So I'm EXTREMELY late for Christmas. I know this. But I started this a couple days before New Year's and it was just too nice to pass up, so I finally picked it back up today and finished it. It's just a short, one-shot, semi-fluffy account of Mr. Ketchum's Christmas. Nothing too fancy. I was just inspired by the season, as well as my Pokemon Christmas Bash CD that my now-ex gave me for Christmas.

One quick note -- my depiction of "Pokemon Master" is how I wrote it out to be in this fanfic. I'm not sure if this is how the animated series, or manga, or whatever intended for the term "Pokemon Master," but this is how I imagined it would be as a kid. So don't kill me, all right? Thanks.

Another note -- this hasn't gone through spell check, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. My laptop doesn't have Microsoft Word so I have to do everything on Wordpad.

Umm...usual disclaimer...I don't own Pokemon.

I hope you like it. Merry belated Christmas.

For as long as he had known, Ash Ketchum's life had been simple enough; he had his friends, his Pokemon, his talent, his hobby, and perhaps most importantly, his dream. To be the world's greatest Pokemon Master was all he could think of since he started his journey. To be the world's greatest Pokemon Master was all he worked for, all he cared about. Of course, he cared for his friends, his Pokemon, his family...but his dream was the one thing for which he strove -- the dream of his boyhood. It was every boy's dream, in fact. Though, this boy was different. It was not only his dream, it was his reality. The rest could sleep with content smiles as their subconscious creates make-believe scenarios of them standing above the rest as the Master, but this boy surpassed the literal meaning of "dream." The prospect was not a mere scene as he slept -- no, he was going to be the Pokemon Master, and no one was going to stop him.

But what's a boy to do when his dream is finally reached, and he realizes that, perhaps, he is no longer a boy?

Ash Ketchum was no longer known as "Ash Ketchum" alone. He was, the, Ash Ketchum. He was Mr. Ketchum, Ash Ketch'd'um All, the posterboy of PokeGear, the hero of every kid around the block, the man on all the billboards, the Pokemon Master. He was famous. He had reached the goal he had strove for all throughout his boyhood, and he was recognized by most, if not all, as the Master. Every girl wanted to marry him, every boy wanted to be him, and as the fans surrounded him, Ash smiled through it all triumphantly.

It was all he had ever wanted, but the Pokemon Master couldn't help but feel a tinge of emptiness that did a bit more than puzzle him. He was almost frustrated, in fact -- what more could he possibly want?

But, alas, what better a time could he find himself in this situation than Christmas! The season of giving -- the season of wanting and, hopefully, receiving. Despite his rather high celebrity status, Ash knew that there was nothing like being home for the holidays. So he hopped on his Pidgeot and flew his Pokemon Master self home to Pallet. The joy on his mother's face upon his arrival was indescribable, and to this day, Ash could still feel her arms clamped around him like an angry - yet happy! - Cloyster.

Typically, Delia Ketchum asked her son, at the age of twenty-two, what he wanted from Santa. And Ash, a bit reluctantly, replied with a smile and a, "Nothing, mom. I've got everything I want."

But he couldn't deny the flare of orange that flashed through his mind.

And soon, it was Christmas Eve. In celebration of the holiday, as well as Ash's success, Mrs. Ketchum decided to invite the whole town for a Christmas Bash in the Ketchum household. Various trainers around the town, Professor Oak, and even Gary came over to party, and it wasn't long before Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum were red in the face, holding half empty bottles in their hands and singing carols at the top of their lungs.

"Rapidashing through the snow!

With a Horsea on its sleigh!

Slowpoke and Slowbro,

Laughing all the way!"

Ash stood back, grinning amusedly and recalling the years he would try desperately to settle the two down. By now, however, he knew that their chaos was inevitable. Laughing and clapping his hands together with the rest of the party, he sang along and danced upon table tops in spirit of the season. He drank his egg nog, chomped on Christmas tree cookies, and practically inhaled the holiday ham.

Well into the party, Ash sat back, glancing up at the clock. It was nearing midnight, and Christmas was almost there. Smiling and standing up, Ash patted his friend's back and excused himself from the company. Squeezing through the crowd, he made his way into the kitchen and reached for the video phone propped on the wall. Ash gazed into the monitor, dialing a familiar number. He waited for an answer, shortly seeing an image of his old, rock-loving, Pokemon Breeder friend flash onto the screen. The Pewter Gym leader seemed to have his hands full, as he held the phone up with his shoulder while trying to balance several trays of food on either of his hands.

