Bright drops of glistening snow fluttered down from the soft gray sky, each flake honing the gentleness of a Beautifly's graceful wings. The icy precipitation powdered the ground in white, its crystalline light glowing faintly against the glass window.

Holly leaned forward, perching her shoulders on the sill beside her bed as she breathed out a quiet sigh, her breath planting a circle of fog on the glass surface, but not big enough to obscure her eyes from the sight she was pleading not to see. Every morning since the month of December had arrived, she'd woken up to the same wintery sight, and every morning, a bit of her heart chipped away until the solemn pieces surrounded her, as still and unmoving as the snow piled on the ground outside.

The dim reflection in the window revealed her tired grimace. Seeing snow used to invigorate her in a way that nothing else could, but now it only served as an unpleasant sight—a ghastly reminder—that she wished would just go away.

She moved her body away from the windowsill and sighed again, laying down and pressing her body deep into her mattress. Tresses of her honey-brown hair cascaded over her half-closed eyes, her Snorunt-patterned blankets pulled high over her head.

"Holly!" She could hear her mother's voice beckoning her from downstairs, but the brunette drowned her ears into the depths of her pillow's comfort, snuffing out the worry and dread that crawled out of her mother's voice and into her heart. She couldn't handle it yet—it was far too early. She squeezed her eyes shut, clutching the fabric of her nightgown as her mother called once more.

After a moment, however, the room was blessed with silence, but as Holly slowly opened her eyes to the darkness of her covers, she began to feel as though silence was a curse.

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Holly glanced around the empty room as soon as she reached the bottom of the staircase before shuffling toward the couch. As soon as her body met the soft cushioning of the cream-colored sofa, she let herself relax as she found the remote.

She didn't watch television very often, and the slight probability that she would always plummeted whenever her parents were around. She couldn't stand their pitied gazes following her whenever she entered a room they occupied, so much that she even began eating her meals only in the solitude of her room.

She rested her head on the armrest as she flipped through various channels, boredom dimming the color of her amber eyes. Most of what was featured were battling specials that were bound to excite a certain few, but even after a year of being absent, she couldn't deny that nothing had ever sparked her spirits like the glamorous world of figure skating.

Then she saw it. Her breath hitched as a beautiful woman strided and glided across a shimmering icy stage, the glittery hem of her ruby-red dress swirling with every graceful movement.

Holly's legs began to ache with yearning as the woman spun her body into the air—not once, not twice, but a third time.

"And there you have it, folks! Another beautiful axel combination from the lovely Grace!"

Holly sat up in her seat, the color in her eyes on the verge of vanishing as they drooled with envy upon gazing at the television screen. She was so entranced that she didn't notice the front door open, and she started at a sudden tap on her shoulder.

Holly shrank back as her head whipped to the side, her eyes quickly absorbing the sight of her mother.

"You're out of your room," the woman beamed, sliding a red curl behind her ear as she smiled down at her daughter.

Holly relaxed her shoulders, but she began edging her body away from her mother. "Mhm," she voiced, her gaze focused on the hem of her dress.

She could see her mother's slight movements through the blurred lens of her peripheral vision, and the brunette tensed as she saw the red-headed woman's slim figure slip into the seat next to her. She could feel an expectant gaze resting on her, and the crawling feeling made her want to retreat upstairs.

Voices from the television echoed around the room, but the couch seemed to hold a unique air of silence. Holly's mother shattered that silence, her brown eyes lingering on her daughter even more as she spoke.

"This is a nice show," she said harmlessly, leaning back. "Wouldn't it be nice to go outside?" To someone on the outside, the two sentences would seem completely unrelated. But Holly knew better. She frowned at her mother's prodding. It seemed as though nowadays that her parents had taken on the role of life coach, coaches she didn't want nor need.

She stifled a groan, sigh, or any other verbal form of objection her body could muster. Staying silent in these situations was her go-to, and unlike many things, it never let her down. But as guilt pricked at her very conscious, Holly reconsidered this idea. When her mother's quiet concern became unbearable, she gave in and turned to the woman.

"I'll... Go for a walk, okay?"

Holly's mother sprang up, almost bumping into the coffee table in her excitement. "I'll go with you!"

Holly began backing away, in the direction of the front door. "N-no," she muttered. "I want to go by myself, if that's okay."

The look of disheartenment was clear as ice on her mother's face, but the woman recovered rather quickly, likely elated at the sheer fact that her daughter was going outside for once. "Okay! In that case, I'll make flan!" She gave Holly a wink. "Your favorite!"

"T-thanks." The red-headed woman dashed for the kitchen, and Holly grabbed her snow boots and headed out the door just as fast.

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Holly shivered as a cold wind whisked past her nose, and she immediately regretted not bringing a scarf with her. Staring at the snow was a lot different than being in it. She had been inside the house for so long, she'd forgotten what winter felt like.

Nevertheless, she trudged through the snow, flakes of the white precipitation pouring down and kissing her head. Holly felt a smile creeping through her lips, but a familiar sadness began ebbing at her heart, killing the grin before it had the chance to emerge.

