AN: This fic is set after the end of the series. Yes, I know the Pokémon series isn't actually over yet. But I've long believed that- even though there are real and valid hints for some pairings, including Ash/Gary- no pairings will ever actually canonically get together in the Pokémon anime. So, if I'm correct about that, then this fic shouldn't conflict with canon even after the series actually is over.
The title of the fic comes from part of a line from the song "Hotel California." In the song, it's a pun on the Mercedes Benz make of car. I thought it fit, since Gary used to drive around in that sports car before he became nicer and more down-to-earth. But moreover, I used a line from "Hotel California" because, much like how you can never escape from Hotel California once you go into it, you can never totally escape from a fandom or a well-loved OTP once you get really into it.
That's partly why I wrote this fic. I've drifted in and out of Pokémon fandom over the years, and I rarely watch the Pokémon anime anymore, but my love for Palletshipping has never completely left me. Previous to this, I hadn't written a Pokémon fanfic in almost a decade, and the ones I wrote back then were just silly comedy and/or crack fics. So I thought it was time that I finally took a shot at writing a fairly serious Palletshipping fic, considering the fact that I've been into this pairing for so long.
To end this unnecessarily long AN, I'd like to thank my beta for this fic, Mantineus. This fic is also dedicated to him. He's written several Palletshipping fics, so check them out if you get the chance!
Gary came to a halt. He was on his grandfather's ranch now. He had walked a long way to get here. He saw the various Pokémon gallivanting around; playing, running, and eating. Some of them were his own Pokémon, he knew. Most of the Pokémon that belonged to him were the ones that he had caught back when he was still chasing the dream of becoming a Pokémon Master- before he'd given up that goal and decided to become a Pokémon Researcher instead.
He found the scene before him to be very interesting. He enjoyed watching the Pokémon interact freely, seeing how they lived when they were unfettered by human trainers. He supposed that was natural for a Pokémon Researcher. Yes, he had chosen the right path, he confirmed to himself again. Researching Pokémon was in his blood, maybe.
If his parents had lived, instead of dying in that car crash...but that was a morbid thought. He and his sister, May, had been raised by their grandfather, and Gramps had provided plenty of love to both of them. They were lucky, really. And he knew that his grandfather was proud that he was now following in his footsteps.
But still, observing the Pokémon was not his purpose. It wasn't what he had come for.
Ash had come back to Pallet Town to visit his mother, as he sometimes did. Gary knew this, and that was why he had come. He had some things to ask Ash. And something to say to him.
Gary stuffed his hands into his pockets and scuffed the toe of his shoe in the dirt. He wasn't nervous at all. There was no reason for his hesitation. Gary may not have been the arrogant bastard that he once was, but he was still no coward. He was Gary Oak. He still did whatever he wanted, and went after his goals with no fear.
And that was the thought that got him moving.
He walked purposefully towards the Ketchum house and rapped on the door.
The door swung open, and Gary came face to face with Ash. Without thinking, Gary shoved past him without ceremony.
"Hey!" Ash exclaimed, affronted.
"Oh, sorry, I thought the open door was an invitation," said Gary sarcastically. A hint of the old sneering superiority had come back into his voice, so suddenly and naturally.
"What is it you want?" asked Ash, now on the defensive. "A battle? Because I'll battle you anytime, anywhere-"
"No, not a battle," Gary interrupted, his voice more neutral now. He had had to control his instinct to attempt to intimidate and subjugate Ash- that would get him absolutely nowhere, and it would bring him no satisfaction. And he should have learned that by now. But old habits die hard.
Gary breathed in deeply, trying to steady himself.
"I just wanted to talk to you for a little bit," said Gary. With effort, he made his tone sound non-confrontational- even a bit warm. "Let's sit down- if you don't mind."
"Alright," said Ash cautiously.
Gary flopped down onto the couch. Though Ash seemed a bit suspicious, he followed Gary's lead, sitting down next to him.
The two looked at each other for a while. Ash squirmed a bit, and then finally asked, "Well?"
Gary steeled himself. He might as well get this over with.
"Well, I was just sort of curious," started Gary, trying to sound casual. "Are you and Dawn together?"
