Spice of Life: Spice, Snow and Santa
 
“C’mon, Bianca! It’s not much farther!”
 
The Midday Lycanroc shivered as she pressed onwards after the ice-blue blur of tails that had lead her all the way from Alola. What had once been a quest to simply get off the islands had turned into a jaunt across all the known regions… and yet, she had never once felt lost while she followed her Ninetales companion.
 
“C’mon, Bianca.” Mint called once again, turning to face her as she pranced in place, “It’s right over this hill. We’re going to see it any moment now.”
 
“I just don’t think it’s likely we’ll find something like that out here.” The canine replied, her ears tucking back as she finally caught up to the vixen. She looked around the forest, keeping an eye out for both wild and… ‘civilised’ pokemon. “I know wild pokemon are plentiful in Sinnoh, but ‘civliised pokemon’? Walking around dressed up in little coats and boots like humans? It just feels like that Zangoose was pulling our legs.”
 
“Huh? He never even touched us, let alone pulled our legs.” Mint blinked in confusion at the phrase before shaking her head and turning towards the snowy horizon, “But I know it’s close, I can feel it. We’re going to find the town and they’re going to help us out.”
 
“Even if we find this town, or that rescue team, would they really help a couple of random lost pokemon?” Bianca shook her head, “It seems like it’d be a close-knit community. Not the kind of place where pokemon like us could just waltz in.”
 
“You just let me handle that, Wolfy.” The Ninetales giggled, shaking her tails and leaving snow falling off them before she began to walk again. The rock dog followed after her, shaking her head. There was no way they were going to find something so ridiculous; a town built by pokemon. There was no way she could hear christmas carols echoing across the forest, the sound of children as they played in the snow, the warm glow of holiday lights and the scent of tinsel.
 
Her eyes widened. There on the horizon sat a town made up of tiny houses, with pokemon dressed in scarves and wool hats moving around. Groups travelled from door to door as carollers, and vendors sold last-minute gifts on the street. Bianca’s jaw dropped as Mint just smiled her usual optimistic smile, “I… don’t believe it.”
 
“It’s a Christmas miracle!” Mint shouted in joy, bouncing through the street as she waved to each pokemon she passed, “Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!” she cheered. Bianca couldn’t help but smile at her energy, even in the frigid cold of the winter night. They had found Clearspring… but they still needed to find a rescue team for their mission.
 
They had to find the ones brave enough to go into the human town of Hearthome.
 
* * *
 
“Oh Christmastales, Oh Christmastales, how lovely are you tails~” Spice sang as he wrapped tinsel around his tails. Cyn shot him a look that reminded him he should be helping them decorate the front room that served as the rescue team’s base and the entrance to the Den, but the Ninetales simply shook his head and turned away, “You’re just jealous because your fur clashes with silver.” he huffed, tying off the last of the silver tinsel.
 
“I’m mad because you’re wasting our supplies on accessorising.” Cyn replied matter-of-factly before looking around the room. Even without the Ninetales’ help they had still managed to do a good job. There was a holiday wreath on the door, paper stars on the walls and paper chains hanging from the ceiling. She sat up in her chair and cleared her throat, “Alright team, listen up. Auric’s got us a tree being delivered from Virtue, so we don’t have to steal one from Hearthome this year.”
 
“Wait, no tree-stealing?” Typh blinked at the sudden loss of the Clearspring tradition, “So, what’s the plan this year?”
 
“Have fun and enjoy the holidays, of course.” Cyn replied with a grin, “This year I want everyone to have a good time. It feels like every time there’s a holiday we end up getting caught up in some big adventure.” she shook her head, “But this year we’re just going to have a nice, normal Christmas. No adventures, no distractions.”
 
“No point in staying to hear the rest of this speech.” Malus added in with a little grin as he turned towards the door, “Well, I’m going to head out then. I’ve got some last-minute presents to buy and wrap.”
 
“See you at the party, Malus. Enjoy the holidays.” Leaf spoke up, moving out the Persian’s way as he headed for the door. The cat stopped, staring through the window in the door. The Leafeon glanced up at him, “Is something wrong?”
 
“Probably. There’s a big crowd outside all standing around one spot.” The Persian said, glancing over his shoulder at the others in the room, “I think we might have a Christmas adventure to go on after all.”
 
“Goddamnit.” Cyn sighed, her paw coming up to her face and gripping it lightly before she hopped over her desk and made her way for the door, “Alright, let’s see what this is about. It better not take all night to wrap up.”
 
