Disclaimer: Don't Own Pokemon!

A/N: So here's the much anticipated (at least I think so lol) conclusion of 'This Gift.' Again, much apologies for the nearly 4 year wait and I promise never to do that again! Hope you guys enjoy!

This Gift

Chapter 3

Ash allowed himself to sigh aloud as he watched the rolling waves of Red Rock Isle break along the shore, causing a heavy mist to settle in the air. The sun beamed brightly, despite the fact that it was the middle of winter, as he and Pikachu roamed the beach, taking a much needed and deserved break from the hassle the Whirl Cup Competition had brought him.

It had been nearly 4 days since he had been re-stationed back in the Johto region and asked to host the Whirl Cup Competition opposite Mai, the newest sea priestess. He had left his home, his friends, and, worst of all, his grieving girlfriend back in Cerulean while he had been whisked away to do his duties as master. Though Misty had wanted him to go, to fulfill his promises as the League Master, he was hard-pressed to do so considering the state he had left her in regarding the death of her Corsola. But, in the end, he relented if only because he knew she needed some time to herself.

'Though that didn't stop me from calling Brock and the others to make a surprise visit,' he thought, smiling to himself and hoping everything had gone on without a hitch. Brock had been more than happy to plan a visit to Cerulean to cheer up the girl who had been like a sister to him and had made phone calls to all of Ash's other friends as well, telling them about the emergency trip to their friend's hometown. Ash had been elated when Brock had accepted, especially given the fact that Christmas was a mere few days away.

'Don't worry, buddy. She's already taken care of,' Brock assured his younger friend.

Ash sighed in relief and afforded himself to lean back in his seat on the train that was taking him back to Pallet Town, 'Thanks Brock. This means a lot to me and I'm sure it'll mean a lot to her too.'

'Don't mention it. I'll call up a few of the others and see if they can make it too,' Brock responded, 'We'll take good care of her for you until you get back.'

'Thanks again, Brock!'

And that had been the last time he had spoken with the Pewter City native. Ash could only hope they had made it to Cerulean City alright.

"Chu!"

Pulling on Ash's pant leg, Pikachu was excitedly pointing into the ocean, off into the distance at a school of migrating Lapras and Magikarp. Seeing the pokemon swiftly careening across the ocean's surface made Ash think about his own Lapras fondly and he sighed in reminiscence. He had met Lapras in the Orange Islands while running an errand for Professor Oak and had befriended it after it had been so sorely mistreated by its former trainers. After earning the Lapras' trust, it had agreed to travel with them and Ash, in turn, had agreed to help it find its family.

He had had many good times with his Lapras and Ash couldn't help but wonder if maybe his Lapras had been among those that were migrating across the ocean.

"Cor?"

"Hm?"

Looking down, Ash spotted two inky black eyes staring back up at him, framed by spiky horns and a pink and white body. The tiny spiked creature was waving its rock arms at him and jumping in place with a happy grin as it continued to say its own name with glee. Ash rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. It couldn't be…

Suddenly, Ash felt himself being drawn back to another time, a time when he, Misty, and Brock had traveled through Johto to Yellow Rock Isle…they had met a family of entrepreneurs and had visited their 'Corsola Ranch' off the coast where they specialized in creating art and jewelry from the shed horns of the many Corsola that had inhabited their home…there was one renegade Corsola among the bunch that had stood out and had proved to be a worthy adversary and, eventually, a part of the family…

"Pika!" Pikachu pointed, indicating the baby Corsola that had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

Ash was forced out of his mental reverie and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"A-A Corsola?" he stuttered, apparently not having imagined it.

"Cor corsola!" the water-rock type cheered, spinning in circles and hopping merrily around Pikachu, "La corsola!"

Laughing, Ash knelt down to its level and gave it a pet on one of its spiky horns, "Easy there boy!"

"Cor…"

"Err…I mean, girl?"

"Corsola!" she cheered again, grabbing Pikachu's arms and dancing by the water's edge, as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu laughed chasing the baby Corsola up and down the beach as the waves continued to break along the shoreline.

