Poke-Combat Academy
A CHRISTMAS MELODY
Gift story for Jazzfoxrules and RainThunder7 by StrikeValkyrie

*Ring, ring. Ring, ring*|BEEP| “Hello, Faith Sumisu speaking? Oh, hello Rene! Yes, I am at Penny's house right now, accounted for and ready for the celebration. Hey, I know it's still few days till the zero hour, but I like this time of year... not to mention when you're in a state like mine you really want to point your mind in some other direction. *Giggle*, I know you're sorry you can't hug me with all your might right now, but don't worry, I may be far from my top shape, but I'm surrounded by friends who can take good care of me. Yes, I know no one will ever tend to my needs like my favourite cousin, but you're busy spending your holidays with Nicole and your families and I'm anything but bent on spoiling it for you. No buts! ...Rene, I love you like a brother, but give me some credit, I can take care of things when I need. Yes, I hear that Nidorina needing her boyfriend in the background too. Yes, I'll be fine and I'll have a good time. Yes, I'll keep my phone nearby at all times in case you call again... Seriously fluffbutt, I'll send you an exploding holiday card if you're not hanging up the phone in ten seconds! And yes, I -will- call you fluffbutt when I see it necessary for the greater good. Happy holidays, Rene! See you in few days.” |BEEP|

The albino Vulpix closed the clamshell phone and rested it on a nearby shelf before turning her head to her left. “Sorry, my poor cousin Rene likes to check up on my whereabouts like that a lot. Most people get annoyed by his surprise calls, but he means no harm.”

“I think it's nice of him to call and ask how are you doing. It shows he remembers and cares.” another female voice stationed in the room replied.

Faith raised her eyes to the ceiling with a smile, “You have no idea how true that statement is. He's known for many things, but short memory and lack of interest in others is definitely not on the list.”

“You'd be surprised how well I know it's true.” the other girl vocalised something between amusement and embarrassment, “He almost hugged me to death when he saw me on the campus for the first time.”

“I guess he's making up for that Abra embargo his teammate imposed on him after she saw her Kadabra girlfriend barely making it alive out of the MegaHug he served her.” Faith giggled.

“Ugh, I'm happy his girlfriend is occupying him, then. I'm not sure if we'd survive the Holiday Hug Special he'd most likely threw at us if he was here. No offence.”

“None taken” the fox smiled, “So, how are things at your side?” she asked.

Melody Summers looked around from the second bed in the room she was currently sitting on. It was more of a theatrical gesture than anything, designed specifically to show her conversation partner she could still engage others in the discussions that used body language. After all, she was born blind and the only resemblance of vision she was gifted with was a still underdeveloped psychic sight which made gestures quite obsolete in her case.

“Unpacked, mostly memorised the house plan, feeling festive and overall good. I think I'm all green.” the Abra smiled shyly, “You're sure it's ok that I stay here?”

“Melody, you've asked me about this ninety-nine times, don't make me answer a silly question and score a century.” the fire type laughed cheerfully, “If it wasn't ok, you wouldn't be sitting on that bed right now.”

“Good point, I guess.” The psychic type returned the smile. If someone told her she'd be spending her Christmas break among friends, she wouldn't believe it. After all, just three days ago all was indicating that she'd manage to drive a bus back home and spend this special time of the year with her father. She really would like that. But fate just wouldn't let her have it her way.

One the night before she was to leave the dorm room for her journey home, a powerful blizzard blocked the main route leading to Pewter City where their house was. As trivial as it sounded with the existing level of anti-winter technology, the weather dysfunction had quite an effective range, resulting in reports of damaged powerlines, fallen trees and car accidents coming from numerous critical points along the road. Clearing the way enough for car-based means of transportation to pass would take several days, or so the news channel said. Trains weren't looking any better, as their traction system was even less tolerant for tons of fresh snow than the concrete of the roads...well, they were a lot less tolerant to everything, actually. As Simone, her roommate, said every once in a while, even a Pidgey fart would be enough of a good reason for railways to cancel a connection on a worse day.

There were still airplanes, she knew. It wasn't snowing one bit now that Mother Nature had decided she pulled enough pranks on the mobile chunk of local demography for one week; air transport was thus more than available. But not to her. It weren't just the horrendous costs of getting a flight ticket on such short notice (that was the last thing her her family budget needed right now), the operation of flying home would be simply too bothersome. There was no airport in Pewter, not even in any of the neighbouring ones. The nearest place where a plane could land was tens of kilometres away... and you had to drive the blizzard-busted road to get there. Coming home for the break was so ridiculously full of obstacles it almost had a stench of some C-class movie cliché to it.

She wasn't looking forward to spending the holidays alone in her dorm room, and that thought tormented her for quite a while, especially after hanging on the phone for an hour talking with her dad how fate and coincidence ganged up on her. But then another player entered the arena, almost like a knight in a shining armour jumping in at the last moment to save the day. Except it was an albino Vulpix girl in not-so-shining leg casts.

So there she was, sitting in one of the guest rooms of the Cartego residence with the motion-impaired white vixen. The Cartegos, one must know, were a family consisting entirely of gearheads. Well, bio-gearheads to be exact. Think of a scenario where a zoologist falls in love with a botanist and they have offspring... that turns out to be yet another avid science enthusiast as soon as she can walk and hold a screwdriver. That was exactly what the Cartego clan was. And while some liked them, others found keeping safe distance a much better healthcare plan. Faith Sumisu obviously sided with the former camp, as Maile Cartego, the Scyther mistress of the household, was becoming more and more of a mother figure to the Vulpix.

Mr. Cartego was nice for her too, and Penny, the aspiring genius wasn't going to be a problem. She was still a welcome part of the family, but between the sorority, her projects, and the child-like Artificial Intelligence unit she built called Prism... Her hands were full back on school grounds, enough to stay at PCA for most of the holidays.

Nowadays the white vixen could be considered a standard element of the surroundings as the bug clan took her under its roof after Maile saw her previous apartment and talked her family into relocating the fire type to some less hostile environment. From what the girl in question said this lasted for a longer time now. But Melody's very own presence within these walls amazed her ever since she first set her foot here yesterday in the evening.

It happened so... so... well, it happened. Yesterday she was talking with Faith about the situation while practising her aura vision with the fox. One minute Faith suddenly got this particular expression on her face and excused herself for moment. When she was back, her phone still in one hand, she simply announced the problem was solved. Melody had no idea what she meant then, but not an hour had passed and her dorm room, already half-vacant as Simone went home the day before, was invaded by Mrs. Cartego who with a wide motherly grin on her face told her she's spending the holidays with them. It took some good ten minutes to convince the Abra it was all watertight and discussed with her father.

Bottom line, Melody wasn't going spend the holidays alone, and even if she'd like her dad to be with her at that special time of the year, spending it with mons who cared even a bit made situation a lot more bearable.

