[PXRWC19] Heartwarming Story Contest!

[EmeraldSky]

https://i.imgur.com/Gcys23i.png

It's the holiday season, and you know what that means--family, friends, festivities, and countless TV specials and movies about the "true" meaning of your winter holiday of choice.

So why not contribute by writing a heartwarming story yourself?

Your challenge is to write a heartwarming Pokemon story. How exactly you go about this is up to you--the anime cast throwing a Christmas party, a choir of Pokemon caroling, Pokemonizing a fairy tale or folk tale (or writing something inspired by folklore)--you name it!

Keep the following in mind, however:

--All forum rules apply
--While you can touch on tough themes, the overall mood should be happy, celebratory and/or inspirational
--Try to aim for at least 1000 words.

If you choose to go the Pokemonized folktale/inspired by folklore route and need ideas, Googling "folktales" is a nice starting point.

If you have any questions or concerns, let me know!

Good luck!

Your story is due by JANUARY 20TH 2019.

All participants will receive 200 coins for entering, with the possibility of up to 100 bonus coins for quality and originality.

[Cleobel]

EmeraldSky Thank you for hosting this Heartwarming Story Contest! Here is my story :

Once upon a time lived a Pikachu whose birthday was on the first day of January. Every year, the poor Pikachu had to share his special day with the beginning of a new year. As a result, the other Pokemon did not pay much attention to Pikachu’s birthday.
That year, Pikachu was spending the holiday season with some of his friends in their headquarters. And the electric mouse’s friends decided to surprise him on his birthday.

In the afternoon of December 30, Emolga sent the following text message to all the Pokemon of the headquarters, except Pikachu : "Hey, let’s have a meeting in my bedroom at 8 PM tonight. Please don’t tell Pikachu about this meeting. Thank you in advance".

At 8 PM, when the Pokemon arrived in Emolga’s bedroom, the electric squirrel took attendance :
-Absol?
-Present!
-Alolan Vulpix?
-Present!
-Altaria?
-Present!
-Archen?
-Present!
-Bulbasaur?
-Present!
-Chikorita?
-Present!
-Flareon?
-Present!
-Heracross?
-Present!
-Jolteon?
-Present!
-Shaymin?
-Present!
-That’s perfect! Everyone is present!
Then, Flareon asked why Emolga wanted to have a meeting and why Pikachu was not invited.
"Pikachu’s birthday is the day after tomorrow and his birthday is easy to forget because of New Year’s stuff, so I thought we could organize a surprise party for him", Emolga replied. "What do you think of it?", he added.
All the Pokemon agreed with his idea and thought that it was a great way to celebrate their friend’s birthday.
"However, we need to prepare the party where and when Pikachu is unlikely to find out about the surprise", Archen suggested.
"That is correct", Emolga responded. "How about we prepare the party in the afternoon of New Year’s Day, just after having lunch? If we did this, we could prepare the party in the dining room and prepare the food in the kitchen, and Pikachu would not be in any of these rooms."
Everyone agreed with Emolga’s idea.
"That’s perfect! I’m glad you like my idea! Now, let’s distribute the roles", the electric squirrel continued.

And he started the distribution of the roles :
-It’s a birthday party, so someone needs to prepare the cake. How about you do it, Shaymin?
-Yes, sir!
-Even though it’s winter here, some Pokemon might want to eat ice cream during the party. Especially those who come from the other side of the planet, where it’s summer right now. So, one of you should prepare some ice cream, and I think that Alolan Vulpix is the best Pokemon for this role. Are you going to prepare the ice cream, Alolan Vulpix?
-Sure!
-Someone should also prepare cookies and other snacks, because not everyone likes cake or ice cream. Would you like to do it, Heracross?
-Yes, of course!
-Let’s keep in mind that someone needs to light the candles on the cake. As you are a Fire-type Pokemon, could you please do it, Flareon?
-I will do it!
-We also need to decorate the dining room for the party, and I think that Jolteon can do it. Do you accept this role, Jolteon?
-Yes, I do!
-Of course, someone needs to buy the ingredients, candles and decorations. This role should be assigned to a Pokemon who wakes up early in the morning, so that the purchases can be done tomorrow morning. You always wake up early, so how about you do it, Chikorita?
-Yes, sir!
-And someone should prepare the table. Are you going to do it, Absol?
-Yes, of course!
-Let’s keep in mind that we are going to prepare the surprise party just after having lunch, so someone needs to wash the dishes from the lunch. I know that it’s not the most exciting role, but could you please do it, Archen?
-I will do it!
-There is a very important role that has not been assigned to anyone yet : distracting Pikachu. Effectively, someone needs to spend the afternoon with Pikachu to make sure that he doesn’t find out about the surprise. When the party is ready, I will send a text message to this Pokemon, who will then go to the dining room with Pikachu without spoiling the surprise. As you are paired with Pikachu, would you like to distract him during the afternoon of New Year’s Day, Altaria?
-Sure!
-The distribution of the roles is over… Oh wait, I almost forgot Bulbasaur! I’m not sure which role could be assigned to you. What could your role be?
-I can stay close to the door of the dining room. If Pikachu opened the door too early, I would quickly use my Sleep Powder to make him fall asleep. Then, I would carry him to another room with my vines. Even though I fully trust Altaria, she might have to go to the bathroom during the afternoon and Pikachu might open the door of the dining room while she is in the bathroom. Do you agree with this role, Emolga?
-Yes, I do! This is a great idea, Bulbasaur!

