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Ash let out his Pokémon with a quiet sigh of relief the moment the Pokémon Center doors slid shut behind them. The warmth hit his face first, soft and immediate after the bite of the winter air, and his shoulders loosened like he’d been holding tension in place for miles.
“Finally,” he muttered, rubbing his hands together.
Pikachu chirped sleepily from his shoulder and hopped down to the floor, shaking rainwater off its fur as if it wanted to make a point about how done it was with the weather.
Serena and Clemont followed his lead, releasing their own Pokémon from their Poké Balls one by one. The familiar sounds of greeting filled the open space: little cries, soft rustling, the shuffle of feet as Pokémon settled in.
Bonnie trailed behind the older three, carefully unzipping her bag and letting Dedenne peek out.
“Dede!” it squeaked, blinking at the bright lights and the holiday decorations that had been hung around the Center, paper snowflakes in the windows, a small tinsel garland over the front desk, and a tiny tree in the corner that looked like someone had done their best with what they had.
Bonnie smiled despite herself. The place felt safe. Warm. Like a pause button.
She followed the others to an empty table at the far end of the room and took her seat next to Clemont, directly across from Ash.
Without thinking, she watched Ash intently.
As he crossed his arms, she crossed hers.
When he leaned back, she leaned back.
It wasn’t mocking. It was instinct. Ash was calm even when things were uncertain, and Bonnie liked that calm. It made the world feel easier to understand.
Serena exhaled, tugging her scarf loose. “Do you think we’re going to make it back to yours for Christmas now?”
Ash glanced toward the window where the weather pressed against the glass, grey clouds, wet streets, and the kind of wind that made travel feel like a challenge rather than a plan.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I think it might be possible, but… do we want to risk it?”
He directed the question at Clemont, because it was Clemont’s home they’d been trying to reach, Lumiose City, warm and bright, a place Bonnie missed even when she didn’t say it out loud.
Clemont adjusted his glasses, thinking like he always did. “Well, I think this is the best place to spend Christmas,” he said carefully. “I don’t think we’ll get back to Lumiose in time, and this would be better than camping out in the forest.”
Then he turned to his sister, voice softening. “Bonnie, what do you say?
Are you happy to stay here for Christmas?”
Bonnie blinked, realizing she’d drifted again. “Huh? Oh- yeah,” she replied quickly, sitting up straighter. “I guess so.”
Ash smiled at her, like that answer mattered. Like her comfort mattered.
“Okay,” Clemont concluded. “That’s settled. I’ll go and speak to Nurse Joy to see if that’s okay.”
He stood and walked toward the front desk where Nurse Joy was sorting supplies with practiced efficiency.
Bonnie watched him go, then felt Ash’s gaze shift to her.
“So,” Ash said, leaning forward slightly,
“What are you getting your brother for Christmas?”
Bonnie’s eyes widened like she’d been asked a serious question by a serious authority. She glanced quickly toward the front desk to make sure Clemont was far enough away.
Then she leaned in and whispered, “I’m making him a photo frame… with a photo of us when we were younger.”
Serena’s face lit up. “Oh wow! That sounds lovely.”
Bonnie nodded proudly, then hesitated.
“I’m making you something too, Serena,” she confessed, voice quieter.
“But I don’t know what to do for you, Ash.”
Ash’s expression softened immediately, the way it always did when someone looked worried. “Aw, that’s okay,” he said, waving it off as if it were nothing.
“You don’t have to do anything for me.”
Then, realizing Serena was watching him, he added, “And that goes for you and Clemont too.”
Serena crossed her arms. “You say that
every year.”
“It’s true every year,” Ash replied, utterly sincere.
Clemont returned then, sitting back down with a small nod. “Nurse Joy said it’s fine. She’s keeping the Center open for travelers, so we can stay.”
Bonnie cheered, the tension easing out of her shoulders. “Good thinking, big brother!”
Clemont smiled, tired but fond. “Later I need to go out and grab a few last-minute bits,” he added. “Does everyone want to go out tomorrow for Christmas shopping?”
“Sounds like a great idea,” Serena agreed.
Ash shrugged like he didn’t care, but Bonnie noticed the small relief in his eyes. Plans were good. Plans made things steady.
Later that night, in the girls’ room, Serena and Bonnie sat up in bed, blankets pulled tight, the glow from a small lamp making the room feel cozy despite the storm outside.
Bonnie picked at the edge of her pillowcase, brow furrowed. “Serena… what do you think Ash would want for Christmas?”
Serena sighed dramatically. “I don’t know. I’m still trying to decide on what to get him myself.”
