You know the drill. I don't own Pokemon or anything like that. If I did, it wouldn't be FAN FICTION, would it?
Prologue
Footsteps echoed through the empty streets of Olivine City as he ran through, looking for a safe spot to hide out. He had trouble seeing through the black night sky, but he managed to find an opening under the famous Olivine Dock. He stumbled onto the rocks beneath one of the many wooden structures, only holding his tears back in sniffles. He sat on the cold, jagged stones and finally let himself cry. He ran his fingers through his sandy-colored hair, pushing the dark gray hood off and lowering his head. He pulled in a quavering breath, then let it go in several throaty sobs.
He knew he'd find himself in this situation again. He always ended up there. Hiding in a back alley, behind a Pokemon center, wherever he could find privacy. He never let anyone see him cry, not even his Pokemon. He had been that way as far back as he could remember. He knew that, judging by the self-confident image he always put out to impress people, he couldn't afford to cry. At least, not that anyone knew about. But there he was, once again, sulking in his own hunger for approval and loathing of rejection.
No. It wasn't the rejection he loathed. It was the one who sucked in the praise. The praise that he felt rightfully belonged to him. The recognition that he spent his entire existence striving for, only to be given to someone else. That someone else was the reason he always found himself hiding his tearstained face from the world.
As he drooped his head between his knees, he remembered the events to drive him into hiding once again.
__ __ __
He scurried around the South part of Olivine, searching for the payphone he had seen earlier. Eventually he found it by the Pokemon Center, and ran into the booth. as he dug through his pockets for change, he pulled out badge case along with the money. He opened the gold case to take another look at his brand-new Mineral badge. It was his twentieth badge, and so he felt he needed to tell the person that he was closest to--the person that it all started with--Professor Oak.
After admiring the badge he had just won, he shoved the coins into the phone and pushed the numbers he had memorized so well. He stood impatiently, waiting for the connection. When the picture finally came on, he saw Tracey standing in front of the computer.
"Oh, hi Gary. I was about to give my automated answer, but..."
"Mhm. Just let me talk to Grandpa," he insisted. Gary had never been too fond of Tracey, and working as his Grandfather's right hand didn't help that image.
"I'm sorry, but he's not here now. He's in Greenfield. I thought you knew that," he answered calmly.
"Greenfield?! What's he doing there, And how would I know that?"
"I thought he would've gotten in contact with you to tell you... Oh, well. He must have been too busy," Tracey kept his obnoxious smile plastered on his face. "Well, he went to Greenfield to help with the problem there."
"What problem?" Gary questioned, perplexed.
"Haven't you been watching the news or reading the papers or anything like that?"
"I'm a little too busy for that. Now will you just tell me what the hell he's doing?"
"There was some weird crystallization taking over the place, relating t some legendary species of Pokemon. He went to help because it involved an old student of his--"
"He didn't bother to tell me any of this?" he interrupted, becoming more angry than impatient.
"As I was saying," Tracey continued through his teeth, keeping his temper. He wasn't exactly Gary's attitude, either. "It's all okay now. Ash and his friends settled the score, and now they're celebrating. I think the Professor will be back in a couple of days. Do you want me to give him a message?"
Gary's heart sank. His Grandfather didn't have the time to hear about Gary's victory because he was celebrating with Ash. Ash, who had--of course--performed another courageous, worldwide deed. Ash was better than him once again. At least in Professor Oak's eyes, and that's what most to Gary. He looked down at the case that was still in his hand. Earning twenty badges seemed so insignificant now.
"No... No message. Just... Forget I called, okay?"
"Well, don't you even--" he cut Tracey off by hanging up the line.
He couldn't stand it. His Grandfather didn't even tell him about Greenfield. He knew he could have helped if he was given the chance, but once again, Ash was called on and Gary was forgotten. The glory was in Ash's hands. He stuffed his case back in his pocket, pulled his hood over his head and ran into the streets.
__ __ __
His thoughts of the past half hour were interrupted by a pattering noise overhead. Gary snapped back into reality and peered through the side of the old wood. His face was splattered by several rain drops. Wonderful. He had nowhere to stay tonight and it was raining. He guessed staying under the dock was the best choice he had. He took in a deep breath to calm his crying. Once he was breathing steadily, he pulled himself into a ball on his side. He pulled his gray cloak over his shivering body and tried to clear his mind so he could sleep.
Chapter One
"Go, Ariados!" the boy called as he threw his first Pokeball into the grass. Gary watched as the giant red spider appeared among the white glow from the Pokeball. It emitted a shrill cry as it jumped into fighting position. The teenager holding Ariados' Pokeball smirked at Gary, silently flaunting his well-trained Pokemon. The gleam in the boy's eyes stared back at him, as if challenging him all over again.
"All right, but you asked for it," Gary chuckled as he whipped a red and white ball from his Pokebelt. He threw the Pokeball up a few inches and grabbed hold of it again, then finally released it. "Hitmonchan, I choose you!"
The Pokeball stopped in midair and released a similar white light--then returned to Gary's hand--letting a Pokemon form on the ground from it. It wore a purple fighting robe and red boxing gloves, standing about a foot taller than the spider.
"Hah! Don't you know fighting types have weak attacks against poison types?!" the other trainer laughed Gary and the Pokemon that stood before him.
"Oh, I know that," Gary smirked. "Hitmonchan! Fire Punch!" he called out, pointing to Ariados. Hitmonchan ran towards the spider, his fist burning up. He hit it full-blast with a punch from his flaming fist. Ariados flew backwards, landing on its back. "I also know that thing is part bug!"