"Sure, we've traveled together!" said Ash brightly.
Gary signed inwardly. Had he really thought that he had to try to sound casual? He'd apparently forgotten how clueless Ash could be. He tried again.
"Well, did you like any of the girls you've traveled with?" he asked.
"Sure, why else would I travel with them?" Ash responded innocently.
Gary dropped his head into his hands, exasperated. When he brought his head up, he saw Ash's look of total confusion. This obviously was not working.
It then occurred to him that maybe someone else could give him better information.
"Look, never mind," said Gary with forced cheerfulness. "I'll be back in a little bit, but I need to talk to Dawn first. Where is she?"
"Oh, she's out back with the Pokémon," Ash told him.
Gary shot up from the couch and rushed out the door, not even bothering to say goodbye, leaving Ash looking quite puzzled.
Gary didn't have to wander long before he saw Dawn.
"Hey Dawn, what's going on?" he called as he approached her.
"Oh, that was an awesome poem!" shrieked Dawn. "My name practically rhymes with the word 'on'! But I'd expect nothing less from the grandson of Professor Oak!"
"Um...thanks..." said Gary as he reached her, sweat dropping slightly. "But...can I ask you something?"
"Sure, anything for Professor Oak's grandson!" said Dawn happily.
Gary gathered his strength again. "Well...are you and Ash together?" asked Gary. He automatically turned away as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
"Sure, we've traveled together!" responded Dawn, happily and obliviously.
Gary put his head in his hands again. Who was this girl? Ash's mentally stunted twin sister?
'This...is...getting...me...nowhere,' Gary thought with aggravation. He realized ruefully that he would have to be more direct.
"Look, I'm trying to ask if you and Ash like each other. As more than friends," he finally said irritably.
"What do you mean?" asked Dawn, confused.
Gary scrunched his eyes shut in frustration, and this time he sighed out loud. But he tried to keep his voice calm and friendly as he figured out a way to explain things more clearly. "I mean, when you look at him, do you get Butterfree in your stomach? Do you feel like you want to kiss him?"
"Oh, you're talking about the way I feel when I look at Zoey!" Dawn exclaimed, a glimmer of understanding finally alighting in her eyes.
Gary couldn't help himself from laughing in relief. "Oh! Zoey!"
Dawn recognized Gary's happiness about her feelings for Zoey, and smiled back at him automatically. But then a look of total comprehension came over her face.
"Wait a second," said Dawn, her brow furrowing. "Is that what people are talking about when they say that me and Ash like each other?"
"You didn't know that?" asked Gary incredulously.
"No!" shouted Dawn. "Why would it even occur to me that people would suggest that I liked a boy? Ew!"
The look of disgust on her face was evident. "I'm sure Ash didn't know what they were talking about, either!" she said. "He'd probably be totally grossed out, too!"
"It all makes sense now," said Gary, shaking his head, almost amused at the entire situation. He couldn't stop himself from laughing a little more with uneasy relief. "Thanks a lot, Dawn. I'll see you later."
Gary began walking off.
"See you!" Dawn called after him, still a bit befuddled by the entire exchange. Why had Gary been asking her those questions?
But Gary left Dawn behind as he headed back towards the Ketchum house. On his way, he ran into Brock. Brock was apparently wandering around the ranch, checking on the Pokémon.
"Hey, Gary," said Brock casually upon seeing him.
"Hi, Brock," responded Gary. Since Brock was here anyways, Gary figured he might as well take the opportunity to get more information. "As long as you're here, can I ask you something?"
"Alright," said Brock, shrugging.
"You remember when you guys were traveling with May?" asked Gary. He wasn't referring to his own sister. He was referring to Brock and Ash's traveling companion previous to Dawn, who happened to share the same name as his sibling.
"Sure," said Brock.
Gary hesitated a moment, but then pressed on. "Well, I always kind of wondered. Did she and Ash ever...like each other?"
"Oh, no, they didn't have those kinds of feelings for each other," said Brock.
Gary beamed inwardly- partially because of Brock's answer, and partially because of the fact that Brock had actually understood what he was asking, without him having to draw out a diagram.
