The ground around them was fluffy and white, and the trees were all coated with a layer of snow as far as the eye could see. Because of this, it was quite bright outside, and Chloe had a difficult time seeing until her eyes adjusted. But the quiet brought on by winter had a magical feeling to it, not the least of which was because of where she found herself.
For the first time since spring break, she had returned to Pallet Town with Ash.
And while their adventures had continued after their hearts finally understood each other in the summer nights of Alola, it was funny to Chloe that the more things changed, the more they seemed to be the same. Of course, she still went to school, met with Mika, went to the lab, talked with her father, did homework and did it all again the next day. But there was the near-constant presence of Ash and Pikachu in her life now. He'd greet her in the morning before she left for school and he and Goh went to their next research assignment for her father. She'd see him returned, usually exhausted and snacking once she came back. They would have time to talk about their days, a quiet moment for her to sneak a kiss, and they would have to part again.
There was something comforting in a routine, she thought, as she continued to live her life, only with an excitable, Pokémon-loving boyfriend who she spent time on the weekends with. And thus, when the break around the end of the year and Christmas came, and she would be out of school for two weeks, who but that boyfriend could offer to break that routine?
"Chloe, you should come with me to Pallet Town for Christmas!" he shouted in the lab at the beginning of December, and Chloe only needed to ask her father permission once to spend time with her boyfriend's family before he agreed (though he did insist on calling every night to make sure she was okay).
That was how she found herself in this winter wonderland on Christmas Eve, with snow covering the ground and the lake before her frozen solid. She exhaled her held breath, which came out white in the frosty air.
Ash had opted for long pants (which looked a bit odd to Chloe at first, since she had only ever seen him wear shorts before) and a warm, thick jacket that covered his clothes. Pikachu had a stocking cap and a scarf, though Eevee required neither given how thick her fur was.
Ash found them both a nearby stump to sit on and brushed the snow off of it. Chloe sat down in her own wintery outfit, with nice warm leggings and a fluffy white jacket that went over the jumper she wore. Sitting down next to Ash, she began to open her backpack to switch from her snow boots to her ice skates.
Ash chuckled to himself nervously under his breath as he took off his own shoes and replaced them with ice skates. They were nice and new, purchased with Chloe saving up her own allowance and doing extra chores and even agreeing to tutor several girls from her class for final exams that semester. Chloe was excited when she gave them to Ash, but while there was surprise and joy in his face, there was also more than a little trepidation.
"I uh, I've never gone ice skating before.." he admitted. "At least not with ice skates."
"All the more reason for me to help you learn," she had told him. They now found themselves at a pond outside of Pallet Town in the early part of the morning. The sky was clear, and Chloe wanted to take advantage of the time they had.
"C'mon, let's go!" she said, taking him by the hand and awkwardly walking through the snow to the edge of the pond. She tested the ice near the edge for just a moment to be sure it was solid, but there was little doubt it would be.
Chloe let go of his hand and stepped onto the ice, and in a few moments, she was already gliding atop it, the blades on her skates gliding over the surface of the ice.
She had gone ice skating a few times before. Mostly with her parents during winter breaks like this. One time, she had gone with Mika and Goh, only for Goh to fall through the ice and the day to be canceled early. But she loved the feeling of the cold air rushing past her face and the white puffs of breath coming from her mouth. But what she loved most of all was the image she saw while skating, of couples holding hands as they spun around the ice. It was that image that she most wanted to replicate with Ash at her side.
The Palletonian, for his part, seemed hesitant to step onto the ice, even as Pikachu and Eevee hopped onto it with nothing separating their bare paws from the ice.
Pikachu turned around, flicking his ears. "Pikapi, pika?" he asked.
"I'm alright," Ash replied. "I've just… gotta do it."
He took his first steps onto the ice and began sliding forward, but the way his arms waved in the air around him told Chloe that this wasn't his intent. She skated up next to him and stopped, taking his hand.
While this did steady Ash and he exhaled a puff of white in relief, Chloe could see his cheeks flushing, and his eyes darting away from hers. "Thanks," he said, somewhat shyly.
She couldn't help but giggle at his stubbornness. "You don't have to try so hard, Ash. I'm not sure I can love you even more than I do already."
