A Christmas Dance

It was a silent, winter night in the region of Hoenn. In a large, stone building, there was a coming together of some of the greatest trainers in the world. All were welcome, coordinators or trainers, it didn't matter. Some of the most recognizable trainers were there, Steven, Diamond, Cynthia, and Plantina were just a few of who came here. The building held strong against the blistering winds, and the damp snow, protecting all who was in there with all it's might. Today would be a wonderful, and romantic night for the trainers, particularly a very familiar couple...

A young man, around the age of nineteen, sat in the red armchair, clinking the ice inside the wine glass. He had white hair, which was swept back for this occasion, slightly tanned skin, and ruby red eyes that burned with passion. He wore a black suit, with white, puffy frills coming out around the collar, his hands bearing white gloves. "Ruby! What's the time?", a feminine voice asked from the bathroom. Ruby glanced at the large clock on the wall, seeing that is it said 8:30. "It's eight-thirty my love!", he said, his voice deeper than when he met his eternal love. There was a moment of silence before the voice broke it, "Alright! That means we have an hour-and-a-half left." Ruby nodded, taking a small sip of the sweet, bitter wine, "Yeah..." He sat there, glancing around the hotel room, which was decorated in a red theme. The wallpaper was a scarlet red, the bed had deep ruby blankets, with soft red velvet pillows, and the room was carpeted in a soft, deep pearl color. It was easy on the eyes, yet very vibrant. He took a deep breath, sighing in content, 'I wonder what kind of dress she has on,' he wondered, eager to see her gorgeous outfit.

In the bathroom, was a young woman, a year younger than the dashing man in the room outside. She had deep sapphire eyes, that seemed to emit a calm aura around her, and brown hair, which was bundled up behind her head, raised to a few inches above her head, along with fair, soft skin. She had a white dress on, getting lacy along her wrists and ankles, and fair, white gloves that fit on her hands with a good grip. At the moment, she was readying some long, sapphire earrings that hung down three inches, adorned with golden sides. "Sapphire! Are you ready?", Ruby called out, knocking on the door with his knuckles. The girl looked back, lowering the earring, calling out, "Almost! Just give me a sec!" She heard footsteps, probably her lover going back to his armchair, before she tried putting the earring on again. It took several minutes, but she got it on. "Perfect," she said to herself quietly, turning towards the door. She took small step towards the door, "Ruby, wanna take a look?" The man looked up at the door, saying, "Sounds good." Sapphire made a small giggle before unlocking the door, pushing it forward. Ruby was absolutely dazzled by the sight, "S-Sapphire?!", he said in an astonished manner. The girl nodded, making a pose in front of Ruby, "What do you think, my love?" Ruby's face turned a bright, scarlet red at this. He got up to his feet, and walked over to her, "It looks lovely, my dear." They exchanged a small kiss, before Sapphire asked, "So....Shall we go down to reception?" Ruby nodded, holding her hand gently, "Yes, and everybody will be jealous of that gorgeous outfit." Sapphire giggled, hiding her mouth with her gloved hand, "Thanks!" They left the room, going down to the reception hall.

Once they got there, they were greeted with an unusual sight. A black haired boy, around the age of eighteen, waved to them with his left hand. "Hey there!", he exclaimed, nearly shouting out across the hall. A brown haired girl, with a blue dress, and long brown hair, walked up to him, whispering, "Tyler. Please don't embarrass me." The boy looked at the girl, patting her head, grinning widely, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine, Jasmine." She groaned, rolling her light brown eyes. She faced away from him, putting her hand on her forehead, shaking in doubt, 'Maybe I should have went by myself.' Ruby walked, hand in hand, with Sapphire towards the trainer, observing his features. He had black hair, but blonde streaks as his hair covered the right side of his face, and red eyes, more or less like Ruby's. He wore a black and red over-shirt, having a white T-Shirt underneath, and black and white exercise pants. His feet were exposed to the cold floor, as well as the cold air. "So.....What is your name?", Ruby asked, raising a brow towards this character. Tyler put out a wide grin, raising out his hand, "My name is Tyler! You?" Ruby looked at his hand for a moment, before shaking it, "Ruby." The man looked at the right sleeve, noticing that it just hung there, as if nothing was there to hold it. "May I ask what's wrong with your arm?", Ruby asked, nodding towards the sleeve. Tyler looked at it, saying with a smile, "Sure! I don't mind!" He slid the right part of his jacket off, then pulled up his T-Shirt sleeve, revealing a bandaged stub. Sapphire looked at it in shock, asking, "H-How did that happen?!" Tyler sighed, putting his over-shirt back on, "Long story short, a good friend of mine betrayed me." Ruby nodded, saying calmly, "A Tyranitar, I'm assuming?" Tyler looked at him in shock, asking, "H-How did you know that?" He nodded towards Jasmine, who was turning a little red in embarrassment, "She told me last year we came here." Tyler looked at Jasmine, asking, "Did you?" Jasmine looked up at Tyler, tears streaming down her face, "I'm sorry! I thought, he needed to know..." Tyler looked at Ruby, saying, "Why would she tell you?! I don't even know you!" Ruby just chuckled, rubbing his hair, "Well....I guess it's because I'm the champion." Before Tyler could say anything more, Jasmine held his wrist, saying, "We need some punch! And a cocktail!" She quickly ran away with Tyler to the refreshments table, looking incredibly nervous. "Ruby? Do you think that.....", Sapphire started, looking at Ruby with curious eyes. Ruby shook his head, "No. He's been through a lot. I can tell." Sapphire wanted to question him, but thought better of it as they walked through the bustling crowd.

