Chapter 32

After a much-needed and well-deserved rest in Matcha City, the gang of two were ready to head out toward their next destination. But when a walk on the beach before they left turned into crouching down in the sand when they discovered a new and rare Pokémon, Ash knew this was a Christmas miracle. "It's a Pokémon!"

Binoculars close to his face, he looked out at the long-haired Pokémon as him and Brock army-crawled through the sand. If Ash hadn't looked more closely at it, he would have mistaken the Pokémon for a human. With its long blonde hair and red flowing gown, it looked more like a woman going to a fancy ball. The Pokémon hadn't seen them yet, and was instead looking out at the ocean just beyond the reach of the crashing waves. It was crying out, and kept raising something it held in its hands up and down as it did.

When they finally got close enough, Brock whispered, "Ash, see what Dexter has to say." Fishing the hi-tech encyclopedia out of his pocket, he scanned the Pokémon with it.

"Jynx, the Human Shape Pokémon. This Pokémon has some very unusual powers. Its special attack is the Lovely Kiss, which puts its opponent into a deep sleep."

"I've got to capture this Pokémon," Ash muttered, and replacing Dexter with a Poké Ball, he finally stood up and threw the ball forward. "Wartortle!" As soon as the red and white Poké Ball left his fingertips, it burst open, and Wartortle came flying out of the flash of light that followed. The Jynx was caught off-guard, and turned towards Ash and Wartortle just as soon as Ash called for Wartortle to attack. "Water Gun!" While still in the air, Wartortle drew in a deep breath and sent a blast of water forward, which hit the Psychic Pokémon directly in the face.

But as Wartortle landed on the ground, Brock didn't share in its enthusiasm. "Be careful!" the Pokémon Breeder shouted. A shadow blocked out the sun around Wartortle, and the Turtle Pokémon looked up to see Jynx had easily recovered and was looking down at it. It had dropped the boot it was holding, and held its hands up in anticipation.

"Jynx, Jynx," the Human Shape Pokémon said, and with another utter, it snatched up Wartortle in its grip. Wartortle struggled to get out of Jynx's grip, but it had grabbed its shell just right so it couldn't reach the Ice and Psychic Pokémon's hands. Just then, Jynx puckered its lips and leaned forward, but Wartortle quickly craned its neck to avoid its kiss. They did this back and forth until Wartortle pulled its head into its shell.

"It can't get you now!" Ash cheered with a smirk, but Jynx didn't seem worried, and pressed its puckered lips to Wartortle's shell. For a split second, Jynx's lips flashed a bright pink, and soon after, Wartortle's head popped back out of its shell with its head back and eyes closed. "Wartortle!" Seeing that his Pokémon had been put to sleep, Ash retrieved a second Poké Ball from his belt. "Charmander, I choose you!" The ball opened as Jynx away from the Wartortle it still held, and looked down at the light that formed into Charmander. "Charmander, Flamethrower attack!"

"Chaaarrrrr!" Charmander wasted no time in firing a stream of fire from its mouth, which quickly enveloped Jynx's head, and when the attack stopped, the Ice and Psychic Pokémon was teetering back and forth with its blonde hair singed and messed up.

It was the opportunity Ash had been waiting for, and as it stepped from foot to foot, Ash pulled out an empty Poké Ball and threw it forward. "Poké Ball, go!" he cried. But as the capture device spiraled through the air, Jynx's body began to shimmer like a pearl and it used its psychic powers to raise the boot it had dropped previously. The boot and Poké Ball collided in midair, and the red and white sphere clattered to the sandy beach with barely a sound. "That's weird. I wonder why it didn't work..." He still donned his mask of confusion as he scrounged around in his pants pocket. "One more time..."

"Ash, hold on," Brock interjected, standing up and brushing the sand off the front of his body. "Look at that boot it's holding; it might belong to a Trainer."

