Forum Thread

"I'm going to catch you sooner or later!" A voice was heard from the base of a tree. A sixteen year old boy wearing a black lab coat sat up and looked to the ground, snow covered the ground below the tree, and the usually green grass of Professor Elm's lab's field was covered in white. Snow lightly fell from the sky landing on the boy's nose, causing him to sneeze. He looked around for the source of the voice. His breath was visible as he yawned. "Come on Totodile stay still" the voice laughed this time, and the boy laughed in amusement as he saw his Cyndaquil chasing one of the younger starter Pokémon, in a game of tag, around the lab's field.

"Cyndaquil!" The boy called, and jumped to the ground. His emerald eyes were shining in amusement as he looked at the two Pokémon. "Don't wear yourself out we're leaving to fly to Alola in a few." He said gently, and stretched, before glancing at the sky and noticing the building clouds. "I want to leave before this blizzard hits" he said gently.

Cyndaquil nodded, and waved a goodbye to Totodile. "So do we have anywhere else to go on the way?" He asked kindly.

"Hmm..." Tiger said and crossed his arms. "Well I want to head to the national park, and give the Pokémon there a few cookies" he said thoughtfully, and tipped his head.

Cyndaquil nodded, "Anywhere else? Kalos, Hoenn..." he began. The fire type Pokémon then shifted his weight nervously. "Unova, or Three Island?" He added quietly.

Tiger froze, and looked at his starter. "Well..." he trailed off, and sighed. "I do have gifts for both Mira and Mel, but I don't even know if they're home. So I might not even bother." He said quietly. "After all they might be visiting family."

"Mel, and Mira visiting family? Not sure why I doubt that" Cyndaquil said with a sigh, and shook his head. "Listen why don't we just drop by their places. Leave their gifts, and knock on the door. Before they can answer you hop on Charm, and fly to Alola" he suggested.

"That's an awful idea. I mean ding dong ditching is a childish th-" Tiger protested, but was cut off.
"Tiger. Tiger. Tiger" Cyndaquil said quickly with a sigh. "It's not playing a prank if you leave them their gifts. After all it might be nice for them to get something" he said slyly, and grabbed Tiger's bag. He grunted as he couldn't find the two items the trainer had received a few days before.

"I don't have anything in there for them. They're at home" Tiger said and shook his head slightly amused. Cyndaquil then nodded, and pushed Tiger to the exit of the lab.

"Then let's go home and get ready for Christmas break" the Pokémon said cheerfully. Tiger rolled his eyes fondly and went back into the lab, where he waved a goodbye to Elm before clocking out and running home.
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Cyndaquil followed Tiger into their house. The trainer went inside and threw his bag at the front door. He then went upstairs and down the hall to his room. The room was one of the smaller ones, there was a shelf above the window with a few plush Pokémon sitting on it. There was a Venusaur, Charizard, and Pikachu plushies that were the most visible on the shelf. Other plushies were behind it including a small Lugia plush. The bed was against the wall near the back of the room with the TV at the front of the room. A poster of a Charizard battling a Blastoise was hung neatly on the wall beside the bed. Tiger walked into the room, and picked up a few notebooks off the floor. He placed them on his desk as Cyndaquil piped up. "You know you live here on your own now, and yet you still stay in your childhood room? Why?" the Pokémon asked as he followed Tiger up the stairs. He looked at the empty house with a frown. The master bedroom, and Smokey's old room, were dusty and silent.

"I feel odd claiming the master bedroom, and think of it this way" Tiger began, and went to his closet, he threw a couple of cd, and video game cases onto the bed before climbing onto the top of the dresser to reach the upper shelf. "I know this room like the back of my hand. If I lost something in the master bedroom then it'd be lost forever, but I can easily find it in here" he said gently, and grabbed two items. One was a friend ball, and the other was an art set. Tiger then jumped off the dresser, and rolled the friend ball in his hand slightly. "I managed to get Elm to give me one of the starter Cyndaquil since she never got a trainer. I really hope she enjoys her new home" Tiger said gently which caught Cyndaquil off guard as the trainer rarely gave Pokémon away when he caught them or received them from the professor.

"Why is it in a friend ball?" he said curiously and sniffed at the Pokéball. "And why are you making a fuss over it? Is it Mel's gift?" Cyndaquil asked curiously, and glanced at Tiger. Tiger then blinked, and rubbed the back of his neck as if he were embarrassed by the question.

