December's Blessing

It's Christmas, but Marnie is feeling the loneliness creeping up on her. Could our Pallet Town trainer do something? (AshxMarnie) (Spikemuthshipping)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the image used.

Galar was covered with snow, and white powder covering everything from roofs to trees.

A gentle wind blew across the small town of Spikemuth, blowing snowflakes across the streets. The sun was soaring high, casting a warm orange glow over the snow-covered town.

The streets were empty as the townspeople were all gathered in their houses preparing for Christmas Eve.

Within one of the houses was the tough-looking yet sweet Dark-type specialist, Marnie.

She was staring out of her window at the snowy town that surrounded her home. Her hands rested on her hips, her face still filled with an intense look of concentration. After several moments she let go of her arms, looking down at the floor. A frown graced her lips, and she sat down on her bed with a heavy sigh.

Marnie was lonely. Her parents and brother left for a vacation to Hoenn, which she didn't want to go to, and most of Team Yell is spending time with their own families.

She sighed again, before walking to her kitchen to get something to drink until…

The doorbell rang, surprising Marnie as she thought, 'Who could be here at a time like this?'

Marnie was brought out of her thinking as the doorbell rang again as the black-haired girl went up to open the door.

Upon opening it, however, she wasn't expecting what she saw.

There standing before her was Ash, who was wearing a blue winter coat and black jeans with a snow-white scarf wrapped around his neck, carrying a bag. Not to mention, he didn't have his hat which left his messy raven hair flowing with the wind.

His hazel eyes were focused on Marnie while his smile grew wider upon seeing her. Marnie's heartbeat was quicker than normal as she looked at him. Her cheeks became slightly rosy red. Let's just say someone developed a small crush on our Kanto boy during their first meeting, and this moment only made sure the love burned fiercer.

"Wha… what are you doing here?" The girl shuttered.

Ash chuckled softly at her reaction. "I'm sorry. But, uh, can I come inside and explain later? It's kinda cold."

Marnie nodded slowly, moving aside and letting Ash come through. As he walked into her house.

As Ash walked into her house, he took in the sight of her cosy home. The most notable decoration was the Morpeko plushie.

"I asked Piers and he told me you stayed behind at Spikemuth alone, so I came by to celebrate Christmas together!" Ash said cheerfully, before blushing a little. He took off his shoes and hung his coat on the hanger.

He then turned towards Marnie, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

The brunette blinked. "W…what did Piers tell you? That I'm staying here alone?"

"Yup!"

"Shouldn't you be spending time with your mom for Christmas instead of me?" The goth girl asked, not that she minded but she was indeed curious.

Ash chuckled, placing his bag down and taking a seat on Marnie's couch as she sat opposite him. "I asked her about this and she agreed. Besides, she is hanging out with Mrs Oak, our neighbour anyways."

"You still haven't answered my question."

Ash looked away scratching his cheeks redden slightly before saying, "I know this looks weird but…I wanted to spend Christmas with you."

That made Marnie blush. Ash might not know but he does have a way with words.

"So, would you mind if I spend Christmas with you, Marnie?" Ash smiled.

"I…" The butterfrees in Marnie's stomach seems to be flying around as her heart beat faster than what she thought was humanly possible.

"Yes. Yes, I would like that." She said smiling at Ash and wrapping her arms around the taller boy pulling her into a hug. That rare smile of hers was something Ash wanted to see again.

"Thank you, Ash."

"Anytime, Marnie. Anytime." He hugged back squeezing her tightly making her happy.

"What should we do for now? It's still long before dinner."

"Well, we can go ice skating near a lake here, I used to go there with Piers a lot."

"What are we waiting for?" Ash said before jumping up from the sofa and heading for the door.

"Ash, we need skating boots and I need to dress up from the cold…" Marnie deadpanned.

"Oh, sorry," Ash scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

Marnie only smiled at Ash's antics before heading into her room to get prepared for the outing.

(Timeskip)

20 minutes have passed, and Ash can be seen waiting as his patience is slowly running out.

'Do all women take forever to prepare?!' He thought in his mind.

"I'm ready!" Marnie's voice caught his attention as he looked toward the girl.