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll get it done and be back to having a nice, normal Christmas in no time.” Leaf reassured her, giving the others a smile that revealed he wasn’t convinced what he said was true.
 
As they stepped outside they began to hear the crowd asking questions and letting out gasps of joy and delight. Brightly coloured wisps flew up from the center of the crowd and curled in the air, dancing about like a private fireworks display. Cyn and Typh exchanged a confused glance before the Swampert moved ahead of the rest of the group to clear a path, his size left pokemon he came close to shying away and allowing him and his friends to get through.
 
As they reached the center they found the ice-blue Ninetales dancing about and shaking her tails, sending snowflakes flying as she breathed out wisps to entertain the crowd. Meanwhile a canine pokemon sat next to her, nervously avoiding paws from the audience as they tried to touch the rocks around her neck while asking if they were real or just accessories.
 
“Haha, this is so much fun, Bianca!” the Ninetales giggled, “Everyone here is so friendly!”
 
“H-hey, please don’t touch my rocks. They’re sensitive.” the Lycanroc begged, taking nervous steps away from the outer edge of the crowd. She walked backwards into the Ninetales, but Mint was quick to leap over her and land on her back, posing as she finished her performance, “Ack!”
 
“Tada!” Mint chimed, getting a tumultuous applause from the audience. The Winners stared in disbelief and confusion at the strange pokemon, though most of their eyes eventually fell on Spice, assuming the Ninetales’ reaction would be the most interesting of all.
 
“I-it’s so… beautiful…” Spice managed, stammering as his tails nervous flicking turned into a full-on wagging, “I-I don’t believe it! How could I have never seen it before!” he gasped, turning to Cyn as he beamed brightly, “The only thing that could be more beautiful than a Ninetales is another kind of Ninetales!”
 
“There are other kinds of Ninetales?” Mint gasped as she heard the voice. Her green eyes locked onto Spice and she cheered, leaping off of her friend’s back and landing just before him. “Ooh, another me! That’s so cool!”
 
“Yes, well, I’m not -really- another you, am I?” Spice shook his head and gave a scoff at the thought as his tails fluffed out behind him and swayed in their tinsel-y glory, “You’d have to do quite a bit more work before you could be quite like me.”
 
“Yeah, I’d have to be a guy first.” Mint pouted, “But I really like being a girl… still though, you’re different from all the Ninetales I’ve seen before.” her eyes scanned the crowd, and finally she locked onto a Ninetales in a yellow scarf, “Oh, except her.” she said, only to point out a second silver Ninetales standing shortly behind her, “And him too!” she smiled before turning to the Ninetales once again, “Wow.. I guess you’re kind of normal after all, huh?”
 
Cyn could practically hear Spice’s ego shatter around him. ‘Normal’, she knew how much he hated that word. The Ninetales’ purple eye twitched, and his grin became far more forced, “Well… I still have purple eyes, so…”
 
“But you’re pretty average otherwise, right?” Mint giggled, “It’s okay, I’m normal too back where I come from, other than having green eyes. Hey, maybe you really -are- another me, I mean, other than there being lots more pokemon like you than there are pokemon like me…” she laughed, oblivious to the burning rage growing inside the Ninetales before her.
 
“Uh, Mint..?” Bianca tucked her ears back as she moved to approach her travelling companion, “I don’t think he likes being talked to that way. You can’t just say that pokemon are plain, it’ll hurt their feelings.”
 
“PLAIN?!” Spice shouted, his tails standing on end as the crowd rapidly moved backwards, creating a larger ring around the Winners and the Alolans. Spice huffed, calming himself down as he flicked his tails free of the tinsel, “I’ll show you who’s plain. Mint, was it? I challenge you to a contest!” Spice pointed over at her with his paw, “May the best Ninetales win.”
 
“A contest?” Mint blinked, tapping her chin with her paw before noticing the snow hanging off of it. She glanced down at the ground and soon began to shuffle her paws against it, her tails wagging merrily all the while.
 
“Yes, it can be anything you like.” Spice continued, not even paying attention to the Ninetales as he grinned, rebuilding his pride piece by piece, “No doubt I could beat you in anything you can come up with-”
 
Paff! The Ninetales yelped as the snowball burst against his cheek, causing him to quickly return his gaze to the icy Ninetales. Mint smiled as she held a second snowball in her paw, “Snowball fight, obviously. I’m the Snowball Contest Champion of Alola, you know.”
 
