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Ruby was in a single word, absolutely stunned. The beautiful, soft blue colors, the shiny white body, this wasn't any normal Vivillion. This was absolutely special. She didn't know how to react, staring at them with wide eyes and a soft smile on her face. All it took was that cry of theirs and Ruby instantly fell in love. They were so gorgeous, it was so stunning, they were beautiful, adorable, oh she couldn't stop herself from stepping closer and holding out an arm for the Vivillion to land on top of.



"You're so pretty..." She spoke with a soft tone, unable to keep the ever so slight tears of excitement out of her eye as she looked upon her. It was one of the most precious gifts she had ever received, and it was from a dead-pan Santa in the middle of the frozen tropics. She couldn't take her eyes off of her, just smiling goofily the entire time. "I... I think I'm going to call you Snowflake. Just as pretty and one of a kind as you are."

Darling the Indeedee, of course, took this as a time to get some more snacks for her self-assigned charge while she was distracted. There was nothing wrong with a few sweets during the holidays, especially if it kept Ruby in such high spirits. The small Pokemon gently placed the fortune cookie down onto the arm of the seat Ruby had been sitting in to make sure she didn't forget her other gift too before slowly starting to make her way across the entire room.

Ever so slowly and with a calm manner about her, Darling slowly managed to pick up a chair from over the room and place it down directly in front of the dessert table. It took her a few seconds to be able to climb up onto the chair itself with her short height but eventually managed to do so with a little bit less grace than she would have preferred. Slowly standing up, she'd politely curtsy to anyone looking at her before carefully placing a few of the closest snacks onto the serving plate she had been using.

- - -

Outside, Opal is having a lot of fun with her new friend. She's making slow progress, pushing some of the snow into larger and larger balls. Without hands, it's rather imprecise, but the fossil Pokemon has plenty of patience, slowly pushing them around. Of course, what she was trying to accomplish was anyone's guess at the moment.

notes: Ruby is ecstatic about her new gift, meanwhile Darling the Indeedee heads to the dessert table to get some more snacks for her. Opal is still doing her thing.

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She honestly had no idea what had gotten into those Pokemon. Just how often did wild Pokemon fight each other? Was it a common occurrence? She gave a polite wave to the interesting trainer, excitably holding the now filled Pokeball in her hands. Of course both of these little guys needed to make it to a PokeCenter, Ruby affirmatively nodded her head. However, at the question of the color of her latest catch, Ruby physically couldn't help but smile a little bit. "Y-yeah. I pretty much know all the pink Pokemon, and I've never heard of a Sneasel before. So I'm guessing it's not a normal color, heh. But that just makes it all the more special! Gonna have to take good care of 'em."

"Uh, whoops I forgot to introduce myself. My name is uh, Ruby." She curtsied towards the other individual, only to quickly tuck her hands back into her jacket to stay warm. "I'm just on my way traveling through the route. Are you uh, heading anywhere in particul-" She couldn't even finish this sentence either before they were suddenly interrupted by even more Pokemon.

A Kirlia suddenly out of nowhere teleported in right next to the two of them. Looking at the two of them with large wide eyes, almost as if it was a bit worried about something in particular. It wasn't hurt, but the rumbling in the bushes in the distance seemed to imply something else was chasing after them. "Oh my-" Ruby spoke softly, her eyes quickly glancing towards the bushes, then back down at the Kirlia. "You don't think that like, maybe the ice-type pokemon in the route are kind of fighting for space with the normal inhabitants, perhaps?"

With the Kirlia seemingly looking for protection and with Ruby hopefully optimistic that it would work she carefully held out another empty Pokeball and tried to capture the worried-looking Kirlia.

notes: Route 116: Normal/Psychic. Ice spawns as well. Attempted capture of the Kirlia!

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So this was the strategy, it seemed. They were aiming to distract Whisper, confuse her, possibly even anger her to get her to react irrationally. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was going to work. Whisper narrowed her eyes once more, staring intently at the dancing Pokemon. Even Ruby was getting a headache from looking at them for some reason, but oddly enough, Whisper's focus didn't break. She did seem confused, but not in the traditional sense. More akin to questioning what they were doing, as compared to being mesmerized by their moves.

After seeing Whisper mostly unaffected, Ruby couldn't help but smile a bit wider. Now was the time to act! They could either simply go in for an all-out attack or perhaps something different. If this was Lilligant's fighting strategy, then making sure she was prepared to stay calm despite the overwhelming music and dance moves felt like an absolute must. "You got this, Calm Mind again! Really focus."