"Yes. Not sure if she'll put it on her team, but" he trailed off and grabbed a heal ball off his belt that contained his Lucario. "Either way I still have Akio!" He grinned, and put the Friend ball in a small box. He then wrapped it, and put a note on it saying. 'Hope your holidays are safe, and cheerful. Have a great year! Lov-' He began to write 'love Tiger' on it, but quickly erased it, and sighed in slight annoyance when he noticed it was still slightly visible. He then wrote Mel's name on the box, but didn't put his. "Guess we'll find out when the time comes" he said with a yawn. He then wrapped Mira's gift and wrote 'Merry Christmas, hope you have a great year!' on it. He wrote her name, and wrote his name on the person who sent it. "Come on the snow will get worse soon" Tiger said softly, and went back downstairs where he put the two gifts in his bag.

The duo walked back outside, and Tiger wrapped his red scarf over his neck. "Too bad I don't know where Ivan, and Victor live so it's nearly impossible for me to get them anything" Tiger said with a sigh, and shrugged. "Guess I'll try again later" he smiled gently. He then grabbed a Pokéball, and opened it. His shiny Charizard, Charm came out. The Charizard yawned and looked over to Tiger waving a sleepy greeting.

"So where to?" Charm said kindly, and nudged the teen. He nearly knocked the boy into the snow when he nudged him, but he soon caught Tiger. Tiger then laughed, and pet his Charizard gently before pulling his Pokégear out to load up the map.

"We're going to the National Park first" He said, and pointed to the National Park on the map. He then zoomed out, and pointed to a cluster of islands near Kanto. "Then to Three Island." He continued, and pointed to the region that was next to his. "After that, we'll take a rest in Hoenn before heading out to Unova in the morning, and by tomorrow evening we'll be in Alola" he said gently to his friend. Tiger put the pokégear away, and watched as Cyndaquil climbed onto his shoulder and yawned.

"No unexpected stops or dying on the way right? I'd like to see your mom during Christmas" Cyndaquil asked slyly, Tiger shook his head, and rolled his eyes.

"I promise I'll leave my habit of dying at a minimum" he joked warmly and climbed onto Charm. The Charizard then stretched his wings out and flew off to the National Park.
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Charm landed in the national park. The usually green forest like area was covered in snow. The tall grass where the bug and normal Pokémon hid was gone replaced by thick banks of snow, and frost. The only areas that were cleared away were the paths in the park that formed the Pokéball like design. Tiger narrowed his eyes and adjusted his cap to protect his eyes from the flakes that began to fall. "Let's see if any of the Hoothoot or Noctowl are still around." Tiger said gently, and slid off his Charizard.

"I highly doubt it if this snow is around" Cyndaquil said with a sigh and looked around the abandoned park. He glanced at Tiger, and noticed the disappointment in his gaze. The two had often come to the National Park to befriend the Pokémon, and now they were either asleep, or in their burrows. "But, maybe they're sleeping in the trees nearby?" The Pokémon said gently. Tiger nodded, and walked along one of the paths that lead him around the Pokéball like design of the tall grass. He stopped near the trees and looked up with his eyes narrowed.

The sounds of the wind was all that was heard as Tiger, and Cyndaquil walked through the park. Tiger jumped into a tree, and nearly slid into the snow when he jumped onto the branch. "Don't fall or I'll bury you in the snow until summer" Cyndaquil said with a laugh and jumped onto the tree branch next to Tiger.

Tiger shook his head and smiled slightly. "You might want to be careful about that, I mean, I can just get Malu to use a sunny day, and I'd be thawed before spring" he said slyly.

Cyndaquil sighed in amusement and looked around. "Well looks like no one is here. Come on let's go find out where we can leave some of the cookies you made. I'm sure the wild Pokémon will find them soon enough." The Pokémon said gently. Tiger nodded and jumped to the ground. As he and his starter went through the park, they walked down a path that was the middle of the Pokéball design, and stopped at the fountain. "Maybe we can put the treats here" Cyndaquil suggested, and nodded to the side of the fountain.

"Very well" Tiger said gently and put the cookies on the fountain's edge. He looked up and noticed the snow was beginning to get heavier. "Come one we should head to three island." He said partially whispering. He smiled as a Nidoran male and a Caterpie ran by, and each grabbed a cookie.

"Thanks Tiger!" The Nidoran male said cheerfully as he ran by. "Merry Christmas!" The Caterpie squeaked and ran past the two. Tiger smiled, and waved to show he heard. Cyndaquil then nodded to him, and the two made their way back to Charm who was sitting under a tree with his tail flicking back and forth. The Charizard was watching the snow melt as the flame on the tip got close to the powder.