The other trainer growled and ordered his Pokemon back up. "Come on, Ariados! Sludge Bomb attack!"
The spider jumped back to its feet and pointed up its thorax, releasing a poison ball. It attacked Hitmonchan in the face, almost throwing him back, but he kept his feet firm. Sludge Bomb was a powerful attack, but it'd take more than that to take down one of Gary Oak's powerful Pokemon.
"All right, Hitmonchan. You know what to do. Counter it!"
Hitmonchan's body began to carry a white glow as he charged to Ariados once more. "Hitmon...." he called, bringing his strength up as he reached the Pokemon who was slowly backing away from him. "Chan!" he threw his fist hard onto the bottom of the other Pokemon, sending it straight into the sky.
The other trainer gasped, his eyes on his airborne Pokemon. He held up the Pokeball in his hand and called Ariados back, keeping it from the further pain of landing.
"Great job, Hitmonchan! Return," Gary put out the Pokeball and watched Hitmonchan envelop in the light as he returned to his Pokeball. "You're good, but I don't think you're good enough."
"This battle's not over yet..." the boy stumbled on his words for a minute.
"Gary. My name's Gary," he laughed, realizing that they hadn't even introduced themselves.
"Right. By the way, I'm Brad..." the other trainer answered with a similar laugh. "Okay then, Gary, I'm just getting started," Brad pulled another Pokeball from the side of his backpack and pushed the button in the center, expanding it to full size.
"Don't get too confident," Gary warned, doing the same with another one of his Pokeballs.
"We'll see who's overconfident. It's your turn, Blastoise!" Brad released the Pokeball in his hand, revealing a huge turtle with two cannons growing from the top of its shell. Gary was familiar with Blastoises; he had one of his own at his Grandfather's lab. Blastoise raised his head, showing his full height. Gary was taken aback when he saw that this Blastoise was even taller than him. It was obviously very well-trained, whereas his own Blastoise was at least two inches shorter than him.
"Hm, pretty impressive," he commented before bringing out his second Pokemon. "Go, Skarmory!" he threw the Pokeball into the playing field. The silver bird spread her steel feathers and cried out, ready for battle. Skarmory stood at about equal height with Brad's Blastoise. "Steel Wing attack, Skarmory!"
Skarmory jumped into the air and dashed to Blastoise, cutting him with her wings. Blastoise kept himself aware and shot the bird down with a headbutt.
"Good, Blastoise! Now give it another!"
"Skarmory, evade it by flying!"
Blastoise threw itself at Skarmory once more, but Skarmory flew above the turtle's head and tried to slam back down on the moving target. She missed and ended up behind him, completely vulnerable. Blastoise quickly turned around and shoved her onto the ground.
"Hang on, Skarmory! Try a Drill Peck!"
Skarmory heard her trainer's command and got back on her feet. Blastoise charged at her again, but she met his charge with her attack. Blastoise fell backwards, as he had been off-guard and wasn't expecting the attack. He got back on his feet, and Skarmory jumped back into the sky before he could attack her again.
"Hydro Pump it!" Brad screamed, upset that the bird hadn't gone down yet.
Blastoise pulled out the cannons in his shell and took aim at the Pokemon flying above him. Although Skarmory was moving around to avoid it, Blastoise quickly saw her pattern and chose the exact time to fire.
Gary's jaw dropped as he watched one of his most reliable Pokemon hit the ground like a ton of bricks. "All right, Skarmory. Return," the bird went back into her Pokeball to get some much-needed rest.
"As I was saying..." Brad smiled as he called back his victorious Blastoise. "We'll see who's cocky in the next round. Bring out your best, I'll bet I could take it down."
"You're gonna get it now, Brad," Gary smirked to himself. "Just remember, you told me to use my best."
The older teenager laughed at this comment. "You really don't know what you're getting into," Brad decided to conclude the warnings with that and start the last round that he was so sure he'd win. He already had the Pokeball of his favorite Pokemon in his hand. "Electrode, go!" he threw the Pokeball high. The Pokemon resembling an upside-down Pokeball with eyes and a mouth appeared on the ground.
"Electrode," it called in an electronic voice, rolling around once and returning to its original position.
Gary pressed the catch in the center of his Pokeball and held it next to his face, a confident look in his eye. "This Pokemon won me my Mineral Badge yesterday. I choose you," he slung his arm back into position, "Eevee!" he shouted while throwing his final Pokeball in front of Electrode. The small dog formed in the center of the field, looking just as eager as his trainer.
"Hm, it's cute. But I don't think it could match up to me Electrode's strength."
"'Cute' is the least of Eevee's features. Eevee, start it off with a Quick Attack!"
Eevee charged at Electrode and hit it head-on. Electrode rolled backwards before meeting Eevee's attack with one of its own. He jumped back and over the ball, surprising Brad. Electrode was one of the fastest Pokemon in existence and this little animal just dodged its fastest attack.
"Mud-Slap, Eevee!"
He turned around in midair and landed facing Electrode. He kicked up mud into Electrode, stinging the electric-type with the ground-type move. Mud-Slap wasn't very strong, though; its main aspect was reducing accuracy. While Electrode was shaking off the last attack, Gary ordered a Swift attack and the round Pokemon was attacked by a shower of stars.