“Prepare to lose that title, you-” Spice began, only to get hit in the face by the second snowball. Mint laughed and skipped around in a circle, having the time of her life as the other Ninetales rapidly threw snowballs at her. The Alolan Ninetales dodged each one with very little effort, even taking the time to roll about in the snow and show off for the crowd while she did so.
 
“Spice is furious...” Leaf gasped as he watched the spectacle. He glanced up at the other Winners, his paws shuffling against the snow nervously. “Do you think we should stop them?”
 
“Nah, losing now and then is probably good for him.” Malus replied with a shrug, “By the way, here’s a holiday tip; If you ever want to get Spice to do something for you, make it a contest. That’s how he became ‘The Clearspring Contest Champion of Washing Dishes.’” The Persian smirked.
 
“You know I give those chores to you for a reason, right?” Cyn noted, rolling her eyes at the cat before turning her attention back to the snowball fight. Spice was exhausted, but he had finally gotten the upper paw on the snowy Ninetales. He was standing over Mint, who had her back against a tree and for the first time had an expression other than ‘childish wonder’.
 
“Hah… ha…. Let’s see you dodge… THIS!” Spice yelled, throwing the snowball with all his might. Mint gasped and ducked, leaving the snowball hitting the trunk of the tree behind her instead. Spice doubled back to prepare another snowball, only to have a plume of snow that had previously been resting on the tree branches come crashing down on him, leaving only his golden tails sticking out from the pile of snow.
 
“Hehe, see Spice? Now we’re way more alike. You’re a snowy Ninetales too!” Mint laughed, rolling onto her back and kicking her legs in the air, not even caring that some of the snow had fallen on her too. Spice snarled in frustration and pulled himself out of the snow before storming off.
 
“Huh? Hey, c’mon, we were having fun!” Mint called after him, shaking the snow off herself before chasing after the other pokemon, “Please don’t be mad. It was just a game.”
 
“I’ve never been so humiliated in all my life.” Spice complained, his tails twitching furiously as he stomped through the snow. After a couple of seconds to reconsider his statement, he shook his head, “Well, this is the most humiliated I’ve been -today- at least. Let’s go back to the base, Winners. I need a warm bath and some hot cocoa.”
 
“I thought we were playing! I’m sorry if I hurt you.” Mint explained, tucking her ears back in concern. Her eyes widened as she heard him address the team, “Wait, Winners? Oh no, you guys are the rescue team we were supposed to talk to!”
 
“They are?” Bianca blinked in surprise, only to gasp as she moved towards the shiny Liepard, “Please don’t be upset about what happened with your teammate, Mint can get a little out of paw sometimes, she didn’t mean to upset him.”
 
“I can believe that, but it really doesn’t matter.” Cyn shook her head as she turned to follow after Spice, noticing most of the group had started walking with him. “I promised my team a stress-free holiday, and I’m going to give them one. No missions, no adventures, just sitting back and relaxing.”
 
“But you’re the only team who’s ever been inside the human city.” Bianca said, causing the cat to stop in her tracks. “Mint really wants to see something in Hearthome, and no other pokemon in this town have the cunning and skill it takes to get in without getting captured by humans. It’s a simple mission, and I promise you’ll be greatly rewarded.”
 
“There’s not a whole lot of cunning or skill involved,” Malus pointed out, “You just have to put on some accessories and act like you belong to a hum-mmph!” the cat found his muzzle being planted against the Swampert’s fat belly as Typh glared down at him, the low grumble coming from his gut telling the Persian to keep his mouth shut.
 
“...greatly rewarded?” Cyn perked her ears, finally turning to look over her shoulder, “You two don’t look like you’d have anything on you that would be considered a ‘great reward’.”
 
“We have… treasures, from Alola.” The Lycanroc stammered, glancing over at Mint, “I’m sure we could part with them in exchange for what we came here to do.”
 
“Besides, we could always just ask for more treasure when we see Santa.” Mint piped up, causing Bianca to hide her face behind her paw. The Ninetales tilted her head, “What? ...it’s what we came here to do, isn’t it?”
 
“You’re going to see Santa?” Spice asked incredulously, only for a grin to cross his muzzle. Oh yes, this would be the perfect revenge. The look on Mint’s face when she learned the truth would be all the reward he needed, “Of course we’ll help you! After all, it’s the only time of year you can see him, and he just so happens to be right here in Hearthome.”
 
“I couldn’t believe our luck, with all towns he could be in, he was in Hearthome when we passed by!” Mint agreed with a wide smile and a wag of her tails, “Bianca said he gives presents to good pokemon, and I’ve been a really good pokemon this year, so I really want to see him and get my Christmas wish.”
 