"Hey Charm, come on we're leaving" Tiger said cheerfully and stopped by his Pokémon. Charm looked up and nodded. He then jumped up, abandoning the snowmelt, and waited for Tiger and Cyndaquil to hop on once more.
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The snow was getting worse as the Charizard flew through the sky. Tiger narrowed his eyes against the snow. "We should land for a bit and wait for the snowfall to get a bit better" Tiger said to Charm, the Pokémon nodded, and flew down towards the ground. Tiger pulled out his pokégear when the Charizard landed. He slid to the ground, and recalled Charm back to his Pokéball.

"Where are we anyway?" Cyndaquil asked and hopped onto Tiger's shoulder to get a better view of the map. The snow was coming down a bit more heavy here, and there was a strange smell of the ocean all around the area. "It kind of reminds me of Alola, but more frozen, and cold." The Pokémon grumbled.

"We're on three island. Guess luck is on our side today" Tiger mused gently, and looked at the small icon on his map. He closed the pokégear and looked at the sky. "It looks as if we might have to stay here for a bit. Come on let's head to the Pokémon center" Tiger said quietly, and recalled Charm. He then walked in the direction of the Pokémon center.

Once inside the Pokémon center, Tiger handed Cyndaquil and his Pokémon to Joy to be checked on. Tiger then walked towards the back of the center and looked at one of the TVs to get a good idea of where the blizzard was passing. He sat down near a window and listened to the weather person. "The storm is expected to get worse in the morning. Delays for flights are expected and-" Tiger stopped listening and sighed.

"Looks like it's only going to get worse. Though it will die down for a bit here soon. Maybe I can drop Mira's gift off." Tiger said with a sigh and looked at the counter for a moment, and pulled the two gifts out. He glanced at the small box containing the friend ball. "Maybe I should tell them that I'm coming by..." He said partially to himself.

"Is that a wise idea?" Cyndaquil asked as he ran back to Tiger from the back. "Mom wants you home before Christmas morning, and if we're going to make good time we can't chat with the others" he said slightly in a regretful tone. Tiger then sighed, and nodded slowly.

"Wish I could have said something to them though." He admitted with a slight grumble. Cyndaquil then frowned, and looked out the window.

"I'm sure we'll see them again. After all Kalos sounds like a nice place for a vacation, and there's a few openings in the Lumiose Hotel we can get the rooms cheap if we book in advanced" Cyndaquil said kindly, and nudged Tiger's pokégear into his hands. The phone like item was loaded up to a webpage about Kalos.

"Why Kalos?" Tiger asked Cyndaquil curiously, and looked at his pokégear. The region looked peaceful somehow. "And will I even manage to get time off?" He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He closed his pokégear, and put it in his jacket pocket. "I mean I've worked nonstop for the past few months. Maybe-" he trailed off to himself and yawned.

"Maybe we can ask Elm about this when we get home?" Cyndaquil said cheerfully. Tiger shrugged still uncertain, but didn't ask anymore about it. He then got up and put the friend ball back into his bag, and pulled out the art kit. He grabbed his Pokémon from Joy before heading to the exit.

"Travel safely, if you're going out" Joy said slightly concerned. Tiger nodded, and waved to show he had heard. He then walked outside, and threw his hood over his head as well as pulled his scarf up over his mouth and nose. He then walked through the island and made his way to Mira's house.

"You think Mira is home?" Cyndaquil asked as he sat inside Tiger's jacket, the Pokémon poked his head out and was perched on Tiger's shoulder. Tiger just shrugged and looked around.

"I doubt it." He mumbled, and stopped at the door to the house. He then put the present on the porch and rang the doorbell before doubling back, and walking towards the center of town. "Honestly I hate knocking on the door, and fleeing." He grumbled.

"Tiger, technically you rang the doorbell." Cyndaquil retorted with a laugh. Tiger rolled his eyes in response, and glanced at the house once more. He then climbed onto Charm before anyone could answer, and they were off to their next location.

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The wind was harsh and snow stung Tiger, and Charm's eyes as they flew over the last of Sinnoh. It had been a few hours since they had rested in Hoenn; the small group had stayed in New Mauville's Pokémon Center for the night, and had enjoyed some hot chocolate before they left. A warning about a horrible blizzard over Sinnoh and Unova was mentioned on the news in the Pokémon center, but Tiger paid no attention to it. Now they were nearing Unova; and their last stop before home. Tiger was about to call to Charm to land when he shivered. Cyndaquil ducked further into his trainer's jacket. "Tiger! We should land and find shelter! The blizzard is to bad!" Cyndaquil yowled through the wind. Tiger nodded and glanced at Cyndaquil. He barely heard what the fire mouse said as the wind drowned out most sound.