Then, Emolga concluded the distribution of the roles : "As for my role, I am the general manager of this project and I will help you with your roles if you need help. Now, the distribution of the roles is really over. Thank you for participating in it!".
"Regarding the planning of New Year’s Day, I thought we could pretend we forgot Pikachu’s birthday until the beginning of the party. Then, as soon as Pikachu and Altaria open the door of the dining room, we could scream "Surprise!" and sing a song. What do you think of it?", he added.
Everyone agreed with this planning, so Emolga distributed sheets of paper with the lyrics of the song written on them.
Then, after making sure that everyone knew their role, the electric squirrel concluded the meeting : "Now, the meeting is over. Thank you for participating in it! I wish you a good night, and I will see you tomorrow! Cheers and good times!".

In the morning of New Year’s Eve, Chikorita went to the local shopping center and bought ingredients, candles and decorations for the party. When she came back to the headquarters, she gave these items to Emolga.

On New Year’s Day, after lunch, Altaria went to her bedroom with Pikachu and everyone completed their assigned tasks.
The electric mouse did not know that his birthday was going to be extra special, while his friends were looking forward to seeing his reaction to the surprise.
Around 4 PM, Emolga sent a text message to Altaria in order to let her know that the party was ready. She replied to the text message by writing : "Okay, we’re coming!".

"I’ve just received a text message from Emolga. He says that he is going to punish us for being bad friends in the past year, and he wants us to go to the dining room right now", Altaria lied to Pikachu.
"Oh no, I hope that the punishment will not be too cruel… Let’s go to the dining room, Altaria", Pikachu answered, without noticing that his friend was lying through her beak.
Then, they both went to the dining room. Meanwhile, Flareon lit the candles on the birthday cake.

When Altaria and Pikachu opened the door of the dining room, everyone screamed "Surprise!" and sang this song :
"We wish you a Hoppip birthday,
We wish you a Hoppip birthday,
We wish you a Hoppip birthday
And a Happiny Year!"
Pikachu was very happy about the surprise. He thanked his friends for preparing it and he told them that he thought that he was going to be punished. After that, everyone celebrated Pikachu’s birthday and had a great time at the party.

Other people who might be interested in this story : Arrow-Jolteon Bulbasaur Chakramaster Chibi Altaria Fate Neo Emolga Noblejanobii Pokemon Trainer Sarah Scytherwolf Shruikan Suicune's Fire

[Fate]

That's a very sweet story! I'm sure Chakramaster's face lit up reading it.

P.S. You people can set your own damn tables. I refuse.

[Neo Emolga]

You even included my personal tagline!

Thanks for the smiles, that was a cute little story. :3

[Noblejanobii]

How’d you know I love baking cakes? Very cute! I love it!

[Chibi Altaria]

Aww this is adorable! xD I'd have a hard time trying not to smile or laugh as I was lying about being punished, though.

[Arrow-Jolteon]

I love it! It was so cute!

[EmeraldSky]

This is very sweet--thanks for the entry!

[Scytherwolf]

That was such an adorable story! I'd love to bring cookies and snacks. =D You are awesome, Cleobel!

[Chakramaster]

EmeraldSky Thank you for hosting this Heartwarming Story Contest! Here is my story :

Once upon a time lived a Pikachu whose birthday was on the first day of January. Every year, the poor Pikachu had to share his special day with the beginning of a new year. As a result, the other Pokemon did not pay much attention to Pikachu’s birthday.
That year, Pikachu was spending the holiday season with some of his friends in their headquarters. And the electric mouse’s friends decided to surprise him on his birthday.

In the afternoon of December 30, Emolga sent the following text message to all the Pokemon of the headquarters, except Pikachu : "Hey, let’s have a meeting in my bedroom at 8 PM tonight. Please don’t tell Pikachu about this meeting. Thank you in advance".

