By Seabeast
WARNING: Wait, why am I writing a warning? There shouldn't be a warning to this fic. It's clean. Just ignore me.
DISCLAIMER: Uh...yeah...I don't own Pokémon. I just own this pathetic story idea that I wrote in two days which, according to my typing time, is faster than the speed of light.
Dear Santa, I really don't know why I'm writing you this letter. I stopped believing in you back in the 3rd grade. Kinda stupid to be writing a list of what I want for Christmas to an imaginary old fat elf, huh? Oh, well. Boredom and an empty mug of hot chocolate can do strange things to the mind.
Okay, what I want for Christmas...well, lots of things, really. A new bike, for one, and a cute outfit or two. A new Pokémon would be really nice, but that's kind of pointless to ask for. I can't really imagine you or your elves running around catching Pokémon way up in the North Pole. What would you catch, anyway? Delibird and Stantler?
I really don't know why I'm writing this right now. It's been good and dark for an hour or two and my streetlamp isn't exactly the brightest on the street. Besides, I think a blizzard's coming or something. Although it hasn't snowed yet. That's good.
Um, yeah, I'm bored so I'm going to write to you, even if I'm not going to send it. I'm supposed to be on a walk right now. I got tired of watching professional wrestling with Brock and Pikachu in the living room the Pokémon Center is lending us. A person can only hear 'Can you smell what the Brock is cooking' so many times before banging their head up against the wall in insanity.
So, I went on a walk. Actually, I was hoping to run into Ash. He's another guy I'm traveling with, and it's his Pikachu that was running around the tiny room, pretending it was a wrestling ring and gathering speed to Body Slam the Brock. Again, that insanity thing.
Anyway, Ash has been disappearing a lot lately. Just the other day, our last day out on the road before arriving here in an actual city, he claimed to be going down to the lake to wash his face and didn't return until well after dark. I admit, he's not the crunchiest cornflake in the box, but he's not that soggy. Yuck. I hate soggy cornflakes. And soggy cookies. Have you ever dipped your cookie in your milk too long and then had to eat it? I shudder at the mere thought.
Well, anyway, I've been traveling with Ash since June five years ago, and Brock since late July. How I have survived is a mystery even to me, but that's not the point. I should be telling you what I want for Christmas.
Okay, so by now you've probably realized that I like Ash. Unless, of course, you're just as dense as he is, which is a very scary thought when you stop and think about it. It figures that of all the cornflakes crammed into that tiny box I would fall for the soggy one. Not quite as crisp as I'd have preferred, but he's nice, and brave, and he really does have a good heart. Once he catches on to what's going on around him, of course.
Okay, so I really like him, and...yeah. He has absolutely no clue. Like I said, he's not the brightest crayon in the box. Although, just mention the word Pokémon and he's suddenly a 15-year-old child prodigy. True, there are a few instances when he's proven himself not quite as thick as once thought, but he's only smart when he wants to be. There was one time when we had a very engrossing conversation on Pokémon intelligence, but the other day when I brought up my opinion on whether the jewel on a Tentacool was real or not, he just sort of blanked out. Started commenting on the weather. Go figure. Although it really was a nice day.
So, you're supposed to be this mystical man and all (I would kill to be able to eat all those cookies and not gain a pound, although I'm guessing that that spell backfired somewhere along the course of history) but you probably can't fulfill my wish list this year. But, really, is it asking too much...I dunno. It's not like you can make him fall in love with me overnight, even if you were real. I don't even know what I'm asking for anymore. A kiss? No, that's way too much...He goes all stiff when I sit next to him on the couch, let alone touch him.
I give up. Okay, Santa, here's my Christmas wish: Give Ash whatever he wants. Now I will seriously reconsider your existence if he suddenly ends up with a Ho-Oh or something tomorrow, but it'll make me happy if he's happy, so give him what he wants and I'll be satisfied. Is that okay? Is that too hard? I really don't know why I'm even asking. I'm going to throw this letter away as soon as it starts snowing, at which point I will be on my way back to the Pokémon Center.
