Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Pokemon franchise and never will. This is a story I wrote just for fun because I'm a fan of Pokemon.

A/N: I initially planned to post this on Christmas day, but after realizing that people most likely won't read it before the holiday is over, I decided to post it a couple days ahead of time. :)

I first got this idea when I was eleven. I rewrote it when I was thirteen, and I decided to rewrite it again. I hope the writing is okay; I kind of rushed because I was excited to get this posted. So, I'm sorry if there are any errors.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story. :)

The Greatest Gift Ever

I can't believe Ash is battling a Gym Leader... on Christmas!

A hot tear slipped down Dawn's cheek at the thought. She quickly swiped it away with the back of her hand, not tearing her gaze away from the fire that burned brightly in the Pokemon Center's fireplace. She drew her hand back to her side, pulling the soft, pink blanket—kindly provided to her by Nurse Joy—further around her body in an effort to keep her exposed skin warm.

Dawn swallowed, fighting back the tears that brimmed in her blue eyes, threatening to escape. She squeezed them shut, the event that occurred an hour before—the event that caused her this sadness—playing back in the darkness of her eyelids like a movie scene.

It was Christmas morning. Ash, Dawn, and Brock trudged through the inch-thick layer of snow beneath their feet, the buildings of Snowpoint City looming around them. The moment they stepped foot within the city limits, small snowflakes began drifting down from above. The few rays of light from the morning sun that managed to break through the gray overcast of the sky hit the snowflakes as they softly fluttered down to the ground, making them shimmer like diamonds.

A gasp escaped Dawn's lips; her blue eyes sparkled in amazement at the beautiful sight. "Oh, my gosh," she said, beaming, "the snow looks so pretty!"

Brock nodded. "It is, isn't it? This must the 'diamond dust' snow that Snowpoint City is famous for!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's really cool and all," Ash droned, waving his hand. Then, with more excitement, he pumped his fist in the air. "Now, let's head to the Gym! Badge number seven is mine for sure!"

Dawn's glee was instantly drained from her. She faced Ash, disbelief clouding her eyes. "What? Ash, you can't challenge the Gym Leader today."

"Why not?"

She scoffed. How dense can he be?! "Don't you know what today is?!"

Ash paused, his brown eyes rolling up to the sky as he considered her question. "Wednesday...?" he answered uncertainly.

Blood beginning to boil with rage, Dawn stomped one foot on the ground. "No, Ash! It's Christmas!"

"Okay... So, what does that have to do with me challenging the Gym Leader?"

"Ash, Christmas is a special holiday. It's one of the rare times of year when you can relax and spend time with friends and family."

"Well, my family's all the way back in Pallet Town!"

"You're not the only one who's away from your family today! Haven't you considered that? My mother's in Twinleaf Town, and Brock's family is in Kanto, too! The three of us spending Christmas together as friends is all we can do, so could you stop being self-centered for once and let us all enjoy it?!"

Brock chuckled nervously, stepping closer to the two with his hands outstretched. "Please calm down, you two. We can't enjoy Christmas if we're fighting..."

"Oh, I'm the self-centered one?!" Ash shouted, ignoring their older friend. "You're the one who's self-centered, Dawn! If you were a good friend, you would come support me in my Gym battle rather than whining about some holiday!"

"Ash, that doesn't even make any sense!" Dawn heaved a sigh, trying to cool herself down. "Look, your Gym battle can wait for tomorrow, can't it? I don't want to spend Christmas watching you battle a Gym Leader."

Ash huffed. "Well, you don't have to, then! You can spend Christmas alone for all I care!"

Dawn gasped, a sharp pain striking her heart. She gazed at him with wide eyes, wondering if he had actually spoken those harsh words.

However, he simply glared back at her. "I'm going to go challenge the Gym Leader." Without another word, he whirled around and walked away down the snow-covered street.