At 8 PM, when the Pokemon arrived in Emolga’s bedroom, the electric squirrel took attendance :
-Absol?
-Present!
-Alolan Vulpix?
-Present!
-Altaria?
-Present!
-Archen?
-Present!
-Bulbasaur?
-Present!
-Chikorita?
-Present!
-Flareon?
-Present!
-Heracross?
-Present!
-Jolteon?
-Present!
-Shaymin?
-Present!
-That’s perfect! Everyone is present!
Then, Flareon asked why Emolga wanted to have a meeting and why Pikachu was not invited.
"Pikachu’s birthday is the day after tomorrow and his birthday is easy to forget because of New Year’s stuff, so I thought we could organize a surprise party for him", Emolga replied. "What do you think of it?", he added.
All the Pokemon agreed with his idea and thought that it was a great way to celebrate their friend’s birthday.
"However, we need to prepare the party where and when Pikachu is unlikely to find out about the surprise", Archen suggested.
"That is correct", Emolga responded. "How about we prepare the party in the afternoon of New Year’s Day, just after having lunch? If we did this, we could prepare the party in the dining room and prepare the food in the kitchen, and Pikachu would not be in any of these rooms."
Everyone agreed with Emolga’s idea.
"That’s perfect! I’m glad you like my idea! Now, let’s distribute the roles", the electric squirrel continued.

And he started the distribution of the roles :
-It’s a birthday party, so someone needs to prepare the cake. How about you do it, Shaymin?
-Yes, sir!
-Even though it’s winter here, some Pokemon might want to eat ice cream during the party. Especially those who come from the other side of the planet, where it’s summer right now. So, one of you should prepare some ice cream, and I think that Alolan Vulpix is the best Pokemon for this role. Are you going to prepare the ice cream, Alolan Vulpix?
-Sure!
-Someone should also prepare cookies and other snacks, because not everyone likes cake or ice cream. Would you like to do it, Heracross?
-Yes, of course!
-Let’s keep in mind that someone needs to light the candles on the cake. As you are a Fire-type Pokemon, could you please do it, Flareon?
-I will do it!
-We also need to decorate the dining room for the party, and I think that Jolteon can do it. Do you accept this role, Jolteon?
-Yes, I do!
-Of course, someone needs to buy the ingredients, candles and decorations. This role should be assigned to a Pokemon who wakes up early in the morning, so that the purchases can be done tomorrow morning. You always wake up early, so how about you do it, Chikorita?
-Yes, sir!
-And someone should prepare the table. Are you going to do it, Absol?
-Yes, of course!
-Let’s keep in mind that we are going to prepare the surprise party just after having lunch, so someone needs to wash the dishes from the lunch. I know that it’s not the most exciting role, but could you please do it, Archen?
-I will do it!
-There is a very important role that has not been assigned to anyone yet : distracting Pikachu. Effectively, someone needs to spend the afternoon with Pikachu to make sure that he doesn’t find out about the surprise. When the party is ready, I will send a text message to this Pokemon, who will then go to the dining room with Pikachu without spoiling the surprise. As you are paired with Pikachu, would you like to distract him during the afternoon of New Year’s Day, Altaria?
-Sure!
-The distribution of the roles is over… Oh wait, I almost forgot Bulbasaur! I’m not sure which role could be assigned to you. What could your role be?
-I can stay close to the door of the dining room. If Pikachu opened the door too early, I would quickly use my Sleep Powder to make him fall asleep. Then, I would carry him to another room with my vines. Even though I fully trust Altaria, she might have to go to the bathroom during the afternoon and Pikachu might open the door of the dining room while she is in the bathroom. Do you agree with this role, Emolga?
-Yes, I do! This is a great idea, Bulbasaur!

Then, Emolga concluded the distribution of the roles : "As for my role, I am the general manager of this project and I will help you with your roles if you need help. Now, the distribution of the roles is really over. Thank you for participating in it!".
"Regarding the planning of New Year’s Day, I thought we could pretend we forgot Pikachu’s birthday until the beginning of the party. Then, as soon as Pikachu and Altaria open the door of the dining room, we could scream "Surprise!" and sing a song. What do you think of it?", he added.
Everyone agreed with this planning, so Emolga distributed sheets of paper with the lyrics of the song written on them.
Then, after making sure that everyone knew their role, the electric squirrel concluded the meeting : "Now, the meeting is over. Thank you for participating in it! I wish you a good night, and I will see you tomorrow! Cheers and good times!".

In the morning of New Year’s Eve, Chikorita went to the local shopping center and bought ingredients, candles and decorations for the party. When she came back to the headquarters, she gave these items to Emolga.

On New Year’s Day, after lunch, Altaria went to her bedroom with Pikachu and everyone completed their assigned tasks.
The electric mouse did not know that his birthday was going to be extra special, while his friends were looking forward to seeing his reaction to the surprise.
Around 4 PM, Emolga sent a text message to Altaria in order to let her know that the party was ready. She replied to the text message by writing : "Okay, we’re coming!".

