This story is set towards the end of Ash's adventures in Unova.
I haven't actually seen the end of his travels with Iris and Cilan yet, so I suppose this is sort-of an AU.
This is my first attempt at a Pokémon anime fic – so reviews would mean the world to me at this point. But most of all, I hope you enjoy it!
oOoOo
"I can't feel my hands," said Iris.
"My ears hurt," said Ash.
"Come on, guys," said Cilan. "It's not that bad, is it?"
The three friends were making their way through open fields – in deepest, darkest winter.
"How can you say that, Cilan?" asked Ash. "Pikachu's shivering!"
"Pika," said Pikachu sadly.
"And we're still so far away," said Iris. "We'll freeze to death out here."
"You're being a bit overdramatic," said Cilan. "But we can set up camp in a bit. A tent and a fire – a simple recipe that never fails."
"That's if we can get a fire going in this weather," muttered Iris.
"I'm sure Emboar will be up to the task," said Ash, his teeth chattering as he spoke.
Cilan had gone quiet. He'd been struck by an idea.
oOoOo
An hour later, Iris was grumpier than ever.
"Can we stop now, Cilan?" she asked.
"Almost …"
Cilan seemed very focussed. Leading the way, he'd taken them on a very eccentric route through some nearby woods. Two or three times, he'd stopped in the middle of the walk, before swerving in a seemingly-random direction.
A couple of times, Ash had asked whether Cilan had a destination in mind. Cilan had said something about surprise being a herb – Ash hadn't understood, but let it drop.
But all became clear when they arrived at – appropriately enough – a clearing.
"Wow!" exclaimed Iris.
"This is incredible!" cried Ash.
Axew and Pikachu jumped from their trainers' shoulders to get a closer look.
Cilan had led them to a large log cabin, hidden here in the deep woodland. Nothing could have looked so warm. The lights from inside, the odours of home cooking – and smoke coming out of the chimney.
"It looks like a cartoon!" said Iris.
"I came here with my brothers when we were kids," said Cilan. "We spent a whole month here, exploring the woods."
"Never mind that," said Ash. "Let's explore the warmth!"
oOoOo
Inside, they were greeted by the owner of the cabin – an old woman who insisted they call her Nancy.
"You're in luck," said Nancy. "We've got two rooms left."
There were only five rooms in the whole hotel.
Cilan paid for both rooms – for a whole week.
"Consider this my gift to you," he said.
"Thanks, Cilan!" said Ash.
"You're the best," said Iris.
"We deserve a break, don't we?" said Cilan. "We've been on the road so long. And in all that time, we've never really had a holiday."
Iris grinned. She liked the sound of a holiday.
Taking the keys for the rooms, the three of them released all their pokémon, and went to the lounge area to take full advantage of the fire.
oOoOo
Ash and Iris thought Cilan should have a room to himself, considering he'd paid – but Cilan insisted on sharing with Ash, to give Iris her space. After all, Excadrill and Dragonite needed their space, even if Iris didn't.
As Ash settled down in the warmest, cosiest bed he'd ever come across, he smiled as he imagined the fun they'd all have. A whole week with no responsibilities. A week of relaxing with two of his best friends in the world.
He wondered what activity he'd try first.
oOoOo
... it was training, obviously.
"Go, Pikachu!"
"Go, Axew!"
It was the following day – their first full day at the cabin – and Ash and Iris had found the perfect area to battle, a fifteen-minute walk away.
With the promise of a warm fire and hot soup waiting for them, the cold didn't seem to matter anymore. They battled all morning, giving all their pokémon a chance.
They didn't see much of Cilan. He was keen to revisit his favourite childhood spots.
After lunch, they returned for even more training. The afternoon was filled with so much laughter. Somehow, training was so much more fun when it wasn't for a tournament – just for the sheer thrill of a good battle.
"Ash, that was so much fun," said Iris. She recalled Emolga, who'd just defeated Scraggy.
"Yeah," said Ash. "I can't believe we've got the whole week here."
They walked back together, planning the rest of their stay. They'd go exploring tomorrow, and maybe they'd gather berries to cook the following day.
oOoOo
"This is delicious," said Ash.
Nancy had prepared a feast for the cabin guests. Iris couldn't believe the range of food – from vegetables and pasta bakes to cakes and cheese boards.
"Good thing we're here for the week," said Iris. "We'll need that much time to try everything on the menu."
"Yeah," said Ash. "We should get back early tomorrow. Beat the crowd."
"Sounds good to me!"
Iris took a big bite of her carbonara, and with her eyes closed, made appreciative noises.
"Mmmm!"
Ash smiled. He'd never seen Iris this happy, this relaxed. And she was still as spirited as ever. She'd been so pumped as they trained, so impassioned …
"Hey, guys!"