So, anyway, I guess there's my list. Wonderful, isn't it? It looks more like a diary, but hey. It still surprises me that I even wrote it. I guess now I'll go and find a nice trashca
"How come you haven't mailed this yet?"
Misty jumped. Her frozen fingers almost dropped her pencil, but she managed to hold on to it and hide the letter she had been writing at the same time. "Ash! What are you doing here?"
Ash grinned from his position behind her and flopped down next to her on the curb. "I've come to ask why you're out in the middle of a blizzard writing a letter to Santa-which, need I remind you, should have been sent ages ago."
Misty stared at him. "Ash, it's not even snowing yet."
"True, but when it does and you're stuck out here it'll get pretty cold, especially for someone from the ocean." He paused for a minute, looking down at the folded letter in her hands. "So how come you haven't mailed that yet? It's Christmas Eve already, Misty. If you still hope to get something from him you'd better send it soon."
"Ash, have I ever told you you're insane?"
He grinned. "Many times." Then, before she could react, he snatched the letter out of her hands and danced off with it, keeping it well out of her reach as she made wild grabs for it.
"Ash! Give that back! And since when were you taller than me?"
"Since I grew! And I'm not giving it back till I read it! I wanna know what you're asking Santa for all alone out here on a street curb at eight o'clock at night on Christmas Eve!"
"Ash, no! That's private!"
He stopped dancing around, but he still wouldn't give her the letter. "Aw, come on, Myst, just let me skim through it."
"No!"
"Are you finished writing it?"
"Yes!"
"Okay." He made a move as if to give it to her, laughed, and dropped it into a mailbox that had ironically been sitting there the entire time.
Misty froze. "Ash! That-I-It wasn't even in an envelope!"
"So? Santa will know what it is."
She stared at him. "What?" asked Ash, genuinely confused. "I sent mine out while we were stopped in the last city."
"Ash, we haven't been in a city in almost a month," Misty said, frowning. Ash was definitely confirming what she had told herself long ago: he was nutters.
"Yeah, but you can never be too sure where you'll be next," said Ash, wagging a finger at her to stress his words.
"Wait a minute," Misty said suddenly. "You wrote a letter to Santa? What did you ask him for?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. He turned away and led her down the dark street in the direction of the Pokémon Center. It was now that Misty noticed the huge grass stain on the back of his jacket.
"Ash," Misty said, concerned. She stopped him and turned him around to face her. "What happened to your jacket?"
Ash frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Your jacket. It has a huge stain on it."
"It does?" Ash turned around in circles, grabbing the hem of his jacket and trying to see what Misty was talking about. Misty sighed and stopped him, then pulled his jacket around for him to see. "Oh, that stain..." he trailed off, staring at it.
"What happened?"
"Oh, I um...fell...earlier..."
"You fell," Misty repeated.
"Er, yeah-"
"On the snowy ground-"
"Uh-huh-"
"-and got a grass stain."
"That's ri-I mean, um, I fell near the um, lake, where there isn't any snow and the ground is wet."
"Ash, the nearest lake is five miles away."
"So?"
Misty sighed. She obviously wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him right now. But what would he lie about? She wanted to press him, but flakes of snow had begun to fall and she was getting cold. She could wait until they got back to the Pokémon Center. Then maybe Pikachu and Brock could help her.
"Come on, clumsy," she sighed, tugging his collar. "We can wash this at the Center."
Unlike most Pokémon Centers, this one offered its guests a large bedroom adjoining a nice, clean bathroom, a very small kitchen, and a common living room complete with a large television, a couch, and an armchair. Ash and Misty found Brock and Pikachu sprawled out on the couch, sleeping. The credits to what must have been a wresting movie were scrolling down the TV and a forgotten bag or Fritos lay beside Brock's outstretched arm.
Ash and Misty grinned, the same thought coursing through both their minds. Together they tiptoed up to the pair and, at a nod from Ash, began frantically tickling them.
"Iiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!"
"Chaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaahh!"
