Here's this year's holiday fic! I'm quite happy with the way this one turned out.
It's based off of the poem reading "The Night Before Christmas" from the Pokemon Christmas Bash CD. When my friend put the songs on last year during a holiday party, this specific track gave me a really good story idea, but I never found any time to write it. With the holidays coming back around, however, I figured now was the perfect time to write it up!
So sit back, read the story, and get yourselves into the holiday spirit!
The Night Before Christmas
"Aiden, Michelle, didn't Mommy ask you to go to bed a while ago?"
The two young children, who were leaning up against the couch in order to stare out the window, whipped around to shoot their mother pleading looks.
"Not until Daddy comes back, Mama," Michelle replied steadily, her emerald eyes widening to make herself appear even more innocent than she already did.
"Yeah, Daddy said he'd read us a special story!" Aiden chimed in, clearing strands of midnight black hair out of his face.
"He did, didn't he?" Misty sighed in an almost dejected matter. It wasn't that she was upset with Ash for promising the two their story, but rather she had no idea when he was getting back, and the twins were a very adamant duo. When they were promised something, they wouldn't let you forget it. It wasn't even Ash who had found the story. Oh no. Misty had done that for him. Although, she had to admit, she'd done an excellent job of tracking down the perfect holiday tale for their young children.
"Hey, maybe I could start reading the story for him!" Brock called from the kitchen. He was staying over the family's house, helping them to prepare for the upcoming holidays. For now, he was busy whipping up different holiday delicacies, which created a warm and delicious scent that filled each and every room in the house.
"NO!" Aiden and Michelle cried simultaneously. This alarmed Brock, but not Misty, who wasn't surprised by the children's' outburst.
"We can't start the story without Daddy!" Michelle feverously shook her head.
"Alright, alright," Brock chuckled, returning to the task at hand.
The twins went back to looking out the window, eyes squinted as they searched for their father. A shallow blanket of snow was covering the ground, while a gentle flurry continued to fall. The outside world looked like a snow globe, between the falling snow and hearty gust that shook the bare branches of the trees.
Misty had looked away, choosing to strike up a conversation with the busily cooking Brock. She knew better than to disturb her children when they were on the lookout for their beloved daddy.
Just minutes into the delightful chat between the two adults, Aiden and Michelle's excited shrieks pierced the air, causing Misty to arch a delicate eyebrow.
"He must be home," Misty hummed under her breath as she stood up. Brock chuckled at the young mother's facial expression and gave her a little nod.
"Go on then," he instructed kindly. "Make sure those two don't run off outside."
Misty walked back into the living room, where the twins were jumping up and down on the couch. She wanted to scold them, and tell them to quit it before they hurt themselves or each other, but Misty just couldn't do it. Their excitement was too cute to stop.
As soon as they saw their father approach the door, Aiden and Michelle flew off the couch, landing skillfully on their feet and racing off towards the front door. They continued their happy bouncing on the floor, until finally the door swung open to reveal the towering figure of the young dad.
"Brrr! It's freezing out there!"
"Daddy!" Aiden and Michelle squealed, lunging forward to latch themselves onto Ash's legs. He smiled down at them, moving his arms to gently pat them on their heads. Pikachu, who had been perched on his trainer's shoulder, jumped off in order to shake the snowflakes out of his bright yellow fur. Still shivering, the electric type scurried over to the fireplace, curling up into a tight ball on the floor and closing his eyes in an attempt to warm up.
"Close the door!" Misty called hurriedly. She brushed past her husband and shut the door, shivering as the last rush of cold air blew into the house. Shaking it off, she looked up at Ash and inquired, "did you get more wood?"
"Oh yeah!" Ash beamed at her. "I left it right outside with whatever we had left. We should be good for the next few weeks." He stripped himself of his snow dusted jacket, which Misty took from him in order to hang up on the coat rack to dry. Ash smiled gratefully at his wife and gave her a little kiss on the cheek, earning an airy giggle from the Cerulean gym leader. "So, did you find a good story for our little ones?"
Aiden and Michelle laughed happily at the endearment, while Misty smiled sweetly.
"Yes, I did," Misty nodded. "It's a Christmas poem: "Twas the Night Before Christmas." I found it on the internet."
"Of course, I've heard of that poem before!"
"Yes, but this is a special one," Misty beamed at the Pokémon master. "I think Aiden and Michelle will really like it."
Misty sauntered over to the coffee table and picked up the sheets of paper, handing them over to Ash. He looked them over and smiled to himself, even chuckling at a few of the lines.
"This is great, Mist!" He looked back at her. "You're going to help me read it, right?"
