A/N: So you guys get two chapters within one week. Lucky you! This is the longest chapter thus far, so I hope you all enjoy it. I had a bit of fun with this one, and a surprise guest appears. I wonder if you can guess who it'll be. I did not mention it before, but Misty's Cleffa is a nod to my shiny Cleffa that I had in Pokemon Crystal years ago. I wish that we could transfer between generation two and three, but I guess it is not meant to be.
Also, as I said with the last chapter, I do encourage anyone with tumblr to follow me ( .com) because I do occasionally mention this story. I will be posting little things about it, such as pictures or even chapter previews in the near future.
Thanks again to those of you who give me reviews or follow this story. I appreciate all of the support!
-Sarah
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters.
Chapter Two: Christmas
Misty arrived at the hotel in the middle of the afternoon. The weather was warm and comfortable, certainly not as hot as it had been the summer they were traveling in the Orange Islands. The automatic doors slid open as she strolled into the main lobby, tugging her suitcase behind her with one hand, the other holding Cleffa against her chest. The fairy Pokémon seemed delighted to be there; Misty, on the other hand, had mixed feelings about it.
The lobby was smaller than she had expected for such an expensive hotel. She was relieved when she learned that Daisy was going to pay for everything for her bridesmaids as a thank you. There were faux fir trees adorned with Christmas lights and ornaments. It was a bit disconcerting to see all of these decorations with the warm weather outside. She typically associated those things with the cold and snow. This would be her first Christmas in such a tropical climate. When she had arrived, she saw many palm trees sporting their Christmas lights too. Something about it seemed wrong to her.
She stood stagnate for a moment, her eyes searching for a familiar face. When she had decided that there was no one she knew around, she headed to the reception desk. The woman at the reception desk smiled brightly at her, her dark skin in contrast to her pearly-white teeth. Misty grinned back sheepishly.
"Checking in?"
"Yes," Misty replied. "Misty Waterflower."
"All right, let's see. You're staying until the third of January, is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Okay, Miss Waterflower," she said handing Misty a keycard. "Here is your room key. You're in 591. We hope that your stay is a pleasant one."
"Thanks," she said, taking it from her.
"Hey Misty," a low voice said behind her.
Her heart skipped a beat. She knew that voice. It had been one that she had to grown accustomed to in the past couple of months, but now the voice that meant home to her. She whipped around to see Ash standing before her, wearing a ghastly looking Hawaii shirt and khakis. Pikachu was perched on his shoulder, but there was no bag in sight. He was more handsome than she had remembered. Her picture of him in her mind had not done him justice.
"Pikachupi!" Pikachu exclaimed, happy to see his favorite human after Ash.
"Hey there, Pikachu," she said. "Hi Ash."
"I missed you," he admitted, as he rushed toward her. He flung his arms around her and captured her in his tight embrace. Misty felt as though she were on fire. Her face was hot with attraction, and every muscle in her body was tingling. He was so delighted to see her that he even went as far as to lift her off of her feet. She was startled by his actions, her heart accelerating rapidly. After a few brief moments of breathlessness, he set her back down, though her mind remained in the clouds.
"I, uh, missed you, too."
"Did you just get here?"
"Yeah, a few minutes ago," she replied, still in a daze from his presence.
"What room are you in?" he asked, plucking her suitcase from her hand.
"591," she replied.
"Ah, so your room is on the floor above mine," he said as he started walking toward the elevator, her suitcase trailing behind him.
"You know I can do that myself," she complained.
"Would you let me help you for once?" he retorted.
She made no reply as they stepped into the elevator. The only sounds were made by their Pokémon chatting away at each other. She felt slightly awkward around him for some reason. They saw each other a couple of months ago, but there was something different about all of it. Maybe it was the fact that there was a wedding in about a week and the atmosphere of love was in the air. Not to mention, there was the spirit of Christmas upon them. She stared at him the entire ride, from the moment he pushed the fifth floor button to the second he stepped off the elevator. Misty could not quite put her finger on what was different about him.
