Summary:Gift-giving is an art, usually done in a way that inspires shock and awe. For two people, however, the art of how to give a gift is what worries them the most... and all of the chaos that surrounds them, of course. Features GaryxMisty, with some mention of AshxAnabel, DrewxMay, RitchiexCasey, BrockxDuplica, BrendanxSakura, WesxRui, BarryxDawn and TraceyxDaisy.
Disclaimer: As soon as I get my certificate of ownership saying I own Pokémon then I'll tell you, but as of now it's not mine!
A/N: This is my entry to LiliNeko's Ego-Fic contest this year. I actually didn't know about it until I attempted to catch up to her latest fic., Anything for Love and upon checking out her profile page realized that another contest had begun. So, I knew that I had to enter, and thanks to her theme (which was challenging to the extreme) my entry, The Art of Giving, emerged. This entry is very different from last year, as I tried to inject some humor into it, followed by the main theme hidden amongst chaos. I think that it came out really well. Enjoy!
"…" – conversation
'…' – thoughts
The Art of Giving
Misty's Room, Cerulean City Gym, Cerulean City, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 10:00 AM
Misty Waterflower sighed irritably as she dove into yet another pile of clothes, cursing.
"Where is it? Arghh!" Misty's Psyduck watched his trainer curiously, head tilted to the side. Next to him, Togetic chirped clearly confused as to why his auburn-haired Mistress was finding it acceptable to play on the floor in a pile of clothes.
"I just had it a few days ago!" Misty practically wailed as she emerged from the pile eyes glinting. "It can't have vanished like that!"
A knock on the door had Misty jumping to her feet and running around the room, attempting to cover up the evidence of her messy-as-hell bedroom.
"Misty? Are you, like, in there?" came a voice and Misty sighed in relief, dropping the pile of clothes onto the floor.
"Yeah, Daisy, I'm in," Misty replied bending down to pick up a few Pokédollars that had fallen out of a pocket in her favorite pair of jeans.
The door opened to reveal her oldest sister, eyes twinkling. "Misty, what are you doing in here? You were supposed to be somewhere else by now!"
Misty's head shot up as she realized that she had, indeed, forgotten what time it was.
"Arceus no! You're kidding me!"
Daisy's smirk could be seen a mile away as she folded her arms over her chest. "Don't think so, Mist." She checked her wristwatch and added, "If we leave now, I can get you there with some time to spare." She glanced up and tilted her head.
"Misty, dare I ask what you're doing?"
Misty glanced up from looking underneath her bed to glare at her sister. "I can't find it! It was on my dresser two days ago and now it's vanished!"
"What vanished?" Daisy asked moving into the room. Her little sister was obviously upset, meaning that this was something she had to solve, and quickly, if today was going to be a success.
"The gift!" Misty practically screeched as she began ripping the covers off her single bed, a thin sheet drifting to land on Psyduck and Togetic's heads. "I had it here on my dresser, all wrapped and ready to give, but it's disappeared like an Abra does before every battle!" Daisy rolled her eyes. There went her melodramatic sister again; Violet and Lily didn't get this bad... most of the time.
"Let me help." Daisy received a description from her sister and, deigning it safe to kneel on the clothes-infested floor helped to search. As the two sisters rummaged through the numerous piles of jun – er, items, on Misty's floor, Psyduck tilted his head and turned to Togetic.
"Psy, Psyduck?" Togetic's black eyes regarded his Mistress' Pokémon before chirping a response.
"Tog, Tog, Togetic." The two simultaneously nodded their heads before hightailing it out of their trainer's room, moving towards the hall closet.
"Any luck?" Misty asked panic heard in every syllable.
"None," Daisy shot back, irritated. The day's schedule was going to suffer just because her absent-minded sister couldn't keep track of a small gift!
"Psyduck?" came a voice and the two Waterflower sisters glanced up only to sigh in relief. Psyduck and Togetic held between them a small box wrapped in dark blue and purple paper, a yellow bow on top.
"You two are amazing!" Misty exclaimed as she dove onto her Pokémon hugging them tightly. Grabbing the box, Misty quickly called back her two Pokémon, the balls glinting in the light from her room.
"Are you finally ready to go?" Daisy asked irritated beyond belief.
"Let me grab my bag and Pokémon and I'm out of here," Misty replied back now running into her closet to grab a rather tall bag, its contents hidden behind black plastic.
