I know Christmas was yesterday, but I was enjoying it with my family. Anyway, I finally had time to type up this Christmas one-shot I had planned months ago. It's like a Christmas Carol, but Ash's Traveling Parters Edition. Happy Holidays!
"Ash…" murmurs a soft distant familiar voice. "Ash…" She calls again to the sleeping man. He furrows his brows tiredly as he tries to ignore it. Having just had a long day at Monsieur Pierre's Dance Party. Now, Ash and his friends have been walking towards Snowbelle City. "Ash!"
Groaning loudly, Ash opens his eyes. "What?" Looking around the campsite, he spots his friends still dozing. Did they not hear that woman? Did they not hear him? Even Pikachu is still silently sleeping beside him. Thinking that he just had a weird dream, Ash shuts his eyes again.
"Wake up!"
"Leave me alone!" the boy grumbles. However, he feels a sudden force lifting him out of his sleeping bag. Opening his eyes in fear, Ash sees that he's high up in the air. Which flying Pokemon has gotten him this time? When he looks at the culprit, his jaw drops. "May?" Except it's not May...is it? She's translucent and floating, like a ghost. Ghost? May is alive the last time he checked, which was...back in Sinnoh when she visited him… Mew. He's terrible, but he's never been good at staying in contact with his previous traveling partners.
"Groudon, it's still hard waking you up." Mutters May as she releases him. To Ash's surprise, he doesn't fall to the ground like he expected. Instead, he's floating with her?
Rubbing his eyes to be sure he's seeing correctly, Ash comes to terms with the sight in front of him. This is indeed May. A ghostly older version of her. It's not his first time interacting with ghosts, though he's usually with ghost Pokemon. Maybe it's like back when he was in Lavender Town and playing with the ghost Pokemon there? Like May isn't dead. She's just a ghost? "May?" He repeats. Please let May still be alive.
"Yup." grins the girl in the bandanna. "I've been calling your name for a while now, Ash."
He sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "Yeah. It's been a long day."
"I know."
Blinking at her in confusion, Ash asks, "How?" Was May at the dance too? How come he didn't see her? How come she didn't say hi to him?
"I'm a ghost. I know everything." She shrugs, which further terrifies Ash.
"How are you a ghost? You're still alive, right?" Please! Ash wishes he spent more time with May before she became a ghost.
May rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I'm alive. I'm May Maple and I'm not at the same time." Seeing Ash's confused face, May sighs. "Think of me as the real May you know, but I'm alive, and if you were to ask human May about ghost May, she'd know nothing about this."
"I still don't get it."
"I'm a part of your mind, and I'm here to teach you a lesson." May groans from his denseness.
"A lesson about what?" Is she mad at him? What did he do?
"A lesson about your traveling partners. Well, just one." May shrugs. "You'll be meeting two others, so I guess you'll be interacting with four of us tonight."
The man is tired and still trying to register the situation as well as May's words. "What?"
Facepalming, May mutters, "Just listen to us."
"Who's us?" Ash presses with more confusion.
"You'll find out. Right now, you're with me." the girl grins. "And I'm gonna take you to the past."
Ash has gone to the past before too, so he's not surprised about this. The man nods. "Okay. Let me grab my Pokemon first." Usually, when he goes to the past, he has to help save the world. Thus, he'll need his Pokemon to be prepared for that.
Before May can tell him there's no need for that, Ash looks down and freezes. The boy looks at himself and back at the ground multiple times. "How am I down there? And here?" He whispers in fear.
May pats his back. "You're a ghost right now."
Ash quickly shakes his head. "No way. Take me back, May!"
"Can't."
"Why?" Ash frantically asks her. What is going on? He's busy, and this is not the time to play with ghosts. It's not like when he was a free roaming kid back in Kanto. This Ash has gym badges to earn and things to do.
"Because you are hurting someone, and you're gonna continue to hurt her if we don't intervene."
"Who?" Ash practically shouts. Who is he hurting, and who is gonna intervene? And intervene in what? This is all unnecessary.
Nevertheless, May glares at him. "Don't shoot the messenger, Ash. I was sent to talk to you. The sooner you see all three of us, then the sooner you can return to your body and continue on your way." May crosses her arms over her chest. "So are we gonna do this or what?"
"I don't even know what this is?" When she narrows her eyes at him, Ash sighs. "Fine. Whatever. Who are the three I'm supposed to see?"
Relieved that he's calmed down enough, though that could be because something like this is nothing new to Ash Ketchum, May puts up a finger. "Well, first you're meeting me, which is right now. I'm supposed to show you your past." She then raises another finger. "Then someone will show you the present. And last, someone will show you your future."
"Okay. But why?" Ash still doesn't get why this is happening to him. He wants nothing more than to be sleeping beside Pikachu on the ground.
"Like I said." May groans. "Because you're being neglectful. We have to show you what you're doing wrong."
"Why can't you just tell me?" That'll expedite this.
"Because you won't get it, Ash. Believe me, this is for the best." May then snaps her finger, opening up a portal. "Now do you wanna get started or do you wanna continue questioning me all night?"
Sighing, Ash nods. May did tell him that he'll return to his body once he meets with her and two more. The boy reluctantly follows May through the portal where they see a dark night, like the night they just came from. As soon as Ash enters the portal, it disappears behind him. "We better not be stuck here." May did say she's showing him his past, whatever that means.
"Of course not. You know I wouldn't lie to you, Ash." May knowingly reminds him.
Despite wanting to continue asking her questions, commotion nearby gets their attention. "So you finally figured it out, huh?" comes the eerie deep voice. Ash and May snap their attention to a ghostly woman.
"Is she one of the ghosts I'm supposed to see?" Ash inquires.
May shushes him. "No! We're in your past! You see one ghost at a time. Now pay attention."
"Pretty sure I see three ghosts, including me." he grumbles, but he watches as the woman becomes a Ghastly. And then Ghastly turns into a mousetrap, and it keeps shifting. Now it's a Venusaur and a Blastoise? "This looks familiar." Ash whispers to May.