The Communion Hall was decorated with long, green strands, hung on the walls, twined together with several red strands. There were refreshment tables on each side, spanning the walls, filled with various drinks, and foods. It ranged from alcoholic drinks to the innocent punch bowl, and from the roast Turkey to the bowls of fruits. "My! It really looks like they've outdone themselves this year!", Sapphire exclaimed, looking about the fancy hall. In the middle of the room, was a carved ice statue of a legendary pokemon, one which Ruby recognized immediately as a Regice. "I agree with you there," he said calmly, amazed at how life-like the ice sculpture looked. "Hmmmm....", Ruby said to himself, rubbing his chin in a curious manner, observing the statue from various angles. Sapphire giggled at his actions, saying, "Oh Ruby! We all know that whoever made it is a fine craftsman." The man nodded, before walking back to his lover. "No doubt," he said calmly, holding out his hand, "Shall we see who else is here?" Sapphire smiled, saying in a perky manner, "Alright!" They walked through the hall once again, seeing many familiar faces. In a few moments, they noticed two trainers, whose faces they have never seen before. It was a couple, and a very cute one at that. The first was a boy, around seventeen, who was dressed in a tuxedo, much like Ruby's, except instead of black, it was a very dark blue. His brown hair was combed to the side, his brown eyes full of joy and happiness, and he faced Ruby with a smile, "Oh....Hey there." Ruby raised a brow, asking, "Are you new here?" It was always nice to meet new trainers, but some just got on his nerves. The boy nodded, "Why yes, I am..." Then, from behind him, a girl, around fifteen, wrapped her arms around his chest, saying, "Gotcha, Diamond!" The boy looked back, blushing wildly while saying, "Not now, Plantina! I'm trying to make conversation here!" The girl poked her head over his shoulder, showing off her blue hair, most likely tampered for the occasion, and her gentle blue eyes. "Diamond, who are they?", she asked her boyfriend, pointing towards Ruby, then Sapphire. "That's what I was just about to get to," Diamond said in a tone of annoyance, before facing Ruby again. "Anyways, what's your name? Mine's Diamond, as you probably already know," the boy said, nodding towards Plantina, while raising his hand. "Oh, mine's Ruby," he said, shaking Diamond's hand in his usual manner. "And that's Sapphire, the love of my life," Ruby said, giving the graceful girl a peck on the cheeks. "Ahhhh, thanks Suite-Pee!", Sapphire exclaimed, giving Ruby a small hug. "Soooo...Anyways, this here is Plantina," Diamond said, pulling Plantina towards him. She wore a black dress, which sparkled in the chandelier light, along with graceful high heels. "Yep! That's me!", she said, giggling a little before looking over at Sapphire. Her jaw immediately dropped at the sight of her, "S-Sapphire?" The young woman looked at Plantina, saying, "Yeah, that's me." Plantina's face completely blew out into a smile, embracing her in a hug, "Oh my gosh! It's been forever since I last saw you!" Sapphire looked at Ruby nervously, completely not knowing what was going on. "Huh?", was all she managed to make out from the sudden hug. Plantina looked up at her, saying in a very excited voice, "You..I remember you all those years ago! You were performing in a super contest in Hearthome." Sapphire just nodded slightly, remembering performing there several times before. "You dazzled the judges with the beauty you, and you're pokemon portrayed, winning first prize with ease. I was in the stands, watching what it took to be a coordinator. When you performed, I was left speechless, and completely inspired by your performance!", Plantina said, almost blurring her words together at some points. Sapphire just nodded, almost not wanting to meet a fangirl at this fancy party. To her...well...It just killed the mood in an instant. "Yeah...So, what do you do anyways?", she asked Plantina, wondering what she was getting at. The girl giggled, before saying, "I'm just like you! A coordinator!" Diamond walked towards them, saying, "I'm sorry for her behavior. She sometimes goes on rants about how you inspired her," he said, glancing at Sapphire nervously. The woman gave a small shake of the hand, chuckling slightly, "It's no problem...Always nice to meet a fan." Diamond rolled his eyes, saying, "Tell me about it." Ruby glanced at the boy, asking, "You haven't told us what you do yet." Diamond looked back to Ruby, before nervously saying, "Oh, right!" He reached into the pocket of his pants, bringing out a small, metal case, opening it in front of Ruby. Inside were several shiny badges, clearly polished everyday. Ruby counted them, to find that he had seven in total. "Well, you're a competitive, huh?", he said to Diamond with a smile. "Yeah," Diamond said nervously, kicking the floor some with the heel of his shoe. Ruby was about to talk some more, before he felt something grab his arm. "Sweetie! The speech is about to start!", she exclaimed, looking towards the stage. The lights dimmed slightly, a spotlight appearing on stage. Everyone turned towards the stage, watching a young blonde woman, about the age of twenty-seven, walk near the microphone, clearing her throat. Behind her was a large Christmas tree, adorned with a wide variety of lights and ornaments, a small plastic Frosslass, shining with a white glow, sat upon the top, watching all. The woman grabbed the Microphone, saying, "Welcome to the Sixth Annual International Christmas Ball! We would like to say that we thank everyone who came here, new, or old faces." The crowd clapped, eagerly listening in to the woman's speech. She chuckled slightly, her red seloquine dress sparkling in the spotlight, "Allow me to introduce myself," she said into the microphone, her sky blue eyes sparkling with delight. "My name is Cynthia, Current Champion of Sinnoh." With that said, the crowd clapped again, some making cheers, other making insults. "N-No way!", a voice said in disbelief. Ruby looked over, seeing Diamond's jaw hung open. "You have got to be kidding me...", he said, almost in disbelief that he would have to fight a woman. Cynthia continued her speech, saying, "Alright. Now then, let me say that I see a lot of young couples out there. Are you enjoying your time?" There were some nodding and shaking within the silent crowd. "Alright then! Now, let me say that today, we have gathered here for an occasion that happens only once a year. I am talking about Christmas Eve. A night full of promise, and happiness for all to share! I would just like to say, before I take off stage, Merry Christmas everyone!", Cynthia exclaimed, giving out a small kiss out into the crowd. The crowd clapped, and cheered, amused by her simple, yet striking speech. As she walked off stage, soft, dancing music played, echoing throughout the large hall. Ruby looked at Sapphire, raising a hand, "Shall we dance, my love?" Sapphire nodded, taking his hand into hers, "Yes. I would love that."