"Can't I see it?" Daisy asked voice pleading.
"Nope, not yet," Misty responded a smirk crossing her face.
"Come on, Misty! I helped you with about half of this and kept you on schedule! The least you could do is let me see it!"
"No chance, Daisy, until a few hours from now," Misty shot back now running out the door to her bedroom, the precious gift held underneath one arm, the bag slung over her shoulder.
Daisy stomped her foot in irritation and annoyance before looking around and cringing. "Misty Rose Waterflower, I am not cleaning up this mess!"
Oak Homestead, Pallet Town, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 10:15 AM
"Gary, stop pacing," Ash Ketchum commented from his position against the wall. Waving off the sapphire-eyed glare he received for his comment, he added, "It's going to be fine."
"Ash, you are the most annoying person I know," Gary hissed getting into his best friend's face. Ash merely smirked pushing the cinnamon-haired trainer away.
"I know." He chuckled when Gary's glare didn't lessen but suddenly became solemn. "Gary, trust me. It's going to be fine."
"Shows what you know!" Gary shot back having resumed his pacing. He glanced outside of the window the rolling hills and specks of color of trainers' Pokémon having a calming effect on him... but only for a moment.
"You didn't have to go through this at all!"
Ash laughed but before he could reply, Ritchie Lagner chirped in with his own comment.
"'Course not. Ash skipped the whole thing and went to the end result," Ritchie offered smirking. Gary's look turned to Ash, whose eyes suddenly found the ground very interesting.
"You coward! You told me that you'd gone through the entire thing!" Gary yelled moving to pin his friend up against the wall. A pair of arms wrapped around him and proceeded to drag him away from the black-haired trainer, whose eyes were now figuratively glaring daggers into Ritchie.
"Drop it, Gary. It doesn't matter," Tracey Sketchit said trying to calm down his friend. Of course, he somehow only made it worse.
"It so does matter! I do not want to look back on this day and cringe at how badly it went!" Gary exclaimed throwing his arms into the air. "That is not something I need to remember!"
"Sure it is," Drew Rhosyn offered from his position next to Ritchie. He flicked an errant strand of hair out of his emerald eyes. "It's what all of us guys like to remember: when we screwed up." Brendan Birch raised an eyebrow.
"I do hope that you're being sarcastic," Brendan remarked dryly ruby-red eyes narrowing. Drew shrugged not offering a response to the Hoenn trainer's question.
"Gary, calm down. You're getting on my nerves," Drew commented eyes narrowing. Gary's eyes narrowed in response and, sensing the tension Ash and Tracey shared looks and stepped in once more to solve the crisis.
The door opened at that moment to admit Brock Slate, face serious. "I hate to interrupt, but Gary, your grandfather's looking for you."
Gary cursed before diving back into his closet and pulling out something wrapped in white plastic. "Where is he?"
Brock pointed over his shoulder, responding, "He's down in the living room; something to do with landscaping?"
Gary cursed once more before flying out the room, leaving a group of friends behind to stare at him.
"Is he going to be okay?" Brendan asked, concerned.
Ash shrugged as he scratched Pikachu underneath his chin, the electric-type mouse purring in contentment. "He'll be fine. Once the nerves shatter, everything will run like clockwork."
"Like yours did?" Ritchie butted in, a teasing glint in his eyes. Ash merely narrowed his eyes in response.
En Route to Pallet Town, Route 2, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 10:30 AM
Daisy glanced at her youngest sister from behind her tinted sunglasses. "Nervous?"
Misty, who'd been wringing a napkin to pieces without noticing, didn't say anything; she merely nodded.
"Don't be. Everything's going to be fine," Daisy reassured taking a curve a little too sharply. At an arched eyebrow from Misty, she laughed. "Sorry."
"Whatever," Misty muttered, absently playing with the yellow bow on the gift sitting on her lap. After a few moments of silence, the screech of a flock of Pidgey interrupted the tense silence.
"Daisy, when you went through this, how'd you deal?" Misty asked turning to her blond-haired sister. Said sister pursed her lips moving across lanes quickly so as to not miss the exit to Pallet Town.
"I guess I just thought of how proud Mom'd be of me each time I got nervous," she responded. Turning the steering wheel rapidly, the powder blue Corvette found itself traveling a little-known route to their destination in Pallet Town.