"Maybe..." Ash mused, his hand lowering from his pocket and looking around for another human on the beach with them. "But then, what's it doing here all alone?" Brock didn't have an answer and also looked back and forth, but both of their eyes eventually fell back to the Jynx. The Human Shape Pokémon had dropped the sleeping Wartortle on the ground and replaced it with the boot. It hugged the footwear tightly to its body like a child would hold a teddy bear.

"Jynx Jynx Jynx Jynx..." Its dark face flushed red with a blush, and it approached them and held out the boot. "Jynx Jynx Jynx Jynx, Jynx."

"Say what?" But once again, Jynx spoke and gestured forward, so Ash took the boot and peered inside. But what he saw he was not expecting. "No way?! It can't be! I... I think this boot belong to Santa Claus!"

"To Santa Claus?" Brock questioned with a hint of distrust.

"W-well, look inside!" the Pallet Town boy told him, and held out the inside of the boot for Brock to see. Inside was an image of a man with a large white beard stitched on the front of a snowflake. With the battle now apparently over, Charmander approached the party, lugging Wartortle's limp figure on its back, and looked up at Jynx.

"Char!"

"Maybe this Jynx got separated from its Trainer... and its Trainer is Santa Claus!" Brock deduced.

"Jynx Jynx!" Jynx approved with a nod, and snatched Brock up in its arms and puckered its lips to try and kiss him on the cheek.

"Oh-kay, okay! Wait! Quit it! Don't kiss me! Cut it oooouuuuttt!" Finally, Jynx pulled back and began to speak once again.

"Jynx Jynx Jynx Jynx," it said, and then its body began to glow as it had once again, but this time its hair raised into the air by some invisible force.

"What's it trying to tell us this time?" Ash asked, but then strands of hair reached out in all different directions, and each of them landed on everyone's foreheads, including Wartortle's who instantly woke up when the hair touched it. A strange sensation flew through Ash's mind, and the beach around him melted away. Soon, he was seeing a land of snow and ice, with frigid water splashing up against it. Up ahead, a lone Jynx was sitting at the edge and washing a black boot. "W-what's going on?!"

"Jynx is psychically projecting its story into our minds!" he heard Brock reply, but did not see his friend. As his words echoed away, a loud crack sounded, and a large chunk of the ice that Jynx had been sitting on broke away. As Jynx looked up and turned around, it was already drifting out to sea. The Pokémon cried out and waved its arms frantically to the shore, but there was no one there to hear it. Finally, the image went white, and finally, Ash blinked to see Jynx lowering its hair and it sniffled and struggled to hold back tears that were forming under its round eyes.

"How's Santa gonna deliver presents without this Jynx at his right hand, and this boot on his left foot?"

"Jynx..." But Ash didn't hesitate with his response.

"Don't worry, Jynx! We're gonna take you and the boot back to Santa Claus at the North Pole!" The saddened look on Jynx's face instantly cleared up, and it leaped forward and wrapped its arms around Ash and drew its puckered lips closer to his face. Quickly, the boy struggled to escape Jynx's tight grip and its lips. "If you want to thank me, just don't kiss me! Okay, cut it out! Please, no Jynx! Let go of me, please!"

o 0 o

Within hours, Ash and Brock had constructed a makeshift raft out of thick tree trunks that had been cut down with the help of Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf and Jynx's Psywave, then tied together with rope from Ash and Brock's backpacks. It was a lot of hard work, but seeing the happy look on Jynx's face was completely worth it.

Getting it back down to the beach, Jynx was already on top of it as the two boys pushed the raft farther from the shore, soaking their clothes up to their waist. "So, how are we going to get the raft to the North Pole?" Brock asked, the thought just now occurring to him. Ash hummed, and then smiled and looked up.

"Hey, I have an idea! We can use our Flying and Water Pokémon to help us!" he suggested, and pulled out a Poké Ball. "I'll have my Wartortle and Pidgeotto help."

"You're right! Great idea!" Brock stated, and pulled out a Poké Ball of his own. The two threw their three Poké Balls forward, and four flashes of light burst out in front of them.

"Wartortle!"

"Pigeooooo!"

"Zuba!"

"Psy-yaiy?"