"All right, Electrode. It's our turn now!" Brad called. His Pokemon had already taken a beating, but it was still ready to go on. "Thunder attack!"
Large lighting bolts filled the field in which the two Pokemon were battling. But with Eevee's natural evasiveness and the affects of Mud-Slap--along with Thunder being an unreliable move to begin with--it completely missed the little dog.
"Try Rollout!"
Electrode rolled straight towards Eevee at full speed. Eevee was sent into the air once, but when it came around to hit him again, Eevee jumped over it.
"Eevee! Take Down attack!"
Eevee braced his feet on the ground, then charged into Electrode. He slammed into Electrode with full attack power, finishing the Pokemon off.
Brad just stared for a minute, glaring at the proud little Pokemon that had just taken out the best member of his team. "Return, Electrode," he sighed as he called it back before it had time to explode. The boy looked over at the trainer who had just beat him, who was inviting his Eevee onto his shoulder.
"You were Awesome, Eevee," he congratulated the Pokemon who was looking at his trainers face, wagging his bushy tail.
"I have to hand it to you, Gary. You were pretty good."
"You should never underestimate a great trainer," he answered with a grin. "Maybe we'll battle again sometime. And you better train that Electrode," he smirked at Brad.
"Oh, don't worry. I will, you can count on that. Next time you won't be so lucky," he laughed.
"I'll be prepared," Gary smiled. "Come on, Eevee. Let's head back to town for a while."
With that, Gary and Eevee disappeared onto the path back to Olivine. Once he was out of sight, Brad headed the opposite direction, hoping to reach the Pokemon Center in Mahogany Town.
__ __ __
"You know, you really were great," Gary praised Eevee once more as he approached the Pokemon Center. He buried his hand under the end of his tunic-like shirt to grab the Pokeball of the one who needed to be healed. "I just wish that Blastoise went a little easier on Skarmory..." he stared down at the compressed ball between his fingers, thinking about how his treasured Skarmory had been taken down. He enclosed the ball in the palm of his hand and ran up to the Center, Eevee still perched on his shoulder.
He pushed the doors open as he and Eevee strode through, as if they were the heroes of the town. Gary never hesitated to show when he was happy with himself, and Eevee--taking on his traits--was the same way as it stood up straight, trying to impress the only two other people sitting in the lobby. The duo made their way to the front counter and Gary sat Skarmory's Pokeball down.
"My Pokemon needs to be revived," he stated firmly.
"Of course," Nurse Joy smiled before doing a double take. "Wait a minute. Isn't that the Eevee that won against Jasmine's Steelix yesterday?"
Gary grinned to himself while keeping a calm exterior. It wasn't common that a Normal type beat a Steel type, but it was even more rare that something Eevee's size and form could take on a Steelix. It wasn't surprising that the Nurse at the Pokemon Center that probably healed Steelix heard about the event. "Yes, actually. We did win a Mineral badge yesterday, now that you mention it."
Joy leaned over the counter to pet Eevee. "It's amazing something so cute can be so strong," she giggled.
"Well, Eevee's been with me since it was a baby... I imagine it caught on to my strategies," Gary continued to take in the flattery with open arms.
"Well, I'll revive your Pokemon right away. I just wanted to congratulate you," the Nurse picked up the Pokeball that had been placed before her and disappeared into the back.
Gary headed to the seats in the lobby and sat down on a bench next to a young boy with a Sentret in his lap. Sentret looked up at Eevee, then Gary, then to her trainer. She nudged her trainer gently, pointing to Eevee once she got his attention. The boy did the same relay as his Pokemon.
"Hey, did that Eevee really win against a Steelix?" the child's rasp voice curiously asked the older trainer with the Eevee.
Gary turned to the boy with a smile, realizing that he must have overheard him talking with Nurse Joy. "He sure did. He beat the gym leader's Steelix with flying colors. Earned me my twentieth badge," he figured if his Grandfather wouldn't listen, he could attempt to give this kid some sappy, inspiring speech about it.
"Wow! Twenty badges?! I only have one!" the boy picked up a backpack from the floor and pointed to the Hive badge arranged on the side. "My name's Adam. What's yours?"
"I'm Gary," he pointed his thumb up to the Pokemon on his shoulder. "And this, of course, is Eevee. How long have you been training Pokemon?"
"I just started two weeks ago. I'm getting my Totodile healed right now."
"A Totodile? They're pretty hard to handle for a rookie..."
"Not this one," Adam smiled. "He obeys all of my commands."
"You must have gotten a well-bred one," Gary commented, then turned his attention to the raccoon-like Pokemon in Adam's lap. "Do you mind if I take a look at your Sentret?"
"Sure," Adam lifted Sentret and placed her in Gary's open hands. "She's cute, huh?"
Gary responded with a nod, then proceeded to examine the Pokemon. She seemed exceptionally strong for a Pokemon of her kind. "How long have you had this Pokemon?"
"Three days. She won against the Spearow that beat Totodile."
He had the thing for three days and she beat a Pokemon a Totodile couldn't take down. "You're gonna do great, Adam," he predicted wholeheartedly as he placed Sentret back into her trainer's lap.
"Thanks, Gary," Adam blushed, stroking Sentret's back. "I'll bet your family's pretty proud of you earning twenty badges. When I beat the Azalea gym leader, my parents were really happy for me, and my sister gave me a Hoppip that she caught! I felt really good about winning the battle."
