A Pokemon Christmas Carol

[EmeraldSky]

(Rated E for Everyone!)

Four years ago, as a gift to the boards I was on at that time, I wrote a Pokemon version of "A Christmas Carol".

BW 2, XY and OR/AS have come out since then, so I felt it was time to write a new version with the new characters in some of the roles

So without any further ado. I give you the new version of...

A Pokemon Christmas Carol

Stave 1: Winter's Haunting

"Thanks for allowing me to spend the night, Ms. Ketchum." a blonde haired girl smiles as she is let in."

"It's not a problem at all, Serena..." a brown haired woman smiles as she and a black haired man prepare to leave. "I know you and Ash will do fine looking after the house while Taran and I are away at the party."

"We'll probably jam, or watch movies all night." Serena muses as Ash arrives to see his parents off.

"Or, I can try out a few stories Brock taught me." Ash offers. "This year, he taught me 'A Christmas Carol.'"

"Really? I love that story!" Serena grins.

"Come on up to the rec room, and I'll be there shortly." Ash instructs Serena as he hugs Delia and Taran.

In the rec room...

Serena sweatdrops as Ash arrives "You're telling 'A Christmas Carol', and you're not even dressing up?"

Ash, meanwhile, hangs his League hat on the stand, and with Pikachu's help, rummages through a box of costumes before unearthing a top hat, which he puts on. "This better?"

"It'll do." Serena smiles as Pikachu romps by her side.

"Okay...imagine we are on a snow covered street in a town of a time long past..." Ash begins. Serena closes her eyes as the scene swirls.

---------

When she opens them again, she sees she is on the exact street in the same town Ash described. "Wow...it's beautiful!"

A blast of cold wind makes her shiver. "...and I'm not dressed for the cold...."

"Relax, this is my imagination--I'll keep you warm." Ash--now in an elegant red coat, a royal blue scarf, and the same top hat he is wearing in the real world with the addition of the L-like League sign on his cap in gold--assures her as he puts a Buneary fur coat on her.

Once sure Serena is warm, he tells her "In order to understand this tale, you have to remember that Marley was dead from the very beginning."

"I know." Serena replies as the two of them start down the bustling street together.

"In life, Marley had been business partners with a shrewd moneylender named Ebeneezer Scrooge." Ash continues.

As if on cue, an imposing figure in black rounds the corner--Lysandre. "Scrooge was infamous for his icy demeanor--no one asked him for the time or for directions, and even the Pokemon knew to stay far away from him. Some Pikachus fearfully run away as Lysandre steps across an icy puddle. "In fact, he preferred it that way. For all he knew, sympathy could take a hike."

"Penny for the poor, guv?" a random boy asks Lysandre as he walks along the frozen road.

"Bah!" Lysandre grunts as he waves the boy away and approaches a large house-like building.

"Scrooge never bothered to paint out Marley's name, but it didn't matter--he would answer to either name." Ash narrates as Lysandre looks up at a sign on the building that reads "SCROOGE & MARLEY" with the MARLEY hastily scribbled out.

Lysandre shoots Ash an icy look. "I'm just the storyteller..." Ash stammers. Lysandre accepts that answer as he goes inside the house.

"Talk about an unpleasant fellow..." Serena shudders once sure Lysandre is inside and can't hear her.

"He always kept his nose to the grindstone--and with a heart as black as the coal he hoarded while his employees shivered." Ash narrates, making Serena shudder some more.

The slamming door startles Callum, now clad in a dull red jacket, brown pants, and an olive shirt. "Uh...good morning, Mr. Scrooge." he shyly smiles as he tends to a stove.

"And what might you be doing with those coals, Mr. Cratchit?" Lysandre demands as he hangs up his coat and hat, revealing a dull gray outfit.

"I was..." Callum stammers, his mind racing as to what to tell his boss. "I was t-trying to...thaw out the ink?" he replies, shivering from the cold in the room.

"But you used a piece last week!" Lysandre thunders, poking Callum in the stomach with his walking stick, making the coals clatter into the trash. "Get to work!" Callum quickly complies with this, rubbing where Lysandre poked him in pain as he settles before his desk.

After writing in the ledger for a while, Callum works up the courage to ask an important question. "You know...tomorrow's Christmas and I, uh, was wondering if I uh, c-could have a day off?" He swallows hard as he awaits Lysandre's reaction.

"Christmas?" Lysandre balks, before reluctantly sighing. "I suppose so, but you will be docked half a day's wages...and at 200 credits a day, that comes to..."

"That's 250 credits a day, sir..." Callum corrects.

"Oh yes, I forgot about that raise I gave you three years ago..." Lysandre chuckles--it was rare for him to forget anything concerning money, and it was also one of the rare times Callum had seen him laugh. "For doing my laundry, if memory serves." Callum nods in confirmation of his theory. "Just return to your work while I consult my ledgers...and before I forget, a bundle of shirts, as you asked." He sighs as he gives Callum a large bag and disappears into another room. While he wishes he could keep the clothing for himself, Callum is overjoyed by the immense number of shirts inside.

