By Nyassa Kaiba
Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon. I DO own Damon, Pythias and Duel. They're my characters. I don't own the Tatu songs that I used either.
The Fic
Ash was out for a night walk. He knew who he was hoping to see. Gary. For some reason he'd been drawn to Gary lately, ever since they'd run into each other at the Silver Conference preliminaries.
But it was not Gary that he saw at the rock. A girl was sitting there. "Hi." She said with a smile. This girl wore baggy pants, a striped turtleneck tank top, almost like a sailor, and a blue bandana with a ship's compass shaped like the letter 'A'. A small blue and white flying pokemon sat on her shoulder. "I'm Duel of Team Aqua. This is my Wingull, Gulliver."
"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town." Ash said with a sigh as he and Pikachu sat down. "I'm sorry if I disturbed your training. I was looking for somebody."
"Well, you didn't. I've finished my training for the night. I've got my first match in the Tourney tomorrow. My father Archie, the leader of Team Aqua will be coming tomorrow morning."
"What's Team Aqua?" Ash asked.
"Well, we're a group of elite water pokemon trainers from the Hoen Region with a common goal. We're out to capture the legendary pokemon of the tides, Kyogre and protect all water pokemon." Duel looked up at the moon with a glow of pride on her face. "Um… well… my training is finished for the night, but maybe you could help a friend of mine. His name's Damon, he's from Team Rocket, but he's got his badges fair and square. He's desperately trying to raise his Pupitar into a Tyrannotaur overnight. I'm telling him that it can't be done, but do you think you could humor him by battling him?"
"I suppose." Ash said, standing up. "What do you think Pikachu? Should we blast some Rocket's tonight?"
Pikachu grinned wickedly. "Pikachu!" Sparks flew from it's cheeks it was so excited.
"Great, thank you, you won't regret this I promise!" Duel exclaimed. She stood up, almost knocking Gulliver off of her arm. "Sorry Gulliver."
Ash followed Duel at a half run. "Damon, I found a new opponent for you."
Damon was black, with his hair in a black du-rag instead of the usual black beret of Team Rocket. Other than that his rocket uniform was the same as every other grunt that Ash had encountered. His friend Pythias was curled up on the ground. Pythias's arm was curled around a Raichu and he was half asleep, his pokemon nodding off as well.
"Hm… just a pikachu huh?" Damon asked. "Hey Pythias, rise and shine koibito!"
Pythias blinked awake. Ash did a double take. Koibito was lover wasn't it? Ash thought that guys only went with girls. Or so you'd think if Brock was any indication.
Pythias yawned. He was also wearing a Team Rocket uniform. But it was the usual black on black with red markings. Still, a tiny pin that Ash recognized as a badge was pinned to his shoulder. The badge looked like a tiny rainbow flag. Damon was wearing the same badge on his right shoulder.
"Alright! I'm Damon of Team Rocket. This is my boyfriend and partner in crime Pythias." Damon nodded jovially in Pythias' direction.
"Boyfriend?" Ash asked, eyes round.
"Sure." Pythias yawned. "We're gay and we're together and the Boss doesn't care as long as we bring in the haul." Ash looked worried. "Oh don't worry, we don't steal pokemon. We're good enough at catching wild ones so that we don't have to." Pythias explained. "But Damon wanted to raise his Pupitar into a Tyrannotaur in one night, so we're up late battling everybody else who's up late."
"Besides, our focus right now is the silver conference." Damon said, with a grin that Ash had had plastered on his face plenty of teams. "Ready to battle Ash?" Damon asked, pulling out a pokeball.
"Ready when you are!" Ash growled. He needed a grass or a water type.
"The battle will be one on one," Pythias said, taking a red and a blue bandana from his pocket. "I'm referee."
"Right, Pupitar! I choose you!"
"Bayleaf! Go for it!" Ash threw out Bayleef's pokeball.
Pupitar looked rather tired, Ash thought. This match ought to be over fast. But Ash knew how powerful dark type pokemon were, especially at night. And he knew that the longer this match lasted, the worse the odds were that he'd win.
"Pupitar! Underground!" Damon ordered.
"Brace yourself bayleaf!" Ash cried.
Damon's pupitar dove underground, whirling like a drill. "Get ready Bayleaf, here it comes!"