"Charm! We need to land! I don't care where!" As Tiger yelled his words were drowned out by the wind and snow. Tiger then held Cyndaquil closer to him as another burst of wind blew freezing him to the bone.

Charm showed no sign that he heard. He continued to fly over Unova. Tiger narrowed his eyes and tried to see where he was from the sky. the task was hard enough for him as it was, but with the snow making visibility difficult, he could barely recognize anything. He watched as the black and blue buildings of Black City, followed by the trees, and mist of White Forest, and finally the bridge in Lacunosa Town passed him by; he vaguely could make them out. "Black City, White Forest...Lacunosa Town" he grumbled as he tried to recognize the different parts of Unova. Maybe I should have come here a bit more often, or studied the map better. He thought to himself, and blinked in shock as another burst of snow blew onto them. "CHARM! LAND NOW!" Tiger yelled a bit more frantically.

"Wha-Okay!" Charm's response finally came back a bit more quiet than usual. The wind then blew once more unbalancing the Pokémon. Tiger then flinched as a final blast of wind, one that was strong enough to knock him off his Pokémon, hit. Cyndaquil squeaked in shock as he and Tiger fell off of Charm. Tiger blinked, and tried to grab the Charizard's wing, but he was met with a frozen Pokémon.

"Cyndaquil!" Tiger said in shock, and returned Charm, as the Pokéball was in his jacket pocket. Though he couldn't reach for Cyndaquil's Pokéball, instead he held the Pokémon close, and braced himself as he fell from the sky above the Giant Chasm.

White and gray were blurring by as Tiger fell through trees. He was hit in the head by a branch causing his vision to get worse. He closed his eyes, and felt a violent tug on his left shoulder where his bag was. He then grabbed Cyndaquil tighter and felt the violent tug get replaced by a strange empty feeling. He was about to open his eyes once more when another branch hit him in the side and he lost his grip on his Pokémon. He then fell with a muffled thump in the snow. He tried to get up, but soon he collapsed and passed out.

"Tiger! Tiger?" Cyndaquil said in shock, and poked his head out of a snow bank. He had melted the snow around him when he ignited his back flames. He then coughed, and looked around wildly for his trainer. He ran across the ground, and used light flamethrowers to try and find his trainer if the snow had covered him. He then saw a familiar red scarf in the snow, and ran towards it. "Tiger! Thank Arceus. Come on get up" Cyndaquil said frantically, and tried to nudge Tiger awake.

Tiger didn't move at all. Cyndaquil froze in shock, and nudged the trainer again. "Come on Tiger please!" Cyndaquil squeaked in fear. He sniffed Tiger, and poked the trainer's forehead where a bump had formed from hitting a tree branch. He then sighed in relief as Tiger had given him a hint that he was still alive. A muffled groan was heard, and Cyndaquil went back to Tiger's shoulder. "Come on Tiger!" Cyndaquil snapped, and tried to force Tiger to his feet.

He was met with silence once more. This time the trainer didn't groan. Cyndaquil panicked and crawled to Tiger's head once more. He sighed in relief once again when he saw the trainer's breath in the air. "If you don't get up now you'll regret it!" Cyndaquil said a bit more angrily now.

"Regret it? Go away Cyndaquil I'm not afraid of you. Let me sleep" Tiger grumbled and pushed his hand over his face. He was unaware of the cold from the snow around him.

Cyndaquil then growled clearly annoyed. "You better get up, or else"

"Or else what? You can do what you want Cyndaquil. I don't care." Tiger mumbled sleepily, and shifted his weight to move away from the mouse Pokémon.

"If you don't get up in five seconds I'll go get Mel. I know she's in this region...somewhere." the Pokémon said uncertainly, and looked around slightly afraid of the strange surroundings.

"Cyndaquil go away." Tiger grunted, but didn't get up he waved his hand slightly.

"I'm serious! If you don't get up now I'm going to go call Mel or Juniper! Or I'll call Smokey on your pokégear!" The Cyndaquil snapped slightly in panic now, and went to Tiger's side. He lit his back flames to melt some of the snow that was over his friend.

"Fine, fine. I'm up" Tiger groaned and sat up. He was trying to focus on his surroundings, but couldn't. "Where are we anyway, and don't say Unova, because I already know that" Tiger said with a sigh, and looked around. He wasn't sure where exactly in Unova he was.

