Title: In Another World
Disclaimer: I do not "own" Pokémon.
Summary: Gary gets in touch with his "gay" side by going to see the movie Brokeback Mountain. Little does he know that he will get more than he bargained for.
Pairings: This is a Gary/Ash one-shot and my first attempt at PalletShip fanfic. Non-flaming feedback of any kind is greatly appreciated.
Rating: K+, to be on the safe side.
IMPORTANT NOTE!: I lost interest in the Pokémon franchise in 2001, and I have only been starting to rediscover my love for it again a few weeks ago (there is no such thing as age when it comes to fun stuff!). Therefore, any and all mentions of any kind of or any species of Pokémon come from the "151" era, just set in the 2000's perspective.
My reasons for doing so are two-fold: 1). I'm not very knowledgeable about all the new Pokémon, badges, trainers, leagues, etc. I know a little bit about it, but not enough to write about. 2). The "old" stuff is more interesting and made the series what it was, anyway. As they say, sometimes you gotta go with the old!
(This "warning" will be used for all my Poke fics.)
Let's begin and enough blabber.
On with the show!
(Pardon the pun for this one, heh)
...
Gary Oak nervously glanced around the lobby of the movie theater, hoping that no one he knew would see him. He quietly cleared his throat and walked up to the ticket booth.
"Welcome to the Viridian City Multiplex, what are you seeing today?"
"One for Brokeback Mountain, please," Gary said in a half-whisper, feeling as if saying those two words was like saying a bad word as a child and then getting the dreaded soap in the mouth. His eyes quickly glanced around to see if anyone would react, but he was relaxed when nobody even cared or heard about his choice of movie. He gave the ticket girl the $5 and walked to another side to look at the posters for the upcoming movies.
Gary Oak was nervous about seeing this movie because he was, well, Gary Oak, a Pokémon Master, the grandson of Professor Samuel Oak, a renowned Pokémon researcher! He had a tough, manly reputation and he felt it would go against his masculinity to see a movie about...gay people. Plus, he also felt getting involved with anything homosexual-related would sully his reputation not just as a man, but also as a Pokémon Master and researcher.
Of course, he was being paranoid, but he didn't think so.
After looking at the posters for about a minute, Gary walked up to the concession stand, which surprisingly did not have a very long line. He was lost in his thoughts about something, until the concession stand guy snapped his fingers, "Dude, we're asking you if you'd like to try our Mega Combo, which is a Mega Bucket of popcorn, a Mega Gulp of your pop of choice, and your choice of candy?" Gary nodded and ordered that combo. He buttered his popcorn in the middle and did so again on top and shook the bucket. The spike-haired teen put his Buncha Crunch in his pocket and carried his popcorn and drink. He looked at his popcorn and drink and sighed at what he purchased. This could feed a family of four for a week! How Gary would eat and drink all this...he had no clue. All of a sudden, he was startled by a familiar person behind him and he jumped, sending the topmost popcorn kernels into the air.
"Hey, Gary!" Ash Ketchum said, scaring him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, wondering what his tough buddy would be doing going into a gay movie, as he stole some of Gary's popcorn and tossed the heap into his mouth. "Mmm, this place makes some great popcorn!" the year-younger teen said.
He nervously searched his mind for a plausible explanation as to why he was seeing this particular movie. He came up with a half-assed answer: "Oh, I'm a fan of Ang Lee," he said, chuckling. He knew his "excuse" was lame and he felt so stupid. Ash knew it was a stupid explanation too, but played along to not make Gary feel uncomfortable, "Yeah, me too," Ash replied as he took another handful of his friend's popcorn and stuffed his mouth with it. Gary quietly sighed a breath of relief, not feeling so stupid anymore.
"Gary, don't you think straight guys can watch these movies, too? You don't have to be gay or a girl to see these kinds of flicks," Ash said, hoping he would further comfort his ex-enemy.
"Yeah, that's true. I mean, you're here, after all."
Ash gave him an indecipherable gaze. "Yeah, Gar, I'm here."
He held the door open for his friend, as he had the bunch of snacks held in his arms. Ash only had a Mega Gulp in his hand, so he felt he should go afterward.
The older teen grabbed a seat to sit by himself. He sat at a lonely seat in the back, arranging the gluttonous feast in front of him. Gary saw Ash was searching for a seat, and when Ash looked up at him, he flagged him over to where he was sitting. Ash came and sat next to his pal.