The two of them travelled down the hallway toward Misty's room. Ash continued to roll her suitcase for the entirety of the trip. They reached room 591, the absolute last one. Misty whipped out her keycard and inserted it in the slot. The light above turned green, and the door popped open. The pair entered Misty's room, with Misty setting Cleffa down so it could run around on it's own.
To her surprise, Misty had apparently gotten a suite. Ash and Misty entered the small sitting room, complete with a tiny kitchenette, loveseat, and TV. They walked beyond that into the bedroom portion of the place. There was a queen-sized bed in the center with another TV opposite to it, resting on a large dresser. Why there were two televisions in close proximity was beyond Misty. She thought it was a bit unnecessary.
Beyond the furniture were two large sliding doors on either side of the corner of the room, leading out to a large terrace. They had been left open, allowing the breeze to blow the large opaque curtains. The fabric flowed about against the glass. She inhaled the crisp air deeply.
Ash placed her suitcase at the foot of her bed, which looked like a giant cloud with all of the white pillows and duvet. Misty placed her small bag, which had been hanging on her shoulder, on the nightstand next to the bed. She was unsure of what to say to Ash. She had various questions for him, but he was like a Stantler in the forest, one wrong move would send him running. There was a note addressed to her waiting on the bed. She snatched it up and ripped open the envelope.
"Well, I'll go, so you can settle in," Ash said, making his way to the door. "My room is directly below yours in 491 if you need anything."
"Wait!" she exclaimed.
"What is it?" he asked, pausing his hand on the handle.
"Um," she said, stalling. The truth was she had said that impulsively, without thought of what she was going to say after stopping him. "Do you want to do something later?"
"Yeah sure. We could go along the beach if you want. Brock's here, too. Should I invite him?"
"Of course," she said with a smile.
"All right," he said, moving away from the door briefly in order to give her a swift peck on the forehead. "I'll see you in an hour then?"
"Sounds great."
"Bye."
Ash exited the room, leaving Misty breathless, her cheeks showing a twinge of pink. It had not been until she saw him that she realized how much she had missed him over the past couple of months. With all that had been going on, perhaps it was time to tell him about how she felt. She contemplated this while pulling out a card with loopy handwriting:
Misty,
Ta-da! I hope that you liked this surprise! Tracey and I agreed that we should get a suite for the Maid of Honor and the Best Man. Personally, I would have hoped that the two of you would have gotten together by now, so I would have only had to pay for one suite instead of two, but don't worry. It's okay. You should take the opportunity of being on a romantic island though. Come by my room (it's actually the suite across from yours) later on tonight when you get a chance. Tracey and I went snorkeling, so I'm out until then.
Happy vacationing!
Daisy
She smiled, placing the card down on the nightstand, next to her bag. Not knowing what to do with herself for the next hour, she popped into the bathroom to investigate it. It was fantastic, like the rest of the suite. The floors were granite. There were two sinks in the room. In addition to a shower, there was an enormous Jacuzzi tub. Wasting no time, Misty dashed back to her suitcase and unzipped the side. After rummaging briefly, she found her toiletries. She knew exactly what she was going to do until meeting up with Ash and Brock—take a long deserved bubble bath.
"I'm so glad that you asked me to come with you, Misty. This is fantastic!"
May and Misty walked along the sidewalk, their hands adorned with paper shopping bags. It was Christmas Eve, and although there was sure to be some craziness from the impending holiday, Misty invited May to go shopping with her. She had a few last minute gifts to buy, and she did not know anyone better to take than May. They decided to avoid the nearest mall because it would certainly be crowded, not to mention, neither wanted to pay for a taxi.
The two women opted to go to small local shops within walking distance. They sported festive sundresses and sunglasses on top of their heads. Before they were going to have lunch at the café next door to the hotel, they went into a shop with wholesome ingredients for making Pokémon food. It would make a good gift for Brock, Misty decided. They browsed through one of the small aisles, picking up small bottles and smelling the contents. Misty grabbed a few medium jars and headed toward the register.
"So after this, are you all done?" May asked her.