Gary stared down for a minute, reflecting on what happened the night before. This kid got praised to no end after winning his first badge. Gary had twenty and couldn't even get hold of his Grandfather to tell him. As for his parents... He didn't even bother to tell them about his accomplishments. "I felt really good about winning the battle," Adam's scratchy voice ran through Gary's head again. He felt embarrassed for being so happy about his Mineral badge. Why? Because it seemed inferior to what Ash had been up to. That's what his Grandfather cared about. But he and Eevee had just swept away a trainer with a tough Electrode. He felt great about that, and he hadn't even cared to say anything to his Grandfather. Why was he letting himself be held back?
He was snapped back into reality my questioning, "Ee" in his ear. He turned his head to the side to look at Eevee, who looked concerned. He looked back at Adam, who seemed to be expecting a comment.
"Yeah, it's nice to have family to support you. Remember that," he smiled, waving his finger in front of the young trainer. "Can you excuse me for a minute, Adam? I have to make a phone call."
"Okay, I'm not going anywhere until Totodile gets back," Adam politely answered, watching the older trainer walk to the door. "Oh wait, Gary?"
He turned in his tracks back to the boy. "Yeah, Adam?"
"Can you give me some tips on how to beat Jasmine?"
Gary smiled at him. It seemed almost absurd for a rookie to battle a great gym leader like Jasmine, but he had a hunch about this kid. "Sure. I'll tell you what I know about her technique."
"Thanks," Adam called as Gary left the Center.
Gary returned to the phone booth that he used the previous night. After stepping in the booth, he head another gentle cry from Eevee. He realized that he was still on his shoulder, and didn't know what had happened. "Come on, Eevee. Back inside," he called the dog back into his Pokeball, who reluctantly let him.
He proceeded to call his Grandfather's lab again, this time not intending to brag about his badges. Once again, Tracey answered the phone.
"Thank you for ca--Gary," he gasped.
"What? Do I have a a third eye?" he started feeling his forehead, mocking Tracey.
"Sorry. I just wanted to talk to you about--"
"Yeah, well I wanted to talk, too. I wanna leave Grandpa a message."
"Okay..." he invited him to continue, slightly confused.
"Yeah. Tell him I'm not calling in anymore. Tell him that if I'm not worth his time, if I don't match up to his expectations when I'm doing the best I fucking can, I don't have time for him. I'm through with this," Gary waited for a couple of seconds just to see the astonished look on Tracey's face, then hung up.
He slammed the door to the phone booth behind him as he walked back to the Pokemon center. He wasn't angry anymore; in fact, he felt relieved. He finally said it. He had wanted to tell his Grandfather how he felt for a long time, but never had the balls to say anything to him. He kept those thoughts compressed for three years, and it felt good to finally sum it all up.
When Gary returned to the Pokemon Center, he saw Adam crouched down, looking under the chair he had been sitting in earlier. He walked up to the boy, trying to see what he was looking at. "I give up. What are you doing?"
Adam jumped at the sound of his voice, barely avoiding bumping is head. He looked up and saw the trainer he had been talking to earlier. "Oh hi," he laughed. "Sentret's playing a game. She won't come out."
Gary knelt down with Adam, seeing Sentret clinging to a leg on the chair. The little Pokemon suddenly lunged onto Adams face, giggling wildly.
"Ah! Sentret!" Adam laughed, trying to pry the Pokemon off of his face.
The noise of the swinging doors behind the counter opening suddenly came through the Center. Gary and Adam looked up to see Nurse Joy holding two Pokeballs. "Your Pokemon are all right, boys," She held one Pokeball out in the direction of each trainer. Gary took Skarmory's ball and attached it back to his Pokebelt. Adam finally got the raccoon off of him and came to the counter.
"Thanks for taking care of--Hey!" the Pokeball in the Nurse's hand was suddenly taken away by the man who had been sitting in the corner, who was now making a run for the door. Adam growled as he turned around, ready to run after him.
Before Adam could do anything, Gary had already grabbed one of his Pokeballs and threw it in front of the man. "Houndoom! Go!"
A large black dog formed in front of him, head lowered and snarling. The man slowly backed away from the dog, trying to keep away from the people standing in the Center. Houndoom's slender paws spread and he crouched down, ready to attack.
"Houndoom, crunch attack!" Gary shouted to the Pokemon.
Houndoom drew his threatening jaws open and lunged to the man holding Totodile's Pokeball. The strange man dressed all in black screamed and ran back into the lobby, throwing the Pokeball into the air. Adam jumped up and caught the ball before it landed.
Gary smiled briefly at Adam's happy face, then drew his attention back to his Pokemon. "All right, get him outta here!" The soot-colored dog jumped after the man, directing him out the door. "Great job, Houndoom. Return," the Pokemon retreated into his Pokeball.
"Gary, you saved my Totodile! Thanks a lot," Adam was both grateful and impressed.
"No problem. You do what you have to," Gary, being his usual self, sucked it right in. "I really didn't want to see your Pokemon taken by Team Rocket."
"That man was from Team Rocket?" Nurse Joy sounded astonished that a Team Rocket member was in her Center.
"I've had my share of Rocket incidents. I recognized the clothes. You'd think they'd try being more inconspicuous."
"Can you give me those tips now?" Adam eagerly questioned.
"Sure, Adam. Let's take a walk and I'll tell you what I learned about Jasmine's battling," Gary put his hand on Adam's back and the two walked out of the Pokemon Center.
"Hey, Gary? I've got one other question first."
