-Hi! Yes people, I'm still not dead. This was actually the first fic I ever wrote, so excuse the slight cheesiness and whatnot. Reviews wouldn't hurt, you know, I need to know how it turned out :P

Gary Oak was walking along a road in the Johto region, admiring the eight badges he already had acquired. "Heh, I already have enough badges to compete in thePokémon League! Wait 'till Ash finds out, he's gonna be so jealous!..."

...Ash Ketchum, his childhood friend, now turned rivals. He was the one to blame for creating the rivalry, though. It was something he hated, but it was necessary. It was the only way he could hide his true feelings for him and the rest of the world. He didn't even consider himself gay, he only felt that way for him.

Suddenly, his heart went heavy. He hadn't seen Ash in a few months, and he missed him so terribly it physically hurt him. On top of that, he always thought Ash had a crush on Misty, even if they did frequently fight whenever he saw them. He had lots of proof supporting this theory, but he wasn't gonna think about it at the moment. Not when he was so close to the Silver Conference. No, he had to be focused, unless he wanted to lose and make a fool of himself in front of so many people, which was obviously not the case. He couldn't jeopardize everything he had worked so hard for.

It was starting to get dark, and he realized he was tired, so he pulled out his map and looked for the nearest Pokémon Center, which was in Cherrygrove City. "Guess I'll just have to sleep here, then.", he told himself. He walked for 20 minutes or so, until he finally reached the Pokémon Center. When he finally got a room, he changed into his pajamas and let himself fall into the bed. He quickly fell asleep, but couldn't escape from his thoughts about Ash.

Gary woke up in the middle of the night, in tears and sweating. He was having a nightmare, in which Ash and Misty were kissing passionately in front of him. The stream of tears trickled steadily down his cheek as he remembered the dreaded nightmare, and realized that his worst fear might come true if he didn't end the rivalry soon. He suddenly felt alone, so he let out Umbreon from his Poké Ball. The black fox-like Pokémon materialized before his eyes and nuzzled him in affection. "Umbre!", he cried happily in greeting. "Hey there, Umbreon, mind if you keep me company for a while?", Gary asked, and Umbreon nodded happily. He fell asleep again, tightly embracing the Pokémon in his arms.


The next morning, Gary woke up feeling rested, with Umbreon beside him in the bed. He took a shower, dressed up and recalled his Pokémon into its Poké Ball before leaving the Pokémon Center. Just before heading out, he remembered that he intended to call his grandfather, Professor Oak, to inform him of his journey. He hurried over to the video caller and dialed his grandfather's number.

"Why hello, Gary! How's the journey so far?"

"Hey Gramps, I got enough badges already, so I'm heading over to the Silver Conference."

"That's excellent, Gary! Ash called me a few days ago and told me that he also won enough badges and that he was going to the Silver Conference too, so you two just might face off in battle over there."

Gary's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Ash's name, yet he kept it to himself and cockily answered, "Ha! As if he'd stand a chance against me!"

"Now, Gary, Ash has become much stronger since you last saw him, so I suggest you don't take him lightly.", said Prof. Oak sternly.

"Sure Gramps... Anyways, I have to go now, so I'll talk to you later." He said carelessly, and hanged up the phone.

As soon as Gary hanged up the phone, he thought about the consequences of battling Ash in the Silver Conference. If he won, everything would stay the same and the rivalry would never end. But if he lost, Ash would finally feel superior and the rivalry could finally end, and things could be like before. Before Gary started liking Ash the way he did, when they were the best of friends, when all they had was each other... No, those carefree days are long gone now. He had to face Ash in battle, and the only way he could fix everything and put an end to the rivalry was if he lost. There's no other way around it, he had to lose. Even if it meant disappointing his Pokémon and everybody that believed in him, he had to if he wanted to take a shot at Ash. It was his deepest desire.

Putting these thoughts aside, he walked eastward towards New Bark Town, which was his next stop before crossing over to Kanto. He stocked up on supplies at the Poké Mart and hit the road when he was done, carefully planning out the losing strategy he was going to use on his battle with Ash.