So there Scrooge sat in his office, listening to the chatter of the townsfolk, the whistling wind outside, and the hurried scribbling of Mr. Cratchit in the next room. Ash narrates as Lysandre writes in a ledger himself, keeping a watchful eye on Callum as a wind gust rattles the window, obscuring the murmur of a bustling crowd. Suddenly, he was snapped from his calculating interest and payments when he heard a knock at the door.

Lysandre hears the knock just as he finishes counting a stack of coins. "Now who could be calling at this hour?" he grumbles as he opens the door.

It turns out that Malva is on the stoop. "Merry Christmas!" she smiles as another wind gust ruffles her dull red hair.

Callum smiles when he sees who is at the door. "And Merry Christmas to you too, Mistress Freda." He gets up from his desk and helps Malva inside.

"Bah...humbug..." Lysandre grumbles as he continues studying a ledger.

Malva balks at Lysandre's reaction. "Christmas, a humbug, uncle? You can't be serious..."

Lysandre slams the ledger shut in frustration. "What's so merry about it? I'll tell you what Christmas is...just another workday, and any Mankey that says otherwise should be boiled in his own Berries!" Malva swallows hard, fearing what Lysandre will do next.

"But Christmas is a time for giving!" Callum protests. "A time to be with one's family!"

"I say bah humbug..." Lysandre coldly replies before turning to return to his office.

"Say what you will, but I still say Merry Christmas, uncle!" Malva retorts.

Callum applauds Malva's enthusiasm. "Well said, Freda!"

"And what are YOU doing?" Lysandre demands when he hears Callum applauding.

"Just...keeping my hands warm?" Callum stammers as he returns to his work.

Lysandre then addresses Malva. "And what brings you all this way, my niece?"

"I bring you a wreath..." Malva then offers a wreath studded with pinecones and holly to Lysandre. "and an invite for you to join me for Christmas dinner."

"Well...will there be roast Combusken with all the fixings?" Lysandre asks.

"Yes..." Malva replies.

"And Ganlon pudding with Nomel sauce?"

Ganlon and Nomels? Yuck! Serena interjects.

That's what Scrooge asks in the story, okay? Ash assures his friend before the scene returns to Lysandre and Malva again.

"Yes!" Malva smiles, excited.

"And candied Berries with gingerbread?" Lysandre asks.

"Yes! Yes!" Malva is estatic now. "Will you come?"

"Are you crazy???" Lysandre screeches as he yanks open the door. "I don't like any of that! Take your wreath and be gone!" With that, Malva is shoved out the door and into the snow, wreath and all.

"Ouch..." Serena comments from where she and Ash are hiding as Lysandre slams the door.

"Pika pika..." Pikachu agrees as Malva eases herself to her feet.

"Bah humbug!" Lysandre replies as he storms back to his office. Unbeknownst to him, Malva has discretely hung the wreath on the door before hurrying away.

"Ah, Freda...she's got such a big heart..." Callum muses.

"Heart or not, she always was a little peculiar." Lysandre muses before hearing the door open again. "Now what?" he grumbles before recognizing Ethan and Lyra on the stoop. "Oh, customers...come right in." he muses with a droll smile. "What can I do for you this afternoon?"

"We came seeking funds for the needy and less fortunate." Lyra explains.

"Won't you give something and allow the poor a merry Christmas too?" Ethan asks, offering a jar filled with all kinds of coins to Lysandre.

Lysandre thinks for a moment. "If you give something to the poor, they wouldn't be poor anymore, right?" he muses as he paces the floor. "and if they are not poor anymore, then what's the point in raising money for them?"

"That is true..." Ethan muses.

"Then if there's no point in raising money for them, you guys would be out of work--and I'd hate to put you two out of work." Lysandre concludes as he gently escorts Ethan and Lyra outside and closes the door behind them, giving Lyra the wreath on the way out.

"Talk about a roundabout way of saying no..." Serena comments. "Scrooge is actually pretty smart for a mean old guy."

Lysandre, meanwhile, sighs in despair. "What's the world coming to? You work all your life to earn money, and people ask you to give it away..." He continues muttering as he disappears into his office.

Callum just shrugs as he warms his hands by his desk lamp some hours later--while it isn't much in the way of warmth, fighting with Lysandre over the coal box is the last thing he wants to do. He looks up at the clock, which is beginning to strike seven.

"Seven o'clock already?" Lysandre gasps, surprised that the time has gone so quickly. "You are free to go." he tells Callum. "And take tomorrow off, for all I care." he grumbles as an afterthought.