May smirks at him. "Let's get closer." She then drags him over without any say from him.
When they're a few feet away from the action, Ash's eyes open wide in surprise. "This is Maiden's Peak!"
"It's a cross! I've also got garlic, a stake, and a hammer." smiles the redhead.
"Misty?" Ash breathes out. "Brock?" His eyes then land on the boy beside them. "And that's me!"
"I did say we're going to your past, Ash." May reminds him as the sun rises and Ghastly disappears.
Ash watches his young friends and Team Rocket walk away from the peak. He wants to follow, but he can't. It's like he has to go where May wants him to go. "What are we doing?" Doesn't she want to show him his past?
"You don't really do anything the rest of the day. You and your friends go back to the Pokemon Center and sleep." May reminds him. "We're not gonna waste time watching that."
"Then what now?"
May winks at him. With a snap of her fingers, she says, "Here." Ash watches the sun quickly rise and fall again. Why didn't May just take him to this night to begin with? What's the importance of Maiden's Peak anyway? Why this part of his past over the rest?
"A ghost Pokemon. Ghastly." speaks the young Ash looking at his pokedex.
Ghost Ash can't believe that he used to have such an old device, and Pikachu is in a lot better shape now than back then. "Pikachu."
"Sorry I'm late." comes a new voice, which Ash recognizes as Misty. Young Ash looks up from his pokenav as Pikachu chas.
The ghost Ash blushes slightly remembering this night. It's the first time he ever danced with a girl who wasn't his mother. Moreover, it was the first time he saw a girly side to Misty. The young Ash is mesmerized with Misty until she asks him to dance, which he quickly obliges to. Ghost Ash blinks at the scene. That was a fun night after a terrifying few days; thus, a small smile graces his lips.
May's smirk grows seeing him remember this. Ash's eyes are on his young self and young Misty dancing. "You're blushing."
"I'm not!" Ash denies and looks away, causing May to giggle.
"I'm just teasing you, Ash."
"I don't remember you ever doing that." Ash grumbles, causing May to giggle more.
"I have been traveling with Drew for some time, which you'd know about if you called. No offense." She's picked up a few teasing pointers from her boyfriend and best friend.
"Sorry." Ash sighs. When is the last time he's spoken to any of his former traveling partners? Misty is the worst. He hasn't been in contact with her the longest, though he has spoken to her more than he's spoken to Dawn, even if he's seen Dawn more recently.
"I'm not here to make you feel guilty about not calling me, Ash, so don't worry about it." May reassuringly tells him.
"Then why are you here?" He still can't grasp why May is showing him this memory specifically.
With the Maiden's Peak festival happening below them, May faces Ash. "Did you do anything different today?"
"I'm pretty sure I do something different everyday." He loves the adventures that come in Pokemon journeys.
May motions to the dancing pair below. "Anything like this?"
"Oh. My friends and I did go to Monsieur Pierre's dance party. That was cool, but I didn't like how tight the clothes were." Ash looks at his young self. "The kimono was a lot more breathable."
Ignoring his comments on the clothing, May inquires, "Did you dance with any of your traveling partners today?"
Ash shakes his head. "No. Just a friend who I was a date for." He blushes again to quickly add. "It was a friendly date thing. Clemont was Serena's friendly date."
"You don't need to explain yourself to me, Ash. I already know everything. It's what happens when you're a ghost." May knows he's telling the truth about the friendly dates, so she presses, "Did you dance with Serena?"
"No. Well, kind of? We were dancing a little bit when we switched to be each other's partners, but before we could dance, the music stopped."
"How'd that make you feel?"
"Glad." Ash chuckles. "The clothes were too tight. I couldn't wait to stop moving in them."
"And Drew says I'm the densest person he knows." May mutters in disbelief. "How did Serena feel?"
"About that dance? She said she had fun." Ash shrugs. "Why are you asking me all of this?"
Pointing back down to the dancing couple below, May exasperates, "Because you were dancing today, and you're dancing down there!"
"That's it?" Ash doubts he should've been turned into a ghost for this.
"No, that's not it, Ash. Do you remember how you felt down there compared to today's dance?"
"Not really. It's been years." Ash sweatdrops. "Today was fun. I'm pretty sure the Maiden's Peak festival was fun too."
"Fine. Let me tell you." May gets into Ash's face. "You danced with Misty at the Maiden's Peak festival. You danced with Serena kinda at the dance party today. They're both your female traveling partners who care a lot about you."
"I like to think all of my friends care a lot about me."
May snaps her fingers, and the scene is instantly taken away. When Ash looks down, he sees his Kalos campsite along with his still dozing body. "I'll let the next one deal with you."
"What?" Ash asks, but like this night has been, he's left in the dark. May is gone, leaving ghost Ash by himself. Annoyed, Ash yells, "At least put me back in my body now!" Of course, there's no response. Thus, Ash attempts to return to his body on his own. It's times like these where he wishes he had a ghost type Pokemon. Well, times like these don't happen often.
Fortunately, he doesn't have to wait long because he hears a familiar voice, "Hey, Ash!"
Ash lets out a relieved breath. "Tracey! I'm so happy to see you!"
Tracey grins. "Same here, Ash. It'd be better to see you when we're not ghosts."
The raven haired boy sheepishly laughs. "Yeah. I'll be sure to visit when I'm home this summer. Will you be at the lab again?"
"Maybe." Tracey shrugs. "Ask me when we're not ghosts." Sometimes, Tracey helps out at the lab over the summer, so Ash sees him from time to time. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure May already filled you in, right?"
Ash nods. "Yeah, but I still don't get it. She took me to Maiden's Peak and showed me dancing with Misty. And then she told me it's because I almost danced with Serena today."
"It's more than that, Ash." Tracey knowingly tells him.
"Then what is it?"
"I can't tell you that. You have to realize it for yourself. That's the point of us."
Groaning, Ash replies, "But I still don't understand."
"You will at the end of all of this." Tracey gives Ash a reassuring smile. "Ready to go?"