Misty seemed a little shocked by the prompt. "I thought story time was something special between you and the twins."
"It is," Ash nodded, "but this is a special edition of story time! I can't read this particular poem without my special angel, now can I?"
Misty rolled her eyes at Ash's flirtatious remark, but quickly followed it up with a mischievous grin. "If you insist, Mr. Pokémon Master."
"Story! Story!"
Ash and Misty gazed down at their young children, who were beginning to grow impatient. They were still holding onto Ash's legs, but they were now tugging at his pants in an attempt to get him to move.
"Alright, I guess you two have waited long enough," Ash shrugged playfully. The twins grinned up at him, earning another cheerful laugh from their young father."Let's go on upstairs."
Aiden and Michelle bolted, clambering up the stairs as fast as they could. Their parents watched the scene warmly for a few moments before following after the twins. When they got upstairs, they found the children standing in the hallway, between one another's rooms.
"What's wrong sweethearts?" Misty asked.
"We don't know which room to go in," Aiden was thoughtfully pulling at his lip.
Since there were two children, with two separate bedrooms, Ash had decided long ago that the way story time would work was choosing a different room each night and settling both children into one bed. At the end of the story, he would lead the other child back into their own room, or carry them there if they fell asleep. It was just easier that way; it led to less squabbles between the siblings.
"Let's go into Michelle's room for tonight," Ash decided. "We were in your room last time, Aiden."
The twins nodded and scurried into Michelle's room. The walls were painted a peaceful sky blue, while the floor was covered by a soft, darker blue carpet. Aiden and Michelle had quickly climbed into the girl's light wooden bed, nestling under the warm blue covers and staring up at their parents expectantly. Misty giggled and pulled the blankets over her children, gently stroking the sides of their faces before asking, "comfy?"
Aiden and Michelle nodded happily, which in turn made their mother smile sweetly as she pulled herself back. She and Ash were both sitting on the edge of their daughter's bed, the poem being held between them by Ash's fingerless gloved hand.
"You start, Misty," Ash murmured, his voice sweet and almost breathless. Giggling, Misty placed her own hand over Ash's and began to read the poem.
Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even Meowth.
The twins found the second line particularly funny, laughing out loud at the mention of Meowth. Ash chuckled as well, and Misty smirked, assuming the three could only be thinking of Team Rocket's dopey feline.
"Eggnog's ready!" Brock's voice floated into the room, breaking the family out of storytelling mode.
"Eggnog?" Ash asked excitedly, his dark brown eyes glimmering at the mention of the holiday treat.
"Yeah…" Misty affirmed, holding back a girlish giggle as a goofy grin appeared on her husband's handsome face, "Brock made eggnog and Christmas cookies."
"Alright!" Ash cheered. His joy caused the children to grow excited as well. They jumped up, throwing the covers off to the side, and began waving their hands in the air.
"I want cookies, Mommy!" Aiden clapped, his "Ash esque" lopsided smile gracing his young lips.
"Me too! Me too!" Michelle chimed in, her bright red hair flying out around her like rays of sunshine.
"I think it's a little late for cookies, sweethearts," Misty frowned. Deep down, however, she knew exactly what Ash was going to say.
"Come on Misty," he brushed his cheek against her own, a lingering coldness from the bitter outdoors remaining on his soft skin, "it's Christmas time. What's one little cookie before bed going to hurt?"
As if he'd heard Ash's words, Brock came into the bedroom, holding a plate of cookies in one hand and a mug of eggnog in the other.
"I brought some cookies up here for everyone," Brock informed as he held out the tray. Misty grinned at Brock and took the plate off his hand, holding it out towards her husband and two young children. They greedily snatched them up, causing Misty to click her tongue and pull the platter away.
"Hey, save some for me and Brock!" Misty chastised playfully. Aiden and Michelle giggled, three cookies held in their small hands. "And I told you two only one cookie each."
The twins put on their most adorable, convincing pouts, but Misty wasn't going to fall for it. Smirking, she took two of the three cookies from each and put them back on the tray. "They'll still be here in the morning; I promise."
"That's not a very good promise to make with this one in the house," Brock snorted as he motioned towards Ash. The Pokémon master folded his arms and threw his best friend a cheeky look. Holding out the mug of eggnog, Brock continued, "this is for you Ash. It'll help you warm up."
"Thanks Brocko!" Ash happily accepted the cup, taking several large gulps from it. The twins began to laugh again, their half eaten cookies held right in front of their open mouths.