Whisper let out a slow, deep breath. In and out. The tentacle arm atop her hat simply swung back and forth slowly, ticking to some unknown metronome directly in contrast against the beat echoing around them. The psychic energies swirled up even brighter than before, the pink-ish swirls giving the Hatterene an almost unearthly look about her.

notes: Used Calm Mind x2. Magic bounce reflected on your permission. o/

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Oh dear. Music. Normally, Ruby would have absolutely enjoyed listening to the music the Pokemon would be making, but from the face on Whisper's face, she was clearly struggling not to run over and smack the grass pokemon playing instead of her actual opponent. Ruby bit her lip, putting faith in her and hoping that somehow, she'd actually manage to keep herself in check. "N-no! Uh, not at all, Miss Alfric."

As soon as they were told to begin, Ruby suddenly wracked her brain for how to handle a Lilligant. It was just a grass type, right? Hopefully, it only knew grass type moves and nothing that would really devastate her girl. However, Whisper certainly looked incredibly worked up. That anger was only going to get her somewhere bad, she could feel it. If she attacked any of the Pokemon not in the battle, the gym leader might call off the battle entirely! Determined not to let it get that far, Ruby spoke with a soft voice knowing better than to shout at her, especially now. "Whisper. Use Calm Mind. Relax and focus, you can do this."

Upon hearing Ruby's words, Whisper's eyes narrowed. Clearly reluctant to tear her eyes away from the band, she eventually let out a deep breath as she grew silent. A relaxing, almost calming presence would surround her as Whisper's psychic energies began to slowly spin around her, almost akin to a physical representation of her focused state.

Ruby immediately smiled upon seeing Whisper finally calm down, but that time spent focusing was definitely time that she left herself open to her opponent. Hopefully optimistic, Ruby silently cheered her on.

notes: Used Calm Mind.

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She was on the nice list, apparently. The thought was incredibly grateful, bringing a bit of a wider smile to her face. Of course, her eyes only opened up incredibly wide as an even more flustered expression spread across her face. A pokemon? Her eyes quickly drifted back towards him, the Pokeball, and back towards Silph. Of course, her very first instinct was to give the man a hug, but judging by his rather stern personality that probably wouldn't have gone over well. He even denied a cookie from Darling, which earned a bit of a strange look from both her and her pokemon. Wasn't that... something she had heard from TV? Just who was this mysterious well-meaning yet blunt Santa Claus? Regardless, she gave him a soft wave as he left, glad he decided to stop by.

As Annie took some cookies, Darling certainly wouldn't stop them from taking as many as they liked, only grinning and tilting her head with a satisfied smile. Ruby would give a little wave, giggling at the girl as she walked away. Maybe next year, she should do something similar. Spread joy like that... Or rather, why wait? Perhaps she could find something to do that would make everyone happy tonight. Unsure of what to do, her attention returned to the Pokeball sitting carefully in the box.

It certainly wasn't any kind of Pokeball she was familiar with, but that was okay. The design just had to be from something special! She'd figure exactly what it was in a little bit, but for now, Ruby carefully stood up to her feet and brushed off the cookie crumbs from her lap. With a curious expression, she opened the Pokeball and awaited whatever would come out.

notes: Ruby reacted to the Santas leaving, and opened the Pokeball. Annie also could have taken as many cookies as she desired.

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Cait Alfric. It was definitely a pretty name, she had to admit that. However, at the mention of it only being a one on one battle, Ruby stiffened a little bit. She knew every gym had a different challenge to overcome, but this suddenly put her in a bit of a complicated situation. Slowly pulling out her pokeballs, Ruby internally began to debate.

Whisper was obviously her strongest, or at least Ruby thought so, but there was nothing to help her type-wise against the gym leader's pokemon. It would be a straight battle against strengths, seeing who could overpower the other the fastest. But on the other hand, quite literally as Ruby raised the Pokeball to look at it, Aurorus was a rock/ice type with some powerful ice moves. She'd be at a heavy risk of a type weakness herself, but the type advantage from her moves was also incredibly compelling. It took her a few seconds more to decide. The risk just wasn't worth it. Slowly, she tucked all the other Pokeballs away, leaving Whisper the Hatterene in her hands.

With that in mind, Ruby slowly made her way over towards her proper position. A nervous look on her face, she slowly kissed the Pokeball, whispering to it. "You can do it, Whisper. I know you can." With that said, Ruby quickly released her, the psychic/fairy pokemon standing tall, perfectly still as her eyes adjusted to the field around her. Taking in everything, she stared at the gym leader with an impassive stare.

notes: Summoned Whisper the Hatterene to the field.

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Ruby didn't know what to expect, but somehow she looked exactly like she would have thought a gym leader in such a beautiful environment to look. Casual clothes that could easily get dirtied and cleaned, weaving a basket. Of course, the two Pokemon to her sides only made her eyes widened. That music was being played by Sceptile? It was so beautiful! A shame that it stopped as soon as she entered and spoke, of course. Hopefully, they really didn't mind if she stuck around afterward. This was such a wonderful place, it just felt so lovely.