"Not entirely, I don't think," the redhead admitted. "I still need to find a gift for Ash."
"Misty, it's Christmas Eve, and you haven't gotten anything for him yet?"
"That's not entirely true. I did get him something months ago when he was travelling, but I don't know if it would be right to give it to him now."
"I'm sure he'll still like it," May said. "It could even encourage him to get back out there."
"You're probably right," Misty said as she placed the items on the counter as the woman commented that she would be back in a few minutes. "Do you know why he came home so suddenly?"
"No, it's a mystery to me, too," May said, refraining from mentioning the rumor she had heard that he had started dating Serena, and as soon as she had become a world-class Pokémon performer, she dumped him for some other guy in the Pokémon contest circuit. She did not wish to upset Misty, and she wasn't even certain if it were true. She had overheard a group of people talking at her last contest, but when she discussed it with Drew, he hadn't heard about it at all.
"There you go, ladies," said the woman as she rang up their items.
"Thanks," replied Misty, taking the bag from her.
"Misty, is that you?" a male voice said behind them.
Both women turned to see an older man standing in front of them. He was as tall as Brock, if not, taller. His hair was auburn, and his eyes were dark brown. The man was wearing black pants and a white, buttoned shirt. There was something in his stance and smirk that was familiar to Misty. It was a moment before it dawned on her.
"Rudy?"
"In the flesh," he said.
"What are you doing here?"
"I could say the same about you," he remarked. "I live on a nearby island, remember?"
Misty had forgotten that Trovita Island was close to where they were. In fact, she hadn't thought about him much over the past decade. Having him in front of her pulled her back to the couple of days first spent with his sister and him. Seeing him, she pondered what her life would have been like if she accepted. She'd be a housewife, with kids most likely, not the successful gym leader she was. She and Rudy could have gotten divorced as well. Misty shook those thoughts from her head. May watched on as the two interacted.
"Yes. I know."
"So, what are you doing here?"
"We're going to a wedding in a few days. Our friends are getting married. You've met one of them. Do you remember Tracey?"
"Oh yeah. He's the one that likes to make Pokémon sketches, right?"
"That's right. He's getting married to Professor Oak's granddaughter Daisy.
"Oh. Good for him," Rudy said.
"How's your sister?" Misty asked.
"Mahri? She's doing fine."
"That's great."
"So," he said with a grin. "Do you still need a date for this wedding?"
"No. I'm all set. Thanks for the offer," Misty said quickly.
"Did Ash come to his senses then?"
"Well," she said. "It's not like that."
"I see," he said, taking something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Give me a call if you change your mind."
"Uh sure."
"See you around, Misty."
"Bye, Rudy," she replied, his business card still clutched in her hands.
May and Misty exited the shop. They turned left and headed toward the café for lunch. Misty, who was in a daze, continued to hold the card, unsure of what to do with it. Should she give up on Ash? She wondered if it would be the right decision to call Rudy.
"So who was that?" May asked, the curiosity killing her.
Misty sighed. "I'll explain when we get some food in us."
"Wow," May said when she had finished her story about Rudy and the decision she had to make all those years ago.
"That's all you can say?"
"So let me get this straight," May said as Misty took a bite of her sandwich. "He proposed to you?"
"Yeah."
"If you had accepted and stayed with him, you would have been married a long time ago?"
"Well yeah, I would have thought that part was obvious."
"But you chose to stay with Ash?"
"Would you stop asking questions when you already know the answers?"
"Sorry, said May. "Does Ash know about any of this?"
"No," admitted Misty.
"Why didn't you ever tell him?"
She plopped the final piece of sandwich in her mouth. "Telling him would have basically meant admitting my feelings, especially with the comment Rudy made to him when we left."
"That wouldn't be the end of the world, would it?"
"Ash and I…have a complicated history."
"I understand," May nodded, shoving a large fork-full of baked macaroni and cheese in her mouth. She sipped her soda before continuing. "However, I know what it's like to be in the dark. It was years until I realized that Drew had noticed me at all. It's always hard to admit something like that, but let me say this. You're never going to win if you take yourself out of the game."
