"Right, so the ponyta is in your care right? Make sure you bring it to me on Tuesday so I can study it. Right. Yes, I'll be at the Oaks research lab as usual. Yep, 2.30's fine, make sure you bring a harness, is all."

Gary threw his phone down and massaged his temples furiously. Blinking blearily, he looked up at the clock hanging on his wall. 3 freaking AM. How has time passed so quickly?! That stupid clock gotta be lying, he thought, glaring so furiously at its face that his bloodshot eyes turned into a deeper red. They now had the appearance of almond-shaped prunes.

Sighing heavily, he headed to the bathroom. The mirror, as usual, showed his fatigued and tired face. As he idly applied shaving cream to the sides of his face, he wondered how many hours his sleep debt has accumulated. Judging by the size of his eye-bags it's probably close to a million.

Gary, top researcher of the Kantou region, (and probably half the world, he asserted), was not a happy 21 year old, and would probably die a long and painful death in the lab, alone and uncared for, at the age of 30. At least, that was what he predicted. He felt amused by his morbid thoughts more than anything. He ate irregularly, slept irregularly, and had given up any semblance of a normal social life. He didn't know if anyone cared, to be honest. His research work kept him busy, putting him through long days and even longer nights, as some observations and studies had to be made at night. He hardly sees gramps anymore. After retiring, gramps had gone on a vacation that lasted three years, and came back spouting strange poetry about strange lands and stranger women. Now he's somewhere abroad in Unova, probably playing with pokemon and making up strange poetry, Gary scoffed. At least gramps seemed happy the last time I'd seem him. He'd definitely live longer than me, anyways. That old geezer.

Still, he supposed, he missed him, as he was the only father figure he'd ever known.

Gary's parents had died from a fatal car accident. He often thought of them with a wondering sense of pity. Pity for them, not for himself. Gary wasn't the sort of person who felt self pity. Well, he did, at times. Rarely. But then, he rarely thought of himself, so it wasn't his fault.

He finished shaving his face and washed it clean, then headed downstairs for the fridge. The last time he ate was in the morning.

He was too used to it to feel hungry anymore. Burying his thoughts, focus and needs into his research, Gary rarely felt anything but a mild sense of emptiness. It was strange. Escaping into his work was his way of dealing things. But hmm, escaping from what, exactly? At this point in his life, at this hour of the night, Gary couldn't remember.

There was a note on the fridge. "Hi Gary, I'm not sure when you'd read this but Delia came earlier this morning to say that her son is visiting three days from now! He was just in Unova, visiting his friend Cilan the gym leader apparently. Since you've met him I really do hope you still remember him, Gary. Anyways, Delia wanted to know if it wasn't too much trouble if her son stayed with you instead? She's refurnishing her house and there's only one spare bedroom to go around with." It was signed "your poor and tortured assistant, Tracey, 23rd of February."

Gary only felt stymied. Who's Delia?

Only when he gulped down a mouthful of milk then the full realization of the situation hit him. Delia was the mom of Ash fucking Ketchum.

He choked and coughed, spraying white milk all over the floor.

"TRACEY WHERE ARE YOU GOD DAMMIT, I ALMOST DIED!" He roared to an empty house. Tracey had already gone home.

Gary swiped the floor furiously, thinking fast. Today's 26th, so it means... Ketchum is coming TODAY?! If he flew on charizard from yesterday night, he'd be here around evening...

Damn. He's not ready. Gary's not ready. Why the hell did Traces not tell him personally?! Oh right, he thought darkly. He'd told Tracey to "stop disturbing the hell outta" him and to stick a note on the fridge if had something to tell him so Gary wouldn't have to see his "oily face". Curse him.

Ash fucking Ketchum was his childhood playmate. The only friend he felt he could rely on and trust. The person who'd shaped the jaded and difficult personality he has now.

When you'd really let someone in, loved them and cared for them more than you did for yourself, it makes it easy for them to hurt you. Real easy. Gary's arrogant and smartass mouth was just a defense for his softhearted insides. The insides that were trampled by a certain black headed brown-eyed pokemon trainer.

Hell, his self destructive workaholic behavior had something to do with him. Everything had something to do with him.

When they'd both been very young, Gary had realized something. He had a crush on Ash fucking Ketchum, his one and only friend. And one day, on the way to get some lollipops from the town's pokemart, they'd spied a same-sex couple hiding behind a tree, kissing. Gary had wanted to laugh, the scene was just too corny. But Ash had hissed and said they were disgusting, said that his mother had told him that if you kissed a boy, you'd die painfully from a terrible disease. It was all Gary could do not to stare in shock at him.

From then on Gary completely changed. To push Ash away from him he became cold, ruthless and arrogant to his former best friend. It was all he could do, trying to protect himself was the only logical solution to it. That was when all the painful name-calling and taunting had started. Gary had hated it at first, the hurt and bewildered look on his friend's face. But after a while he got used to it. Got used to hurting the one person he cared for.

However, it wasn't just that one thoughtless homophobic comment that screwed things up. If it was just that, Gary would've let it go as he grew older and understood. No, it was because Ash had grown so much closer to his new friends. And he had tons of them; those friends that he relied upon and who he'd travelled with through thick and thin.

Gary began to feel forgotten. When his birthday would pass without anyone remembering, when he'd only see Ash once every few years. Yet there was never another close friend like Ash. Gary didn't let anyone in easily. And so alone he'd remained.

He tried to swallow the hurt of being forgotten by someone who matters, like how everyone does. He poured his soul and energy into his research work, and it showed. He is now the youngest researcher to get a phD at the age of 19. Days and nights he'd worked, trying to forget the fact that he's gay, trying to cope with the fact that he'd never mean much to anyone. Accepting the fact that he's replaceable.

Now he has to play host to Ash Ketchum.

The sky was dark and starless outside, with purple thunderstorms gathering on the horizon. Inside the Gary Oak's kitchen, another storm was brewing. He crushed the empty milk cartoon in a fist, and grinned darkly, bloodshot eyes spelling impending doom for a certain black haired individual.