"Er, I swear by Mew, I'll never eat all of this by myself," Gary said, inviting Ash to share the popcorn with him.
He saw Ash reaching towards the bucket, and he inhaled deeply at some sort of smell that Ash was exuding. Gary liked it, and then he recognized what it was. It was the cologne from Celadon City that Misty gave Ash for Christmas. Ash finally received a fragrance that was for men and that wasn't a "stinky ripoff," as he would have usually referred to them. Gary sighed, enjoying the smell for the few seconds he could do so. He also tried to ignore the heat and sensation of their knees pressing together.
It also occurred to Gary that there were lots of male couples sitting together in that room and that Ash and he could be taken for a couple also. Gary nervously gulped at such a thought. The lights dimmed and the previews were beginning, and Ash was making himself comfortable in his seat, lessening the space between them. Gary willed himself to ignore the sensations and tensions between them and to concentrate on the film.
As they were walking through the foyer and exiting the cinema, Gary and Ash were commenting on the film and making other small talk. Gary really enjoyed the film and he loved how Ash would randomly give him a brief commentary about a particular scene. A person's talking to him during a film was a major pet peeve of his, but with Ash, it was different. He actually enjoyed it. He loved Ash's insight into things. It really irked the teen when people would dismiss his views. Sure, he could be dense and a little dumb sometimes, but Gary Oak saw a different side of Ash Ketchum, a very smart, insightful, and funny Ash.
As they were walking through Viridian City, Ash asked him, "Do you want to grab a bite to eat?"
Gary laughed at his buddy, "You ate half of that monstrous size of a popcorn bucket, you downed that entire Mega Gulp of yours, and then downed a refill of your drink, and ate a King-Size Snickers Bar, how in the Hell can you still be hungry, Ashy-Boy?"
"Fast metabolism, Oak. How's about a hot dog? There's this great hot dog stand right near the Pokémon Center, my treat!" Ash offered. Gary accepted his friend's offer. Who would honestly turn down free food?!
The two walked around the city, past Giovanni's Gym and other familiar landmarks, until they finally arrived at the sidewalk and Ash purchased their hot dogs in front of the newly-refurbished Pokémon Center, the same place where Pikachu gave it a very "electrical" destruction, along with Team Rocket's crashing through its roof, all the way back when Ash was a mere naive novice beginning his Pokémon journey. The two continued to small-talk and it felt just as if they were pre-10/11 years old again.
As they sat down on a bench with their hot reds, Ash finally broke the silence. "So, Gary, in another world, who would be your ideal man to kiss? Heath Ledger or Jake Gyllenhaal?"
Gary swallowed his own mouthful and shook his head. "Let's not even get into that subject."
The black-haired Pokémon trainer slapped him on the shoulder in a friendly manner and reassured him, "C'mon, Gary, we're all friends here, and we're not going to lose our Man Cards for saying so. I'll say my answer if you do."
Gary sighed, knowing his best bud was persistent until he got what he wanted. "OK, in another world, I'd kiss Heath. Now, your turn."
"I'm a Jake man, myself...in another world, of course," he said with a Cheshire Cat Grin.
"In another world, yes," Gary echoed nervously, afraid of where this topic was heading.
"OK, so in another world, again, since you're a Heath man, would you kiss him if he were here, standing in front of you, in another world?" Ash asked, trying to reassure the nervous Gary that they were only in the world of hypotheticals.
Gary coughed and gasped for air, as he finished his red goodness and threw the foil and napkin away. "Uh, Ketchum, I think this subject is going into the forbidden."
"It's pure fantasy, Oak. You wouldn't even do it just to see what it was like? I mean, I'd kiss Jake if he were right here in that other world. I mean, male or female, how often would you be able to have the opportunity to kiss a movie star?" Ash asked bluntly as he threw away his trash as well.
Knowing Ash's perseverance, he sighed heavily and then replied, "No, Ash, I still wouldn't. And to be quite frank, the thought of kissing a man repulses me, so can we quit talking about this please?" Gary lied, desperate to change the subject.