"I’ve just received a text message from Emolga. He says that he is going to punish us for being bad friends in the past year, and he wants us to go to the dining room right now", Altaria lied to Pikachu.
"Oh no, I hope that the punishment will not be too cruel… Let’s go to the dining room, Altaria", Pikachu answered, without noticing that his friend was lying through her beak.
Then, they both went to the dining room. Meanwhile, Flareon lit the candles on the birthday cake.

When Altaria and Pikachu opened the door of the dining room, everyone screamed "Surprise!" and sang this song :
"We wish you a Hoppip birthday,
We wish you a Hoppip birthday,
We wish you a Hoppip birthday
And a Happiny Year!"
Pikachu was very happy about the surprise. He thanked his friends for preparing it and he told them that he thought that he was going to be punished. After that, everyone celebrated Pikachu’s birthday and had a great time at the party.

Other people who might be interested in this story : Arrow-Jolteon Bulbasaur Chakramaster Chibi Altaria Fate Neo Emolga Noblejanobii Pokemon Trainer Sarah Scytherwolf Shruikan Suicune's Fire

Aww, such a wonderful and happy story! Thank you for the wonderful story and big joyful surprise! I loved it and thought it was adorable! ^^

[EmeraldSky]

You have another week to enter, so send in a story!

[Cleobel]

That's a very sweet story! I'm sure Chakramaster's face lit up reading it.

P.S. You people can set your own damn tables. I refuse.


You even included my personal tagline!

Thanks for the smiles, that was a cute little story. :3


How’d you know I love baking cakes? Very cute! I love it!



Aww this is adorable! xD I'd have a hard time trying not to smile or laugh as I was lying about being punished, though.


I love it! It was so cute!


This is very sweet--thanks for the entry!


That was such an adorable story! I'd love to bring cookies and snacks. =D You are awesome, Cleobel!


Aww, such a wonderful and happy story! Thank you for the wonderful story and big joyful surprise! I loved it and thought it was adorable! ^^

Thank you very much for your comments! I'm so glad you like my story! :D

[Noblejanobii]

Winter's Samhain

Leon looked at Tyson with worry. His older brother had been bedridden for days. At first, they thought it was food poisoning but now they weren’t so sure. Alain had left not too long ago with Cedric to go fetch an actual specialized doctor to figure out what was wrong. Leon was charged to take care of him while they were gone.

Tyson let out a long groan, prompting Leon to swap out the washcloth on his forehead with a damper one. He squeezed Tyson’s hand and glanced at the clock. It was getting late. Alain and Cedric should’ve been back by now. Still, they did say if it got late to try and feed Tyson some soup.

Leon wheeled his chair away from the bed and slowly made his way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he pulled out some chicken noodle soup, reheated it, then brought it back to Tyson. He tried to spoon feed it to Tyson, but his older brother refused to take it. After a few tries, Leon stopped and set the soup aside. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was tired. Maybe he could nap for just a bit. Leon felt himself drifting off as his eyes closed, a yawn escaping his lips before he fell asleep.

***

“Leon!! Leon wake up!”

Leon was startled away at the sound of someone calling his name. He glanced around, realizing he was still in his brother’s home. Though something about it felt different. Was the woodwork always so elaborate?

He looked over at Tyson and all the blood drained from his face. Tyson was pale as snow and covered in thick black vines with thorns driving into all parts of his body. It seemed to be draining his energy!
“Leon!” Leon’s attention snapped to the door of the room. Alain was standing in the entryway in his usual yukata, holding his staff with a somewhat tight grip. “Oh, I’m so glad you didn’t eat dinner yet.” Alain looked at Tyson with worry and shook his head. “This is all my fault. I poisoned Tyson and the kids.”

“Poison? What? How?”

Alain pointed at the untouched bowl of chicken noodle soup. “The food has been afflicted with the curse of Samhain. When I was harvesting vegetables and herbs from the garden, I collected the food after Samhain was past because I saw how much riper it was compared to the food harvested beforehand.”

“Is that… wrong?” Leon asked. He was very confused. What was the Samhain Alain kept referring to? Was it a new legendary? A holiday? Some sort of foreign festival?

“Yes!” Alain cried, the despair evident in his voice. “Once Samhain has passed the fairies curse all the unharvested food and anyone who picks it is cursed! Every food in their home is poisoned and all it’s occupants will die from its effects.”

Leon straightened in his chair. Fairies? Like fairy types? Wasn’t Alain technically a fairy type? Still, this was a dire situation. “What can I do to help?”

Alain shook his head and said, “I don’t know. Perhaps if you could track down the fairies, they could lift the curse. But I don’t know how you could even locate them.” He paused and let out a long sigh. “Do you mind if I take a shift with him? You can go hang out with Vinny for a while if you like.”