"Honestly, I want to get through this wedding. Daisy has been driving me crazy."
May laughed. "Remind me to never make her my maid of honor."
"She could never be your maid of honor," Misty reminded May. "She'd be your Matron of Honor, in any case."
"Oh whatever," said May as they stood up. She put money down on the table. "You know what I meant."
"C'mon let's go," Misty said, grabbing her stuff. "I have a few more things to do before dinner tonight."
The two left the café, going toward more shops. Misty hoped that she could find something for a backup for Ash's present in case that he didn't want it. Truthfully, she wanted a distraction. As the walked among different shops, she considered May's words carefully. Part of her knew that admitting her feelings to him was well overdue, but the other part of her was petrified. It was uncertain which side of her would ultimately win.
"There she is! Hey Misty! We're over here!"
Ash waved his arms in the air when he saw Misty walk into the hotel's restaurant. She peered around and smiled upon seeing him. She rushed over to the table. Everyone else was already there for the planned Christmas Eve dinner. The entire party filled two circular tables. At one table were Professor Oak, Delia, Gary, Green, and Misty's sisters. At the other were Ash, Brock, Tracey, Daisy Oak, May, and Drew. The only seat available was in between Ash and Daisy. Once she had reached the table, Ash motioned for her to sit with him.
"How was your shopping trip?" he said, handing her Cleffa, whom he had spent the afternoon watching.
"Cleffa!" the pink Pokémon shouted, excited to see its trainer.
"It was pretty good," she replied with a grin as she sat down. Taking her Pokémon back, she cuddled it closely in her arms. It squealed in delight.
"Yeah, we had a great time. It's too bad you couldn't come with us, Daisy."
"I…um…had other things to do," Daisy replied before shoving almost a whole slice of bread in her face.
"Uh huh," May said, the skepticism running rampant in her voice.
"Oh really?" Misty said, raising an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Oh it wouldn't interest you," Tracey chimed in. "I'd like to hear about Drew's latest contest."
"Wait," interrupted Misty. "Why would what she was doing have anything to do with you?"
"Well, I…um….never mind."
"Oh no!" shouted May. "Tell us! You are not getting out of this one."
"Dude, teach me," Brock said desperately, keeping his eyes on Lily and Violet eating at the other table.
"Brock, I already told you," Misty said in aspiration. "My sisters are not interested in you, so stop scaring them."
"Sorry," Brock sighed, hanging his head in shame.
"What are you all talking about?" Ash asked.
Misty smacked her palm against her head. Ash was as dense as ever. If anyone were still a virgin at table, it would have been him, Misty had decided. It appeared to her that he continued to be oblivious to the opposite sex. A strange thought crossed her. Maybe he never noticed her because he would never be interested in women. It was a silly notion, Misty concluded not long after the thought had first occurred to her. She recalled his first reaction to seeing Giselle, and told off her brain for even thinking such crazy ideas.
The rest of dinner went well. The old friends chatted away as they ate a four-course dinner, consisting of soup, salad, turkey dinner, and dessert. They were enjoying some cherry pie when May decided to take things down an interesting turn. She would bring Ash and Misty together, even if it killed her.
"You'll never guess whom Misty and I ran into today," she said to Tracey, looking at Ash and Misty in her peripheral vision. Misty stopped what she was saying to Ash and turned five shades whiter.
"Who?"
"Wait—"
"That guy you met on Trovita Island—Rudy."
Ash nearly choked on his drink. "You mean the Trovita gym leader?"
"Yeah," said May. "That's the guy."
"Hmmm," Tracey said. "Wasn't he in love with you, Misty?"
"Huh?" Misty said, shooting up in her chair. "N-no. I don't know what talking about."
"What did he want?" Ash demanded, staring at Misty, his eyes piercing hers.
"Nothing, really," Misty said with an uneven laugh.
"To be her date for the wedding," May piped up, ignoring the death glares from the red head. "He gave her his number and everything."
Ash whipped his head back to Misty. "You aren't going to call that guy, are you?"