"In fact, May is in a relationship with her rival, Drew," Brock continued, unprodded.
"Her rival..." said Gary wistfully, before he could stop the words from coming out. He was unconsciously smiling now, for a reason that Brock didn't understand.
Before Brock could think too much about this, Gary interrupted his thoughts with another question. It was one he was almost afraid to ask, and that's why he forced it out as quickly as possible.
"What about Misty?" Gary asked.
"Ash and Misty?" responded Brock thoughtfully. "Well, I think she kind of had a crush on him for a while, but she got over it. I get the feeling that she likes Tracey now...but good luck to her with that, considering the way he looks at your grandpa."
Both Gary and Brock shuddered. Gary had seen Tracey around his grandpa, and he certainly knew what Brock was talking about.
"Um, yeah, let's get off of that subject," said Gary hastily. Trying to erase the images that the previous statement had put into his mind, he continued his questioning. There was just one more thing he needed to know from Brock. "So, when Misty had a crush on Ash, did he ever feel the same way?"
"Nah, he didn't even seem to notice that she liked him," said Brock easily. "And he didn't seem interested at all, anyways. I know he cares for her as a friend, but actually, I think he was always a little bit afraid of her. Plus, he avoided touching her like the plague."
Brock paused, as if in thought. "Actually, he always avoided touching all girls. You should have seen the look on his face when that girl, Melody, kissed him." Brock laughed a little, then paused again. "He never seemed to mind touching guys, though...he was always grabbing on to you, or Richie, or even me...come to think of it, it's kinda weird..."
Gary's eyes widened.
"Hey, um, I need to go!" Gary said quickly, before Brock could pursue that train of thought any further. "Important...research to do and all!"
Gary waved over his shoulder at Brock as he rushed off.
Brock was left standing there confused, much as Dawn had been. For a moment, he stared after Gary, wondering what that had been all about. But then he quickly shrugged it off, and went back to checking on the Pokémon, attempting to feed them the new kind of Pokémon food that he'd recently developed.
Gary, of course, was rushing back towards the Ketchum residence.
This time, he didn't even bother knocking; he simply let himself in. He'd told Ash that he would be back, after all.
Ash was still sitting on the couch when Gary came into the house.
"Gary..." he said.
"Yeah...it's me," said Gary, joining him on the couch.
And again, the two just looked at each other, waiting for someone to speak.
Finally, Gary said, "Hey...Ash...you know I've been carrying my half of our Pokeball for all these years..."
"Yeah, I know," said Ash.
Gary remembered when they'd first found that Pokeball- it was before their Pokémon journeys had started, back when they were best friends. Ever since that day, Gary had carried his half. Eventually, years later, he'd given his half to Ash because he thought Ash deserved it. But then Ash had given it back to him- like some kind of connecting line between them- and he had been grateful for that. He had never let it go since then.
"I've always carried my half, too," said Ash, breaking into Gary's thoughts. "You know that."
At Ash's words, Gary brought his attention back to the conversation.
"What I mean," said Gary, swallowing hard, "Is that I've always carried it, even during the time when we were rivals and we acted like we hated each other..."
"I never hated you, Gary," Ash broke in.
"I know you didn't," said Gary quickly. And now the words came in a rush, everything he'd been wanting to say for so many years. "I knew ever since that day in the Viridian gym. I'd been mean to you for so long, but as soon as you saw me hurt, you were so concerned. You came up and put your arms around me...Ash, I never hated you, either. If I did, I wouldn't have been carrying my half our Pokeball all this time."
"Then why were you so mean to me?" asked Ash. And for an instant, pain flashed in his eyes. "You never acted that way towards anyone else. Just me."
"I don't know," said Gary helplessly. "I could see how much it hurt you when I teased you...and I want to apologize for that. I guess I just wanted to get your attention, and I didn't know any other way."
"Why would you want to get my attention?" Ash asked.
"Hey, that was all a long time ago. It doesn't matter now, right?" said Gary, purposefully avoiding the question. "We were best friends when we were kids, and we're best friends again now, right?"
"Sure, I guess so," said Ash. "I've known you for longer than anybody."
Gary relaxed a little at Ash's words.