Callum flies from his seat, bundles up and gathers the clothing, gives Lysandre a few kisses and a whispered "Merry Christmas" before dashing outside into the snow. Lysandre follows him some time later, the same dour look on his face from before.

Ash and Serena decide to follow Callum, but before long, Serena spots people skating on a frozen pond. "Look--ice skaters!" Serena calls. "Can we watch them?"

"You're in my imagination, so who says we can't join them?" Ash smiles, snapping pairs of ice skates onto him and Serena.

Serena hesitantly steps onto the ice, only to find that she can, in fact, skate! "Thank Arceus this is your imagination, Ash--I'd be flat on my face by now in the real world." she smiles as she effortlessly performs a figure 8.

Ash decides to do one better--writing "Pokemon Gotta catch'em all!" into the ice.

Serena is unimpressed by Ash's feat. "Show off."

Later, Ash and Serena catch up to Lysandre. "And so, Scrooge went on his way home to the old creaky brick mansion on the outskirts of town where Marley had once lived. Ash narrates from a room in an inn before we see Lysandre approaching the aforementioned house. "While he knew the place well from its balconies at the top floor to the rusted black gate at the entryway; that still didn't explain how the ornate Entei head door knocker became Marley's face for a few moments."

Lysandre balks as the aforementioned knocker transforms into Maxie's head for a few seconds, but when he looks again, it is a normal gold Entei head.

"I must be seeing things..." Lysandre sighs as he enters the house, climbs up the ornate staircase, and enters the den, where he glumly studies the flickering flames, oblivious to the thumping and creaking around him.

But try as he might to wave away the odd noises and the door knocker's transformation as 'just seeing things', Scrooge didn't expect the ghost of Marley to join him there in his lonely room. Ash narrates.

At this, a bell by the door begins to ring, startling Lysandre. "Who's there?" he asks, a note of fear in his voice as he hears footsteps approaching and chains jingling. He gasps as Maxie--now with a green-blue aura and clad in a dingy robe and a bewildering array of chains around him, appears before him. "Marley? Is that--"

"Ebeneezer...remember how in life I robbed the widows and swindled the poor?" Maxie asks.

"Yes...and all in the same day, too!" Lysandre stammers.

"Well, Arceus bade me to be punished for these deeds, and as my pennance, I'm to carry these chains for all eternity." Maxie explains, showing Lysandre one of the chains. Lysandre tries to reach out and touch it, but feels nothing. "And the same fate will befall you too, Ebeneezer Scrooge, when you pass from this world."

"But, it can't!" Lysandre protests as he untangles himself from the ethereal chains. "It mustn't! Is there anything I can do?"

Maxie thinks for a moment. "Tonight, Arceus will send three spirits to you--listen well to what they have to say, and put their words into practice...lest your chains be heavier and greater in number than mine!" Lysandre slinks further into the chair, shaking profusely in fear. "The first will arrive at one...the second, at two...and the third...at three..." With that, he disappears as mysteriously as he appeared.

Lysandre looks around to make sure he is alone, then gets up from the chair, Marley's words weighing heavily on his heart. "Spirits..." he grumbles as he walks to a bedroom and changes for bed.

He wasn't sure if it was his emotions, the rigors of the day, or his encounter with Marley's ghost; but for whatever reason, Scrooge was tired. Ash narrates as Lysandre climbs into bed with a yawn and falls asleep as the scene swirls back to the present.

---------

"He soon fell into a deep sleep, unaware of the wondrous events that were soon to transpire." Ash concludes. "And I'll stop there for now."

"When will you tell the next part?" Serena asks as Fennekin arrives with popcorn.

"When this movie's over." Ash trades the top hat for his League cap, then welcomes Pikachu onto the couch as the title for "Flare the Christmas Fennekin" appears on the TV screen.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[EmeraldSky]

Episode 2: Reflections of the Past

As the closing credits to the movie roll on the TV, Serena asks Ash "So, what did the first Spirit say to Scrooge?"

Ash finds the top hat and puts it back on as Pikachu and Fennekin look for another show. "Scrooge woke up some hours later, and it was so dark, he couldn't even see the bedcurtains, much less the clock on the wall..." Serena closes her eyes as she imagines the scene Ash is describing.

The scene swirls into Ash and Serena watching Lysandre sleeping in the large bedroom, but he tosses and turns every so often. Gah, I can't sleep... He hears the clock strike one, but buries his head in his pillow.

"No sooner did the clock strike one, did the room fill with a bright light, never mind that all the doors and windows were closed, and no one else was in the house." Ash tells Serena as Dawn materializes in the room, her bright gold aura being the source of the aforementioned light.

"She's beautiful...." Serena smiles as she admires Dawn's white robe, sandals, and a garland of white flowers and holly crowning her head.

Once sure the room is well lit, she lightly rings a small bell hanging over the dresser. When no answer comes, she rings it a little louder.

