My first Christmas story is done and posted on my Birthday today (Christmas Eve🎄)! I hope you all enjoy this attempt at a Pokémon Advance Christmas story for the first time and Merry Christmas/happy holidays everyone
Petalburg City
The month of happiness and joy has finally come. People around the world had put up their Christmas decorations, getting ready for the holiday spirit. Due to not seeing many of her friends, May Maple decided to host a Christmas party at her house. However, to make things more interesting, she decided to make it a Secret Santa gift exchange as well
She was very much excited until she found out who it was she was getting a gift for; Ash Ketchum. Now don't get her wrong, it's not that she doesn't want to get Ash a present… no, the problem was she didn't know what to give him. May had made a list of ideas, but none seemed to be good enough
May sighed as she remembered the day she and the others had chosen who it was they were going to get a gift for and couldn't help but think that someone had planned for her to get Ash a gift
Flashback, Pallet Town 2 days ago
"Alright, everyone! We'll have plenty of time to catch up with one another at the party, but now we need to all write our names on the paper. Once done put it in the hat, leave the room, and then chose a name. Whichever name you get is the person you gotta get a gift for" May explained as Ash handed out the paper to everyone, while Delia gave out a few pens for them to write down their names
May and surprisingly Ash were the first to finish writing their names and leave the room. While they both waited slowly the others came out of the room, with Gary and Dawn being the last ones to leave and had smirks on their faces. After a few moments, Delia called the first pair into the room as Misty and Goh (the newest traveling companion of Ash) went in and the rest followed right after
Soon all that was left to choose a name were none other than May herself and Ash. Both went into the living room and pulled the last two pieces of paper as their eyes widened at who they had gotten, not noticing the fist bump Gary and Dawn shared behind the group
End of Flashback
May looked down at her list once again as her eyes scanned the ideas she had jotted down:
- Pokemon Battle (probably not…)
- Food (can't cook)
- Pokeballs (how original -_-)
- Books (does he even read any books?)
- Contest Performance (probably not)
- Video game (does Ash even have a game station?)
Let's just say May was not having much luck as she thought it would be at the moment and wondered if the person who had picked her name was having better luck than she was
Meanwhile in Pallet Town
Ash Ketchum sat on his bed with a small notebook resting on his lap and a pencil in his hand. No matter how hard he thought, none of these ideas he came up with seemed to be good enough
Pikachu was looking at the small list his trainer had come up with and couldn't understand what was wrong with the ideas since they had all been scribbled out right after being written down. Pikachu thought the ideas to be great gifts for a certain brunette coordinator… but then again, it could be due to Pokemon and humans thinking differently about the gifts they received
Ash on the other hand looked at the small notebook containing his list and read over what he had written once more:
- New bandana (she probably has enough)
- A dinner at her favourite restaurant (I don't know her favourite restaurant)
- Contest seals (never mind, don't know which ones she has)
- Necklace (does she even wear jewelry?)
- Plush toy (seems too babyish)
- Photo album of our adventures (to plain and unoriginal)
'Great, none of these ideas seem to be like the perfect gift to give to May…' he miserably thought hitting his head lightly with the pencil hoping a better idea would come to mind
Suddenly the door to Ash's room opened up as Goh and Raboot, both came in to see Ash in the same predicament he was in as when they had left to get their gift "You still don't know what to get?"
"No… I've gone over every idea I could think of, but none of them seem good enough" Ash replied with Goh walking over towards Ash and grabbed the teen's notebook as he read over the ideas jotted down
"I don't get it, Ash. Lots of these ideas seem good enough to me" Goh commented, but Ash just shook his head in disagreement "So is this girl special or something to you? I mean you never have acted like this before"
Ash sighed as he thought over what Goh had just said. Whenever he thought of all his female companions, he thought of them as friends, nothing more… except for May Maple. For some reason every time Ash thought of the brunette since they parted ways, he would get really sad and wished she could be with him on his journey.
