Usual Disclaimers:
I do NOT own Pokémon. The characters mentioned in this story are the rightful property of Nintendo, Game Freak and Satoshi Tajiri. This story is merely a piece of fiction set in this media world. I'm just borrowing the characters for a little bit. They'll be returned without damage.

Notes from the writer:
Okay, this is a MIRACLE! A miracle not even science can understand. The fact that I, one of the BIGGEST procrastinators in the whole world, managed to finish a story is something that comes once every ten million years or so.

But I digress. This is what happens when you have an idea for a fanfic that you just CANNOT pass by and something that is made to be season-related. That and it's an Imiteshipping fic (Ash/Duplica pairing) that I haven't done in such a long time too. Hopefully it's a nice way to break this goddamn duck of a no fiction thing that I've been suffering through. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

For That Special Someone

Back in Pallet Town, the huge party at Professor Oak's Laboratory was just about to get underway. Delia Ketchum was not in a happy mood at the moment. She was more worried than angry. Ash has been gone all day and it was dark out. He hasn't even called to explain what he was doing. She knew her son was the type of person to just do something when he suddenly got the motivation to do it. Ash's friends were also worried that Ash might have gotten himself into trouble but they knew that he had his Pokémon with him and Pikachu is known to defend Ash at all costs. But Delia was still worried. Despite the people of Pallet Town enjoying the party, they could see Delia's worry on her face.

"Are you okay, Mrs. Ketchum? You haven't been the same since you left the house." Dawn said with a worried look on her face. Even Piplup was worried since it could feel everyone's anxiety. It was killing the mood of the party and Delia tried to change her attitude.

"I know. I guess you can call it a mother's worry towards her son. I hope he isn't doing anything bad." Delia said. Before the party began, two more of Ash's friends arrived in Pallet Town to the surprise of everyone.

"I bet you Ash got preoccupied and he saw a rare Pokémon that he had to catch." Gary said. It probably wasn't true but it was something Ash would do. Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson and Ash's long time friend/enemy and greatest rival, finished his latest Pokémon research report deep in Johto and managed to show up with much fanfare, managing to bring his former cheerleaders back to spread some holiday cheer. But not everyone believed in that reason.

"I come here after I was given the extra time to do my article and the person who invited me here is off doing something." One of Ash's most recent and older friends said. Despite working hard on a new article for a magazine, Alexa managed to arrive in Pallet Town just before the party began. The Pokémon Journalist from Kalos was probably going to miss Ash's invite to the party at the lab but the editor of the magazine she was working for called and told her that the deadline for the article was going to be delayed until after the new year. This gave Alexa a surprise break for the holidays and she wasted no time in coming to Pallet. When she heard that Ash wasn't around and hasn't been seen all day, she kind of didn't take that lightly.

"I know you're a bit angry right now, but I'm sure Ash has an excellent reason for missing everything." May said. Like Gary, she was optimistic that Ash was busy catching a rare Pokémon or was planning on making a bit surprise later on. Clemont and Bonnie weren't worried about what Ash could be up to. He did risk his life to save Professor Sycamore's Garchomp from Team Rocket when Ash first arrived in Kalos. The two didn't want to say something that would make the mood even worse.

"That's easy for you to say. You're not under a major deadline only for the editor to tell you that you got extra time. If he just told me this earlier, I could have easily." Alexa said. While she wasn't really mad at Ash for not being here as he promised, it was mostly due to the person she was currently working for, pressuring her to complete her assigned article before the year ended. She was just looking for something to take her anger out on. However, Gary knew the right things to say to defuse the Pokémon Journalist.