"The reporters?" Misty asked having thrown the napkin onto the floor of the car. Daisy smirked.
"Threatened them with Gyrados," she remarked casually. "They left very quickly after that."
"I'll have to tell him that," Misty murmured a smile creeping across her face at the thought of the reporters scattering, screams leaving their throats at the threat to their physical well-being from various Pokémon.
"Here we are!" Daisy exclaimed sunglasses coming down onto her nose at the quick stop. "Do you need help getting ready?"
Misty hesitated but, wanting to look good reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Great!" Daisy responded stashing the sunglasses in their case then tossing said case into the backseat. "Let me grab my stuff and I'll follow you up."
"Great..." Misty muttered not pleased at the thought of having to undergo a few hours' worth of fashion preparation with her sister. She sighed; he owed her. "Let's go."
Living Room, Oak Homestead, Pallet Town, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 10:45 AM
"Gary, there you are!" Samuel Oak exclaimed ending his conversation with Delia Ketchum quite abruptly. Apparently, she didn't mind as some might have, turning instead to strike up a conversation with Gary's sister May.
"Gramps," Gary responded eyes darting around the room nervously knowing that his grandfather didn't want to talk about landscaping. That was merely a code word between them that signified that the elder Oak wished to talk. Samuel, noting Gary's nervousness said nothing; he merely placed his hands on his grandson's shoulders.
"Gary, calm down. I know that you can do this." Gary's eyes looked up at the elder Oak, glinting with something resembling thankfulness. "I know that this is a big day, and I am so very proud of you for making it this far, but remember. After this, life will get easier and, hopefully, more exciting."
Gary smirked. "Excitement's the one thing that I don't need, Gramps. I had enough of it traveling with Ash and Company a few years ago." True, when Gary had decided to travel with Ash to the Orre Region a few years previous to research Pokémon in various environments, the trope of two had expanded to at least ten, as various friends had declared their intention to join the two Pallet Town natives. Upon reflection, Gary had realized that he was glad of the company and the chance to make more friends... plus, he met her there.
"So, Gary, do you need help?" Samuel asked glancing over the living room, nodding in satisfaction when he saw that it was ready to go for the big event later that afternoon.
"I guess. Stupid ties never stay on right." Samuel's laughter accompanied the two male Oaks as they walked out of the living room to prepare for the event of young Gary's life.
Guest Room, Oak Homestead, Pallet Town, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 11:30 AM
"Misty, you look beautiful!" Daisy declared clothed in a royal purple, strapless number, silver sparkles emphasizing the silver jewelry and sandals on her feet.
"You think?" Misty asked nervously examining her own outfit. The teal dress ended at her knees and was a solid A-line. A sash of luminescent, pale blue wrapped around her waist, dangling down to her knees as well. Gold sandals with ribbons that wrapped up her legs gave the auburn-haired Gym Leader an added few inches of height, and a necklace that ended just above her cleavage line left much to the imagination. Her hair cascaded in ringlets down her back, framing her face yet allowing the dangling gold hoops to be seen. A hint of eye shadow and lip gloss completed the look.
"He'll flip for sure!" Daisy added nodding in agreement with her own statement. "I have no doubt about it, Sis."
Misty took a deep breath and looked at her sister. "Thanks for the help, Daisy. I really do appreciate it." Daisy waved her off.
"No need to mention it." She paused, then asked, "So, Mist, what's the gift for?"
Misty shook her head, the ringlets bouncing with the movement. "No can tell. It's a secret." She winked. "I'm sure that its recipient will be glad to get it, though."
Daisy pouted. "Misty, stop being so secretive! I won't tell anyone; promise!" Misty ignored the plea, knowing that once her sister got her hands on some interesting gossip, said gossip wouldn't remain secret for very long.
Misty shook her head. "Can't do it, Daisy." She paused then asked, "How much longer?"
Daisy checked her silver watch. "ETA is twenty minutes." She looked at her sister and asked, "Are you ready to do this, Misty?"
Misty took a deep breath, hoping that it would calm her nerves. "I think so, yeah." She glanced around and, spotting the gift made a split-second decision. "You think that it'd be safe to leave the gift here?"
Daisy shrugged. "I don't think it's a problem, but then again, you should know better than anyone." She arched an eyebrow and smirked. "This is your boyfriend's house, after all."
Misty smirked back, refusing to back down. "It is, isn't it?"