"Mrggh--who is--" Lysandre grumbles as he wakes up, but gasps as he sees Dawn.

"I was wondering when you'd awaken." Dawn giggles, bemused at Lysandre's sleepy eyed look. "We don't have all evening, you know."

What you mean, "we?" Lysandre thinks as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. "Who are you?" he fearfully asks Dawn. "And what do you want?"

"I am the Spirit of Christmas Past." Dawn replies.

Lysandre sighs. "I thought you'd be a bit taller..."

"Ooh..." Dawn grumbles. "Know this, Scrooge--if people were measured by how well they treated others, you would barely be the size of a dust speck!"

"No, you'd need a microscope to see him." Serena agrees

"What's the point of kindness?" Lysandre yawns before turning away from Dawn's aura in an attempt to go back to sleep.

"There is some hope--you were not always like this." Dawn smiles as she walks over to a nearby window and opens it. "Come with me!"

"But, where are we going?" Lysandre asks as he climbs from his bed and walks to the window, shivering a little.

"Into your past." Dawn replies before offering a hand to Lysandre. "Take my hand, and we shall fly!"

Ash motions to Serena. "This being my imagination, we can follow them in a matter of seconds." Serena nods as Ash snaps, making both of them disappear from the room.

So Scrooge took the Spirit's hand, and just as the Spirit had said, they flew out into the night. Ash narrates via voiceover as Lysandre gingerly takes Dawn's hand, only to be pulled out of the window at a high speed! He looks down and sees the city far below him, making him try to climb aboard Dawn's back in fear, but soon finds himself next to her.

"What's the matter? I thought you liked looking down on the world." Dawn giggles she flies higher into the sky, her aura making a bright gold streak to the people down below.

After flying over more rooftops for a while, Ash narrates again as Dawn sets Lysandre on the ground before a tavern, where a lively reel drifts into the night. "They arrived some time later in what appeared to be another city, but it wasn't until Scrooge looked around that he realized where he was."

Lysandre instantly recognizes the small wooden building. "I think I know this place..." He walks a little closer and rubs away some of the frost, allowing him to look in on the dancing crowd. "Fezziwig's Place...he was such a kind person." He sighs dreamily as he sees Brendan sawing away at a fiddle, leading the band in the reel. "I also see quite a lot of friends I knew in there!" he gasps, excited as the dancing crowd swirls by him and Dawn, lost in the band's song.

"Great music in here!" Serena comments as she and Ash enter the tavern.

"You want to listen for a bit? Okay." Ash replies as we look around the room at the dancing crowd. Those that are not dancing are talking or playing games, only pausing to applaud at the reel's conclusion.

As another reel begins, we see a younger Lysandre in the corner, reading a book. "That lad in the corner...is that me?" Lysandre asks.

"Yes...this is before you walked the path of a miser." Dawn replies as she nods her head to the tune inside.

"Nobody's perfect..." Lysandre protests, a little embarrassed at Dawn's remark before spotting Misty in the crowd, now wearing a beautiful blue and silver gown. "And that...is that Isabel?"

"Not the person I would've picked for Isabel, but this is your imagination, so I'll respect your choices." Serena notes as Misty approaches young Lysandre.

"Ebeneezer..." Misty asks as she approaches young Lysandre, startling him from his book.

"Y-Yes, Isabel?" young Lysandre stammers.

"Won't you give me a kiss under the mistletoe?" Misty asks as she drags young Lysandre over to where some mistletoe is hanging and prepares for a kiss.

"Um, you're standing on my foot..." young Lysandre notes. Misty just giggles and guides young Lysandre into the dancing crowd, young Lysandre frantically trying to keep up with the steps all the while.

Ash grins. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure!" Serena replies as Ash leads her into the dancing crowd. She laughs as Ash spins and twirls her in time to the music, but before long, she feels too dizzy to dance, so Ash leads her back to a table to rest, where they can see Misty and young Lysandre dancing.

As Misty and young Lysandre dance, Ash discretely comments "Isabel kisses him in three...two...one..." Misty then plants a kiss on young Lysandre's cheek, making him gain heart eyes as the reel ends.

"Oh, how I remember how much I loved Isabel..." Lysandre dreamily muses as the scene swirls back to the bedroom again.

"Sadly, in ten years time, you found a new love..." Dawn replies as she conjures a scene of a sightly older Lysandre behind stacks of coins. Lysandre watches, horrified, as the Lysandre in the scene shoos Misty away, making her burst into tears as she runs away into a stormy night. "You grew to love gold more than you did Isabel, and because of that, you lost a far greater treasure."

Tears well up in Lysandre's eyes at this. "Please! No more!" he pleads. "Leave me!" He climbs into bed again, softly crying all the while.

"Very well, I will take my leave as you request." Dawn replies before turning to leave. "But I leave you one more word of wisdom--you made these memories yourself." With that, she disappears, darkening the room again and leaving Lysandre to cry alone as the scene swirls back to the present.