"I wouldn't worry about Ash that much, Alexa. He maybe dense sometimes and forgets to do certain things but when he's determined, he wants to push through until he completes whatever he wanted to do." Gary said,

"What makes you believe that Ash is fine and we should trust him? I mean, he hasn't contacted anyone all day from what you all said. I know I haven't known Ash as long as all of you, but he should have at least said something to us." Alexa argued,

"While what you said is true, you have to remember that when Ash is driven to do something, he does it and forgets about everything else. I've known him for years and that's one of his traits that makes Ash who he is. He isn't doing this because he doesn't want to skip out on working hard. Something suddenly came up and Ash wants to see this out. He'll probably be back before the party ends and start begging for everyone's forgiveness." Gary said, almost completely certain that is what Ash would do if and when he gets back to Pallet.

"No, Gary's right. There have been a bunch of times in the past where Ash somehow got the drive to do something and he was gone all day. He only returned home when he either failed to accomplish or actually pulled it off. That and I keep forgetting that he always has Pikachu with him." Delia said. She was starting to feel better about what Ash could be doing right now.

"Wow. I never knew Ash was that kind of person. I guess there's more to him than meets the eye." Alexa said,

"Ash is always full of surprises. I bet you he'll surprise us with something new when he gets back." Gary said,

"What makes you think that, Gary?" Dawn asked,

"Like I said, I know him. I just have this feeling that Ashy-boy will surprise us once again." Gary answered. Nobody would argue with what Gary said about Ash but if the raven haired trainer and Pikachu ever showed up tonight, he seriously has A LOT of explaining to do.

Ash knew that he would be in deep trouble with his mother and his friends once he returned to Pallet. He has been gone all day after he promised his friends that he would help out with the party at Professor Oak's. But this couldn't wait any longer. He and Pikachu jumped off of Charizard as the large Lizard Pokémon landed on the cold ground. Ash took out Charizard's Poké Ball and looked at his most powerful Pokémon.

"I'm sorry I pushed you hard today, Charizard. You think you have enough left to take us back to Pallet or maybe a Pokémon Center nearby?" Ash asked. Charizard let out its trademark Flamethrower attack into the air and gave Ash a thumbs up. Despite the air being very cold and flying through it being even colder, Charizard was ready for anything and flying in the cold is nothing to this powerful Pokémon.

"Thanks, Charizard. Return." Ash said as he recalled the flying Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. Ash shrunk the Poké Ball and placed it back on his belt and he took out the small box that he bought from the Celadon Department Store. The box held the purple gemstone colored Ditto bracelet and Ash hoped that the person would like it. Since the moon was full and its shine lit the ground ever so slightly, it highlighted a theater-like house near where Ash and Pikachu landed.

It was the once famous Imite House. Very early on in his Pokémon Journey, Ash, Brock and Misty were caught in a sudden rainstorm and this place was the only place to get any shelter. There they met a girl who has a very good talent for mimicking people and Pokémon. She amazingly copied Ash all the way from his voice to his clothes at the time. This girl left a lasting impression on Ash that has stayed with him for seven years. He only hoped the girl would be happy to see him again after so long. The lights inside the Imite House were on so that means the girl must be still living there. With Pikachu sitting on his right shoulder, Ash walked up to the double doors and raised his hand to bang on the door a few times.

It was a lonely time for Duplica Imite. She has tried valiantly to revive the former glory the Imite House had many years ago. In the past few years, people have stopped going to her theater when other forms of entertainment from Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos began to filter into Kanto. In the past year, not one person has come by the Imite House. This painfully forced Duplica to end her show and close the theater for good. While her Pokémon imitation act ended, she has had some success in Pokémon battles with her Ditto and managed to get some small acting parts in television shows and bigger acting theaters in Saffron City. This kept her acting skills up to par during this time of transition.

Christmas wasn't one of Duplica's favorites times of the year. Her family is pretty much non existent and she rarely talks to them after she started imitating people and Pokémon. Each time she saw couples in love spending time with each other, it made her sad knowing she has never felt that type of emotion before. While she had her fans and male admirers, she never really got close to a boy. There was one particular Pokémon trainer from seven years ago that she took an immediate fancy too, one Ash Ketchum. When he and his friends first showed up during a rainstorm, she wanted to play with Ash a bit by imitating him. She was lucky enough to run into him during his Johto trip and they once again hit it off nicely, but that was the last time they met face to face.