"What's that?" he looked to the younger boy.
"What's Team Rocket?"
Prologue
Footsteps echoed through the empty streets of Olivine City as he ran through, looking for a safe spot to hide out. He had trouble seeing through the black night sky, but he managed to find an opening under the famous Olivine Dock. He stumbled onto the rocks beneath one of the many wooden structures, only holding his tears back in sniffles. He sat on the cold, jagged stones and finally let himself cry. He ran his fingers through his sandy-colored hair, pushing the dark gray hood off and lowering his head. He pulled in a quavering breath, then let it go in several throaty sobs.
He knew he'd find himself in this situation again. He always ended up there. Hiding in a back alley, behind a Pokemon center, wherever he could find privacy. He never let anyone see him cry, not even his Pokemon. He had been that way as far back as he could remember. He knew that, judging by the self-confident image he always put out to impress people, he couldn't afford to cry. At least, not that anyone knew about. But there he was, once again, sulking in his own hunger for approval and loathing of rejection.
No. It wasn't the rejection he loathed. It was the one who sucked in the praise. The praise that he felt rightfully belonged to him. The recognition that he spent his entire existence striving for, only to be given to someone else. That someone else was the reason he always found himself hiding his tearstained face from the world.
As he drooped his head between his knees, he remembered the events to drive him into hiding once again.
__ __ __
He scurried around the South part of Olivine, searching for the payphone he had seen earlier. Eventually he found it by the Pokemon Center, and ran into the booth. as he dug through his pockets for change, he pulled out badge case along with the money. He opened the gold case to take another look at his brand-new Mineral badge. It was his twentieth badge, and so he felt he needed to tell the person that he was closest to--the person that it all started with--Professor Oak.
After admiring the badge he had just won, he shoved the coins into the phone and pushed the numbers he had memorized so well. He stood impatiently, waiting for the connection. When the picture finally came on, he saw Tracey standing in front of the computer.
"Oh, hi Gary. I was about to give my automated answer, but..."
"Mhm. Just let me talk to Grandpa," he insisted. Gary had never been too fond of Tracey, and working as his Grandfather's right hand didn't help that image.
"I'm sorry, but he's not here now. He's in Greenfield. I thought you knew that," he answered calmly.
"Greenfield?! What's he doing there, And how would I know that?"
"I thought he would've gotten in contact with you to tell you... Oh, well. He must have been too busy," Tracey kept his obnoxious smile plastered on his face. "Well, he went to Greenfield to help with the problem there."
"What problem?" Gary questioned, perplexed.
"Haven't you been watching the news or reading the papers or anything like that?"
"I'm a little too busy for that. Now will you just tell me what the hell he's doing?"
"There was some weird crystallization taking over the place, relating t some legendary species of Pokemon. He went to help because it involved an old student of his--"
"He didn't bother to tell me any of this?" he interrupted, becoming more angry than impatient.
"As I was saying," Tracey continued through his teeth, keeping his temper. He wasn't exactly Gary's attitude, either. "It's all okay now. Ash and his friends settled the score, and now they're celebrating. I think the Professor will be back in a couple of days. Do you want me to give him a message?"
Gary's heart sank. His Grandfather didn't have the time to hear about Gary's victory because he was celebrating with Ash. Ash, who had--of course--performed another courageous, worldwide deed. Ash was better than him once again. At least in Professor Oak's eyes, and that's what most to Gary. He looked down at the case that was still in his hand. Earning twenty badges seemed so insignificant now.
"No... No message. Just... Forget I called, okay?"
"Well, don't you even--" he cut Tracey off by hanging up the line.
He couldn't stand it. His Grandfather didn't even tell him about Greenfield. He knew he could have helped if he was given the chance, but once again, Ash was called on and Gary was forgotten. The glory was in Ash's hands. He stuffed his case back in his pocket, pulled his hood over his head and ran into the streets.
__ __ __
His thoughts of the past half hour were interrupted by a pattering noise overhead. Gary snapped back into reality and peered through the side of the old wood. His face was splattered by several rain drops. Wonderful. He had nowhere to stay tonight and it was raining. He guessed staying under the dock was the best choice he had. He took in a deep breath to calm his crying. Once he was breathing steadily, he pulled himself into a ball on his side. He pulled his gray cloak over his shivering body and tried to clear his mind so he could sleep.
Chapter One
"Go, Ariados!" the boy called as he threw his first Pokeball into the grass. Gary watched as the giant red spider appeared among the white glow from the Pokeball. It emitted a shrill cry as it jumped into fighting position. The teenager holding Ariados' Pokeball smirked at Gary, silently flaunting his well-trained Pokemon. The gleam in the boy's eyes stared back at him, as if challenging him all over again.
"All right, but you asked for it," Gary chuckled as he whipped a red and white ball from his Pokebelt. He threw the Pokeball up a few inches and grabbed hold of it again, then finally released it. "Hitmonchan, I choose you!"
The Pokeball stopped in midair and released a similar white light--then returned to Gary's hand--letting a Pokemon form on the ground from it. It wore a purple fighting robe and red boxing gloves, standing about a foot taller than the spider.
"Hah! Don't you know fighting types have weak attacks against poison types?!" the other trainer laughed Gary and the Pokemon that stood before him.
"Oh, I know that," Gary smirked. "Hitmonchan! Fire Punch!" he called out, pointing to Ariados. Hitmonchan ran towards the spider, his fist burning up. He hit it full-blast with a punch from his flaming fist. Ariados flew backwards, landing on its back. "I also know that thing is part bug!"