"Let me see." Cyndaquil said with a sigh, and looked around. He dug through the snow, and found Tiger's pokégear. The item was partially damaged. The screen was shattered, and the back was dented. He then muttered something under his breath, and breathed a sigh of relief when it turned on. "Good it still works" the Pokémon sighed, and loaded up the map.

"Well?" Tiger said with a yawn and rubbed his head where the tree hit him. He had a bruise and a cut where he was hit.

"Looks like Giant Chasm" Cyndaquil said with a sigh. "And this blizzard won't let up until tomorrow morning. We should find shelter" he said quietly.

Tiger nodded and flinched as his head began to pound from the fall. "I should call mom, and tell her we'll be late. I mean Alola is a few hours away still" he grumbled.

"Shouldn't we call Mel first and see if she can help us?" Cyndaquil asked gently, and looked up to Tiger in concern.

"Maybe that's a better idea...I mean Mel will be able to help us out here" Tiger sighed in gentle agreement, and grabbed his pokégear. He then grimaced as he was low on battery. "Cotton's Pokéball is in my bag, can you grab it for me?" Tiger asked Cyndaquil and rubbed his head once more.

Cyndaquil nodded, and looked around. He tried to find the blue bag against the white snow, but saw nothing. He froze, and ran back over to Tiger. "Tiger. You're not going to like this" Cyndaquil said in a slight whisper. Tiger looked up and blinked his emerald eyes were dull from exhaustion.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly and looked around. He forgot about contacting his mom, or Mel.

"Your bag is missing" Cyndaquil said quickly. Tiger blinked and looked around in an attempt to find it.

"We need to look for it! Cotton is in there, and so is that Cyndaquil!" Tiger said frantically and began to head in the direction that he was flying in. He took no more than two steps when Cyndaquil blocked his path.

"No absolutely not!" Cyndaquil growled lowly. "You're injured, and there's a blizzard out there. We're not going to look for your bag in this weather" the Pokémon snapped.

"But Cynda-" Tiger began but was cut off by a light flamethrower.

"No! We need to find shelter and rest. We'll look for your bag in the morning" Cyndaquil said evenly, and glared at Tiger. Tiger sighed, and reluctantly agreed.

"Fine" he mumbled with a slight yawn. He glanced at the snow once more. "Let's find shelter" he said reluctantly, and followed his starter back towards a mountain like area. The two glanced at each other uncertainly as they walked into a cave. "So what information do we have about this place" Tiger grumbled and tried to not think about the crash, or the fear that seemed to fill the air.

"Not sure. It isn't a good idea to look it up either. We need to save the battery until tomorrow" Cyndaquil muttered and looked at the pokégear. The Pokémon then sat down near a wall in the cave, and looked at Tiger, who was leaning against a boulder. "So what should we do until the storm passes?" Cyndaquil asked, and grabbed a branch that was growing in the wall of the cave. He snapped it off with a slight struggle and used a flamethrower to light it.

Tiger didn't respond he was still looking out the cave entrance, his arms were crossed and he shivered slightly.

"Tiger!" Cyndaquil said in concern causing Tiger to jump in shock. The Pokémon looked at Tiger in concern.

"Sorry. What's up?" Tiger asked in a distracted tone. Cyndaquil sighed, and shook his head. He then nudged his trainer.

"Don't worry about the Cyndaquil. I'm sure she's fine, Cotton too. They're both strong Pokémon" the starter said gently.

Tiger nodded and looked unconvinced. He then sighed, "maybe" he mumbled, and leaned against the boulder once more. He was rubbing his forehead with his scarf now. The cut wasn't as deep as he originally thought. "I'm just worried that they were hurt in the crash." He said with a sigh.

"They're fine" Cyndaquil said gently, and jumped into Tiger's lap. The Pokémon then looked slightly uncomfortable as his stomach growled.

"You're hungry aren't you" Tiger said softly, and looked at his Pokémon in concern. It had been a bit since they both eaten. Tiger curled up slightly when his stomach growled as well. "Guess I am too" he said quietly, and stood up. Cyndaquil jumped onto Tiger's shoulder when the trainer moved.

"Do we have any food at all?" Cyndaquil asked and looked as Tiger dug through his pockets. The trainer then pulled out a rage candy bar.

"This is all I have. You can have it, I'll eat in the morning" Tiger said gently, and shoved the candy bar into Cyndaquil's paws. He then sat down near the campfire that Cyndaquil made. The Cyndaquil looked at the candy for a moment before heading back over to Tiger.