Ash laughed to himself and, standing up, looked around for a trainer. All that met his gaze were vacant beaches and the distant sounds of Pikachu and Corsola playing in the sand near the surf. They were literally the only ones on the beach. But then, where had this Corsola come from? If it didn't have a trainer, was she simply separated from her pack, perhaps in the middle of her migration?

He walked over to where Corsola and Pikachu were splashing each other with sea water and got there just in time for Pikachu to shake his fur and receive a face full of salt water.

"Ah, Pikachu! Cut it out!" shouted Ash, shielding his face from the water splashing from his pokemon's fur.

Pikachu, not noticing his trainer behind him, ceased in his shaking and placed an embarrassed paw behind his head, "Chaaa."

Chuckling, Ash wiped his face with his sleeve, "So, has this little Corsola told you where she's from?"

"Kachu," he said, shaking his head in response, "Pi pikachu chu pika pikachu," he said by way of explanation, stating that the Corsola had no trainer and was just wandering the beach of her own free will.

"La!" she exclaimed, tackling Pikachu suddenly to the ground. And Ash couldn't suppress another laugh from escaping his lips, for this little Corsola reminded him so much of Misty's Corsola.

A sudden beeping from the confines of Ash's pocket broke him out of his reverie and forced him to turn his attention to his pokemon league issued cell phone, indicating he had a text message waiting. Flipping the device open and scanning its contents, he let out an exasperated sigh. He quickly tapped in a new message, sent it, and stuffed the phone back into his jacket pocket.

Standing up, Ash gave a loud yawn and stretched, "Come on Pikachu, break's over. We're needed back at the competition."

"Chu…" he whined, lowering his ears in dejection at leaving his new play pal.

Ash bent over and pet Corsola's spiked head once more, "Thanks for playing with us Corsola. We had a lot of fun," he smiled, ushering Pikachu back onto his shoulder and waving goodbye to the wild Corsola as the pair made their way back to the stadium.

"Cor?" she cocked her head in confusion, wondering why her friends were leaving so soon. Instead, she ran over to Ash and Pikachu's retreating forms and rubbed her head affectionately along Ash's pant leg.

"Huh?" Ash looked down and let out a light chuckle, "I'm sorry Corsola, but we really have to go. Maybe we can come back later to play some more."

"Pika!" Pikachu promised, giving Corsola a thumbs-up.

"Cor!" and, out of nowhere, Corsola executed a powerful tackle attack, sweeping Ash clean off of his feet and causing Pikachu to fly off of his perch on Ash's shoulder and head first into the sand.

"Ow!/Cha…" Ash and Pikachu groaned together, Pikachu's mouth and ears full of the course grainy stuff and Ash rubbing his backside in pain. Corsola, seemingly oblivious to the discomfort she had just caused the two, landed on Ash's lap, chanting excitedly at the two fallen companions, "Uh…Pikachu, what's she saying?"

Pikachu pricked his ears up, trying to shake the sand from out of the crevices while listening to Corsola's request, "Pi pikachu pika pi chu," he explained, patting Ash's pokebelt and pointing to Corsola.

"She wants to join us?" Ash clarified, and got a nod of the head from his friend in confirmation, "Is that what you really want Corsola?" he asked, redirecting his question back to the water-rock type.

"La corsola!" she exclaimed, hopping eagerly in his lap.

"Hm…what do ya think pal?"

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu responded, jumping up and imitating Corsola's enthusiasm.

Ash placed a hand under his chin in contemplation, his eyes glued to the baby Corsola in his lap and thinking that his decision to take this little Corsola under his wing could either be a very good thing or a very bad thing. On the one side, he could place her under Misty's care, but would his girlfriend be furious at him and think he was trying to replace her own Corsola? Or maybe she would accept it with open arms, seeing the similarities between her own and this baby and learn to love it just as much as her other pokemon. It was still too soon of course to tell how Misty would react to this new addition to her team.

Sighing, Ash was left to wonder if he was simply digging his own grave when he reached for his belt to unclip an empty pokeball…

***4 days later***

Misty lightly hummed to herself as she busied herself with mixing Mrs. Ketchum's famous cake batter. Christmas Day had finally arrived and Misty couldn't be more excited, if only because Ash was slated to come home that night after being sent to the Johto region to host the Whirl Cup the past week.

