"Now Ash, I want you to be on your best behavior tonight," Delia reminded her son as she rang the doorbell of the Oak house. "Stand up straight. No slouching. Say 'please' and thank you'."
Ash bristled at being treated like a five-year old. "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore."
The door opened and Misty answered. "Hello, Mrs. Ketchum. Hi, Ash."
Ash couldn't believe his eyes. Misty was wearing a blue-green dress the same color as her eyes, which made them seem large and luminous. The aqua color provided a pleasing contrast to her red-blonde hair, which she wore down and with a touch of curl at the ends.
Ash's jaw dropped to the floor. He had never seen Misty look so beautiful.
"Ash," his mother nudged him, "say 'hello' to Misty."
Jarred back to his senses, Ash stammered, "Oh…hi, Misty. You look so…so…well, so like a girl."
"Well, I guess I'll take that as being a compliment," Misty said as she stood aside to let Ash and his mother enter.
"Misty, who's that?" Professor Oak asked as he stuck his head in the hallway.
"It's Ash and Mrs. Ketchum," she replied.
"My goodness, Professor," Delia said. "I don't think I've ever seen you in a tie before."
Professor Oak didn't answer. He was too busy staring at Delia.
She removed her coat to reveal that she was wearing a red dress a couple of shades darker than her auburn hair, which she wore loose and down around her shoulders. The combination of the crimson-colored dress, her red-brown hair, and soft brown eyes gave Delia a warm glow. Professor Oak noted that her dress clung appealingly in all the right places.
She does have incredible breasts. And hips. And legs. And…
"Hey, Professor, say 'hello' to my mom."
Ash's reminder snapped him out of his reverie. "Oh, hello, Mrs. Ketchum. Ash. It's certainly a pleasure that you could join us. A great pleasure indeed." He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"Thank you, Professor," Delia smiled as she handed him her coat. "I've been looking forward to this evening."
And I'm definitely looking forward to this evening now, Professor Oak thought as Ash dumped his coat atop his mother's.
"Come on, Ash," Misty said as she took his arm. "Brock and Tracey are already here. You won't believe how beautifully the living room is decorated. And wait until you see the food."
---
"I'm so hungry, Jessie," James complained as he stomach growled. "You'd think that they would've at least fed us a decent meal at the Saffron City jail."
"Shut up and let's keep going," Jessie snarled. "I'm just as hungry as you are."
"Hey, guys, look at that!" Meowth pointed to a large house atop a hill. "Looks like they're having a party over there."
"And you know what they usually serve at parties," Jessie said eagerly, licking her lips.
"Food!" all three said in unison as they hurried up the hill.
---
"Jessie, I don't want to do this," Meowth protested.
"Stop whining and get up there!" Jessie ordered her reluctant partner.
"It's okay, Meowth," James reassured his friend. "I'll pull you up and then I'll lower you down into the chimney." James was standing atop the roof of the Oak lab, ready to pull the reluctant Meowth up by a rope wound around the Pokémon's midsection.
"Just get in there and get us some food," Jessie barked. "I saw cookies, cake, candy…"
James was salivating. "Come on, Meowth!" He tugged on the rope, yanking Meowth off of his feet.
"Meowth! Hey, watch it, Jimmy!"
As James pulled Meowth up the side of the house, the rope holding Meowth began to fray.
"Uh-oh, guess that's why that guy sold me the rope for such a cheap price," James commented as the rope broke and Meowth tumbled to the ground with a loud thump.
"Oh, my leg! I think I broke my leg!" Meowth whined piteously as he lay on the frozen grass.
"Quit acting like a baby and get back up there," Jessie ordered as she bent down to pick up Meowth, ready to toss him back onto the roof.
"Yow! Quit it, Jess!" Meowth moaned.
"Jessie, I think Meowth really is hurt," James said as he looked down with concern at his injured accomplice.
"Oh, he's just faking it so he won't have to go back up there," Jessie snarled.
"I'm not faking anything, Jessie. My leg really hurts!" Meowth said as he clutched his left leg.
Jessie regarded her hurt friend for a moment and her voice softened. "You know, Meowth, I think you might be right."
James slid down off of the roof. "What are we going to do, Jessie? Pallet Town doesn't have a Pokémon Center or a Nurse Joy."
"We'll just have to carry him to Viridian City. They've got a Pokémon Center there. Pick him up," Jessie ordered.
Meowth screamed in pain as James lifted him in his arms.
"Jessie, I don't think Meowth can make it to Viridian City." James looked inside the window at where the party was in full swing. "Hey, wait, the professor who lives here is an expert on Pokémon. Maybe he can help Meowth."
"James, are you nuts? We can't go in there. Those twerps will kick us out." Jessie picked up their equipment. "We'll just have to head to Viridian City. Come on."
As the three started down the hill, Meowth cried as James's every footstep intensified his pain.
"Jessie, there's no way Meowth will make it to Viridian City." James turned and started back up the hill to the front door of the Oak laboratory.
"James, what are you doing?" Jessie asked in disbelief.