"No I'm not going to eat unless you do" Cyndaquil said evenly and dropped the candy bar in front of Tiger. The trainer looked at Cyndaquil, and sighed in slight annoyance.

"I'm not hungry" Tiger mumbled, and pushed the candy bar away from himself. Cyndaquil then pushed it back over, and growled.

"Just eat it! You said you were hungry literally a minute ago." Cyndaquil said lowly, and pushed it back over to Tiger.

"No" Tiger grumbled and looked at Cyndaquil. He then sighed as the fire Pokémon growled in annoyance.

"Eat" Cyndaquil repeated lowly. Tiger then shook his head giving up the argument, and grabbed the rage candy bar. He opened it up, and broke the treat in half.

"Fine I'll take half, but you should eat too" Tiger said gently, and passed the other half to Cyndaquil. The fire Pokémon reluctantly accepted it, and settled down next to Tiger to eat.

"So what will we say to Mom when we get to Alola? We're obviously not going to make it by tomorrow morning" Cyndaquil whispered gently. Tiger looked over, and frowned slightly.

"We'll tell her that we ran into some trouble" Tiger whispered gently, and finished his share of the candy. Tiger then grabbed Cyndaquil's Pokéball. "Come on back you go." He said quietly, and held the Pokéball out.

"Nope" Cyndaquil said and jumped onto Tiger's head to dodge the return beam. "If you freeze, then I'm freezing with you." He said evenly, and climbed along Tiger's arm to take the Pokéball from the trainer.

"Fine" Tiger said and rolled his eyes. "If I freeze then the citizens of Alola can find out that Johto trainers can't stand the cold" he joked gently, and grabbed Cyndaquil into his arms. The two looked out of the cave. "So you really think that Cotton, and the Cyndaquil are safe?" Tiger asked once more in a slightly tired tone.

"Of course! You trained CottonFluf since she was a Mareep, and Cyndaquils are strong durable Pokémon" Cyndaquil said strongly, and settled down in Tiger's arms to sleep. "Why don't you stop worrying about them and get some sleep. It'll be morning soon enough" Cyndaquil whispered gently, and jumped out of Tiger's arms when the trainer nodded and lay down on the stone floor of the cave. Cyndaquil then curled up next to Tiger, and lit his back flames in an attempt to warm the cave up.

"Yeah you're right." Tiger said still concerned, and slightly uncertain. The boy thought that the concern for the two missing Pokémon would keep him up all night, but he soon found exhaustion gripping him firmly. "Goodnight Cyndaquil" Tiger said gently, and ignored the burning of Cyndaquil's back flame as he pet his starter. Cyndaquil glanced at Tiger, and sighed in relief as the boy had closed his eyes and fallen asleep. Cyndaquil continued to keep his back flames lit until he too drifted off into sleep.
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Tiger woke up with a yawn, and shivered. He looked around the cave at first confused. His breath was visible as he breathed. He glanced at Cyndaquil, who was curled up right next to him. The fire type starter was still asleep. "Cyndaquil come on wake up we should leave" Tiger said gently, and grabbed his cap from off the ground. He put it on, and covered the bruise that he received the day before.

Cyndaquil yawned sending a small puff of smoke into the air as he usually did when he woke every morning. "Merry Christmas" Cyndaquil said kindly, and stretched. "Are we going to look for your bag first?" The Pokémon finished with another yawn.

"Of course. I need to find it before another trainer does. My badges are in there, as well as Cotton, and Mel's Cyndaquil." Tiger said quickly, and brushed himself off. "And we need to get to Alola before nightfall" He said quietly, and stretched. "Merry Christmas to you too" he said gently, and threw his scarf back on. He then walked out of the cave, and flinched as the sun was out shining off the snow that fell. The world seemed a bit...brighter than the day before.

"Which way did we fly from?" Cyndaquil asked and looked at Tiger, who was pulling the Pokégear out.

"Not sure. My pokégear died" he sighed and shook his head. He then looked to the sky to see which way was which. He then looked at Cyndaquil. "Can you try using flamethrower to melt some of this snow? Maybe we can find it that way" he asked gently. Cyndaquil nodded and used a light flamethrower. Some of the snow melted to show stone, and dirt below.