The other trainer growled and ordered his Pokemon back up. "Come on, Ariados! Sludge Bomb attack!"
The spider jumped back to its feet and pointed up its thorax, releasing a poison ball. It attacked Hitmonchan in the face, almost throwing him back, but he kept his feet firm. Sludge Bomb was a powerful attack, but it'd take more than that to take down one of Gary Oak's powerful Pokemon.
"All right, Hitmonchan. You know what to do. Counter it!"
Hitmonchan's body began to carry a white glow as he charged to Ariados once more. "Hitmon...." he called, bringing his strength up as he reached the Pokemon who was slowly backing away from him. "Chan!" he threw his fist hard onto the bottom of the other Pokemon, sending it straight into the sky.
The other trainer gasped, his eyes on his airborne Pokemon. He held up the Pokeball in his hand and called Ariados back, keeping it from the further pain of landing.
"Great job, Hitmonchan! Return," Gary put out the Pokeball and watched Hitmonchan envelop in the light as he returned to his Pokeball. "You're good, but I don't think you're good enough."
"This battle's not over yet..." the boy stumbled on his words for a minute.
"Gary. My name's Gary," he laughed, realizing that they hadn't even introduced themselves.
"Right. By the way, I'm Brad..." the other trainer answered with a similar laugh. "Okay then, Gary, I'm just getting started," Brad pulled another Pokeball from the side of his backpack and pushed the button in the center, expanding it to full size.
"Don't get too confident," Gary warned, doing the same with another one of his Pokeballs.
"We'll see who's overconfident. It's your turn, Blastoise!" Brad released the Pokeball in his hand, revealing a huge turtle with two cannons growing from the top of its shell. Gary was familiar with Blastoises; he had one of his own at his Grandfather's lab. Blastoise raised his head, showing his full height. Gary was taken aback when he saw that this Blastoise was even taller than him. It was obviously very well-trained, whereas his own Blastoise was at least two inches shorter than him.
"Hm, pretty impressive," he commented before bringing out his second Pokemon. "Go, Skarmory!" he threw the Pokeball into the playing field. The silver bird spread her steel feathers and cried out, ready for battle. Skarmory stood at about equal height with Brad's Blastoise. "Steel Wing attack, Skarmory!"
Skarmory jumped into the air and dashed to Blastoise, cutting him with her wings. Blastoise kept himself aware and shot the bird down with a headbutt.
"Good, Blastoise! Now give it another!"
"Skarmory, evade it by flying!"
Blastoise threw itself at Skarmory once more, but Skarmory flew above the turtle's head and tried to slam back down on the moving target. She missed and ended up behind him, completely vulnerable. Blastoise quickly turned around and shoved her onto the ground.
"Hang on, Skarmory! Try a Drill Peck!"
Skarmory heard her trainer's command and got back on her feet. Blastoise charged at her again, but she met his charge with her attack. Blastoise fell backwards, as he had been off-guard and wasn't expecting the attack. He got back on his feet, and Skarmory jumped back into the sky before he could attack her again.
"Hydro Pump it!" Brad screamed, upset that the bird hadn't gone down yet.
Blastoise pulled out the cannons in his shell and took aim at the Pokemon flying above him. Although Skarmory was moving around to avoid it, Blastoise quickly saw her pattern and chose the exact time to fire.
Gary's jaw dropped as he watched one of his most reliable Pokemon hit the ground like a ton of bricks. "All right, Skarmory. Return," the bird went back into her Pokeball to get some much-needed rest.
"As I was saying..." Brad smiled as he called back his victorious Blastoise. "We'll see who's cocky in the next round. Bring out your best, I'll bet I could take it down."
"You're gonna get it now, Brad," Gary smirked to himself. "Just remember, you told me to use my best."
The older teenager laughed at this comment. "You really don't know what you're getting into," Brad decided to conclude the warnings with that and start the last round that he was so sure he'd win. He already had the Pokeball of his favorite Pokemon in his hand. "Electrode, go!" he threw the Pokeball high. The Pokemon resembling an upside-down Pokeball with eyes and a mouth appeared on the ground.
"Electrode," it called in an electronic voice, rolling around once and returning to its original position.
Gary pressed the catch in the center of his Pokeball and held it next to his face, a confident look in his eye. "This Pokemon won me my Mineral Badge yesterday. I choose you," he slung his arm back into position, "Eevee!" he shouted while throwing his final Pokeball in front of Electrode. The small dog formed in the center of the field, looking just as eager as his trainer.
"Hm, it's cute. But I don't think it could match up to me Electrode's strength."
"'Cute' is the least of Eevee's features. Eevee, start it off with a Quick Attack!"
Eevee charged at Electrode and hit it head-on. Electrode rolled backwards before meeting Eevee's attack with one of its own. He jumped back and over the ball, surprising Brad. Electrode was one of the fastest Pokemon in existence and this little animal just dodged its fastest attack.
"Mud-Slap, Eevee!"
He turned around in midair and landed facing Electrode. He kicked up mud into Electrode, stinging the electric-type with the ground-type move. Mud-Slap wasn't very strong, though; its main aspect was reducing accuracy. While Electrode was shaking off the last attack, Gary ordered a Swift attack and the round Pokemon was attacked by a shower of stars.
"All right, Electrode. It's our turn now!" Brad called. His Pokemon had already taken a beating, but it was still ready to go on. "Thunder attack!"