---------

"Scrooge wept for a good ten minutes after the Spirit left him, anguished at what he had learned." Ash continues. "But before long, he was asleep once again....and I'll stop there for now."

"This was always the most heartbreaking part to me..." Serena begins as Fennekin finds a cartoon on the TV. "What would've happened had Scrooge been true to Isabel?"

"The story would end there--there'd be no point for the other two spirits." Ash reminds her as he changes hats.

"That's true..." Serena muses as Fennekin bounds on her lap.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[EmeraldSky]

Episode 3: Sounds of the Season


Once Fennekin's show ends, Ash retrieves the top hat and puts it on as Fennekin gives Pikachu the TV remote. "Scrooge was jolted awake when the clock struck two." he begins as Serena closes her eyes to imagine what her friend is telling her. "He looked around, thinking the second Spirit would also light up the room, as the Spirit of Christmas Past had done..."

---------

Lysandre wakes up with a gasp as the clock strikes two. He looks around the room and finds no light, no sound, no anything out of place. Figuring that his encounter from earlier was his imagination, he goes back to sleep.

"Five minutes became ten, then ten became fifteen." Ash tells Serena from inside a closet as Lysandre drums his fingers on the covers. "Suddenly, he heard an ethereal voice singing a song of Christmas, but not in any language he knew."

A soft gold light fills the room as an ethereal choir is heard, lighting the fire and all the candles in the room. Serena then hears a male voice singing a familiar song in Gaelic Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé...

Serena instantly recognizes the voice. "Brock! That's Brock singing!"

Cách na suan, dís araon, Brock--wearing a green and blue plaid shirt, black pants with silver trim, and tan Stantler skin moccasins--continues singing as he hangs greenery, tidies the room a little, and sets a table for a Christmas dinner. Dís is dílse ag faire le spéis,
Naí beag gnaoi-gheal ceanán tais caomh,
Críost ina chodladh go séimh,
Críost ina chodladh go séimh...

As Brock starts the verse again, Serena joins in, echoing Brock's Gaelic in English. Oíche chiúin...

Silent night...

Oíche Mhic Dé...

Holy night...

Cách 'na suan...

All is calm...

Dís araon....

All is bright...

This is far as she gets before Ash shushes her, leaving Brock to sing the rest alone: Dís is dílse ag faire le spéis,
Naí beag gnaoi-gheal ceanán tais caomh,
Críost ina chodladh go séimh,
Críost ina chodladh go séimh...

His song complete, Brock admires his handiwork for a moment, then starts towards the bed. When Lysandre doesn't stir, he opens the bedcurtains, startling Lysandre. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" he smiles as Lysandre yawns. He balks, however, when he sees his room has transformed into a festive party room--greenery hangs from the walls, a fire roars in the fireplace, and there is food of all kinds scattered about the floor.

"Wha--what happened here?" Lysandre asks. "And are you..."

"Spirit of Christmas Present, at your service!" Brock replies. "Come on in, don't be shy!" he coaxes as Lysandre climbs from the bed. "This is the night before the dawn of Christmas Day...just look at all the stuff there is to enjoy!" He gestures to the immense pile of food.

Lysandre gasps in amazement at the food. "There's...mince pies....roast Combusken and roast Spoink..."

"And let's not forget my personal favorite--chocolate mint pie with whipped cream!" Brock smiles as he sets a plate of the aforementioned dessert before Lysandre.

"But...where did all this come from?" Lysandre asks as he gingerly takes a bite of the pie.

"From the heart, Mr. Scrooge." Brock replies. "It's called generosity...ever heard of it?" Some Grepa Berries come falling off the bunch Lysandre is attempting to eat and roll on the floor.

"But no one has ever shown me generosity!" Lysandre protests as he scrambles after the loose Berries.

"Here, I'll get those!" Serena rushes to find the loose Berries.

"That's because you've never given them any reason to, my boy." Brock replies as Serena gives him the loose Berries, which he reforms into a bunch. "Ever notice how wonderful everything seems at Christmas?"

"No...I've never understood it." Lysandre confesses.

"Before this night is over, I hope you do understand." Brock smiles before opening the window, making Lysandre shiver. "Furthermore, there are still those that care even for icy hearts like yours."

"No friend of mine, I assure you!" Lysandre thunders.

"Don't believe me? Let's take a little walk--so you can see for yourself." Brock replies before leading Lysandre down the stairs, before he spots Ash and Serena. "You guys are welcome to come too." he offers.

"Okay!" Serena follows Brock into the cold night as music begins, Ash not far behind her.

It's the most wonderful time of the year... Brock sings, making a grand gesture to the city, which is filled with lights, activity, and happiness, never mind it is two in the morning.

With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer!'
It's the most wonderful time of the year....