She was also quite curious how Faith would operate in the upcoming days. The unlucky Vulpix, who had as many broken bones in her medical history as Uve Bovl had cinematic failures in his director career, was now somewhat immobile, with both of her legs engulfed by layers of cast and thus making her customised wheelchair her preferred resting furniture in the household. How was she going to handle all the stuff that was inbound in a matter of days? Melody couldn't find the answer just yet, but she was glad Faith couldn't get access to her head like other psychics could. She didn't like to point out impairments of others with her finger; she knew they were rarely a welcomed topic. That, and the fact that Melody herself was blind made the silly thoughts even more embarrassing to voice.

Her thread of thoughts was abruptly stopped when something buzzed in her skirt-trousers pocket. She fished out her phone, still pulsing a bit in a characteristic pattern.

“Looks like I've got an SMS.” she mused to Faith, “Give me a second.” she placed the device next to her ear and pressed a button on the side of its casing. After ten seconds of sitting still, she allowed the gadget to fall onto the bed, smiling widely.

“What just happened?” the fox's tail sticking out on the other side of her wheelchair wagged curiously.

“I 'read' my message. Look.” the Abra picked up the phone again to expose it to Faith. “This is Rotomola Apogee 8. It's a phone designed specifically for blind users, so it has a “liquid digit” Braille keyboard and built in IVY voice synthesizer that reads all text content. It also accepts voice commands and can record your voice and convert it into text messages and e-mails.” she explained. “Quite useful if you ask me.”

“That's not what I meant.” the albino said, still admitting the phone was impressive by a faint nod. “I was talking about the SMS... if it's not something personal, that is.”

“Oh! No, no worries.” Melody shook her yellow-armoured skull, “It's just Wayne, he was letting me know that if I need anything from the outside world he can come here and help me.... he's such a hopeless altruist sometimes.” she smiled again, gentle blush appearing on her cheeks.

“Wayne Evergreen?” Faith's Special Curiosity rose dramatically. “Team Skull Squadron's very own Scyther?”

“Yes.” Melody tilted her head in wonder. “How come everyone can tell it's him just by hearing his name?”

“Rene mentions him sometimes, especially when his teammate Sam makes oaths to challenge him for a friendly sparring and see, open quotation, 'if the inbound asskickery will satisfy her fighter's thirst for action', close quotation. The guys is said to be some kind of Scyther battle prodigy... not to mention at least one third of the girls I know sighed at him at least once.”

Melody giggled, “Yes, he is quite the popular boy around from what I've been hearing. I admit... knowing this, it makes me very happy he noticed me, and moreover, keeps being kind and friendly for this plain blind Abra here.”

“Sounds like he's someone special to you.” Faith said slowly, watching the psychic type curiously.

“Yes he is, he's- wait. A-are you implying I'm crushing on him??” Melody suddenly stuttered, the blush on her face turning into the embarrassment-tuned variant.

“Huh? Me? I...urr...of course not!” the Vulpix tried to cover up what she thought (“Yes? Why not?”) and prayed to the Lucario-Sama the other girl wasn't about to double-check that statement via mind scan.”...are you?” she said after a moment with voice as thin as a Cricketune's song played in the middle of a stormy ocean. She was pushing her casted luck, but even females raised in a shrine couldn't resist the temptation of girly gossip every once in a while.

Melody “looked” at her for a painfully long moment, still red as a Scizor. “...No... I don't think I am...” she carefully weighed each and every word. “I mean, sure, I felt some sort of attraction for him first time we met but... I don't know how to even phrase it... something so much greater happened that moment that I instantly gave up any ideas of trying to ask him for a romance.”

Before Faith had a chance to even start thinking about anything, she added: “No, this has nothing to do with me being a totally unattractive phantom of a girl.” she put both of her hands at the height of her breasts, leaving them at various stages of closing, suggesting the more closed one represented her own cup size while other stood up for the womanliness of most other girls at school. “My friends already taught me to ignore this self-lamenting aspect of me while meeting new mons.”

“So...if you accept yourself and know your worth, why-”

“Because Wayne offers something much more valuable to me.” Melody said slowly, smiling again. “Over the few months we know each other, he became an older, spiritual brother to me. I know it may sound silly, but that's how I see it... ugh, you'd think having enhanced brain functions made explaining your state of mind easier. He's like a friend to me, someone who'll be there when I need him, someone who treats like I was no different from other girls... someone that can put himself in my situation and do everything in his might to find a solution to my problems. It's a bond that's so much rarer than a attraction you develop for someone during your typical dating. I don't want to lose it. I know even a girl like me will find a someone for herself eventually. But finding such a good friend is so much harder, and I'm not skipping on that any time soon.”

Faith suddenly felt her body automatically generating a protective thin layer of aura to cover up her blush. She didn't know Melody from that angle. Despite her everyday appearance, she really had a strong personality. That really impressed her... almost made her feel...

“Besides, Wayne has a girlfriend already.” Melody suddenly laughed, but not in a forced way; it was natural, with no fake or grudge in it. “If you know the beauty queen known as Tina the Pillowbutt, you know who I'm talking about. It's an interesting pairing to say the least, but surprisingly it's also a strong one. Wayne doesn't talk about her all that much when we meet, but I can sense he's already very attached to her. Who knows, they might take their relationship beyond PCA, maybe even in front of the altar if their curiosity for each other lasts long enough.”

“That's great.” Faith said, glad of the distraction, feeling both happiness for Melody's friend... and some sort of relief he didn't get closer to the Abra in the romantic way. Why did the second feeling pop in her fluffy head was beyond her sophisticated brain's comprehension.

“Yeah, Tina is a nice girl, even if her brain seems to be installed in her tail sometimes. I cheer for them, at least for Wayne's sake.” the Abra said. “So... If we already are in the Friendship is magic' topic, how are things are going for you? You know, making me talk about myself, embarrassing as it is sometimes, you triggered the giggling blushing girl who still lies buried deep between my anxieties. So... is there anyone that makes your heart pump the blood faster?”

Faith was about to blush uncontrollably and stutter incoherently while figuring how to respond to the innocent question that in this particular case had the destructive power of fully assembled Exodia. Now how was she supposed to answer that without acting as goofy as her poor cousin when his pants take their leave in public... no one said being an albino Vulpix prone to internal structural dis-integrities, training for a priestess -and- still working out her own gender attraction was easy.

Fortunately, the questionable pleasure of answering the question was scheduled by fate for another time. Maybe three seconds passed between Melody closing her mouth and the doors to the room opening in swift, perfectly calculated motion.

“Hello geerls! Eim not eentrudeeng, am Ei?” Maile Cartego entered the room with enough energy to substitute for small nuclear reactor.

“Of course not, Mrs Cartego.” Faith gladly switched her full attention to the adult Scyther. “Is there anything we can do for you?”

“Foony you should ask," the green bug smiled widely. “Chreesmas weel be here een a few deeys, and we steel need to prepare for eet.”