“That’s… cute.” Cyn shook her head with a chuckle, giving the Lycanroc a split-second glance of ‘This is going to blow up in your face’ before grinning in an attempt to mirror the Ninetales’ enthusiasm, “Alright, alright. You’ve convinced me, and since Spice wants to come too I guess that makes us a party of four. Let’s go… see Santa.”
 
“Yay!” Mint chimed as she bounced in place, “I’m so excited I could burst! This is going to be my best Christmas ever!” she chimed, running around in circles and chasing her tails as the other three stood back and watched.
 
“So, how do you get into the human city without getting captured anyway?” Bianca asked, looking over at the Liepard and Ninetales standing next to her.
 
“Well, first things first…” Cyn began as she examined the spiky rocks around the Lycanroc’s neck. She tapped one curiously with her paw before grinning, “How do you feel about collars?”
 
* * *
 
The goggles felt far too tight, even when they were simply resting on her head. The wolf couldn’t help but wonder where the style had come from, as it wasn’t as though she, or most pokemon, would be in a situation where they would need goggles. Still, they were better than wearing any of the collars Cyn had picked out for her.
 
She glanced over to the shiny Liepard as they walked, dressed in a black leather collar with a heart-shaped tag that had the word ‘Mistress’ imprinted onto it. A blush crossed her muzzle as Cyn noticed her wandering eyes and offered her a wink. She shook her head and focused on the two sets of nine tails before her; One yellow and one blue.
 
“Thanks for letting me wear this scarf, Spice.” Mint grinned as she felt the light blue scarf around her neck, “It’s just like yours, except it’s blue!”
 
“Quite observant, aren’t you?” Spice grinned in response, knowing his sarcasm was lost on the childish vixen. “You know, blue scarves are worn by Beauty Contest champions, it’s a symbol of their success in the field.” he shook his head, “Obviously I had a dozen or so laying around, so I thought perhaps you could just borrow one of my old ones, from back when I was a mere pup on the stage.”
 
“Oh, you were in contests even when you were a Vulpix?” Mint asked, only to shake her head, “I didn’t really get to be a Vulpix, my parents had me evolved pretty much right after I left the egg. They needed my Snow Warning to be strong enough to help the other Ninetales keep the blizzard around our tribe up, so humans wouldn’t find us.”
 
“I was evolved when I was hatched too. I was a Miniature Ninetales.” Spice gasped, his eyes widening as he locked onto the other Ninetales’ green ones, “It was a fashion trend at the time, Evolving a hatched Vulpix into a Ninetales immediately so they’d stay the size of a Vulpix. I was beautiful and cute, but I never got to be a Vulpix either.”
 
“Woah, really?” Mint stared at him, her tails wagging in excitement and sending snowflakes flying over the pokemon walking behind them, “I thought I was the only one!”
 
“I knew I wasn’t. But it’s nice to meet a pokemon like myself out here in the wilds for a change.” Spice offered the slightest of smiles, only to clear his throat and compose himself, his eyes locked on the path ahead. No, he wasn’t about to start bonding with the competition. “W-well, I’m sorry to hear you had your childhood stripped from you like that… I know how having a purpose can do that to a pokemon.”
 
“It’s okay, I was just glad to help out.” Mint replied with a shrug, keeping her smile all the same, “Besides, now I’m older and miles away from home I can do all the stuff I never got to do as a Vulpix, and I’m going to start by having a Christmas adventure to see Santa Claus.”
 
“Oh…” Spice tucked his ears back. He could feel his heart sinking into his stomach, and as he looked back towards Cyn she avoided eye contact with him. He glanced over to the Alolan Ninetales beside him, “You… really believe in him, don’t you?”
 
“Well, yeah. He can do anything.” Mint replied with a smile, “He’s the nicest human in the world, everyone knows that. I’ll bet he could even send me back to Alola if I really wanted to go home.”
 
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Mint.” Bianca spoke up, moving hurriedly between Spice and Mint as she looked up at the snowy Ninetales, “We came all this way to get away from the islands and see the world, don’t you think it’s a bit early to go back?”
 
“I guess… I really am enjoying our adventure.” Mint said, beaming away as she leaned down and nuzzled the rocks on Bianca’s neck, causing the wolf to blush through her fur, “Okay, Bianca. I’ll think of something else to ask Santa for.”
 
