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Once upon a time, a Vulpix sat on a log in the forest, and felt very sad. She could not produce a flame at all, despite the fact that she was a fire-type.
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"Why are you so sad?" a voice asked.
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Even though the Vulpix could not trace the source of the voice, she answered, "Because I cannot create fire like my parents, and their parents before them, or even like my siblings do. I am a failure and a disgrace, and so they have cast me out as a weakling. Those who cannot produce flame in my clan cannot protect themselves or their offspring."
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A Froslass stepped out of the shadows. The Vulpix was surprised, for the ice Pokemon was not native to the area.
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"Follow me," the Froslass said. "I will take you somewhere else. Somewhere better."
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"I have heard of your kind," the Vulpix said. "You lead trusting travelers to their doom."
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"But you are already doomed without a flame or a family to welcome you back."
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The Froslass turned and the Vulpix, distressed at the truth of her words, followed behind.
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The path grew rocky and the tufts of grass grew brown and dry. Soon they were walking an icy path up a snow-capped mountain.
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As the Vulpix stepped into the wintry landscape, her fur grew pale and white, blindingly pure in its snowy splendor.
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"You are not of fire as you thought," the Froslass said. "You belong to the winter, and the snow, and the icy mountaintops that stay cold year round."
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The first Alolan Vulpix smiled, because she finally knew the truth in her heart that had been lying dormant all this time. She was different. She was a survivor. She could start anew, beyond the expectations that never quite fit her in the first place.

NOTES

- Tales Beneath the Dyna Tree: Fire and Ice

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“Ah!” Xiura exclaimed with admiration at Lam’s conjecture about the weather affecting the flocks of Staravia and Staraptor. “You know a lot about bird Pokemon. Are they your specialty?"
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She glanced over at the Shinx who was curled up in a pile of straw bedding and smiled. "Or only one of your specialties?" She touched one of her Pokeballs, allowing her Morpeko Agave to come out of its home and approach the Shinx. The rodent-like Pokemon stuffed a handle of seeds into his mouth and waddled over to Noodle, offering him a singular seed.
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“I’m not so much familiar with farmhand duties,” she said thoughtfully, looking up at the clear blue sky. She tucked her scarf a bit more snugly around her neck and into her coat as the wind blew past, feeling a bit more chilly despite the ambling speed of the truck. “I find myself mostly indoors in the kitchen for my work. But chasing away or relocating some Pokemon doesn’t seem too hard.”
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The truck pulled along a dusty pathway that meandered towards a red barn and farmhouse. Nearby, a fenced-in patch of vegetables with tall stalks of corn and Pumpkaboo grew. “Here we are,” the farmer said, helping Lam and Xiura off the truck bed. He gestured towards the patch and indeed, a circling flock of Staraptor was repeatedly swooping down, causing perturbed and weary cries from the Pumpkaboo.

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Xiura accepted the hand warmers gratefully, holding them to her cheeks as well to warm them up. “Thank you so much, Jack. I can’t believe how cold it actually is up here.” She gazed out over the scenic view of the mountains, forested with deep green conifers whose tops were heavily frosted with snow.
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Incineroar huffed with irritation at Boltund’s speed, jogging harder to keep up with the canine Pokemon’s pace. Castform whimsically drifted after, speeding up as well. The path became easier to tread, leading them downhill.
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Fortunately, the hand warmers concealed her reddening cheeks as Jack complimented her, his gaze warm and flirtatious. Xiura looked down, recalling again how Aurelie had mentioned during the Carnival that she wouldn’t mind if Xiura and Jack were to get closer. But after Xiura's botched confession during the Ferris wheel ride, her words drowned out by the booming of fireworks, she had never worked up the courage to venture towards a discussion of advancing their friendship again.
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“I… Thank you, Jack. That is, assuming you mean me and not the ghostly snow lady that is said to haunt these mountains.” She smiled innocently, touching her Froslass’s Pokeball to summon her Pokemon immediately behind Jack. Her Froslass swayed silently back and forth, ready to scare Jack once he turned around.
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“As for the tea competition, yes!” Xiura said, happy to talk about it further. “I’m so excited to see what creative bubble tea masterpieces the competitors will end up making!” Jack always seemed so attentive to detail; he knew what subjects he could most easily connect to her with. On her end, it felt like the cold was so significant that all she could think about to talk about was the weather!
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Just then, a barely audible crack sounded through the wintry air. “What was that?” Xiura asked.

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"Considering how sad it must have been, I'm glad it drew you closer together, rather than...well, the opposite,” Aurelie said.
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“And I’m grateful for the fact,” Xiura said, unable to keep a wistful note out of her tone. She shook her head. “He’s been such a good friend.” She blushed, twisting a napkin in her lap, trying to control the outwardly displayed depth of her emotion for her friend Jack.
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As Aurelie teased her about her penchant for wrestling, Xiura said, “I do like classical dance! I was trained in it for years in Ecruteak City.” She paused, thinking and reminiscing, a meager note of bitterness in her tone as she said, “I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have at the time, perhaps. But it was good for my posture and balance, as well as my physical endurance later in life.” She recalled late nights dancing to perfect every step in comparison to her peers, her Litten watching sourly from a dark corner.
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"I think a dinner with all three of us or a movie night sounds like a lot of fun! I would love to, and I'm certain Jack would too, once we ask him. We'll definitely find time and figure something out, I promise you!"
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Xiura was excited by Aurelie’s agreeability to the idea. She wondered out loud, “I wonder which one we should do first. Maybe dinner, a nice walk after eating to relax, or perhaps I can introduce you both to the wide world of Pokemon wrestling!” She laughed delightedly.
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As a star dove in a trail of brightness across the night sky, Xiura made a wish. She didn’t see any reason why to keep it secret, so aloud, she said, “I hope we have many more adventures together, you and me, Aurelie. And Jack, too. The three of us.”
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She reached out across the picnic blanket and took Aurelie’s hand in hers. On a whim, she pulled her hand closer, brushed a kiss across the back of her friend’s hand, and then let their entwined palms lie on the tousled expanse of the blanket between the two of them. Her heart rabbited in her chest, her senses fluttery with anticipation and nervousness.
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She wondered what Aurelie wished for, too.