A knock sounded on the door and Misty's other two sisters, Violet and Lily, stuck their heads inside the room and began gushing over how mature and beautiful Misty looked in her dress and, oh. my. Arceus, where on Earth did you get that necklace? It's gorgeous! Can I borrow it later?
Daisy palmed her face, knowing that Misty was likely to explode at her sisters in a bit. However, to her surprise, Misty kept her cool.
"Let me think about it, guys," Misty responded coolly drawing odd looks. Glancing at Daisy, she winked and, pushing past her sisters added, "Showtime, sisters. Let's get moving, hmm?" Looking at each other with identical looks of confusion, the three older Waterflower sisters hurried after their youngest sister.
Foyer, Oak Homestead, Pallet Town, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 11:50 AM
Gary checked his watch for the fifth time in thirty seconds eyes narrowing.
"Where is she?"
"She'll be here," Ash reassured arm wrapped around his date Anabel. The lavender-eyed Frontier Brain smiled reassuringly at the young Oak.
"Stop stressing, Gary," Brendan cautioned leaning on the Oak's tuxedo-clad shoulder. "It'll be over soon enough, and then you can have fun with the cameras and the multitude of flashes going off." He ducked a swing from his peer. "Okay, so maybe the reporters aren't your style. Chill!"
Gary grumbled something vile underneath his breath before sighing. He ran his hand through already mussed-cinnamon locks. "I just want this to be over."
Brendan, now realizing just what was going on shook his head at Ritchie when the latter opened his mouth to comment on something. "Gary, listen. When I took over my dad's place in Hoenn as Pokémon Professor extraordinaire, I was nervous as hell. In fact, I was so nervous that I forgot my entire acceptance speech, called Steven Stone a washed-up League Champion, accidentally insulted Flannery and Winona and royally pissed off Elite Four Drake. It took me ages before I was forgiven."
"You're not exactly making me feel better here," Gary dryly commented. Drew was snickering at his friend's expense while the others had their heads tilted, wondering just how Brendan's comments were going to make Gary feel better.
"My point," Brendan stressed, "is that I'm known as a successful professor today. You'll be the same. Trust me."
"That worked so well last time," Drew interrupted eyes gleaming. "When you told May, Wally and myself to go ahead of you, we ended up almost getting attacked by wild Weavile while you tried to play the hero... but totally got yourself scratched up instead. We ended up wasting something like three rolls of bandages on you."
Guffaws and chuckles erupted causing Brendan to turn red. As Gary laughed, he realized something. Even though he was nervous as hell, his friends weren't going to let him go into the living room with hordes of reporters sitting, cameras aimed towards the entrance to the living room alone. No, they'd given him the gift of laughter and something else to think about beyond his upcoming promotion to head professor at the Pallet Town laboratory; in reality, the head professor for the majority of the Kanto Region... great. He'd just made himself nervous again.
Almost as if sensing the myriad of emotions warring through Gary, Brock placed a reassuring hand on the Oak's shoulder. "Gary, you really do need to calm down. No need to get so nervous that your escort will want to stomp on your feet in an effort to get you to calm down." Gary chuckled at this, knowing that his girlfriend was indeed a firecracker.
"I guess I do need to calm down," Gary said grinning.
"Finally!" Ash declared throwing his arms into the air, disturbing Anabel, who'd been leaning next to him. "Uh, sorry 'Bel."
"Thanks, guys," Gary remarked straightening his tuxedo jacket. Taking a deep breath, he added, "I'm ready."
"Good, 'cause I'm ready for this too," came a voice and the group of people gathered in the foyer turned around and grinned. There stood the four Waterflower sisters, with Misty the brightest star there.
Almost as if in a trance, Gary walked over to the four Cerulean City ladies, all of whom shared control of the city's Pokémon Gym.
"Are you ready, my lady?" Gary asked holding an arm out to Misty, who accepted it with a smile. Turning around, he added, "Let's move. It's show time."
Living Room, Oak Homestead, Pallet Town, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 12:00 PM
The crowd in the living room was beginning to get antsy. The star of the whole event wasn't present yet; in fact, many of the important members of the new and upcoming generation of world leaders were missing. Pokémon Masters Ash Ketchum and Ritchie Lagner, Master Coordinators Drew Rhosyn and May Maple, Pokémon Professor Brendan Birch of Hoenn and Kanto Frontier Brain Anabel Lunara were merely some of those missing from the ceremony. Professor Samuel Oak was sitting just behind the podium, his granddaughter May next to him. Both of them seemed to be calm, and it was this insouciant attitude that kept the masses of reporters in check.