Ash chuckled and his free hand was now pulling his cap down. "I uh… I guess I just want to always look cool in front of you, you know?"
"You are always cool," she said, linking her fingers into his. "You don't have to act like you know how to do everything, though. You can rely on us."
"Us?"
Chloe looked around, seeing Pikachu and Eevee stopping nearby. The two of them were managing to glide across the ice together, but they were watching Ash and Chloe closely.
"Eie," Eevee said, tilting her head
Pikachu put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Pikapi."
Chloe put her hand under his chin and turned his face to look at her. "We're all here for you, Ash," she said. "Just like how you are all here for me, or how we're all here for Pikachu and Eevee."
He nodded, laughing. Chloe thought that he must have been laughing at himself. "You're right. I just… y'know, I get caught up in it. I wanna always make you happy, Chloe, so I worry about bein' the perfect boyfriend, even if I still don't get it all the time, you know?"
She smiled at him gently, putting her hand on his cheek.
"You don't have to be the perfect boyfriend. I just want you to be the perfect Ash. The best you that you can be."
She demurely leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, and when she backed away from him, his eyes were wide, and his cheeks were reddened even more than just the winter chill could cause.
"You're just way too smart for me, y'know," he said. "I never thought about love much in the first place, but I never woulda guessed someone as brainy as you woulda fallen for a blockhead like me."
"You're not a blockhead," she said. "You're just very earnest and straight-forward. You focus on what's important and you don't sweat the small stuff. And you have a gentle soul that loves Pokémon and me. You're just being hard on yourself."
He snorted a smile. "Well… I wasn't good with dancing before, and I'm not really good with ice skating, either."
"Don't worry. I'll teach you. And I bet Pikachu will be more than happy to help you, too."
"Pikachu," he said, nodding.
"Eievui!"
"Thanks, everyone," Ash said before looking intensely into Chloe's eyes. "I'm ready. I'm gonna amaze you with my ice skating skills by the time we're done!"
"I look forward to it."
She skated gently away from him, gliding over the surface of the ice, with Pikachu and Eevee skating up next to her.
Ash sighed and then put his best foot forward, and he skated up next to her, and she caught his arm. The two of them began to spin around each other, with Pikachu and Eevee sliding around them as well. Once Ash found his footing, he began to race Pikachu around the pond, the two of them attempting to out pace the other.
Chloe could only watch in humor and fear that they would get themselves hurt, but Eevee seemed to be excitedly cheering them on.
Eventually, Chloe and Ash's fun caught up with them as Ash's stomach grumbled loudly, informing them that it was lunch time. At Ash's request, they packed up their belongings, switched back to their snow boots, and began the walk back. But as they passed the treeline, Ash paused for a moment.
"Hey, Chloe," he said, "Hold on a sec."
He paused and took one of his skates out of his backpack and approached a tree.
"What are you doing?" she asked, following him behind.
Ash chuckled to himself. "Well, there's somethin' I saw people do on TV and I wanted to do it here, with you."
Chloe blinked at him and waited for an explanation. He took the point on the skate's blade and used it to carve into a tree near the pond. It took a bit of effort, both because of the toughness of the tree and the awkwardness of writing with the skate, but he managed to carve the letters "A" and "K" into the tree.
"You're monogramming the tree?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Now I'm gonna put your initials," he said.
She blushed, her mind finally catching up with his desire. "You're going to what?"
Ash's face was red, as well. "Well, I just wanted to make our mark, you know?" he shrugged. "It'd be so cool to come back here later and see where we put our initials on this tree."
She nodded, unable to conceal her smile. "Okay, Ash," she said. "But can I do it instead?"
He handed her his skate. "Sure! Go for it!"
She took the skate from his hands and walked up to the tree. It was tough, digging the point of the skate into the tree, but she managed to carve "CC" next to the "AK". For a bit of artistic flourish, she then put a heart around the letters before handing Ash his skate back.
He smiled warmly at it, taking her hand in his own. "I like it," he said.
His hand felt cold and wet, but Chloe was sure her's did as well, so she didn't mind.
"I like it, too."