Brock cast an apologetic look at her. "He didn't mean that, Dawn. You know how Ash is: Battling is pretty much the only thing on his mind, and he's probably just a little upset that you tried to interfere with that." With a small smile, he patted her shoulder. "I'm going to go with him to the Gym, and when we come back, we can spend the rest of the day together like you wanted. I'll see you later."

The Breeder then walked away, following the angry Trainer, but Dawn still stared in shock, tears brimming on the corners of her eyes. She was so overwhelmed by the hurt and anger left by Ash's words that she was unable to even appreciate Brock's comforting words.

The anger inside her welled up, ready to burst out. Waterfalls now streaming down her face, she shrieked, "Then I guess you have one less friend to spend Christmas with, Ash Ketchum!"

Despite her tightly closed eyes, hot tears still escaped, trickling down her red cheeks and dripping from her chin.

There were so many varying emotions she was feeling at that moment; they all made her heart ache with their intensity. Sadness, from the coldness of Ash's words, from being alone on Christmas, from the possibility that she just lost one of her best friends. Anger, at Ash's careless attitude about the holiday. Guilt, about what she shouted at Ash as he walked away. Confusion, on what would happen later: would she and Ash forgive each other and become friends again, or would he still harbor resentment toward her?

Dawn buried her face in the blanket, staining its soft fabric with her tears. She heard the automatic doors of the Pokemon Center open behind her, but she didn't bother to turn around. I don't care. I don't care who it is. Even if it's Ash and Brock...

"DeeDee?"

The familiarity of the voice made her head jolt up in surprise. She turned around to see Kenny, her childhood friend and rival when it came to Pokemon Contests, pacing toward her, concern in his black eyes. From the way he was dressed—a green turtleneck sweater, a light green scarf, khaki pants, and green snowboots—she could tell that he had prepared for the cold weather of Snowpoint City, unlike her.

She managed a smile. "Hi, Kenny."

Kenny walked to her side, sitting down beside her on the dark red carpet in front of the fireplace. As he pulled off his snowboots, he said, "Okay, Dawn, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," Dawn lied, hastily wiping away her tears while he wasn't looking. "Why would you think something's wrong?"

Tossing his boots aside, he faced her, shooting her a look that read, "You can't fool me." "Well, I just called you 'DeeDee' and you didn't react at all," he said, slightly joking despite his seriousness, "so that was a dead giveaway that something was wrong. Also, you're all alone here, Ash and Brock aren't around, and"—he paused and reached out, his cold fingertips snatching a lingering tear that still clung to her cheek—"you're crying."

"There's no need to worry about me, Kenny," she said, her words somewhat bitter—not because she was angry at him, but because she was angry at her tears for giving her away. Once again, she wiped her eyes with her arm. "I-I just..."

She trailed off as she felt Kenny's arms wrap around her and pull her closer to him, the warmth of his body beginning to overcome her and comfort her. Her face flushed; she drew her arm away from her eyes, shooting him a surprised look.

"It's okay," he whispered. The light from the fire reflected in his deep black irises, which gazed into hers with a glimmer of reassurement. "Just tell me what happened."

"What a jerk..." Kenny seethed, eyes glaring darkly into the flames as Dawn finished her explanations of the events that caused her sadness.

Unsure how to respond, she gave a simple "Hmm."

Her childhood friend took a deep breath. He faced her, his expression much softer than it was moments before, sympathy and care in his black eyes. "It's okay, Dawn. I don't think you should travel with him anymore; you shouldn't be around someone who treats you that way."

Dawn's eyes wandered down to the soft maroon carpet beneath them. "I-I don't know..."

An awkward silence fell between them. The Pokemon Center lobby was quiet, lacking the presence of traveling Trainers, who were most likely spending the holiday with their family at home—Or battling a Gym Leader, Dawn thought bitterly. The only sound was the light crackling of the dying fire in the fireplace.

"Dawn?" Kenny said quietly.

