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(art by CoolCoolSkies)
With a gentle nudge to one of the ridges on Aerodactyl’s neck, Dane slowly brought them closer to the dormant fields of western Kanto stretching below them. Silver tightened his grip around Dane’s waist as gravity’s pull temporarily sparked the reflexive fear of freefall in his stomach. He breathed an annoyed huff into his boyfriend’s neck as they leveled out.
“I still can’t believe Oak’s having us work during the holidays.”
“Ha ha. Nature waits for no man. At least we get to spend it together,” Dane said, his words turning to mist before his very eyes in the cold, winter air. “That’s good enough for me.”
“If he had tried to keep us apart, I’d have stormed out of the lab and kidnapped you,” Silver grumbled into his nape, and Dane couldn’t help but chuckle.
Touching down on one of the small cliffs just in front of the entrance to Mt. Moon’s winding cavern system, Dane slid down from Aerodactyl’s back. They didn’t want to disturb the native Pokémon by dropping directly into the heart of the mountain, even though it had sky access via an open crater, so this would be the closest they could get from the sky. The rest of the way, they would have to go on foot.
As his sneakers hit the thin layer of frost dusting the rocky ground, Dane took a deep breath. Reaching out a hand, he helped Silver down as well before returning the fossil Pokémon to its ball.
“Need to stop into the Pokémon center?” Dane asked.
“No. How about you? How are you on ethers?”
“Topped up on PP and a few in my pack.”
After spraying down with repels, they crossed the threshold into the lengthy trek to one of the deepest rooms of the mountain’s innards: the Moon Stone Grotto.
It was slow going, even with the Zubats and Geodudes giving them a wide berth. Thanks to frequent breaks in the stone ceiling, there was enough natural light to navigate by, even as dusk faded and twilight took its turn. However, they also let in snow and ice that slicked the smooth cave floors and made even shallow crevices potentially deadly falls.
“Hey Dane-” Silver winced as his own voice echoed harshly off the cavern walls. Dropping his tone to a whisper, he asked, “So, does your family not have any holiday traditions or what?”
“Yes and no?” Dane chuckled quietly, being conscious of his volume. “It’s a little chaotic, though; or at least unconventional. See, neither of my parents are actually from Kanto.”
“Really? I never knew…”
“Yeah. You’d know it immediately if you met them, though. My dad’s from Johto and dresses like he still lives there, and my mom’s from Kalos. She’s got a pretty heavy accent. They came here for conservation work, fell in love, and settled down. I was born in Fuschia. Er…” Dane froze in his tracks. “I mean… Dane was born in Fuschia. Although, I did hatch in Fuschia…”
Silver grabbed Dane’s hand, taking him by surprise. He’d been a few steps ahead the last time he’d looked, but now he was right by his side.
“You were born in Fuschia,” Silver repeated back to him, staring into Dane’s eyes with a deadly serious intensity. If he hadn’t known him as well as he did, it might have even been threatening.
Instead, once the shock wore off, Dane smiled back. Tears stung the corners of his eyes. “Yeah. Um, so between that and their work being kind of unpredictable, our holiday traditions mostly boil down to cooking and eating a ton of food together. We give small gifts, maybe play some board games. It’s kind of a mishmash of things, but it’s mostly just about spending time together.”
Silver looked away.
“At least it’s better than nothing.”
Dane felt as though a Pin Needle had hit him straight in the heart. It was clear in Silver’s tone that “nothing” was exactly what he was used to. Even without knowing exactly what Silver’s home life was after his father left, Dane could tell it had been a thorn in his side to that day. He gave Silver’s hand a firm squeeze.
“After we finish this survey and give Oak our report, you should come spend a week or two at our house. My parents would be thrilled to meet you.”
“Would they?” Silver snapped, glowering at the cave floor.
Dane sucked in a breath. “Yeah. They would.”
“...Fine.” Silver’s momentary anger lentified. “Only ‘cause I have nothing better to do. Okay?”
Dane smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Of course.”