When Ash asked to break for lunch, Chloe wasn't sure where he was taking her, especially since he said they were going to his Mom's place. But eventually the snow-topped building came into view, and the vent on top spewed a steady stream of steam. Chloe was informed by a nearby sign that this was Pallet House. It billed itself as a family restaurant, but given Chloe's understanding of Pallet Town during this and her previous visits, she thought that it was the only restaurant in all of Pallet Town.
When she and Ash entered, she was immediately hit by the delicious scents that seemingly were trapped behind the doors. There was also a sense of familiarity; it smelled just like the cooking Mrs. Ketchum masterfully crafted in her own kitchen.
Chloe began to put the pieces together as she scanned the diner. It was decorated much like the Ketchum residence was, with pale walls and pictures hung all around. The contents of the picture frames varied much more than they did in the home, however, containing newspaper clippings and pages featuring notable Palletonians such as Professor Oak, his grandson, and of course Ash.
Chloe was in the middle of quickly reading a clipping about Ash's entry into the Indigo Plateau Conference when she heard the double doors to the kitchen swing open.
"Oh! I wasn't expecting the two of you to come here," Mrs. Ketchum said, carrying plates of food. "One moment, let me deliver this and I'll be right back."
They nodded to her and took seats at the counter on the round stools set up for customers. Chloe looked around and saw a few more pictures, only these looked to be landscape paintings that depicted the hills and farms around Pallet.
"So… when you said this is your Mom's place…" Chloe started.
Ash chuckled. "Yeah! This is my Mom's restaurant. She owns it! This is where she works whenever I'm not at home."
"And I guess there's times she can't get away from it, either," Chloe supposed. "But still… this is really cool that your Mom has her own business! And with how tasty her food is, I can't blame her!"
"Eievui!" she chimed in, hopping onto the counter in front of Chloe while Pikachu remained on Ash's shoulder.
"Thank you, Chloe dear," Mrs. Ketchum said, coming back with a smile on her face. "That's sweet of you to say."
Chloe looked around at the walls, decorated with memorabilia of the small town. "It's so cozy and warm here… honestly, I've been here for only a few moments and it already feels like I never want to leave."
"That's the kinda place this is," Ash said, smiling. "Pallet House is where you can really get t' know people and learn about 'em. It's part of the reason I said everyone's close here. You really do meet everyone here if you stick around."
Chloe giggled at Ash's description. "Honestly, I totally see it. Pallet Town is an amazing place."
"I hope you're not just saying that just because your boyfriend lives here," Mrs. Ketchum teased, but Chloe was able to laugh it off, since Ash was the one pulling down his hat.
"I'm not just saying it because of that, but he is pretty amazing."
Her own parents had known for some time about the two of them going steady, but when they told Mrs. Ketchum, she seemed to not be surprised about it, a fact that honestly disarmed Chloe at the time. Ash could only laugh and stutter, and had commented that his Mom was pretty incredible.
"It's just that the more I see of Pallet Town, the more I see just the kind of amazing place that it is, you know?" she said. "It makes me kinda wish there was a place here for people to come visit and enjoy all the nature around here. City people like me rarely ever get to go to a place as surrounded by nature as Pallet Town."
Mrs. Ketchum giggled then looked at her son. "It sounds like all the time you two have spent in the woods here has left a pretty big impression on her."
Ash rubbed the back of his head shyly. "Well, I just wanted her to know what it was like for me, you know? I'm happy that she took to it as well as she did. It's like she's a country girl, deep down!"
Now it was Chloe's turn to blush. "Ash, you can't just say stuff like that, you know. I'm definitely at home out here, but there's still a lot of stuff you can only find in the city."
"Heh, yeah, I know," he said, shrugging.
"But still," Chloe said. "Imagine if Pallet House was just a little bigger, and with some rooms where people could rent it out. Like a bed and breakfast, you know?" She spun on the stool, opening her arms wide. "People could come eat the delicious, home cooked food and then explore the countryside around Pallet Town. See the fields of wildflowers. Skate across the ponds. Just live and experience nature alongside Pokémon. Doesn't that just sound amazing?" Her stool completed one full revolution before coming to a stop. She faced Mrs. Ketchum and Ash again before she realized just how far she had gone into her daydream. "I-uh, s-sorry," she said, her face reddening. "I just got caught up in it, I guess."