When a creak was heard, however, the entire room got to their feet and turned around, with the cameras beginning to flash as a rather large group of young trainers, coordinators, gym leaders, and so forth emerged. Master Coordinators Drew and May from Hoenn waved to the crowd, arms interlinked; following them was Professor Brendan Birch, a rather pretty young woman with cranberry-colored eyes at his side. Reporters tried to find out this woman's identity but failed to find anything significant out.
Behind them, Pewter City Gym Leader Brock Slate and Samuel Oak's lab assistant Tracey Sketchit together escorted three of the four Waterflower sisters into the living room, smiles stretched wide on their faces; Tracey had the honor of escorting Daisy personally. Following them were Pokémon Masters Ash Ketchum and Ritchie Lagner, their dates waving merrily. Anabel Lunara was beautiful as always, and the reporters turned into a mad rush in an attempt to be the first to get an agreement to an interview from Ritchie's date, a young woman in gold and black, a bracelet on her wrist. Why, it was Casey Signit herself, stunning in all of her glory!
"This is the ultimate gift!" one reporter whispered to her cameraman, who merely nodded in agreement as more people continued to enter the living room. "This is so going to make my career! All of these famous people here in one place, and me, myself and I to interview them!" The woman's cameraman didn't dare point out the large number of reporters present, each hoping to get the same honor that his partner had just claimed as hers.
Finally, a silence fell over the room as young Gary Oak and his girlfriend of three years, Misty Waterflower, entered the living room. Gary's teal dress shirt and gold tie complimented his date's outfit, which caused a mad rush as reporters fought over the rights to a title for the occasion that incorporated the couple's outfits. Said couple in question ignored pretty much every question that they were asked, focusing on the podium ahead where one of their lives would be changed forever.
As the crowd settled down, Samuel Oak got to his feet, moving over to the podium. Waiting until he had the room's undivided attention, he began his speech. "I am pleased and honored that you are all here to witness history in the making. As many of you realize, I have been Pallet Town's Professor and, in many cases, the epitome of knowledge on Pokémon for decades. I have decided to step down and pass the torch to my grandson, Gary, who is just as, if not more, knowledgeable than me." He paused to allow the applause to ring throughout the living room, chancing a small glance backwards only to smile when he saw that his grandson was no longer nervous, but excited and anxious.
"Now, Gary may not be as big a fan of Pokémon Poetry as I am," Samuel paused for the chuckles, "but he has much to teach trainers, young and old, on ancient Pokémon, which has been his passion for years. I searched long and hard through the pool of possible replacements, and after numerous testing phases, I found Gary to be the perfect replacement. It is this knowledge that I am sure Gary will share with all of you, if you just ask. Ladies, Gentlemen, and Pokémon alike, I present to you today Professor Gary Oak of Pallet Town!" Thunderous applause erupted, to which Gary got to his feet and elegantly bowed eyes glinting.
As Samuel gave the podium to his grandson, he whispered a reminder to Gary not to be nervous. As the elder Oak took his seat, he saw that his grandson had become everything he had hoped: strong, independent, dependable and, glancing to his left at Misty, an excellent significant other.
"Thank you, Professor, for your kind words," Gary began eyes glancing out over the crowd. "I am honored to have been chosen for this position. I can only hope that I am as good as or, possibly, better than my predecessor." Laughs erupted at this comment; Gary smirked. "My only wish is that I get the chance to give my knowledge of Pokémon to all those who listen, even if they are stubborn at first. We as trainers, no matter our level have so much to learn from each other, and a professor should participate in this relationship as often as humanly possible. Therefore, I plan to create a small library here in Pallet Town to house numerous topics, from where to camp between Mt. Moon and Cerulean City, how to attempt to catch a Gengar or, even, how to write Pokémon poetry in an attempt to overcome my grandfather's years of success." More laughs emerged.
"Seriously, though, I wish to thank my grandfather for the numerous gifts of knowledge, advice and ideas over the years, many of whom helped to mold me into the man that I am today. My sister's enthusiasm for Pokémon beauty and passion for Pokémon Contests led to my interest in the different aspects that a Pokémon's attacks can be used for, whether as a watering system or an appeal." May beamed at her little brother eyes suspiciously teary.