"Pupitar! Take down attack!" Pupitar came up, directly under Bayleaf, ramming it with it's spikey shell.
"Bayleaf! Slow it down with sweet scent!" Ash shouted.
The wind began to turn pink. Pupitar happily sniffed the air.
"Pupitar don't just stand there! Crunch attack!"
"Bayleaf dodge it!" Ash cried. A ball of black energy shot towards it. But Bayleaf was too slow. It hit head on!
The smoke cleared on the battlefield. Bayleaf was struggling to rise. "Pupitar! Underground!" Pupitar dove under again. He had to do something, but what?
"Bayleaf! Flood the tunnel with stunspore!" Ash cried. It was a long shot.
"Too late! Pupitar, take down!" Damon cried. Bayleaf was thrown halfway across the clearing.
"Don't give up Bayleaf!" Ash cried. But he knew Bayleaf was weakening. "There's got to be something I can do!"
That was when Pupitar began to glow. Ash knew the impossible had happened. Pupitar was evolving and if he didn't do something fast he'd be in an impossible situation, only one pokemon to take down the best pokemon of its element, IN it's own Element.
"Bayleaf! Prepare a Solar Beam!"
"BAaaaaayyyy!!" Bayleaf looked helplessly up at Ash. Ash realized that Bayleaf didn't know Solar Beam. But it was his only hope! Bayleaf couldn't hope to overpower a fullgrown Tyrannotaur!
"Tyrannotaur!" Damon cheered. Tyrannotaur roared in triumph. "Crunch attack now!" Blacklight began to form a ball in Tyrannotaur's mouth.
Ash knew he had seconds to act. "Bayleaf, get ready to dodge it!"
Too late! Tyrannotaur shot the beam from it's mouth. Bayleaf took it head on! "Oh no!" Ash cried helplessly.
The smoke from the attack began to clear. Ash thought he'd find Bayleaf fainted, unable to battle, or worse, dead or dying. He wasn't prepared for what he saw. Bayleaf, battered and bruised, stood, panting. It began to glow. Bayleaf was evolving!
Ash watched in awe as the petals on Bayleaf's neck began to unfold. A delicate scent filled the air, soothing Ash's panic. When the glow faded, Bayleaf had evolved into Meganium. "Megaaaaanium!" Meganium bellowed.
Tyrannotaur grinned wickedly. "Tyranno!"
"Alright! Let's finish this! Solarbeam!"
"Crunch attack!"
The attacks collided in an explosion. When the smoke cleared, both pokemon had collapsed, with curlicues for eyes. Meganium struggled to its feet. So did Tyrannotaur. Ash ran to his pokemon, throwing his arms around it. "Congratulations Meganium!"
Meganium laughed happily. "Ash, I forgot to tell you." Damon called back Tyrannotaur and reached into his pocket. "I'm part of a group called the PTGSA, it stands for Pokemon Trainer's Gay Straight Alliance. We have our own badge, and if you beat a member you get it. We hold an annual tournament in Apple Town in Kanto. You need the badge to get in. When you beat one of our members or tie with one of us, you get a Silence Badge." Damon handed Ash a rainbow colored flag badge, just like the one he wore. "Wear it in good health. And thank you."
Ash took the badge and shook hands with Damon. "Thanks. I think."
There was an awkward pause. "Damon, what's it like…?"
"Huh? What's what like?"
"Being with a boy I mean." Ash said, flushing shyly.
"You mean being Gay?" Damon asked with a shy smile.
"If that's what the term is." Ash said, flushing deeper.
"Well, its self knowledge really. You have feelings, and you don't know why you have them, and then one day it hits you. You're gay. And knowing it is the most incredible feeling you'd ever know. Because its something that nobody can take away from you."
Ash smiled shyly back. "Well Damon, I hope to meet you in the finals."
"yeah, you too Ash." Ash walked away, but not back towards Silver Town. Meganium and Pikachu followed.
"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked.
"I wonder if that's it Pikachu." Ash said softly. "AM I gay? Is that why I can't get Gary out of my mind lately?"
"Pikachu." Pikachu answered, looking puzzled.
Meganium nuzzled him gently. "Megaaaaa nium ni!" Meganiu said, smiling cheerfully at him.