As soon as she was asked for her name, Ruby quickly straightened up, brushing off her shirt before speaking. "Oh! Uh, my name is Ruby Walker. I come from the Galar region, and I uh, well, I'm trying to establish myself as a trainer!" An excited, yet nervous grin spread across Ruby's face as she slowly walked closer. Once within a few feet, she'd awkwardly curtsy trying her best to be polite and give this beautiful woman across the room the respect a talented trainer like her no doubt deserved.

Ruby was struggling for words to say to continue to conversation. Growing up where she hardly spoke at all, social interactions were always complicated even if they really shouldn't be. "Umm, so uh, may I ask your name, Miss? I'm sorry, I was just, so excited to challenge the gym, and so excited to see such a beautiful place, it didn't even cross my mind until now."


notes: N/A

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Ruby was pleasantly surprised to see just how many people were already here. And in such beautiful attire too! There was this one lady in the room with a gorgeous dress! She couldn't see who it was from here but she made a mental note to give them a polite compliment on it later. For now, Ruby was simply content to enjoy the warm, festive environment, eating cookies slowly as she watched people around her. There was nothing wrong with people watching, in fact, sometimes it was more fun to her than actually being involved in the conversations directly.

Of course, that didn't seem to be what was planned. Before she could do get up and do anything, a man dressed up in costume with a decorated Sceptile came towards her! She only was able to know what kind of Pokemon that was, since Treeko was one of the most popular starters for the region, but seeing him all dressed up and decorated encouraged a quiet giggle out of her. As he spoke with that robotic tone, she was just about to giggle again and thank him, before a gift was given to her. Ruby's eyes opened up widely, a soft, nervous blush forming on her face as she stared at the light blue box now sitting on her lap. "O-oh my, thank you."

However, before she could open the present, a familiar face also dressed in a silly costume stepped up beside the man and spoke out as well with a loud voice. It was a good thing Whisper was back in her room, surrounded by lots of blankets to keep the sounds out, otherwise, that would have been enough to summon her. And yet, Ruby couldn't help but blush even more at the second gift given to her all of a sudden. "O-oh goodness, I, oh thank both of you. This is too kind."

Unsure what else to do, she smiled sweetly, her cheeks a soft shade of pink, she cracked open the fortune cookie, making sure to read and acknowledge the smaller of the two gifts before opening up the large one. ‘Be a generous friend and a fair enemy?' Why, how lovely of a quote. She gently set the cookie down on Darling's little plate to eat along with the rest of her assorted cookies. Of course, this prompted the passionate little Indeedee to hold up the tray, offering cookies to both of the costumed Santas. With a careful hand, she slowly unwrapped the box and took a small peek inside, her curiosity and nerves combatting against each other.

b2oUKSfH

- - -

Outside, Opal was simply having the time of her life playing in all this snow. The large piles of snow she had been forming were carefully being rolled into massive balls of snow, pushing them around with the top of her head and gently pushing them with her feet. However, with the addition of a cute little friend coming along, Opal slowly kneeled down, encouraging the Vulpix to climb onto her back if she wanted.

notes: Ruby accepts both gifts, incredibly flustered! Darling offers cookies to the two Santa Clauses, and Opal makes a new friend.

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Ever since she heard of the name of the ball, Ruby knew that she had to attend no matter what. After all, she had Opal the Aurorus herself was definitely enjoying the snow. The large, frozen dinosaur pokemon was currently outside, slowly walking around as it watched all the excitement happen. A whole ball themed around the ice and snow? No wonder she was excited. Ruby simply let out a relaxed sigh, smiling at the sight from the warm inside. She would be out there with her, but not only did she trust Opal to be okay on her own and have fun, but she was wearing a dress! To head outside, she'd need to change into the proper attire! This cute, pastel-blue dress was in no condition to keep her warm outside.

Suddenly, Ruby felt a gentle nudge against her arm. Blinking in surprise, she turned to notice another one of her Pokemon, Darling, standing there with a little play full of snacks for the girl. A little bit of everything they had to offer. Her eyes widened immensely, her joy practically infectious as Darling herself was unable to help but smile as she politely just held the plate for Ruby as she grabbed a cookie from the plate. "Thank you, Darling," Ruby spoke softly. Taking a small bite out of the cookie, her free hand reached over and affectionately rubbed the Indeedee's horn. Satisfied with making Ruby happy, Darling let out a soft hum of joy.

"You know?" Ruby spoke softly to Darling, continuing to take gentle nibbles out of her cookie as she watched Opal slowly rolling some of the snow into larger and larger piles outside. "Mom and dad would really enjoy this. A cute little hotel, having a winter ball in the tropical region of Hoenn. Dad would get a kick out of it." She giggled quietly to herself, unable to help but grin a little bit wider as she took a larger bite out of her cookie. "Do you think you can remind me to send them a letter later? I know I can call them, but Mom's always been asking for postcards of the places I visit. " Of course, Darling only nodded her head, happy to be of service.

notes: Have fun at the ball, everyone. Feel free to interact with either Ruby inside, or Opal playing in the snow!