Marnie, carrying a bag that contained the skating boots, was wearing a cute purple coat over her usual pink dress with tight jeans and a pair of black boots on her feet. She also had a large pink and white chequered scarf hugging her neck and reaching her chin.

He couldn't help himself. The sight of her looking so adorable sent his heart racing. 'She's adorable.'

Ash snapped out of his thoughts as Marnie began to walk toward him. The goth blushed when she saw Ash staring.

"Let's go," Marnie said as both of them walked outside.

"So, where is this lake at?" Ash asked.

"It's a little far away from us, so we need to use my bike to get there quicker," Marnie responded.

"Okay, since you're carrying the boots, I'll cycle,"

Ash sat on the bike before Marnie got on too, and held his waist tightly, making sure she wouldn't fall off. Blushing for the *insert number* times today, she did get a good feel of Ash's rather incredible physique. She was barely resisting her hands from exploring his body further.

Once they were both situated on the bikes, Ash pedalled toward their destination.

They rode in silence as the bike travelled through the streets covered in marshmallow white snow.

(Scene Change)

"There it is!" Marnie shouted excitedly.

In front of their eyes was a sight of the beauty of mother nature.

The pine trees surrounding them were sprinkled with a thick layer of snowflakes as they glisten under the rays of the setting sun. In the middle of it was the main character, the frozen lake.

The breathtaking ice was like glimmering crystals under the winter sun, reflecting the last rays of the day.

After checking for any dangers she took a small jump and the ice is just fine for ice skating.

While wearing the ice skates, she could see the nervousness that was written all over Ash's face.

"Are you alright? You look really tense," Marnie asked concerned.

"Yeah… I had never gone skating before. Didn't think these blades were so sharp…"

"Don't worry, it's gonna be fine,"

"Thanks,"

"Well, try to catch me!" Marnie said as she stood up and began to start skating around.

Ash being a competitive person, of course, tried. Keyword being tried as he didn't even manage to go a metre without falling on his butt.

Sitting on the ground, he watched the side of Marnie that he had never seen before.

She was a natural. Despite closing her eyes(that slightly scared Ash a little), Marnie was gliding across the ice-cold surface with ease and grace as her body moved in perfect coordination. Her wide smile was a cherry on top.

It was as if she was in her little world, only her alone.

A soft smile appeared on Ash's lips watching the ravishing scene unfolding in front of him.

"Why are you just standing there, Ash? Try to skate next to me!" Marnie exclaimed before gliding towards Ash.

All of a sudden, she abruptly lost her footing and fell onto Ash. His arms immediately wrapped around her waist and used himself to cushion her fall.

On the ground, the two of them stared into each other's eyes before Marnie sat up blushing just as bad as Ash was.

"Sorry, I was not paying attention there,"

"No worries, how about you teach me how to skate? You were so awesome out there!"

"Really?"

"Really. You were like a graceful Swanna gliding majestically!" Ash complimented her.

"Well, let's start with the basics first…" Marnie said, slightly embarrassed by the compliment.

As if time was frozen like the lake, the two didn't notice time already left them behind as their laughter filled the place.

(Scene Change)

It was already nighttime, Ash was cycling Marnie through the districts that were illuminated by Christmas decorations.

"Where do you want to eat?" Ash asked Marnie.

"Hmm… I don't know. Why don't we just eat somewhere else? There is a really nice Italian restaurant a few blocks away that I found the other night."

"That sounds nice, lead the way,"

(Timeskip)

"Welcome- Oh, Gym Leader Marnie! And… the Alolan Champion?! This is the happiest day of my life!" The waiter cried comically.

Ash and Marnie could only sweatdrop at the man's reaction.

The man quickly regained his composure and welcomed them in, not before asking for signatures of course.

Entering the restaurant, they fell in love with the design that just radiated warmth and homeyness.

"Wow… It looks like a warm cosy kitchen and dining table in a home!" Ash stated.

"Yeah…" Marnie said while looking around. The place didn't have a lot of people, being Christmas Eve and all. The smells of delicious food filled the air.

"What a gentleman~" Marnie joked after Ash pulled a chair for her.

