Show Me Your Smile | Pokémon Fanfiction

24 | you have gone far

Music in media: New Light by Nive

Truly, we have come a long way, to have survived two months of chaos. But of course, in the month of December, there's just one holiday we can never escape. Just one more special episode, my mother promised yesterday as she booked movie tickets for two. Otousan begrudgingly leaves home with her, communicating through his eyes a plea unlike any other. You see, my father hates going to the movies, but my mother loves the cinema. As if it couldn't get more problematic, he has to watch two and a half hours worth of yaoi, unable to flee to the toilet because "you'll block the screens, and it's disrespectful to the actors who didn't go the toilet while filming the movie", as affirmed by a confidently incorrect Okaasan. Oh, don't forget the post-credits.

My heart is with my father this Christmas. I will forever remember his sacrifice and learn to treat him better in future. On the other hand, the boys have arrived at the Aomine minka to celebrate the joyous occasion. Just yesterday, Christmas Eve, the last episode of Show Me Your Smile was aired, aptly for the most romantic day of the year where couples gather in public and single people and Pokémon hug each other to sleep, or hibernate.

Christmas in Johto isn't celebrated the same way as in Unova and Galar. Christmas, for us, is another reason to spend time with friends and family. Christmas isn't a religious time, but a day to spread happiness.

Meta swipes at my phone where the Christmas menu is displayed, paralysed by the culture shock. We hereby express our deepest gratitude to the Ivory Tower and their High Horsepower without the power, their Westernised education and lifestyle injected into our beloved Ditto, and we will now commence the erasure of their influence.

"We're really not eating stuffed Pidgeot for Christmas?" Meta drools over my phone and I snatch it away before things get worse.

Wiping my phone with a handkerchief, I roll my eyes. "We had to place orders six weeks in advance. We can't just call in for a delivery today because by then Christmas will be over. That's how good it is."

Rae supports my statement with a vehement nod. "Sofu's Fried Combusken is our tradition!"

"Yeah." Kaspar flicks Meta's forehead. "I still can't get over the shock that you don't know SFC."

Meta frowns. "Why Combusken? Why does the menu only have Combusken? This is utter discrimination!"

"You don't understand," Hayato says, planting a palm on his hair. "Combusken is the middle ground between mild and blazing hot. It's got the best of both worlds in terms of flavour and really juicy meat."

Meta jabs an accusatory finger at him. "Hold up! You should be defending your fellow bird Pokémon! Just because Combusken isn't a Flying-type doesn't make it any less an avian!"

Matsuba holds Hayato back before the latter could fly into a rage. "Hey now, it's Christmas! Can't we all chill a little?"

Seven knocks on the door eject us from the sphere of discord. Thank you so much for the save, but please, do not be a horde of Gastly again.

Can Gastly knock? Does it even have hands? Wait a minute, it does learn some punching moves. But it couldn't have been a Gastly, could it?

"Anyone home?" Three hard knocks succeed the question.

We exchange looks. According to the message on the delivery app, the food will take ten minutes more to arrive. So who is this? Santa doesn't knock doors, but yeet his sorry ass down and up chimneys, so it can't have been Santa.

"A serial killer?" Kaspar suggests. "This is common in thrillers."

"It's always the policemen for you," Meta says, eyes now locked on the thumping door. "Come now, don't glare. It's a Unovan thing!"