"Ashy-boy, you may mess up sometimes, and you can be really dense, but I want you to know that I think you're a pretty good trainer. You deserve everything you've accomplished."
"Really?" said Ash, beaming. "Thanks! But you know, I had a lot of help along the way from my Pokémon. And from my human friends, too."
"Yeah?" said Gary.
"Yeah," said Ash. "In fact, you helped me out a lot of times, too. I still remember when we were lost in that forest of illusions and you helped us get out, even though you wanted to stay ahead of me so badly. And you helped me save those Shieldon from Pokémon Hunter J. Heck, you even gave me a Razor Fang to evolve my Gligar."
Gary smiled as he responded. "Well, you've helped me a lot, too," he said. "Even back when I was being so mean to you, any time I was in trouble, you were right there to help me out."
"Aw, don't worry about it, you've paid me back plenty," said Ash, rubbing his head in slight embarrassment. "You saved me when Team Rocket kidnapped me at the Silver Conference. And remember way back when Team Rocket attacked us with that Mecha Wobuffet? I thought you were going to totally ignore me that day, but then you came running back to help me. I was really grateful for your help that day, you know."
"Yeah...yeah, I know. I was...really happy that you were grateful. I almost didn't want to leave that day."
"Yeah, we totally should have battled before you left!" said Ash brightly.
"Um, yeah," said Gary, sweat dropping.
"That's another way you've helped me, you know," said Ash thoughtfully, seeming not to notice Gary's reaction. "Every time I've battled you, I've learned something and gotten stronger."
"You've helped me in the same way," said Gary. "I'm glad that I decided to take the path of becoming a researcher, though." Gary paused, as if he was unsure whether he should go on. Finally, he decided to press forwards. He'd already come this far.
"Hey, um, Ash? Speaking of the Silver Conference, do you remember that time when we were sitting on that big rock at night under the stars and talking?"
"Of course I do," said Ash. "Why?"
"It's just...it was nice, that's all. I don't have many close friends...not any at all, really, besides my Pokémon," admitted Gary. "And I don't usually open up to people like that. But with you, it was..."
Suddenly, Gary reached out and grabbed Ash's hand. Ash gasped in surprise, and looked at Gary strangely. But Ash didn't pull away.
"Hey, you've put your arm around me and hugged me and held my hand lots of times, so this is no big deal, right?" reasoned Gary. "No reason why it should be weird."
"No, I guess not," admitted Ash.
Feeling a little bolder, Gary said, "You know, Ash, I heard that when you decided to go to Johto, you did it because you wanted to follow me. And then, when you went to Sinnoh, it was for the same reason...because I'd decided to go."
"Yeah, that's true," admitted Ash. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason...I'm just...I'm glad you followed me, I guess," said Gary. "When you were in Hoenn, and I didn't see you for a while, I thought about you a lot...when I saw your friends, I used to ask them how you were doing."
"Yeah, sure, I know you thought about me," said Ash. "You sent me those postcards and stuff. That always made me feel better when I was down."
"I'm glad," said Gary, as he put his other hand over Ash's. "I really am sorry about all that those times when I made fun of you. It was really ridiculous; writing notes for you to find, mentioning you on TV, harassing you every chance I got...like I said, I guess I just wanted to get your attention, but..."
"That's the second time you've said that," Ash said, cutting Gary off. "Why did you want to get my attention?"
Gary stared at him blankly, at a loss for words.
"Um, Gary?" asked Ash hesitantly, with a look of confusion painting his features. "Are you trying to tell me something here?"
"Yeah, I am," Gary finally admitted. "I've been trying to tell you something for a really long time now, but I guess I'm not very good at that...so..."
Without another word, Gary leaned in to kiss Ash.
"Does that answer your question?" Gary asked as he pulled away. "Do you know what I've been trying to tell you now?"
Smiling, Ash said, "Geez, even I'm not that dense!"
And Ash leaned in and kissed Gary back.
AN: I hope you liked the fic. Please review and let me know what you think! I really appreciate all reviews.
Oh, and in case you didn't know, though it's never mentioned in the anime, the fact that Gary's parents died in a car crash and his grandfather raised he and his sister, May, is manga canon.