In the quiet moment that followed, a sweet, cheery chanting lilted in from further down the tunnel. At first, Dane thought it was his romantic side conjuring a backing track for the tender exchange they were sharing; until Silver turned towards the origin of the sound as well.
“Do you hear…singing?” Dane’s hands reflexively flew up to cover his ears. Silver raised an eyebrow until he lowered them. “If it was Sing, I think we’d already be asleep.”
“Right…” Straining his ears against the distortion of the echo, Dane tried to parse the reverberating lyrics. “It’s definitely Clefairy and Clefable, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.”
“They don’t sound like they’re in distress. Still, let’s hurry up.”
Continuing to pick their way along the same path they had traveled together numerous times before on previous surveys, the pair eventually arrived at their ultimate destination.
“I still can’t believe the largest known in-tact meteor, made entirely of moon stone, was right here, and now it’s gone forever thanks to Team Rocket,” Silver grumbled.
“Shh!” As they entered the grotto, Dane released Starlight, his Clefable that he’d met as a Clefairy years ago in that very spot, from her Pokéball. The two exchanged a nod of understanding before Dane Transformed into a Clefairy himself. Starlight would act as their ambassador if need be, but going undercover was the easiest way for Dane to get up close and personal for these surveys without disturbing the natural balance.
Sticking to the cover of various rocks and boulders scattered about the perimeter, the three cautiously yet curiously approached. Peeking out, they were treated to a most fantastical sight.
The grotto was bustling with activity as though every last Clefairy and Clefable in all of Mt. Moon had gathered for the occasion. On one side of the cavern, Clefairy drew water from a natural underground spring using clay cups and bowls. They carried it over to another small group and poured it over bamboo frames filled with grains of rice that the others were washing. Once clean, a container was collected and brought to a Clefable who was tending the fire below a seiro, already stacked high with several containers of rice being steamed. The Clefable held up a hand as a Clefairy attempted to add a container to the stack. Removing the lid from the top of the stack, the Clefable sniffed the rice and gave a sigh of deep satisfaction. Calling over a line of Clefairy who were on standby, it waited until the finished rice had been ferried off before allowing the new container to be set upon the seiro.
With thick, folded cloth protecting their tiny hands from the heat, the Clefairy skipped over to a large stone mortar and poured the rice in. A pair of Clefables wearing white headbands perked up from their break at the delivery. With surprising strength for such a dainty creature, one hefted a massive, long-handled, wooden mallet with an elongated head to match.
“Oh!” Dane exclaimed, still sticking behind cover. “That’s CLFB0102 and CLFR0103!”
“Are you sure?” Silver pulled out a pad of paper and a pen from one of his many pockets to make a note.
“Yeah. Although, I guess CLFR0103 is CLF B 0103 now. They grow up so fast.” The two fairy brothers had long been a highlight of these surveys for Dane, and seeing them both fully evolved filled his heart with joy.
As ‘102 lifted the mallet high overhead, ‘103 set down a bowl of water, dipped his hands in it, and stood ready by the mortar.
“Faaa~ble!”
Like a well-oiled machine, the pair instantly fell into a rhythm of pounding and folding the steamed rice - back and forth, back and forth, shouting to the beat as they worked - until it had formed one huge blob of sweet, gooey paste. Dane’s mouth watered as ‘103 gave the dough ball one final slap and left it shimmering in the moonlight.
A pair of Clefairy hurried over and scooped up the mass of ground rice paste. Scurrying off excitedly, they delivered it to a low, stone table coated in flour where others were already busily pinching bits off of a previous batch and rolling them into perfectly shaped mochi.
“Fa-a~ble~.” Starlight cupped her cheeks in her paws, a small line of drool running down from the corner of her mouth as she stared longingly at the treats.
“Same!” Dane concurred. “Plus, this might be the first time this ritual has ever been observed by humans! I wish we’d brought a camcorder.”
A few Clefairy turned their heads at the covert muttering, and Dane froze. Silver ducked behind the boulder they’d been camped out behind as the wild Pokémon skipped over happily.
“Fairy? Fairy?”
“Fable! Faaable!”
