a gig that got old quick even if they loved doing it. And the way they phrased it… he couldn’t really object to the idea of wanting to see warmth and good cheer this time of year. Christmas Spirit for the… Christmas… spirits… lord was that weird to think. He pouted hard, the more he thought the harder it got to say no…
“Fine.”
“Knew you’d be too nice to turn us down~”
“Don’t rub it in. So… is this the part where you tell me to grab your robes or your hand and I’ll be upheld? Blanking on which one it was…”
“Usually yes… but lets try THIS instead~”
“WhaEEEP!”
The ghost suddenly ducked behind him before he let out a squeal of surprise as its hand slipped under his arms and he found himself lifting smoothly into the air in the classic “Up goes the baby” manner, his legs dangling and kicking as he went. Not giving him a chance to protest they were off… maybe? Petie couldn’t tell if they were moving or the world was moving around them as the serene but mysterious setting he’d been in before just dissolved into a swirling tunnel of white, yellow, and red lights that seemed to whoosh past them even though he felt no wind. He could also swear her heard a clock… maybe even clocks rapidly ticking (likely backwards he was guessing) as they flew towards the blindingly bright horizon…
A brightness Petie shut his eyes tight as they flew into as he could hear the toll of bells chiming the hour.
****************
And before he opened them again he was already aware of several familiar voices… all sounding younger than he could ever consciously remember hearing them… in person at least.
“Settle down, settle down~ It’s Petie’s turn to open one~”
“Oh come on Momma, the baby’s not gonna remember any of this.”
“Come on bro, it’ll be cute~ And he’s got presents under the tree so it’s only fair~”
Am almost achingly familiar view out a window greeted Petie as he opened his eyes… the familiar bumpy skyline of skyscrapers and high rises, gently bedecked in a blanket of falling snow, that was Saffron City in winter. Wobbling on his feet Petie almost felt faint as memories were rushing back to him since he knew where he was all too well. Their old apartment on the 7th floor, apartment 62… home till they’d moved when he was 8. Suddenly a hug from behind kept him from falling back onto his bottom as the spirit gently whispered in his ear.
“Now, now, you’re barely old enough to roll over on your own this far back~ No falling down and going boom, you’ll miss the show~ Look, do you recognize this scene~?”
Petie could only nod numbly, barely registering the ghost was now back to being an Uxie (for however long that lasted). He did recognize it… in a few ways. The scene itself was something he watched more than once on embarrassing home movies (which is why he recognized all the voices)… but the decorated room, the brightly lighted artificial christmas tree, the fake fireplace scene playing on the tv… all so very familiar in a distant way. This had been… this had been Christmas before they’d moved to Viridian.
And filling the room beyond the decorations? Momma younger than he could remember personally seeing her, his big sister Sarah who… he’d forgotten how little she’d been as a teddiursa… but she’d always been bigger than him being seven years older than him so that did make sense, which just left… Alex. He only acknowledged the annoyed looking ten year old rattata busy rolling in passing cause even he had to admit his currently disowned older brother was cute before he evolved. It was weird seeing his family so young in person…
“Abaababgaapphhh~”
And it was downright embarrassing to see the tiny ball of baby fat and bunting bag cupped in Momma’s paw. She’d always mentioned how very small he was as a baby… he’d have been just as happy not to see it first hand. Petie had no clue how old he was at this point, just that it’d be measured in months as he watched a giggling Sarah hold a present out to him and, as he already expected from the home movies, his infant self spent all of 5 seconds pawing at it with his lil paws before plopping his chubby cheeked face on it to gum and drool on the wrapped box innocently. Much to his mother and sisters amusement, Alex’s annoyance, and his present day embarrassment.
“Why did you bring me back to see this?”
“You MIGHT remember this from the story but these are shadows of things that HAVE been. They are what they are, do not blame me.”
"Who choose to bring us back to this Christmas then?"