"The rest of it is downstairs," Brock directed this comment towards Misty. "We can get a drink later, when you guys are done with story time." He leaned over in order to glance at the piece of paper being held by Ash and Misty. Upon reading the title, Brock let out a small noise of realization before remarking, "oh, you guys are reading "The Night Before Christmas." I love this one! Twas the night before Christmas and…"
"Misty already read that part Brock," Ash showed his friend a devious smile.
"Oh, sorry," Brock blushed slightly.
With their cookies finished, the twins picked their heads up, beaming brilliantly at Brock with an unreadable expression set in their young and wide eyes.
"Brock, you read the story too!" Michelle commanded.
"Huh?" Brock blinked before pointing at himself. "Me?"
"Yeah, come on Brock!" Aiden agreed. "Read!"
"Uh, okay, if you really want me to!" Brock laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. He sat down next to Misty, while Ash located the line they were up to. Once he found it, he poked a finger at the words, looking up at Brock as he did so.
"Pick it up from here, Brocko."
"Right…" Brock cleared his throat before reading aloud:
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The Pokémon doctor glanced at Misty, indicating that she should read the next lines. Misty giggled and memorized the words, looking up at her enthralled children as she recited:
The children were nestled, all snug in their beds
While visions of Vileplumes danced in their heads.
She tapped each child on the nose while reading those lines. Aiden and Michelle both laughed and snuggled deeper into the bed, pulling the covers up higher so the blankets were right below their chins.
Ash scanned the next lines and smiled, deciding to change some of the words around. Clearing his throat, Ash began to read:
And my mom in her kerchief and Mr. Mime in my cap
(And I think Professor Oak was there too)
Had just settled their brains for a longer Winter's nap
"Grammy and the 'fessor are in the story?" Aiden's eyes widened. Misty glanced at Ash, who had a playful little grin on his face. She laughed quietly and gently pushed his head, causing him to chuckle.
"Yeah champ, they are!" Ash affirmed.
"My turn," Misty moved the paper closer to her and went on:
When out on the roof, there arose such a clatter
As if on cue, a strange noise could be heard. The only one who seemed to take notice of it, however, was Ash. The Pokémon master raised his head, curiously shifting it from side to side. "Hey, what was that? Did anyone else hear that?"
"Ash, don't interrupt," Misty narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah Daddy," Michelle echoed, earning a little smile from her mother. Sighing, Ash threw his hands up in defeat, knowing he was no match for his two favorite girls. With that settled, Misty continued:
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter
Brock then took over:
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutter and saw Rapidash
Ash read the next part:
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to Jynx's below
And then back to Brock:
When what to my half-open eyes should appear
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer
Getting excited that they were reaching the best part of the tale, Misty recited:
With the little old driver so lively and quick
I knew in a moment, it must be St. Nick!
Subconsciously leaning into his wife, Ash smiled gently and spoke aloud:
More rapid than Moltres his course as they came
He whistled and shouted and called them by name
Before Ash or anyone else could read off the names, the high pitched cries of Pikachu alerted the five inhabitants of the light blue room. Aiden and Michelle looked up inquisitively at their parents, while the three adults cast each other unknowing looks.
"Ash, is something wrong with Pikachu?" Brock asked.
"I don't know," Ash blinked. "I think I'll go check…"
As Ash made to stand up, however, Pikachu came running into the room, a certain sense of alarm set in his beady black eyes.
"Pikapi, pikachupi!" Pikachu yelled, his tail standing upright as sparks shot out from his red cheeks.
"Pikachu, what's the matter?" Misty leaned in towards the electric type.
Pikachu was about to shout out more "poke speak," as Ash dubbed it, but the appearance of three familiar figures in the doorway instantly cut him off.
"Wah!" Ash yelped, shocked that those three had somehow found a way into his house.
"To protect the world from devastation!" The magenta haired woman smirked, planting a gloved hand on her slender waist. Beside her stood James, with an equally smug look on his face, and by her feet was Meowth, who was simply sporting a foolish looking smile.
"Team Rocket!" Ash bellowed as he jumped off the bed, standing protectively in front of Misty and the twins as a reflex. Brock followed Ash's lead, standing up next to the Pokémon master. "I knew I heard something! What are you doing here?"
"We came here to capture some rare Pokémon, so da' boss will give us our Christmas bonuses dis year!" Meowth announced proudly, raising a paw into the air.
"I hate to disappoint you, but you're not walking away with anything!" Ash yelled, preparing to order Pikachu to attack.
"Yeah, and you interrupted our story!" Aiden added, sounding far more annoyed by this rather than the fact that the trio had come to snatch his family's Pokémon.
"Story?" James suddenly quipped, holding a finger up to his temple.