"I would also like to thank my friends, all of whom taught me that the art of giving comes from the heart of both trainer and Pokémon rather than from monetary possessions. This idea has helped to form the cornerstone of my beliefs and morals as a Pokémon Professor. It is this belief that I plan to help instill in every new trainer that comes into Pallet Town with the ultimate hope that the next generation of trainers will be one that succeeds far beyond even what we here have accomplished." He paused then concluded, "Once again, I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone who has helped me in one way or another, no matter how small, to become the new Pokémon Professor of Pallet Town. Thank you."
Massive bursts of applause erupted as did the reporters, hordes of them rushing the podium to attempt to get Gary's nod of agreement to an interview... unfortunately for them, a young woman with dark teal hair pulled back into two braids beat them to the punch and gained the privileged gift of interviewing the new Professor. The other reporters glared at her as she sauntered out of the room, a smirk crossing her features. Everyone well knew that the young Oak only spoke to one reporter at any event, and for that upstart to steal the opportunity of a lifetime... well, they were downright pissed!
As the teal-haired woman closed the doors to the tumultuous scene in the living room, she patted herself on the back for her mimicking abilities. Putting a finger to her chin, she grinned. 'You owe me, Brock, for disguising myself as a reporter to save Gary from the hounds in there. Hmm... a dinner for two might just cut it...' With that, Duplica Thetra sauntered out of the main foyer to the back patio, where she and Gary had agreed to do the interview. Along the way, a miniature Ditto jumped up onto her shoulders, causing her to halt as said Ditto proceeded to take the form of an Onix, the rock snake's tail moving to wrap around its owner.
"Hey there, Mini-Dit," Duplica murmured scratching her Onix-Ditto under its chin, causing a low rumble to emerge. "How about we go set up for that interview?" At a growl of agreement, Duplica smirked and, once more donning the professional aura of a reporter for "Kanto Now!" which was, of course, based off the popular Sinnoh television network headed towards the back patio once more.
Back Patio, Oak Homestead, Pallet Town, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 4:00 PM
It'd taken Gary and his friends over an hour to make it out of the living room, what with the numerous attempts by other reporters to somehow either get the young Professor to negate his previous bid to have the interview with the teal-haired upstart or attempt to gain bids to interview any of the other famous trainers, coordinators, gym leaders and so forth that made up Gary's circle of friends. To add to this, every person imaginable seemingly emerged out of the woodwork to offer their congratulations on Gary's promotion as an official Pokémon Professor with a home and headquarters to call his own, which caused the journey out of the living room to drag on even further.
By the time Gary had emerged from the mass chaos, a twitch had proceeded to develop just above his right eye. Granted, Gary had become much more patient over the years (much more than, say, Ash who was prone to lose his temper at the most inopportune times), but if there was one thing that wore at his mile-long patience streak it was reporters. Sure, when he was younger he'd reveled in the attention but now, it was more of a hassle than anything else, a hassle he'd love to toss out the window and never see again. Unfortunately, Samuel had warned his grandson that the reporters weren't going to leave; in fact, he himself had to call Officer Jenny at least once a week to remove some enterprising anchorperson who figured that camping on his front lawn was the best method to gain an interview with the famous Professor. It was this very reason that allowed for his gift of a large sum of money to the police department each year at Christmas. Of course, the money was reward for the police department's hard work throughout the year and their numerous agreements to remove the trespassers from his property.
The reporters who'd followed the young Professor and his friends were not having a good day. None of them had gained a bid to interview anyone; in fact, none of Gary Oak's friends had agreed to do an interview with any of them! They'd all decided to be interviewed by the teal-haired woman, causing anger and hatred to ferment amongst the rejected. Just who did this upstart think she was? How in Arceus had she gained access to every one of the new generation of leaders without the rest of her peers' knowledge?