The dance between the two began with Ruby placing his hand around her torso, then on her hips. He was sure to be very gentle in this motion, as to not ruin the romantic mood. Sapphire sighed in bliss, wrapping her arms around his chest, gently holding him close. The music seemed so...soothing, and romantic, just the right music for a slow dance. Slowly, the two took gentle steps, blocking out the complete world as they danced in their romance.

~Well after midnight~

The door to the hotel room slowly creaked open, shedding light upon the dark-colored room. In came Ruby, and Sapphire, wearing wide smiles as they entered the room. "That was amazing! I didn't know you could dance like that!", Sapphire exclaimed in a excited tone. Ruby chuckled, saying, "There are many things that I don't even know myself!" The couple went into a harmonious laugh, before they shut the door together. Sapphire slipped her fancy, dancing shoes off, placing them on a mat by the door. Ruby did the same as well, letting off a small smirk as he asked, "Well....What shall we do now?" The young woman wrapped her arms around his shoulder, before saying in a suggestive tone, "How about something sweet?" Ruby got the notion, yes, but the ceremony nearly drained him. He slipped off his gloves, making a small grin, "Maybe tomorrow, on Christmas day." Sapphire looked at him, a little shocked at the refusal, but she understood. "Alright....", she said, pressing a finger upon his lips. "Let me get changed into something more comfortable," she notioned towards the closet, sliding the doors open so it blocked Ruby's view. The man shrugged, walking towards the bed. He half jumped, and half collapsed on the bed, landing on the soft blankets, and pillows. Soon enough, Ruby felt something land on the bed next to him. He glanced over with his deep red eyes, to see Sapphire, dressed in a suggestive Santa costume of sort. His face turned a deep red, saying, "W-What are you doing?" She looked at him with large, blue eyes, almost in a puppy-like manner, saying, "I bought this for you when we were at Sinnoh....." She crawled over to him, laying across his stomach, asking, "Do you like it, perhaps?" Ruby didn't know what to say! He was completely surprised by what Sapphire was wearing! "Uhhh....Uhhh...Perhaps?", he said in a nervous manner, letting off a small chuckle. She winked at him, saying, "It's alright." She crawled into the blankets, the top of her hat falling across her face. "I just thought, since it's the morning of Christmas, why not bring Santa with me?", she explained, letting off a girlish giggle. "Y-Yeah...That's true," Ruby said, sitting up on the edge of the bed. He took off his formal clothing, leaving nothing but a pair of black boxers. He sighed in relief, getting into the blankets with Sapphire. "Feels so good to be out of that stuffy outfit," he said in an exhilarated tone. Sapphire giggled, placing an arm around him, "And the best part is...." They looked at each other, their faces turning a bright red, "We have each other to celebrate the holidays." Ruby gave her a passionate kiss on the lips, before saying, "Good night...." He winked at her, saying in a joking manner, "Santa's little helper." Sapphire giggled lightly, taking her hat off, and placing it on Ruby, "Good night, Santa." With that, the two fell asleep in each other's arms, in eternal bliss as they awaited morning to come...