“Alright…” Leon reluctantly wheeled past Alain and exited the bedroom. Alain closed the door behind him as he left, leaving Leon to his own devices. The news about Samhain was confusing. But perhaps there was something that could be done. He just had to think on it. He nodded to himself. He would go to Vinny’s then. He always thought clearly when he was painting with Vinny.

Gathering his sketchbook and a few other things, Leon wheeled out of his home and began to head down the path towards Vinny’s workshop. As he gazed around, something felt off about the world around him. The trees were all green and sparkling, filled with chittering pokemon that seemed more jovial than usual. The people too looked different. While gijinka fashion certainly wasn’t his field of expertise, he couldn’t remember the last time people carried around lutes and wore tights on the regular.

Leon watched curiously as a pair of gijinkas skipped past in a fantastical manner. He shrugged. Nacrene City was always an artsy city. Maybe that’s just how things were. The fashions and tastes of the world changed practically every day! Leon smiled and enjoyed the scenery before arriving at Vinny’s workshop on the edge of town.

He knocked on the door and waited patiently. “Coming!” called Vinny. The door swung open revealing a drampa gijinka with the warmest smile Leon had ever seen. “Oh bambino! What a pleasant surprise. Please come in.” He stepped out of the doorway to allow Leon inside.

Leon wheeled inside Vinny’s workshop and looked around before turning his attention back to Vinny. “Is it alright if I paint today? I need to think on something.”

“Of course, bambino.” Vinny helped set up the paints and canvas for Leon, then left him to his devices as he began to paint Tyson’s portrait from memory.

Leon pursed his lips as he thought over everything. Where could these supposed fairies be? Where would fairies that curse food reside? Leon glanced over at Vinny. Well he appeared dressed relatively normally. He looked back at his painting and started to get into a zone.

“Yo Lee!”

Leon snapped out of his focus and glanced over his shoulder. His breath caught in his throat. He recognized the voice as his boyfriend, Terrance. But the appearance didn’t match what Leon remembered. Usually in a hoodie and pants, Terrance now wore leotard and tights with puffy sleeves and a bard’s hat. Still, per usual, he was holding several spray paint cans on his waist. What in the world was going on?

“Terrance?” Leon asked in confusion.

“Hey,” Terrance answered and kissed his forehead. “What’s bothering you? You only paint like this when you’ve got something on your mind.”

Leon let out a long sigh and shrugged. “Tyson’s sick. Something to do with Samhain’s curse. I’m trying to figure out how to lift it.”

“Samhain’s curse?” Vinny asked, approaching the two. “Oh dear, that’s no good. We will definitely have to speak to the fairies about this.”

Leon glanced at Terrance before giving Vinny a confused look. “You know the fairies? But how?”

Vinny gave a nervous laugh and waved the question off. “It’s not important. But yes, I do. I could take you to them if you want to appeal Tyson’s case. I’m sure they would be in favor.”

Leon put his paint supplies down and looked at the unfinished painting of Tyson. He nodded and puffed up in determination. “Let’s do this. Whatever mountain passes I must cross, rivers I must swim across, and forests I must traverse, I will do it. I will save Tyson!”

Vinny ruffled Leon’s hair a little. “That’s nice, bambino, but we don’t need to do anything like that.” He gestured for Terrance and Leon to follow him towards the back of his workshop. They exited and began to head towards the forest. However, they stopped just inside.

Leon swore it was now much darker than when they just outside the forest not even a few feet away. Yet, it felt like he was in an entirely different realm. Leon turned to ask Vinny how he was able to find this place but paused when he saw Vinny’s troubled expression. “Something wrong?” he asked.

Vinny gazed over the forest and answered, “It’s just a feeling. Come, let us go further in first.” Vinny took the lead, guiding the onix and whimsicott gijinkas through the forest quickly. Leon could catch glimpses of buildings and structures if he looked closely enough at the trees. It was hard to focus on though, almost as if because he wasn’t a fairy himself, the trees made it hard for him to see. Leon looked ahead of them again when he heard Terrance gasp in shock. Leon’s eyebrows drew together. He couldn’t see anything but judging by Terrance’s reaction there was something there.

The trio came to a stop and Vinny reached out in front of him. Suddenly a door seemed to open out of nothingness. Perhaps because Vinny’s heritage and Terrance being part fairy, they were able to see something he was not. Vinny stepped inside, leading them further into what appeared to be a castle. Gold walls rose up everywhere that Leon could see, covered with ornate patterns and pictures of royal figures Leon had never seen before. Was this the kingdom of the fairies?

As they walked down the halls, a servant floated by. He only cast the group a passing glance before doing a double take. “Signore Vincenzo! You’ve returned!”

Vinny seemed startled at the title. A broad smile crossed his face and he bowed a little. “Yes, but only for a short time. Do you know if Lord Hughes is available now?” The servant seemed perplexed and troubled, pondering his response for a moment. This prompted Vinny to continue further. “Or is he busy with Lord Mason?”