After the escape, the group had talked with Duplica and decided on a mass interview with most of the group and a smaller one for Gary, his sister and grandfather (Samuel knew of the group's tactics and had willingly agreed to keep the secret, even going to far as to acquiescence to interview with his grandchildren for Duplica's magazine, Pokémon Extravaganza!). The interviews themselves had taken over two and a half hours to do, as other reporters kept butting into Duplica's time, hoping to throw the young woman so far off her game that they could jump in and steal the spotlight and, therefore, the pay raises that came with interviewing the now famous trainers. To their absolute horror, Officer Jenny and a contingent of her fellow police had shown up out of nowhere and proceeded to create a barricade between the reporters and their prey. Misty had later stated that it was a shame that not one of the reporters had attempted to storm the police barricade; the reward of watching one of them get arrested would have well been worth the mass chaos of the day. Gary had fervently agreed.
Finally, Duplica had come down to the last question for the three Oaks: "So, you three. What does the future hold for you all?"
Samuel crossed his arms and nodded his head, thinking whereas May instantly piped in with a promise to continue operating her line of Pokémon Fashion Accessories, among them barrettes and embroidered ribbons for both Coordinators and trainers.
"I, for one, plan to continue working here in Pallet Town on my research; after all, my goal of completing the Pokédex has yet to be fulfilled. There are just so many more Pokémon being found that it's become quite the task to keep track of them." Samuel's eyes glittered with the thought of his continuing research. "I have also had thoughts of once more taking up my old hobby of sketching."
Duplica was surprised, as were Gary and May. "You sketch, Professor?"
Samuel nodded. "Of course, as in my youth I found that sketching Pokémon gave them time to develop an interest in me, or at least, what I was drawing." This drew chuckles. "I haven't really picked up any charcoal, my preferred medium, for years now, but I believe that now would be a good time to take a second look at it." Grinning, he finished, "I might even attempt to draw out some of my Pokémon Poems for younger children." Dawn Valen, who was sitting off to the side grinned wildly, already anticipating just how much money she'd need to buy the volume of illustrated Pokémon Poems from Samuel Oak. Her date, Barry Rowan (Professor Rowan of Sinnoh's nephew) merely groaned half-heartedly at his girlfriend's too excited face.
Duplica smiled, nodding in agreement with the Professor. Turning to Gary, she asked him the same question. Gary thought for a moment, eyes lidded before responding.
"Well, beyond my plans for the creation of the small library here in Pallet Town, I also want to expand the inter-regional contact between young trainers." He motioned for the camera to pan over his gathered group of friends; the Machoke (a Ditto in disguise) who was holding the camera did so. "As you can see, I have friends from every region that we know of at the moment, spanning from Kanto to Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, the Orange and Sevii Islands, and even the Orre Region (Rui waved from her spot next to her husband Wes, who merely nodded). Together, we've all accomplished such great things, but there's more to be done. I've been talking with the Professors from all of the regions and with Celio's help (said bespectacled man waved) we've been working on a much more reliable communication system for young trainers to have to not only connect with their peers in other regions but also trade Pokémon across long distances." Gary paused, not noticing how spellbound his audience had become at hearing the large plans that the young Professor had.
"I also want to try to mix Pokémon Coordinating with Training, as I've discovered over the years that training Pokémon in appeals can also lead to improved battling performances." Ash and the Pokémon Coordinators in attendance all nodded their heads in agreement. Looking up, he saw all of the awed looks he was getting from the audience watching the interview and, grinning sheepishly ended by saying, "I guess that I have really big dreams."
Duplica shook her head. "Don't mind them, Gary. I, for one, can't wait to see what you do." With a wink, Duplica wrapped up the interview and let the large group go, and with one quick change later appeared next to Brock as his date, earning a smile of appreciation for all she'd done that day. Mini-Dit joined its trainer as the two walked off to a private corner to negotiate the terms for her stunt as a reporter, to which Duplica was sure she was going to win.
Gary stretched as he stood up and, looking over at Misty motioned with his head for her to follow him. She grinned and gestured for him to wait a moment while she retrieved something. As the auburn-haired gym leader rushed to do this, Ash came up to his best friend and held out a hand.
"See? I told you that everything would be fine," Ash commented grinning. Gary, returning the grin with a smirk shook his friend's hand. Then, spotting someone over Ash's shoulder, he had a brainstorm.
"So, Ash. You mean to tell me that all that talk earlier of you skipping the formal Induction Ceremony for becoming the Indigo League's new Pokémon Master was true?"
Ash, falling for the bait grinned and placed his arms behind his head. "Yep. I figured that I had better things to do than standing on stage for a few hours, totally bored with the long-winded speeches and all." He stiffened when a hand descended on his shoulder and squeezed.