Melody turned to her, amazed by how she could understand every word of the bug type despite her islander accent being as thick as a Groudon's armour plating. On the other hand, she didn't like the sound of word “prepare” one bit. “Umm, is Mr. Cartego joining the effort?”

Maile looked at her with understanding, “Eid loov that, Meloody dear. Boot Jeremeeah was called oot of town to help deal weeth a foongus problem.”

The Abra bent her head down, slightly disappointed. “...That explains why haven't I met him since I arrived here.”

“Ei know how you feel, darleeng. Boot he'll be back on the day befoore the Eve. Oonteel then, ladies, we're on oor own. Knoweeng that the house ees ours to command, let's tree to have at least soom fun wheel we're at eet, Oo-kee?”

The girls glanced at each other. Thanks to the shades Melody was wearing, the Lady of the Cartego realm couldn't see the faint glow coming from under her eye-lids: a side-effect of Melody making a quick brain-to-brain discussion with Faith how to respond to the inevitable scenario of becoming the Less Than Enthusiastic Janitor Duo.

“You can count on us, Mrs Cartego.” the girls said in unison, trying to put all the enthusiasm they could muster into it.

“Ei know eet's noot how you weer expecteeng to spend yoor teem off, geerls.” the Scyther smiled sympathetically, “Eil theen oof soomtheeng to repee you for yoor cooperashoon. Now, come on, mei dear seedkeeks, let oos get to work.”


* * *

“How are you feeling, Mel?” Faith asked with a slightly tired voice, still clinging to the dusting cloth in her hand.

“I'm still alive, so I guess that counts as 'good'.” Melody answered equally exhausted, passing another dish plate she picked up from the kitchen cupboard to the Vulpix. “But I can't shake off the feeling our host is an avid fan of that Cindaquilerra fairy tail...”

“I know... but look on the bright side. She didn't task us with all that difficult stuff so far, compared to what she's handling herself.”

“Considering we're a smash hit team of a blind girl and a girl with both legs in casts I can hardly blame her for going easy on us... we'd probably do more damage than cleaning up otherwise.”

“Nonsense.” Faith shrugged with a laborious smile, “With my brilliant bad luck I've spent over one third of my life with cast overlapping one or another part of me. Don't you think it stopped me from my duties as the daughter of the shrine keeper.”

“I know, you already mentioned that time when you tied the core of a multi-purpose cleaning tool to your cast and plugged various extensions to transform the main meditation room into a fortress of sparkle.” Melody nodded.

“Oh, that was one of my more innocent attempts to prove the “immobilised is incompetent” theory wrong.” the Vulpix giggled. “But I don't want you to question my sanity, so I'll keep the more Jackbutt stunts to myself.”

“You know Faith, you're quite an oddball under all these layers of cast and traditional robes.” the Abra sniggered as she passed he the last plate to clean up.

“I can always switch to painfully innocent and boring priestess mode if that'll please you more.” the albino grinned.

Melody “looked” at the ceiling, scratching her chin like a thinker for a moment. “Nah! You're fine the way you are now.” she shook her head. “Say, if it's not a secret...” she wondered.

“Yes?” Faith glanced at her curiously. There were so many, many possibilities what was of her current interest... some less honesty-friendly than others.

“I keep hearing you're a priestess in training and stuff like that all the time. But what is your family dealing in, to be exact? I know it's something about Lucario-Sama or whatever you call him, but since I'm a member of the Church of Arceus I barely stick my nose outside my own belief system and I don't know much about your religion. Is this some oriental sect or a more recognised and numerous path?”

The question was so unexpected and mono-layered Faith couldn't stop herself from a short burst of laugh. “You really find this topic interesting? Last time I checked asking that kind of questions brought you closer to being considered a type of a geek.”

“I'm just curious. I may not look like it but I love expanding my horizons. Especially in areas in which I tend to be completely oblivious until I get the right impulse.”

“Who am I to deny you the right to know?” Faith chuckled. “Ok, it goes like this. The Order Of Aura movement and Lucario-Sama... well, let's start by saying that our spiritual leader isn't really holy at all like that suffix implies, we just lack a better title to describe his function in a clear way. He's more like a master monk, honestly."

"He lived in a time long, long ago, pretty much back when pokémorphs still lived in separate tribes, dividing themselves by species and types... Just travelling around could get you in trouble back then if you went into another group's turf by accident." she paused to take a longer breath.

“But Lucario-Sama was curious about the world. He spent more than half of his life travelling, trying to find something special in the reality that surrounded him. He almost gave up at one point, but one day, while practising Aura-" She paused, " Wait, that needs explaining, too. Aura... is like a little bubble of energy everyone has, even most inanimate objects. It's a kind of life force that is unique to everyone, but still somehow similar... with enough training you can shape it, harmonise it with the world around you."

"Wait... so... everyone's Aura is unique?" Melody politely butted in.

“Yes, like I said a moment ago.” Faith nodded.

"You think it would be hard to determine what does mine look like?"

The albino grinned, “No, I'm rather good in aura reading... hold on a second."

Momentarily, Faith's eyes lit a brilliant blue that even Melody with her poor, light perception-denied psychovision could see, but the Abra-like effects was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Fancy that...You've got a nice and healthy aura there. It's a little like looking through a kaleidoscope ... you somehow project so much aura energy that if I closed my eyes I'd still could pick up a lot of details only from your astral appearance!"

Melody sighed. "Rather ironic. You can see more of me with aura than I see you with my psychics."

"I'm intrigued by how that works too, Mel. Maybe as a psychic type you are more compatible to non-physical ways of manifestation?” the Vulpix wondered. “Or maybe you're just a really nice girl?" she voiced a second opinion inside her fluffy head. Faith stumbled for a second on the end of that concept, noticing a small dose of red flooding her cheeks. How did -that- work, that was the more interesting question.

"In any case...umm... great, I lost my own thought thread. Brain-1, Vulpix-0.”

“You were saying something about Lucario-Sama practising Aura.” Melody recalled.

“There we go! So yeah, when he was doing it, one day he noticed that Aura isn't just a fancy energy phenomenon that you can bend for fun. He realised with it's he can synchronise with life and world around him. The more he tried specific patterns of Aura manipulation, the more he could understand about the reality surrounding him. After some time he was so good at it he could do the less tasking tricks without putting any conscious effort into it. It's understandable that having such a spiritually developed ancestor, Lucarios learn aura control almost naturally. It's like a built-in gimmick to see the world, but it's obvious nowadays they're not the only species good in this game.” she paused to make sure Melody hasn't left the room while she was monologuing. Satisfied with seeing the Abra where she was before, she went on.