"Where are we going? May says you're showing me the present, but we're in the present." Ash points below. "And I'm currently sleeping in the present."
"We're going to the present, alright." Tracey affirms. "But not your present. Kanto's present." Kanto is a couple of hours behind Kalos, meaning people won't be sleeping for another hour or two.
"Sure." Ash grumbles. If May is telling the truth, then the sooner he gets through this, then the sooner he can return to his life.
When Tracey snaps his fingers, the scene around them changes from woods to inside a large building. Ash looks around where he sees a lot of people and Pokemon. There's loud music, bright lights, and beverages. It's impossible to see anyone with all the bustle of people, especially on the dance floor. Is all of this happening to him because he danced today? Really? He'll never dance again.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Ash yells over the noise.
Tracey is still gazing through the crowd. Soon, his eyes light up. "Here!" He drags Ash over to the emptier part of the gymnasium where there is a redhead sitting alone sipping on water. She's wearing a santa hat, a white sweater, and black legging with boots.
Ash's mouth opens in surprise. "Is that Misty?" She doesn't look like a scrawny tomboy anymore. He feels his cheeks heating up. This is not the Misty he remembers.
"Shh!" Tracey does smirk, noticing Ash's flushed face.
The ghosts watch as a human Tracey walks over to Misty. "Hey, Misty! I finally found you!"
Misty smiles at him. "Hey, Tracey. I'm not dancing, if that's what you're here for."
Tracey raises his hands up defensively. "Your sisters did tell me to get you on the dancefloor, but I won't make you do anything you don't wanna do." Tracey sits beside Misty at the empty table. "But you should come have fun."
The redhead rolls her eyes. "This party is always their idea. I just have to be here for appearances and to make sure no one breaks anything." It is still her gym at the end of the day. She needs it to be a gym leader. Plus, if someone happens to remove the gym covers and drown in the pool, Misty is the only one who's sober enough to be a lifeguard. No one is dying in her pool, especially tonight.
"But it's Christmas." Tracey urges her. "Just one dance. With me and your sisters. You know that's all they want from you."
"I let them use the gym for their stupid Annual Sensational Sisters Christmas Party. That's already enough."
"This is the gym?" Ash asks ghost Tracey who shushes him again. "Wait. How are you down there and a ghost?" Shouldn't human Tracey be sleeping, like human Ash is right now?
"I'm kind of a part of your imagination, but I'm not at the same time. Now listen!" Tracey points back to the interaction when Misty's sisters have made their way over.
"C'mon, little sis!" Daisy grabs at Misty's arm. "Let's dance!"
Misty wrinkles her nose from Daisy's alcoholic breath. "No thanks." The redhead doesn't want to have to deal with uncomfortable dancing from some town creeps. Not again. Even if Tracey says he'll be with her, Misty doesn't want to keep him away from Daisy.
Violet rolls her eyes. "Stop being such a party pooper, Misty."
"None of us brought dates this year because we didn't want you to feel lonely, Misty." Lily chimes in annoyedly. "So dance with us!"
"I never asked that from any of you!" Misty groans. She's tired and she's irritated.
"Whatever." Violet knows better than to press Misty on. Plus, the bluenette would rather go make out with some hottie than convince her buzzkill of a sister to have fun. Walking away, Violet yells, "He's never gonna call. Get over him already!"
Misty narrows her eyes at her middle sister disappearing into the crowd. Sighing, Daisy pats Misty's back. "Ignore her. She's drunk."
Tracey apologetically looks at Misty. "You know Violet wouldn't say that if she was sober."
"But it's the truth. I know you're all feeling the same way." Misty grabs her pokenav from the table to pocket it. "Just go dance and have fun. Don't worry about me."
"That's boring." Daisy tells Misty. Being the oldest, Daisy has somewhat matured. She doesn't like seeing Misty distance herself. "Join us. Please, Misty."
When Misty shakes her head, Lily groans loudly. "Why not? It's Christmas!"
"I just don't want to."
"Because of Ash? He left you and hasn't visited in years! He never contacts you anymore! You're not gonna get a Christmas text from him or anything, Misty! Get over him! There are so many cute boys your age at this party! Give them a chance!" Lily is tired of Misty holding herself out for Ash. Misty holds herself out for a lot of reasons, like her protectiveness of the gym.
"It's not because of him." Misty snaps.
"You've been staring at your pokenav all night." Lily remarks. "Don't think I haven't seen you texting and then deleting your message. You do it all the time."
Misty stands up and shakes her head. "Sorry I don't throw myself at a new boy every week, Lily. You don't know what you're talking about, and it's not about Ash! I just don't wanna dance in a sweatpit of creeps!" With that outburst, Misty storms through the edge of the crowd to the other side of the gym. No matter how mad she is at her sisters, she won't leave her gym unattended.
To Misty's annoyance, Tracey chases after her. He jogs beside her while pushing his way past people. "Misty."
"Go away, Tracey."
"I didn't know they were gonna come over too. I don't want you to feel attack-"
"Well, I did." Misty turns on her heel to glare at Tracey. "I hate it when they blame Ash for everything. That's not it!" Every time Misty doesn't want to do something her sisters want to do, they blame it on Ash, saying Misty is waiting for Ash before she does something. It annoys her because she's pained from Ash's negligence.
Tracey nods. "I know. But you know they don't mean it. Well, not completely. They're just upset too."
"Whose side are you on?" Misty narrows her eyes at him.
"Neither!" Tracey exclaims defensively. "I just want everyone to get along."
"That's not happening tonight."
"But it's Christmas." Tracey hopefully smiles.
"It'd be a Christmas Miracle if my sisters and I could go a day without arguing." Misty shakes her head. "And that'll happen the day Ash contacts me."
Tracey frowns. "So it is about Ash."
"I can't lie to you, Tracey." Misty shrugs as her heart aches. "And I don't wanna talk about it, so don't ask." How could her first friend and traveling partner, someone she's spent years with, forget about her? She was his longest traveling partner, after Brock, yet he can just neglect her this easily? It's not like he needs to constantly talk to her, but a text every now and then would be nice, especially on a holiday like today.