"Oh, hey Cilan," said Iris. "Grab a plate – before there's nothing left."
Ash frowned. For some reason, he'd felt a twinge of disappointment that Cilan had returned.
That couldn't be right. Cilan was one of his best friends. And if it wasn't for Cilan, they wouldn't be having this brilliant holiday at all. Why on earth wouldn't he want Cilan with them for the meal?
But Ash was very quiet for the rest of the meal, as Cilan reported his day's adventures.
oOoOo
As Ash settled down for the night, he said, "Cilan?"
"Yes, Ash?"
"Thanks again for bringing us here."
"No problem," said Cilan. "It's been a tasty visit so far, and it can only get more delicious."
Ash still felt guilty as he fell asleep. He just couldn't work out why he'd been so sorry to see Cilan turn up at dinner.
oOoOo
The next day was cloudy – and as a result, it felt a bit warmer to Ash and Iris. They decided that this was the perfect day for exploring.
Cilan decided to stay in the hotel to do some reading, and Ash caught himself feeling glad about that. And once again, he felt guilty.
He had a wonderful day with Iris. They found a delightful grove which Pikachu and Axew loved. Oshawott, Snivy and Emolga joined in the fun – the pokémon spent the whole day playing games.
Later on, they found a lovely stream, and Ash suggested they stop for a picnic.
"It's too cold to picnic in the open air," said Iris. "You're such a little kid."
It wasn't the first time she'd accused Ash of being a kid – far from it. But for some reason, Ash felt particularly resentful about it today.
"Fine," he said. "We'll eat later."
Iris could tell that something was wrong. But she was too stubborn to apologise. After all, it was Ash's problem if he was going to sulk like a little kid.
They kept walking, but the atmosphere was very tense now. Neither Ash nor Iris wanted to be the first to speak, so they spoke only to the pokémon.
The pokémon in turn were worried about their trainers. They hated it when Ash and Iris argued – something which happened increasingly rarely these days. Even Oshawott didn't feel like playing with the tension in the air.
"I think I'll go back to the cabin," said Ash eventually.
"Yeah," said Iris. "Me too." She tried keeping her voice light, so Ash would know she hadn't meant to insult him.
And the funny thing was, Ash didn't seem angry. He just seemed sad.
oOoOo
Today, Ash felt much happier to see Cilan.
"How was your trip?" Cilan asked immediately.
"Fine," said Iris dismissively. "Did you learn much?"
She indicated the book Cilan was reading – a guide written by a well-known pokémon connoisseur.
"Absolutely," said Cilan. "It's an exquisite guide with a dash of insight. The perfect recipe."
The three friends grabbed lunch at the cabin. Ash's picnic lay forgotten at the bottom of his bag; he'd feed it to Krookodile later on.
Soon enough, the tension was completely gone, and Ash and Iris were talking excitedly again.
"We thought we might go foraging tomorrow," said Iris. "Maybe bring back some ingredients. Would you be willing to cook them for us, Cilan?"
"You'll be lucky to find much out there," said Cilan. "In the thick of winter, anything edible will have been found by the forest pokémon."
"Oh," said Iris, sounding disappointed. "Well, we'll give it a try."
oOoOo
Iris was true to her word. The following day, she was waiting in the foyer when Ash and Cilan got up.
"Well?" said Iris. "Are you coming?"
"I sure am!" said Ash.
"Okay, then," said Cilan.
Ash was surprised. He'd thought this would be another day of him and Iris.
Cilan saw the surprised look on Ash's face. Fortunately, he didn't notice any disappointment.
"I've barely seen you this week," said Cilan. "I feel guilty. So I thought I'd come with you."
"That'll be fun," said Ash, trying to mean it.
But then, hadn't he argued with Iris the last time they spent the day together? Maybe it'd be useful to have Cilan along. The three of them got on so well together.
"And if you're going foraging," said Cilan, "Who better to have with you than a food connoisseur?"
oOoOo
"Wheee!"
Iris swung through the trees, expertly grabbing vine after vine. Ash, running below, could barely keep up.
Every so often, Iris would throw some fruit down from the treetops. Cilan would try and catch them in a basket. Those he missed, Pansage would invariably catch instead, before throwing them into the basket directly.
And today, they did have a picnic - albeit food of Cilan's, which was much more impressive than the sandwiches which Ash had packed the day before.
Then it was on to a river. Cilan was right that most of the berries had already been picked by pokémon. But Iris had a great eye for the berries left over.
Eventually, the time came to head back.
"It's getting cold," said Ash.
He looked up at the sky. It was still cloudy, but it was far colder than yesterday.
Ash felt something tiny, cold, and wet land on his chin.
"It's snowing," said Iris.
"What a rich flavour," said Cilan. "The perfect palate cleanser before dinner."