The day had turned out to be far greater than she could have ever imagined and she couldn't help the tiny smile that graced her lips. After her friends surprise arrival a few days ago, the group had been busying themselves with setting up the biggest Christmas party they've ever had. May and Max's parents had joined them all the way from Petalburg, as did Mrs. Ketchum and Professor Oak from Pallet, as well as Brock's parents and his nine brothers and sisters from Pewter. Misty couldn't be happier at the outpouring of love she had been feeling with her friends and family around and, with all the commotion, she had no time to feel guilty or sad about Corsola.

That wasn't to say that she had completely forgotten about her trusted friend who had so tragically lost her life several weeks prior – Misty still visited Corsola's empty tank everyday – but she felt the grief get steadily easier to bear and she found herself smiling more than crying when she thought of her good friend and the times they shared.

And Misty knew she had her family, friends, and, of course, Ash to thank for that.

"Misty, dear?"

Turning, Misty came face to face with Delia, Ash's ever doting mother. She had arrived along with Professor Oak the day before and had immediately started the Christmas day preparations in anticipation of her son's arrival back to Cerulean City. Ever since Misty had known the single mother, she had always been a constant wall for Misty to lean on, even spanning her younger years when she and Ash had first started traveling together. She had truly been the female role model that Misty so desperately lacked in her life – her sisters didn't exactly fit into that category – and Misty knew she would never be able to express how much she truly loved and admired the woman standing in front of her.

Misty smiled and, pouring the batter she had been mixing into a sheet pan, asked, "What is it, Delia?"

Misty still felt odd every time she called Ash's mother by her first name, for as long as she had known her she had always been 'Mrs. Ketchum' to her. But his mother had insisted she start calling her Delia, especially after they had started dating.

Delia looked thoughtfully at the young gym leader and gave a small sigh, "I was just wondering how you were dear. I know we haven't had much time to talk since I've been here, what with all the preparations and everything. I just wanted you to know that I'm here if you need to talk."

Misty set down the bowl, wiping her hands on a nearby towel and reasoned that it was times like these where Misty truly understood what Delia meant to her, not only as Ash's mother, but as the kindly, head strong woman she had come to know and love. Delia had always treated Misty like one of her own, even more so after Misty and Ash had confessed their feelings for one another so long ago…even after Misty thought Delia would resent her for taking away her 'little boy'…and even after Misty was forced to stop travelling with Ash for the sake of her family's gym.

"Yeah, I know. I've just been trying to keep myself busy and not think about it. Having everyone around helps too," she smiled, leaning her back against the kitchen sink, "Everyday it gets a little easier."

Delia smiled and took a few steps closer, placing a firm hand on the younger girl's shoulder. Delia loved this girl with all her heart and couldn't imagine the pain she had gone through over the past few weeks, especially after Ash had left to fulfill his duties in the Johto region. Misty had been the daughter Delia had never had and, as much as she loved her little boy unconditionally, Delia had always yearned for a daughter of her own. And, to Delia, Misty filled that spot perfectly.

"I know how much it killed Ash to leave you, especially after what happened…but just know that he loves you with all his heart and he's looking forward to being back home real soon," Delia explained cheerily.

Misty giggled, accepting the older woman's kind words and joked, "I'm sure he's more eager for your cooking than anything else!"

"Oh, I suppose you've got a good point," Delia smiled fondly, thinking back to her son's seemingly endless appetite, "He'll be so surprised that everyone was able to come out and celebrate with us. It's been so long since we've all been together like this," she reminisced, remembering the times when she, Ash, Brock and their various travelling companions would come to Pallet and celebrate the holidays before inevitably seeking our more adventures in new regions. Delia had always been the celebratory type, no matter how much work was required of her during the holidays; she simply loved having her house filled with the laughter and joy of her son and his friends throughout the various seasons.

Suddenly, Delia found herself caught up in a strong embrace and smiled as she embraced Misty back, cementing her feelings for the young gym leader who had stolen her only son's heart.