Years later, she still thinks about Ash. While the Ditto trainer has kept tabs on his successes in the League Tournaments he has entered, she hopes to see him again even if it's only for a few minutes. With nothing else to do tonight, Duplica was just about ready to take a bath and go to sleep. The young lady was about to enter her room where Ditto was sleeping peacefully on its little bed when there was a large knock from the front door downstairs.

Huh? Someone's at the door? I hope it's not another prankster like last time. Duplica thought as she made her way down the stairs and to the front double doors. The Ditto trainer took a minute to make sure she looked good just in case the person on the other side was a TV producer who wanted to give her a small part on a TV show in the near future or something else big. Duplica wasn't wearing her trademark red short sleeved shirt with a big yellow star on it and cuffed blue jeans. She decided to change her outfit look by wearing a black tank top, a white sweater that was cut around the neck to show off her shoulders, a purple mini skirt that was the same color as Ditto and a pair of ordinary tennis sneakers made her look like a new person. Duplica finished checking her appearance out in a mirror nearby when the person knocked on the door again. When she was ready, Duplica unlocked the door and opened it. The person on the other side nearly made her heart skip a beat.

Ash was happy that the door finally opened since the wind began to pick up which made the air colder and the one person he hasn't seen in so long was on the other side. This wasn't the Duplica Imite he remembered. This Duplica was much prettier then before with her new outfit and her usual twin pigtail hairstyle. It appears that the Duplica he remembered got abducted by space Pokémon and this new Duplica took her place. Duplica was probably thinking the same thing. The Ash Ketchum at the front door with Pikachu must have been replaced by a robot from another universe.

"Ash." Duplica whispered,

"Um, hi... Duplica." Ash whispered as well as both teens tried their best not to stare at each other. It has been around six years since they last met face to face. Pikachu decided to take matters into his paws and began giving Ash a little electric jolt since he was starting to get cold. Duplica saw Pikachu beginning to jolt Ash and knew that outside wasn't the best place to talk.

"Please come inside. You and Pikachu must be so cold from standing outside." Duplica said as she grabbed Ash's frigid hand and dragged him and Pikachu inside the Imite House and shut the door. Despite not being filled with people and most theaters would have become filled with dust, the place was pretty much spotless with the same interior that it has seven years ago. Most of the posters of her Pokémon imitation act were gone and put in storage. This was a clue to Ash that her great act has seen its last show.

"Are you still doing your Pokémon imitation act?" Ash asked,

"Sadly, no. Ever since entertainment acts from other regions came here, people have went to those. I closed my show last year since nobody wanted to come by here." Duplica answered. She led Ash and Pikachu to the living room that was far from the main lobby, tucked in one of the four corners of the Imite House. The room looks like nobody has been around for a long time, but Duplica manages to clean it every so often in case somebody ever visited. She was secretly thanking Arceus that she cleaned up the night before. The two teens sat down on one of the three large couches in the living room. Ash wondered what he was going to say to break the ice. This was Pikachu's cue to get off Ash's shoulder and leave the two teens alone, hopefully Ash's won't mess up and get Duplica mad at him.

"How have you been, Duplica?" Ash asked as he removed his winter jacket and placed it on the empty seat next to him,

"I'm actually doing okay. My show is no more but I'm actually finding work on TV shows and I performed in a few theater shows in Saffron City." Duplica answered as she took a seat next to him,

"That's good. Glad to see that you're still keeping up with your acting skills." Ash said. Duplica nodded gently as she was still nervous about having her long time crush sitting next to her. She was wondering if Ash felt the same way. The conversation seemed to have stalled at this point until Duplica wondered why he would come all this way from Pallet.

