Holiday Special 2016

The **Holiday Special 2016**is the first Christmas sidestory of *Pokémon Reset Bloodlines,* and seventeenth sidestory overall.

Unlike other sidestories, it is a collection of short Christmas snippets featuring different side characters. It was published by Crossoverpairinglover, with additional snippets written by Resetverse authors Viroro-kun, Ander Arias, and Fox McCloude, as well as Spacebattles user Kishou the Badger.

## Plot

In Lentimas Town, a traveling trainer with a Minccino spots a little girl waiting for something next to the path. He asks the girl's older brother if she's alright, to what the older brother replies she does this every year. Suddenly, a plane lands, and Skyla comes out to invite the girl and her brother to deliver the packages to everyone else in town. The Minccino trainer decides to join them as well.

In Mahogany Town, Pryce trains his Sneasel by putting him to practice his attacks on several trees, until he judges it's enough to call for the day. As he walks back home, Pryce thinks of how everyone seems to be happy with their families during this time of the year while he's alone, still mourning the disappearance of his Piloswine many years ago during Christmas, even crying himself to sleep.

In Ula'ula Island, Kahuna Nanu tries to decorate his Christmas tree, which isn't an easy task when his many Meowth are going around playing with (and often destroying) the ornaments, forcing him to have spare ones to keep them occupied.

In Sunyshore City, Volkner is depressed since during Christmas nobody wants to battle, and feels underappreciated for the work he puts into the electrical network for the city's Christmas lights. Flint tries to cheer him up by putting on a "Three Christmas Ghosts" act, this year asking for Fantina and Crasher Wake's help, but Volkner sees through the disguise quickly.

In Alola, Mina has a dream about Santa Claus fighting MissingNo, and then she wakes up on Hapu's couch, having done a painting of her dream. Apparently it's not the first time it happens (and one time it happened she was missing her shirt), and then asks if she can have some of Hapu's grandmother's cookies, which Hapu agrees to. In the kitchen, Hapu's grandmother reveals to Mina that Hapu finds her charming and seems to have a thing for blonde girls like her, though Hapu herself seems to be unaware of this.

In Agate Village, Eagun and Beluh prepare to have Christmas with Rui. Eagun wants to light their candles with Ho-Oh's flames, much to Beluh's exasperation. Beluh beats him up and forces him to help with her Christmas cookies.

In Vermilion City, Lt. Surge prepares to send his Christmas postcards to his old war buddies, then realizes that he seems to be sending less every year as many of them continue to pass away. He then heads to get some beer to deal with it.

In Rustboro City's hospital, Wally continues to recover from his adventure during Christmas time, yet he doesn't refuse the challenges he's gotten due to the fame he earned, as he feels obligated to comply on the Christmas spirit. Gallade is frustrated by this, but when a rude Team Skull member comes to challenge Wally in a rather blunt manner, Gallade decides to take his words of "giving rather than taking" to heart, and gives the grunt a beating that ends up hospitalizing him.

In Alola, Guzma addresses the Team Skull grunts to not to sell their possessions to buy Christmas gifts for others, wanting to avoid what happens in the "Gift of the Magi" story (of which he doesn't remember the title at the time).

In Celadon City, Erika goes with Krista to a videogame shop to buy a game for Krista's girlfriend. First the Gym Leader is confused about its name (Tembo), and then even more upon seeing it in different cases as it is a multi-console title.

In Kalos, Palermo visits a stage that prepares for a Christmas play, after the director was hospitalized after being rammed by a Gogoat, and the lead actress had to be replaced after getting sick from food poisoning. The replacement, a young Aria, has the talent, but is suffering of stage fright, so Palermo gives her some encouragement words to snap her out of it and get her to perform.

In Pewter City, Brock is storing away a Christmas gift he got for his siblings: an Aron he caught recently so they can have a Pokémon of their own to play with. His girlfriend, Pike Queen Lucy, seems happy about it, and Brock recalls how she brought new happiness into his life after his parents died. While he laments they won't be able to meet her, he's still happy for their relationship, as the rest of his siblings also adore her like a big sister, and she decides to catch a Pokémon for them as a gift as well.