Nodding, Tracey extends a hand out to Misty. "I'm not gonna leave you alone until you cool down. We can go to the dancefloor or another table. You lead the way." He'd like for Misty to go to the dancefloor and forget about her pains. Plus, maybe the dance floor will have Misty let loose for once.
However, Misty smiles and leads him to a table. "Just stay here for one song, and then go dance with Daisy. I know you've both been wanting to spend this whole party week together."
Tracey had come over a few days ago to help decorate, but it was Daisy who invited him. Daisy invites Tracey over for various reasons, such as fixing gym equipment or running an errand with her. Misty has since figured it's because Daisy has a crush on Tracey, and fortunately for Daisy, Tracey has one on her too.
With a bright blush on his face, Tracey obediently nods. "Okay. One song." He then shyly grins at her. "And I know I'm not who you want to hear it from, but Merry Christmas, Misty."
Despite her sour mood, Misty returns his smile. "I always wanna hear from you too, Tracey. Merry Christmas."
The sound of the party is drowned out as ghost Tracey asks a stunned Ash, "What do you think?" Ash blinks down at Misty. Ghost Tracey had flown them higher into the sky to avoid any distractions, though it seems like Ash is still distracted by Misty. Sighing, Tracey snaps his fingers, making the scene around them disappear. They're not in an all black space.
"Hey!" Ash exclaims.
"I was talking to you."
"But I wanted to see if Misty dances or not. She should. It'll make her feel better."
Tracey facepalms. "That is not the reason I showed you that."
"You said that's the present, right? Is that actually happening right now?" Ash understands how May showing him his past is accurate. However, Tracey is showing him the present, which Ash hasn't experienced Misty's present right now. Is this even true?
Tracey nods. "More or less. It happened about an hour ago, but the party is finishing up. Misty usually cleans a bit so that she doesn't have too much cleaning the next day."
Ash frowns thinking about how Misty must clean alone. It's too late to wake up her Pokemon to help, and Misty would never do that. Moreover, Misty's sisters will be too intoxicated to help her tonight. Maybe Tracey will help tomorrow? "Why doesn't she just save it all for tomorrow when everyone is awake to help?"
"Because she can't sleep." Tracey replies. "Are you just gonna ignore the Donphan in the room, Ash?"
"Donphan?" Ash looks around. "All I see is black."
Sweatdropping, Tracey says, "It's a figure of speech." Mew. He's forgotten just how dense Ash is. "Misty's reason for not wanting to party."
"Oh." Ash looks away disappointedly. "I don't get it though."
"Don't get what?" Presses Tracey.
Taking in a deep breath, Ash mutters, "Her waiting for me. Why just me?"
"Brock and May message her often. Even Gary does." While Misty and Gary were never close, they have a professional relationship. "But her closest friend, her first friend, you, hasn't contacted her in years."
After a few minutes of Ash registering the night and Tracey's words, Ash asks, "So are you and May just trying to tell me to be a better friend to Misty?"
"That. And more."
"More?"
Tracey nods. "But we can't tell you that. You have to figure it out for yourself."
"But I just wanna return to my body already!" Ash pleads to the ghost. "So I can text Misty Merry Christmas before it's too late!" How could he forget that it's Christmas? That was spoken about at the dance!
"Can't take you back. Only your next and final ghost can do that." Tracey apologetically tells him. "I'm glad you're starting to understand, Ash."
To Tracey's surprise, Ash says, "I'm glad she has a friend like you, Tracey."
Ghost Tracey blushes. "If I'll be honest, Ash, I go to Cerulean City a lot because of Daisy. We're kind of talking, but that means I get to check up on Misty too. It's nice."
As dense as usual, Ash doesn't understand what Tracey means exactly with the word talking. "I'm glad you're friends with both Misty and Daisy." Ash does know Tracey is closer to Daisy's age than Misty's. Tracey must like interacting with someone his age, which allows him to see Misty too.
Chuckling, Tracey replies, "Yeah. It's pretty good." He then looks at his watch. "I gotta go, but your last friend should be here soon. He'll teach you your final lesson."
As ghost Tracey is becoming more transparent, and their surroundings are returning to Ash's Kalos campsite, Ash yells, "What lessons?" It's not just the one lesson that he needs to communicate with his friends more often?
However, Tracey is gone, leaving Ash alone again. Ash looks down to see he is still peacefully sleeping. What if Pikachu wakes up? Would Pikachu be able to wake Ash from this weird dream? What if Pikachu can't? Would he panic? What if Ash can't return to his body? Ash furiously shakes his head of the anxious thoughts.
"Stop shaking your head so hard."
That voice. Ash will recognize it anywhere. He turns to smile widely and tackle his fellow ghost in a hug. "Brock! I'm so glad you're here." Ash half expected his last ghost would be due to the past two scenes.
Chuckling, Brock pats Ash's back. "Hey, Ash. Long time no see."
Ash sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "I know. May and Tracey already let me know that I suck at keeping in contact with people."
Brock nods. "I'm glad you're learning something."
"Brock, can I ask you something?" Ash wonders. When Brock nods, Ash awkwardly says, "Tracey says you're each supposed to teach me a lesson, but I'm not sure what he means by that."
"What did May show you?"
"The Maiden's Peak festival. And the Ghastly thing." Ash doesn't need to elaborate because Brock was there.
Nodding, Brock recalls that day. "What do you think the lesson is?"
Ash shrugs. "That's why I'm asking you."
"I can't-"
"I know. You can't tell me. I have to figure it out myself." Ash is tired of hearing that. "I don't know? May said it's because I danced with Serena today, and I danced with Misty that day."
"Forget about the dancing bit. Why do you think May showed you the Ghastly part from the night before?" Brock wants Ash to figure this out by himself. "If it's about dancing with Serena, May only would've showed you the Maiden's Peak Festival the next night."