“When Lucario-Sama was practising Aura in his solitude, he stumbled on a group of Vulpix and Ninetails nomads.” she continued. “ The species weren't at good terms back then, but Lucario wasn't in the least interested in fightinh them. It was against his philosophy to induce harm on others, after all. But his surprise, neither did they attack him. They just watched him, as if they knew something unique was happening. Sama was so intrigued by their peaceful attitude that he decided to teach them his ways. It went like an avalanche from there. The fox clan, now knowing how to explore and communicate via Aura, began passing the wisdom of Lucario-Sama to whatever tribe they stumbled upon. The movement quickly spread and with ways of understanding each other, the Aura Prophets, as some called those tribes involved, helped make the ancient world a bit less of a blood-bathed place. The Prophets reorganised themselves into a full Order at some point that lasts until this very day. In a slightly changed form to fit the passage of time, of course, but shrines such as that ran by Sumisu clan proves it's still alive and kicking.”

“Wow... you're quite knowledgeable about this.” Melody whistled in awe.

“If that was a defining factor in -your- life you would know just as much.” Faith smiled at her.

“So... with all this stuff revolving around Lucario-Sama, you're not really a divine-entity oriented belief system?” Melody tilted her head.

“Not really, but Sciontology isn't one either and yet no one minds.” Faith laughed with understanding. “The Order Of Aura is more like a highly spiritual philosophy and way of life. Our temples and shrines are havens for those wanting to find their own peace. Our priests are guardians and overseers that help them achieve their inner balance, as well as offering ways of using their Aura in unique ways, healing, scans and so on... That's what I want to do when I grow up as well.”

“That... wait, that somehow reminds me of a few ideas from the RPG you and Pike do with me."

"Heh...well... I'm not very original." Faith looked away bashfully and twiddled her thumbs.

"No, no, it sounds great!.... in it's own rights, of course, but my point stands."

“Huh. You're one of the first girls to say that it sounds nice.” Faith blushed a bit. “Well, Rene likes this too, but he doesn't count...I think.”

“So I guess you don't celebrate Christmas like followers of Arceus do?”

“Actually, the Order allows to join celebrations of all faiths. Not really something all of us take advantage of, but we can enjoy ourselves when we join the festivities of others quite a bit. A lot of positive auras are released during this time! Makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside.”

“So... did Lucario-Sama wrote any interesting holidays into your own annual calendar?” Melody asked.

“Well, how many people celebrate Arbor Day?” Faith scratched her head, talking more to herself for a moment. “Lucario-Sama believed in bonding people together, which meant a lot of celebrating, families being together... but we do have a special form of spending time in a nice way for Winter. We call it Spirit Forging...hmm, you know what? Since I already incorporate Aura training in our attempts to improve your psycho-sight, we could actually try it together.”

“You mean, as in performing this whole thing in this house, you and me?”
.
“Why not, I have all the necessary equipment stuffed under my bed anyway, so there's nothing to stop us.”

Melody debated on that for a moment. “What are the chances of this Forging thing killing me?”

The Vulpix barely kept her laugh to herself. “None, silly! We did it a lot back home and we still do when my parents visit. I may be a bit pale-looking, but not because of this. Actually, I think this has some chances of boosting your sight a little.”

“Really? Hmm, if we're both stuck in here for a few more days, -and- you say this could help me... why not. Though I'm waay to tired to even think of it tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Even better idea indeed! It's more enjoyable when we are not dead-tired.” the vixen nodded energetically. “Ok, let's finish this silly dining room crusade, I can feel the Aura is already with me... or at least in my bed waiting for me.”

* * *

They chose to test the ritual Faith mentioned the next day about noon, when they already were after their morning cleaning session and before they promised to join in the janitorial effort again in the afternoon. Despite Melody's initial dread, the amount of work to do was not as terrifying as she expected and now she was certain it was all manageable.

They closed themselves in the guest bedroom that the girls were occupying during their stay at Cartegos. Faith lowered the brightness of the room by some three quarters by rolling down the blinds (which worked automatically with a switch control- Cartegos were mindful of their daughter's claw hands possibly causing difficulties every now and then) and looked critically at her surroundings.

“Looks like we're ready.” she mused. She made sure the place was decorated with several small crystal-like beacons that she laid strategically on the floor.

“We're ready, huh?... so that means... I can't take off that thing, right?” Melody whined.

Faith smiled sympathetically. “Well, you shouldn't. Since you're psychic type tuned mainly for mental power, you need some sort of booster to realign your body with your internal Aura flow.

“I thought you said you saw my Aura clearly.” the other girl sighed.

“I did, but seeing something doesn't mean it's within reach of one's hand.” the Vulpix explained. “That's why you need that pendant.”

“Specifically on my forehead? I feel like a girl from King Yul's harem.” the Abra prodded the crystal hanging off a wire-thin chain directly above her closed eyes.

“Don't worry, I need an Aura accelerator too, it's just shaped a bit differently.” Faith tapped on her hand equipped with a traditional energy glove that was passed down in her family for countless generations. “You tell me when we can start.”

“You may fire at will.” Melody adjusted her sitting position and tried to relax.

“Ok, then. How shall I explain this.. hmm, this should do the trick.” the albino fox scratched her head. “Try to focus on that pendant. Try channelling your thoughts through it. Try to see the world though it... Try-”

“Treat the crystal sticking from my head as a psycho-beacon. Got it.” Melody nodded, but felt Faith's psycho shape turn colour to the shade of question. “Hey, we already practised something similar, remember?”

“Hmm, right. If you know the basic procedure, then let's begin.” the albino girl closed her eyes. “Spirit Forging, entering First Path, Path of Discovery...”

With a whispering incantation, she did something to the crystals. Melody was not sure what exactly, but seeing how the objects suddenly appeared in her psychic eyeshot, she figured it was something like Aura-based safety lock release. She could feel the crystals standing proudly in her visible range with their energy weak, but very steady and uninterrupted.

“If you see something new then it means I activated them properly.” she could hear Faith's voice, for some reason now sounding like she was speaking through a layer of water.

“Yeah, they're here.” the Abra confirmed. “They make funny light effects. So, what now?”

“Now we enter the Path. Basically it means we summon the crystals' residual energy reserves to amplify our own Aura frequencies until they are strong enough to overlap for some decent interaction. That's where the proper Spirit Forging begins.”

“Just to be sure... you're still saying that won't kill me?”

“No, it won't kill you.” Faith said once again, almost sounding like she didn't enjoy the lack of trust concerning this little experiment.

“Fine, fine, I won't question your motives again.” Melody sighed. “Can we start already? This is kind of making me tingly.”

“Roger.” Faith's voice grinned.”Get ready for some new fun experience, this should be interesting. Commencing Aura amplification.”

Indeed, what happened next was a new, interesting experience. Just not in the way they expected.

Melody had maybe a milisecond to observe how the ring of crystal readouts in her peripheral neuro-vision transformed from little ember-like energy groups into an armada of extremely powerful psychic supernovas that, to be quite subtle in description, overloaded her vision (and mind in general, at that) like a Blastoise trying to fill a small glass with a volley from its water cannon.