“I’m sure you’ll be surprised.” Cyn spoke up, receiving a worried glance from Bianca as she did so. The Liepard tilted her head up before pointing one paw ahead of herself, “Look alive and act like you’re trained, guys. Hearthome’s right up ahead.”
 
Mint’s eyes widened in delight at the sight before her. The town was covered in lights and decorations. Baubles and lights hung from the tree in the town center, the smell of gingerbread and mince pies rode on the breeze and surrounded them. Families returned to their homes for the night, and as one child noticed her and pointed her out she responded by waving playfully towards him. “It’s so beautiful here, I want to look at everything!”
 
“If you think this is beautiful, you should see the contest hall. I’d dare say we’ve arrived just in time for their annual christmas party!” Spice chimed, his tails curling gently around the other Ninetales’ as he lead her along, “Come, come, I must show you to the Beauty contest pokemon. They should know what they’ll be up against once more Alolan Ninetales start coming to Sinnoh.”
 
“I’m not really all that beautif-” Mint began, pulling back against him only for the Ninetales to give her an extra strong tug to pull her against himself.
 
“Of course you are, my dear! Why, you’re the most beautiful Ninetales to grace Hearthome since I first took the stage.” Spice grinned down at her, “I may not be a contest star anymore, but I’m sure you could be~” ...and he was sure having Mint in a place of popularity at the contest hall would help him get back into the good graces of the pokemon who had cast him out last year. “Now come along, we must show those other pokemon what true beauty is capable of!”
 
“Hehe, well, okay then~” Mint giggled as she followed after the other Ninetales, rubbing her cheek playfully against his as she admired the sights, sounds and smells of the christmassy town. Cyn waited for them to be out of earshot before turning her attention towards Bianca.
 
“You know this is going to break her heart, right? In case you hadn’t heard, the santa here is just a guy in a costume.” The Liepard pointed out, “You’re setting her up for the biggest fall of her life.”
 
“Mint won’t know that, she’s like a puppy.” The Lycanroc said, her ears tucking back as she looked towards the Christmas tree sitting in the center of the town, the bright star at the top of it created a warm glow around the town square, “She’ll believe the costume, we’ll get her a toy and she’ll have a wonderful Christmas.”
 
“She needs to grow up. This isn’t good for her.” Cyn tucked her ears back, “You can’t keep coddling her. If she keeps acting like this she’s going to end up getting into real trouble someday. You won’t always be there to look out for her.”
 
“Yes I will.” Bianca replied firmly, her fur standing on end. The sudden determination in her eyes left Cyn taking a few steps back. “Mint and I have been through alot together on our journey, and I would take on Arceus to protect her if I had to.”
 
“Yikes… chill out, Bianca. It’s Christmas.” Cyn blinked before shaking her head, “I’m just trying to help you. You don’t have to act like I’m threatening you or your girlfriend.”
 
“We’re just friends.” Bianca sighed. Cyn knew that tone anywhere, she had heard it many times from disappointed pokemon in the Den. “Her optimism has gotten us both this far… I don’t want her to lose it, so I’m fostering it however I can. When we see Santa, please just play along. I’ll give you the reward once we’re out of Hearthome and we can go our separate ways.”
 
“Alright, I’ll play along.” Cyn replied, gently stroking the rocks on the side of the Lycanroc’s neck to sooth her, “You’re going to have to tell her someday, but if this year has been that hard on you, no pressure. You can have a nice, normal Christmas.”
 
“Thank you.” Bianca murred in response, her eyes slowly drifting shut at the attention to her sensitive rocks. As she heard footsteps moving towards them she opened her eyes once again to see Spice returning, looking almost as angry as he had when he lost the snowball contest. “Ah, Spice, welcome back.”
 
“Hmph! Clearly I’m not welcome in this town at all!” Spice growled, his tails shaking in fury at he pointed a paw back towards the way he had come, “The contest hall is filled with Milotic. MILOTIC! fussy, selfish, arrogant snakes who think they’re more beautiful than Ninetales! I even brought Spyce out to show off my new act and they called it ‘Mediocre’. How dare they-”
 
“Spice… where’s Mint?” Cyn asked, cutting off the Ninetales’ tirade as she looked behind him, “Wasn’t she with you?”
 
“She got bored and wandered off. I thought she was coming back to you.” Spice blinked, glancing between the two pokemon. Neither of them responded, they simply remained silent as they stared at him. The Lycanroc’s eyes widened, her pupils shrank and her breaths became rapid and shallow. “She isn’t with you?” Spice asked again.
 
