Prior to reading, please understand the first story in this Palletshipping series is based upon a roleplay thread between the 2 authors of this account. Our versions of Ash and Gary, while true to their original canons, also involve our own histories and headcanons. Also, please understand we have purposely combined traits of Red and Green with Ash and Gary, specifically regarding Gary's Radicate on the SS Anne. Please enjoy!
The cool autumn air lapped generously along Gary's face, slipping beneath the ends of his sleeves and curling up the hem of his shirt causing the fabric to ruffle. His thick auburn hair contorted to the whim and call of the breeze, fluttering airily amongst his head. A firm vibration of caws rumbled the pit of his stomach and Gary leaned forward at this, wrapping his arms around closer to Pidgeot as she soared through the sky. Her feathers like strands of silk laced throughout his fingertips while she carried a feint scent of berries and her golden finish glowed beneath the moonlight and stars. At the base of the giant bird's neck, rested Umbreon. She sat curled at the boy's lap, clinging to his legs with trembling paws as the upper half of his body shielded her. Gary released the grip of a single hand from the flying beast, reaching down to console his starter, stroking his palm over her skull, then behind her ears. "You couldhave just gotten back in your ball, you know." He stated simply, receiving a disgruntled snarl from Umbreon that only made him smile. "Just a little farther." He spoke gently, giving the pokemon another stroke. Her rings began to glow and she purred softly, nuzzling into Gary's knee. "You'll be fine." He reassured, his tone remaining light, but certain.
Aging trees consisted of the ground below, their leaves having turned with the season, falling and crumbling amongst the earth. It looked lonely down in the forest, deserted and barren. A group of ratata peered around from a thick trunk, chirping frantically as they scampered across a small pathway into the shelter of another hollowed hiding place. Even from up high, he could see their frightened and worried faces—and in them, he saw that ghost of his Raticate…The sight unnerved Gary and he tore his emerald gaze away, refocusing his attention on the pathway before them. He wasn'tgoing to go there, and that was final.
Heading to the Power Plant had been an ease this trip around with the help of Pidgeot. It was times like these where Gary was overcome with great relief that he never removed the bird from his team so many years ago, like he had so selfishly contemplated after the showdown with Lt. Surge. And as they reached the peak of the dark tunnel, Gary thanked whatever god there might be out there, that he didn't have to go through there again. Umbreon stirred, feeling her master tense at the sight of the mountain, she remembered too—there was no doubt in Gary's mind. She butted his hand with her snout, bringing the boy back to the present. The memories left him shaken, and he looked down to her. "Good times, right?" he grumbled under his breath, receiving only another nudge from Umbreon, harder this time. His lungs deflated with a heavy, exasperated sigh. "I know, girl." He added sympathetically, bowing his head.
Rumors were going around this corner of Kanto, about a great lightening beast dwelling within the old building. A few years back, the establishment fell through the floor for a second time, however this time around there were no volunteers to pick up the remaining pieces. It was brought to attention that the area was becoming unstable and unfit for work, and seemingly out of nowhere the entire site lost power—leaving the workers jobless with no other choice than to relocate higher up the cliffside. Civilian's in Cerulean City reported a giant yellow and black bird passing over, heading east through a storm cloud- Its jagged wings silhouetted by the sparks of electricity that emitted from its body. The city lost power temporarily and it's believed that Zapdos itself was the reason behind the Power Plants downfall, having absorbed their electric source into its own body as a means for recharging. The voltage overpowered the main lines, causing the nearby cities to be without power for weeks. Even though this dilemma had long since passed, there were several more reports as of recent about the same being taking out the sky, heading out towards the old Power Plant. Gary was requested personally by his grandfather, Prof. Oak, to go investigate the building and report back to him with whatever evidence he could find. Despite his ill contempt for the electric type species in their entirety, Gary sought out the building anyway, reluctantly so. Even the great Gary Oak couldn't deny he had a soft spot for that old man…
As soon as the building came into sight, Gary brushed his hand down through the burgundy and buttery colored crown that curled out from the top of Pidgeot's head. The bird crooned, arching her neck and expanded her wings, preparing to descend. "Take it easy." He nodded down to the pokemon at his lap. "For Umbreon." After so many years of riding, Gary thought for sure Umbreon would have gotten used to the height, or at least stayed in her pokeball for the duration, despite her discomfort. But every damn time she insistedshe ride on back with Gary, and every time she was just as timid as an eevee. Though Gary couldn't exactly say he minded this, really he found it amusing. He'd never admit it out loud, but he found his starter's fear to be rather…cutetoo.
Pidgeot swooped down gracefully, her bulky wings drawing in as they sank lower to the ground. Her talons dug into the dead grass, curving down into the dirt. Umbreon was the first off, leaping down immediately as they hit land. She plopped down onto the earth, her body rolling joyfully as a content howl escaped her belly. Gary watched her trot around close by, focusing her red eyes up upon the moon, intensifying the glow of her golden rings. As he finally stepped down from Pidgeot, he turned to face his bird. She stood at nearly nine feet high, towering over Gary but fear was absent from his eyes, even as his full height merely reached her breast. He lifted his hand, and Pidgeot brought her head down, now starring her master directly in the eyes. Gary's chest constricted at the sight of the blackened crater that consisted of the left side of her face. Even after all these years later, he couldn't seem to shake off the guilt for her missing eye. But Pidgeot seemed to give her respect to Gary just as she always had—and off the record, Gary carried guilt forthat too.