Tying the last of the rope that they had to their Pokémon, they were soon zooming ahead, with Wartortle pulling from the water, and Pidgeotto and Zubat pulling from the skies. "All right! Next stop: Santa's workshop! North Pole!" Ash encouraged loudly with his fist held high above his head. Beside him, Brock was kneeling down next to his Psyduck, who was looking up at him with a disheartened look on its face.

"Psy..." it quacked as it gripped its head sadly.

"Don't worry. You can ride up here with us," the Pokémon Breeder told his Pokémon with a nervous chuckle.

Excitement was their motivator, and after all the hard work, the quick breeze and sea spray was a much-needed relief, and lucky for them, the sun above wasn't too hot or cold, but after a while with nothing to do, the pair laid on the floor of their log raft while Jynx and Psyduck stared blankly into the distance, the former clutching the boot in its grasp while the latter clutched its head.

Some time had passed, and Ash wasn't sure if he had drifted off to sleep or just sat staring at the cloudless sky mindlessly, but it was Brock's voice that snapped him out of his stupor. "Ash, I think we've been drifting off-course!" This instantly perked Ash up, and as he sat up, he looked ahead at the end of the ropes. Wartortle was floating on its back with exhaustion on the ocean's surface, while Pidgeotto and Zubat were breathing heavily and laying on their stomachs at the edge of the raft.

"C'mon, you guys! Full speed ahead!" Ash and Brock cried together, and instantly, their Pokémon sparked to life once again before using the last of their strength to continue forward. This small burst of energy only lasted for a small amount of time, as after a while, they slowed down once again, this time coming to a full stop. It was clear they were completely exhausted with how far they had traveled. Brock frowned while Ash rubbed the back of his head, but an idea popped into his mind, and he turned to Brock.

"Brock, recall your Zubat into its Poké Ball," he instructed as he pulled Pidgeotto and Wartortle back into theirs for a rest. Brock looked at him questioningly, but didn't verbalize his wonder as he followed Ash's lead. With two flashes of red light, Psyduck and Zubat were recalled into their Poké Balls, and when he put away the capture devices, Ash had discarded his hat and jacket, and was unbuckling his belt next. "I'll take over for a while." Soon, his pants and shirt were tossed to the side, and he tied one of the ropes that was attached to the Pokémon around his own waist, and he stretched his arms in nothing but his striped underwear. "I've gotta... be able... to battle... the cold..." He dug his pinky fingers into his ears to briefly clean them before gracefully diving into the ocean.

The water was absolutely freezing, and even from baking in the sun all day, the frigid cold felt like a million needles were being pushed into every goosebump that instantly spread across his body. But he ignored both that and the salt burning his eyes as he surfaced and with arm stroke after arm stroke, he and the raft pushed onward.

But his own fatigue took over after some time, and they hadn't seen land for miles. His lungs burning for air, his heart threatening to break out of its cage, and his arms and legs begging for a break, he began muttering to himself. "It's... further... than... I... thought..." he said in between puffs of air as he dog-paddled slowly ahead. "Maybe... we... oughta... turn... back..."

But strangely enough, another voice flew through his mind, sounding as though someone was whispering in his ear. "You're heading in the right direction..." He stopped swimming and turned his head to and fro, but all he saw was the water and the sun reflecting off it.

"Did you just say something?" he called back to Brock, but the older boy simply shook his head as he stood with his arms crossed. "Guess I'm hearing things." Nevertheless, the strange voice had brought him back to reality, and he continued to swim forward, this time with more vigor.

"You've got a long way to go."

"There's that... voice again..." Ash sputtered in between breaths, not letting it distract him from his goal ahead. That was, until, a giant wave rose up from the surface. The boy barely had enough time to open his mouth and let out a short cry before the wave completely overtook him and dragged him underwater. The rope around his waist tugged at him so he couldn't be pulled by the current any farther, but the knot gave way and his connection to the raft was gone just like that. The Pokémon Trainer flailed through the water attempting to surface with just the little bit of air in his lungs, but a bright light ahead of him stopped him in his tracks.