“THAT you can blame on me~ You were cute as an infant... and so liddle too~“
Groaning and putting his burning face in his paws Petie peeked through his fingers to watch Momma swap the present out for a cookie for him to chew on instead as Sarah eagerly got to unwrapping it for him. Right on cue gingerbread man themed footed jammies were pulled out and happily shown around before the two got to work dressing him in it, his infant self too absorbed in suckling on the cookie to care. All just like the home movie even if he was seeing it from a different angl-
“No thought spared for your father in the corner of the room?”
“James isn’t here and I don’t know the guy in the corner with the camera, never did.”
“A fair answer~”
He had a sneaking suspicion the ghost was smirking as they said that but he refused to look… just like he refused to recognized the raticate she’d been addressing as anyone of importance. He might not have been comfortable considering James his dad yet… but the abomasnow was sure hell more of a father to him that Momma’s ex-husband even if this was before he outright abandoned them. The only question he had left was if they were gonna make him sit through the entire scene or-
“Come, let us see another Christmas~”
****************
The world flickered and changed like shifting candle flame as the ghost put its hand on his shoulder and turned him around. He now found himself looking at a more currently familiar setting… as a much more recent and personal memory suddenly rushed back to his mind. It was the living room… their living room, from the house they were still living in in Viridian. The bare walls, the different furniture, the few moving boxes in the corner… he knew exactly when this was…
“Look Petie~ We got it up a little late… but it’s our tree this year~”
“… i-it smells a lil funny Momma…”
“That’s cause it’s real~ We can have a real tree now that we’re in a house~ No apartment rules against it~”
In a daze he turned around to watch Momma carry an eight year old version of him up to the tree, Sarah age 15 following behind with a cardboard box marked “Christmas” in her teddiursa paws. This had been when they’d just moved to Viridian part way through 3rd grade… even if he’d hated his old school he’d left behind so much back in Saffron City and he’d been too little to understand why back then. Momma had wanted to get away from her old life, from her former husband… he could remember clearly just missing the one friend he had back in Saffron and being so scared about the new city-
“Go on Petie, see how it feels~ This is the real deal~”
“… I kinda like it Momma, it smells nicer up close and feels funny~”
And he remembered giggling that little giggle as Momma held him out to let him paw at the branches of the tree before Sarah started passing decorations to them. A happy memory during stressful times… and Alex had taken the fact he was 18 as an excuse to ditch the house so he wasn’t around to ruin it either. Aware and unashamed of the dopey grin on his face Petie watched the scene play out, knowing it’d eventually lead to him dozing off under the tree to wake up surrounded by presents the next morning…
“Could fast forward so you could see WHO actually brought those presents if you want~?”
“No thanks, just as happy not knowing.”
“Cute decision, speaking of that particular topic…”
****************
The world rippled again and Petie found himself in Momma’s office as he could see her typing away at her computer… leaving him briefly lost on when this might be in his Christmas past… until the door was pushed open and Sarah carried him into the room. He knew exactly when this was and what was about to happen as his big sis rubbed his whimpering nine year old back as Momma sighed and swiveled in her chair. Sarah started the exchange as he just watched it play out silently.
“Momma? We got a situation here…”
“I heard Junior leave, what did he do this time?”
Before he’d, thankfully, stopped showing up at all Junior had made a point of dropping by the house during the holidays after he’d left to pursue his sport stardom. All so he could honestly say he’d visited family if asked and try to look better for his public. Petie couldn’t remember a single good thing that happened during any of these visits… for example, right before this he could remember the raticate telling him-
“Momma… is… is Santa real?”