And internal anomalies weren't the only ones visible. There was a hollow sound of a sonic boom as a suddenly emerging pocket of kinetic charge catapulted the Abra from the floor where she was sitting onto her bed. Fortunately the bed was designed to host a Snorlax, so Melody's touchdown didn't impress the springs hidden under the mattress even in the slightest.

“Melody? Are you ok?!” Faith opened her eyes in panic. She witnessed what happened as well and she didn't like what she saw.

“What the Darkrai was that??” the psychic type whined from the bed, still laying flat and not daring to move. Her voice was pitched, but just as loud as any person's whose life was not in jeopardy.

“Heck if I had any idea. That was not supposed to happen, I swear!” the Vulpix whelped, rolling closer to the other girl.

“Sonovajynx, one second these crystals are nice and friendly energy signatures and then BOOM! Baysplosion! I can't believe I still have a brain after that kind of a psychic shockwave!” the Abra proved that even the gentlest creatures could become spontaneously rude when exposed to unwanted surprises.

“Ugh... the way you describe things it looks like the Aura boost occurred too fast...”

“Just that?” Melody slowly sat up on the bed, “What about that enormous amount of energy? That went in the wrong direction too, right? ”

“Yeah... way wrong.” Faith looked away, even if she knew it was technically pointless. Actually, the energy levels were more or less on the proper level... but coming to them took more than an hour during properly ran sessions so that the bodies of the participants had time to gently adjust to the surges of Aura. Why did they grow so fast this time around? She could account for two options: either the crystals had little to no tolerance for psychic types with no prior understanding of their principles and that caused imbalance in the energy distribution, or -she- messed something up in the release process. She really wanted to blame the crystals for it, though.

“I swear, if I had any idea this could happen, I would've never ever try it with you...” the albino said quietly.

“It's ok.... I guess.” Melody slowly replied. Her voice was many things, but not angry or hateful. “I know you didn't do it on purpose, and my brain is coming back to normal already. Still, that was one heck of a ride. Does that happen a lot back in your shrine?”

“Not really.” the Vulpix shook her head. “Looks more like we just proved this is actually possible.”

“Yay, I almost feel privileged.” the other girl said sarcastically.

“So... you feeling ok?” Faith asked again, just to make sure.

“Mostly, yes.” the Abra massaged her temples. “But I hope you'll understand my lack of interest in testing this thing again too soon. You were right about it not killing me, but from my perspective it was quite close.”

“Sure thing, no more crystals until we figure out how to make them harmless for you to use.” Faith already resealed the crystals and was now picking them up from the floor with intent of storing them in their decorated wooden box.

Melody nodded. She tried to stand up from the bed, but her attempt ended up in a couple of sways and a gentle descent onto the mattress for the second time.

“...I take that back, maybe I'm not so ok yet.” the Abra sighed. “I felt a sudden wave of mild dizziness just now. I think I should lie down for a while, after all.”

“There's still over an hour till dinner. Think that will be enough time for you to rest?” the albino glanced at a wall clock.

“Yeah, probably.” the psychic type said.

Faith looked around the room, grasping every detail of it except the Abra. She somehow felt guilty for what happened.

“Then I'll leave you for now. Try to regain a bit strength.” the Vulpix smiled half-heartedly as she rolled out of the room.

“Thanks, I definitely will.” Melody adjusted her stance and pushed a pillow under her head. “I wouldn't bet my money on reaching 100% efficiency till evening, though.”

Faith nodded and closed the door behind her. Once she was sure the other girl couldn't see her she allowed her mouth to disfigure itself in a grand-scale grimace of self-aimed disappointment and annoyance.

“Well done, Faith, that's one way to encourage her to aura training.” she murmured to herself. She hoped Miss Cartego would throw some very distracting tasks at her so that she wouldn't have to think about the epic failure of a spiritual bonding she pulled off.

* * *

Unfortunately, the rest of the day was surprisingly uneventful. After the dinner Melody still looked a bit out of her physical comfort zone, but that didn't matter from house-cleaning point of view as the Scyther mistress of the household gave them just a few errands that even with the girls' pre-built malfunctions were child's play. Once they handled these, they were pretty much left to their own devices. Which ultimately resulted in the dynamic duo watching old cartoons and shows that thanks to their rich audio layer were mostly enjoyable for both of them. Faith herself was quite surprised how easy it was for her to tune to classic humour of Pink Persian and Bugz Lopunny that was as least five times as old as her.

Still, they couldn't spend the whole night in front of the LCD window into the past and around half to eleven the young females decided to get some serious rest and go to sleep earlier.

At least the wheelchair-bound fire type did. Melody still didn't feel all that well despite over ten hours passing since the crystal incident and opted for a small bath before she'd join the fluff tails for the appointment with the sandman.

So there she was, on her bed in her cast-accepting pyjamas, covered with sheets and a thin blanket. Faith was looking at the ceiling, trying to ignore the small numbness registered by her brain below her knees; something that always got more annoyingly detectable by her nervous system as soon as she assumed horizontal orientation.

She couldn't sleep. It angered her just as much as the fact today she most likely lost one of the better opportunities to get closer to Melody she would have in a long time. Stupid crystals, why did she thought it was a good idea to try Spirit Forging with someone so early into the aura training?

Alright, that was a silly question. She knew exactly where the temptation came from. She thought it would give her some reverse psycho-scan abilities that would allow her to peek into Melody's mind and find out what exactly did the Abra think about -her-. Now, in the hindsight, she knew it was a terrible idea, one that possibly did much more damage than good.

She groaned and covered her face tightly with the upper edge of her blanket. Wonderful, nothing better than developing a crush on a friend right before Christmas. How could things get any more “interesting” than that?

She heard the door open and then small steps that didn't really try to conceal themselves. Judging by the barely audible grunts, it was the Abra in question coming back from her bath session.

“Friggin crystals, 10 hours and I still feel like poop.” Melody rambled quietly, her words barely coherent even for someone with ears of a Vulpix. “These things should be outlawed. Yeah, I'll write a letter to Kanto government, making our lives better -is- their job, after all. Let them ban those damn gizmos so that no Abra has to deal with this ever again. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do...tomorrow, yeah, first thing in the morning...ugh, so sleepy. Maybe adding so much relaxing salts to the water wasn't such a good idea... Yawn, whatever. ”

Faith listened to this carefully, hoping she wouldn't produce any sounds herself. Either her friend was really aggravated by the Forging incident, or she was so tired she barely cared what she was babbling any more. To the white vixen the answer seemed to lie somewhere between.

