The day had finally arrived.
Ash woke up early in the morning and left the house as quietly as possible, making sure not to wake anyone up. He walked along the street until the florist's shop came into view.
With a small smile, Ash entered the shop.
"Hello Ash! You're here early this year." said Lauren, the florist as he gave him a friendly smile.
Ash smiled at the woman and replied.
"Yeah, I wanted to be earlier than usual today."
The florist nodded in acknowledgement before continuing.
"So, same as always?" she asked.
Ash had always visited that particular store on this very date, every year. Ash wasn't a frequent customer, but he was a memorable one. He had been visiting Lauren's shop for over 10 years now, however, he would only visit the shop on either the 14th of February, Valentine's Day or the 1st of December, her birthday. Ash had a specific preference of bouquet for each date.
On the 14th, he always bought a dozen roses, six of them being Red, while the other six being White. On the 1st, he would always buy White Orchids.
"Yes please." Ash replied softly.
Lauren gave him a gentle smile as she set about making the bouquet. Moments later, Lauren returned with a wonderfully arranged posy. The red and white were distanced in such a way that it didn't look clustered. Each rose had it's own spot, signifying its own importance in the bunch.
"Here, Ash. That'll be 2599 pokedollars, please." said Lauren as she handed the bouquet to Ash.
Ash gratefully took it and paid for them. He said his goodbyes and was about to walk out of the shop, however, he stopped in his tracks as he spotted something from the corner of his eyes.
Ash walked over to a blue silky thin, yet long piece of cloth. It was rolled up neatly and placed inside of a box. The mere sight of it caused to smile due to the memories he had attached to a ribbon similar to the one in front of him.
Another small smile grew on his face as he thought of the special girl that was waiting for him back home. 'This is going to be perfect for her!' He thought to himself as, without turning around to face Lauren, he spoke.
"Actually, I'd like this too." Ash exclaimed.
Lauren looked at the young man with confusion written all over her face. She had never seen him buy anything other than flowers from her shop. Even though she was a florist, she had a knack for selling those little accessories.
"Oh, sure Ash! Those ribbons are completely free with any set of bouquets." said Lauren as she motioned him to just take it.
Ash smiled and took the blue ribbon. He thanked Lauren once again and walked out of the shop. He looked at the bouquet in one hand and the ribbon box in the other. He thought back to how he had received that very first ribbon box for free too. Just reminiscing on those thoughts caused another smile to grow on Ash face.
'The best things in life really are free.' he thought to himself as he opened the box to look at the ribbon inside. The ribbon shared an uncanny resemblance to the one he had received back in Coumarine City.
Ash closed the box and started walking along the narrow streets of Pallet Town. Being mid-February, it was still quite cold. The trees were bare and the wind was chilly, however, the sun was already up in the sky, and long with the sun came the warmth from its rays.