It's the hap-happiest season of all....
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call.... He waves at a family welcoming guests.
It's the hap- happiest season of all...

There'll be parties for hosting,
Marshmallows for toasting,
And caroling out in the snow... Brock sings as he swipes a marshmallow and gives it to Serena as the procession passes by a small group of children singing.
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories
Of Christmases long, long ago
It's the most wonderful time of the year

There'll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When loved ones are near....
It's the most wonderful time of the year!

As the music moves into an interlude, Lysandre looks on, dumbfounded, as Ash tosses a snowball at Serena. Brock just smiles at the snowball fight for a moment, then whistles and motions for Ash and Serena to follow him.

There'll be parties for hosting... Serena joins in.
Marshmallows for toasting.... Ash chimes in as he too buys a marshmallow.
And caroling out in the snow. Brock resumes singing.
There'll be scary ghost stories,
And tales of the glories
Of Christmases long, long ago...

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

There'll be much mistltoeing,
And hearts will be glowing
When loved ones are near

It's the most wonderful time,
It's the most wonderful time,
It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Lysandre just shivers as he tries to keep up with Brock's strong and confident strides--at least he didn't go flying again.

After wandering through the festive streets of the city for a while, Brock stops at one particular house. "Here we are!"

"What are we doing here?" Lysandre asks as he finally catches up to Brock, Ash, and Serena, still shivering from the cold.

"Why, this is Mr. Cratchit's house, of course." Brock replies. Lysandre peeks in and sees several brown haired children running after Froagie, while Callum helps some others decorate a small Christmas tree. Shauna is nearby, tending to the stove and trying not to laugh at how cute the children chasing Froagie look.

Lysandre notices Shauna cooking a tiny piece of meat. "Is she cooking a Pidgey?" he asks. "They have to have more than that! Look at the fire for me, will you?"

Brock looks in at a boiling pot hanging over the fireplace. "Actually, that's your laundry." he reports.

Inside the house, Shauna brings the meager meal to the table. "Time to eat, everyone!" she calls.

The children abandon what they are doing and charge to the table, but before they can dig in, Callum motions for them to wait. "Wait on Tiny Tim, everybody..." he cautions as he feeds Froagie.

"Coming, Daddy..." a young black haired boy replies as he limps to the table, a Mienfoo carefully guiding him to his place.

Callum smiles at the Mienfoo. "I'll take him the rest of the way, Shidao." The Mienfoo nods and allows Callum to pick the boy up and carry him to his place at the table.

"Wow..." Tim gasps at the meal. "Mama must've been busy today with all this food!" He smiles. "We ought to thank Mr. Scrooge." he adds, making Shidao chuckle as he receives his Pokechow, but Shauna's smile turns somber at the mention of Scrooge's name.

"What's the matter with that poor lad?" Lysandre wonders as he watches Tiny Tim dig into his share of the food.

"Too many things to list..." Brock's expression turns somber as well. "But if the shadows remain unchanged, that chair will be empty; and that little Mienfoo will have his master no more."

"Then that means..." Lysandre gasps before he suddenly wakes up in the bedroom again, terrified. After seeing the room is back to normal again and Brock is gone, he returns to an uneasy sleep as the scene begins to swirl back to the present.

---------

"Scrooge was now growing more and more uneasy--if the Spirit of Christmas Present's warning wasn't enough, the clock was closing in on three o'clock, and he feared what the third Spirit would bring." Ash concludes before noticing a familiar Christmas movie is beginning.. "And I'll stop there for now--I wouldn't miss Rudolph the Red Nosed Sawsbuck for the world!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

[EmeraldSky]

Episode 4: A Destructive Future

Serena freezes as the credits roll on "Rudolph the Red Nosed Stantler"--the part about the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come is up next.

She shudders a little as Ash switches hats. "I'm not sure I want to imagine what happens in this next part..."

"Relax--you'll be in my imagination, and I'll make sure you don't get hurt." Ash assures her.

Serena takes a deep breath to quell the Vivillions in her stomach. "Okay..."

Once Serena is listening and the Pokemon are searching for a new show, Ash begins "When Scrooge awoke again some time later, he was not in the bedroom, but on a deserted street somewhere in town. As he heard the clock strike three way off in the distance, a ghostly winged figure approached him..."

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Lysandre wakes up on an icy street as the clock strikes three off in the distance. He shakes in fear when he sees that the houses that were so full of life minutes before are now dark and empty. A ghostly red and black bird figure appearing to be shaped like the letter Y is also present, flying in his direction. "I-I-assume you are the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come?" he asks the being as it approaches. As it passes a flickering streetlamp, we see what it is: Yveltal, the Destruction Pokemon.

"Indeed I am." Yveltal replies, her oddly pleasant sounding voice reverberating across the dead streets and inside Lysandre's head. "I am here to show you what has yet to come if you do not change, so that you will turn from your former ways. This street is one of these things."