“Bianca..?” Cyn began, reaching her paw up towards the wolf’s rocks once again, “You okay there, buddy?”
 
“...MInt?!” Bianca called, her voice cracking as she suddenly broke away from the two and dashing off further into the town. “Mint, where are you? MINT!” she yelled, barking in a terrified frenzy as she dashed between stands and narrowly avoiding knocking people over.
 
“Damn it, Spice. You were supposed to keep an eye on her.” Cyn growled as they ran, trying to split her focus between pursuing the crazed wolf and lecturing the Ninetales, “She could be anywhere. Do you have any idea how clueless she is?”
 
“Well she was smart enough to know to show off her blue scarf, the pokemon were all convinced she was the champion of the Alola pageantry.” Spice replied, struggling to talk and run at the same time, “It can’t be too hard to find her, we just have to think like her.”
 
“You say that like you don’t already, you airhead.” Cyn shook her head in frustration, her green eyes darting about as she searched for the icy blue Ninetales. There were so many people wearing santa hats, her heart began to sink, “If she sees a santa hat she might just assume that the person wearing it is Santa. What if she got caught by a trainer?”
 
“Don’t say that! I-I can find her! I just have to find her scent!” The Lycanroc barked back at her, skidding to a halt in the snow as she buried her nose in the snow before glancing around desperately, dirt still on her snout. All the buildings looked the same, and the lights were so garishly bright their flashing was rapidly becoming a distraction. “Mint?! Mint, can you hear me?”
 
“Santa..?”
 
The trio of pokemon turned towards the distant voice, it was coming from a large plastic cave with a fake wooden sign that read ‘Santa’s Grotto’. As the trio moved through the open back door they found the Alolan Ninetales turning empty prop present boxes upside down and shaking them, “Santa? Are you here? ...Santa?” she called, tossing the box in her paws aside before moving onto the next, “You can come out, it’s just me.”
 
“Mint…” Bianca breathed out a sigh of relief as she ran over to her, hugging her from behind and pulling her head down to rest against her fluffy chest, “Mint, you scared me. I thought I had lost you.”
 
“Bianca, I can’t find Santa.” Mint whimpered, looking up at the Lycanroc before glancing over at the empty seat, as well as the chaos she had created opening the present boxes to search for him, “I don’t think he’s here after all...”
 
“We must have gotten here too late,” The wolf replied, glancing around the dimly lit room before smiling unsurely to the Ninetales cuddled up against her, “We’ll come again tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be here on Christmas day.”
 
“Actually…” Cyn pointed towards a sign on the wall, an advertisement for the opening times of Santa’s Grotto, “Today’s the last day he was in town, we missed him by an hour.” she turned to look at the others, “...I’m sorry, I guess we should have left earlier.”
 
“B-but…” Mint shivered. An icy wind began to fill the cave, and her fur shimmered as the cold wind whipped around it. Snow began to fall against the roof of the plastic cave, and it quickly turned to hail as she became more distraught, “We travelled all this way... I-I brought Bianca all this way, and it was- It was all for nothing?”
 
“N-no, that’s not how it is at all.” Bianca insisted, hugging the Ninetales tighter as the hail hammered against the roof, “We’re together, that’s what’s really important. Right? W-we’re having a wonderful adventure together.”
 
“B-but… I… I made you come all this way…” Mint whimpered, tears starting to from in her eyes as the hail hammered harder against the plastic roof of the cave, “I-I know this was just a detour or whatever but… I still made us come here to see him… and he’s... “ she bit her lip as the snow thundered against the walls, “He’s not even here!”
 
“The storm’s getting worse, we need to do something.” Cyn shouted over the deafening hail. Mint started to cry loudly, leaving the roof creaking from the snow that had begun to pile on top of it, “This place is going to collapse! Mint, please, calm down! It’s okay!”
 
“It’s not okay! I ruined Christmas!” Mint howled, tears streaming down her cheeks as one of the supports on the roof snapped, causing snow to begin plummeting into the plastic cave, “J-just like I ruin everything! I’m so stupid, I’m the worst friend ever!”
 
“Ho ho ho! What’s all this?” A friendly voice bellowed. As the three pokemon turned they saw a Ninetales with a long white beard wearing a santa hat. He stepped forward, grinning behind the beard, “Young lady, what seems to be the problem?”
 
“Sp-spice?” Mint sniffled as the storm outside slowly began to die down, “Why are you… dressed up like that?”
 