She dared only a slightest glance. Even with the lights turned off (as the Vulpix was in bed some half an hour already trying to sleep and Melody didn't need any illumination at all), she could tell her friend was already in her pyjamas, most likely donning it right after leaping out of the tub. The fact Melody was done with her evening ablution was further accented by a faint scent of the salts and soap the psychic type used during her purification rites. From this distance it wasn't all that powerful, but it still drilled into Faith's nostrils more than she liked. One more factor to keep her away from meeting Kirby in Dreamland. Thank Lucario-sama the fragrance wouldn't invade her senses with any more force, as the other girl's bed was aligned with the opposite wall.

She was expecting to hear the springs in Melody's bed compensate for her lying down on it, but it didn't happen for a while. She didn't peek outside her little blanket fortress this time, not willing to risk affecting her senses by post-bath Abra feedback. In her head she imagined Melody was just standing there. Maybe looking out through the window, taking advantage of lack of light concealing her from sight of anyone potentially glancing at the moment at the house from the outside? Wait, did that really matter? She was in the same room with a girl she was crushing on, couldn't sleep and -that- was what occupied her mind? Something under her skull was seriously deteriorating. With another soft grunt, she rolled to the side, now facing her own wall with her face. “Sleep, can't you be so merciful and just take out my conscience so I can leave all these stupid hassles behind for a few hours?”, she thought beggingly. Maybe she should just bang her head on the wall a few times? Some called it the Chinese narcosis and it supposedly was quite an effective way to pass out.

She was about to actually try it out when she sensed something that was not supposed to be there. She wanted to roll back to face the ceiling, but it was impossible. Someone was preventing her from moving backwards by occupying the space she needed for the manoeuvre. She swallowed hard, blushing before she could even wonder if she actually should flood her cheeks with additional blood. Slowly, very slowly, she shifted in place 180 degrees. Only to find Melody's face just inches apart from hers.

“M-Melody? What are you doing here?” Faith whelped.

“Me? I thought I'd get some sleep, that's all.” her roommate replied, her words hardly organised into a coherent sentence and sounding more like an attempt from someone too busy shaking off all the white Rattatas off his shoulder to pour any focus reserves into speech. “So what's your story? Not everyday I see you from up close like that and in horizontal.”

“That's... that's my bed.” the Vulpix tried to save some certainty in her voice and not sound like an ageing pirate parrot.

“Yours, mine, does it really matter? As long as we can grab a nap on it it should be fine, no?” Melody went on with that peculiar voice of hers. It made the shrine girl suspicious in ways she'd rather not dwell on at that hour.

“What's wrong with you? You sound like a bum on early-stage hangover.” the fire type still was somewhat uncomfortable with the Abra dressed only in a single layer of pyjamas lying next to her, face to face.

“Nothing wrong with me, I'm just very tired and sleepy, ok?” Melody explained, her sentence now slightly slowed down by a series of small yawns that she executed between words. If this was her definition of feeling in need of sleep than she really didn't want to find out how she interpreted sleepwalking. “Well, yawn, maybe using all these salts like Mrs Cartego suggested wasn't such a good idea with my head still slightly buzzing. It was soo nice in the tub that now everything seems a bit... unreal, somehow.”

“More unreal than a girl you have your eyes on just inches away from you, on the same bed?” Faith thought to herself.

“Umm... so what now?” the vixen asked slowly.

“I'd follow the manual and close my eyes and wait until a dream kicks in. How does that sound to you?” the Abra was really as tired as she said, seeing how she ignored her physical condition while forming a sentence.

“I don't want to be impolite or anything but, uh.... doesn't it bother you there's another mon in the bed, just a foot away... and a girl, at that?” the shrine girl blurted out slowly, trying to vocally convince the other female the question was indeed intended for her and not the Vulpix herself.

“I think I'm too tired to give yo-yaaaawn, you a proper, elaborate answer, but in general I don't mind.” the psychic type half-whispered. “I mean, you being a girl is a assuring thing, even more that you're a good friend of mine. Makes me feel safe and at ease. If you were some guy I see first time, well, that would be rather disturbing, yeah, even if we both know no guy would jump into the same bed with me.” she continued with a proper, elaborate answer, in the process indicating how much had yet to be done with her hardly-existing self-esteem.

“Hey, a little more believing in yourself, its not that bad, you know?” she tried to comfort the Abra, but she didn't think it sounded all that convincing.

“What, you're saying you actually know a guy who'd sleep in the same bed as me?” Melody decided to act economically with her reserves of air and yawn and speak at the same time.

Faith grimaced. Not exactly what she had in mind. “N-no, I meant that you are a great person. Kind, friendly, cute, modest... just because you don't get much attention from boys now doesn't mean they'll remain that way until you graduate.” she corrected herself. Wait, did she just add “cute” there?

“I hope you're right, I want some love for myself too, you know.” she unleashed an even grander yawn than the one before. “Wait, cute? You think I'm cute? I thought girls say that only to boys.” she picked up the trail, much to Faith more and more panic-powered chagrin.

“I, uh, well I suppose girls have this ability to tell if another girl will be popular with boys, somehow.” the Vulpix was threading on thinner and thinner ice, which wasn't all that good for a fire type.

“Yeah, maybe... but how does that explain your emotion aura suddenly going fuzzy when you mentioned that?” Melody's second sight finally picked up what Faith hoped she'd keep away from her.

If it wasn't for her upbringing that said said dignified “no” to F-, S-, and D- word, the albino would certainly unleash a very vibrant chain of swears. She was cornered now. And by a psychic, too. Admittedly, Melody was hardly as adept in her share of skills as other Abras Faith knew, Emily from Rene's girlfriend's team, for example, but considering what was going on under her fluffy skull, deducing what the vixen was thinking right now would hardly be above “beginner” difficulty level. This wasn't about truth and, well, not-truth any more. It was about honesty and loyalty. Faith's startled head produced several counter-scenarios to fool the other girl for a while, but all of them assumed Melody was too tired to interpret her own psycho-readouts properly. But what if she still had enough juice to analyse them just right? Then Faith's problem would expand from having a crush on her friend to having a crush on her friend that she lied to and thus undermining the very core of their friendship.

The young Sumisu took a very deep breath and looked at the Abra intensely. “You've probably noticed already by now, so no reason to play stupid any more.” she started. “Melody, I... I like you a lot. And I think it's more than just a girl liking another as a friend. It's more like... uh, being genuinely interested in that girl, similarly to the way boy might take interested in her when he wants to ask her out.” she swallowed hard. “I know you're straight, but I can't help what I am. Because of my aura exposure I've learnt to look at what's inside and not the casing or its features. And what is within you really inspires me. You may think you are weak, but not the way I see it. You're blind, yes, but that only makes you stronger and more interesting for me... what I want to say is that... Melody, I-” she suddenly paused exposing her most inner feelings, sensing something was not right.

Her object of potential affection was quiet for a longer moment all of the sudden. And still. Well, she was moving slightly and breathing, so she wasn't killed off by the dramatic confession she just heard, but that still seemed out of place. Not willing to risk coming any closer with her face to the Abra's (if that was actually possible), she perform a brief, 2-second aura scan. The feedback made her want to cry or at least retreat somewhere where her screams of embarrassment would not be heard.