"So what brings you to where I live, Ash? I didn't know you were back in Kanto." Duplica asked,

"Well, since the holidays were close, I decided to return home for the new year before I decide where to go next." Ash answered,

"Oh, so that means you're home for Christmas then. You're very lucky to have family and friends, you know that." Duplica said sadly. To her, Ash was an incredibly lucky person for having a loving mother and friends who meant the world to him. Duplica never had that in her life so far. She has no clue what her family are up to.

"I wouldn't say that. Sure I got great people in my life and Pikachu is my best buddy, but I feel like something's missing." Ash confessed. He looked down at his hands as he began to rub them in a nervous way. He was revealing a very personal thing to a girl, a girl he hasn't talked to for years until now. Duplica was surprised to hear this.

"Missing? What makes you think that?" The girl asked,

"It's a silly but true fact that I am oblivious when it comes to girls and romance when I was younger. Most of the time when I see a girl with a guy and they're happy, I wonder if that will happen to me sometime soon." Ash answered,

"You feel that way too? Maybe it's the season but I feel the same way. It's probably worse for me since I'm all alone here." Duplica added,

"I'm sorry that you feel that way. But you are one of my friends." Ash said. Hearing that Duplica was feeling lonely because of seeing other happy couples made Ash a bit happy, knowing that he wasn't the only one feeling that way. He hated seeing Duplica's usual cheery face with a sad look. Without even thinking, Ash pulled Duplica close to him and wrapped his arms around her in a hug that made Duplica blush like a beet.

"That means a lot to me, Ash. Thank you." Duplica said as she returned the hug. Ash's sudden show of affection was something that was nothing but a dream for her. The two lonely teens held onto each other for what seemed like an eternity before something came across Duplica's mind. Sure, it's almost Christmas but why is Ash here before the day arrived?

"I know you're here to pay me a visit, but it's a bit early since Christmas is a day or two away." Duplica said as she pulled away from Ash's embrace,

"Too tell you the truth, I saw this and I knew I had to give it to you." Ash said as he reluctantly stopped hugging Duplica. The Ditto trainer saw Ash reach for his jacket and he took out the small box that she recognized as something from the Celadon Department Store. "Think of it as an early Christmas present." He said as Duplica took the box into her hands. After taking the top off and getting through the wrapping paper, her eyes went wide when she gazed at the purple gemstone Ditto bracelet.

"You got this for me? I absolutely love it." Duplica said, her voice starting to waver at the fact that Ash bought her a gift that totally fit her was very touching. Ash took the bracelet and unclipped it, allowing him to place it on her right wrist. Duplica held out her arm and gazed at the Ditto bracelet for a few minutes before wrapping her arms around Ash again and gave him the biggest hug she could give him.

"I'm glad you like it, Duplica. I was worried I wasn't going to find anything you'll like since I haven't seen you in so long." Ash said as he returned the hug from the girl,

"I'm so glad you still remember me." Duplica said quietly as she felt safe in Ash's arms. She didn't want him to let her go anytime soon. Ash felt the same way and for some unknown reason, Ash saw Duplica's feelings for him in her eyes. There was no reason to say anything. Ash decided to press his luck and try something he never, EVER dreamed of doing until recently. Ash gently pushed himself away from Duplica while still holding her in his arms. Duplica didn't even try to hide her blushing as she looked into Ash's brown eyes, almost completely mesmerized by them.

Without any warning, Ash closed his eyes and brought his face towards Duplica's. The Ditto trainer closed her eyes as well and felt the most wonderful feeling ever. Her lips met Ash's in a very sweet kiss that Duplica has constantly dreamed of having with a cute boy. Only this kiss was from Ash and it made it even much better than her dreams. Duplica stopped hugging Ash for a second in order to wrap her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her. Ash and Duplica continued their kiss which lasted longer than any kiss from a PokéStar Studios movie could ever reach.

During Ash and Duplica's little make out session, Pikachu manages to wake Duplica's Ditto up and the two Pokémon sneaked back into the living room and saw their trainers making out on the big couch and enjoying it very much.