"Ash?" Goh asked, but Ash was still in his world of thoughts that he almost didn't hear what Goh said next "Just get her something she enjoys, reunite her with a Pokemon she released or give her a kiss and a hug if nothing else comes to mind"
'Reunite her with a Pokemon she released… That's it!' Ash suddenly looked at Goh with a surprised look "Goh you're a genius! You just solved my problem for me!" Ash exclaimed as he gave the younger boy a quick thank you hug and ran out of the room, leaving Goh, Pikachu, and Raboot to stare in confusion
"You're welcome?" was all Goh could say and shook his head as he went towards Ash's desk to put the finishing touches on the gift he had bought
Back with May
The brunette sighed out loud once again as she crossed out yet another idea on her list and was at the point of wanting to pull her hair out at the lack of good ideas '2 hours and still nothing comes to mind! I bet my Secret Santa has already come up with an amazing gift and I can't even think of a gift to get to the most important person in my life! Ash has done so much for me that I can't just give him a run on the mill gift… no it's got to show how much I appreciate everything he's done for me and also show him how much… I love him…' May determinedly thought as she remembered all the different times she and Ash had during their journey together
"May honey, are you alright?" asked Caroline as she saw her daughter looking over his list for the 5th time today
"I don't know what to get for my Secret Santa mom" May sadly said as her determination left her
Caroline smiled and walked over towards the brunette and grabbed her list "Hmm you have good ideas for a gift, by why don't you wish to get any of these?"
May found herself looking at one of her most precious items; the Terracotta ribbon she and Ash both won "My Secret Santa gift is for Ash" she finally revealed as her mother looked surprised "I just want to get him something really special, mom. He's done so much for me; mentored me when I first started, was the first one to support me when I revealed I wanted to be a coordinator, and even helped me out with training for my contests… did I ever thank him for all that?... No, I went off to Johto because I wanted to find my style and because all my rivals were going there too"
Caroline could see how much this meant to May and decided to give her a push in the right direction "Well why don't you think of something that he'll appreciate; think back to your journey together and maybe that will give you some kind of help for a gift" she suggested, hoping that May would get some inspiration with her help
May thought back to her last day in Sinnoh and remembered the depressed look on Ash's face when she was on the boat towards Johto. He seemed so happy when she arrived in Sinnoh, but then came the day she had to go back… Of course, she could have stayed, but she hadn't wanted to due to thinking she still needed to find her style and not rely on Ash as she had sorta done in Hoenn and Kanto
"Whatever you decide to give to Ash in the end, I know he'll love it," Caroline said as she left the room, with May having a doubtful expression on her face
December 24, Petalburg City
It was finally the day of May's Christmas party. The Petalburg gym was decorated with various Christmas decorations ranging from mistletoes to the many ornaments on the wall. Currently, May was double-checking her gift, as she wrote down on a card for who it was for… until she heard a voice yelling
"Hurry up May! We don't know when the other will get here!" shouted Max from outside her room
"I'm coming, I'm coming" she replied as she put the finishing touch on her present and once satisfied, went on downstairs as she passed by Max and her father, who were putting out a few more decorations
Once she came up to the big Christmas tree, she placed her present under the tree beside Max's gift and also her parent's gift 'I hope Ash doesn't get mad at me for getting him a plain gift' she thought sadly as she looked at the present. Knowing nothing could be changed anymore, May made her way over towards the kitchen where she got out a couple of plates to place on the table outside
After an hour, May heard the doorbell ring and walked over towards the door as she saw the first of the party guests arriving, which happened to be Misty, Gary, and Brock. All three greeted the brunette with a smile as they were welcomed inside
"Wait I thought Ash was coming with you guys?" she asked confused since she thought the Kanto group would be coming together but seems she was wrong
Gary nodded his head and he shrugged "Well he was, but it seems both he and Goh were on a research assignment and as such weren't able to make it on the first boat to Hoenn"
May sighed but accepted the answer. She knew she couldn't blame the raven-haired teen if he was doing something like a research fellow. Hopefully, they wouldn't be late though since she planned on giving Ash his present in person and not by mail