"Thanks for the ride." He spoke casually, running his palm up the curve of the beast's neck, then under her beak. Gary drew out his pokeball, watching the red light spread out and consume Pidgeot, returning her to the seclude of the machine. He hooked it back onto his belt, motioning towards Umbreon with his free hand. "Let's go in."
The building was nothing more than a pile of rubble. Sections of the front walls appeared to have been blasted out, leaving behind jagged gaps of steel and glass along the edges. Dark green moss and vines spiraled up and spread amongst the remaining structure, camouflaging the hazardous ends. Gary approached with caution, listening as shards crunched beneath his shoes, sticking to the tread. He put his arm out, halting his companion. He scanned the remaining length to the door, and how much worse the debris became, realizing then that he would have to carry her in. Gary tilted his head to Umbreon, who was already looking up at him like she had been waiting, then he rolled his shoulder. "Up." He commanded, and she jumped—landing easily upon his shoulders. Her spine curled around the back of Gary's head, while her front paws perched on the right shoulder, and her back feet rested on the left. The added weight caused his back to slouch slightly and Gary huffed. "Shit, Umbreon—you might wanna think about losing a few pounds. You're gettin' kind of fat." He joked, only earning himself a playful growl and a swat to the forehead by her tail.
As soon as they were inside, Umbreon resigned from Gary's shoulders, perching on a crate that was flipped over to their right. To no surprise, the interior looked years worse that the outside. The ceiling was burdened with holes, allowing the moon light to beam down onto sections of the floor. Mold leaked from the rusted walls, while the floors remained littered with garbage. The front desk was turned on its side, along with the chairs. The top drawer protruded out with a thick role of papers and Gary took it upon himself to grab it. He unrolled the crusted documents, only to find that the frantically scribbled notes were nothing more than solid inkblots now. He gave a disinterested grunt before tossing the papers over his shoulder. Umbreon watched the papers glide to the floor, then chirped when Gary began moving again, following behind him atop an alignment of crates. The first hall was inavigable, completely submerged in rubble from head to toe. He pressed on to the second hall, growing agitated quickly. "This is pointless."His tone bit as he dragged a hand tiredly back through his hair, his eyes catching briefly on the glow that cascaded down from the gaping hole at the center of the ceiling. "Why the hell does gramp's send me out here, huh?" He grumbled on mindlessly, dropping his gaze to a door standing agape directly within the moonlight. "For something that's not even worth my time. There's nothing in here, everything is ruin—"
And then he saw it – a hairless, stripped tail coiling around the broken door frame to that room. The very memory he had been avoiding. Gary's breath hitched and he starred with wide eyes, heart thumping. Umbreon alerted, her ears perked up and her tail stuck straight out. A low growl rumbled within her throat and belly, and her golden rings brightened. She was ready to pounce. Gary stuck his hand out, stilling her as he continued to watch the form shifting around a mere few feet from them both. Its back was facing them, rounded with a caramel-brown coated fur, choppy little ears. It turned to scratch and gnaw on the doorframe, and as Gary took a single step forward, the creature whipped around. Its fur now splotched with a thick crimson substance— while its front talons were split open, rotting- and the bottom ones bent and curled back against its feet. Blood poured from the pokemon's mouth, drenching the decaying remains of its shattered fangs and mangled whiskers. It hissed and trembled, peppering the wall with blood as it screeched, snapping its tail sharply across the floor before bolting down the hall.
"Raticate!" Gary's throat cracked and despite a tiny voice telling him to run the other way, his feet propelled him forward. Umbreon was hot on his tail. He fumbled past the prominent moonlight, and back farther into the darker parts of the building. The raticate's claws scrapped along the hard floor as it ran, leaving a smeared trail of blood in its wake as its toes began to wear down and chafe. "Wait!" Gary shouted again, but the creature only continued to shriek and thrash. But as it rounded down another hall, Gary lost his footing, stumbling into the corner and collapsing down into a pile of ruble. Glass pricked his hands as he finally began to lift himself, his emerald orbs landed on a giant black and red sphere rolling directly at the end of the hall, while the raticate vanished in the flashing light. His eyes rose with panic as the electrode began closing in on them and Umbreon soared over his head suddenly. A dark mass of energy materialized as her jaw parted with a howl. She reared her head back, sending the shadow ball flying. "Umbreon, no!" Was all Gary could manage.
