T'was the night before Christmas Eve and all the Pokémon in the town were either scrambling around to purchase last minute gifts, or presenting them to their delighted loved ones under a curtain of gentle, falling snow. A bright crescent moon hovered high above in the night sky, suspended in the midst of an ocean of stars. Its snow - white light cast down upon the festive atmosphere below, giving the entire village the appearance of a grand, living Christmas tree.
For Barry, this was his favorite time of the year. The Sylveon adored the festive spirit, and just couldn't get enough of the excitement around him.
As expected for the holiday season, the Market Street was in an utter chaos. Pokemon of all types and sizes hustled and bustled in and out of stores like a herd of wild Bouffalant on a stampede. Children and adults alike were yelping and cheering as they perused the wares on display. Barry slid through the massive crowd piling on the street, taking care not to disturb or hinder any of the cheerful shoppers. It took him a while, but he made it through the rambunctious crowd and found himself at his destination. A small, cozy shop tucked in a small corner in the market. To the casual shopper, the little building may as well have been invisible. But, to Barry, it was his favorite shop. After all, no other store sold and made the delicious berry - wiches he loved so much!
As he neared the shop, an unusual sight forced him to pause in his steps and quirk a sky - blue eye.g. A long line of Pokémon stood outside his favorite store like a bunch of dominoes. It was very unusual for this store in particular to have that many customers, let alone a huge line like this! Curious as to what all the hold up was about, Barry raised up one of his pink, blue and creamy tendrils above his eyes.
Even with the help of his ribbon, though, he still couldn't see much. Thick fog and powder snow coated the store's windows, making it impossible for the Sylveon to see anything. Not only that, there were two Pokémon standing in front of him were quite hefty in size. An impatient Machoke was complaining to his Hariyama friend about the wait, all the while whipping his muscular arms like a pair of windmills. Sighing, Barry turned his head to spectate the crowded street for entertainment while he waited for the long line ahead to shrink.
He watched as a familiar Tauros and Kangaskhan couple trotted down the street. Both of them carrying mountains of wrapped presents, with the Tauros balancing them on his back and the Kangaskhan holding them in her arms. A younger Kangaskhan skipped in between the couple, hugging a festive little box of her own in her arms. Little red, woolen covers adorned their horns. While it did nothing for their warmth, it brought out the festive spirit the three of them held.
Barry continued watching the merry trio until they disappeared into the crowd. The sight of the loving family brought a cozy smile to his face, forcing him to turn and hide his blush behind his bow tie. The holidays seemed bring out a certain magic, a magic that raised one's spirits and brought about an appreciation for everything beloved.
However, his little blissful moment was interrupted by a flash of yellow and red rushing past him. He lowered his bow tie, and glanced toward where the streak of color went. A teeny little Torchic was charging through the crowd all pell - mell. The tails of the yellow shawl coiled around her small neck flapped behind him like ribbons in the wind. What concerned Barry the most, however, was the distressed look on the Torchic's face. It was a sharp contrast to the rest of the merry town, and it drew the nosy Sylveon's curiosity.
"Woah!"
Barry had to dodge out of the way as the Machoke in front of him made a sudden step backward. A massive Snorlax had exited the shop, shoving back everyone else who was waiting in line. A huge basket was held in the Snorlax's powerful arms, with steaming mountain of fresh berry - wiches poking out from under the lid. He gave an apology to the Pokémon waiting in line, and trundled away with his food in tow. His son, a young Munchlax, followed closely behind with each arm only holding one foot long sandwich each.
The rest of the crowd grumbled in irritation as they reformed their line. Barry, on the other hand, had more pressing matters. The appearance of that Snorlax had caught him off guard, and it made him lose sight of the little fire bird. Sighing, Barry shook his head as he retook his spot in line. He made sure to at least keep one ear perked, and a careful eye out for any sign of that Torchic.
By the time he left the shop the little torchic was nowhere to be seen. With a slight frown he scanned the streets in the hopes that he would catch a glimpse of those bright colored feathers that stood out against the drab grey and white of the streets and snow.
With a sigh he headed out north from market street and reached the center where benches circled the center of town. Right in the middle a street lamp as tall as a Tropius' neck stood decorated like a skinny steel christmas tree with a variation of christmas lights wrapped around it.
Barry took a seat and began to munch on his sub, a sandwich packed to the brim with delicious berries. The succulent fruits were baked within the bread to create a nice crispy crunch. When Barry bit in he could taste the color of the blue berry juice itself while a combination of vegetables and cheese created a fresh natural aftertaste as he chewed.
When he neared completion he finally caught a glimpse of the torchic leaving a little hut off of Guest street, a well known row of huts and hotels meant for tourists or visitors of the town. With his curiosity piqued, Barry hopped off of the bench and tossed the berrywich paper into the nearest garbage can with a flick of a skilled ribbon.
The chick ran from shop to shop, inquiring the innkeepers and people nearby about a missing friend. In its frantic haste the torchic accidentally crashed against Barry outside a shop.
The torchic was caught off guard and nearly fell onto the snowy ground, but Barry's ribbon was quick and acted as a safety harness for the bird before his shivering body could touch the snow. He then carefully lifted her feathery frame up before standing her back up on her feet.
"Careful, little one! It's prudent not to lose your head among the hustle and bustle of the holidays! " Barry lectured while he dusted off the bird using his ribbons like brushes.
"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" The little chick begged whilst she shivered and shook.
"It's alright, little one! I've been watching you run from store to store and was wondering what was so urgent. I'm guessing you're trying to deliver the perfect present to someone you can't find?"
"No, no." The torchic said with a shake of her head.
"Oh, so it's not something. Maybe you're trying to find someone." Barry guessed. The torchic's meek expression answered Barry's question before she nodded with grim, watery eyes.