She shook her head and continued her stroll, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her pink hoodie as she observed the neighbourhood. Even after months of not seeing it, Sleetdrop Town had barely changed from the quiet, sleepy place that it was.

In the midst of looking around, Holly spotted a bench sitting next to a street lamp. A fresh layer of snow blanketed its surface like ash, and if she hadn't been paying attention she was certain she'd have missed it.

The girl brushed away a good amount of the cold white powder before sitting down. She fiddled with a lock of her hair and breathed out a sigh, watching as a small cloud slipped from her lips.

"Del!" Holly started at a strange noise, head whipping from side to side as she tried to identify its source. At first she expected it to be a human, and she was already sliding towards the edge of the bench, hardly eager to speak to anyone. She stopped moving, however, when she detected something small moving in the snow.

A bright red flipper jutted out from a pile of snow nearby, a muffled noise emanating from the spot. Holly narrowed her eyes as the creature finally emerged, and her body tensed as she recognized it.

The creature shook drops of snow from its red and white body, the thick feathers adorning its face swishing with the movement. The Pokémon then cocked its head in Holly's direction, staring at her with round, black eyes.

"Not you," she whispered as the Delibird waddled towards her, a look of sheer innocence shining through the white gleam of its eyes.

"Del," it chirped, clutching onto its sack-like tail. Holly scooted towards the end of the bench as the Delivery Pokémon tried to climb on, flapping its flippers with all its might, yet failing as it ultimately remained grounded.

Instead, it waddled in front of Holly, staring up at the girl as it held open its tail. The brunette met its nonchalant gaze with disgust, drawing her legs up to her chest in an effort to stay as far away from the creature as possible. If there were anything she'd let it near, it certainly wouldn't be her legs, not after what happened.

"What the heck do you want?"

"Del." The Delibird remained undaunted by her obvious negativity, still holding open its tail.

Holly silently began cursing the town for its annual tradition of letting this wretched Delibird run amuck—didn't anyone know how dangerous this Pokémon truly was? Everyone let it parade around the town during the holidays, giving gifts to random people, all of whom were oblivious to the fact that in reality, the red-and-white thing was only trying to deceive them with the disguise of happiness and generosity. But she didn't trust any of it for a second, not when those two things completely stabbed her in the back.

"I don't want it!" She waved her hands in the annoying creature's face, hoping it would understand and go away. "Get outta here!"

But the Delibird didn't even so much as blink, remaining in its exact same position. "Del."

Holly narrowly stifled a scream, instead bending down to reach into the bag. Whatever it is, I don't need it!

As soon as her fingers met whatever the gift was supposed to be, her mind was already set on chucking it as far away as possible. But when she pulled the present out, her brain and muscles went still.

Her eyes met with a white pair of ice skates, material trimmed with glittery orange lines. Just then, the invisible shield she tried to keep pressed against her mind broke, and a memory split into her brain, plunging her into that moment of the past.

Excited chatter bouncing from wall to wall, a spotlight illuminating the stage, the tender whine of a violin alongside the light chime of a piano, and a confident girl mesmerizing the crowd. Then a failed triple axel, and something she should never have attempted.

Her vision blurred. The music stopped. Then came the gasp of the crowd. Then a crack. And then total silence.

Holly dropped the skates as she jumped up from her seat, horror and fury prickling through every pore of her skin. I am not letting that happen again. Her breath came out in quick, short gasps, and her heartbeat accelerated until she could hear the erratic thumps drumming against her ears. She ignored the Delibird's curious chirp and sped away, running as fast as possible.

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As Holly began eating, her parents hovered over her, anticipation buzzing from the two like a pair of anxious Combee. Ignoring the unwanted crowdedness of the kitchen table, Holly kept her eyes directly on the plate of dessert in front of her. She had been graced with a sweet pudding as yellow as a Chingling's body, a spot of delicate whipped cream dashed onto the center. The flan's surface was coated with caramel, and a pleasant aroma drifted from the brown, liquidy confection.

"How is it?" her mother asked, despite the fact that her daughter had yet to even take a bite.

Holly frowned, the thought of the Delibird fresh in her mind. It made her dessert feel rotten. "It looks good," she said with a shrug, twirling a puddle of smooth caramel with her silver spoon.

Beaming like all the sunshine in the world had occupied one person, Holly's mother twirled around the kitchen before she leaned against a counter, clapping her hands together as she gazed out the window.

"I hear the Saint's out at this time of year," she exclaimed. She smiled with her whole face as she brought her attention back to Holly, who shrank under her mother's extreme cheerfulness. "I bet it's handing out presents."

Holly's father contributed to the pain by nodding at his daughter a bit too vigorously. "Wouldn't be crazy if it had some gifts right now."

The brunette huffed a sigh through her nose, plunging her spoon into her flan with more force than intended. Even so, both of her parents recoiled, and that was enough for her. The former grace she'd always held certainly wasn't to be found in her voice—she'd left that element behind at the skating rink.