Ash was wondering what May's reason was for showing both nights. "I don't know. To show the reason for the festival?"
"What happened that night with Ghastly?"
"Dexter found out that the maiden's ghost was Ghastly, and then we tried to battle it, but Ghastly scared all of my Pokemon." Ash is glad he just saw that scene. Else, he wouldn't remember all these details from years ago.
"And how did you defeat Ghastly?"
"We didn't. The sun came out." Ash recalls.
"But before that. It was after you ran out of Pokemon, and it was before the sun came out." Brock urges. C'mon. His dense friend must be somewhat smart at this point.
"Misty was treating Ghastly like a vampire." Ash sweatdrops thinking about his friend's attempts.
"Why?"
"I don't know? We ran out of Pokemon." Ash repeats Brock's words. "So she was using a different method."
"You both have always protected each other a lot. Like more than you guys cared for me."
"That's not true!" Ash exclaims. "You're our best friend!"
"I know." Brock chuckles. "I'm just saying, when we were traveling together, you and Misty cared about each other a lot. Maybe it's because I was older, but you guys didn't protect me as much as you protected each other. You always had each other's backs, like at Maiden's Peak. When the skulls came out of the forest, Misty held onto you for comfort, and you let her. When you ran out of Pokemon, Misty came to your rescue with her vampire defenses." Brock smiles recalling that day. "You two have always protected each other."
The raven haired boy silently thinks over Brock's words. The more Ash processes them, the more his heart aches. Brock is right. Ash and Misty have always protected each other strongly. They were trainers with the same amount of experience, so they relied on one another, despite neither one wanting to admit it. Misty is the only person he's traveled with who has started at the same level as him. It was nice growing alongside someone.
"Tracey taught me to be a better friend to Misty. I got that one pretty fast." Ash admits. He takes in a sharp breath and meets Brock's expectant gaze. "And I think May was trying to teach me how important my relationship with Misty was...is...or should still be…" Ash sighs. "You're right, Brock. We've always cared about each other, and then I just quit talking to her." Ash is mentally cursing himself for allowing his busy journey life to get in the way of a treasured relationship. May showing him the dance was to remind Ash of the good times he also shared with Misty.
"Good." Brock nods in approval. "You have a brain." Ash shoots him a glare, causing Brock to smile playfully. "Ready for the final scene?"
"The future?" Ash recalls May's words.
"Yup."
"How is that gonna work? You can't predict the future." Celebi could travel to the future, but they haven't been using Pokemon tonight.
Smirking, Brock knowingly answers, "If you continue doing what you're doing, then this is your future. Ready to see it?"
"I hope I'm a Pokemon Master."
Brock rolls his eyes. "This is more than Pokemon!" He then snaps, taking them into a very brightly lit room.
Ash looks around as he adjusts to the lighting. He hears a few rhythmic beeping noises, causing his attention to turn there. In the room, there is one bed with an old man in it. He's hooked to a few machines, including a breathing one. Ash walks up to the bed. He can't really recognize the man, so Ash looks at the clipboard.
"Ashton Satoshi Ketchum?" Ash glances at Brock. "Is this me?" He didn't know they'd be going this far into the future. He was thinking maybe 10 years. Not 60.
Brock nods. "Yup. You're on your deathbed."
Frowning, Ash notices that the room he's in is large and beautiful for a hospital. "Where am I?"
"Hospital."
"There aren't rooms like this at the hospital."
"There are for the wealthy and famous." Brock notes. "You were once the reigning champion of Kalos for a decade and then you became an Elite Four member when you were dethroned."
"Kalos?" Does he win the Kalos League this year? "Do I finally win?" Ash eagerly inquires.
Brock narrows his eyes at the boy. "I can't tell you that. I can only show you this scene." The young man points back to the sleeping old Ash. "You could die any moment now."
Ash furrows his brows. "How come I'm all alone?" For someone who's on their deathbed, he expects to have his family and close friends around. People can even take shifts, but he shouldn't be completely alone.
"One." Brock raises a finger. "You lost contact with all your friends because you suck at communicating with them." Ash hangs his head low in embarrassment. "Two. You were so focused on Pokemon and Pokemon training that you never thought much about dating. You've had girlfriends, but you thought they were distractions, or they didn't feel valued by you. Your attention has always been on being a Pokemon Master. So you don't have children either."
"What about my mom?" Ash knows his mother will always have his back.
"She died 20 years ago."
"Right." The raven haired boy forgot he's old right now, though his heart aches knowing his mother is dead in this future, which is expected. "Pikachu?"
"Pokemon don't live as long as humans."
Sighing, Ash buries his face in his hands. "So I'm dying alone."
Brock pats Ash's back apologetically. "I'd visit you, but I passed away a few years ago. You came to my funeral. It was the first time you saw me in over 50 years."
With tears brimming his eyes, Ash shakes his head. He hates this. Even though he has decades before this day, he hates knowing his loved ones are dead. The fact that he goes 50 years without seeing Brock until Brock's funeral makes Ash feel awful. "I'm so sorry, Brock."
"You came in the end. That counts for something." Brock reassures Ash. "But you can change it now."
Ash nods determinedly. He's gonna be a better friend. Not so that he dies with loved ones around him but because Ash cherishes his friends. "I'll be a better friend to everyone, Brock. I promise."
Brock sits down beside Ash on the couch. "That's not the lesson I'm trying to teach you." To Brock's relief, Ash raises his head from his hands to curiously look at Brock. "If I wanted to teach you that, I would've taken you to my funeral. Not your death bed."
"But you're showing me that I die alone. That's pretty convincing enough that I need to treat you all better." Ash points to the bed where a machine is breathing to his older self.
Giving him a knowing look, Brock points to the door where a shadow has been standing for a few minutes now on the other side. "The first two lessons were about Misty. The third one will be too."