"And what would you say if I did?" she snapped. "You are not the boss of me."
"I never said I was."
"Then, why do you feel the need to make it your business?"
She stood up abruptly, nearly knocking her chair back and on to the floor. It tipped back in place, causing a loud ruckus. The two tables grew silent. Everyone was staring at the two pair, suspended in mid-action. Unable to handle further embarrassment, Misty snatched her purse, picked up Cleffa, and fled the scene. Ash went to run after her, but was stopped by Brock, who said it would be best to give Misty her space. Ash plopped back into his seat, leaving his pie untouched, having lost his appetite.
"I'm sorry for storming out like that last night."
Ash looked up to see Misty standing over him, her bag slung over her shoulder. He was sitting out by the pool, his legs dipped into the cool water. Pikachu was playing in a small, inflatable kiddie pool nearby. He wanted to swim in the large pool, but Ash thought that it might have been too risky. Misty waltzed over and placed Cleffa with Pikachu before returning. She was wearing a strapless dress over her bikini, her hair put up in her side-ponytail. Yanking the hem of the dress up a little, she sat on the edge of the pool next to Ash and placed her legs in the water. She took off her bag and gently dropped it to the side of her.
"It's all right," Ash said. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to upset you last night."
"It wasn't entirely your fault. Seeing Rudy brought up a lot of memories for me. I was overwhelmed by a lot of it."
"What do you mean?"
Misty hesitated. May's words echoed in her head. With Ash staring at her with his soft, brown eyes, she came to her resolve. She would tell him about Rudy. However, she would leave out some key details, for the moment, until she was ready.
"When we were on Trovita Island," she began. "Do you remember that Rudy invited me to spend time with him the night before your match?"
"Uh huh," Ash said. "I remember. What about it?"
"Well," she said, inhaling. "When I was with him, he asked me to stay with him."
"For how long?"
"Like to live there, Ash."
"Oh," he said in a low voice. "Why didn't you? He obviously really liked you and would have made you happy."
"I don't know if I would have been happy though," she said. "I thought about it a lot last night when I went up to my room. Sure, I was flattered by his offer, but I realized that I'd be giving up my dream of being a great water Pokémon trainer if I stayed. Travelling around with you, Brock, and Tracey made me better. That would have ended if I had stayed behind with him. It worked out for the best though. I became an excellent gym leader, and I'm happy for that."
"That's true," he said. "But do you regret giving up on a love like that?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't believe I gave up on anything." It was true. She may have gotten caught up in what Rudy was saying to her, but ultimately, she had spent years with Ash instead, the one who had captured her heart without trying or even knowing. A jolt ran through her when their eyes locked for a split second, taking her breath away. She averted her eyes, clearing her throat at the same time.
"Anyway," she said, going into her bag. She revealed a long angular box, adorned with green ribbon. "Merry Christmas. I hope that you like it. I bought it for you months ago, so I don't know if it'll be useful to you now, but here."
Ash took the box in his hand. He tugged the ribbon loose. It came off, nearly falling in the pool before Ash snatched it. He tossed aside onto the stone pavement around the pool. He gingerly lifted the cover of the box off and placed it with the ribbon. Inside the box was a black Pokegear—one of the latest models. He realized that she must have spent a lot on it. Not only that, she must had bought it when he was still Pokémon training. He gaped at it, unable to speak. He had always needed something like this, especially with his record for getting lost. This was one of the best gifts he had ever received.
"Thanks," he muttered, all other words failing him in that moment.
"So you actually like it?"
"Yeah, this is great!" he said excitedly.
"Well, I thought, with you know, you not training any more, you might not want this as much."
"Not at all," he said with a grin. "I love it."
"Oh good," she said. "So where's my present then?"
Her words made him stop in his tracks. "Um…"
"Well?"
"You see the thing is—"
"Ash Ketchum, you better have a Christmas present for me or I swear I will make you wish that you weren't born!"
"Misty, chill out!"
"Don't make me hurt you," she said, grabbing at his shoulders.
"Pikapi! Pikachupi!"