"B-but I fear you more than the other Spirits! Tell me more!" Lysandre pleads as he follows Yveltal down the street.

"I could say many things about your future, but Arceus and I think it would be better if you saw what will come with your own eyes--so I will say no more, and let these shadows speak for themselves." Yveltal replies. "Either way, it is not a pretty picture."

Ash and Serena are not far behind. "The Spirit led Scrooge to a cemetery, where he saw some familiar faces." Ash narrates as Yveltal points out Callum, Shauna, the children, and the Pokemon crowded around a small tombstone. Shidao is crying the hardest as Froagie gives him a tearful hug.

"No..." Lysandre struggles to fight back tears. "Tiny Tim is...now Shidao is..." He breaks down in tears for a moment before sputtering in between sobs "I didn't want this to happen! Is there any chance this future can be changed?"

Yveltal says nothing, but points out two undertakers making a new grave. "Some funeral that was!" one comments.

"No mourners, and no friends to come say goodbye..." the other agrees as he finishes preparing the grave. As the two undertakers walk away, Yveltal leads him closer to the grave.

Lysandre inspects the grave for a moment. "Whose tomb might this be?"

"I thought you'd never ask..." Yveltal laughs. "This tomb is...YOUR OWN!!!" Sure enough, Yveltal's red wings illuminate "RIP Scrooge" on the tombstone.

"Let's go!" Ash leads Serena to safety in an alcove.

Lysandre, meanwhile, screams as Yveltal fires an Oblivion Wing, but the attack instead destroys the patch where Lysandre was standing minutes before. Annoyed, she spots Lysandre running among the scraggly trees and tombs, and flies after him.

"Try as he might to evade the vengeful Spirit, Scrooge eventually made his way back to his own grave." Ash narrates via voiceover as Lysandre ducks, jumps, and dives to evade Yveltal.

"But Scrooge can't die here!" Serena protests via voiceover as Yveltal finally catches up to Lysandre.

Lysandre gasps as Yveltal uses Oblivion Wing to knock him inside the tomb, where fire comes welling up from the casket inside, intent on consuming him alive!

"Scrooge hung on for dear life from a tree root, pleading with the Spirit to spare him even as the raging flames approached." Ash narrates via voiceover as Lysandre finds a tree root and clutches it for dear life, frantically trying to climb it as the flames race higher.

"Please!" Lysandre pleads as the tree root begins to give way. "I will honor Christmas in my heart, and keep its hopeful message all the year! I will learn from the Past, influence the Present, and create a better Future!" Yveltal's laughter is all he hears as the tree root finally breaks, making the screen swirl back to the present as Lysandre falls screaming into the inferno...

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"...Scrooge woke up pleading with the Spirit to let him go, but when he came to his senses, he found that the Spirit had gone, and he was merely struggling with the bedsheet." Ash continues, making relieved giggles fill the air from Serena and the Pokemon. "After feeling around him and reassuring himself he was safely back in the house, he decided to look outside just to be sure he was not still trapped in things yet to come...and I'll finish this when this show is over."

Serena smiles when she sees they are about to watch "The Legend of 'Silent Night'" "This'll be perfect to cleanse the palette." she smiles at Fennekin, memories of Brock's Gaelic rendition echoing in her mind....

TO BE CONTINUED...

[EmeraldSky]

Episode 5: A Miracle for a Friend

After changing hats again, Ash begins "Scrooge ran to the window and opened it to find that the city was just as it was before, and bustling with activity as Christmas bells ringing filled the air..."

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Lysandre throws open the window and gasps joyfully as he hears bells ringing in the distance. "It's Christmas morning!" he cries. He spots May walking on the snowy street below. "Hello, good lass! Might you know what day it is?" he calls to her.

"It's Christmas, of course!" May calls back.

Of course it's Christmas--that means that everything that happened last night was all true! Praise to the Great Arceus, for he has made me a new person! Lysandre smiles to himself before calling down to May again. "Do you know if the large roast Combusken in the meat shop is still there?"

"It was when I passed it just now." May replies.

"Would you be so kind to buy it and have it delivered here?" Lysandre asks. "I'll pay you a thousand credits in return!"

"Really?" May gasps once she realizes who is asking the favor.

"Do it quickly and I'll pay two thousand!" Lysandre replies.

"Okay!" With that, May darts off down the road.

Lysandre dashes about the room getting ready, oblivious to Ash as he tells Serena "Scrooge got ready as quickly as he could, tidying up every room in the mansion all the while. He laughed so much and smiled so large, people thought he'd gone nuts!"

"Merry Christmas, one and all!" Lysandre yells into the cold winter air, surprising May, Ethan, and Lyra as they approach the house.

"What's gotten into you, Mr. Scrooge?" Lyra gasps as Lysandre gives May two large coins in return for the Combusken.