A few minutes later, Dawn, her mother, and a boy wearing a similar outfit to Ash's Sinnoh clothes appeared each holding a present in their arms. Once the blunette saw it was May who answered the door, she immediately passed the gift onto her mother and gave the brunette a big hug "Merry Christmas May!" she exclaimed happily, with May returning the hug
Soon one by one the rest of the guests arrived, except for Ash and Goh. Heck even Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum had already arrived, yet Ash and Goh were nowhere to be seen for some reason
"Don't worry May, I'm sure Ash is on his way over just you see" Dawn said trying to reassure the brunette who kept staring at the door
Suddenly a knock was heard and May ran out of the room towards the door… only to see Goh and Raboot standing outside with a small smile "Oh good, I got the right place. Almost thought we were lost back there… anyway Merry Christmas!" he said as his Pokemon rolled his eyes
"Hey, Goh! Merry Christmas to you as well… but umm where's Ash? Gary told me, you and he were going to be arriving together after you were finished with your research assignment from Professor Cerise" May asked in confusion at not seeing Ash anywhere insight
Goh had a confused look on his face "What research assignment? Professor Cerise gave us 2 weeks off for the holidays. As for where Ash could be, he told me to go on ahead since he needed to do a last-minute thing"
May was now starting to get worried; what if Ash for some reason couldn't make it and as such was why he hadn't arrived yet... well at least he could have told her if he wouldn't becoming. The brunette decided to wait 5 more minutes and if the Pallet-native had not arrived by that time, she would start the party with or without him
5 minutes later
By now many of the teens were starting to get as worried as May. Ash still hadn't arrived for whatever reason and wasn't even answering his Rotom Phone when Goh called either. Delia although also worried for her son, knew the real reason for why he was taking so long and as such wasn't making a big deal as the rest of the others and told them to calm down and be patient
Finally, everyone heard a voice as someone was soon knocking on the door "Hello? I wonder if they already started?" said a familiar voice from outside as many sighed in relief, while May ran towards the door and saw none other than Ash standing outside with both Pikachu and Riolu at his side
"Hey May! Sorry for being so late, but I might have had a run-in with Team Rocket along the way and also had a last-minute thing to do" he sheepishly said with May glaring at him but invited him on inside
"It's alright. You're here now and that's all that matters" she told him and led him into the living room where Ash saw everyone waiting
"Bout time you got here Ashy-boy," Gary said with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed as many others held the same expression, causing Ash to sweatdrop and Pikachu and Riolu to laugh lightly
"Well since everyone is finally here, why don't we all eat our Christmas supper, and then we can all open up the gifts?" Caroline asked as everyone eagerly agreed, especially Ash who seemed to not have eaten breakfast or lunch for some reason
While everyone was walking into the kitchen, Ash slipped his present under the tree with a smile as Riolu and Pikachu helped by placing it at the very back of the pile
After eating a fantastic Christmas feast, the adults all decided to catch up with one another and left the trainers to themselves so they could open their presents in private
Once everyone was comfortably seated in the living room, May grabbed a hold of the first gift near her and read over the name "Here Misty this one's for you and it's from Gary" she said and passed the Cerulean gym leader the gift as the orange-haired girl opened up the box to see a beautiful sparkling aqua blue stone inside the box
"I remembered seeing you one day at the gym training an Eevee and thought you might want to evolve it into a Vaporeon. I called your sisters and asked if you had a water stone in your possession and they told me you didn't… so umm hope you like it" Gary said somewhat nervously
Misty gave Gary a smile and a small kiss on the cheek "I love it. Thank you so much, Gary, I'm sure Eevee will also enjoy it"
Since Misty had been the one to open her gift, she was the one to chose who would receive their gift next "Alright and now it's Brock's turn and it's from Dawn" she said passing the medium-sized gift over towards the Pokemon doctor
Brock looked at the blunette, who held a smile on her face as the former Pewter City gym leader opened up the gift and saw various accessories ranging from brand new cooking supplies to what looked like a big book to how to win over girls with a few items to go with it
