Winter Wonderland

 

Anistar City was one pretty place, she didn’t mind saying. It had a sophisticated air to it in the daytime, but at night it seemed otherworldly. Mostly due to the large Sundial that wasn’t hard to see, even from the balcony of the hotel she and Giovanni were staying at.

 

At the moment, Ash was gazing at it in awe and appreciation. Even at night, it glowed golden bright and was an amazing sight to see.

 

“You’re still up?” Giovanni asked, rubbing his hair dry with a towel and having just gotten out of the shower.

 

“Mmhm,” Ash answered. “Can’t sleep.”

 

“Excited for tomorrow’s gym battle?” he asked as he tossed the towel behind at the bed, and she nodded in answer. But the look on her face made him prompt her. “But that’s not all.”

 

Ash smiled slightly. “No. I can’t believe it’s my last badge already. And then there’s that I kind of feel like we’re pretty much almost cornered and done with Team Flare. We’re just waiting for their last desperate attempt and the go ahead from Looker, and then we’re taking them out for good.”

 

“That does all seem to be a lot to think about,” he mused, bringing a chair closer to her and sitting down on it. But a glance at her made him think that there was even more to her melancholy than that. He reached over and grabbed her hand, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. “What is it, Ash? Really.”

 

She frowned and looked down, before looking back up into his face.

 

“It’s kind of funny,” her lips twitched, but the slight smile tinged sadly. “Not too long ago you were my enemy and I was convinced that you were a despicable jerk that deserved to get his just desserts. And yet here you are and you can read me better than anyone in my life before you, and it’s ironic that you probably always had, even when you were just an enemy. It’s…it’s been really nice, you know? Going on a journey and traveling with you…I kind of…I kind of really, really like you, Giovanni…”

 

To her embarrassment, tears had sprung up in her eyes and she’d started to sniffle slightly. She tried blinking them away, but they kept coming. Alarmed, Giovanni moved forward quickly and took her into his arms.

 

“Are we…since I’ve almost got all my badges and Team Flare’s going to be gone soon…are we going to part ways already?” she started sniffling more and stupidly crying into his neck. “Are we going to get divorced because we don’t need to be married anymore? Are we –”

 

Giovanni cut her off with a kiss, holding her face in his hands and keeping her still. When he pulled away, he gave her an exasperated, but still very tender smile.

 

“I’m an asshole. I’ve always been. But I’m yours and you also kind of make me less of an asshole. And you know…I mean it when I say I love you. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever had any plans of parting from you, even after we finished all our goals here in Kalos. Hell, it’s been almost more of an excuse to come find you and talk to you, after I found out I’d been de-aged.”

 

She blinked up at him in astonishment, cheeks reddening a little. He laughed lightly and kissed her softly again.

 

“Plus, if we’re really Bonnie and Clyde, it’s ride or die, isn’t it? So there’s no parting ever for us. And if we go down, it’s supposed to be together and in a blaze of glory,” he told her, smirking slightly at her.

 

She started to laugh a bit at that as well, shaking her head. He pulled her up from her chair and pulled her close, swaying slightly. She instinctively moved into the slow dance, affectionately rubbing her face against his chest.

 

“So don’t be silly,” he murmured against her head. “We’re fine. Damn it all if we go on the fast track on everything, from getting married, to getting your badges, to taking out Team Flare in a hurry…but it is nice to slow it down and have moments like this, right? So why don’t we slow it down a bit and just take our time in Anistar.”

 

Ash smiled against him and silently agreed. She wrapped her own arms around Giovanni and happily kept close, swaying with him on the balcony. If there was anything else, she was sure that Giovanni would reassure her and things would be fine.

 

And to think, not too long ago she really just wanted to punch him in the mouth. Instead, right then, she leaned up on her toes and kissed his mouth firmly.

 

 

Things changed so oddly in her life.

 

When Giovanni opened his eyes, he was in bed with his wife and curled around her. And it was slightly cold, so he found the blanket and moved it over them. A glance outside showed him that it had begun to snow, and he realized that it was near the Winter season already. Idly, he wondered how Snowbelle would be once they got there, considering the city was already doused in snow as it was…

 

Feeling Ash shift in his arms, he moved slightly to get the both of them comfortable.

 

“Are you awake?” she murmured, her eyes still closed.

 

“Mm, yeah,” he huskily said. Still, he was too comfortable to get up and do anything, so he lay back down and spooned against her. “Too comfortable though.”

 

She made an agreeing noise and shifted backwards against him, trying to get closer as she snuggled her face against the pillow.

 

“Where do you feel like going?” he asked sleepily, remembering to bring it up.