In Saffron City, Lorelei and Frey make a quick stop in their journey to attend the Saffron Christmas party. Lorelei buys Frey a muffler while Frey gets her a gold bracelet. After they exchange gifts during the party, suddenly they realize they're under the mistletoe, and the two share their first kiss.

In a 10-Forever store, Belladonna and her girlfriends decide to break in and steal some clothes for Christmas, though not before deciding to make an impromptu fashion show as they try them out. They leave with a large load in tow, as the next morning the shop reports multiple robbery in female articles, and some unisex/male-leaning ones.

In Hoenn, Team Aqua engages in caroling while mocking their rivals of Team Magma. Elsewhere, Team Magma has a Secret Santa gift exchange.

In Kalos, Lysandre is having his annual Christmas party, lamenting how the holidays used to be one of his favorite times of the year, to raise money to help the poor, and now the world has become full of liars and fakers, and perhaps he himself is the biggest one. Suddenly, he's approached by one of his guests, Joseph Stone, who offers him an alliance between Devon Corp and Lysandre Labs to start a foundation to help people in need. While appreciates Stone's intention, he ultimately refuses, and Stone nees to walk away due to a call from his son.

In Unova, the owner of the Scarf-it-Down store is about to close shop before Christmas, only to discover that Drayden, the major and Gym Leader, has come to buy a specific scarf (of the Kalosian designer Valerie). Much to his horror, the owner he's out of stock of those.

Elsewhere in Kalos, Alain and his Charizard are braving through a blizzard, finding themselves having to find shelter, only to run into a giant of a man who shields them from it as he stares at them.

Somewhere in Kanto, the Samurai is doing some work by getting a Christmas tree for some money, but he's getting fed up of seeing so many trees. Suddenly, he trips on a Snover, causing it to scream in pain, and before attacking in revenge, a pack of angry Abomasnow show up and chase him. Meanwhile, a local guide lectures a group of kids as to why one never should anger Abomasnow, using the Samurai as an example.

In the Anistar City Gym, Olympia uses her powers to look into the future, experiencing different visions, from the past and the future. This year, however, she begins having visions involving Ash Ketchum:

* The first shows Ash walking alongside Misty, Iris, Anabel, Dawn, May and Serena.
* The second shows Ash in the Silver Conference stadium, where he faces against Red.
* The third shows a sword and a shield. Ash's hand picks up the shield, while an unknown hand picks up the sword.
* The fourth and final vision shows an older Ash helping his mother decorate for Christmas, celebrating along with his female companions, several kids that are implied to be their children, Red and Yellow, and the Team Rocket trio joining in for caroling.

Olympia finds this vision odd, but considers it a good ending, while still wondering what it could mean.

In Goldenrod City, Whitney closes the gym for Christmas and heads home for her uncle's farm, until she runs into a young man who seems to be freezing on the streets. She quickly picks him up and takes him home to nurse him. Upon waking up, the boy praises Whitney for her beauty and strength, making her happy for a change due to her tough luck with boys.

In Team Rocket's HQ, Giovanni decides to drink a toast to a new year for Team Rocket with his Persian.

## Continuity

* The events of the snippets starring Skyla, Pryce, Nanu, Volkner and Flint, Mina and Hapu, Eagun and Beluh, Lt. Surge, Wally and Gallade, Team Skull, Erika and Krista, Brock and Lucy, Teams Aqua and Magma, Lysandre, Drayden, Alain, Samurai, Whitney and Giovanni, all happen during Year One of the main story.
	+ In addition, the snippets starring Wally and Whitney occur sometime after their respective Interludes.
* The events of Belladonna's harem snippet happens the year prior to the main story.
* The events of Lorelei and Frey's snippet occurs fourteen years prior to the main story, as well as after the *Lorelei Gaiden*.