"I thought you should update your cooking supplies and even added in a few items to help you out when wanting to impress the girls" Dawn revealed with a wink as Brock thanked her and eagerly started reading the book about the chapter on do's and don'ts when it comes to girls
Seeing as Brock was too wrapped up with his present Dawn was the one who chose the next present "Max, here's your present and it's from Bonnie" she said and passed the gift over towards the younger boy, while Bonnie was seen looking embarrassed that her gift was next
Max opened up the big package and was shocked to see various pokeball designs inside "Whoa, this is amazing! Thank you Bonnie!" he exclaimed happily and saw small tags under the pokeballs and examined each one
"I heard how you would be starting your journey soon and had my dad and brother help me get you something to help you out in your journey," Bonnie said, happy Max had liked her present
Seeing as how it was his turn to choose the next present, Max grabbed the gift closest to him and turned towards Gary "Here ya go and it's from Goh"
Gary took the flat-shaped gift from Max and opened it up as he saw a brand new state laptop "Whoa is this a new laptop?! I've been wanting to get a new one, but always kept pushing it aside… how'd you even get one?" the former Pokemon trainer asked as Goh explained how he had heard from Ash that Gary had wanted a new laptop since his had stopped working a month ago and with the help of his parents was able to get the laptop
Thanking Goh for the gift, Gary got up from his spot and grabbed the gift near the front out of the remaining "Tracy you're up and your gift is from Max" he said walking over towards the Pokemon watcher and handing him his gift
Tracy opened up the gift and saw a new set of sketchbooks and pencils inside "Just what I needed thank you Max. Now I'll be able to draw full-scale sketches again" he said placing the gift on his seat and getting the next present from under the tree "Now we got, Serena and it's from… Brock"
Serena eagerly took the gift from Tracy and opened up the box to see new accessories for her Pokemon and a brand new dress "You got a new pair of sunglasses for Pancham, a new bow for Braixen's branch, and a new jewelry for Sylveon! Thank you Brock and this dress is amazing!" the honey blonde performer said with a big smile on her face
"You're mother was a big help, Serena. She was the one who suggested the accessories for your Pokemon and told me about the trick you did with her when choosing clothes" Brock explained as Serena made a note to make sure she thanked her mother for giving Brock the idea.
Since she was close to the tree, Serena grabbed the gift in the middle as May sighed in relief at not having her gift for Ash chosen yet… however she wondered where her gift could be "Here you are Goh, your present and from Misty" May heard Serena say as Goh reached across from his spot next to Ash and grabbed the gift with a small thank you
Slowly Goh opened up the box and looked at the gift inside with shock. It was none other than a book of where many Pokemon were found and some tips on how to capture them "I heard that you were on a journey to capture every Pokemon from Ash and saw that book when I was in Celadon City. Hope it'll help you out with your goal" Misty said with a soft expression
"What? Of course! This will be a big help… and it's even categorized by region! Thank you very much Misty!" Goh exclaimed and showed Raboot about the many Pokemon and where they usually were
Drew was next to get his gift as Pikachu passed it over towards him and was surprised to see it was from Serena. He stared both at the contest seals and capsule ball with a smile and thanked the honey blonde saying she had good taste in seals, with Serena blushing at the compliment given
Soon after Drew was Clemont, whose gift came from Drew himself. Opening it up, Clemont saw a brand new toolbox with various new tools to replace all of his worn-out ones. Thanking the Hoenn coordinator, Clemont got up and grabbed the one belonging to Bonnie
The blonde girl tore the wrapping paper and looked at all the various trainer items for when she would start her journey. Among the items, she saw a brand new orange bag to replace the old yellow one she currently had on. Bonnie thanked Tracy for all the gear and promised she would do amazing in her first Pokemon League or Showcase
With Clemont helping Bonnie pack her new trainer gear, Gary grabbed the pink box and passed it over to Dawn as she thanked the brown-haired teen and passed her Piplup over to Lucas, who was in a conversation with Brock and Goh about the Pokemon and their various traits. Dawn opened up the pink box and saw it was from Clemont, who looked nervously at the blunette. Once she saw what was inside, Dawn scream, causing everyone to look at her confused