"Come with me..." he heard a female voice beckoning to him, and despite being underwater, he could hear it clear as day.

W-who... said that? Ash thought as he watched the light in front of him grow larger and larger and eventually forming into a shadow of something which he didn't recognize. Finally, the light faded, and a large blue Pokémon with four flippers was peering down at him. Who are you? he asked in his head, feeling a little silly doing so, but tried nonetheless. Can you talk into my mind?

"Yes," the Pokémon replied, and when it did, a shimmering rainbow light outlined its body.

The feat was amazing, but his need for air was more pressing, and it all hit him at once. Struggling to surface, he felt something helping him surface just as everything went black, and when he next opened his eyes, he was laying on his back looking up at the sun. Spitting up the water that had almost settled in his lungs, he jumped up and turned around to see that he was riding on the hard shell of the blue Water Pokémon. "Where did you come from?! Where are you taking me?!" But his question was answered when he looked ahead and saw the Pokémon was bringing him to the raft that carried Brock and Santa's Jynx. When it reached the makeshift raft and swam around it, Brock – who had been staring with his mouth open at the events that had unfolded – reached for Ash's jacket and fished out Dexter from the pocket before scanning the new Pokémon.

"Lapras. This intellectually-advanced Pokémon is able to understand human speech. With its mild temperament, Lapras prefers to carry humans on its back rather than engage in Pokémon battles."

Lapras turned its head back at Ash standing on its back and looked at him through the corner of one of its eyes. "I have been watching you for quite some time now," it told him, and it seemed as though Brock could hear it this time as well, as the Pokémon Breeder's head lifted lightly when it spoke as he put away Dexter.

"It's Lapras' telepathy..." he murmured, and Lapras pulled up beside the raft and looked at Jynx before continuing.

"Santa Claus asked me to search for one of his Jynx. It's been missing for quite a while," it explained. "That search has brought me here – to you."

"How come you didn't just introduce yourself when you first saw us?" Ash questioned.

"I needed to be sure that your intentions were good."

"We're just trying to help..." the black-haired boy replied with his hands on his hips.

"Yes, I know. You used all your strength to help bring Jynx back to Santa. That is very kind of you." Ash smiled and rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"Aw, gee, it's really no big deal!"

"Now to thank you for what you've done, I'll be glad to bring you to Santa's workshop."

"You will?!" Ash's excitement was shared also by Brock and Jynx, who embraced and jumped for joy and laughter, but was quickly cut off when Jynx attempted to kiss Brock.

o 0 o

Lapras was much faster at traveling than their own Pokémon, and Ash quickly dressed and laid on the Pokémon's back, but it was still quite a ways to the North Pole. Eventually, the clouds began to gather, and it soon began to rain quite hard, soaking the already-soaked Ash to the bone, but he didn't seem to mind and just laid on his back and let the rain wash down his face. "Ah! Feels good!"

Brock was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the raft attached to Lapras's tail and had a fishing pole in his hand, though he wasn't having any luck at catching anything. He too was soaked to the bone, but was ignoring the rain. And finally, in the middle of the raft, Jynx was standing, holding Santa's boot protectively near its body. Its blonde hair was fanned out around it, acting as an umbrella to protect the rest of its body from the rain.

"It will start getting colder soon," Lapras warned him, its body shimmering as it spoke through its mind into Ash's, and the boy pulled himself up and gave it a reassuring flex of his arm.

"I'm pretty tough, Lapras! A little cold's not gonna bother me!" But after a couple hours had passed, and the rain gave way to snow, which gave way to giant icebergs sticking out of the water like icy obstacles that Lapras had to swim around, Ash was soon eating his words. Both Trainers were on either side of Jynx, and the Ice and Psychic Pokémon had wrapped its hair around their shivering bodies to help keep them warm. Their clothes, still wet from the rain, were now frozen, and not helping at all to regulate their body temperatures.

"A l-little cold doesn't... but a lot sure does..." Ash shivered as his breath puffed out in front of him.