Tiger walked through the snow, he put his scarf over his nose once more, and narrowed his eyes against the cold. He then tripped over something hidden in the snow, and crashed into a bank. "Cyndaquil" he said through a muffled tone, and sighed. He pulled his scarf down. "Cyndaquil! Over here. I think I found it" Tiger said quickly and stopped to dig into the snow. He grimaced as the snow went into his gloves. Cyndaquil then came by and used a flamethrower melting the snow away and making his bag visible. He grabbed it and noticed a small hole. "There's a hole." He said quickly, and unzipped his bag.

"Is everything in there?" Cyndaquil asked and went over to Tiger. He froze when the trainer sat in the snow and groaned. "What's wrong?" Cyndaquil asked in shock, and looked over to his trainer.

"Mel's gift is gone" Tiger said quietly. "Cotton's in here safe and sound. Mom's and Smokey's presents are safe, but Mel's" he trailed off in concern and sighed. "I also lost my master ball, and my revives, but my revival herbs are still there." He sighed, and got to his feet.

"We'll find Mel's Cyndaquil. Come on I'm sure she's around here somewhere" Cyndaquil said gently, and looked at the hole in Tiger's bag. He sighed, "do you remember where the bag was forced off your back?" Cyndaquil asked gently, and looked at Tiger.

Tiger looked thoughtful, and glanced at the trees in the area. He shivered slightly from cold, and fear. "I'm not sure. This isn't like Ripple Forest where I can recognize any tree in any weather" he mumbled, and sighed. "I think it was a pine tree though. All I remember is seeing white, gray, and then sharp needle like leaves." He said softly.

Cyndaquil nodded, and looked around. He saw a cluster of pines. "Maybe over there!" He said and nodded to the pines. "That's roughly where I found you" he said gently.

"Alright" Tiger nodded, and grabbed his bag in his arms. He then followed Cyndaquil through the snow, and looked around. The pines grew strangely in this area. In the forests Tiger was use to they grew strong and tall, but here they looked like they were struggling to get sunlight. Their trunks were twisted creating strange patterns in the bark. The branches grew up like claws. Tiger tipped his head slightly, and shuddered "are these even pines" he said quietly. He then saw blue and cream fur shivering in the snow, the figure was passed out as if it had fainted. Running over to it, Tiger found the Cyndaquil that use to be in the friend ball. "Thank Arceus you're safe!" Tiger said relieved, and used a revival herb on the Pokémon.

Mel's Cyndaquil growled, and flinched as the herb was used. She glared at Tiger, and used an ember. "Well nice to see you're doing fine" Tiger laughed, and barely missed the move when he leaned back. He patted out a small fire on his jacket sleeve. "Where's your Pokéball?" Tiger asked gently, and examined the small Pokémon for any wounds. He sighed in relief when he didn't see anything to serious. Her Pokéball must be here somewhere he thought to himself and looked around.

"Tiger! I found the friend ball, and your note, but..." Cyndaquil trailed off, and ran over. He then grimaced and dropped the friend ball. It was scorched, broken in half, and the marker Tiger had used to write on the box he wrapped Mel's gift in was smudged permanently into the green part of the Pokéball. He sighed, and grabbed the item. "Can you fix it?" Cyndaquil asked gently. Tiger blinked and shook his head.

"No" he whispered. "It's to damaged." He mumbled and glanced at Mel's Cyndaquil. The Pokémon looked frightened at the thought of being without a home. Tiger then smiled slightly to reassure the small Pokémon. He then dug through his bag for another Pokéball. "Ugh that's just great!" Tiger said quickly.

Cyndaquil jumped in shock, and went over to his trainer. "What's wrong now?" Cyndaquil asked quickly, and jumped onto Tiger's shoulder.

Tiger sighed. "I don't have anymore Pokéballs. I forgot to buy more, and my Master ball went missing in the crash. The only other Pokéball I have is this" Tiger mumbled and pulled out a love ball. The pink Pokéball had a small dent on the heart where the tree had hit it. "I mean wouldn't it be odd for me to give her a Pokéball like this?" Tiger whispered slightly in embarrassment, and sat back in the snow.

"Don't put your name on the return address" Cyndaquil suggested, and grabbed a box that use to carry Apricorns in it. "Here this is the only box I could find that wasn't damaged" he said kindly, and put the box next to Tiger.

"Well with that box, a Johto starter, and a Pokéball you can only find in Johto I think she might grow suspicious, and call" Tiger said with a sigh.

"She might forget to" Cyndaquil shrugged. "Come on we can't be to picky we have to go" the Pokémon said gently.