"It sounds like a wonderful idea, Chloe," Mrs. Ketchum said, beaming. "It kind of makes me want to try it myself!"
Ash gasped. "Is that the dream you want to pursue with Eevee?" he asked.
Chloe and Eevee both looked in his direction, startled. "Our dream?"
He nodded. "Yeah. You brought up this awesome idea. Is that why? Because you and Eevee wanna run a bed and breakfast, too?"
She giggled at his enthusiasm. "Not quite," she said. "I mean, it'd be a fun side project, I guess, but that's not the path I want to take when it comes to Pokémon."
"Do you have some sort of inkling yet?" Mrs. Ketchum asked. "You've been giving it a lot of thought lately."
Chloe looked down shyly, blushing. "Well… I guess there is one thing I am thinking that I'd like to do. But I'm still not sure about it, so I dunno if I wanna say it and get put on the spot."
Ash pumped his fist confidently for her. "Well, if you wanna try it out, for at least a little while, then why not?" he asked. "Even if you change your mind later, that's okay."
Her eyes darted up to look at him, though she kept her head down. "Do you really think so?" she asked.
"Yeah!" he said, his smile beaming as bright as the sun on freshly fallen snow. "Nothing you experience is a waste of time! Everything helps you move forward, one step at a time, right?"
She couldn't help but smile at that.
"You're right. Thanks, Ash."
Night fell over Pallet Town like a soft, quiet blanket pulled over the sky. Somehow the moonlight caused the fallen snow to sparkle even more beautifully than the sunshine did, Chloe thought.
She stood on the porch of Ash's home, with Ash next to her. In her hands, to help keep them warm, was a cup of hot cocoa. Ash's had already been emptied and sat on the railing. Pikachu and Eevee were curled up inside on the couch, cuddled together for warmth on the cold winter's night, leaving Ash and Chloe a bit of privacy.
There is a moment of quiet for the couple as they enjoyed each other's comfort this quiet Christmas Eve evening.
"It's kind of a magical feeling, don't you think?" she asked.
He nodded and put an arm around her.
"Yeah, it is."
She giggled and snuggled in closer, letting his arm rest on her side. Though they were both bundled up in their winter coats, he was still incredibly warm.
"It reminds me of the time I met Santa Claus."
There was a brief moment of silence in the air as Chloe mourned the death of the romantic moment she was sharing with him, but after letting that quiet moment pass away, she stepped away from him.
"You what?"
Her gaze at him was cold, as if he had told an inappropriate joke.
He nodded insistently. "Santa Claus. You know, he rides the sleigh? He delivers presents to every good boy and girl?"
No matter how much she learned about Ash, he always seemed to be able to surprise her.
"You met Santa Claus?"
He nodded again.
"But… I thought he was just made up?" she said, crossing her arms.
Ash shook his head. "No, he always manages to give me and my friends presents, no matter where we are. And I met him, too. We even met his Lapras."
"He has a Lapras?!" This story was getting even more difficult to believe.
"Yeah," Ash said. "And a Jynx, and some Ponyta. Team Rocket tried to kidnap him to ruin Christmas but my friends and I saved him and made sure everyone got their presents that year."
Chloe sat there, stunned. "And… and if we talk to your friends, they'll vouch for you?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Brock and Misty were both there. Misty's the Cerulean City Gym Leader, and Brock used to be the Pewter City Gym Leader but he retired and is tryin' to become a doctor now. Both of them will tell you this is real."
Unlike some people she knew, Ash wouldn't tell a fib about something like this, so she set her cup of cocoa aside and pulled a notepad and pen from her pocket.
"Okay, Ash, can you tell me the story from the beginning?"
He blinked. "What's that?" he asked.
"It's… it's a notebook," she said, somewhat embarrassed. "I want to take notes on what happened when you met Santa Claus."
"Why, because it sounds like I'm making it up?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. It's because I know you that I know you're not making it up. But…" She suddenly felt very self-conscious. "Well… you said that I should try following new dreams, right? Even if I change my mind later?"
He nodded, but then the realization dawned on him and he gasped. "Wait… so takin' notes on my story is what's gonna help you reach your dream?"
"Well… I think the things that've happened to you are pretty incredible," she said, giggling. "And I think lots of people could enjoy reading about them."