"Pikachu, Pika Pika." Pikachu said to Ditto with a sly smirk on his face,

"Ditto, Dit." Ditto agreed and the two of them did a Pokémon version of a fist bump. Like Pikachu, Ditto was starting to get sick of seeing Duplica down in the dumps over seeing couples in love. While their trainers were still sucking face, the two Pokémon quietly left the living room and made their way back to Duplica's room and ready to pretend like nothing happened.

All things have to come to an eye and the need for oxygen proved too much. Regretfully, Ash and Duplica stopped their kiss but still held each other close like a real couple in love. They haven't said those three words but the two could see it in their eyes, which was enough for now. Right now, Ash and Duplica needed to start breathing again.

"I've dreamed about this moment for years now. I don't want to wake up from this." Duplica said as she finally managed to breath normally. The kiss was very long, but she now needed Ash's kiss like her life depended on it.

"It's no dream, Duplica. It's very real." Ash said. Kissing Duplica like that was the best feeling he ever felt before. Not even catching a rare Pokémon or winning a major tournament could match the joy and warmth he felt when he first felt Duplica's lips on his. This is what having a girl in your life must be like if you have strong feelings for that girl. "Will you come with me, Duplica?" The young man asked.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Ashy-boy?" Duplica playfully replied as she loved seeing Ash be more bold after getting the courage to kiss her like he did. She wasn't sure if he was serious about having her join him on a new Pokémon Journey to a new region.

"Maybe. But since you don't have anything else to do after the new year, why not travel with me?" Ash asked. It was very out of the blue but it seemed like a good idea. There's nothing like having a new friend traveling with him, especially a young lady who he shared deep feelings for one another.

"You want me to travel with you on your Pokémon Journey?" Duplica asked surprised. She rarely left the Kanto/Johto region and has never seen much of the Pokémon unlike Ash and Pikachu. While she did have some work as an actress in Saffron City, being with Ash and learning all kinds of new things easily convinced her.

"That's right. I've never felt this way about a girl before and I want you by my side instead of being many miles apart." Ash said.

"I would be crazy to not let this opportunity pass by. I'll definitely join you. I don't want to feel lonely again." Duplica said as a lone tear streaked down her face. Ash saw the tear and quickly wiped it away, making her look at him once again.

"You're no longer lonely, Duplica." Ash said as he once again brought Duplica's face to his and kissed her as she couldn't hold back and began to kiss Ash passionately, wanting to show Ash mow much he meant to her. She and Ash fell over onto the rest of the couch with Duplica on top of Ash while he held her close to him, continuing their passionate kiss.

There were a couple of lingering questions that were pushed back into the minds of Ash and Duplica. For Duplica, she was wondering if it was going to be a good idea for her to continue wearing mini skirts during the cold months that remain. Ash's little problem is much worse. How is he going to explain to his mother and his friends about why he just disappeared all day. Maybe if he took Duplica home with him, that will explain everything and knowing his mother, Delia will be overjoyed that her little baby is growing up.

Until that time, Christmas came early for Ash and Duplica. Their present, each other. Something very special for that special someone.

In Closing:
And that's it. Like I said before, this story was supposed to be a one-shot. However, due to the increasing length the story reach as I was writing it, I had to chop it in half and post what I already done. The story was about ¾ done when I needed to stop due to me writing a giant chunk of it on Christmas Eve.

To the people who at least viewed it, I hope you liked it. Imiteshipping is one of my favorite Pokémon shippings and if you blink really hard in the first part, you'll see some Contestshipping (May/Drew) in there as well. What will I do next? Who knows. But there is a little something I've been waiting to do with Officer Jenny for a while now. And since it's close to the end of 2013 and 2014 is around the corner... Don't get your hopes up about seeing a certain Ash/Officer Jenny story of mine dusted off.

Anyway, please do read and review and enjoy the rest of 2013.

Mario The World Champion
December 29, 2013