“I can't believe it. She just fell asleep!” she whined, wondering just how much of her confession got through to Melody. Something told her that she most likely didn't hear it at all, which upset her more than the very fact she went into slumber. Faith only now realised how much guts she had to muster to say these words...and that the probability of her gathering enough charge to say that again during the next ten years was, more or less, three point zero hundred and seven percent. Nice way to use up your big chance slot.

She looked at the sleeping silhouette of the Abra for a moment. Now what was she supposed to do with her? Obviously in the physical sense; she already knew on the mental level she lost the battle even before Melody knew the war campaign had started. She'd probably learn to deal with that in a few days. But that did not solve the case of an inanimate psychic type occupying half the volume of her bed. Pushing her off onto the floor was hardly an option, even if the Vulpix suspected the ultra short freefall and the succeeding impact would not impress Melody's sleeping brain one bit. Faith was brought up too well, with too much stress on sharing and kindness, to pull that off. So maybe she should change beds...no, as much as she'd love that, two legs engulfed in layers of heavy, stiff and very immobilising cast prevented any pose shift even remotely involving anything below her waist.

Faith mumbled something incoherently to herself. She adjusted herself as much as she could without touching her bedmate. If she wanted to get any sleep that night, she'd just have to cope with the conditions she had at hand. Maybe insomnia and presence of someone not supposed to be there would cancel each other out? She hoped so.

And she hoped even more that Melody was a closet sleepwalker that would leave her bed on her own sooner or later to attend her psychological or physiological needs.

* * *


“Good moorneeng, Meloody!” Maile Cartego smiled widely upon seeing Melody emerging from the guest bedroom, already dressed and ready to go through the day. “So glad yoor oop and aboot.”

“Good morning, Mrs Cartego.” the Abra replied with a shy smile.”How was your night?”

“Eventfool, Ei soopoose. Jeremeeah got home last neet a leetle befoor meedneet. We spent the neet catcheeng oop weeth what's been goeeng on,” she explained with a genuine smile. “Boot don't worry, we're plenty awake for todee.”

“Glad to hear. It wouldn't be good to witness you sleeping through the Christmas Eve.” the psychic type nodded.

“Hello there, Melody.” the Abra turned around just in time to see an enthusiastic-looking Butterfree emerging from the living room. “So this is this lovely girl that Faith told us so much about! So nice to have you with us for the holidays.” apparently Jeremiah Cartego was kept well informed by his wife.

Melody nodded at him and smiled. “Good morning, Mr Cartego. I'm glad to be here, too.”

The flying bug type stopped a few feet before her and watched her with curiosity. “Well, this is surely better than staying in your dorm room, all alone with no one to talk to.” He rubbed his chin. “Too bad I can't take any credit for inviting you here, I was already two days into my trip when Maile called me to say what was going on. Eh, no matter, the fact you're here with us is all that counts.”

“You deed agree to the eedea too, dear. Don't depreeve yoorself oof the eenvolvemeent een thees enteerly.” Maile said with a smirk.

“Yes I did... When she was already some three hours in the house and you called me to simply inform me about it.” He looked away with embarrassment, knowing this was his wife's subtle way to say she had to make all the arrangements on her own and then simply told him how things were looking. “But even if you called half a year earlier I'd still give my full support to this.”

“I really appreciate what you did for me.” Abra smiled. “Um, so, your daughter is coming later to spend the evening with us?” she asked, noticing she couldn't detect anyone matching Faith's description of Penny yet.

The Cartegos looked at each other in a rather meaningful way before glancing back at her.

"Eim afreed Penny won't be coomeeng today.” Maile said. “She's beesy weeth her sororeety. She deed say she'd drop by tomoorrow or the day after.”

“I see... say, what time is it?” the Abra made an attempt to change the subject seeing how it seemed a risky one, “ I think I slept a bit longer than I should, somehow.”

“Eet's sleehtly aftoor ten, Meloody, boot conseedereeng eet's a day where we don't have to do a theeng, there's notheeng wrong weeth stayeeng een bed as long as you want to.” Mrs Cartego took her eyes off the Abra for a second to glance at a clock hanging on one of the walls. “Een fact, Ei believe Feeth ees steell asleep.”

“Which means there's time before we start preparing the breakfast.” Jeremiah scratched his chin like a thinker. “Might as well dive into the basement and check a few things before we start the day properly... Unless there's something I can do for you ladies here and now, that is.”

Maile thought for a moment before looking at him. “No, Ei theenk yoor free to go, proveedeed you'll get back oop here the moment we call for you. You know you're irreplaceeble when eet comes to makeeng my favreet coffee.”

“Sure thing, dear. I'll arrive faster than you can say 'Gotta catch'em all'.” he grinned as he patted on the collapsed wings protruding from his back before vanishing behind one of the doors on the wall to their left.

“Well, that takes care of heem for a wheel. Eef Ei know my Jeremeeah leek Ei theenk Ei do, he proboobly went there to eenspect the tree decorashoons and salvage them from the storage room.” Maile smiled sympathetically before glancing at Melody again.”Ei really want to thank you for all the help you offered een the last few days. Ei know Ei tasked you weeth matters not really weetheen your school break eenterests, but eet couldn't be helped. Then ageen, you deed wonderfool and Eim gratefool.”

“I'm happy I could be of service, Mrs Cartego. I'm the one who's supposed to be grateful here, I think.” the Abra smiled, “You took me in and saved me from spending the Christmas all alone when you didn't have too. I'm in your debt.”

“Nonsense, dear, eet was my pleasure houseeng you. Yoor a good geerl, Ei'd loove eet eef you kept veeseeteeng oos even after the break ees over.”

“I'd like that too.” the psychic type nodded. And then something caught her attention. “Um, did you say Faith is still in bed?” she then realized she felt very, very silly. She shared the room with the Vulpix and couldn't even tell when she occupied the other bed and when not.

“Yes, boot Eim not holdeeng eet ageenst her.” the Scyther said, “Remember how she spent half oof the last eveneeng on performeeng good fortoon reets aroond the hoose? Ei theenk eet dreened her more than she was ready to admeet. Ah well, let her rest a beet longer, she deserves eet.”

“Don't worry, I'm already awake. Mostly, anyway.” they heard Faith's voice as she rolled out of the guest room in her pyjamas. “Did I miss anything important?”

“Deepeends how much you treasoore the presence oof Jeremeeah.” Maile chuckled. “He arrived after you went sleep.”

Faith was still partly riding a star with Kirby and even yawned to involuntarily emphasize this. Despite presenting only partial awareness, she smiled as wide as her current control over her face muscles allowed her. “I like it a loo-yawn-ot. Mr Cartego can always share some nice stories. I bet he has some new ones now that he's back from the islands.”