"Thank you…thank you so much Delia…for-for everything you've done for me. You'll never know how much I appreciate you and everything you do," Misty whispered, and Delia could hear all the emotion and love spilling out of the young girl and immediately felt assured that she would be okay, given the time to heal…she would be okay, because she was strong and because she had the love and support of everyone around her.

"Oh Misty dear…" and Delia could feel her own eyes welling with tears as she gripped the young girl in a tight, motherly embrace. Pulling back slightly and caressing the longer locks that framed Misty's face, she responded, "I couldn't be happier or luckier to have such a caring, loving young woman to call family."

Misty smiled brightly, wiping the few stray tears she had let fall, and nodded at Delia, accepting her kind words and feeling the same way.

Before Misty or Delia could say more, however, their moment was broken by the incessant ringing of the doorbell.

Max's voice rang excitedly throughout the gym, "Ash is here!"

At the announcement, both Misty and Delia wiped away any remaining tears and smiled at one another. A second later, they heard the doors to the gym open and a flurry of welcoming words from their friends ensued, followed by Ash's own deep voice expressing his surprise and happiness at seeing his friends for the first time in months.

"Where are my mom and Misty?" Delia and Misty could hear Ash ask and they could almost envision him looking this way and that for his mother and girlfriend.

"I suppose that's our cue," smiled Delia, taking Misty's hand in her own and leading her into the entry way, "Ash, sweetie, I'm so glad you're home."

Delia rushed her son and engulfed him in a bone crushing hug, Pikachu nearly getting crushed in the process

"Haha, good to see you too Mom," chuckled Ash, returning the hug and watching as his mother slowly pulled away from him to give him the once over. Ash's smile faltered, however, as he noticed the slight red tinge in his mother's eyes, as if she'd been crying, "Uh…what happened?" he whispered and she merely shook his worries aside and pulled Misty to the forefront of the group of friends, "Hey," he murmured, pulling her into a firm hug and noticing that her eyes were also tinged pink, "Everything okay?"

Misty smiled up at him and nodded her head, "Never better. Welcome home," she whispered, giving him a light kiss on the lips, "You too Pikachu," Misty giggled, scratching the pokemon lightly behind the ears, receiving a contented purr from the electric type.

"All right! Let's get this party started then!" announced Brock, excitedly uncorking a bottle of champagne.

After several hours of eating, drinking, and sharing some of the more exciting battles Ash had witnessed the past week, everyone was gathered around the 10 foot tall Christmas tree situated in the gym's main arena, complete with lights, decorations, and a horde of gifts underneath. All the occupants were chatting merrily, sipping hot drinks, and curling up on the makeshift couches the Waterflower sisters had set up around the tree.

Misty sat on one of the couches with her legs curled underneath her, letting her drink warm her chilled hands and her insides. Ash sat to her right, draping a loose arm around her frame and discussing all the battles he had seen to Max in great detail. The young teen's face lit up with fascination as Ash had just finished telling him about a Goldeen, who most would think too weak to battle a fully evolved pokemon, crushingly defeat a Lanturn in less than 5 minutes.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Max exclaimed, "I never knew Goldeen was such a powerful battler!"

"If trained properly, any pokemon has the potential to be powerful. It's not all about evolution, but unlocking the pokemon's true power," Ash explained and Misty couldn't help but stifle a giggle, as Ash's little lecture had reminded her so much of how Brock used to lecture him when they were kids.

Max slapped his fist into his open palm and nodded, "Oh, I see now! What an amazing story Ash!"

"That's Master Ash to you Max," commented Norman, Max's father, sternly.

Max rolled his eyes at his father's formalities and had to resist the urge to stick his tongue out when Ash said, "Oh, that's okay Norman; Ash is just fine. We're all family here and while I'm home I'd rather not think about my duties until I have to go back," he laughed, still uncomfortable with his title.

"So who's ready to open gifts?" announced Caroline, May and Max's mother, who had just finishing placing the last gift on top of the already enormous pile, "Max, sweetie, can you give me a hand?"

Once the gifts had been successfully doled out and the pokemon released to enjoy the festivities, everyone eagerly dove into their respective piles, fawning over this and that, throwing words of thanks across the room, and simply enjoying each other's company.

Before long, the arena was a mess of torn wrapping paper, tangled ribbons, and strewn gifts.