Large lighting bolts filled the field in which the two Pokemon were battling. But with Eevee's natural evasiveness and the affects of Mud-Slap--along with Thunder being an unreliable move to begin with--it completely missed the little dog.
"Try Rollout!"
Electrode rolled straight towards Eevee at full speed. Eevee was sent into the air once, but when it came around to hit him again, Eevee jumped over it.
"Eevee! Take Down attack!"
Eevee braced his feet on the ground, then charged into Electrode. He slammed into Electrode with full attack power, finishing the Pokemon off.
Brad just stared for a minute, glaring at the proud little Pokemon that had just taken out the best member of his team. "Return, Electrode," he sighed as he called it back before it had time to explode. The boy looked over at the trainer who had just beat him, who was inviting his Eevee onto his shoulder.
"You were Awesome, Eevee," he congratulated the Pokemon who was looking at his trainers face, wagging his bushy tail.
"I have to hand it to you, Gary. You were pretty good."
"You should never underestimate a great trainer," he answered with a grin. "Maybe we'll battle again sometime. And you better train that Electrode," he smirked at Brad.
"Oh, don't worry. I will, you can count on that. Next time you won't be so lucky," he laughed.
"I'll be prepared," Gary smiled. "Come on, Eevee. Let's head back to town for a while."
With that, Gary and Eevee disappeared onto the path back to Olivine. Once he was out of sight, Brad headed the opposite direction, hoping to reach the Pokemon Center in Mahogany Town.
__ __ __
"You know, you really were great," Gary praised Eevee once more as he approached the Pokemon Center. He buried his hand under the end of his tunic-like shirt to grab the Pokeball of the one who needed to be healed. "I just wish that Blastoise went a little easier on Skarmory..." he stared down at the compressed ball between his fingers, thinking about how his treasured Skarmory had been taken down. He enclosed the ball in the palm of his hand and ran up to the Center, Eevee still perched on his shoulder.
He pushed the doors open as he and Eevee strode through, as if they were the heroes of the town. Gary never hesitated to show when he was happy with himself, and Eevee--taking on his traits--was the same way as it stood up straight, trying to impress the only two other people sitting in the lobby. The duo made their way to the front counter and Gary sat Skarmory's Pokeball down.
"My Pokemon needs to be revived," he stated firmly.
"Of course," Nurse Joy smiled before doing a double take. "Wait a minute. Isn't that the Eevee that won against Jasmine's Steelix yesterday?"
Gary grinned to himself while keeping a calm exterior. It wasn't common that a Normal type beat a Steel type, but it was even more rare that something Eevee's size and form could take on a Steelix. It wasn't surprising that the Nurse at the Pokemon Center that probably healed Steelix heard about the event. "Yes, actually. We did win a Mineral badge yesterday, now that you mention it."
Joy leaned over the counter to pet Eevee. "It's amazing something so cute can be so strong," she giggled.
"Well, Eevee's been with me since it was a baby... I imagine it caught on to my strategies," Gary continued to take in the flattery with open arms.
"Well, I'll revive your Pokemon right away. I just wanted to congratulate you," the Nurse picked up the Pokeball that had been placed before her and disappeared into the back.
Gary headed to the seats in the lobby and sat down on a bench next to a young boy with a Sentret in his lap. Sentret looked up at Eevee, then Gary, then to her trainer. She nudged her trainer gently, pointing to Eevee once she got his attention. The boy did the same relay as his Pokemon.
"Hey, did that Eevee really win against a Steelix?" the child's rasp voice curiously asked the older trainer with the Eevee.
Gary turned to the boy with a smile, realizing that he must have overheard him talking with Nurse Joy. "He sure did. He beat the gym leader's Steelix with flying colors. Earned me my twentieth badge," he figured if his Grandfather wouldn't listen, he could attempt to give this kid some sappy, inspiring speech about it.
"Wow! Twenty badges?! I only have one!" the boy picked up a backpack from the floor and pointed to the Hive badge arranged on the side. "My name's Adam. What's yours?"
"I'm Gary," he pointed his thumb up to the Pokemon on his shoulder. "And this, of course, is Eevee. How long have you been training Pokemon?"
"I just started two weeks ago. I'm getting my Totodile healed right now."
"A Totodile? They're pretty hard to handle for a rookie..."
"Not this one," Adam smiled. "He obeys all of my commands."
"You must have gotten a well-bred one," Gary commented, then turned his attention to the raccoon-like Pokemon in Adam's lap. "Do you mind if I take a look at your Sentret?"
"Sure," Adam lifted Sentret and placed her in Gary's open hands. "She's cute, huh?"
Gary responded with a nod, then proceeded to examine the Pokemon. She seemed exceptionally strong for a Pokemon of her kind. "How long have you had this Pokemon?"
"Three days. She won against the Spearow that beat Totodile."
He had the thing for three days and she beat a Pokemon a Totodile couldn't take down. "You're gonna do great, Adam," he predicted wholeheartedly as he placed Sentret back into her trainer's lap.
"Thanks, Gary," Adam blushed, stroking Sentret's back. "I'll bet your family's pretty proud of you earning twenty badges. When I beat the Azalea gym leader, my parents were really happy for me, and my sister gave me a Hoppip that she caught! I felt really good about winning the battle."