Sitting down himself, Ash joked back, "Of course malady. Remember, I'll be paying, end of the discussion,"

They looked at each other before bursting into fits of giggles.

Their food eventually came and they dug in, their conversation filling the void between them.

(Timeskip)

"That was so good," Marnie said, satisfied with her meal.

"I can agree with that," Ash wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Yeah, but honestly, the fact that it wasn't packed made it better,"

"Let's get you home," Ash held out his hand, which Marnie took without hesitation as he helped her to her feet. "We can talk on the way back,"

Marnie nodded in agreement.

While cycling back to her house, Ash turned to look at her and asked, "Was it a good night?"

"That shouldn't even be a question! It was awesome. Thank you." Marnie said.

"It's nothing."

"No, it's anything but nothing. If it weren't for you, I would've needed to spend today all alone." Marnie argued.

(Scene Change)

After a trip full of giggles and blushes, they were finally at the end of their tiny journey today.

"Well, goodnight," Ash said, slightly saddened that it was over.

"Yeah…" Marnie said with her head down, feeling the same.

She was desperately trying to find a reason to let Ash stay with her.

"Wait, didn't you say you wanted to spend Christmas with me?"

"Yeah-" Ash was interrupted by Marnie pulling him inside.

"Then come in, it's almost Christmas!" Marnie exclaimed while pointing at the clock, which showed 11:58 p.m.

"Five, four, three-" The duo began counting down in perfect coordination.

"Two, one!" In front of their eyes were beautiful lights as the night sky was set ablaze by the fireworks.

A roar was heard from the townspeople as well when the fireworks erupted above their heads. They were mesmerised by the display until it ended; Marnie unconsciously placed her head on Ash's shoulder while Ash placed his on her head too. They stayed that way till the very end of the show, enjoying the view together.

Ash was brought out of his trance when he heard cute snores from beside him.

Blushing due to the closeness, he tried his best to not make any noises and carried her to her room.

He tucked her in and kissed her forehead softly before leaving. Marnie had a smile on her face, whether it was the kiss or just a good dream, it doesn't matter, does it?

(Timeskip)

Beep, Beep, Beep*

Marnie slammed her hand on the alarm clock as she sat up groggily. It took her a minute to realise that Ash is nowhere to be seen.

'I wanted to tell him…' Marnie thought sadly until she heard sounds coming from the kitchen.

Hoping that it was Ash, she quickly jumped out of her bed and ran towards the source of the sound.

Her wish came true as in the kitchen was Ash in a T-shirt, frying sausages.

Unable to hold her emotions, she immediately hugged him tightly from behind and soak his back with her tears.

He turned around surprised by how quickly Marnie had wrapped him in her arms before she buried her face into his back. He quickly turned off the heat to help Marnie.

"Oh, Marnie" Ash muttered softly rubbing small circles into her back "Why are you crying?" He questioned, turning around to look at Marnie who was now smiling through her tears.

"I thought you left…" Marnie confessed.

"I won't leave you, especially since I haven't wished you Merry Christmas and your- gift!" Ash realised he has yet to give Marnie his gift!

"Wait for me okay?" Marnie wiped her tears while waiting for Ash to return with his gift.

Ash ran back faster than a Regieleki with a gift in his hands.

"Here," He said out of breath, presenting the gift to Marnie.

Marnie curiously unwrapped the gift only to be astounded by the content.

There was a picture frame with a picture of them together inside of it. The photo was from the first day they met each other. It seemed like so long ago since that fateful day.

"Oh, Ash…" as she jumped on Ash to hug him. Ash was barely able to stay balanced but returned the hug nonetheless.

"Merry Christmas, Marnie," Ash said.

"Well, it's your turn to receive your gift now,"

"Huh- Hmph!" It was Ash's turn to be astounded as Marnie left her gift on his lips.

"Are you satisfied with your gift?" Marnie said, licking her lips.

"What if I said no?" Ash joked.

"Well, I will have to make sure you are," before kissing him again.

Author's note:

Hope you guys liked this. I'm not really happy with recent chapters.

Alert me of mistakes, thanks

The next story is a requested plot