"Reading about them?!" Ash practically jumped from excitement. "You mean…? You wanna write books about me?!"
She waved his excitement down. "They'd just be children's books," she said, giggling. "But… yeah. I think it would be a lot of fun to share these stories. And you would be able to tell me everything, since I listen so well, right?"
Ash was the one to surprise her by leaning in and kissing her this time.
Her eyes went wide and she was keenly aware of the taste of the cocoa on his lips as well as the bright moonlight giving the scene it's calming glow. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, but he ended the kiss quickly, his excitement unable to let him stop for even a moment.
"Thanks, Chloe. I'm glad you think everything I've seen isn't a waste of time," he said.
"Well, it cuts both ways, doesn't it? If nothing I can do is a waste, then the same has to apply to you."
He nodded. "I'll tell you however much you wanna hear. I promise!"
Ash leaned into the corner where the railing met the side of the house, holding Chloe there. His arms felt so warm and strong as they wrapped around her.
She looked up to the bright moon shining above them.
"As long as we can keep sharing this sky, that's enough for me."
Ash nodded, and looked up at the sky.
"It all began this time Misty, Brock, and I saw a Jynx on a beach holding a boot..."
The morning sun crested over the trees from the window, peeking onto the pages laid out in front of her. Her mother had just returned the finished manuscript with illustrations to her, and this was the first chance Chloe had to look over the children's book - her first ever that was going to hit publication, and she smiled at the memories from that Christmas in Pallet Town Ash had told her the story during.
How many years ago was it now, she wondered. Ten? Fifteen? She wasn't thirty. Not yet, but it seemed that time had its own way of slipping by. She was an adult now, sitting in her bedroom on Christmas morning, looking over this project.
She heard four sets of snoring behind her, but she had long grown used to the sound. At the foot of the bed, curled up next to each other for warmth on this cold winter morning were the ever reliable Pikachu and Eevee. After all these years, their closeness never seemed to falter, and it was a thought that brought Chloe a lot of comfort.
Laying in bed, half out of it with only part of the covers still on him was her husband. He'd still never grown out of his poor sleeping habits or messy hair, that Ash Ketchum. But looking at his sweet sleeping face, she remembered the joy, warmth, and love he brought into her life every day, and she couldn't stop the smile from growing on her face.
Idly, her hand drifted over to touch the wedding band she still wore. It was a grand ceremony with more people and Pokémon present than she could count. She distinctly remembered her father, Ren, and Goh all crying, though at least for her father and Goh they had people to comfort them in her mother and Lillie.
Even more than that, she remembered the grand adventure she and Ash embarked upon as wife and husband, packing up their belongings and traveling across several regions looking for adventure and making memories before they returned to quiet Pallet Town in the corner of the Kanto Region.
Again, she found it hard to count the time. Though, she did know it was at least five years ago that the bed's final occupant had joined them.
Her hair was wild, soft, and curly just like Chloe's was, and it seemed to have pink, zig-zagging highlights. Though she was sleeping now (snoring, in fact!), Chloe could see Ash's warm brown eyes on her daughter's face. Her name was Anemone, after a wildflower the two of them had seen while traveling together, but they usually only called her Anne. At only age five, she was still too young to become a Pokémon Trainer of any sort, not that Chloe would push her daughter to do anything she didn't wish for. But she was such a daddy's girl that she figured it would be inevitable that she would want to get her own Pokémon someday and go on all the adventures she'd heard about from her well traveled papa.
She returned to looking at the book with the drawings of Ash, his two friends, and the evil Team Rocket within. She wondered how many of these stories she would end up putting into the hands of children before they would read about the day Ash Ketchum would meet Chloe Cerise, and both their lives would change forever. It was an exciting thought, though she surmised that perhaps saying that she first met the love of her life passed out on the stairs lightly charred by Yamper maybe wasn't the most romantic beginning the story could have.
But if the sun was rising, that meant it wouldn't be long before it was time for everyone to wake up. And though the main business of Pallet House was closed for the day, there would still be several hungry people and Pokémon who would be expecting breakfast to come soon.
Chloe stood and quietly shifted to the bedside, giving Anne and Ash both a soft kiss on their foreheads before she slipped down to make breakfast.