"Don't worry. We're almost there," Lapras assured the two, its voice audible even through the chattering of their teeth. Its words weren't false either, as after an hour longer of navigating through the icy maze, the icebergs opened up to a large icy continent with ice jutting out in all directions. It was beautiful, and looked like an ice castle that would have only been thought of in movies. "See: that's where Santa lives."

"Oh, wow!" Ash said, and beside him, Brock's mouth was a circle as he stared in awe at the display ahead. But none was more excited than Jynx, whose lips curled into a happy smile.

"Jynx Jynx!" it uttered excitedly.

Anticipation seemed to slow down the time it took to get there, but at long last, they arrived at the snowy shore of the North Pole. The three climbed up and their shoes crunched in the snow and ice, but it was good to be back on a solid surface again. "This is where we part ways for now," Lapras told them. "But Jynx knows the way to Santa's workshop. I'm sure she has been waiting a long time for this moment."

"Thank you for all your help, Lapras," Ash thanked.

"We wouldn't have made it here without you," Brock added. Lapras gave an elegant nod, and it closed its eyes before turning around and submerging itself under the water.

"Let's not waste any more time, Jynx! I'm sure you can't wait to get back to Santa!" Ash said to it, and Jynx smiled brightly and led the way forward. Though Ash and Brock were still shivering, the new environment was helping them to ignore the cold, and they were able to watch the brightly-colored Jynx as it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the whites of the snowy island. Their arms wrapped around themselves, they trudged through the snow, looking at all the icy structures that jutted out high into the sky, which refracted the sun and seemed to make the whole area sparkle like a diamond.

But that was nothing when compared to the inside. A cavern opened up before them like the mouth of a cave, and there was only dark for a brief moment when they followed Jynx's footprints inside, and when they came out the other, Ash and Brock both let out gasps, which left their mouths in the form of vapor. Structures of ice and snow like a small village rose from the ground. Some were more sophisticated than others, and some even had icy stairs going up to higher doorways. There wasn't a soul to be seen or to greet them aside from themselves, but the snow had been packed down with walkways all around the area.

What really drew their eyes, however, was a huge structure in the dead center of the community. It looked like a giant Christmas Tree carved out of ice, with various holes in the 'branches' that resembled lights at a glance, but then upon further observation were windows. There was even a star on top, but steam rose from it, hinting that it was a vent of some kind. "That's it! That must be Santa's workshop!" Brock realized, seeing that Jynx was making a beeline for the base of it, which was up on a platform and circular in shape.

A pit in Ash's stomach grew heavier as they approached, but he was too excited to even think about it as Jynx opened up the doors. The warmth of the indoors immediately overtook them, and their bodies instantly let out a silent sigh of relief and stopped shivering when the doors shut behind them. The sound of machinery operating met their ears, and Ash's mouth dropped open as he looked around. Conveyor belts were set up all over the room, dropping down from the higher floors and dropping already-wrapped presents as well. There were many Jynx scattered throughout the area operating the machines and moving packages to different areas. They weren't, however, expecting any interruptions, and when the doors opened and they looked over to see Ash and Brock, their eyes widened in surprise.

"Jynx! Jynx Jynx Jynx..." the Jynx muttered amongst themselves, unsure of what to do, but suddenly, the Jynx they had been escorting stepped out and raised its arms excitedly.

"Jynx! Jynx Jynx!" it called. The other Jynx looked upon the new arrival, and immediately swarmed the newly-arrived Jynx in hugs and kisses.

"Now, what's all the commotion about," a serene male voice said from the other side of the room. The other Jynx parted and all turned toward the direction of the voice, moving away from Ash, Brock, and Jynx. Silence fell over the workshop as a man with a thick, white beard and thick eyebrows that covered his eyes approached with his hands behind his back. It was Santa Claus, and he walked over as the sound of his one boot echoed through the bottom floor of the workshop.

"Jynx!" Jynx cried, and held out the boot that it had protected for so long as Santa approached it. The man smiled under his beard and looked at the Jynx.