"I'd rather eat than talk, if that's okay."

"I-it is okay!" Her mother's despair made her cringe beyond belief.

Shoving a spoonful of flan into her mouth before pushing her food away, Holly sprang up from her chair and headed for the door. Before her parents' unbearable stares burned themselves into the back of her skull, the brunette slid on her boots and whisked herself out the door and into the cold.

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The eager chimes of Christmas carolers had grown into a full orchestra by the time the final week of December had approached, and Holly was finding it even more difficult to shelter herself from anything that irritated her. Granted that people in the town weren't singing, they were busy remarking the fact that their "Princess on Ice" had arisen from her slumber. And staying at home was just as unbearable as it sounded.

Another fresh blanket of snow had enveloped the town, and abundant flurries were still fluttering down from the sky. Holly found herself retreating to the bench once again, wiping off a thick layer of snow and sitting down. Unsurprisingly, however, the Delibird appeared before her.

"Del?" It held open its tail, and Holly could see the new pair of ice skates inside it.

The brunette hissed out an exasperated sigh, thrusting a hand into an untouched chunk of snow. "Look," she began, crushing the white ice between her fist, "ice skating was everything to me. Skating was my entire past, and it would have been my entire future. But now it can't even be my present."

She wiped her gloved hands on the side of her coat, a glare fierce in her eyes as she cocked her head towards the silent Delibird. "So what kinda present do you have for me now?"

"Del." Delibird held out its sack, and Holly groaned at the creature's obliviousness, planting a frustrated smack on her forehead. Immediately after, however, an icy shiver ran through her nerves as chunks of cold snow stuck in the fibers of her glove collided with her skin.

She expected the Delibird to laugh, but its straight face only filled her with anger. "What do you want?" Why wasn't it off bothering someone else, anyone else? Why was it so intent on pestering her? Hadn't ruining her life been good enough?

"Del, Delibird." It lifted its sack again, and that's when she snapped.

I can't take this anymore!

She sprang from her seat and thrusted her hand into the bag, yanking out the skates the Delibird had deemed oh-so-important.

Her face scrunched up in fury until it was as wrinkled as a rotten tomato as she glared at the present. Turning away from the Delivery Pokémon, she lifted the skates above her head in preparation to throw them. She aimed at a nearby tree, hoping that once they were broken she could finally get some peace. She heard her parents' voices in her head, begging her to stop, but she tried her best to silence them.

I can't! she argued, fresh tears stinging the corners of her eyes. I can't, she decided. But right before she flung her arms forward, something small and white slipped out of one of the skates, landing on her nose. If it were snow she'd ignore it, but whatever fell onto her face was square in shape, and she recognized it as a folded-up piece of paper.

A strange curiosity dissolved her anger for a moment, and she then carefully set down the skates and unfolded the paper. She fell to her knees upon reading the note nestled inside.

"Holly, we know it's been hard for you to think about skating after what happened, but you mustn't run away from it anymore. We know you're hurting, from more than just that backflip. We don't care if you can't do a fancy spin or if you think you're not perfect. Because when you're happy, you are perfect."

Her hands trembled as she set down the letter, tears erupting from her ducts and pouring down her face. Her mind had no more arguments—her parents were right. Her leg had already healed, so why did the rest of her have to feel so broken?

Then she felt a light tap on her shoulder and glanced up to see Delibird. Instead of the passive expression it always had, its beak was curved into a smile.

Holly rose to her feet, faced the Delibird as she grinned, and voiced her gratitude before wiping her face. She wouldn't be able to account for everything she'd done—or failed to do—but she knew that she'd be able to give her parents the gift they'd been waiting for.

She picked up the skates and brushed off the snow, and as she looked at them, she could see her past—the girl that had skated so freely across the rink, bright silvery sequins of her beautiful orange costume shimmering against the ice. She was ready to make that her present.

She knew that she'd be rusty—a year-long absence wouldn't go in her favor—but she and her parents would be happy, and that would be just perfect.

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Author's Note: Hey, everyone!!
Thanks for checking out and reading my one-shot! This is one of the rare one-shots I've actually posted ^^

Though I've never really shown it, I must admit that I do have a love for figure skating! ^^ It's such a gorgeous art~

I ended up liking this one-shot a lot more than I thought I would ^^ Although I did have to cut some things to fit the word count... But I will be uploading an extended version sometime, so no worries there! ^^

Anyway, I'm glad to have been able to write and finish a story so early, especially for the PWL...!! It'll be the first thing I've entered in one of their contests, and definitely not the last ;)

So about the media... I didn't want it to seem obvious of what I was trying to do, but the song was just so good that I had to include it! ;) It's an original song composed by my friend Allone(Rt Sweet), and it really resonated with me for its heartfelt melody... Please do check out her channel! She's amazing at the piano(and singing!!)

And the first video is a skating performance done by the lovely Yu-na Kim! She's an impeccable skater...!

So, yeah, thank you very much for reading!! ♡

(Also I had always believed that Delibird just carried a regular sack all the time RIP me :') )