Before Ash can ask what Brock means by that, the door opens, revealing an elderly woman walking in. Despite her age, she's beautiful. It's like she works out every day. She's walking slower than the average adult, but she's without any walking tools. How can someone this old move around easily? And then there's her equally old counterpart dying in the nearby bed. Ash can't recognize this woman at all. However, like with Tracey, Ash knows that Brock won't tell him anything. Thus, Ash patiently watches the scene.
The older woman shuts the door and then pauses when her eyes land on the man in the bed. Her eyes tear up as she cups a hand over her mouth to suppress her gasp. Just seeing him is a lot worse than the news she's heard about him. He's a lot skinnier and paler. He really looks like a living corpse. This isn't how she remembers him.
Taking in a deep breath, she musters enough courage to walk towards him. Fortunately, there's a chair nearby which she brings to his bedside before slowly sitting down. She's a distance away from the bed because she can't bear to be too close. Too close to death. Mew. She wants to die and join her loved ones already, though years of swimming has really kept her healthy. She doubts she'll be going away naturally for at least a couple more years.
The woman silently looks at the machines and her feet. Anything but the dying man in front of her. Like when she was gathering the courage to enter the room earlier, she's trying to find that again. To face him. He could go any moment now, and then she won't be able to tell him everything.
She reaches into her bag and pulls out a worn red and white item. When she turns it out, ghost Ash instantly recognizes it. "Is that Misty?" He asks Brock who shushes him. Ash had given Misty that hat before he left for Hoenn. She gave him a handkerchief, and when she asked for something in return that summer, Ash offered her the hat on his head. He reminded her that it's an important hat to him so that he wants her to take care of it. Nevertheless, like he's done with her, he forgot about the hat.
The woman places the hat on the side of the bed. Finally, she looks at the man's hollow sleeping face. "I figured you should have this back. You always said it was important to you." She frowns painfully. "But I'm pretty sure you forgot about it anyway." Of course, she doesn't expect him to reply. He's dying. "I wasn't gonna come. You never visited me, so why should I visit you?"
Ash watches the woman shed a few tears. She quickly wipes them away as she steadies her breathing. "That's not true...is it?" Brock continues ignoring him.
"But my great great niece was asking me why I never got married, and I told her about you, and you're famous, so everyone knows you're dying, so she told me to see you." Misty laughs sadly. "She said so that I can get some closure. Else, I'll live the rest of my life wondering the what ifs. So here I am." Misty takes in another deep breath. "Ash Ketchum. After 64 years, we meet again."
"She never got married?" Ash thinks to himself. Why? Brock had explained to Ash why he never got married, but Misty. She's always been a romantic, and she wasn't traveling anymore.
Misty clutches her hands together. "How come you never called? Or texted? I visited you in Alola, but that was it. You still never came by, and I already put in my effort for us." Wiping her tears, she continues, "Did you not care about me anymore? Did those 2 years mean nothing to you? Because they meant everything to me, Ash. I only ever traveled with you, but you replaced me everywhere you went. And you even dated one of your traveling partners." Misty shakes her head in disbelief. "That's when I knew for sure you didn't care. I mean, you are dying alone. The nurses say no one's visited since the first week you were here. And even then, it was just the obligatory Kalos League officials. You're dying a somebody, but you're dying alone. You shouldn't be proud about that."
"I'm not." Ash glares at Misty. He just wants his older self to wake up and explain himself to both of them right now. Brock smirks hearing how upset Ash is getting by this.
Despite taking a few deep breaths, she still chokes out, "You're dying, Ash." Mew. She can't believe it. Has the time really flown by like this? First, she buried Brock, her sisters, and now Ash? Even though she hasn't spoken to Ash since they were young, it still hurts because she thought about him every day.
"Pay attention to this." Brock advises Ash. This next part is important and pertains to the lesson behind this scene.
"And you know what sucks? I wanna be angry at you for never calling or texting or visiting, but I'm not. You know what I'm pissed about?" Misty's tears can't be held back anymore. "I'm pissed because I still love you. Fuck, Ash. I loved you since we were kids, and I could've confessed so many times, but your love for Pokemon training always came in the way of your relationships. It's why I never bothered to tell you." Misty has to pause so that her sobs can slow down enough for her to speak again. "I'm just mad I wasted my life on you, and if I were to do it all over again...I'd do it again…"
"Why?" Ash asks, though Misty obviously can't hear him. Why would she hurt herself for him again? If she could, she should go back in time and make sure she never fishes on Route 1. That way, she'd never meet him, and she wouldn't be hurting like this. Misty doesn't deserve that.
"My favorite memory of us was at the Maiden's Peak festival. Do you remember when we danced in our kimonos? The moment you saw me in mine, you froze, Ash." Misty giggles nostalgically. "That's the first time you ever saw me as a girl. It was nice having that effect on you because you always have that effect on me."
Ash's face turns a dark shade of red. Misty knew he was checking her out back then? It was the first time she ever put her hair down, and she was in a dress. A pink dress! Misty was such a tomboy. Of course Ash would be shocked to see her looking like the complete opposite. Brock stiffles his chuckles seeing how dark Ash's face is getting. Plus, laughing right now is inappropriate to the current situation.
The woman's sobs eventually calm down enough for her to stand up. She slowly walks over to Ash to peer closely at his lifeless face. "This is my closure, Ash Ketchum. I wish our lives could've ended up differently, but I've enjoyed every moment of it. I hope you did too." Misty picks up the cap on his bedside to place on his head, careful not to mess with any of his tubing. A small painful smile appears on her lips. "There. That's better." Ash always looks best with a cap on. He looks more likely. "Good bye, Ash. Thanks for all the memories."
Despite the pain and heartache, meeting Ash brought a lot more happiness to Misty's life. It brought her to form a close friendship with Brock. It brought her to meet Tracey who ended up marrying Daisy and giving Misty a niece and nephew who each gave more children for Msity to love. It brought her to meet Togetic along with various other Pokemon who joined her team. It brought her to become one of the best gym leaders to ever be in Kanto. Therefore, how can she want to erase Ash Ketchum from her life?