Both turned their heads, their attention diverted to the yellow mouse. Cleffa, who had been sitting next to Pikachu, was now glowing white. Misty stared in awe as it changed form. The light dissipated, leaving Clefairy in place of where Cleffa had been. Clefairy looked back at Pikachu and smiled. The other Pokémon stared a bit, captivated by its beauty. Pikachu blushed, not knowing what to do. Misty had already rushed over to great her knew Pokémon before he could speak.
"Clefairy!" the Pokémon shouted once Misty had taken it into her arms.
"Oh, you're even cuter now!" she exclaimed.
"You always wanted a Clefairy," Ash commented, running up to them.
"And now I do," she said. Her expression hardened a little bit. "This does not get you off the hook."
"Uh…"
"Well?"
"I don't have your gift on me," Ash finally admitted. He started walking toward the other direction. Misty responded with a sour expression and putting her hands on her hips.
"Where are you going?"
"I have things to do before tonight. C'mon Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
"I'll see you at the party tonight!" Ash shouted back to her before running into the back entrance of the hotel.
"I swear that he would lose his head if it weren't attached to his neck," Misty said to Clefairy, sighing deeply.
"Fairy!" Clefairy nodded in agreement.
Ash arrived in the hotel's ballroom later that night. There was an enormous Christmas party being held for all of the guests in the hotel. Ash dressed in business casual clothes for the event, not quite sure how formal it was meant to be. He walked in, with Pikachu on his shoulder, relieved that his choice in clothes was appropriate. The ballroom was vast with plenty of space for dancing in the center. There were round tables on either side of the dance floor, adorned with white tablecloths, complete with red trim. As part of each centerpiece, there was a miniature Christmas tree on each table.
Ash peered around for Misty, but he could not locate her in the crowd. Figuring that she was not there yet, he made a beeline for the food table. His stomach grumbled as the aroma of all the food hit him like a tsunami. Ash had never seen a buffet like this one. There were three different salads, four different soups, all sorts of appetizers, and various kinds of bread, some that he had never seen. As he continued to the main entrees, he took a bite of unknown bread, delighted to discover that it was a slice of a gingerbread loaf, complemented with a lemon icing.
He gave his second slice of gingerbread loaf to Pikachu, who took it happily. His Pokémon chomped away greedily as Ash moved on to shoving as many things onto his plate as possible. He could not believe his eyes. There were four types of potatoes, sweet and white. There was stuffing, along with ham, roast pork, roast beef, chicken, and turkey. Ash saw the dessert table, but thought it best to finish his dinner before he stuffed himself silly with sweets.
He found Brock chatting away with a young woman at a table not far from where he was. As he sat down, he noticed that the woman seemed annoyed by Brock. Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder and onto a chair next to Ash. She stormed off in a huff, causing Ash to pause from placing his food down. Brock was dejected from her reaction. Ash shook his head and put the plate on the table. Before sitting next to his friend, he clapped him on the back.
"Rough night with the ladies?" Ash asked.
"You have no idea," replied Brock. He gulped down the rest of his beer. "Speaking of ladies, have you given Misty her present yet?"
"No," Ash said. "I've been waiting for the right moment."
"Don't wait for Christmas to be over!" Brock chuckled.
"I have it with me now," Ash said. "I don't know where she is though. Have you seen her?"
"No, man, I haven't."
"I'm sure she'll show up, eventually."
They spent their time eating dinner and searching for women that might interest Brock, an activity that went on pause when Delia came around to chat. Once Ash had finished his meal, he made his way to the dessert station with Pikachu.
There were various cakes—German chocolate cake, carrot, fruit, banana, vanilla, and black forest, to name a few. Ash saw a whole table of pies and tarts as well. There was one dessert that interested him at that time—and it was Christmas cookies.
He snatched a bunch in his hand and began munching away at them. There were not as good as his mother's, but they were delicious nonetheless. He was in the middle of shoving one in his mouth when he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned, his discovered Daisy Oak in front of him.
"Hey Ash," she said, giving him a warm embrace. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to you, too," replied Ash. "Hey, have you seen Misty?"
