" Ash, come on!" Misty exclaimed as she banged on his door. " We're gonna be late for the Christmas tree!"

" Coming!" Ash yelled from inside.

Misty sighed. " Ash, the trees are going to be gone!*

" I'm coming, I'm coming! Yeesh, you're impatient." Ash muttered as he came out of his room.

Misty grabbed his hand and pulled him down the stairs where Pikachu and Togepi were bundled up.

" Come on, come on!"

Ash laughed as she pulled them to the car. " Okay, okay, I get it!"

Misty quickly grabbed Togepi and Pikachu, handing Pikachu to Ash, where he climbed into his trainer's shoulder, while holding Togepi in her arms.

" Wait."

Misty groaned. " What now?"

Ash looked at Misty. " Do you know how to drive?"

Misty blinked. " Uh....."

" So .... We don't know how to drive?"

Misty looked at Ash and shook her head.

" So how are we-"

" Ash, if you don't want to drive, I will."

Ash gripped the wheel. " Nono, I will. Just.... Open your phone and tell me how to drive, will ya?"



" I said push the joystick forward!" Misty exclaimed, clearly annoyed

Ash and Pikachu were trying to move the stick with all their might.

It would not budge.

" Help?" Ash squeaked.

Misty sighed and put her hand over his and pulled

Nothing.

" This thing is... Stuck!" She grunted.

" Piiikaaaaa."

Ash, Misty and Pikachu pulled away.

" This isn't gonna work." Misty sighed.

Then Togepi put her small hands on it and pulled

It moved.

Ash and Misty blinked.

" Did she ju-"

" No time! Press the middle thing with your right foot." Misty dictated.

Ash obeyed, and they lurched forward.

" Slowly!" Misty exclaimed.

Ash gripped the wheel tightly, his face a mix of concentration and panic as the car lurched forward once again, narrowly avoiding a lamppost. Pikachu clung to his shoulder, its cheeks sparking nervously. "Pika pi!"

"Ash, watch the mailbox!" Misty yelled, pointing ahead as Togepi squealed in her arms.

Ash swerved wildly, the car jerking left. "I’m trying! This thing is harder to steer than a Rapidash in a storm!"

Misty buried her face in her free hand. "It’s not a Rapidash, Ash! It’s a car! Just stay in your lane!"

"I am in the lane!" Ash protested, narrowly avoiding a group of Pidgey crossing the street. "Sort of!"

Misty peeked through her fingers. "We’ve been driving in circles for thirty minutes, Ash! Thirty minutes, and we’re still in Pallet Town!"

Ash huffed, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "Driving is harder than it looks, okay? At least I haven’t hit anything yet!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, pointing at a trash can wobbling dangerously in the car's wake.

"Except that trash can," Misty muttered, rolling her eyes. "Ash, this is hopeless. Can we just stop for a second and figure this out?"

"No way!" Ash said stubbornly. "I’ve got this. We’re going to get that Christmas tree, Misty. I promise!"

The car jerked forward again, and Misty grabbed the dashboard to steady herself. Togepi let out a happy "Togepri!" as if it were enjoying the chaos.

"Okay, slow down, Ash," Misty instructed, gripping the seat. "There’s another stop sign ahead!"

"I see it, I see it!" Ash said, slamming on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt, and everyone lurched forward.

Misty glared at him. "Could you please try to stop without giving us whiplash?"

"Hey, at least we stopped!" Ash defended, glaring back. "Baby steps, Misty!"

"At this rate, the only thing we’ll be stepping on is the gas station because we’re going to run out of fuel just driving around Pallet Town!" Misty snapped, her patience wearing thin.

Pikachu gave Ash a sympathetic pat on the head. "Pika pi," it murmured, clearly sharing Misty’s skepticism.

Ash sighed and slumped forward, resting his forehead on the steering wheel. "This is harder than fighting the Elite Four."

Misty leaned back in her seat, rubbing her temples. "I can’t believe I trusted you to drive. This was a mistake."

"You’re the one who didn’t know how to drive either!" Ash shot back, sitting up again. "At least I’m trying!"

"Trying and failing!" Misty retorted. "We’ve been at this for an hour, Ash. One. Whole. Hour. And we haven’t even left Pallet Town!"

Ash groaned, throwing his hands up. "Fine! If you think you can do better, you drive!"

Misty’s eyes narrowed. "Fine. Change of plans. I’m driving."

" MISTY WE'RE GONNA GET A TICKET!" Ash screeched as he watched the meter go to 4720 miles per hour.

" We'll be fine!"

Ash gripped the dashboard for dear life as the car hurtled down the road. The speedometer needle was almost spinning in circles. "Misty, slow down! We’re gonna get arrested or worse—pulled over!"

Misty, her eyes laser-focused on the road ahead, scoffed. "I’ve got this, Ash. Stop overreacting."

"Misty, we’re going 4720 miles per hour! This isn’t a Pokémon battle!" Ash screeched, his face pale as Pikachu clung to his shoulder, its cheeks sparking wildly. "Pika-pi!"