"Are you alright Dawn, cause you just screamed and broke my ears… I swear they're even bleeding" Lucas commented, with Dawn nodding her head and showing everyone what Clemont got her "See! A smartphone! I've been dying to get one of my own. Thank you Clemont, you're the best!" she said with a bright smile, making Clemont happy at seeing Dawn liking her gift. He had gotten that as a prize a few weeks ago and hadn't used it. Seeing as he didn't need it, he thought Dawn would benefit from it
All that was left were two gifts under the tree as May and Ash both looked even more nervous as they realized they were the only gifts left to open and everyone was looking at them both eagerly. Seeing as neither was going to move, Misty sighed as she grabbed a hold of both presents and pushed them into Ash and May's hands
"Open it up May! I wanna see what Ash got you!" Max excitedly said, having heard from Goh that the real reason why Ash had taken so long in getting over to Petalburg was that he was getting May's gift ready
"Alright, calm down," May said with a laugh as she opened up the box and pulled out a pink pokeball with a heart in a lighter shade of pink in the middle with many looked confused at the gift
"Umm Ash… I think many of us were expecting something more than just a pokeball… even if it is a different design" Serena said with many nodding their heads in agreement
Ash said nothing, but he did move over towards May and pressed on the release button as many looked surprised to see that a Pokemon was inside. However, what was more surprising was the Pokemon who was inside the pokeball as May dropped the now empty pokeball to the ground in shock
On the table was none other than a small blue aquatic Pokémon with stubby feet and club-like arms that were longer than his body staring up happily at the brunette "Happy!" he cried out and jumped towards May, who caught him with tears in her eyes
"Manaphy… I can't believe it's you" she said overjoyed at seeing the mythical Pokemon
"Love you, mama. Love you, May" Manaphy said repeating the words he had told her the last time they saw each other. Hearing those words made May burst into tears as she hugged him "I love you too, Manaphy"
Everyone watched the scene with awe and some even had tears themselves at seeing the reunion before them. Goh turned towards Ash and saw him with a soft expression on his face, looking at the brunette and Manaphy
"Ash, I can't believe you got Manaphy here for a visit," Max said, but to their surprise, Ash shook his head
"He's not here for a visit. Nope, Manaphy is now May's Pokemon" he revealed as Pikachu and Riolu nodded along making everyone looked shocked again "I was able to find Manaphy with the help of Jackie and after a few disagreements here and there… Jackie finally allowed me to capture Manaphy for May to have on her team"
"Ash… I don't know what to say, other than thank you" May softly said
"Happy! Mana happy! T-Th-Thank y-y-you, papa!" Manaphy said with some difficulty as he jumped happily over to Ash, hugging him in thanks as everyone else stared surprised at what Manaphy had just said to Ash
"Papa?" Ash questioned holding Manaphy like he had seen May do before. Manaphy in turn nodded his head and pointed at Ash again "Papa!"
"It makes sense for Manaphy to see you as a father. Other than May, you were the closest to Manaphy and saved him from Phantom as well" Brock stated as May nodded in agreement, thinking about the adventure when Manaphy hatched and had to agree with what Brock said
"Aww May and Ash have a Pokemon to raise together now like a couple would" Dawn cooed, as both Ash and May turned red and looked away from their friends who started to chuckle at the reaction
"We're not a couple" May yelled out annoyed
"Hey Ash, time for you to open your present from May," Goh said, handing over the gift
Ash took it, shaking away the thoughts that came after hearing Dawn's comment. However, just as he was about to open it, the clock was heard making everyone turn and see it was 12:00
"Hey, it's Christmas time!" Max happily said, not noticing Ash open his present as he took out a piece photo frame with a picture of him and May when they won the Terracotta Ribbon
Ash smiled as he remembered the day clearly. However, he suddenly saw a note behind the photo frame 'Once you read this, let me know' it said as he caught May's eyes and showed her the slip of paper. Once she saw it in his hands, she motioned for him to follow her as Ash placed the gift inside his backpack and made his way over towards the brunette
"Merry Christmas everyone!" Caroline said as she, Johanna, and Delia came into the room with a gift-wrapped box themselves
"Hey! Where'd Ashy-boy and May go? They were here just a minute ago" Gary asked, making the others see that Gary was right as the two trainers in question weren't in the room and neither were their Pokemon either
"Aww we didn't get to see what May got Ash" grumbled Dawn sadly
Meanwhile outside
May slowly led Ash towards the back and stopped just in front of the door as she turned towards him "Ash… I'm so sorry I didn't get you anything special as you did for Christmas" May said with tears falling down her face.