“But he told you not to worry,” Bonnie said, as if that should settle everything.
Serena gave her a look. “He told you the same thing, didn’t he?”
Bonnie frowned. “Yeah, but… everyone deserves to open something on Christmas Day.”
Serena’s expression softened. “Which is exactly why I’m getting him something too.”
Bonnie brightened. “Even if he says he doesn’t want anything?”
“Especially then,” Serena said, winking.
In the next room, Ash and Clemont were also talking quietly, the kind of low conversation that came easier late at night.
“I already got Serena’s,” Ash admitted.
“I saw it back in Coumarine City and I just… knew.”
Clemont smiled. “That’s very you.”
Ash rubbed the back of his neck. “But for Bonnie, I’m not sure. What do you think I should do?”
Clemont hummed, thinking. “Something practical. Something that says you noticed her.”
Ash nodded slowly, committing it to memory.
“And you?” Clemont asked. “Anything you want?”
Ash’s answer came too fast. “Nope.”
Clemont didn’t push. He knew Ash well enough to hear what wasn’t being said.
The next day they split up.
Ash and Serena went in one direction,
Clemont and Bonnie in the other, promising to meet later for lunch.
Bonnie tugged Clemont into a Pokémon arts and crafts store almost
immediately. Bells chimed over the door as they stepped inside, and Bonnie’s eyes went wide at the shelves lined with paint sets, tiny brushes, wooden shapes, ribbons, and glittering beads.
Clemont looked down at her. “This was your plan.”
Bonnie smiled innocently. “Maybe.”
She moved quickly, but not carelessly, selecting paints with deliberation, examining small wooden pieces, choosing a brush set that looked fine enough for detail.
Clemont watched her with a quiet kind of awe. Bonnie was still his little sister, still the same girl who climbed on his bed to wake him up, but there were moments like this, focused, thoughtful, where he could see her growing.
“Can I ask what you’re making?” he said.
“Nope,” Bonnie answered brightly, holding the bag close. “It’s a surprise.”
Clemont sighed, smiling. “I assumed.”
When they stepped back outside,
Bonnie hugged her purchases to her chest like they were treasure.
“Got everything you needed?” Clemont asked.
“Yep,” Bonnie said, nodding vigorously.
“Everything’s all in here.”
Meanwhile, Ash and Serena wandered past a hardware store, and Ash stopped so suddenly Serena nearly bumped into him.
“Serena,” he said, pointing. “What do you think of that?”
Inside the window display was a one-hundred-piece tool kit.
Serena blinked, then smiled. “It looks perfect. But very expensive.”
“We can go half each,” Ash suggested.
“Say it’s from both of us.”
Serena’s expression softened. “Yeah…
okay. That would be really nice.”
They bought it together, and as they walked out Serena nudged him. “Okay, so that’s Clemont done. Just Bonnie and you to go now.”
Ash groaned. “Serena, I told you-”
“Do you have something for me?” she
asked sweetly.
“Well… yeah.”
“Then I’m getting you something too,” Serena said, firm. “End of discussion, mister.”
Ash muttered, “Fine,” the same way he always did when he knew he’d lost.
As they continued, Serena spotted a stall of crystal Pokémon figurines. They glistened under the lights like captured stars.
“Wait here,” she told Ash, already moving.
The stall holder noticed her immediately. “Looking for anything in particular?”
“A Christmas gift,” Serena said,
glancing back. “For my friend.”
“The one with the Pikachu?” the seller asked.
Serena smiled. “Yes.”
“Three for the price of two,” the seller offered, “and I’ll throw in a display case.”
Serena didn’t hesitate. She chose three figurines that felt like Ash, bright, loyal, determined, and returned with the bag held carefully to her chest.
Ash blushed when he saw it.
“Serena…”
“You’re my best friend,” she reminded him. “Let me be nice.”
A few nights later, just after dinner, Bonnie cleared her throat with the seriousness of someone about to ask for a loan.
“Ash…” she said. “All the friends you’ve traveled with over the years… you wouldn’t happen to have any pictures of them, would you?”
Ash blinked. “Pictures?”
“Yeah,” Bonnie said, trying very hard to look casual. “Just… pictures.”
Ash smiled faintly. “Hang on.”
He pulled his bag closer, rummaging through an inner pocket. After a moment he found what he was looking for, six photos, kept neatly tucked away.
He flicked through them, and Bonnie watched his face change with each one. Softness. Nostalgia. A quiet ache that didn’t seem painful, just deep.