The servant shook his head. “No sir! Just… things have changed since you left.”

Vinny tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“An evil witch cursed our ruler! And now… he is not always himself,” the servant explained. “Sometimes instead he is a darker version of himself. That is who is ruling right now. I would suggest waiting a few days for him to switch back,” he cautioned.

Vinny cast a glance and noted the concern on Leon’s face. “Unfortunately, we cannot wait.” He signaled for them to resume following him. “Let us speak with this new ruler.”

Vinny lead them to the end of the hall and pushed open the large doors that led into the main throne room. Leon was taken aback by the sheer amount of guards in the room, but his attention quickly focused on the main in the golden chair across the room.

His hair was messy and his eyes filled with pride. He gave them a condescending look and mumbled something to one of his guards. He then returned his gaze to the trio and said, “Leave. You rabble are not worth my time.”

“Please, your highness, we just need a moment,” Vinny protested.

“And you get none. Out.”

“But I need you to lift a Samhain’s curse!” Leon interjected.

The ruler looked at Leon curiously before splitting into another grin. “Oh? Is that so? My my you should lead with these kinds of things.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Terrance mumbled.

“Fetch the truth berries!” Two guards rushed out of the room only to return with two small bowls of white berries. “I’ll give you an offer since I’m a bit bored and Samhain’s curses are always so fun.” The ruler gestured to the bowls. “I’ll ask questions. For each lie you tell, you and your friends eat a berry until you die or I run out of questions. Good? Good. Let’s begin. What is your favorite color?”

“Uhhh!” Leon panicked and blurted, “Silver!” He winced. That was a lie. It was a red.

“Ah! A lie. Berries all of you,” the ruler commanded.

Leon reluctantly took a berry and swallowed it, the large object sliding down his throat slowly. He could almost feel it in his gut too. Disgusting.

“What is your relationship with your brother?”

“Mmm okay I guess. We care for each other a lot but he can be overbearing at times which is not fun.”

“How does your brother like your boyfriends?”

“He doesn’t. Plain and simple.”

“Even I know that one’s not a lie,” Terrance chimed in.

“Why are you here?”

“To free him from Samhain’s curse!”

“Do you really want to?”

“Welll uh-“

“Do you want to?”

“Ummm a little!”

The ruler paused and nodded. He snapped and the guards backed away. Motioning Leon closer, the ruler picked up a bag and said, “This contains fairy dust. I will throw it on you and it should be enough to heal your brother.”

Leon gave a strong nod. “Okay. No matter what the side effects, do it.”

The man nodded and proceeded to pour the entire thing on Leon. Suddenly, everything went black.

***
Leon sat up with a gasp and looked around. He was back in Tyson’s room. And it looked normal! Except Tyson was gone! Leon panicked and began to wheel downstairs when he saw Tyson with Alain in the hall. “Oh thank goodness!” he cried.

Alain looked over and smiled. “Good you finally woke up! Tyson’s made a somewhat miraculous recovery so we were thinking of eating out to celebrate. But we didn’t want to interrupt whatever cool dream you were having.”

Leon stared at them in confusion. Had that been a dream? He supposed that made more sense than a fairy healing his brother. But still, the tights and leotards were very convincing. Perhaps he could see Terrance in those clothes again someday. Though it’s probably not very likely.

[EmeraldSky]

That was an interesting story--thanks for entering.

[Cleobel]

Winter's Samhain

Leon looked at Tyson with worry. His older brother had been bedridden for days. At first, they thought it was food poisoning but now they weren’t so sure. Alain had left not too long ago with Cedric to go fetch an actual specialized doctor to figure out what was wrong. Leon was charged to take care of him while they were gone.

Tyson let out a long groan, prompting Leon to swap out the washcloth on his forehead with a damper one. He squeezed Tyson’s hand and glanced at the clock. It was getting late. Alain and Cedric should’ve been back by now. Still, they did say if it got late to try and feed Tyson some soup.

Leon wheeled his chair away from the bed and slowly made his way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he pulled out some chicken noodle soup, reheated it, then brought it back to Tyson. He tried to spoon feed it to Tyson, but his older brother refused to take it. After a few tries, Leon stopped and set the soup aside. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was tired. Maybe he could nap for just a bit. Leon felt himself drifting off as his eyes closed, a yawn escaping his lips before he fell asleep.

***

“Leon!! Leon wake up!”

Leon was startled away at the sound of someone calling his name. He glanced around, realizing he was still in his brother’s home. Though something about it felt different. Was the woodwork always so elaborate?

He looked over at Tyson and all the blood drained from his face. Tyson was pale as snow and covered in thick black vines with thorns driving into all parts of his body. It seemed to be draining his energy!
“Leon!” Leon’s attention snapped to the door of the room. Alain was standing in the entryway in his usual yukata, holding his staff with a somewhat tight grip. “Oh, I’m so glad you didn’t eat dinner yet.” Alain looked at Tyson with worry and shook his head. “This is all my fault. I poisoned Tyson and the kids.”