The Thundershock everyone received in the moment of confusion was pretty powerful, but it didn't stopper Ash and Misty's fun. The end result yielded two teens balled up on the floor in uncontrollable laughter, a Pikachu covered from head to toe in crisped Frito crumbs, and a hyperventilating Brock clutching his heart in shock. Everyone was still spewing smoke, which was quickly filling the room, making everyone cough and adding to the total confusion.
"You guys!" exclaimed Brock, wafting smoke away from his nose to speak. "What'd you do that for?"
"Pika Chu Pika Pika, Pikapi! Ka Pika Pika, Pikachupi!" Pikachu chattered angrily as he shook his bristling fur in an attempt to loosen the charred chip crumbs.
"You guys...sleeping...screaming...hilarious..." gasped Ash before breaking out into another fit of giggles. Misty was in no condition to talk, despite various tries, so the next few minutes consisted of a huge Frito fight following Brock's noble dead-on first throw at Misty's head.
An hour later, after everyone was worn down and the mess cleaned up, Misty remembered Ash's jacket.
"Brock," she said from her comfortable position on the couch. "Ash...fell...earlier, and he needs to wash his jacket.
Brock grunted something inaudible from the armchair.
"What?"
"Laundry room's downstairs branching off from the lobby."
"Well, go on," said Misty, shoving Ash's legs off of the couch. "Get up and take care of it."
"I dun feel like it," he said from beneath his hat. "I've had a hard day and I just want to go to sleep."
"That's new," Brock mumbled.
"Ash, you haven't done anything all day," Misty pointed out, ignoring Brock's comment. "And if you don't wash it soon it'll never come out."
"Fine. Come on, Pikachu."
"Chu."
"Come on and I'll ask Nurse Joy for a packet of gourmet ketchup on our way back up."
"Pika! Pikachu!"
Misty watched the pair leave before turning to the armchair. "Brock, what do you think Ash did to his jacket?"
"I thought you said he fell."
Misty shifted to a more comfortable position and said, "Well, that's what he claims, but he's not a very good liar."
"What makes you think he's lying?" Brock asked, tilting his head back to peer at her from over the arm of his chair. "Has he ever lied to you before?"
"Well, no, we promised each other not to after he found out I was a Gym Leader."
"Then he's probably not now. You know how clumsy he can be; he probably slipped on a snowdrift or something. Just let it go."
The silence that followed their small conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud whoop and a 'Pika!' from downstairs. Misty and Brock exchanged looks before rushing down to the lobby, fully prepared to spring their oddball friend out of whatever trouble he had managed to run into this time.
The sight that met their eyes upon entering the lobby was a confusing one. While Brock immediately rushed over to join Nurse Joy behind the counter, Misty stood transfixed in the doorway, staring. There was a huge box sitting beside the double doors that must have been at least as high as Misty. Ash and Pikachu were standing on an armchair they must have dragged over. The top half of their bodies were immersed in the enormous box and small Styrofoam peanuts were flying in every direction. It wasn't until one hit Misty on the forehead that she jerked out of her trance and rushed over to them.
"Ash! What are you doing, digging around in there? Pikachu! Why didn't you stop him? And why are you-" She was cut off when Ash tossed her a huge box wrapped in wrapping paper.
"Look at this!" he yelled as a huge wave of tiny blue peanuts washed out of the box. "Joy said it came in shortly after we did but she didn't have time to tell us because of some emergency! It's from my mom and Brock's dad and they're all ours!"
"What?" said Misty dumbly, catching another gift.
"Ash, what are you doing?" Brock must have recovered from his Nurse Joy phase because he was striding over to the pair, his face red.
"Pika Pika!"
Brock had to stop to avoid being decked upside the head by a small oncoming package. "Pikachu!"
"Isn't this great?" yelled Ash from somewhere deep inside the mysterious box. "This thing's loaded with Christmas presents!"
"Pi!"
"The-wha-huh?" Brock stuttered, confused.
"Come on, help me carry them upstairs!" Ash dumped an armful of presents into Brock's arms before disappearing back into the box, reappearing only to dump another load into Misty's.
"So let me get this straight," said Brock's voice from somewhere behind his stack. "All this stuff is...ours?"
"Yeah! Come on, let's get them upstairs!"