"You turned us away before!" Ethan agrees.

Lysandre just ignores the questions. "Good morning to both of you! Please accept this little donation from me!" He snatches Lyra's hat off her head and fills it with coins.

Ethan balks at the amount. "It can't be!"

"Twenty thousand credits--and you're serious?" Lyra is just as surprised.

"That not enough?" Lysandre asks before snatching Ethan's hat and filling it with even more coins. "Have another fifty thousand!"

"It's a miracle...we have enough to give to the poor for three months at least!" Ethan smiles.

"I'm not through yet!" Lysandre then showers Ethan and Lyra with coins. "There...a hundred thousand credits in all, and not a credit more!" He laughs as he dances down the icy road to a melody he only seems to hear.

Lyra surfaces from the mountain of coins some seconds later. "I'd say the real miracle is Scrooge's changed demeanor!" she tells Serena as she and Ash emerge from the house. She yells after Lysandre "Thank you, and Merry Christmas!"

"Word about Scooge's changed personality spread like wildfire through the town, and while some pondered whether it was an act or not at first, they only needed one glance and maybe a gift to see that the transformation was very real." Ash tells Serena as the two of them follow Lysandre, who is dancing down the road, giving things to people.

He then spots Malva walking down the road. "Morning, my love!"

"Uncle?" Malva gasps. "Are you okay? The town's buzzing with rumors that you've changed!"

"Indeed I have...and I'm looking forward to Christmas dinner with you." Lysandre smiles.

No way--the rumors are true! Malva isn't sure what to think at first. "You mean you're coming after all?"

"How could I not, when there's candied Berries and gingerbread to be had?" Lysandre laughs. "And chocolate mint pie with whipped cream, too!"

"I'll make a place for you immediately, Uncle!" Malva laughs as she continues on her way.

"I'll be there at two, sharp!" Lysandre calls after her. "Make sure everything's piping hot!" With that, he continues down the road, Ash and Serena not far behind him.

"But Scrooge's biggest surprise was saved for the Cratchit house." Ash tells Serena as Lysandre approaches the house with the roast Combusken and a bag of books and toys and knocks at the door. "Although he wanted very much to put on an air of his former arrogance, his happiness just overwhelmed him."

Callum gasps when he sees who is on the stoop. "Mr. Scrooge...what are you doing here?" he wonders as he lets Lysandre in.

"You're not raising the rent again, are you?" Shauna worries.

"No..." Lysandre replies. "I'm doing one better..." Shauna's lower lip quivers as she fears the worst. "I'm giving you a raise!"

Callum's mouth hits the floor. "Honest?" Shauna gasps.

"Y-you mean it?" Callum agrees.

"And even better--I'm making you my new partner!" Lysandre continues. "While I can't even begin to ask your forgiveness after all the years I have mistreated you and your family, I hope these gifts are a small step towards making amends." With that, he unveils the roast Combusken, the toys and the books.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!" The children run over to the bag of books and toys and start playing with them.

"Merry Christmas..." Lysandre smiles as he hugs Callum, Shauna, and Froagie.

"And Arceus bless us, every one!" Tiny Tim interjects as he moves a black king over one of Shidao's few remaining red pieces on a checkerboard.

"Mien ..." Shidao sighs when he sees he lost the game of checkers, but smiles when he concedes victory to his master.

Lysandre fishes a book of fairy tales from the bag. "Come now, who wants to hear a story?"

"I do!" The children abandon their toys and crowd around a chair as Lysandre sits down.

Callum and Shauna smile as Lysandre invites Tiny Tim and Froagie into his lap and begins to read. "There was once a king in a far away land that had an odd custom...."

"Scrooge made good on his promises to give Mr. Cratchit a raise and make him his new partner, allowing Tiny Tim to get the care he deserved." Ash tells Serena as he unveils a gift of his own for her--a bag of mint truffles. "He became his partner's closest friend, and eventually the whole town knew him well--even the naysayers had to admit he was a new person." The scene swirls back to the present as Shidao tries to get a look at one of the book's pictures.

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"But he never forgot what the Spirits had taught him--from that Christmas on, he was a happier person, and a true definition of a Christmas miracle." Ash concludes. "The end."

"Bravo!" Serena leads the applause as Ash takes a bow.

The door slams from downstairs, getting Ash's attention. "Ash, Serena, we're back!" Delia calls. He motions for Serena to follow him to the living room, where Delia and Taran are putting their coats away.

"How'd everything go, Champ?" Taran smiles.

"You missed Ash's performance of 'A Christmas Carol'." Serena replies. "Brock's been training him well--Ash did so well, it was like I was there in the story's world."

"If I can come to next year's party, I'll tell it for everyone!" Ash offers as he accepts a bag of the same mint truffles he gave Serena in the story's world. Serena eagerly grabs one and eats it as a reminder of her journey into Ash's imagination.

THE END

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