Jessie moved further into the room and surveyed the piece of paper in Misty's hands, which she quickly pulled back upon realizing Jessie's curiosity.
"Oh, isn't that quaint?" Jessie cooed. "They're reading a Christmas poem!"
James hurried up next to his female counterpart and gentle pulled the paper away from Misty, reading it over. He scanned the lines that Ash had been up to before the trio's intrusion, and a huge smile stretched across his face. "Oooh! Jessie, this is my favorite part!":
Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen
On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen
Meowth jumped on to James' head and read the next part aloud:
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all
Aiden and Michelle looked even more confused than they already had before. Team Rocket always came to cause mischief and trouble, but all of a sudden they were involved in story time?
"Anyway…" Ash blinked before clearing his throat and taking the poem out of James' hands, "as I was saying…"
"Move over twerp, I'm reading this part!" Jessie snarled as she ripped the story away from Ash and pushed him away from the bed, where he was going to sit back down. She settled into the Pokémon master's former spot and read dramatically:
As dry leaves, that before the wild hurricane fly
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
So up to the housetop, the courses they flew
With a sleigh full of toys
Meowth, still perched atop James' head, chuckled for a moment before adding:
And some Pokémon too.
"Ash, what the hell are we going to do?" Misty whispered to her husband as she pulled him up off the floor. "Are we really going to let this group of wannabe bad guys read a Christmas story to our kids?"
"Not on my watch, we're not," Ash furrowed his brow.
"Guys," Brock tapped the two on their shoulders, "I really hate to say it, but the twins seem to be enjoying Team Rocket's narration."
Ash and Misty glanced over at their young children, who were now snuggled even deeper into the bed with their heads nestled together.
"They do look pretty happy…" Ash sighed.
"And if Team Rocket gets too occupied with the story, then maybe they'll forget about trying to steal our Pokémon," Misty reasoned.
"Fine," Ash sulked, shrugging his shoulders, "they can join in on story time."
Grinning cheekily, Brock kneeled in front of Jessie so he could read the next few lines of the poem:
And then in a twinkling, I heard on the rooftop
The prancing and pawing of each little Machop
As I drew in my head and was turning around
Down the chimney, St. Nicholas came with a pound
Meowth finally jumped off of James' head, causing the male operative to huff as he tried to fix his now mused blue hair. Settling down next to Jessie, Meowth went on with the reading:
He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot...
(A lot like me, actually...)
And his clothes were all tarnished, like Ash's, with soot
"Huh?" Ash's ears perked at the mention of his name.
Giggling, Misty gently flicked Ash on the head before sitting on Jessie's right side, closest to the snug children, and continued:
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back
And he looked like a trainer just opening his pack
With his locks back in place, James leaned over the still kneeling Brock and spoke in a light, whimsical tone:
His eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples, how merry
Oooo! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry
His drone little mouth was drawn up like a bow
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow
Misty could hear the gentle breathing of Aiden and Michelle, and gazing to the side, she saw them fighting their slowly closing eyes. Smiling to herself, Misty reached out and gently stroked their hair as she softened her voice:
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his cheek
And he smoked it and circled his head like a reef
Jessie, however, did nothing to lower her voice and kept reading as theatrically as possible:
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly
Rolling his eyes at his female companion, Meowth took over for the next few lines:
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself
A wink of his eye and twist of his head
Soon gave me the note, I had nothing to dread
Feeling a bit left off, James whined quietly and spoke up before anyone else could:
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
And filled all the stockings then turned with a jerk
Realizing he hadn't read in quite a while, Ash gathered Misty up in his arms, causing her to shriek at the unexpected action. He sat in her place before settling her down on his lap. Purring, Misty closed her eyes and rested her head in the space between Ash's neck and shoulder as he carried on:
And laying his finger, aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose
Waving his paws eagerly in the air, Meowth took over:
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle
And away they all flew, like, uh, the down of a thistle
Ash opened his mouth to speak again, but Jessie quickly cut him off:
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove off to the mall:
The five adults and one Pokémon all looked at one another, silently wondering who should read the final lines of the poem. As if coming to a silent agreement, their voices convened together in order to softly cheer:
Happy Pokémon Christmas
Catch 'em all
Catch 'em all
Ash and Misty once again set their sights on their two young children. Both Aiden and Michelle were now asleep, still snuggled close together as they snoozed.
"How sweet!" James cooed.
"I'll bring Aiden back to his room," Ash whispered as he stood up. Before he could gather the young boy into his arms, however, Misty gently tugged at Ash's shirt, causing the Pokémon master to turn around. "What's up, Mist?"