“Poison? What? How?”

Alain pointed at the untouched bowl of chicken noodle soup. “The food has been afflicted with the curse of Samhain. When I was harvesting vegetables and herbs from the garden, I collected the food after Samhain was past because I saw how much riper it was compared to the food harvested beforehand.”

“Is that… wrong?” Leon asked. He was very confused. What was the Samhain Alain kept referring to? Was it a new legendary? A holiday? Some sort of foreign festival?

“Yes!” Alain cried, the despair evident in his voice. “Once Samhain has passed the fairies curse all the unharvested food and anyone who picks it is cursed! Every food in their home is poisoned and all it’s occupants will die from its effects.”

Leon straightened in his chair. Fairies? Like fairy types? Wasn’t Alain technically a fairy type? Still, this was a dire situation. “What can I do to help?”

Alain shook his head and said, “I don’t know. Perhaps if you could track down the fairies, they could lift the curse. But I don’t know how you could even locate them.” He paused and let out a long sigh. “Do you mind if I take a shift with him? You can go hang out with Vinny for a while if you like.”

“Alright…” Leon reluctantly wheeled past Alain and exited the bedroom. Alain closed the door behind him as he left, leaving Leon to his own devices. The news about Samhain was confusing. But perhaps there was something that could be done. He just had to think on it. He nodded to himself. He would go to Vinny’s then. He always thought clearly when he was painting with Vinny.

Gathering his sketchbook and a few other things, Leon wheeled out of his home and began to head down the path towards Vinny’s workshop. As he gazed around, something felt off about the world around him. The trees were all green and sparkling, filled with chittering pokemon that seemed more jovial than usual. The people too looked different. While gijinka fashion certainly wasn’t his field of expertise, he couldn’t remember the last time people carried around lutes and wore tights on the regular.

Leon watched curiously as a pair of gijinkas skipped past in a fantastical manner. He shrugged. Nacrene City was always an artsy city. Maybe that’s just how things were. The fashions and tastes of the world changed practically every day! Leon smiled and enjoyed the scenery before arriving at Vinny’s workshop on the edge of town.

He knocked on the door and waited patiently. “Coming!” called Vinny. The door swung open revealing a drampa gijinka with the warmest smile Leon had ever seen. “Oh bambino! What a pleasant surprise. Please come in.” He stepped out of the doorway to allow Leon inside.

Leon wheeled inside Vinny’s workshop and looked around before turning his attention back to Vinny. “Is it alright if I paint today? I need to think on something.”

“Of course, bambino.” Vinny helped set up the paints and canvas for Leon, then left him to his devices as he began to paint Tyson’s portrait from memory.

Leon pursed his lips as he thought over everything. Where could these supposed fairies be? Where would fairies that curse food reside? Leon glanced over at Vinny. Well he appeared dressed relatively normally. He looked back at his painting and started to get into a zone.

“Yo Lee!”

Leon snapped out of his focus and glanced over his shoulder. His breath caught in his throat. He recognized the voice as his boyfriend, Terrance. But the appearance didn’t match what Leon remembered. Usually in a hoodie and pants, Terrance now wore leotard and tights with puffy sleeves and a bard’s hat. Still, per usual, he was holding several spray paint cans on his waist. What in the world was going on?

“Terrance?” Leon asked in confusion.

“Hey,” Terrance answered and kissed his forehead. “What’s bothering you? You only paint like this when you’ve got something on your mind.”

Leon let out a long sigh and shrugged. “Tyson’s sick. Something to do with Samhain’s curse. I’m trying to figure out how to lift it.”

“Samhain’s curse?” Vinny asked, approaching the two. “Oh dear, that’s no good. We will definitely have to speak to the fairies about this.”

Leon glanced at Terrance before giving Vinny a confused look. “You know the fairies? But how?”

Vinny gave a nervous laugh and waved the question off. “It’s not important. But yes, I do. I could take you to them if you want to appeal Tyson’s case. I’m sure they would be in favor.”

Leon put his paint supplies down and looked at the unfinished painting of Tyson. He nodded and puffed up in determination. “Let’s do this. Whatever mountain passes I must cross, rivers I must swim across, and forests I must traverse, I will do it. I will save Tyson!”

Vinny ruffled Leon’s hair a little. “That’s nice, bambino, but we don’t need to do anything like that.” He gestured for Terrance and Leon to follow him towards the back of his workshop. They exited and began to head towards the forest. However, they stopped just inside.

Leon swore it was now much darker than when they just outside the forest not even a few feet away. Yet, it felt like he was in an entirely different realm. Leon turned to ask Vinny how he was able to find this place but paused when he saw Vinny’s troubled expression. “Something wrong?” he asked.