"I'm not so sure about that," said Ash.
Because this was no gentle winter's snowfall. Now that the snow had started, it hit in earnest. Heavy snowflakes landed all around them – pat, pat, pat – and within no time at all, the world was white.
"We should get back," said Cilan.
"You're telling me," said Iris. Axew hid in her hair, which was already full of snow.
The route back was not easy to find, however. Half the landmarks they'd noted along the way were impossible to see in the snow. It was hard to spot any natural paths, and they'd wandered so far into the woods that there were no signposts anywhere near.
Then came the hail.
"Over there," cried Ash, running for a thick clump of trees.
Iris and Cilan followed, as Ash ducked into a hidden grotto.
Inside was a group of more than half a dozen deerling, in their winter coats. They looked frightened of the strangers, but they didn't try to run.
"Don't worry," said Iris. "We won't hurt you."
"Pikachu."
Pikachu approached the deerling, smiling to show they were in no danger.
"Here," said Ash. He grabbed a berry from Cilan's basket.
Frightened or not, one of the deerling approached. She took a bite of the berry, and the rest of the herd followed.
"They must be starving," said Iris.
"They need this more than we do," said Ash.
And so they sat in the grotto, ignoring the sound of the hail outside, hand-feeding the deerling the food they'd harvested.
oOoOo
By the time the weather calmed down, and the three friends had found their way back to the cabin, it was very late.
Nancy had clearly been concerned – she'd left out a platter for each of them.
They took the food with them to their rooms. They were all desperate to get out of their cold, wet clothes.
Ash changed into his pyjamas and got into bed. He realised that this was their fourth night in the cabin – the last sleep he'd have here.
When Cilan briefly left the room – to take the two empty plates downstairs – Ash reflected on the day's events. A week without responsibility indeed! But, he thought – feeding those deerling was the highlight of the holiday in many ways. The wild pokémon had no option to snuggle up in a nice cabin. It was nice to be able to help the poor things.
Cilan returned. At first, he said nothing.
Then, eventually, he said, "Ash. I think you should go downstairs."
"How come?" asked Ash.
"I think Iris could do with a friend."
"Why me?"
Cilan smiled. "I just think it should be you."
Ash was very confused. But nonetheless, he grabbed a dressing gown (red and blue, provided by the cabin), and headed downstairs.
oOoOo
Iris was sitting in front of the fire, cuddled up in a blanket. Axew was curled up in front of her, asleep.
"Iris?"
She turned her head.
"Oh, hey Ash."
Ash sat down next to her.
"Axew was cold, so I just thought …"
Her voice sounded strange. Quiet and gentle – not like Iris at all.
"Are you all right?" asked Ash.
"Of course," said Iris. But again, she spoke so softly.
So for a while, Ash said nothing. He sat with Iris in silence, watching the fire.
And it was nothing like the silence they'd experienced the day before. This wasn't tense at all. On the contrary, it felt so comforting, sitting here with his friend.
"I just wonder sometimes," said Iris. "Do I have what it takes to be a dragon master?"
What?! Ash hadn't seen this question coming at all.
"Of course you will," he said. "What makes you even say that?"
"I felt so powerless today," said Iris. "Trapped in that grotto. A true dragon master could have found her way back easily. A bit of hail shouldn't stop her."
"Iris …" said Ash, struggling to get his head around this question. "A dragon master isn't someone who never finds anything difficult, is she?"
"I should have been able to …"
"No," said Ash. "I don't know if there's a dragon master handbook, but if there is, I bet it doesn't say a dragon master can beat the weather."
"I guess."
"You're a great trainer, Iris. You're great with your pokémon, and you never give up. Axew's stronger than ever, and you've even managed to control Dragonite. You want to be a great dragon master? Then look at the dragons you've trained."
"You're right," said Iris, smiling weakly. She looked at Axew, snoring softly in front of her.
"I've never met anyone as determined as you," said Ash. "And that's saying something. When you get knocked down, you get back up, twice as strong as before."
"Thanks Ash," said Iris. "And … I'm sorry for calling you a little kid yesterday. You know I don't really mean it, right?"
She turned to look at him.
His face was so close to hers.
And Iris felt so safe, so comforted by that.
"I think I've just realised something …" said Ash. But he didn't finish the sentence. His heart was beating so hard. He could barely breathe.
He moved his face just a fraction closer to Iris's. And Iris moved hers in return. Just a tiny, miniscule amount.
And then they kissed.
Not for long. They pulled back. Iris was worried – maybe the spell had broken.
But no. They still felt so cosy, so warm.
Ash put his hand on Iris's neck – over her hair, at least. He kissed her again.
"Good night, Iris," he said.
"Good night Ash," she said. She smiled. "This has been a really great holiday."