"Meowth is our friend, Jessie. We have to do what's best for him. Especially tonight." James rang the doorbell.
A gray-haired man answered the door. "Hello, can I help you?"
"Are you Professor Oak?" James asked.
"Yes," Professor Oak answered, studying the purple-haired teenager carrying a Meowth in his arms. Behind the boy was a girl with bright red hair.
"Meowth is hurt. Can you help him?" James said, holding out his arms.
"Hey, what's going on?" Ash asked as he came into the hall. "Hey, it's Team Rocket! Don't let them in, Professor Oak. It's a trick!"
"Believe it or not, twerp," Jessie sneered, "this isn't a trick."
Misty and Brock followed Ash into the hall.
"What are they doing here?" asked Brock.
Jessie caught sight of Misty. "Well, well, looks like the twerp really is a girl, after all."
"That's it! You get out of here!" Misty said angrily.
James turned his attention back to Professor Oak. "Can you help Meowth, please?"
"What's wrong with Meowth?" Professor Oak asked.
"My leg. I broke my leg," Meowth moaned.
"Don't listen to them, Professor Oak," said Ash. "It's just another one of their sneaky tricks."
"I don't think it's a trick, Ash," said Brock as he looked at the hapless Pokémon. "I think Meowth's leg really is broken."
"Why don't you bring him back to the Pokémon examination room so I can take a look?" Professor Oak said as he stepped aside to let James and Jessie in.
"I still don't trust you," said Misty, eyeing Jessie warily.
"Why don't you go back to your party and finish playing dress-up, little girl?" Jessie tossed back.
Professor Oak stuck his head inside the living room where the party was behind held. "Tracey," he called to his assistant, "I need your help."
"Hey, what are they doing here?" Tracey exclaimed at the sight of Team Rocket.
"What's the other twerp doing here?" Team Rocket exclaimed at the sight of Tracey.
"Tracey is my assistant," Professor Oak informed them. "Tracey, please take Meowth back to the Pokémon treatment room and I'll be there in a moment."
"What's going on?" Delia asked as she approached the small crowd in the hallway.
"Hey, look, it's his girlfriend," Jessie told James. "Sorry, but we're going to have to borrow your boyfriend for a little while. It's a Pokémon emergency."
Meowth perked up at the sight of Delia. "Hey, Professor, she's a real hottie. No wonder you like her."
With an embarrassed glance at Delia, Professor Oak led Team Rocket back to the Pokémon treatment area.
---
For an hour, Jessie and James maintained a vigil outside the door of the examination room. Finally, Professor Oak emerged and approached the worried pair.
"How is Meowth?" James asked anxiously.
"Your diagnosis was correct; Meowth did have a broken leg. Fortunately, I've placed a cast on it and he'll be as good as new in a few weeks. How did he break his leg, anyway? He wouldn't tell me."
Jessie and James exchanged nervous glances. "Uh…we…um…can we see Meowth?"
"Well, he's resting right now. The pain medication I gave him made him sleepy. Tracey's putting him to bed right now."
"Thank you for everything, Professor," James said gratefully. "Although I'm afraid we can't afford to pay you for treating Meowth." He opened the Team Rocket money purse and a bottle cap fell out.
As Jessie's stomach audibly rumbled, Professor Oak felt sorry for the pair of would-be food thieves.
I may end up regretting this, but it is Christmas Eve after all.
"Don't worry about it. There's no charge. Consider it a Christmas present," Professor Oak said, smiling. "And since Meowth won't feel up to going anywhere for a while, feel free to stay here and enjoy the party."
Jessie and James' eyes grew wide. "You…you really mean it? We can stay?"
"Yes. Now go ahead and help yourselves to the food in the other room."
Jessie and James raced down the hallway, pushed past the other partygoers at the banquet table, and proceeded to stuff themselves.
"This turkey is the best…gulp…I've ever had. It's so moist…mmm…"
"Try the cookies, Jessie. These little snowmen are delicious!"
Ash, Misty, and Brock watched in amazement as the pair proceeded to devour everything on the table.
"Good thing we ate earlier," remarked Brock. "Because I don't think there's going to be any food left in a couple of minutes."
Ash tugged at Misty's arm. "Hey, Misty. Come with me for a minute."
"Where are we going, Ash?" Misty asked as she followed him down the hallway.
"You'll see," Ash said as he led her out the back door.
Once outside in the backyard, Ash led Misty to the wooden bench that sat under the huge Pokéberry tree on the hill that overlooked Pallet Town.
Misty shivered in the cold night air. "Brrr, we can't stay out here too long."
Ash took off his jacket and placed it around Misty's shoulders. "Is that better?"
"Yeah, thanks. But now you're going to get cold."
"Nahh, don't worry about it. I'm tough. Pokémon Masters don't let little things like cold get to them."
"So, Ash, why did you bring me out here?"
"Well, I…I thought that maybe we could give each other our Christmas presents now," Ash said.
"Oh. That's a good idea." Misty reached into the pocket of her dress and handed Ash a small present wrapped in bright green paper.