Ash was a little surprised and quickly replied, "Look, buddy, I'm sorry if I pissed you off, I never meant to do that, just playing was all. But I saw you in there and how much you loved that movie, how much you interacted with it, how you cried at those same sad parts I did. You're not saying you liked it based on cinematic quality alone? The hot guys making out didn't have any effect on your opinion?"
"So, that's the reason for your excellent assessment of it, then, huh, Mr. Movie Critic?" Gary shot back with a hint of name-calling, as if they were rivals again, but he was really trying to challenge what Ash had just told him.
"So, would your opinion of me change if I so happened to be that way? Would that change the past 13 years? You do know what homophobia usually hides, right?" Ash shot back in a stronger tone, making Gary feel as if he were put in his place.
"Look, Gary, I gotta go. Pikachu's probably wondering where I'm at, anyway. Let's forget tonight even happened, okay? You can go on as the straight-laced Pokémon Master and tell everyone Brokeback Mountain is for queers, for girls, and for guys who get dragged to see it along with their girlfriends or wives. Forget what we talked about too, ok? Good luck with everything, and maybe we'll see each other again sometime. I don't want to repulse you or anything," Ash said, walking down the path toward the bus stop and feeling as if he had been beat up, physically and emotionally. Despite the bus' not leaving for an hour and a half and the fact that bus stop lobbies were boring as hell, he wanted to be as far away from Gary Oak as possible.
Gary watched his retreating friend and got to thinking. Was Ash trying to out him? Was Ash trying to confess to him that he was gay? Or that he liked Gary? Or that he was berating him for his supposed homophobia? Gary needed answers and he needed them now.
Gary started to chase after his best friend. "Ash!" he shouted as he was getting closer. Ash started walking as if he didn't hear him. Gary finally caught up to his ex-rival and gently swung him to face him.
Ash sighed, "What do you want, Gary Oak?"
Gary took him to the quietest portion of a park and they hid under a large tree. "I wasn't being entirely honest with you before. But we're best friends, yes? We can still trust each other?"
Ash nodded and allowed Gary to continue. "OK, to be honest, yes, I would kiss Heath. In reality, I would kiss you. That is, if you want me to?" Gary nervously asked, with total honesty, sincerity, and nervousness exuding from him.
Ash looked at him as if he were proclaiming that he had caught some non-existent Pokémon that everyone confirmed didn't exist and that only the kooky Poke-freaks said existed. Gary realized that he was still holding on to Ash, so he let him go. Ash didn't make any moves or give any looks that would be read as wanting Gary to kiss him. Gary felt as if he had poured his heart out for nothing. He felt his heart sink all the way to the ground, as if he had made the biggest mistake of his life.
"Look, Ash, I'm sorry if I said anything wrong or something. I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship." He started to retreat, stepping backwards, mumbling some apologies. Ash was still trying to read Gary and the entire situation.
Gary nervously laughed and shrugged his shoulders, even though he felt as if his heart was being slashed into pieces by a Kabutops as he spoke. "I just wanted to tell you I'm not a homophobe or anything, OK, Ash? I guess I did it the wrong way?"
"Whoa," Ash softly said, unable to speak. "You really are serious, aren't you?"
"Dead serious, Ash. I'm sorry for what I said to you and for hurting you. You were unmasking the truth about me and I was freaking out." He moved forward toward Ash, as if they were a young couple about to kiss under a tree. Gary didn't care what they looked like; he just wanted to make things right with Ash. He was happy the prepubescent strife between them had ended ages ago, and he didn't want them to hate each other again. Quite the opposite, actually.
It seemed like an eternity until Ash cupped his hands on Gary's face.
"You want me to kiss you?" Gary asked, happy and breathless at the caress.
"People will see," Ash said hesitantly and still wanting to 'protect' Gary's reputation.
"Do? You? Want? Me? To? Kiss? You?" the older asked as if his life depended on Ash's answer.
Ash could do nothing but nod. The two started to do so slowly but then they were lost in each other, as if they were the only two people on the planet, feeling the electrical force that bonded them. It felt like another eternity until they broke apart.
"So," Gary said, grinning a Cheshire Cat Grin of his own, "let's say we call this our first date?"
"Bit sure of yourself, eh?" Ash teased, but his face happily shined in agreement.
The two teens shared a moment to happily laugh at the situation and how it ended up.
"So, in another world, Ash," Gary started to ask, wrapping his arm around Ash, "where would we go on our second date?"