Once Misty finally leaves the room, Ash sinks into his seat. "Do I ever wake up?" He knows that the moment he sees that cap, he'll know she was here. And then he'll call her, right?
Unfortunately for Ash, Brock shakes his head. "You pass away in the morning. I like to think it's because you finally got closure. You and Misty. She was always a loose end of yours." Ash got closure for his relationship with Brock at Brock's funeral; however, Ash didn't talk to Misty that day. He didn't even notice her, and she wasn't going to intrude on him. Plus, Brock's funeral was pretty busy.
Brock watches Ash shut his eyes and shake his head. Clenching his fists, Ash is in disbelief. "This is a lie, Brock. Tell me this is just a nightmare."
"Can't. You and I both know that you don't keep in contact with anyone. This is a very real future, and it is your current future." Brock motions back to the dying Ash on the bed.
The boy, though, desperately looks at Brock. With tears in his eyes, Ash pleads, "How can I change it? I don't wanna die alone! I don't wanna go 50 years without seeing you until it's your funeral! I don't wanna make Misty stay sad over me, Brock! Please help me!"
A small smile appears on Brock's lips as he snaps his fingers; thus, bringing them to an all black room, like Tracey had done. "I can't help you, Ash. None of us can. Only you can help yourself."
Nodding, Ash already knows what he has to do. "I know. May wants me to remember how important my relationship with Misty is. Tracey wants me to communicate with her more. And you…" Ash meets Brock's expectant eyes. "You want me to think about Misty's feelings too." Ash has been neglecting the feelings of others for too long. He's only been thinking about himself and his dreams. Although he's a selfless friend when traveling with people, it's the part when he's not with them that he's not being a good friend. Hearing Misty's emotions just now on his deathbed shows to Ash that all of his past friends still have feelings, regardless of him seeing them or not.
Brock snaps again, taking them to the campsite. As Ash gets ready to enter his body, Brock stops him. "Not so fast, buddy. What's the overall lesson?"
"Overall lesson?" Ash questions. "To be a better friend to Misty."
"I wouldn't have let you listen to her confession if that was the lesson." Brock remarks.
Ash takes in a few deep breaths to calm down his racing heart. He wants nothing more than to just wake up and call Misty already. However, these ghosts have been on his side so far, so he needs to trust them, especially Brock. Tracey and Brock were pretty honest ghosts who helped answer lots of Ash's questions. The one ghost he was left confused about was May. Of course, this could be because she was the first ghost, so he wasn't sure what was going on.
Meeting Brock's gaze, Ash thinks aloud, "May said she showed me that scene because I danced with Serena tonight. And Tracey showed me how Misty didn't want to dance because she's waiting on a text from me. And just now, Misty told me that her favorite memory of us is dancing together at the Maiden's Peak festival, which is the memory May showed me." Ash pieces the information together.
"And?" Brock presses. C'mon, Ash! He's so close. Brock knows his friend is dense, but Brock can't tell Ash the answers. That defeats the purpose of all of this.
Ash's eyes open wide, and Brock knows the boy has the answer. "I was dancing with another girl without thinking about how Misty would feel!"
"And why does it matter what Misty feels?" It's not Ash's fault who he interacts with if someone else has a crush on him. However, it is his fault if he's neglecting himself.
With a pink blush on his cheeks, Ash whispers, "Because I feel the same way as her."
Brock smirks and claps Ash on the back. "You got it, Ash. Now make things right." Brock snaps, and Ash feels himself crashing down to the earth.
Ash shuts his eyes as he braces for the hard impact. When it doesn't happen, he opens his eyes to look around. Seeing his sleeping friends along with Pikachu, Ash lets out a relieved breath. He's okay. Right? He quickly looks at his body where he pats himself all over to make sure he's sold.
Due to Ash frantically moving so much, Pikachu angrily nudges him. "Pi!"
"Sorry." Ash whispers. Wait. Pikachu just felt him moving, and Pikachu heard him! Ash is back! He's not a ghost anymore. The boy wants to jump and cheer for joy, but that will annoy all of his friends.
Letting out a breath, Ash is glad that was all a dream. It felt real. He'll be sure to stay away from dancing if that causes him to have weird dreams like this. Laying back down, Ash prepares to finally get some good sleep. His heart beat is slowing after the experience he's had, though why does it still feel so real? Maybe he should send his old friends a quick text to let them know that he still cares about them? He is awake.
Reaching for his pokenav, Ash turns it on and freezes. It is December 26th. It's past Christmas, but there's still a couple of minutes of Christmas in Kanto. He stares at the lock screen's date and time without unlocking his pokenav. Mew. This dream of his is getting to him. However, just to be safe, Ash sends each of his old friends a text wishing them Happy Holidays.
Obviously, Dawn in Sinnoh will be getting this late due to the timezone. It's better late than never, which Ash realized in his dream with Brock. Next, Ash texts Cilan and Iris. Then Max and May in Hoenn. He even texts his mother, Tracey, and Gary. Ash smiles sending a text to Brock. Lastly, Ash's hands rest above the empty text box for his last person. The person his dream was about, and the same person who he's now very conscious of.
Being a young boy focused on Pokemon, Ash hasn't thought too much about his feelings until tonight's dream. He blushes. How does he text her? Should he say the same thing he said to everyone else? Mew. He's never been this nervous to send a text before. Plus, no one will respond until the morning, if they choose to respond. Ash quickly types out the same two words he sent everyone, and he clicks send before he can overthink it.
Quickly putting the pokenav away, Ash attempts to go back to sleep, despite his racing heart. To his surprise, he hears a vibrate a couple of minutes later. Is someone really awake right now? Since he's still awake, and he's curious, he grabs his pokenav again. Seeing the name on the screen, Ash freezes. Whatever his heartbeat had slowed down to before, it's back up again.
Happy Holidays to you too, Ash. Tell Pikachu I say that too!
That's it. Short and simple, yet it means so much. Is it because of his dream or is it because he actually missed interacting with Misty? Because he can't sleep, he gently leaves his sleeping bag, so as to not disturb Pikachu anymore. Walking a few steps away from the campsite, Ash calls his best girl friend. Even though he's calling her a few minutes after she texted, he's confused about why she's not picking up right away. Did she step away from her pokenav after sending the text?