“Thank you, Feeth, at least yoo're trying to sound leek you believe theese words yoorself.” Maile smiled gently.

“I mean it!” the Vulpix whined. “Umm, by the way, where is he now?”

“Captooreeng the tree decorashoons below the deck.” the Scyther tapped on the floor with her clawed foot. “We wanted to weet weeth the breakfast oonteel you were oop, so he used the opportuneety to go eenspect theengs and retrieve soom of them.”

“Well, I'm up now.” Faith puffed her chest forward like an eager soldier. “And I can help in the kitchen while he's down there.”

“Eendeed, even Ei have no eedea how long he weel take, so we meet as well start preparashoons already. Coom on, geerls.”

Just then they heard the door bell. They looked at each other in surprise. They weren't expecting anyone and Penny said she wouldn't drop by just yet. A look of confusion on her face, Mrs. Cartego decided to answer the call. She was back after two minutes, a wide grin on her face.

“Melody, Ei have a soorprise for yoo. I theenk yoo'll like it. ” she said and moved aside, revealing the newcomer to the Abra and Vulpix duo. Melody couldn't see, but she knew the new psycho signature too well to mistake it for something else. That was when her mouth opened in utter awe.

“I don't believe it!” she almost scream from joy. “I simply don't believe it!!”

“Hello, dear.” Edger Summers smiled at his daughter. “So nice to see you aga-oof!” he couldn't finish the sentence as the Abra rammed into him, hugging him with all her might. The fact he was still wearing his winter coat and was covered in snow in few spots did little to soften her grip.

“You're here! You're really here!!” she almost cried from happiness. “But how? I thought you were stuck at home because of the snow!”

He hugged her back, looking at the back of her head her warmly. “Technically, I was. But apparently Maile here was able to figure a way out of this pinch.” he said with a voice as cheerful as mysterious. “But she forbade me from revealing -how- exactly she managed to pull this off. She thinks nothing would give you a feeling of holiday magic like this.”

Still hugging her Persian father like crazy, Melody turned her head in the Scyther's direction in surprise. “You brought him here? Really?”

Maile grinned rascally, obviously more than happy with what she was witnessing. “Told you Ei'd feend a way to repay you for yoor help. Ei feegoored thees would be the best reward for yoor contreebooshoon to the Cartego hoosehold.”

Now it was her turn to become the sudden object of the small Abra's affection, earning a joyful hug herself. “Thank you, thank you so much! You saved my Christmas twice already. Now I'm really in your debt!” she heard from below. She gently patted the girl on the back.

“No, Meloody. Eet was my plejoor to do all that Ei deed. And don't spoil my foon by telleeng me you owe soomtheeng for eet,” She said. “Eef there was anything Ei could posseebly expect from you een retoorn eet would be to enjoy the celebrashoon weeth the rest oof oos. Ei theenk that should be easy weeth how theengs are now.”

The psychic type “glanced” at the cat morph standing just steps away and nodded energetically. “I promise I'll enjoy this Christmas to its fullest, Mrs. Cartego!” she chirped, excitement building up in her voice.

“That's the speereet, dear.” Maile gently slipped out of Melody's grip and took a few steps toward the Persian. “You have perfect teemeeng, Edger. We were aboot to start prepareeng breakfast. Ei theenk thees would be an exceelent teeme to catch oop on a few theengs and seemply get to know each other a beet better. You have yet to meet my hoosband and daughter and all... Boot feerst theeng's feerst.” She waved at the fire type. ”Feeth, be a darleeng and take Mr. Soomers' coat and poot eet een the closet. And you, Meloody, dear, use those pseecheec skeels of yoors to pool Jeremeeah oot oof the basement, there weel be plenty of teem for playeeng weeth decorashoons later. And come help me weeth the breakfast as soon as yoor doon, you two.”

With that she guided the normal type towards the kitchen. As soon as they disappeared from the hall, the Abra literally jumped into the air and barely kept tabs on her urge to shout. “He's here, Faith!” she addressed the wheelchair-riding Vulpix whose pajamas seemingly didn't startle the adult Persian at all. “Arceus it's almost like a dream. This Christmas couldn't get any better than this!”

“I'm glad you're happy, Mel.” the albino vixen smiled honestly. “It's great to to have your dad here, and have a chance to meet him in person. From what you've told me he's one incredible parent. Though it does make wonder a lot... how did Mrs. Cartego manage to pull this off? Yesterday the news said Pewter City was still snowed beyond reach.”

“Magic, perhaps?” Melody grinned, “Oh heck, what do we care, Faith. He's here, I don't care -how- he achieved it!”

Faith giggled. She hasn't seen Melody this happy very long and honestly, she was starting to miss the cheerful persona of the Abra. She really wanted to know how was it possible that Mr Summers managed to get here, but seeing how full of energy and pure joy his daughter was as a result, she was more than willing to bury her curiosity six feet under.

Of course, part of her was still a bit sad that she wasn't able to bond more with the psychic type. The crush was still there and knowing how sentimental she could be at times, chances were it would reside in her heart for a longer while. The other part of her felt relief, though. Melody said herself, it's much harder to find a true, loyal friend than a candidate for a romance. And Faith did consider her a true friend. If keeping this relationship solid had to come at the cost of keeping her romantic feelings bottled up, then she'd be more than willing to pay that price. That and explaining her own orientation to the Abra and how it applied to her really wasn't on the list of things she'd ease of doing, she realised.

Yes, things were better off as they were. Etching that into her conscience, Faith snapped out of her own thought thread and looked how the psychic type was steadily coming closer to the basement door. Right, both of them had one more thing to do before getting back with Mrs Cartego and Mr Summers and there was absolutely no need to postpone it.

She was half way to the wardrobe with Mr Summers' coat when her friend called her: “Hey, Faith, it just occurred to me, for some reason... two days ago when we both dropped into our beds dead tired after that TV marathon... did you, um, call me 'cute'?"

Man oh maaan you have no idea how happy I am to see this >3< thanks so much you two!

I really love the content in this, especially the last quarter of it with the crush part. And the description about the whole aura shrine is helpful to say the least, I must Note you about thisss

Incidentally, a thing I forgot to add in; I like Strike's portrayal of Melody. She's got quite a mouth on her sometimes but given the voice in mind, it seems to work for her

Heeee, glad it works out nicely for ya =D

Been waiting forever and a day for when we'd be able to give you this, I can't take credit for the writing, that's all Strike's part, but glad the base ideas all worked out nicely for you! ^^

You'd be surprised what did not get into the story- namely my tricky, abstract description of how Melody perceived the world in a scenario when the aura crystals did not blast her brain in the first seconds but had enough tact to wait with it a minute or two :P Jazz decided it's not taking the plot anywhere so we dropped it out, but since I'm a greedy writer not willing to sack his stuff entirely I still have it in another version of the WIP file :P