Ash eagerly opened Misty's gift. "Wow! What's this?"
"It's a Love Ball. I asked Kurt to make you one. I wasn't sure he was going to get it done by Christmas. Matter of fact, it didn't get here until this morning."
"Wow, this is great, Misty. Thanks." He admired his new Poké ball then placed it in his pocket. "Now I can catch some new Pokémon."
"Did you get me a present, Ash?"
"Well, I…I…"
Misty's face fell. "Oh, if you didn't get me anything, then that's okay," she said, disappointment obvious in her voice.
"No, Misty," Ash reassured her. "It's just that I've been looking for days to try to get you the perfect present, but nothing seemed right." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "But Professor Oak gave me a good idea. He said that I should tell you how I feel about you."
"And how do you feel about me, Ash?"
"I kinda wrote some stuff down, sorta like a poem. Would you like to hear it?"
Misty grinned. "Sure."
Ash took a deep breath to calm the flock of Butterfrees fluttering in his stomach and began.
"Misty, I think you're pretty cool,
Just like my best friend, Pikachu.
Your hair is like the color of flame,
Kind of like a Rapidash's mane.
And your eyes are really blue,
Just like the water or a Tentacool.
And it's really plain to me,
Your Pokémon love you, just like Togepi.
And until the very end,
I hope that you'll always be my friend."
Misty, her eyes swimming with tears, was overcome by emotion. "Ash, that's so wonderful!"
Before Ash knew what was happening, Misty threw her arms around him and kissed him.
Whoa! Misty's kissing me! This is so…so…Ash suddenly felt warm and tingly inside. So nice.
"Ash, are you all right?" Misty asked as their lips parted. Ash was staring at her with a goofy grin on his face.
"Yeah. Um, could we try that again, Misty?"
Misty grinned. "Sure."
As the two kissed again, another couple was watching them from the back porch.
"Samuel, did you really help Ash write that poem for Misty?" Delia asked.
"Well, Ash wrote most of it," he said shyly. "I just gave him some ideas, that's all."
"That is so sweet," Delia smiled. "I didn't know you wrote poetry."
"Well, it's not very good. It's mostly about Pokémon," Professor Oak admitted.
"I like poetry," Delia said, taking his hand in hers. "What would you say about me if you were going to write a poem about me?"
"Oh, well…I…" He took a deep breath to calm the flock of Butterfrees fluttering in his stomach. "Well, I'd guess I'd start with your hair. It's so pretty," he said, fingering a lock of her hair. "The same shade of a Fire Stone."
"Then what?" Delia said, moving closer to him.
"Then I'd say something about your eyes. They're just like the eyes of a Vulpix, soft and brown."
"And then what?" she whispered.
He was staring at her breasts. He had a verse about them too, but figured that he'd keep that one to himself…at least for now.
"And then this," he said as he pulled her close to him and kissed her.
---
"Oh, those silly loveboids," Meowth giggled groggily as he looked out the window at the two couples kissing. The pain medication had made him goofy. He then hallucinated about chasing a ball of yarn and fell back onto his pillow, paws waving slowly. "C'mere, you."
---
Meanwhile, back in the living room, Jessie and James sprawled on the couch in front of the fireplace.
"I think that was the most I've eaten in a year," James sighed as he patted his full stomach. "How about you, Jess?" He noticed that she seemed sad. "Jessie, are you all right? Do you need some antacid?"
"No, it's not that," she said wistfully as she stared at the fireplace. "It's just this," she said, waving her arm around the elaborately decorated room. "I never had anything like this for Christmas when I was growing up. No fireplace, no food, no decorations, not even a tree. All we had was a branch stuck in a coffee can that I'd put bits of paper on and pretend that they were ornaments."
Moved with pity, James reached into his pocket. "Here, Jessie."
"What's this?" she asked as she took the small package from him.
"It's not much," he said as she unwrapped the present. Her mouth fell open at the sight of the small, elaborately dressed doll that bore a strong resemblance to her Pokémon Arbok. "I know that you wanted a set of Pokémon dolls when you were a little girl, so I found this one when we were at the Saffron City Department Store. That's why there was no money in the purse. I spent it to get this doll for you."
"Oh, James," Jessie said, eyes welling up with tears. "I believe that this is the nicest gift anyone's ever given me. Thank you."
And then before James knew what was happening, Jessie threw her arms around him and kissed him.
"That's really bizarre," Tracey said to Brock as the two watched Jessie kiss James.
"You're telling me," said Brock. "But, hey, it's Christmas, so I guess anything can happen. Oops, better get that." Brock took off in the opposite direction as the latest guest arrived.
Tracey shook his head and went back to join Duplica at the piano.
"Hey, Brock," Gary said as Brock answered the door. "I just saw the weirdest thing on my way over here. Ash and Misty were kissing under the tree in the backyard, and Grandpa and Mrs. Ketchum were kissing on the back porch."
"You think that's weird," Brock said, moving aside to let Gary view Jessie and James kissing on the couch.
Gary's mouth fell open. "Jeez, what did you guys put in that egg nog, anyway?"
THE END