As she began stacking pancakes in the kitchen usually used for the restaurant, she wondered about her idea coming to fruition. Pallet House was now a fairly popular bed and breakfast, though it seemed to still be a secret, only known to those in the know. She recalled hosting Gladion in Kanto for a few weeks while he went on his own training journey around the various Gyms of the region. And she made no subtle hints about him recommending the place to Goh and Lillie once they finally decided to tie the knot, though from what her old friend usually said, they were always busy with work.
Life in Pallet Town was slow, and though it took a while, Chloe had gotten to know everyone, just as Ash said she would, and frankly she found the pace suiting her here much more than Vermilion City ever did.
Whether it be time or the scent of breakfast drawn them in, she finally heard Ash's steps coming down the stairs, carrying Anne on his shoulders. Pikachu and Eevee darted into the kitchen for Chloe while Ash sat Anne at the table.
She brought out the plate filled with pancakes to her husband and daughter's smiling faces.
"Mommy! Mommy! Did Santa come last night while we were asleep?"
Ash chuckled, patting her on the head. "Hold on, Champ," he said. "We've gotta eat breakfast before we can see what Santa brought us."
Anne looked at her father, smiling widely. "Okay, Daddy," she said, taking her fork into her hands. "But I wanna see it soon!"
Chloe laughed. She was so much like Ash, it was uncanny. They both seemed to have the same zeal for life about them. "Alright, let's dig in. I want to get going so we can continue our tradition."
Ash used his fork to take a pancake and put it on Anne's plate before he began cutting it into smaller, child friendly pieces. "I hope it's cold enough," he said. "Ice skating on Christmas mornin's one of my favorite traditions."
"Well the first time was on Christmas Eve," Chloe joked, putting a hand on her hip. "But we have gone every day on Christmas since then, so it's okay."
"Pikachu!"
"Eievui!"
The breakfast quickly succumbed to Ash and his daughter's combined appetites. Chloe was already excitedly looking out the window in anticipation.
The ground around them was fluffy and white, and the trees were all coated with a layer of snow as far as the eye could see. Because of this, it was quite bright outside, and Chloe had a difficult time seeing until her eyes adjusted. But the quiet brought on by winter had a magical feeling to it, not the least of which was because of whose hand she was holding.
Anne walked between her mother and father, smiling widely as she held each of their hands.
The family of three, with their two Pokémon, headed out to the small pond that was a short walk from Pallet House, where the family called home. After taking it over from Ash's mother and transforming it into a bed and breakfast, the small family had moved in, living alongside the guests they would entertain.
As for Ash's mother, she still sent them postcards from Alola from time to time. The tropical region was much better for a grandmother's bones than how cold Kantonian winters could be.
Anne's hair was finally braided into twin pigtails, a style that suited her somewhat tomboyish nature. Chloe wondered if her daughter would grow out of it, but wasn't in any rush to force her to be anything but a happy child.
Under Ash's arms were his somewhat old ice skates and a brand new pair of sparkling white ice skates that Santa had left for Anne in just the right size. "He always knows," Ash had joked to Chloe, and after all this time, she had no reason to doubt him.
They approached the pond and Anne rushed out from their hands to the bench they had installed after having the old stump by the lake removed. "Daddy! Daddy! Let's skate together, okay?"
Ash scratched the back of his head, glancing over at Chloe. "Well, I was hopin' t' get a chance t' skate with Mama first, Champ."
Hearing her referred to as 'Mama', she giggled. Chloe shook her head. "No, Papa, it's okay if you skate with her first. You know she'll tire out before too long and go make snowmen with Pikachu and Eevee."
He leaned over and kissed her lips softly, but quickly. "Alright. I hope I won't keep you waiting."
He turned to the bench and the pond and began the process of switching Anne's snow boots for her ice skates.
Chloe turned to see an old tree, still standing next to the path back towards home. In an unsure hand, etched into the bark were the initials AK and CC, wrapped together in a heart. The memory of that day rushed back to her once more, and she once more felt like a young girl, standing with her freshly minted boyfriend with a life of love and adventure before the two of them.
Looking at that young man who had grown up so strong and kind wrestling with their daughter's shoes reminded her of her age, but the truth of the matter was clear.
There would always be more love and adventure with Ash by her side.