 

“Mm, dunno. Maybe the Grand Island…Petite Kalos is there…the University of Anistar…There are a lot of places I want to see, but I don’t think we have the time that we thought we had…”

 

He furrowed his eyebrows, not sure what she meant.

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“Looker gave me a heads up late in the night. I woke a bit and found his text. He was saying that it looks like Team Flare are finally hurrying things up and he’s heard whispers that Yveltal was caught by them,” Ash sighed. “We’d probably have to start heading back soon, after Snowbelle.”

 

Giovanni frowned, unhappy at this bit of news. He’d been looking forward to spending some time with Ash in Anistar, but it sounds like they could only spend a day there. He let out a huff of air.

 

“I was hoping to stay in a little bit longer with you and sleep in, but if we don’t have that much time, we should get up now so we can at least see a bit of the city before you challenge the gym here and then we’re off to Snowbelle.”

 

She made a whimpering sort of noise that amused him, but she did get up and head to the bathroom. At the doorway, she turned back to him and smiled playfully.

 

“Going to join me?” she suggestively asked, her smile widening.

 

 

He jumped off the bed and headed towards her. Who cares if he’d taken a shower already the night before?

 

 Ash looked around the university in awe, circling in place to look at the campus as a whole.

 

“Wow, this is amazing,” she said, though she had to brush some snow that had gotten on her face.

 

“I didn’t see you as someone who’d cared about a place of learning?” Giovanni asked curiously.

 

She laughed in understanding. “Yeah, I suppose not. I would probably care and focus more on becoming a Pokémon Master…but I think I wouldn’t mind attending a university. You ever go to a college?”

 

He nodded to her surprise. “University of Viridian, business major.”

 

She looked at him impressed, though slightly envious. But then Ash looked thoughtful.

 

“You think I could go to college?”

 

Giovanni blinked at her. But he gave her a sure nod. “I don’t see why not. Anyone can go and is capable of going. You are also hard-working and smart.”

 

She scoffed. “Me, smart?”

 

He reached over and roughly ruffled her hair. “Don’t see yourself short. Now come on. Let’s finish up a tour here and then visit one of the cathedrals around here. That should be pretty. We can’t visit Petite Kalos and get to see a lot, so we’ll save that for another time, alright?”

 

She pouted a little, but nodded her understanding. “Which cathedral or church should we go to?”

 

“We should go to Anistar Cathedral. It’s supposed to be the world’s fourth tallest church. Also a very ornate but fantastic example of 15th century Gothic architecture,” Giovanni gave her an overview.

 

“Oh, you know I actually really like architecture,” she revealed. “Sounds like a place I’d like to look around. Too bad we don’t have a camera.”

 

“No need.”

 

At her confused look, he pointed behind at the pokémon duo that was shadowing them, taking a tremendous amount of pictures of Ash and Giovanni, as well as themselves, posing plentifully and acting like tourists themselves.

 

“Sometimes I really wonder about Pikachu,” Ash snickered. “And I’m pretty sure Persian wasn’t this silly or juvenile before meeting Pikachu.”

 

“Close enough,” Giovanni muttered. “Come on, let’s check out that cathedral. Maybe we can actually hold a real wedding,” he teased her.

 

But she looked kind of hopeful, so he didn’t push it and make himself sound jerky. They finished up there and headed to the Anistar Cathedral, allowing their two rascal pokémon to take pictures of them in front of it before they all headed inside.

 

Though Ash had commented in amazement at how tall it was, when they went inside, she was even more amazed at how vast it was.

 

“This is amazing,” she whispered to Giovanni as they stopped in front of the famous Marriage at Cana tapestry.

 

Giovanni agreed before he started to point out some of the stained windows and what century they were from. They continued their tour, visiting even the tombstone of Conrad de Litchenberg, the Christ on the Mount of Olives sculptures, busts of the Apostles, and another tapestry named the Life of Mary. Their last stop was in front of the large 1698 Baroque altar, where they stood in front of it and faced each other, clasping hands.

 

“We should have an actual wedding,” Giovanni directly proposed this time. “Lots of fanfare. There’ll be fireworks, lots of flowers, and exotic animals to mix in with the pokémon.”

 

She laughed at him. “We should have actual explosions.”

 

“And babies,” he blurted out.

 

Ash looked at him wide-eyed, and he realized what he said.

 

“Maybe…maybe not now…but in the future,” he mumbled, but the image was really stuck in his head. A Feliciano or a Feliciana…or both…twins…

 

“That’s…not a bad idea,” she actually said. But she hurriedly tacked on “But in the future! Like later. Just later.”

 

But at the least she was opened to the idea, so he beamed happily at her. Realizing their weirdness, they laughed quietly together.