“I’m not Spice, I’m Santa Claus.” The Ninetales replied, hopping up onto the chair and posing proudly before sitting back in it, “I deliver gifts to all the good pokemon of the world. I was just about to go, but I saw the terrible storm and just had to make sure my Grotto was okay.”
 
“But… Santa isn’t a Ninetales.” Mint tilted her head in confusion, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes, “He’s human.” she added, glancing at all the wooden figures around the grotto. There were a few Pikachus in Santa hats, but for the most part they were all human.
 
“Aah, that is- That’s true! For humans, it is, at least.” the Ninetales replied, clearing his throat, “Santa appears as the same species as you are. He’s like a Ditto, except he changes for everyone.” he smiled towards the Liepard, “Isn’t that right, young lady?”
 
“Yeah, what’re you talking about, Mint?” Cyn spoke up, winking to the Santatales as she played along, “Santa looks like a Liepard to me.” she said before glancing over at Bianca, “What about you, Bianca?”
 
“Uhh.” Bianca stammered, glancing down at the Ninetales resting her head on her chest. She looked over at Cyn, then at Spice. “He’s a…” she gulped, “He’s definitely a Lycanroc. A Midday Lycanroc, at that.”
 
“If you’re Santa, then where’s Spice?” The Alolan Ninetales asked, finally sitting up as she crossed her paws over her chest triumphantly, a grin crossing her muzzle as she revelled in finally outsmarting someone.
 
“Hm? Did someone call for a certain Hero of Clearspring?” Spice asked as he walked in, sitting down next to Cyn and adjusting his prized red scarf. Cyn looked over at the Ninetales in alarm, but then relaxed as he winked to her. It was Spyce, Spice’s substitute… or perhaps the Santatales with Spyce? This was the first time she wasn’t entirely sure. The Liepard glanced between them looking for ways to tell them apart, though as the Ninetales nudged her side she sat up straight and continued to watch as though she were none-the-wiser.
 
“Oh my gales.” Mint gasped before dropping before the Santatales, her paws in front of her and her head down in a begging position, “I’m so sorry, Mr Claus. I shouldn’t have doubted you, and I definitely shouldn’t have ruined your Grotto. I didn’t mean to be a bad pokemon, I just wanted to see you so much-”
 
“Ho ho ho, it’s -snow- problem.” The Ninetales grinned, having never been one to miss an opportunity for a pun, “I know you were just sad that you didn’t get to see me, but don’t fret, I’m the real Santa and I’m here to give you your Christmas present.”
 
“A-actually, I was hoping I could have a Christmas wish instead this year.” Mint replied, folding her paws beneath her chin, “I-if you don’t mind, Mr Santa Claus.”
 
“I don’t mind at all.” The Ninetales laughed heartily. That was a fortunate save, it wasn’t as though he’d be able to find a gift on such short notice anyway, “Tell me, little girl, what is your christmas wish?”
 
“I know that Bianca and I have been friends for a while now, having gone through half the regions together just to see the world and go on adventures and stuff...” Mint began as she sat up, her cloud-like tails swaying behind her, “But sometimes I worry I’m dragging her into trouble, and sometimes I worry I’m not smart enough to keep up with her. I think someday she’ll get tired of me and she won’t want to be friends anymore...” she tucked her ears back, “So my christmas wish is… can you make it so that me and Bianca are best friends forever, no matter what?”
 
“Oh…” Cyn choked, tears appearing her eyes at the sweetness of the wish. Bianca didn’t say anything, she simply ran over to the Ninetales and tackled her into a hug, holding her tightly against her warm fur. “Heh, I guess that’s her wish granted then.” she sniffled, wiping a tear away with her paw.
 
“And a merry Christmas to you all.” The Santatales laughed. Before long all five of the pokemon in the room were laughing.
 
When it was finally time to leave, Cyn couldn’t help but take a glance back to the chair and see the beard and hat resting on the seat. Spice gave her a nuzzle from the side, “Quite the performance, hm?”
 
“Spyce is quite the actor. I wonder where he gets it from?” Cyn smirked at the Ninetales, “But you know, I was pretty sure it was you up there the whole time. Pretty clever making yourself the one in the crowd so we could leave as a group and Mint wouldn’t catch on. I guess you’re not an airhead after all.”
 
“I have my moments.” Spice shrugged, giving the Liepard a smile before moving over to the other two pokemon, “Well, it’s quite late at night and I’m sure you two don’t want to be sleeping out in the snow… how about we all go back to Clearspring and you can spend Christmas with us?”
 