She turned, expecting to meet his gaze; however, his eyes were fixed on the carpet. Small beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He gulped before finally looking into her curious blue eyes. "Um, I... There's something I want to give you, since it's Christmas. I hope it makes you feel better about this whole deal with Ash..."

"Really?" A nervous smile spread across Dawn's lips. "Oh, Kenny, you really didn't have to get me anything..."

Kenny chuckled. "I didn't." He then rose to his feet, extending his hand to her. "Come on. I'll give it to you outside."

The two exited the Pokemon Center, trudging through the deep snow. The glistening snowflakes from before still dusted down upon the city. Dawn admired the snowy scenery again, but her joy quickly transitioned to disdain when a cold breeze brushed against her bare skin. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth.

Kenny laughed. "You didn't prepare for the weather before you arrived in Snowpoint City, did you? You're so silly, DeeDee!"

"Don't make fun of me," she retorted, sulking. "I wasn't expecting to make it to a city like this when I left on my journey, so I didn't pack any warm clothes!"

He chuckled again. "I wish I had a coat or something, because I would lend it to you if I did."

She smiled, blushing slightly from his kind words. "That's sweet, Kenny!" Suddenly remembering the reason why they walked out into the cold, she added, "Look, Kenny, I really appreciate that you got me a gift, but I didn't get you anything..."

"It's fine, DeeDee," he reassured. "I didn't exactly get you anything, though..."

Dawn blinked in confusion, considering all the possibilities of what his gift would be. Recalling the years they had known each other, she knew that Kenny never really went far with presents; everything he had given her for birthdays or holidays were simple, such as the flower he had given her for her seventh birthday. But he emphasized that he didn't get me anything. So... what could it be, then?

He smiled sheepishly. "Close your eyes."

She obliged. She waited patiently for a few moments before something warm and soft touched her lips. Surprised, her eyelids snapped open.

Kenny was kissing her.

Kenny, who she played with on several occasions when she was a child, who teased her and called her "DeeDee" simply to annoy her, who she competed with when it came to Contests. She always saw him as a close friend and a rival. Up until that moment, she believed that it wouldn't be right for him to be anything more than that.

But when his lips touched hers, she didn't feel that way anymore. She didn't feel like she was kissing a close friend or a rival. She felt like she was kissing someone who was always there for her, who comforted her now when she needed it most, who motivated her to improve her skills to reach her dream of becoming a Top Coordinator. And it felt right.

Everything she had felt before, every thought in her mind, they all drained from her as she returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

This has to be the greatest gift ever, was the only thought going through her mind.

They drew away from each other, their faces flushed, their gazes locked.

"Merry Christmas, Dawn," Kenny said, smiling.

Dawn beamed in return, her blue eyes glistening with joy. "Thank you, Kenny. Merry Christmas."

The End

A/N: I'm not too proud of the ending. :/ Like I said, I rushed a little bit on this.

Also, I'm sorry about the whole scene between Ash and Dawn. I know Ash probably wouldn't say anything like that to one of his friends, but like I said, I first wrote this concept when I was eleven, when I didn't even bother capturing characters' personalities correctly. I did fix the dialogue so it sounded more like Ash and tried to compensate for it a bit with Brock's apology (originally, he didn't even say a word, which I know now is very unlike him), but I still feel like it doesn't help anything. :/ So, I'm sorry if I offended anyone with that.

In relation to that, I know I probably could've added a scene to the end where Ash and Dawn make up, but I feel like that would be really out of place. Also, I kind of want to leave that open to the reader's imagination: Someone who likes the friendship between Ash and Dawn could imagine that, after the end of the story, they meet up again and make up; or, another person who hates Ash and actually does view him in the "evil" way I portrayed him, could imagine that he and Dawn never make up and Dawn begins to travel with Kenny. :)

...I know my long explanations aren't compensating for anything. I'll shut up now.

I hope you enjoyed the story nonetheless! Please leave a review telling me your thoughts, and have a very merry Christmas! :D
~Hayley

Note: Please refer to the notice on my profile before reviewing.