"My friend, she went off by herself to the mountain last night and never returned."
"Hm, what would motivate her to do such a crazy thing? " Barry mused out loud as he gestured the torchic with a sway of his ribbons to follow him.
"She went to go pay her respects to another friend." She explained. Her meek voice began to crack like a chipped glass flute upon mentioning this other friend. This interested Barry and he began to ponder why that would be until he remembered a particular morbid event that occurred last year.
"You mean that avalanche that took the life of one of the rangers?"
"Yes, she was close to him and never really managed to move on after that. She even bought him a gift yesterday." Torchic explained with quite the worried tone. Barry merely shrugged his ribbons like arms.
"Well there's nothing wrong with buying gifts for those who have passed on! It's prudent to remember our old friends and family and certainly not something you should grow further concerned about. But I am rather worried for your little friend."
Sylveon paused, both in his speech and his walk as the two reached the center of the town where, despite the alarming news and grim atmosphere, the 'mon moved on as happy and festive as before. Barry no longer felt himself immersed with the holiday spirit but rather now felt like a spectator with him and Torchic being the only ones aware of this dire situation.
He then decided, right then and there for himself to help this Torchic out.
"Tell you what, you finish scouting the town for her and I'll go on ahead and hike to the mountain to search for her. If you can't find her then urge the rangers to group together and form a rescure team. if I find her myself then I'll just bring her back to town in time for you two to share tales by the fireplace! " He stated with a confident nod of his head and confident gaze. Torchic's eyes light up like the bright star on the tip of the christmas tree before she nodded herself.
"Thank you!"
Out in the snowy fields Barry marched on. Stretches of white laid behind and ahead of him like deserts of snow. He had greatly underestimated the powerful gusts of wind that seemed to spawn from unseen Pidgeot trying to hinder his progress. Still, he trudged on.
The fine Torchic had supplied him with a temporary ranger bandana that wrapped around the bow on his ear. He was also equipped with fine netted shoes for his many paws so that he wouldn't sink into patches of seemingly innocent snow that would swallow him up.
He wanted so desperately to shout out for the Torchic's friend but even an amateur hiker like himself knew that echoed voices might spawn another avalanche. And he didn't want to repeat the events of last year and raise the body count by two.
The cloudless sky did proved little light however as the moon acted as a sort of dim nightlight across the fields of snow. The brightened snow did cause his eyes to strain but he continued to scan the fields for any little signs or clues that hinted a 'mon's presence.
A violent gust roared across the field once more and froze Barry on the spot. His bandana, scarf and his feelers swayed like flags in the wind as powdery snow were swept up from the ground.
When the chill passed Barry regained focus and saw a little speck that didn't quite match the immaculate white of the snow. It was faint, but he swore he saw something brownish red ahead.
"Is anybody there?!" Barrie shouted across the barren snow landscape. His voice echoed off the fragile mountain and for a moment his heart rate spiked. He feared his shouting might accidentally provoke an avalanche, but he had to make sure.
He was hoping his little shout would at least alarm the friend. He was half expecting a reply from the speck and half expected a shout from a possible shelter the friend had made for the night. However his shout was only greeted with howls of the wind. No voice cried back to him.
And that worried him some more.
With a sense of panic coursing through his veins the brave sylveon began to run in strides across the snow. The snowy whites of his pupils squinted to focus on that speck within the blinding white. He was determined to calm that worrying doubt in the back of his head and confirm for himself that the speck was just uncovered foliage or maybe something that fell off a caravan. But if it was indeed the friend...
Upon closing the distance he saw for himself that his suspicions held merit. Bristle furs swayed with the wind and a couple of red tails were all that were not buried within snow.
"Hey! Wake up!" He yelled out in desperation to the Vulpix. The vixen didn't respond, She remained as quiet and still as the moon in the sky.
His ribbons dusted off the snow like brushes as his paws worked to pry her body off the snow. Her brown and red fur did not match the usual lively shades fire types tended to have. Instead her pelt was damp and the color drab and dark, like the embers of a camp fire put out by water.
He had feared the worst. Her body was as cold as ice and she remained as still as wood. His ribbons were still hard at work, brushing off every bit of snow he can.
"Come on, be alive damn it!" He snarled in frustration. As if to answer his plea her damp body shivered violently once more within his grasp.
Barry smiled and felt a tinge of excitement make his heart race. He wasn't going to have to Barry of bad news to Torchic!
That little merry moment was as ephemeral as a shooting star in sky however. She needed medical attention and the village was quite the distance away. He turned and saw that the town itself seemed like a colorful speck itself in the distance. He wasn't going to be able to drag her body in time with how she was now.
He still had to try though. His ribbons weren't very strong at times of peace but hopefully right now the sense of urgency would boost their strength. His two ribbons rubbed against each other like a Machamp getting ready to lift tons of weights. He then wrapped the creamy tendrils around her forepaws before Barry turned around and hoisted her up with a grunt.
Her body lifted off the ground but crashed down against the snow like a brick. He had to try again though, he took in a fresh breath of freezing air before he strained his muscles once more to lift her off and pull her towards him like a fish on a reel.
This time he was a bit more successful and managed to throw her atop his back. He had to wobble back and forth though as her little body started to slip off the edges of his back. He thanked Arceus that he was a Sylveon and not any other eeveelution when he used his ribbons to tuck her firmly on his back and hold her in place.
Now came the hard part, moving. The wind was as merciless as ever as a new howl of wind seemed to change direction just to blow the powdery snow in Barry's face. He didn't need to rely on sight alone however, the faraway light of the town acted as a beacon of hope and all he needed to do was not change direction. He just needed to keep moving forward.
Keep moving forward.