“F-Fairy! Riiii…”
After a brief round of introductions, Starlight and Dane were both taken by the hands and led over to the floured table. Even though they were outsiders, they were instantly welcomed by the other Clefairy and offered a space to work at.
Dane marveled at the mountain of finished mochi sitting at one end of the table. Not only were they the first humans to witness such festivities among Mt. Moon’s wild Pokémon, but they were being invited to participate . They would be able to include vital first-hand accounts of the proceedings when writing up their report. Dane couldn’t believe their luck. Professor Oak would be over the moon.
Without thinking, he turned to where Silver was still hiding, hoping to catch his eye. When he saw the other man watching from afar, however, he was suddenly struck by the guilt of contributing to Silver’s loneliness. It had been necessary to leave him behind to keep up the charade, but that didn’t help him ignore the echo of Silver’s words in his mind.
‘...better than nothing.’
“Fable! Fable?” Starlight followed his gaze when Dane failed to take the mochi lump he was being offered. A few others turned to look as well, until one finally shouted in alarm: a human had been spotted in the grotto. The other Pokémon all stopped their work to stare, and panicked murmurs broke out amongst them.
As Dane stared on helplessly, torn between his love and the research that both of them had worked so hard for, Starlight acted quickly. Skipping over to Silver, she took his hand, just as the wild Clefairy had with her and Dane, and led him out into the moonlight pouring in from the wide-open cavern ceiling for all who were gathered there to see.
Dane listened in awe as Starlight launched into a heartfelt plea for her fellow ‘mon to accept the human as they had accepted her and Dane. She shared anecdotes of their travels together, carefully avoiding any reference to Dane’s true nature, as proof of Silver’s trustworthiness and devotion to furthering humans’ understanding of Pokémon. She extolled the virtues of building connections with outside Pokémon and humans alike, calling back to the heroes who once rid the caves of the nefarious Team Rocket and their lamps. Dane’s heart swelled at her impassioned defense of Silver. If only he could have understood her too.
Despite her efforts, the wild Clefairy and Clefable gathered in the grotto hesitated, glancing nervously at one another for input. Seeing their cold reception, Silver turned to leave.
“It’s fine, Starlight. I don’t even have a place among humans. I know I’m not welcome here.” As he took a step to leave, however, CLFB0102 leapt weightlessly through the air, mallet in hand, and landed in front of him, blocking his exit. Silver eyed the ungainly tool warily. “I’m going. We don’t have to make a big deal out of this.”
‘102 looked him up and down, studying him as carefully as they had studied the Pokémon. ‘103 shouted a joking yet nonetheless worrying provocation to his brother from where he squatted beside their mortar. Apparently satisfied with what he was seeing, the Clefable held the mallet out to Silver, his eyes shining with a silent, manly understanding. Silver looked at Dane for direction, exasperated. Holding back a giggle, Dane motioned with his paw for him to go ahead. Still looking confounded, Silver accepted the mallet gracefully.
Turning to his fellow ‘mon, ‘102 proclaimed, “Aaable!” to which they all, Dane included, clapped and cheered.
As ‘102 shoved him along in the direction of the mortar, Silver looked back at Dane with a smile even softer and gooeyer than mochi.
(art by CoolCoolSkies)
***
Silver wiped the sweat from his brow as he stepped back from the mortar. A pair of Clefairy skipped over and scooped the freshly pounded paste up and away for forming into cakes. The Clefable brothers said something that he couldn’t understand but somehow sensed was friendly ribbing. Perhaps spending so much time with Dane was rubbing off on him.
As he leaned on the mallet, waiting for the next batch of steamed rice, Silver felt a tug at his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Dane, still in Clefairy form, given away only by his signature snaggle tooth. It peeked out from the opposite side of his mouth as all the others’. In his tiny paws, he held up a milky-white mochi cake, coated in flour.
“You made this?” Silver asked, unable to fully suppress a smile.
“Riii!” Dane trilled proudly.
Taking the cake, Silver watched Dane skip back to the table before taking a shy bite. The mochi was perfectly soft, sweet, fluffy, and gooey.
And it was still warm.