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Xiura pointed at the Raichu that suddenly popped out of the waving grasses. "Incineroar, Darkest Lariat!"
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Incineroar sprang forward, fists blazing with dark energy. Conscious of the power imbalance between the two, especially in such a beginner's training area, he held back most of his force. Xiura was thankful for the fact; the Pokemon might faint otherwise.
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As the Raichu wobbled on her feet, Xiura threw a Pokeball, intending to catch the creature.

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Xiura beamed, fighting down a blush as she saw Aurelie approach her with an array of appetizers. She was unspeakably touched by Aurelie’s thoughtfulness in gathering her up a plate of food; her stomach growled slightly, and she placed a hand to it as if to quiet it down like a grumbling Litten.
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“Aurelie, you’re being too kind to me. Between the food—” She couldn’t help but immediately pluck a chive and aioli-drizzled crabcake off the plate and bite into it, her mouth curling up at the edges in pleasure at the vibrant flavor. “—And the compliments, I’m going to be swept away.” She said this lightheartedly, but felt the uncomfortable weight of truth behind her statement.
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Trying to be friendly but aware of her sudden nervous tension, she reached out and playfully brushed a strand of hair behind Aurelie's ear. Then she blushed at the romantic way it might be received and took another appetizer from the plate. The tempura-battered shrimp was a light appetizer and delectably tender but it was still hard to swallow on top of how uncertain she was feeling, now facing her very beautiful and thoughtful friend.
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“How did you know I’d be starving?” Xiura looked back at the bustling bubble tea bar, seeing as Clefairy and Hatterene served several patrons with their desired drinks. It had been hours since she ate last, now that she thought about it.
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“To new beginnings and new adventures,” she said, taking a twin glass of coffee-flavored bubble tea and meeting Aurelie’s toast.
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As the gifts were distributed and people started to open their mystery white elephant treasures, Xiura curiously looked at the fancifully wrapped gift she received before setting it down on a nearby table and carefully opening it.


Xiura looked around, wondering who had put together such a wonderfully thoughtful gift. “This is so nice! And there are so many things inside. Would you like to try any of the creams or bath salts, Aurelie?” She looked at her friend, her eyes widening upon seeing a remarkably familiar package in her hands.

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Xiura shivered as the icy heads of bountiful Eiscue cooled the waters below a temperature she would normally consider comfortable. If she didn't get out of here soon, she'd become a popsicle!
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She sat atop her Milotic, whose coiling tail periodically let the waters slosh over her; it couldn't be helped. Something needed to be done.
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"Milotic, use Twister!" she commanded, teeth clattering from the chill. Maybe the resulting winds could push some of these Eiscue away.
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After several hours of set-up and ensuring all was perfect for the Rocket holiday party, Xiura's bubble tea bar was in full swing. Several silver-cast tea jars stood poised on the back wall, containing milk tea powders of many hues. Xiura's Pokemon were all on standby, ready to serve the most popular flavors they had to offer, with a bar of toppings ranging from herbal jellies and popping fruit-flavored pearls to creamy flans and savory milk caps. Clefairy and Hatterene oversaw the mistletoe-decorated bar of ordering patrons, while Poliwhirl and Incineroar crafted the drinks.
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A flash of red caught Xiura's eye: Aurelie Lefevre, her plus one, dressed in a beautiful ruby-colored gown. She looked beautiful! Xiura felt her heartbeat stutter at the sight of her. So many times before she had seen her friend dressed to the nines, but it felt different now, after all their adventures and conversations together.
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Once things settled down into a steady flow with the bubble tea bar, Xiura would have to go over and meet her. She tried to wave, but her attention was distracted by Clefairy's interaction with a customer.
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"Clefairy?" Clefairy inquired, confused by Elisabeth Fiorelli's request for alcohol.
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Xiura responded apologetically to the Rocket underboss, taking a moment away from monitoring Incineroar at the convection stovetop as he boiled bouncy tapioca pearls. "I'm afraid we do not serve any alcohol at this bar. There are several waiters with various drinks!" Xiura attempted to wave over a nearby server for Elisabeth, but Clefairy quickly jostled her arm aside and proudly set forth a coffee-flavored black milk tea.
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"Or if you need some caffeine, Clefairy has made a strong brew just for you." Xiura beamed. Her attention divided by the various stations at the bar, she did not notice the flask slipped to Elisabeth by the newcomer, ALOE EON. Meanwhile, Hatterene floated a freshly poured cup of taro bubble tea to Aloe.

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