"I'm so glad to see you home safe and sound, Jynx," he told it. Jynx happily nodded and wiped a tear from its eye, and suddenly, its body began to glow brightly as it had on the beach so many hours ago. This time, however, a chunk of hair only reached out and touched Santa's hat where his forehead would be. The man was silent for a moment, and then when Jynx's hair lowered, his smile widened. "Thank you so much for keeping my boot safe for so long. I was afraid my toes were going to freeze when I went out tonight."

"Jynx..." his Pokémon muttered as Santa took the boot and finally placed it over his foot, completing his ensemble. Finally, he looked at Ash and Brock and held his arms out warmly.

"And thank you, Ash and Brock. Thank you so much for helping to bring my Jynx back," he thanked. "Jynx told me everything, and you both sacrificed so much to get her here. I wish I could do something to show my appreciation, but it's the busiest night of the year for me, and I need to go out in a few hours."

"It's okay, Santa. We understand," Brock told him with a nod.

"Yeah! Just being here is enough of a story! I can't wait to rub it in Gary's face that I met the real Santa Claus!" Ash added, but Santa waved a gloved hand.

"Now wait a moment, Ash," he interrupted. "I must ask that you keep your coming here a secret."

"But how come?" the Pallet boy asked with a frown.

"While it is true that I am powerless and can't visit against those who don't believe in me anymore, there also needs to be that mystery that gives Christmas its magic," he explained. "Not to mention, I like my alone time, and it would get me off-schedule if I were interrupted by visitors frequently." Ash smiled bashfully, and gave a nod of approval to the older man.

"Okay, Santa. Your secret's safe with us."

o 0 o

They stayed until nightfall at the North Pole, and warmed up with a big meal and a steaming mug of hot cocoa while Santa and his Jynx prepared for his trip. Loading up his sleigh with a towering heap of sacks that were stuffed to the brim with presents, they stood beside the green sleigh at the edge of the North Pole's shores with the full moon as their backdrop. Between the light from the full moon and the fire burning from the mane of his one Ponyta attached to the reins at the helm of his sleigh, Santa was brightly visible as they saw him off. Also joining them was Lapras from the shore, and as he climbed up into the front seat, he looked at the Transport Pokémon.

"I've got a busy night ahead of me. Lapras, would you bring my friends safely to where you found them, please?"

"Of course, Santa." With a tug on the reins, the sleigh rose into the air, and Ash and Brock marveled at the Ponyta at the helm lifting off the ground without the need of wings.

"No reindeer," he commented with a smile upon seeing their reaction, and with a wave of the reins, his Ponyta let out a whinny before taking off and galloping through the air, rising higher and higher until they seemed to be as high as the moon itself. As they disappeared from view, snow began to fall from the sky in their wake, and the pair of traveling Trainers smiled.

"Looks like we're gonna have a white Christmas," Brock commented. Suddenly, Ash let out a loud yell that surprised the Pokémon Breeder.

"Awahh, I forgot!" he exclaimed. "I forgot to tell Santa Claus what I want for Christmas!"

"Oh, Santa knows," Lapras replied knowingly. Just then, the Jynx that they rescued came out of Santa's workshop, and it held a pair of presents in its hands.

"Jynx Jynx Jynx," the Human Shape Pokémon said as it approached them, and held out the presents to Ash and Brock.

"For us?!" the black-haired boy asked excitedly.

"Merry Christmas," Lapras translated for Jynx.

"Thanks, Santa Claus!" Ash exclaimed, looking down at the tag which said the present was from him.

"And Jynx, too!" Brock added as he looked down at his own present. Jynx smiled, and the sound of the tearing of wrapping paper made them miss the echoing, far away sound of jingle bells and a bellowing laughter.

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Wartortle (Poké Ball)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Water Gun, BubbleBeam

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed

Charmander (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Ember

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Mankey (Poké Ball)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves:

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Krabby (Poké Ball)

Moves: ViceGrip

Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Geodude (Poké Ball)

Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle

Zubat (Poké Ball)

Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic

Psyduck (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tail Whip, Scratch, Disable, Confusion

Vulpix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fire Spin