"Are you telling me that its up to me?" Ash asked. "That my feelings are my own and I should act on them?"
Pikachu nodded. "Piiiii pi pikachu!"
"I don't know Pikachu. I don't think gay people are very common. Maybe I should keep this to myself huh?" Ash asked.
Meganium rolled its eyes. "Meganium nium um!" Meganium growled.
"Look, I need to think about this alright? You know how Brock and Misty would react? Hell, Misty's had a crush on me since God knows when! I can imagine the scenes that she'd subject me to if I told her that!" Ash shivered. "I think we should start heading back." He turned around.
That was when he heard a cry of… "ASH!" Brock came running over, Harrison and Gary on his heals. "Hey Ash, we were gonna… what the Hell?" Brock demanded, looking up at Meganium. "Ash, did your Bayleaf evolve?"
"Yup, and you're not gonna believe how!" Ash grinned. "There's a Team Rocket member competing in the tournament!" Ash exclaimed. "He was trying to raise his Pupitar into a Tyrannotaur in one night by battling all the trainers he could find! Meganium and I battled him to a tie. And Pupitar evolved just the way Damon wanted it to!"
"You battled a Tyrannotaur and took it down with one pokemon?" Gary demanded. Ash nodded.
Harrison whistled appreciatively. "That's hard. I heard that Pokemon Breeder's Weekly named Tyrannotaur the Strongest Pokemon of its Element!"
"Well now Ashy, you got another Titan. I hope it obeys you better than Charizard did!"
Meganium rammed Gary in the stomach. Gary went sprawling. "Hey, I was just kidding!" He protested.
"Meg!" Meganium turned up its nose at him.
"Meganium, behave yourself!" Ash said, flushing and helping Gary to his feet. "He was just joking!"
"Meg-aaaaanium!" Meganium said happily, swinging its head in a circle.
They headed off toward a local pizza parlor. The restoraunt was famous for teaching Machop and Machoke to speak English and using them to take orders. They ordered a pepperoni pizza and root beer floats all around. Ash took a long pull of the root beer before launching into the story about his battle. "Damon called Pythias his koibito. He said that in addition to being part of Team Rocket he was part of something called the PTGSA and that if you beat one of its members you get a special badge." Ash pulled out his. "He called it the Silence badge. I guess because the Rainbow Badge is already taken huh?" He asked with a smirk.
Brock looked down into his cup. "It's not funny Ash. Do you know what it means to be gay?"
"I've been told. Damon told me when I asked." Ash said softly. He looked out the window. "I never knew such a thing existed. It's kind of mind boggling don't you think?"
"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu climbed onto the table to take a sip of Ash's rootbeer. "Chaaaa pi pikachu!" The pokemon happily flopped backward into Ash's lap, eyes closed in pleasure.
Brock nodded. "It's hard. I feel sorry for Damon. He's twice damned, both a rocket and a homosexual."
"And he's going to be in the Silver Conference." Harrison said softly. "That Tyrannotaur is going to be trouble to whoever battles against it. My Blaziken would probably be my best bet. Dark pokemon are weak against fighting, and so are rock pokemon."
"It's not the pokemon that matters, it's the trainer using it." Gary pointed out, taking a bite of his pizza. "mmm… good stuff. Have some Ash, you'll think better on a full stomach."
"But I've seen plenty of powerful trainers with weeny pokemon!" Harrison pointed out. "All the know how in the world won't help you if you have weak pokemon." The two of them promptly set to arguing tactics, both defensive and offensive.
Ash felt that they dismissed Damon too quickly. And too many previously unfamiliar feelings were bubbling to the surface. Ash finished his food and said coldly. "I'm going to bed." Got up, and went back to the room.
"Ash wait!" Brock protested.
"I need to think. Go away." Ash said as he, Pikachu and Meganium walked off.
That night, Ash couldn't sleep a wink. It was too much. Was he gay? Was he not? But if he wasn't… Ash just couldn't dismiss his feelings for Gary that quickly. "Pikachu… this feeling… I can't describe…" Then he realized that Pikachu was asleep. "Fine, I'll keep it to myself then. Good night." Ash rolled over. And finally he slept.
NOTES
Yeah, a lousy first chapter. I know. I'll do my best for the next one. Until then, Ja ato de.
N.K.