“That’d be awesome!” Mint chimed, already back to her old self as she looked over at Bianca, “Bianca, this has been my best Christmas ever. Thanks for sticking by me the whole way.”
 
“We’re friends forever, Mint. Christmas magic or no Christmas magic.” the Lycanroc grinned back at her, pulling her into another hug as the pokemon all laughed together.
 
The road back home was filled with singing christmas songs, talking about how beautiful Hearthome was and what they’d do when they got back to the town. When they arrived back in Clearspring they were greeted with a Christmas party already in full swing as pokemon drank spiced ciders, ate gingerbread pikachus and exchanged gifts.
 
“Hey Cyn, I almost forgot.” Bianca spoke up as put her eggnog on a nearby table and reached into the bag at her side, “I’ve still got that reward for you, for helping us out tonight.”
 
“You really don’t have to, Bianca. This has actually been really nice.” Cyn replied, holding up her paw to reject the reward, “Most of my team got to relax and Spice and I had a great time, you don’t have to give me anything.”
 
“I insist, I said I’d give you Alolan treasures and I meant it.” The Lycanroc said as she finally found what she was looking for, she handed over a bulging pouch. Cyn’s eyes widened as she took the bag and opened it, wondering where the two travellers could have gotten so much Poké. Her smile faded as the nearby festive lights revealed the contents.
 
“...Beans?” Cyn tilted her head as she took one of the coloured beans out. She looked over at the Lycanroc, who waited expectantly for a response to her gift. “Wow, Bianca these are… wonderful. Thank you. I’ll be sure everyone gets one.” she forced a smile, “...Yep.”
 
“Try one.” She said with a smile before reaching into the bag and taking out a rainbow-coloured bean, offering it to the Liepard. “Go for one of the rainbow ones first, I’d say. I think you’ll be surprised.”
 
Cyn tilted her head and sniffed at the bean in the canine’s paw, though it didn’t particularly smell of anything. With a shrug she used her tongue to drag it into her muzzle and bit down on it. The flavour washed over her tongue and filled her mouth, her eyes widened and her ears perked up in surprise, then folded as her eyes closed in bliss. “Mmmmmhhh…” she drooled, immediately reaching her paw into the bag and searching for another. “These are amashing! Are they all different Flaversh?”
 
“Yep! There’s plenty in there too.” Bianca smiled, glad to see the Liepard enjoyed the reward after all, “I don’t know if you have any pokemon who can grow them here, but I could teach them how-”
 
“Growf?” Cyn’s eyes widened, her mouth full of the remains of the bean. She swallowed it down before charging off into the festival, “Leaf! I’ve got something for your garden! We need as many stalks as you can fit in!” she called as she ran. The Lycanroc chuckled and shook her head, glad that the reward was appreciated. She was sure that Mint and her would be able to find more rations for the road, though the town was so pleasant she was tempted to suggest to Mint they stay for a while, at least until Winter was over.
 
“I got you something too, Spice.” Mint smiled as she reached into her bag, pulling out a silk veil and offering it to the other Ninetales, “I got it while we were in the contest hall, sorry it’s not wrapped up.”
 
“A Silk Veil? For me?” Spice gasped as he took it from her paws and looked over it, “This is one of the most prestigious awards a Beauty contest pokemon can receive. I only managed to get one during my time as a contest champion, and I was never allowed to wear it. My trainer had it locked in glass cabinet.” he shook his head in disbelief, “How on earth did you find such a thing?”
 
“A Milotic threw it at me when she saw the blue scarf on my neck. She said something about giving up Beauty and going to be in Cleverness contests instead.” Mint shrugged, “Some pokemon quit way too easily, huh?” she smiled warmly at him, “...I’m glad you’re not like that. Thanks for helping me calm down back there, Spice.”
 
“O-oh?” The Ninetales blinked before tossing the silk veil over his head and turning away from her, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. That was Santa who calmed you down, I just stood there.”
 
“Did you?” Mint asked with a knowing wink. As Spice moved to ask her what she meant she smiled and looked towards the festivities, “It looks like everyone is having fun. Do you maybe want to join them? I’m sure there’s something we’re missing tonight…”
 
Paff. Mint blinked as the snowball landed against the side of her head, and as she turned back to the Ninetales she saw him already holding a second snowball. A playful grin crossed her muzzle as she began to form her own snowball, and before long the two had the entire town joining in. She knew she they’d have to leave someday, but this town was so much fun. Mint wondered if she could convince Bianca to stay here for a while.
 
At least until Winter was over.
 
 
The End