"Ash. So good to see you again," Lance Thorn, the former Pokémon League Champion of the Indigo League had a rather eerie grin on his face that freaked Ash out. "I recently learned that you purposely skipped the Induction Ceremony, and that just won't do. It will have to be rectified as tradition must be followed." As he steered Ash away to, uh, talk to him, Gary smirked in amusement; said smirk widened when Lance snagged Ritchie as well, obviously figuring that Ash's second-in-command was to participate and, considering that it'd been his idea for Ash to skip, the ceremony was to be for him too.
"What happened?" Misty asked as she returned with something in a bag. Gary shrugged.
"Lance figured out that Ash skipped the Induction Ceremony and is out for revenge." Misty watched, wide-eyed, as the flame-haired Dragon Tamer walked towards a secluded corner of the patio where the rest of the Indigo League was waiting, smirks on their faces.
"I don't pity him at all, then. Idiot should've known better," Misty airily responded looping an arm through Gary's. "Now, what did you want?"
Gary smiled down at his girlfriend and tugged on her arm, prompting her to follow him. As they snuck into the Pokémon Reserve that his grandfather had set up, Misty's three sisters and Gary's lone sister watched the pair go, a surefire knowledge of what was going to happen flickering in their eyes.
Pokémon Reserve, Oak Homestead, Pallet Town, Kanto Region; 12 July 2010, 4:50 PM
"Gary, what is going on?" Misty asked grinning as her boyfriend's Blastoise came to greet her, eyes sparkling.
Gary didn't respond for a moment, scratching behind his starter Pokémon's ear, causing a growl of contentment to emerge from the water turtle.
"Gary?"
Gary started at being prodded by his girlfriend, who grinned unabashedly at him in response. Fingering the back of his neck nervously, he said, "Uh, Mist. If I ask you a question, will you answer it?"
Misty tilted her head, oblivious to the hidden message in Gary's words. "Sure I will. First, though, I have a gift for you."
Gary blinked. "A gift? Red, you know that you didn't have to do that." He accepted it nonetheless, figuring that the gym leader knew that whenever presented with a gift, Gary couldn't turn it down. It just wasn't in his nature to do so.
"Open it!" Misty chirped followed by a nod from Blastoise. Gary shrugged and, pulling off the ribbon he paused, a smirk lightening his face. Looking up, he motioned for Misty to turn around and when she did so, confused, he pulled her hair back into a ponytail, draping it over her shoulder, the ringlets falling in waves.
"There. Much better." He then tore into the paper with relish, ignoring his girlfriend's odd look. Opening the small box, his breath hitched. "Red, what is this?"
Misty rolled her eyes and, reaching for the box drew out an engraved necklace in the shape of a yin-yang symbol. "It's a necklace, idiot, and it's special because it's engraved," Gary looked closer and saw that it was indeed engraved with the message Together Forever, "and because its splits apart." She broke the symbol in two, showing that each half was strung onto a black cord, with the two halves made up of shades of blue, each representing the other in some shape or form.
"So, one half for me and the other for you?" Gary questioned accepting his half, which was dark blue except for a dot or two of aquamarine green and placing it around his neck. Misty nodded as she took her half, aquamarine green with specks of dark blue and went to place it on her neck.
"Wait. Let me." Gary snatched Misty's half from her hands and, ignoring her outraged look turned around for a moment. When he turned around, he placed the necklace on Misty's neck, admiring the sheen of the colors for a moment before opening his palm; Misty's gasp of astonishment made him smile.
"Misty, I know that it's sudden, and I guess it's not really romantic here in the Pokémon Reserve," Blastoise snorted obviously disagreeing, "but I wanted to ask you a question and, I hope, receive an answer." Holding up a small gold ring with a sapphire cut into the shape of a teardrop, surrounded by two white quartz pieces, creating the illusion of a wave, Gary took a breath and asked, "Misty Rose Waterflower, will you marry me?"
Misty's answer wasn't verbal; she ended up tackling him in a fierce kiss that sent the two of them into a nearby pond, the splash causing Blastoise to roll his eyes in amusement.
"I guess that's a yes?" Gary asked jokingly as he slid the ring onto Misty's finger. Misty's look was all he needed for him to chuckle and press another kiss to his fiancée, knowledgeable in the fact that the art of giving was still alive and well, even if it ended up with his taking an impromptu trip into a pond.