Gary stared down for a minute, reflecting on what happened the night before. This kid got praised to no end after winning his first badge. Gary had twenty and couldn't even get hold of his Grandfather to tell him. As for his parents... He didn't even bother to tell them about his accomplishments. "I felt really good about winning the battle," Adam's scratchy voice ran through Gary's head again. He felt embarrassed for being so happy about his Mineral badge. Why? Because it seemed inferior to what Ash had been up to. That's what his Grandfather cared about. But he and Eevee had just swept away a trainer with a tough Electrode. He felt great about that, and he hadn't even cared to say anything to his Grandfather. Why was he letting himself be held back?
He was snapped back into reality my questioning, "Ee" in his ear. He turned his head to the side to look at Eevee, who looked concerned. He looked back at Adam, who seemed to be expecting a comment.
"Yeah, it's nice to have family to support you. Remember that," he smiled, waving his finger in front of the young trainer. "Can you excuse me for a minute, Adam? I have to make a phone call."
"Okay, I'm not going anywhere until Totodile gets back," Adam politely answered, watching the older trainer walk to the door. "Oh wait, Gary?"
He turned in his tracks back to the boy. "Yeah, Adam?"
"Can you give me some tips on how to beat Jasmine?"
Gary smiled at him. It seemed almost absurd for a rookie to battle a great gym leader like Jasmine, but he had a hunch about this kid. "Sure. I'll tell you what I know about her technique."
"Thanks," Adam called as Gary left the Center.
Gary returned to the phone booth that he used the previous night. After stepping in the booth, he head another gentle cry from Eevee. He realized that he was still on his shoulder, and didn't know what had happened. "Come on, Eevee. Back inside," he called the dog back into his Pokeball, who reluctantly let him.
He proceeded to call his Grandfather's lab again, this time not intending to brag about his badges. Once again, Tracey answered the phone.
"Thank you for ca--Gary," he gasped.
"What? Do I have a a third eye?" he started feeling his forehead, mocking Tracey.
"Sorry. I just wanted to talk to you about--"
"Yeah, well I wanted to talk, too. I wanna leave Grandpa a message."
"Okay..." he invited him to continue, slightly confused.
"Yeah. Tell him I'm not calling in anymore. Tell him that if I'm not worth his time, if I don't match up to his expectations when I'm doing the best I fucking can, I don't have time for him. I'm through with this," Gary waited for a couple of seconds just to see the astonished look on Tracey's face, then hung up.
He slammed the door to the phone booth behind him as he walked back to the Pokemon center. He wasn't angry anymore; in fact, he felt relieved. He finally said it. He had wanted to tell his Grandfather how he felt for a long time, but never had the balls to say anything to him. He kept those thoughts compressed for three years, and it felt good to finally sum it all up.
When Gary returned to the Pokemon Center, he saw Adam crouched down, looking under the chair he had been sitting in earlier. He walked up to the boy, trying to see what he was looking at. "I give up. What are you doing?"
Adam jumped at the sound of his voice, barely avoiding bumping is head. He looked up and saw the trainer he had been talking to earlier. "Oh hi," he laughed. "Sentret's playing a game. She won't come out."
Gary knelt down with Adam, seeing Sentret clinging to a leg on the chair. The little Pokemon suddenly lunged onto Adams face, giggling wildly.
"Ah! Sentret!" Adam laughed, trying to pry the Pokemon off of his face.
The noise of the swinging doors behind the counter opening suddenly came through the Center. Gary and Adam looked up to see Nurse Joy holding two Pokeballs. "Your Pokemon are all right, boys," She held one Pokeball out in the direction of each trainer. Gary took Skarmory's ball and attached it back to his Pokebelt. Adam finally got the raccoon off of him and came to the counter.
"Thanks for taking care of--Hey!" the Pokeball in the Nurse's hand was suddenly taken away by the man who had been sitting in the corner, who was now making a run for the door. Adam growled as he turned around, ready to run after him.
Before Adam could do anything, Gary had already grabbed one of his Pokeballs and threw it in front of the man. "Houndoom! Go!"
A large black dog formed in front of him, head lowered and snarling. The man slowly backed away from the dog, trying to keep away from the people standing in the Center. Houndoom's slender paws spread and he crouched down, ready to attack.
"Houndoom, crunch attack!" Gary shouted to the Pokemon.
Houndoom drew his threatening jaws open and lunged to the man holding Totodile's Pokeball. The strange man dressed all in black screamed and ran back into the lobby, throwing the Pokeball into the air. Adam jumped up and caught the ball before it landed.
Gary smiled briefly at Adam's happy face, then drew his attention back to his Pokemon. "All right, get him outta here!" The soot-colored dog jumped after the man, directing him out the door. "Great job, Houndoom. Return," the Pokemon retreated into his Pokeball.
"Gary, you saved my Totodile! Thanks a lot," Adam was both grateful and impressed.
"No problem. You do what you have to," Gary, being his usual self, sucked it right in. "I really didn't want to see your Pokemon taken by Team Rocket."
"That man was from Team Rocket?" Nurse Joy sounded astonished that a Team Rocket member was in her Center.
"I've had my share of Rocket incidents. I recognized the clothes. You'd think they'd try being more inconspicuous."
"Can you give me those tips now?" Adam eagerly questioned.
"Sure, Adam. Let's take a walk and I'll tell you what I learned about Jasmine's battling," Gary put his hand on Adam's back and the two walked out of the Pokemon Center.
"Hey, Gary? I've got one other question first."
"What's that?" he looked to the younger boy.
"What's Team Rocket?"