The excitement finally hit Misty and Brock, and they eagerly helped Ash and Pikachu lug everything upstairs. On their third and last trip up, Nurse Joy stopped them.
"If you'd like, I can lend you a small fake Christmas tree to put them under," she said.
Brock, who only had a couple presents agreed and followed Ash, Misty, and Pikachu up the stairs and into their room, the tree tucked under his arm.
The trio dropped their presents into the pile in the corner of the living room and facefaulted when they saw the tree Brock was holding. It was about three feet high and supported only four or five ornaments and a short string of lights.
Ash and Misty stared at it.
"Er...that's it?" asked Ash. Brock nodded, looking down and sweatdropping at the scraggly tree in his arms.
"It's-er-nice," Ash commented, a sweatdrop of his own appearing on his head.
"It's worse than Charlie Brown's," Misty said frankly.
"Who's Charlie Brown?"
Misty ignored Ash's stupid comment and took the tree from Brock. There were huge gaps between the rows of branches and if she hadn't already known it was fake she would have thought it dead.
"Brock, are you insane?" she asked.
"What? Hey, at least we have something to put all these gifts under-er-around. Come on, let's set it up. Then we can go to bed."
"But Brock, it's not even eight o'clock," Ash protested, his eyes still locked on the pitiful tree.
Brock shrugged. "The sooner we get to bed, the sooner we can open presents," he said slyly.
It didn't take too long to plug the tree in and set the presents in a somewhat orderly fashion around it. The lights turned out to be white and once Golbat's Haze settled (Brock was right; it did look like snow and it didn't melt) their scene looked halfway decent.
After much begging and pleading, Brock finally allowed them to open a large box addressed to everyone, which revealed a Nintendo 64 and Pokémon Stadium 2. While Brock puzzled over why Delia and his father would pool their money on something that they could only use while in a Pokémon Center, Ash, Misty, and Pikachu went to work setting it up. The trio took turns Battling one another with the default Pokémon provided until Pikachu's Pikachu lost to Ash's Quagsire and he stalked off to bed, Brock at his heels. Ash and Misty played a few more rounds against each other before they, too, began to tire out.
"So now what?" mumbled Ash, rubbing the sleepdust out of his eyes from underneath his cap. They were lying comfortably on the couch, which they had pulled up in front of the TV hours ago, while the ant race zoomed up and down the screen. Neither felt like getting up to turn it off.
"Get your feet off my back," Misty said lazily. "I'm going to bed." Ash didn't move. "Ash..." She kicked him. He kicked her back. She yanked the pillow out from under his head and hit him with it, knocking his hat to the floor. He grabbed it out of her hands and hit her back. Before long they had engaged themselves in an all-out pillow fight.
"Great, now I'm not tired anymore," Misty groaned, throwing the pillow down one more time from her advantage point behind the armchair.
"Neither am I," said Ash, throwing it back. "Hey, do you think my jacket's done?"
"Yeah, but the lobby's probably closed up for the night." Suddenly Misty burst into a fit of giggles.
"What?" Ash asked, coming over to her.
"Your hair," she laughed. "It's all mussed and...funny looking." She erupted into another fit of laughter. "Great," she gasped. "Now I've got the giggles."
Ash grinned at her. "Hey, you're no pixie, either," he said, riffling a hand through her hair and knocking out the already loose ponytail.
"Ash!" Misty squealed. "Now I've got to put it up again!" She made a grab for the purple band, but Ash reached it first. He held it out of her reach and flung it somewhere across the room. "Hey, what was that for?" Misty asked, calming down.
"I want you to leave it down for once," he said, messing her hair up. "You look better that way. Now come on, I wanna see what my mom sent me."
"But we're not supposed to open them until tomorrow," Misty protested, following him over to the scraggly tree.
"Well, it's after midnight, isn't it? Technically it is tomorrow. Besides, aren't you the least bit curious? I've waited an entire year for this, now I want to see what I've got!"
Misty knelt down beside him, looking at all the presents. She could hardly believe how many there were, and she was pretty eager to open them...