Before he can hang up, the call is answered. "Ash?"
Ash's heart continues to pound, though a large goofy grin is on his face. He's missed hearing her say his name. He's missed hearing her voice in general, which is surprising because he once found her nagging annoying. "Hey, Mist." That nickname that only he calls her. "I couldn't sleep."
Giggling, although a little awkwardly, Misty replies, "Same. It's pretty late in Kalos, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I had the weirdest dream, and when I woke up, I couldn't go back to sleep." Mew. It feels so nice to talk to her again. Despite the time it's been since they last spoke or saw one another, it feels like no time has passed at all. Ash loves this friendship that he won't take for granted anymore.
"Really? Wanna tell me about it?" the curious redhead asks.
"It's a long story. You'll think I'm crazy."
"I already think you're crazy being up this late."
Ash rolls his eyes playfully. "You're up late too. What are you doing?" Regardless of the timezone, it is still pretty late in Cerulean City.
Groaning, Misty tells him, "My sisters threw their annual Christmas party. It just ended, so I'm cleaning up a bit." She'd rather clean somewhat now while she's still awake. That way, she has less to do tomorrow, even if she'll have more help tomorrow. When Ash doesn't respond, Misty becomes slightly worried. "Ash?"
He's still thinking over Misty's words. Annual Christmas party at the gym? She was cleaning afterwards? Ghost Tracey's words come back to Ash. "Are you wearing a white sweater, a santa hat, black leggings, and brown boots?"
Misty gazes down at her outfit and then she eagerly looks around the large gym. Is he here? Did he surprise her? "How do you know that?"
Ash didn't know his heart could beat any quicker. How can he explain this to Misty? "It was in my dream."
"Very funny, Ash. Are you hiding somewhere?" Misty walks around the gym looking for him.
"No. I'm in Kalos. I'm being serious, Misty. I dreamed about this and Maiden's Peak and my death. Misty I dreamed it all! And your Christmas party tonight!" exclaims the boy.
"That's creepy. Just jump out from wherever you're hiding. It's late." Moreover, Misty can't wait to see him. It's been years, and she misses him a lot. This would be the best Christmas gift she's ever gotten after all the neglect she's felt from him.
Sighing, Ash presses the videocall button on his pokenav. "I'll show you. I'm still in Kalos."
Misty is amused by the situation. She'll play Ash's game. He already saw her from wherever he's hiding, so she'll get to see him now. She's missed seeing Ash every day. Quickly accepting the video call, Misty repeats, "Now where are you?" She studies his background and frowns. "It's too dark, Ash. That's not fair."
Ash, however, can't believe that Misty is wearing that same outfit. Maybe it's just her annual Christmas outfit? But he's never seen her Christmas outfit. Another reason he's stunned right now is because Misty looks even more beautiful than in his dream. Seeing the live Misty in front of him who is interacting with him is causing him to blush a lot more than the dream Mistys.
"Ash! Turn up your brightness!" Misty snaps, breaking the boy out of his daze.
"Uh. Yeah." Ash quickly turns up his brightness to show the campsite behind him. "I'm still in Kalos."
Seeing the three bodies behind him, Misty furrows her brows. If Ash is in Kalos, then how did he know her outfit? That thought is soon ignored as the camera pans back to Ash's boyishly handsome face. The last time they saw each other, they were preteens. It's been a few years, so puberty has done them both well. Ash's face is sharper, and he looks a lot more mature. He might even be taller than her now.
The two stare at each other's enticing eyes through the screen until Misty seems to remember what's going on. "You said you saw me in a dream?" She blushes knowing that Ash dreamt about her and then called her due to it.
Ash sheepishly chuckles. "Yeah. It was a weird dream." He's starting to think it wasn't a dream at all. If May, Tracey, and Brock don't text him back tomorrow, he will call them too to make sure they're not ghosts. Maybe they'll remember what happened tonight, though he doubts it.
"Wanna tell me about it?" Misty sits down on a chair to smile at Ash, all fatigue now gone from her.
Does Ash want to tell her about it? That may end up with him telling her how he feels, like he told Ghost Brock. No. Ash doesn't want to tell her his feelings over a call like this after not seeing her for years. After having a weird dream. Misty deserves better than that, but Ash doesn't want to hang up just yet. Smiling, he decides on a different topic. "It's a long story, and it's pretty weird. Can we do something else instead?"
"Do?" Misty raises a curious eyebrow at him. Instead of talking about something else, he wants to do? What could it be? "What do you have in mind?"
Ash positions his pokenav on a branch nearby and then steps back a few feet. "We had this dance party today where we held hands at some parts." He shyly scratches his head. "Um. But since we can't hold hands right now, did you wanna dance like when we were at Maiden's Peak?"
Misty's face heats up. Ash had a weird dream? She's pretty sure she's having a weird dream right now. Nonetheless, she'll enjoy it like she does all her dreams longing for him. Setting up her pokenav so that she can take a few steps away, Misty smiles warmly at Ash. "Sure. Let me put some music on." She turns the speakers on low as she plays the Christmas CD. "We just have Christmas songs right now."
"It's fine. I just wanna dance with you." Ash reassures her.
With her heart feeling warm, Misty's gaze melts from Ash's chocolate brown orbs. "Same." She hadn't danced all night, despite her sisters' and Tracey's constant pressure. Misty just never liked dancing without Ash. She used to do it a few times, but it caused her more heartache than it did distract her. Therefore, as the two dance with each other over their pokenavs, both are feeling satisfied with their nights. It really is a Christmas Miracle.
My first (and most likely only) holiday-fit! I would've never written it, but I had the idea for a while. I hope you all enjoyed it. Obviously, I changed a few things to fit the story, like making it Christmas Day. I typed this out in 5 hours straight, so I hope you enjoyed it. See ya when I update one of my stories!