"Yeah. She's out on the veranda over there," Daisy replied, pointing her finger to the right.
"Thanks," he said before heading in that direction.
He inhaled deeply as he moved outside. The warm breeze tickled his nose, but it did little to calm his nerves. He did not see anyone at first, but when he turned his head to the right, the red-haired beauty appeared before him.
She was leaving against the railing, her hair and green dress billowing in the breeze. Any oxygen that had been inside him escaped his body. There was a lump in his throat he swallowed back before approaching her.
"Hey, Misty," he said brightly.
"Oh, hi, Ash," she said, turning her head in his direction. She flipped her body around to face him. She was smiling, but he noticed sadness in her eyes. Ash offered her his last cookie, which was still in his hand. She took it, muttering her thanks. She bit the cookie, her mood lifting, though only slightly.
"Are you okay?" Ash asked.
"I guess," she said, sounding sad.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't want to bother you with my problems," she replied.
Ash looked her square in the eyes. "You'd never bother me. You can tell me anything."
"I was thinking about my parents," she confessed.
"Your parents?"
"Yes. You see, they were coming home from a party like this a few weeks before Christmas when they were killed by a drunk driver."
"Misty—"
"I'm fine," she said, her eyes watering. "I miss them, that's all. Being at a Christmas party made me think about them."
Ash embraced her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Misty. I wish I could change things and make it better for you."
"Thanks," she said, breaking away from him. She brushed the tears away from her eyes.
"Here," he said, handing her a small box, tied with a blue ribbon. "Maybe this will make you feel a little better."
"Oh, so you did get me a present after all."
She removed the ribbon and opened the box. Inside of it was a pokeball. She removed it, slightly confused. She held onto it until Ash motioned for her to go on and use it. She threw the ball to the other side of the veranda. It opened up with a pop and a flash of light. In its place, there was a large blue Pokémon.
"Poreon," the Pokémon said.
"A Vaporeon?" said Misty. "I don't understand."
"It's all yours," said Ash. "Merry Christmas."
"What?"
"Do you remember our last night in the Sevii Islands when I was late for the festival, and you yelled at me for it?"
"Ash, that happened two months ago. Of course I remember."
"Well what I was doing was trying to find a water Pokémon to catch for you for Christmas. I had almost given up when I found Vaporeon injured on some rocks. I captured it and spent the past couple of months nursing it back to health. I told it all about you, so it knows that it's yours. The reason I was late was I ran into Team Rocket, and they tried to take Vaporeon and Pikachu. You know how that gets."
"And you couldn't tell me because you didn't want to ruin the surprise."
"Yeah, that's right."
Misty called back Vaporeon with the pokeball. It disappeared in a ray of light, returning to its ball. She stared at it for a good minute, tears forming in her eyes again. For a moment, Ash thought that he had done something wrong. That thought changed when she flung her arms around him.
"Thank you!" she cried. "I love it. You're the best!"
"Uh, you're welcome," he said sheepishly, blushing slightly. "Should we go inside and join everyone else?"
The two went to go inside, Pikachu at their heels. Ash paused for a moment in the threshold, searching for any of their friends. Before he could point them out, Misty peered above them, observing a little sprig hanging innocently. She recognized it immediately.
"Hey Ash, did you notice that we are standing under mistletoe?"
"Huh?" he said, also looking up at the devilish plant. "I'm going to get some Christmas cookies!"
"But you just got some Christmas cookies!"
"I know," he said, rushing away from the scene. "I want some more! C'mon, Pikachu!"
"What's his problem, Pikachu?"
"Pika pika!" he replied before dashing off to meet his trainer.
Misty followed them over, feeling a bit disappointed. She thought that he might have kissed her with that sort of encouragement. However, the amount of people could have scared him off at the same time. There was the nagging feeling that he might not have wanted to kiss her at all, but she pushed it to the back of the mind. She wouldn't let it ruin her holiday. She spent the rest of the night with Ash and the rest of her friends, a new warmth taking hold in her heart.