"Here's one for you, Myst," Ash said, tossing her a package. He was bent over a small section, trying to separate the gifts into four piles. "Me, Brock, me, here's another one, Misty, Pikachu, Brock, Pikachu, me, um...you, I think..."
Misty helped him sort through the mess and when they finished she was surprised to see that her stack was just as big as the guys'. Taking a closer look at the tags, she figured Ash's mom must have pitched in, knowing her sisters weren't very big on shopping for anyone but themselves.
"Wait a minute, Ash," she said suddenly. Ash paused and looked up at her.
"Yeah?"
"I really do want to open them, but...shouldn't we wait for Brock and Pikachu? I'd hate it if the situation were switched and I woke up to find Christmas half-over."
Ash sighed. "Yeah, I guess so..." he picked up a triangle-shaped package and turned it over in his hands, staring at it. "Although I really would like to know what this could be-besides a huge block of cheese, that is. Pikachu would like that." He kept turning the triangle around in his hands, his eyes unfocused. He looked like he was thinking hard about something. Misty just watched him, wondering if they should go to bed.
She sighed deeply and Ash looked over at her. "What?" he asked. "Tired?"
"No, I just...I wish I were home for Christmas this year. This is great and all, but it's just not the same.
"What," said Ash, grinning, "you'd rather spend Christmas with your sisters than with easy breezy beautiful me?"
She shoved him playfully, laughing. "I meant you house, Mr. Pokémon Master. My sisters won't go shopping for anyone but themselves and I like your house better. Your mom said I could stay there as long as I like, so why not call it home? Besides, she's a good cook."
"What about Brock?"
"He's great, but I'm tired of riceballs and that's all he seems to make lately."
"You're right..." Ash trailed off, staring at his stuff again. Slowly, he said, "Hey, Misty, how about we just open each others'? Brock and Pikachu wouldn't mind that, would they? Besides, I want to see how much you like mine. It took a while to get."
"I guess that would be all right," said Misty. Her heart was still racing after what he had just said. He didn't buy her anything expensive, did he? "Why, what'd you get me?"
He smiled. "You'll see. Come on, dig out the one you got me out and we'll swap."
Once found, Ash immediately ripped his open and froze as his brain processed what he was seeing. Without warning he jumped up in excitement, yelling, "PokéGear! Oh, wow, I've wanted this since it came out last year! Thanks, Myst, I dunno what to say! They're so hard to find and they're so expensive!"
"I'm glad you like it," Misty said, smiling, "but you'd better calm down or you'll wake up Brock and Pikachu." Ash sat again, but only because he was concentrating on how to work the new built-in Pokédex.
"Hey, Misty," he said after a few minutes. "Did you know this thing has Lugia? It says he's only rumored to exist. I guess I'll have to change that..." He suddenly looked up at her. "Hey, open mine now. I want to see what you think."
She stared at the package he had handed her. It fit in the palm of her hand and she was scared to think-
"Come on, Myst, open it."
Misty removed the wrapping paper and froze. It was a black box. "Ash, I-"
"Oh, just open it, Myst, you're making me anxious."
Slowly, Misty opened the box to reveal a minimized green Pokéball with a red zigzag down the middle and two thin, yellow strips. A thin golden chain pooled around it, attached to the with a small golden clasp.
Misty gasped. "Ash, you shouldn't have-"
"Of course I should have," Ash interrupted, leaving his forgotten PokéGear behind and crawling over to join her. "There's a Tentacool in there," he said proudly. "Freshly caught just this afternoon in the purest lake I could find. Sorry about lying to you earlier, I know I promised not to, but I couldn't tell you that he knocked me down when I was trying to catch him or it would have ruined the surprise." He grinned at the look on her face. "Besides, I like seeing how surprised you are right now.
"But, Ash, this must have taken weeks to find-they're so rare this time of year, and in a pure lake without salt water-"
"Yep. They're supposed to be stronger than ocean-bred ones. He's young enough to Train right, but old enough to Battle with right away. And I even used a Friendball so he would like you, although I don't doubt that he will. The chain is so you can hang him around your neck like Drake did, if you want to. I know you've wanted one for a long time and-"
He was cut off when Misty suddenly threw her arms around him in a hug, which he awkwardly returned. "Thank you, Ash," she whispered in his ear.