Tiger frowned, and sighed. He then took his scarf off, and went over to Mel's Cyndaquil. "Here. It might be colder in Unova than it is in Johto" he said gently, and wrapped the scarf around the Pokémon. "Have fun okay" he smiled gently, and grabbed the love ball. He then tapped the Cyndaquil's forehead with the button, and the starter went in. One...Two...Click! Cyndaquil was recaptured. Tiger then sighed, and frowned.

"What's wrong now?" Cyndaquil asked and looked at Tiger in concern.

Tiger blinked and looked slightly distracted still. "Nothing's wrong" he said gently, and put the Love ball into the apricorn box. He then wrote Mel's name, and address on it in an attempt to look like the mail man delivered the present. "Just thinking" Tiger said softly, and blinked. He then put the small box into his bag once more.

"About" Cyndaquil asked gently. He tried to get an answer from Tiger's look, but he couldn't read his trainer as easily as he usually could. He then sighed in defeat, and climbed onto Tiger's shoulder in hopes of getting an answer.

"Nothing important. Just thinking. Come on let's drop off the present, and head to Alola" Tiger responded gently, and walked in the direction of one of the caves that lead to Lacunosa Town. Cyndaquil sat on his shoulder, and glanced at the backpack once more.

"So we're leaving a master ball here?" Cyndaquil asked in surprise and Tiger shrugged. He looked around the Giant Chasm once more.

"Yeah I don't have time to look for it, and Cotton and Mel's Cyndaquil are alright so someone else can have it" he said gently, "just count it as a Christmas present for some lucky trainer" he said gently and walked away.
~*~*~

Tiger walked down the path of a small city. He had left Cyndaquil, and his other Pokémon at the Pokémon center. Now he was heading to his final stop before home. The Apricorn box was wrapped a bit better, and there was a small bag of cookies taped to the side. He had written the address a bit clearer, but left his name off of it. He then stopped at the door, and knocked, after a few minutes no one answered. "No one's home" he sighed quietly, and frowned. He then placed the present in a safe spot where it wasn't to visible to anyone else unless they deliberately walked to the door. He then stood on the porch for a moment and looked around to see if Mel was walking back to her place. He saw nothing, and shrugged. "Guess I'll see her later then" Tiger whispered to himself, and shook his head. He walked off the porch and headed for the Pokémon center once more. He had bought a new scarf, red like before. He put the scarf over his nose and jumped into a tree to make his way to the center a bit quicker.
________________________________________________________________________________

The warm climate of Alola was a welcome change as Charm, Cyndaquil, and Tiger landed on the beach. Tiger stretched, and pulled his scarf off his neck. He threw his scarf and gloves in his bag, and looked up when he heard a familiar voice. "Tiger there you are! I've been trying to call you since last night!" The voice said in concern.

Tiger blinked, and looked at who spoke. He saw Smokey, "sorry I kind of crashed in Unova on the way here. Charm and I were caught up in a blizzard, and my pokégear is still dead." Tiger explained, and put his jacket into his bag. He then handed Smokey his gift. "Is mom home?" Tiger asked kindly.

Smokey nodded, "Yeah she's in the living room now. You might want to hurry though. She's worried you were dead" he joked gently. "By the way Unova? Why were you there?" Smokey asked curiously.

Tiger blinked, and shrugged. "I had to fly over every region to get to Alola" he said simply.

"You could have taken an airplane. Those are safer than your Charizard. Especially in a blizzard." Smokey said bluntly.

Tiger shook his head and laughed. "Yes safer, but Charm and I love to fly, and what's adventure unless we risk our days for what we love?" He said gently, and looked back in the direction of his old house. He smiled and thought of his time in Alola. "Anyways Merry Christmas" Tiger said kindly, and hugged his older brother.

Smokey smiled, and took Tiger's cap playfully. "you're insane." Smokey began with an amused snort. "And Merry Christmas short stuff" he said warmly, and shook his head.

"Don't call me short, and I was born insane..." Tiger said laughing gently, and snatched his hat out of Smokey's hands. Cyndaquil laughed and jumped to the ground. He then walked in the direction of the house with Smokey, and Tiger following quickly. 'Kalos seems like a nice place for a vacation' Cyndaquil's words rang in his mind. "Hey I think next year for my break I'm going to Kalos" Tiger said to Cyndaquil kindly, when Smokey overheard him.

"Kalos?" Smokey asked. "Why Kalos?"

Cyndaquil smiled, and nudged Tiger gently. Tiger then looked at Smokey with a grin. "Because. I think it's time I arranged a reunion with a few friends" Tiger said gently, and raced Cyndaquil into the house with Smokey asking more questions about who these friends were that Tiger was excited to see again.