Vinny gazed over the forest and answered, “It’s just a feeling. Come, let us go further in first.” Vinny took the lead, guiding the onix and whimsicott gijinkas through the forest quickly. Leon could catch glimpses of buildings and structures if he looked closely enough at the trees. It was hard to focus on though, almost as if because he wasn’t a fairy himself, the trees made it hard for him to see. Leon looked ahead of them again when he heard Terrance gasp in shock. Leon’s eyebrows drew together. He couldn’t see anything but judging by Terrance’s reaction there was something there.

The trio came to a stop and Vinny reached out in front of him. Suddenly a door seemed to open out of nothingness. Perhaps because Vinny’s heritage and Terrance being part fairy, they were able to see something he was not. Vinny stepped inside, leading them further into what appeared to be a castle. Gold walls rose up everywhere that Leon could see, covered with ornate patterns and pictures of royal figures Leon had never seen before. Was this the kingdom of the fairies?

As they walked down the halls, a servant floated by. He only cast the group a passing glance before doing a double take. “Signore Vincenzo! You’ve returned!”

Vinny seemed startled at the title. A broad smile crossed his face and he bowed a little. “Yes, but only for a short time. Do you know if Lord Hughes is available now?” The servant seemed perplexed and troubled, pondering his response for a moment. This prompted Vinny to continue further. “Or is he busy with Lord Mason?”

The servant shook his head. “No sir! Just… things have changed since you left.”

Vinny tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“An evil witch cursed our ruler! And now… he is not always himself,” the servant explained. “Sometimes instead he is a darker version of himself. That is who is ruling right now. I would suggest waiting a few days for him to switch back,” he cautioned.

Vinny cast a glance and noted the concern on Leon’s face. “Unfortunately, we cannot wait.” He signaled for them to resume following him. “Let us speak with this new ruler.”

Vinny lead them to the end of the hall and pushed open the large doors that led into the main throne room. Leon was taken aback by the sheer amount of guards in the room, but his attention quickly focused on the main in the golden chair across the room.

His hair was messy and his eyes filled with pride. He gave them a condescending look and mumbled something to one of his guards. He then returned his gaze to the trio and said, “Leave. You rabble are not worth my time.”

“Please, your highness, we just need a moment,” Vinny protested.

“And you get none. Out.”

“But I need you to lift a Samhain’s curse!” Leon interjected.

The ruler looked at Leon curiously before splitting into another grin. “Oh? Is that so? My my you should lead with these kinds of things.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Terrance mumbled.

“Fetch the truth berries!” Two guards rushed out of the room only to return with two small bowls of white berries. “I’ll give you an offer since I’m a bit bored and Samhain’s curses are always so fun.” The ruler gestured to the bowls. “I’ll ask questions. For each lie you tell, you and your friends eat a berry until you die or I run out of questions. Good? Good. Let’s begin. What is your favorite color?”

“Uhhh!” Leon panicked and blurted, “Silver!” He winced. That was a lie. It was a red.

“Ah! A lie. Berries all of you,” the ruler commanded.

Leon reluctantly took a berry and swallowed it, the large object sliding down his throat slowly. He could almost feel it in his gut too. Disgusting.

“What is your relationship with your brother?”

“Mmm okay I guess. We care for each other a lot but he can be overbearing at times which is not fun.”

“How does your brother like your boyfriends?”

“He doesn’t. Plain and simple.”

“Even I know that one’s not a lie,” Terrance chimed in.

“Why are you here?”

“To free him from Samhain’s curse!”

“Do you really want to?”

“Welll uh-“

“Do you want to?”

“Ummm a little!”

The ruler paused and nodded. He snapped and the guards backed away. Motioning Leon closer, the ruler picked up a bag and said, “This contains fairy dust. I will throw it on you and it should be enough to heal your brother.”

Leon gave a strong nod. “Okay. No matter what the side effects, do it.”

The man nodded and proceeded to pour the entire thing on Leon. Suddenly, everything went black.

***
Leon sat up with a gasp and looked around. He was back in Tyson’s room. And it looked normal! Except Tyson was gone! Leon panicked and began to wheel downstairs when he saw Tyson with Alain in the hall. “Oh thank goodness!” he cried.

Alain looked over and smiled. “Good you finally woke up! Tyson’s made a somewhat miraculous recovery so we were thinking of eating out to celebrate. But we didn’t want to interrupt whatever cool dream you were having.”

Leon stared at them in confusion. Had that been a dream? He supposed that made more sense than a fairy healing his brother. But still, the tights and leotards were very convincing. Perhaps he could see Terrance in those clothes again someday. Though it’s probably not very likely.

Thank you for posting this story! It is an interesting story, as EmeraldSky wrote. :) I did not expect that end, haha.