"You're welcome," he whispered back. She thought she felt him trembling, but she had no idea why. Was she was scaring him? She leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek and pull away, but he must have turned his head at the last minute because the next thing she knew his lips were on hers.
She felt a funny lurch in her stomach and tried to pull away in surprise, figuring Ash would too, even though she didn't want to, but Ash wouldn't let her. He gently cupped the back of her head in his hand and tightened his grip around her waist, holding her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, a warm feeling engulfing her body as she dazedly tried to hold on to reality. Ash deepened the kiss and held her tighter, running his fingers through her soft orange hair.
Lack of air finally forced them apart, but they immediately kissed again and again until the tingling feeling Ash gave Misty left her breathless in a dazed and happy trance.
He looked into her eyes and Misty was surprised to see the same look of goofy happiness on his face that she was sure was plastered on her own. He looked like he wanted to tell her something, but couldn't. He kept opening his mouth to speak and shutting it again.
"What?" she asked softly.
"You're beautiful," he said suddenly. They both blushed and he looked away. "No, that's not what I wanted to say." Slowly, he met her eyes again, his fingers still running through her hair. "I--I think I'm in love with you, Myst. At first I didn't know, but then I--I..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I think I really am in love with you."
Misty smiled, her insides fluttering. "I love you too, Ash," she said quietly. They both smiled before Ash drew her in for another deep kiss.
"And so begins the Christmas of 2001."
"Pika, Pikachu."
Ash and Misty sprang apart in surprise, feeling their cheeks go hot. "Brock!" they yelped. He was watching them through a video camera, Pikachu on his shoulder glancing back and forth between the pair and a small screen protruding from the side of the camera. Both of them were smiling.
"What?" said Brock innocently. "So I've decided to get into film making. Yeah..." he trailed off thoughtfully, the film still whirring from inside the device in his hands. "A breeder movie director. And you two will star in my first one!"
"Brock!" they yelled, their blushes deepening.
"I'm just kidding!" he laughed. "You're mom sent this unwrapped so I could film our Christmas this year. And what a Christmas it is, too! Not even one o'clock in the morning and my day has already brightened! Come on guys, like you really mean it! Let's give those old farts back in Pallet something they can really enjoy!"
"Pi, Pikachu!"
Both teens grinned before Ash unexpectedly leaned in and kissed Misty, both ignoring Brock as he moved in for a better shot.
They suddenly became aware of a faint tinkling sound from outside. For a moment their was silence as everyone stared at each other in surprise and confusion. Then Brock abandoned his camera and they all rushed over to the window, squinting to see through the thick, swirling snow.
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu suddenly cried, pointing down at the ground. Everyone turned to see a single Stantler pawing the fallen snow and watching them from its position below. Its nose was glowing a bright red and it was wearing what looked like a harness covered in bells around its neck. It threw its head once before turning and galloping off into the night, the light from its nose slowly fading as it went.
For a moment there was stunned silence. Then Misty felt Ash's arm snake around her waist as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "See, I knew Santa was real. And to think he granted me everything on my wish list this year."
Misty looked up at him in surprise. "What do you mean? What did you ask for?"
Ash looked down at her and smiled. "You."
Author's Note: Ha HA! Done! I hate this cheap keyboard I'm typing on! I keep missing Shift and Backspace! Oh well! AHEM. Okay. Did you like it? Kinda sappy, I know, but hey. It's Christmas. Um...yeah. Tell me if you want me to do it in Ash's POV too, 'cuase I've been thinking about it. Right. So. Um...thanks to Erin and Lynn for reading it before I went to my dad's and telling me it was good, otherwise I probably wouldn't have taken the time to put it up by Christmas. Okay! I'm done! Oh! I have two more Christmas fics stored up in my head somewhere that I'll try and type by Christmas Day, but I dunno if that'll happen. I'm going SNOWBOARDING next week! Erm...yeah. Kay, I'm done. BYE!!
-Seabeast