And as Ash looked around the room at his friends and family, he knew there was no better time to do what he had counted on doing all night long.

Tapping his glass loudly, as to get the room's full attention, Ash stood, staring out at the sea of people he considered close friends and family.

"I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out and spending Christmas with us. I know it can be a very hectic time of the year, but we appreciate you taking the time out of your busy lives to spend it with us nevertheless," Ash paused, considering his words very carefully before taking a seat on the arm of the couch, and continuing, "These past few weeks have been a real rollercoaster for all of us, especially Misty," and he took her hand in his own, "And we just wanted to let you all know how much we appreciate your love, words of comfort, and support."

"We would've never gotten through this hard time without any of you," Misty added softly, staring out at her friends and family with a smile.

Ash nodded and then, remembering his main reason for gathering everyone's attention, pulled a pokeball from off of his belt and handed it to Misty.

"What's this?" she asked, fingering the pokeball lightly and feeling a familiar warmth emanating from within.

"Your Christmas gift."

"You caught a pokemon for me?" questioned Misty thoughtfully.

"I didn't exactly catch her, she sorta followed me," he chuckled, remembering his chance meeting with the energetic pokemon and hearing Pikachu's 'chu' of agreement.

"Come on Mist, open it," urged Brock, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa.

"Oh I bet it's a beautiful water type pokemon!" cooed May enthusiastically.

Misty eyed the mysterious pokeball with a smile, wondering what on Earth her boyfriend had brought her. And, with a shrug, she released the creature within. As the mysterious, yet familiar form materialized in front of her, Misty knit her brows together, until she realized what exactly the pokemon was and dropped the pokeball with an audible gasp.

"Cor corsola!"

Misty's eyes immediately lit up in both surprise and adoration at the baby pokemon, who was excitedly jumping up and down saying its own name in delight. And, all at once, Misty was brought back to a time that didn't seem so long ago in which she had caught her own Corsola off of the coast of Yellow Rock Isle. The little Corsola that had scared all of her friends away as a result of misplaced tackle attacks…the same sweet little Corsola that Misty had been so excited to battle and, eventually, capture…the same Corsola that had stolen Misty's heart and become a permanent fixture in her family…

Without even realizing it, tears came to the corners of her eyes, but, despite that, she found her heart a little lighter, for they were tears of happiness, of closure…of new beginnings.

And the little baby Corsola leapt into her lap, somehow sensing that Misty was to be her new trainer and friend and cuddling affectionately against Misty's torso.

She couldn't help but giggle at the playfulness of the baby pokemon and pet her spiked head in both love and acceptance, "Oh Ash, she's adorable," Misty cooed, wiping a few of her stray tears away. She could hear Ash let out a deep sigh of relief at her reaction, and she couldn't help but wonder if he thought she would reject his 'gift.'

"She's so cute!" exclaimed May, clasping her hands together and coming closer to examine the rock-water type.

"Yeah, dual types are totally awesome!" cried Max excitedly, pushing his sister aside for a closer look and receiving an annoyed 'Hey!' in response.

"La corsola!" the pokemon giggled, clearly amused at the siblings behavior and, as if remembering something, she wiggled one of her spiked horns at her new trainer to try and get her attention.

Misty saw this and, confused at her pokemon's behavior, cocked her head to one side, until she saw it and gasped.

'It' was in the form of a beautiful, yet simple princess cut ring.

Misty wasn't quite sure how she had missed it in the first place and awed at its simplistic beauty and what it meant for her. Sensing movement to her left, Misty didn't have to wonder for long as Ash was kneeling on bended knee, grasping her hand gently in his own.

Seeing him in such a vulnerable position made her heart leap and her voice caught in her throat at the implications of his actions

"Misty, I know these last few weeks have been rough, but I want you to know that I will always be here for you," he gave a sincere smile and tried to gauge her reaction – shock? – but wasn't quite sure what to make of it, "I always want to be the one you turn to when you're sad, I want to be the first person you see when you wake up, and I want to have the chance to have a family and grow old together."

"Oh, that's totally sweet!"