Before Misty could retort, the sound of a police siren pierced the air.

Ash’s eyes widened. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no! We’re doomed!"

Misty glanced at the rearview mirror and groaned. "Great. Just great. I was finally getting the hang of this."

Pikachu leaped into action, rummaging through Misty’s bag and pulling out something shiny. It handed it to her triumphantly.

Misty blinked at the object. "Pikachu, what is this?"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, puffing out its chest.

Ash leaned over to look and gasped. "Is that a… driver’s license? Wait, Pikachu, did you make that?"

Pikachu nodded proudly. "Pika pi!"

Misty examined it closely, her jaw dropping. "This… this looks real! How did you even—?"

"No time for questions!" Ash interrupted as the police car pulled up behind them. "We have to look normal. Normal, Misty!"

"Normal? You mean like we weren’t just breaking the sound barrier?" Misty snapped back, already panicking.

The two scrambled to dress up as Pikachu rummaged through a bag of disguises they conveniently had for "emergencies." Misty threw on a pair of sunglasses and a scarf, tying her hair into a bun. Meanwhile, Ash pulled out a long fake beard and stuck it to his face.

Ash adjusted the beard nervously. "Does this make me look older? Like, responsible-old? Not weird-old?"

Misty gave him a once-over and sighed. "You look like Santa Claus’s long-lost brother."

Before Ash could retort, the officer approached the window. He was a burly man in a crisp blue uniform, and his Growlithe sat beside him, sniffing suspiciously.

"License and registration, please," the officer said, eyeing Misty.

Misty handed over the fake license with a confident smile, though her hands were shaking slightly. "Here you go, officer."

The officer raised an eyebrow as he looked at the license, then glanced at Misty. "You’re… Mistina Waterstone? Age 25?"

Misty nodded, trying to look dignified. "Yes, that’s me. Just taking my little brother here for a drive." She gestured at Ash, who gave an awkward wave.

The officer turned his attention to Ash. "And you are?"

Ash cleared his throat, his voice cracking as he tried to sound deeper. "I’m… uh… Asha… Beardman. Her… much younger brother."

The officer’s eyes narrowed. "You don’t look very related."

Misty jumped in. "Well, he takes after our… great-uncle. On our mother’s side. You know, genetics!"

The officer didn’t look convinced. Growlithe barked suspiciously. "Growl?"

Pikachu, wearing a small detective hat it had found, climbed onto Ash’s lap and waved at Growlithe. "Pika pika!"

The officer blinked, taken aback. "Is that Pikachu… your pet or your navigator?"

Ash nodded quickly. "Both! She’s very talented, sir."

The officer handed the license back to Misty and frowned. "I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but you kids need to slow down. And maybe stick to bicycles for now."

"Of course, officer! Thank you, officer!" Misty said, nodding furiously as the officer returned to his car.

As soon as he drove off, Ash tore off the beard and glared at Misty. "I can’t believe that actually worked. Next time, I’m driving again."

Misty rolled her eyes and adjusted her scarf. "Next time, we’re walking."

By the time they finally reached the Christmas tree farm, Ash and Misty stumbled out of the car like they had been through a war. Pikachu hopped out with a sigh, while Togepi chirped cheerfully, seemingly the only one unaffected by the chaos.

Ash collapsed onto the snowy ground, face-first. "I don’t even care anymore… just leave me here. The tree can decorate itself."

Misty flopped down next to him, her scarf crooked and her hair a complete mess. "I agree. This is where I live now. In the snow. Forever."

Pikachu tugged at Ash’s jacket, squeaking in concern. "Pika pi!"

Delia appeared from behind one of the tall Christmas trees, carrying a basket of ornaments. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the disheveled group lying in the snow.

"Ash? Misty? What are you kids doing here?" she asked, blinking in surprise.

Ash raised a weak hand without lifting his face from the ground. "Hi, Mom. Just… appreciating the snow… from the ground."

Delia frowned, walking closer. "Why do you two look like you’ve been wrestling a pack of Mankeys?"

Misty groaned, not even bothering to lift her head. "We… tried to drive here."

Delia’s eyes widened in shock. "Drive? But you don’t know how to—"

"Yeah," Ash interrupted, still face-down in the snow. "We figured that part out... the hard way."

Delia sighed and crossed her arms. "Honestly, what were you thinking? You should have called me. I would’ve picked you up!"

Ash and Misty exchanged tired glances before collapsing back into the snow in unison.

Delia shook her head, her stern look softening. "Well, come on. You made it here in one piece—somehow. Let’s pick out a tree before it gets too late."

"Do we have to move?" Ash mumbled.

"Yes, dear," Delia said with a small smile. "You can’t decorate a tree while lying in the snow. Now, up you get."

With Pikachu and Togepi encouraging them, Ash and Misty finally dragged themselves to their feet. As they followed Delia into the rows of towering Christmas trees, Ash muttered to Misty, "Next year, we’re taking a Rapidash. At least it knows how to stop."

Misty snorted, pulling her scarf tighter. "Deal."