"Those two look awfully comfortable," Misty smiled sweetly at her husband, and then down at her two slumbering children. "And I'm afraid if you try to move Aiden, he'll wake up."
"What're you saying?" Ash raised a curious eyebrow.
"Maybe it would be best to leave them both in Michelle's bed for the night," Misty shrugged. "I don't see the harm in it."
"If that's what you think is best honey," Ash grinned warmly at his wife. Leaning over, he kissed both Aiden and Michelle on their heads before moving away to allow Misty to do the same.
"Now, all of you, out!" Misty ordered in a hushed tone, waving her hand at the tricky trio. The three Rocket members nodded earnestly and hurried out of the bedroom, followed closely by Ash, Misty, and Brock. As soon as Ash closed Michelle's door, the three villainous visitors took a defensive pose, surprising their lifelong enemies.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" Ash whispered inquiringly.
"Just because we helped read the baby twerps a bedtime story doesn't mean we can't steal your Pokémon," Jessie's eyes gleamed deviously.
"Yeah, dose Christmas bonuses are still at stake!" Meowth folded his arms.
"So how about you just hand over that Pikachu and call it even?" James simpered.
"You three are out of your minds," Ash rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, we don't owe you any reward for reading that poem with us!" Misty accused sharply. "You just strolled on in and decided to start reading it on your own accord!"
"Details, details," Jessie waved her hand at the three younger adults before narrowing her sapphire eyes. "Now, give us the rat!"
"Pika!" Pikachu cried indignantly from behind Ash's legs. The electric type never did like being called a rat. He found it to be a rather derogatory label.
"Eeek! Look out Jess!" James cried, crossing his arms over himself for protection.
Ash growled before holding out his hand, "you three are going to be so…"
"Everyone be quiet!" Misty hissed, grabbing onto Ash's collar. He choked for a few seconds while Team Rocket stared in a bewildered fashion at the water type gym leader.
"What's wrong Misty?" Brock tilted his head.
"If any of you wake my babies up," Misty glanced between Ash and Team Rocket, "I will destroy you with my bare hands."
"Alright," Ash extricated himself from Misty's surprisingly strong grip. "We'll take this downstairs then."
After everyone had migrated into the living room, Ash and the members of Team Rocket got back into their original stances, earning a huff from Misty.
"It's like dealing with kids," Misty grumbled.
"Sad but somewhat amusing at the same time, you've gotta admit," Brock chuckled.
"Prepare to lose, twerp," Jessie smirked, pulling out one of her poke balls and pressing the center button to enlarge the red and white sphere.
"I don't think so," Ash matched Jessie's sly smile. "Pikachu, use thunderbolt."
"Pi…ka…CHU!" Pikachu unleashed a shot of bright yellow electricity, instantly shocking Team Rocket and blasting them right out the door.
Ash, Misty, and Brock watched in surprise as the door swung backwards, sending Team Rocket flying through the cold winter air as they cried out, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
"Well, that was quick," Brock snorted.
"It's gotten easier over the years," Ash shrugged. Pikachu squeaked excitedly and jumped up onto Ash's shoulder, rubbing against his trainer's cheek. As Ash and Pikachu chuckled, a loud rumbling noise overpowered the sound of their laughter, causing Brock and Misty to look around the room.
"What was that?" Misty blinked.
"Eh…hehe…"
Misty glanced over at Ash, who was blushing and rubbing the back of his neck. Narrowing her eyes, Misty placed her hands on her hips and prompted, "that was your stomach, wasn't it?"
"Maybe," Ash's face was still red as he lowered his hand. Pikachu rolled his beady little eyes before flicking his ears a few times.
"Well, what are we doing standing around in here for?" Brock asked. "Let's go into the kitchen and have some cookies!"
"Sounds good to me!" Ash threw Brock a thumbs up before scurrying towards the kitchen. "Man do I love Christmas!"
"You know Ash, reading that story to the twins tonight was really fun," Misty hooked arms with her husband as they walked into the kitchen. "We should do it again!"
"Sure," Ash smiled at her. "You did a really good job of finding that poem. Maybe you could find another good Christmas one with Pokémon in it!"
"I'll start looking tomorrow," Misty nodded happily.
"And I'll make sure Team Rocket shows up for it," Ash winked playfully.
"Don't you dare Ash Ketchum."
kay, seriously, all I could think about when I first heard this track was "wow, it sounds like they're reading this poem to some children." Thus, this idea was born :P
Hopefully this story helps to spread some holiday cheer. This is definitely my favorite time of the year, so I'm really happy to share this story with everyone! Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!