He winced a little at the sad warble in his younger voice as he turned around in Sarah’s arms to look to his mother for guidance. Now he could also clearly see the unspoken “He didn’t tell Petie-“ “He did and he enjoyed it too.” exchanged between the two older bears via looks and winces he’d somehow missed as a kid. Fortunately he also remembered what came next as he watch Momma scoop him out of Sarah’s paws…
“Come here honeypot… I’d been thinking about what to say when you eventually asked me this-“ as he was now Petie could almost see Momma fighting to not add a grumble about this being earlier than expected before she continued “and I think I have an answer for you~ I wanted you to pay very close attention, okay~?” watching Momma lightly boop his younger selfs nose, making nine year old Petie let out a weak giggle, made him rub his own as he found himself nodding in time with the younger bear in agreement.
“Okay then~ Now… does believing in Santa make you happy~?”
“Uh… uh huh?”
“Then he’s real~”
“… bu-but Junior said-“
“We’ve talked about stuff Junior has said before sweetheart, but that’s not what’s important right now. If believing in Santa makes you happy Petie, then he’s real~ As real as Christmas spirit~”
“… bu… e-even before Junior said d-dat… I kinda thought…”
“Huh, well that’s a bit of a surprise… but still, if you want to believe in Santa and it makes you happy honeypot~? Then he’s real~”
“… but what if he’s just… justa… fig-ga-ment… lika ‘maginary friend or a dream?”
“Sweetheart, not all dreams come true or become real… but that doesn’t make them not worth having~ If a dream makes you happy, then that’s a good dream~ Okay?”
“O… okay Momma~”
He hadn’t really understood back then if he was being honest… Momma’s confident tone had more put him at ease than anything else… but he still remembered this conversation clear as day even it took him a few more Christmas’s to understand it. He planned to always remember it both for when the twins were old enough to ask about Santa and if any of the kids he babysat asked (though he might have to rephrase it to make it easier to digest). All so they wouldn’t get clubbed over the head with “Santa’s not real you stupid baby” like a 2x4 like Junior did to him back then…
Even if looking back he couldn’t help but cringe a little at seeing how badly Momma and Sarah babied him. He could remember they always tried to coddle him but seeing it first hand like this… well…
“So… is this why you didn’t wanna see who left the presents~?”
Petie wobbled on his feet while to pretend he hadn’t been startled enough to jump at that question, and hadn’t forgotten about the ghost (who was once more an Azelf). After a moment of composing himself he just glanced at the spirit and, after another minute of considering how to answer, just rolled his eyes and shrugged as he watched Momma carry him, with Sarah close behind, out of her office. They kept teasing him so he was gonna play coy with this. Though he hadn’t a clue what they could show him next… short of jumping back he could really remember any other-
“Well as much fun as it would be to tease you and ask if you still believe in Santa I’m afraid my time grows short~”
“Huh?”
That brought him up short as he turned his full attention to the spirit… whose usual teasing smile had faded to a soft warm one as the flame over their head started to flicker. Their form shifting (for the first time while he was watching) between Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit with each flicker as they bobbled in the air before him.
“Come now~ Even for as little time as you’ve had on this world you know it’s not healthy to keep looking at the past~ Thank you though, this was a fun little break~ But now I’m afraid I have to pass you off~”
The ghosts tone was warm, thankful, and just a touch of sadness to it that almost made Petie sad to see them go even if he’d been annoyed moments before. Opening his mouth and realizing he wasn’t quite sure how to just say “Okay, see ya” in this situation he noticed something. The world around them had glittered away into a million points of soft light that was rapidly fading to darkness leaving only the spirits flickering light to give illumination in the void.
“Oh~! One last thing before you go~ You know the best part about the present~?”
Petie eeped as suddenly the ghost was in his face picking him up under his armpits again as they lifted him high, giggling and giving one last teasing grin.
“If you’re not paying attention~? It comes as a big ol SURPRISE~!”
And with a soft sound like a candle being snuffed out the spirit vanished… along with any force holding Petie aloft as he squealed and tumbled through the void.
To Be Continued
Category Story / Pokemon
Species Pokemon
Size 549 x 234px
File Size 28.6 kB
Listed in Folders
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