And Misty had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at whichever one of her sisters had broken the moment. The impromptu interruption, however, allowed Ash the time to relinquish some of the nervousness he had been feeling and redirect his thoughts on the big question.

Still chuckling from the outburst, Ash redirected his gaze to his girlfriend and asked the question that had been on his mind all night, "What do ya say Mist? Will you marry me?"

And with that cheeky grin, those youthful, energetic brown eyes she had come to adore so much, and that ever present confident, yet boyish personality she had fallen in love with all those years ago…how could Misty possibly say no?

"Yes," she whispered, almost inaudible at first before repeating herself to be heard among her family and friends, "Yes, yes, yes!" she exclaimed, pouncing on him and throwing her arms around his neck in affection and love.

Ash was knocked to the ground in a fit of chuckles and wrapped his arms around his now fiancée, feeling a tremendous weight being lifted off of his shoulders. In his mind, he saw that going about a million different ways from what had actually happened, but regardless, he was both relieved and elated at the outcome. He was engaged and she had said yes! And he was counting his lucky stars, thinking himself the luckiest guy in the world, but had he really expected anything else?

And all at once, Ash felt Misty's soft lips smother his own, warming his insides and making him realize that this was the start of their new lives together, that their futures were now inevitably intertwined, that he would have the opportunity to live and grow with her, to have a family of his own, and have the chance to never leave her side again.

He could faintly hear the cheering and congratulations of his surrounding friends and family and, reluctantly, pulled away from his beaming fiancée, pulling her up to a standing position and quickly slipping the ring onto her finger.

Misty glanced at the new symbol of love on her finger and marveled in its beauty, "Ash, it's beautiful."

"Just like you," he whispered, smoothing a strand of her loose hair behind her ear.

"Too cliché!" they heard Brock yell.

Both Ash and Misty chuckled, throwing dirty, albeit, playful looks towards their best friend. In good spirits, Brock placed his arms around the newly engaged couple, wanting to be the first to formally congratulate them.

"Congrats you guys," he smiled, squeezing their shoulders in brotherly affection, "It's good to see you finally taking the next step."

"Thanks Brock," the couple smiled, returning his brotherly hug.

"I'm so proud of you sweetie," cooed Mrs. Ketchum, her eyes teary with unshed tears for her 'little boy' and her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

"Congrats!" they heard Gary, Tracey, Max, and May shout simultaneously, not to be left out.

"Our, like, baby sister is getting married!" squealed Lily excitedly, latching onto both Daisy and Violet as if they were her lifelines, but the two sisters hardly cared. Their little sister was getting married and to a pokemon master at that! Life just didn't get any better than that, the sisters mused in silent thought.

"Pi pikachu!"

"La corsola!" and the baby Corsola jumped into the arms of her new trainer, reveling in the warm feelings of happiness, love, and overall cheer she felt when being around these new people. She snuggled within Misty's grasp and knew that this was where she was meant to be…with her new family and friends…she had finally found her place.

Misty hugged her Corsola and vaguely remembered feeling Ash's arm around her shoulders as her thoughts trailed to that of her first Corsola. Perhaps, in some ethereal or spiritual sort of way, her old friend had sent this little one to be her new companion, to be by her side forever, to fill the emptiness Misty had experienced at her own loss, and to give her that constant pokemon presence that she so desperately needed.

And, as Misty felt the warm body in her arms wiggle and snuggle within her embrace, she couldn't help but thank her lucky stars for her own Corsola's guidance and knowing that she was finally on the road to recovery.

Glancing briefly out the window at the starry sky above, Misty could have sworn she saw a twinkling not attributed to any of the stars and smiled knowingly.

'Thank you Corsola and Merry Christmas.'

The End

A/N: I hope I gave everyone the ending they were expecting with all the lovey-dovey mush and Xmas cheer and crap haha. And for some strange reason, I always seem to make Brock an alcoholic in my fics lol, oh well, go figure! And sorry for all you Dawn lovers, but I feel like I need to watch a few DP episodes before I include her with the exception of 'Drowning.' Reviews get me through the day and make writing so much more enjoyable, so please take the time to tell me what you all think of it. Please no flames! Not sure I can handle that sort of criticism so soon haha! Enjoy all and happy holidays!