Ash seeing this, grabbed May's shoulders "Hey May, it's alright if you didn't get me anything special. I loved your gift" he tried to say, but the brunette wouldn't have any of it
Pikachu and Riolu, both decided to give the two teens some space as they ran off towards the greenhouse with Manaphy following them after a brief hesitation
"No Ash, it's not alright. You've done so much for me and I couldn't even get you a special or thoughtful present…" she said and Ash was going to comment on that, but May continued talking "Ever since I started my journey, you've always been there by my side; you were the first to support my idea at becoming a coordinator, trained with me at times for my Contests, cheered me on the loudest and even allowed me to travel with you through Kanto when you could have easily said no. How did I repay you in the end, I decided to go running off to Johto…"
"May, you had your dreams to follow… I couldn't just hold you back like that. Sure I was sad when you left and maybe a little hurt that you no longer needed me, but at the same time, I was proud of the kind of person you had become. I watched you grow from the girl who didn't want anything to do with Pokemon, to that of a young courageous Pokemon Coordinator. I knew no matter where you were, you were always doing your best and I always had you on my mind and… also in my heart" Ash told her softly as May looked surprised at what Ash had just said
She stayed standing still as she processed what Ash said. She couldn't believe he held her in such high standards. She puts her hand to her heart and wipes the tears from her eyes with her other hand "You know what… I know what my special gift to you will be… Ash, if you'll let me, I want to rejoin you on your journey"
Although shocked by May's statement, he couldn't help but smile "I'd love you too, but don't you want to continue traveling the world and compete in Contests?"
May shakes her head at this "Contests will always be out there for me to compete in… having you by my side is something I won't pass up on again. I was wrong to leave for Johto that day and about us being on different paths... we're not on different paths... you're my path" she said as May leaned in closer and gave him a quick peck on the cheek
After a brief hesitation and getting his thoughts together, Ash said "And you're my path May... I know many of you guys think I'm dense or am too focused on my goal of becoming a Pokemon Master, but that's not true. Since the moment I last saw you in Sinnoh, I realized I like you as more than just a friend... What I'm saying is we all got choices in life, right? Well then if I had to choose between letting you go or continue with my path... then I choose you"
With that said Ash slowly grabbed a hold of May's head and brought her in closer towards his, as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Although shocked, the brunette kissed him right back with their Pokemon all smiling at the scene before them, happy for the two trainers
Slowly the two trainers pulled away from each other and smiled. Today had been a great day for the both of them... and although they had a feeling that the whole Secret Santa may have been rigged, they nonetheless appreciated the trouble their friends went through so they could finally have the courage to admit their feelings.
A new chapter has begun for May and Ash, as boyfriend and girlfriend. What new adventures would they face in the future? Only time can tell. However, for now, both trainers were content with staying outside a little longer in each other's arms as they stared up at the sparkling night sky
Hope you all enjoyed it, since I was having some trouble making it. I'm thinking of maybe making a sequel to this, but nothing is confirmed yet. Anyway I wish you guys all a Merry Christmas if you celebrate and if not then happy holidays :)
BTW here's a list of everyone's Secret Santa gift to each other:
Ash to May = Manaphy
May to Ash = formerly a photo frame, later changed to rejoining Ash on his journey
Clemont to Dawn = Smartphone
Gary to Misty = Water Stone for evolving her Eevee
Drew to Clemont = New tools and toolbox
Bonnie to Max = Various pokeball kit
Brock to Serena = New accessories for her Pokemon and new dress
Tracy to Bonnie = Items for when she starts her journey
Goh to Gary = New Laptop
Max to Tracy = Sketch book/new pencils
Misty to Goh = Pokemon handbook for areas of where Pokemon are and tips for capturing Pokemon
Serena to Drew = Contest seals and ball capsules
Dawn to Brock = New cooking supplies and book to help out with girls and items