The force of the explosion knocked the wind right out of him, throwing Gary onto his back with a heavy thud. The smoke billowed from ceiling to floor and his lungs constricted. He turned over onto his side, shielding his face as he coughed. He fanned his arm, scanning the area frantically. "No…" he choked out, forcing up onto his trembling limbs. The fire filling up his lungs didn't matter – finding Umbreon now was the only thing that did. Gary called for her, scrambling across the floor, guiding himself through the smoke by the help of the wall. Even as the air cleared out, there was no sign of his beloved dark type. Gary's chest pounded so heavily he could feel it inside his head and was briefly taken by a wave of dizziness. He slouched half way down the wall, falling to his knees while his vision refused to peel from the hall. This can't be happening…Gary thought, his eyes trailing up to the new fracture in the ceiling—he could see the stars again. Right as his head started to drop, a camouflaged figure descended from the top—it was Umbreon.
Gary's features elated with relief as the fox-esque pokemon leapt into his lap, her weight knocking him over again. He sat up immediately, lifting his quivering arms to Umbreon's sides to examine her. "You're—you're alright?" She appeared unscathed, though her rich crimson eyes radiated back to her master with concern. "Fuck." Gary groaned, allowing his head to hit back against the wall. He ran a hand down his face, eyeing Umbreon through his parted fingertips. "You saw that, right?" He enquired aloud, while silently questioning his own sanity. A whimpering came from Umbreon and she leaned in, nuzzling Gary's cheek with a confirmation of her own—however her reaction to the phantom pokemon had not been nearly as brash as Gary chasing it down had been. Truthfully, he had no idea why he felt such a compelling need to follow after a pokemon he had buried himself years ago. Any other person with half their right mind would have high-tailed it in the other direction. Gary's Raticate was long dead, and there was no changing that.
Umbreon wriggled farther into Gary's lap, nudging his jaw with her snout. He looked down at her wearily, somehow sensing that she wanted to go south. Lavender Town was thelast place he wanted to set foot in, and the exact place he'd been avoiding—for years. He sat in silence, contemplating the idea and just as he was about to completely set against it again, Umbreon butted him. "Okay." He murmured, resting a palm against her back. "We'll go. We'll go see him."
Five years had passed since the death of Gary's raticate. He could remember the vermin pokemon's final battle like it happened only yesterday- the final strike of lightning cracking over its skull and shattering its teeth beyond repair. The memory burdened him. Eevee had been there, watching on the side lines—watching her friend lose its life because of a careless, insolate child's craving to win. Gary shouldn't have pushed Raticate so far like he had, he knew this now—but what good did it do him to be taunted by it now? There was nothing he could do, Raticate wasn't coming back. It wasn't even so much that he himself grieved the pokemon, but watching Eevee fall into a depression following the death, it truly left him shaken. Being on the gravesite now only affirmed these feelings farther, and all he could see beyond the dimly lit violet walls of the sanctuary, was how he had forced Eevee to fight as soon as Ash showed up with that little yellow rodent of his. Gary had been relentless—he had to be, right? You don't just shake hands with a murderer.
Gary traced his fingertips over the headstone, nauseated by the past. Umbreon was by his side, curling her spine around the bend of the slate. She whimpered, overcome by loss as the old wound re-opened, fresh as the day it had been cut. Her rings began to dim. Gary bowed his head at this, auburn locks covering his eyes. It took Raticate dying before he could even begin to cherish its life, and here his partner was now, still grieving like it had only happened yesterday. He had been so shallow, so careless. What was this he was feeling now? Guiltperhaps-shame.
"I know." Gary whispered, feeling Umbreon bump his arm with her forehead. "He was a good friend to you." Her cries began to soften and Gary cupped his palm between her ears, raking his fingers back through her fur gently. She began purring instantly and the vibrations sent a chill straight up through his wrist. "I'm…I'm sorry, girl." His voice fell soft, and the words felt foreign on his tongue. Gary Oak couldn't even recall the last time he uttered an apology to anyone, ever.
Just as he returned his arms to his lap, the sudden grinding of rusted metal filled his ears as the door to the second floor buckled beneath its weakened hinges. Gary wiped his face, remaining in his crossed-legged and slumped position, unphased by what he presumed was one of the towers caretakers coming in for a shift.
"Uh, sorryabout that—"Gary began, while his eyes stayed leveled with the stone in front of him a moment before finally turning to the left. "I sorta just let myself in. Don't worry, I won't be l—" Umbreon bolted over the headstone then, standing guard in front of her master, the light of her rings intensifying as they flashed. A snarl contorted her structure and she growled wickedly—the fur along her spine pricked. From across the room sparks flickered, popping and crackling against the floor. Gary rose unsteadily to his feet as his heart palpitated within his ribcage. He felt light headed again.
Gary stuck his hand out. "Wait." He demanded sternly, eying Umbreon through his peripheral. Her golden rings flashed rapidly and she snapped her jaw towards the pikachu—rearing for an opportunity to sink her teeth in, but obeyed Gary's command no less.
Of all the times to see that face—why did it have to be hereand now? What bothered Gary the most of all, was that this time seeing his rival here, he felt no furry—but somehow…relieved.
"Ash." Gary's emerald eyes hooked directly with the darkness of the ravenette's – he felt sick. "I was—" He cleared his throat, hardening his gaze. "I was just leaving."