"Hello? -- Oh, Ash! Hey!"

Ash chuckled at the riot visible behind his friend. "Hey Brock! I see you're having quite the party yourself, huh?"

"Ah, yeah. It's a handful, but it's good to be home. I'm -- HEY! I SAID STOP FIGHTING!" Brock yelled, stopping mid-sentence to chastise his two brothers wrestling behind him. Turning back to Ash, Brock sighed. "Sorry about that. Preteens these days."

Ash smiled and shook his head. "Hey don't worry about it. I just wanted to say Merry Christmas. I'll see you soon, all right?"

Brock smiled into the screen, nodding. "Merry Christmas to you too. Have a good one, you hear?"

The screen went blank, and Ash picked the phone up to dial another number. There was no answer, however, and Ash wondered where Misty could be on Christmas Eve. Shaking it off, he proceeded to ring May and Max, as well as Tracy and his other friends. After wishing them all a Merry Christmas, Ash finished up in the kitchen and walked back into the main room.

The party was still lively, and the heat was beginning to make the house a little stuffy. Walking over to a nearby closet, he retrieved a warm jacket. "C'mon Pikachu," he bade to his yellow companion as he slipped his arms into his jacket. Pikachu's ears perked, and with an enthusiastic "Pika, pi!" he hopped onto his arm and ran up to rest on his shoulder. Smiling, Ash wrapped a sweater around his neck and proceeded to walk out to the backyard.

It was a White Christmas, indeed. Light snowflakes floated gracefully from the sky, blanketing the land with a beautiful white sheet. Ash stepped out into the snow, taking a deep breath and staring up at the vast black blanket of diamonds. Pikachu hopped from his shoulder and patted on the ground, rolling around and making little snow-Pikachu imprints. Sitting down on a nearby bench, Ash watched his Pokemon contently.

"Christmas sure is the best time of the year, isn't it, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked in agreement.

Ash, however, said nothing more, letting only a soft sigh escape his lips. Pikachu, sensing his trainer's agitation, scuffled through the snow and plopped by his side. Ash patted Pikachu in between the ears, staring down at the ground with a distant look in his eyes.

"I don't get it, Pikachu," he muttered, seeing his breath form in the air. "I like Christmas. I really do. But I don't know what's missing..."

"So the man who has everything still wants something for Christmas, huh? Hard to believe."

Ash bolted upright, going red at the voice. Whether he had gone red because of realization of the cold or because she had heard him is hard to tell, however, and Ash smiled meekly at his orange-haired friend. "Misty...! Hi! What -- "

" -- am I doing here? Well, gee, Merry Christmas to you too, Pokemon Master." The water-oriented gym leader walked through the snow, a quirky look on her face. With her back to the porch light, her cerulean eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Ash noticed this the most.

Ash nearly jumped to his feet, holding his hands up defensively. "N-no! I didn't mean it that way, I just...um...er -- Merry Christmas, Misty." He smiled in a mock-calm fashion in attempt to save himself.

Misty gave a satisfied smirk. "That's better."

Chuckling, Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "So really, what brings you here?" He wasn't sure if he was supposed to hug her or not. Pikachu, however, had no trouble, and immediately jumped into her arms in greeting.

"Well," Misty began, a tinge of sadness obvious in her sparkling eyes, "the Sensational Sisters all have boyfriends, you know. So they figured they'd spend the Holidays with them this year..."

"Oh." Ash's heart lifted slightly.

She gave a hopeful smile. "I had no where else to go. I hope you don't mind."

A little deflated but still eager, Ash shook his head furiously. "No! It's fine. It's actually great. We've got an awesome party going on." He grinned, pointing towards the house and noticing the faint echo of...some Christmas Carol. Whatever it was, it was so out of tune that it was no longer distinguishable.

Misty giggled, and Ash felt warm. Gesturing her over to sit with him, he leaned back and stared up at the sky, scooting over slightly to make room for her.

"So what were you talking about earlier?"

Ash looked at her thoughtfully, almost forgetting what situation she caught him in. He went red again. "Oh -- um. Don't worry about it."

Misty frowned, her cheeks puffing out slightly. This reminded Ash of an angry Jigglypuff. "Tell me!"