 

“I do,” he sappily announced with a wide grin.

 

Catching on, Ash grinned back. “I do!”

 

They kissed in front of the altar, staying a moment like that and therefore a prime moment for Pikachu to click the camera and take a picture. The flash alerted them and they pulled back to stare at their pokémon.

 

 

Pikachu gave a v-sign, while Persian licked at his paws and pretended at being innocent.

 

“Isn’t Olympia psychic or something?” Ash asked, preparing to go out and challenge the gym leader. “And can like…see the future with her bracelets or something?”

 

“Something like that,” Giovanni answered, getting ready to call and get an update from the Idiot Brigade over at Geosenge Town.

 

“I’m going to see if she can tell my future,” she was getting excited. “After the battle of course! Wish me luck?”

 

“Luck,” he smirked at her and snatched her wrist to bring her down to kiss her briefly.

 

She rolled her eyes after and pulled away, flitting towards the door.

 

“Don’t give them too much of a hard time!” she called out.

 

“I’ll try,” he muttered.

 

Ash giggled and shook her head, but left him behind as she headed to the gym. There, she announced her challenge and was shown to the battle arena, where Olympia was waiting for her. Before the battle could start though…

 

“Hey, could you tell my fortune after the battle?” Ash asked excitedly.

 

The purple-haired woman was startled and looked hesitant, but a glance at the cute girl’s face made her inwardly sigh.

“I don’t tell fortunes,” she told the other. “When one touches my bracelets, I am able to see their future.” Olympia hesitated, but added on. “If you win a one on one battle with me, I will let you touch them and I’ll answer any questions you have about your future.”

 

 Ash cheered. She was so going to win this.

 

It was one of her harder battles, considering none of her pokémon were really strong against psychic-types…but in the end, Ash was thankful that all of her pokémon (courtesy of Giovanni of course) were high-level and gym-party pokémon themselves, minus Pikachu and Pyroar. Using Rhyperior’s Mega Horn repeatedly against Olympia’s Meowstic helped.

 

Ash practically zoomed up to her, accepting the badge happily and now excited to have her future read.

 

Olympia sweatdropped. “How about we go to a more comfortable area for this?”

 

She agreed and the gym leader led her to another room, where there was a table and tea set out. There, Ash sat at the cushion by the low table and Olympia sat on the cushion on the other side of it. Olympia reached out and one of her bracelets dangled out enticingly.

 

After a moment of hesitation, Ash reached out and touched it. Olympia closed her eyes, inhaling sharply. Then she blinked and stared at Ash in shock.

 

“Okay, first question,” Ash rushed. “Do my husband and I stay together for a long time?”

 

Never mind the strangeness of a young girl like her being already married…

 

“A very long time,” Olympia answered weakly, eye twitching for a second.

 

Ash grinned happily, though she inwardly wondered at Olympia’s reaction. “Next! Um…” her face grew red a little as she recalled what Giovanni had been wondering about earlier. “Do…do we, uh, have kids?”

 

She’d asked just as Olympia was taking a sip of her tea, and the question made her choke slightly on her drink.

 

“Oh yes,” Olympia replied faintly. ‘Lots of children,’ she didn’t say. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren…

 

Ash took a moment to imagine it, feeling all giggly about it. Luckily, she didn’t start giggling inanely right then.

 

“How are we in the future?” Ash asked then. “What am I and my husband doing in the world?”

 

At that, Olympia stared at her with wide eyes.

 

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about the world, sweetheart,” Olympia said wryly. “You and your husband have the whole world in the palms of your hands.”

 

 

Curious and a little gleeful at that, Ash straightened up. She was definitely going to grill her at that!

 

Seeing the message that she was to meet Giovanni at the Sundial, she excitedly ran to there, with Pikachu hanging onto her head. She wanted to tell him a lot of what she found out.

 

He was in front of the Sundial, hands in his pockets as he watched the strange monument curiously. Unable to help herself, she ran and then tossed herself at his back, hugging him from behind.

 

“What’s with the enthusiastic greeting?” he asked in amusement, turning around in her arms to hug her back.

 

“We’re going to have a very happy, happy future,” she chirped up, grinning up at him. “And we’re going to rule the world.”

 

His happy laugh stopped (and so did his brain) and he started to stare at her in disbelief. But she wasn’t looking like she was joking and she was still looking up at him blissfully.

 

Holy crap. He was…going to rule the world? For real?

 

Dazed, he just allowed her to cuddle up to him while he tried to process what he’d just learned. Eventually, he just sighed and held her closer, though inwardly he decided he was very pleased with this news, and that it was probably a result of getting together with Ash Ketchum. He was further glad that he had gotten together and married her.