He handed them to her carefully.
Bonnie spread them on the table, eyes bright. “So who’s who?”
Ash pointed, patient as always. “That’s me and Gary, my oldest friend from Pallet Town. Next to it is me and Ritchie. I met him at the Indigo League.”
Bonnie’s eyes widened. “You look so little.”
Ash chuckled. “I was.”
He continued. “This one is me, Brock and Misty. Two of my best friends. That one after is me, Brock, May and her little brother Max. Then that’s me, Brock and Dawn, we traveled together in Sinnoh. And the last one is Iris and Cilan. Unova.”
Bonnie stared down at the photos like they were proof of something.
“You’ve met… so many people,” she whispered.
Ash shrugged, but there was pride in it too. “Yeah. I guess I have.”
Bonnie looked up at him. “Can I borrow these?” she asked. “Just until Christmas Day?”
Ash hesitated only long enough to make sure she understood they mattered.
“Okay,” he said. “Just… be careful with them.”
Bonnie nodded solemnly. “I will. Promise.”
Christmas morning arrived like Bonnie’s personal mission.
Ash and Clemont were awoken by
Bonnie bursting into their room, climbing onto Clemont’s bed and bouncing like a very determined Jigglypuff.
“WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD! IT’S CHRISTMAS!”
“Bonnie,” Clemont groaned, rolling away. “It’s too early.”
Ash sat up, rubbing his eyes. Even half-asleep, he couldn’t stop the smile.
“She’s right,” he said. “It is Christmas.”
Bonnie beamed. “Serena’s already up!
She’s helping Nurse Joy with breakfast and making special Christmas Poképuffs!”
Clemont sighed in defeat, then grabbed Bonnie and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Merry Christmas, Bonnie.”
“Merry Christmas, big brother!”
Ash watched them, warmth spreading in his chest. When Bonnie rushed over and hugged him around the waist, he rested an arm around her shoulders without hesitation.
“Merry Christmas, Ash,” she said.
“Merry Christmas, Bonnie,” he replied softly.
After breakfast, after cards for Nurse Joy and food for their Pokémon, Serena brought out gifts and placed them on the table like a presenter.
“Who wants presents?” she called.
“We do!” Bonnie cried, racing off and returning with her own bundle of gifts.
They exchanged one by one.
Clemont opened the tool kit with genuine surprise. “We saw it and immediately thought it’d be perfect for you,” Serena explained.
“It is perfect,” Clemont said, smiling.
“Thank you both.”
Bonnie opened Ash’s gift next and gasped, hugging it to her chest. “I love it… I really love it. Thank you, Ash.”
Serena opened Ash’s book next and looked up at him, touched. “Ash… thank you.”
The gifts continued, warm, thoughtful, lived-in.
Until Ash was the last one holding an unopened present.
It was small. Wooden.
Bonnie watched him with a nervous kind of excitement, bouncing slightly in her chair.
“To Ash,” he read, voice catching slightly at the tag, “thank you for being one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Merry Christmas. Love from Bonnie.”
Ash removed the wrapping paper carefully and lifted the lid.
Inside were twelve hand-painted model Poké Balls, each one decorated with a face.
Gary. Ritchie. Misty. Brock. May. Max. Dawn. Iris. Cilan. Bonnie. Clemont. Serena.
Ash went very still.
It wasn’t the size of the gift that hit him.
It was the care.
The remembering.
The understanding.
“Bonnie…” he managed, swallowing hard. “I- this is… incredible.”
Bonnie blushed, cheeks bright red. “I wanted you to have everyone with you,” she whispered. “Even when we’re not all together.”
Ash’s eyes burned. He set the box down gently, like it was fragile, and leaned forward.
“Thank you,” he said, and he meant it with his whole heart.
A sudden screech made them all jump.
Above their heads, Ash’s Talonflame swooped in, triumphant, a sprig of mistletoe held carefully in its beak.
Bonnie froze, mortified in the innocent way only a kid could be.
Ash glanced at Clemont. Clemont gave the tiniest nod, the kind that said: It’s fine. She’s fine. Make it gentle.
Ash leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Bonnie’s cheek.
The room went quiet for half a second, then Bonnie let out a breath she’d clearly been holding.
Ash smiled at her. “Merry Christmas,” he said warmly, as if sealing the moment in place.
Bonnie touched her cheek, still pink, but smiling now. “Merry Christmas,” she echoed.
And in that warm little Pokémon Center, surrounded by friends, family, and the kind of love that didn’t need romance to be real, Christmas felt exactly like it was supposed to.