Chuckling nervously, Ash leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and staring down at the ground between his feet. Pikachu, as though he knew what was going to happen, mischievously wriggled out of Misty's arms and hopped onto the snow. Without looking back, he scuttled back into the house, a hint of his giggling echoing in the distance. Noticing none of this, however, Ash rubbed the back of his neck once more.

"It's just...Well, you're a successful gym leader, right?" Ash suddenly looked up at her, who blinked at the sudden reference.

She nodded, skeptically. "Yeah, sure, I guess..."

"Well, have you ever gotten that feeling where you know you shouldn't want anything more because you already have everything you've wanted, yet still have this feeling that you do want something, but you just don't know what?"

Misty blinked again, taking a moment to let everything sink in. Ash looked at her expectantly, and when she finally understood, her eyes softened in the darkness, and Ash felt a small sense of relief. She nodded slowly, a small smile on her face. "I've had that," she muttered, softly.

Ash nearly jumped. "Yeah! It's like, damn! I've got everything I want! I really do. There's nothing more I can ask for...but there's just this stupid -- agh!" He cried out in frustration, but felt himself calm as he felt Misty's hand on his arm.

"It's okay, Ash." She paused. "Just because you have all your material wants doesn't mean, y'know...you've got everything." Misty had grown a bit red, too, and Ash couldn't tell if it was because of the cold, either.

A small silence enveloped the two as they sat side by side on the bench. Somehow, they were closer together, and both could feel each other's shoulders brush against each other.

"So...what do you think I should do?"

Misty was quiet for a moment. "I say you find out what you want." She locked eyes with him. "And take it."

Another flash -- only this time, it wasn't only in Ash's mind.

It was an awkward tension that kept the two in silence. A built-up frustration over the years, if you will. For some strange reason, Ash didn't know how to feel. On one hand, as strange as it was, he felt his temper rising. And as he gazed at Misty he saw the girl he met when he was ten, and wanted nothing more than to get into another argument with her. On the other hand, the Christmas season and the snow and the ice calmed him, and he saw next to him not a girl but a woman, who held a part of him for so long.

In a sudden, compelling impulse, Ash stood from the bench and spun to face her. He had no idea what came over him, but he held his hand out. "Come with me," he said, simply.

"Wh-what?"

"I'm not a kid anymore." Without waiting for a reply, he reached for her hand and pulled her gently to her feet. Spinning both their bodies outwards, Ash practically danced an utterly confused Misty to the center of the yard, who cried out in fright.

"Ash! What are you doing!?"

Slowing to a stop, Ash and Misty stood in the middle of the snow, the latter in the former's arms as their breaths formed fog in the air. Ash, however, never pushed away from her, and Misty, though confused, never dared to pull away. The two childhood friends did nothing but stand in silence in the comfort of each other's warmth.

It was Misty, however, who broke the silence.

"Ash...?"

Before she could say anymore, Ash repeated, "I'm not a kid anymore."

Misty frowned slightly into his chest, despite the utter bliss of being up against him and in his arms in the first place. "I don't get it...what are you doing?"

Squeezing her a little tighter, Ash sighed. "When we were kids, all we did was fight." He paused, bringing his mouth closer to her ear and whispering, "I think now I just want to hold you. Just for a change."

Misty considered this, shuddering from the feeling of his breath on her ear, and felt satisfied with his answer. Despite her racing heart and reddening cheeks, she cuddled closer into him, fitting snugly into his form. And the two stood there, in the middle of the backyard, in the snow, silent, comfortable, and warm.

"Misty?" Ash suddenly whispered, softly.

"Hm?"

"Why are you really here?"

After another short silence, Misty pulled back slightly, and Ash loosened his hold on her. The two looked at each other for the first time since their embrace. A hint of a smile traced Misty's lips. "You know how they say there's no place like home for the Holidays..." Ash nodded, and Misty looked away slightly, her smile growing. "Well, they also say that home is where the heart is." Their eyes met once more. "And I'm afraid you have my heart, Ash."

And that was all the needed to be said. Disguised no longer by angry fights and loud brawls, their feelings were finally clear, and with a gentle caress of her cheek, Ash tilted her chin towards him and their lips met, softly. And in each other's warmth did the couple receive the gift of love for Christmas as they stood in each other's arms in the snow, at 12:00 AM, Christmas morning.

Pulling away, Ash gazed into Misty's cerulean eyes, lazy from being closed for so long, and smiled warm-heartedly.

"Welcome home."