 

His luck seemed to be booming.

 

“Hey, Giovanni…”

 

“Hm?”

 

“I think…that’s Xerneas walking towards us.”

 

Freezing up, he then turned slowly in Ash’s arms and saw the Legendary walking towards them alright. He stopped before them, and Ash and Giovanni and Xerneas stared at each other. Then the Legendary nuzzled against Ash briefly, bowed slightly, and then pressed his snout against the Master Ball on Giovanni’s belt. It and Xerneas glowed and then Xerneas was sucked in.

 

“Would you look at that, Giovanni! Looks like Xerneas wants to stay with you~”

 

Giovanni was beyond in disbelief, but he was sure that this was a dream. It had to be. But Ash was still talking, the Sundial glowing, and Pikachu was off to the side and giving him two thumbs up.

 

So, so freaking surreal. But magical. Yes. That’s it. Magical.

 

He laughed delightedly and swooped Ash up in his arms, before kissing her thoroughly. With the night sky shining with stars on them, the area beautiful, and the Sundial still glowing ethereally beside them, that was as movie-romantic perfect as it got.

 

He was going to take every fucking advantage of it as he could.

 

 

“We’re going to rule the world!” he declared happily.

 

Honestly, it wasn’t the brightest idea he had, but he would still stubbornly say it was one of his best. Yeah, having sex in front of the Sundial was probably illegal and public indecency and all that…but to their credit, the place had been empty and they were having a moment.

 

Even if they had almost been caught by the police and had to hightail it quickly out of there, rushing to the RV, and have Ash drive like the speed demon runaway driver that she was –he thought it was still worth it.

 

And apparently, by the adrenaline rush Ash was experiencing at the moment, she thought so too.

 

“So…with the way you’re driving, we’re actually incredibly only a mile away from Snowbelle City,” Giovanni’s eyebrows raised. Ash really was a fantastic, speedy driver.

 

“We should do that again,” Ash said smugly, making Giovanni laugh.

 

“Sure thing,” he purred, leering at her.

 

Soon enough, the snow started coming in even thicker than it had in Anistar. The roads were starting to be coated in snow too, so they made a stop in the road to where Giovanni managed to get snow chains on the tires. It was harder than he anticipated, but he did manage to get it done thankfully.

 

By nighttime, they’d reached the snowy city, where everything was just covered in snow. They managed to find a place to park and then headed to a hotel and booked a room, and called it a night. The next day, the weather was still the same and Ash was extremely cold as she stood outside.

 

“This is so cold,” she pouted.

 

Giovanni put an arm around her to warm her up…but subtly moved the back of her coat and dumped a handful of snow in. She screeched loudly and looked at him askance.

 

“Giovanni! Arceus, you are so going to get it! Pikachu, get him!” because Pikachu knew his mistress and was already at the ready, pelting Giovanni’s face with a snowball.

 

He wiped a hand down his face, getting some of the snow off. He gave her a smirk.

 

“This means war, you know?”

 

Ash gave him a stubborn look and bent down and scooped a bunch of snow. She then threw it at him, but he dodged it.

 

“Nice try!”

 

Needless to say, they started a snowball fight in earnest. And then with a city full of snow, it was inevitable that they dragged everyone into it, and then started an all-out snow war.

 

If they were currently up against Wulfric, the city’s gym leader, who had begun using his gym’s outside as a snow fort, then that was really their business.

 

“You get this badge, milady, if you win!” Wulfric roared, waving the coveted badge around. “But may your side fight to the death!”

 

He cackled with his team, all of his trainers continuously creating snowballs. Ash gritted her teeth, but Giovanni placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Don’t worry, we’ve got this,” he told her, and the locals who had joined her side nodded in agreement.

 

Ash nodded, handing her husband the snow gun.

 

“To win this badge, I have to get him myself though,” she told him seriously. She then looked to everyone else, still serious. “Get the others. This city will be ours.”

 

She looked around their snow barrier, eying Wulfric chortling atop his fortress. Pikachu and Persian snuck around her and looked too.

 

“You two cover me. Giovanni should have my back,” Ash muttered to them. “It’s all or nothing, boys. Let’s go!”

 

She ran around the barrier and ran towards Wulfric with a war cry, evading the snowballs thrown at her while her team jumped into the fray as well. Persian and Pikachu took out the other snowballs with a Thunderbolt and a Power Gem combo, running alongside her. She made it to the fortress and scrambled up it. In a last ditch move, she threw her “ace in the hole” pokémon’s pokéball at Wulfric’s face.

 

Pyroar leapt out of it with a might roar and an accompanying Flamethrower.