Hey everyone I'm back for another chapter of "Worth It" and I'm pretty happy with the responses I've received so far. I know that the ending to the last chapter was pretty cliché, but from now on I'm going to try and go against the fanfiction norms. I want this story to be as realistic as possible when it comes to relationships at least, but I'll still make things a bit brighter than real life because real life is no fun.
Anyway, on to the next chapter!
2 Weeks Later
"Let's give it up for your Kanto Warriors!" the announcer called over the loudspeaker and the crowd let out a mighty roar. To their luck, Ash and his squad's first game was at home against one of the lesser-known teams being the Lavender Coyotes. The scouting report they were given was mostly empty, only reading that they had one good tight end to watch out for. Being on the opposing offense, Ash had no concern over him since he played no part in the defense.
Ash, Drew, Gary and Lucas all took the field with their team and made sure to wave to the crowd and hype them up. Their jerseys were mainly tan but with streaks of red on their legs and shoulders. They also had red numbers and their names in red as well finished with red helmets and logos. Ash got a look over and saw a lot of white with purple on the other side.
After the team huddled up and discussed the game plan, the special teams return unit took the field. Drew grabbed his helmet and placed it on his head and he felt a tap as soon as he put it on.
"Run it on through Drew!" Ash encouraged with his helmet off.
"Oh you already know!" Drew shouted back.
Drew was quickly at the end of the field ready to return the kick. He watched as the Coyotes lined up to kick and he saw the kicker raise his hand.
Lavender kicks the ball off and we are underway! Green is back for the kick and he takes it. Here we go the defense has caught up to him but Green finds a hole and he's through! He's at the 30 yardline before he's finally pushed out of bounds! An excellent run by Drew Green!
Drew let out a couple of dance moves and talked a bit of trash before he made his way back to the sideline to a pumped team. The home crowd was already on their feet making a ton of noise.
"Yeah boy! That's what I'm talking about right there!" Gary shouted as they butted helmets. Drew then received plenty of taps on the helmet and shoulder pads as he made his way to the bench to rest.
It was now time for the offense to take the field and Ash, Lucas and Gary were all ready. Ash prepared himself with a few arm stretches and jumps while Lucas was right next to him.
"Let's send these kids back to Lavender Town crying," Lucas encouraged and Ash laughed in agreement.
Warriors have it 1st and 10. Ketchum calls out the play, Oak, Brown and Quick lined up as the wide receivers. Ketchum snaps the ball looking to throw, no it's a hand off to Berlitz who blows through a massive hole in the defensive line! He's finally brought down at the 15, gain of 15 on that play!
"You guys are weak! Come on now!" Lucas shouted as he got back to his feet and to his team's huddle.
Dawn had her cheerleading squad going, especially for the play her brother had just made. She definitely was used to their football team being successful however, so it was business as usual.
Ketchum takes the snap in the shotgun, dropping back. He probes the endzone and fires! It is…CAUGHT BY OAK, TOUCHDOWN WARRIORS!
The crowd erupted after the Warriors scored off of two plays. Gary executed a perfect touchdown dance that Lucas finished with him. It wasn't long before they had the extra point and were up 7-0.
The Coyotes were stopped easily at the 25-yard line by a superior special teams defense, and Barry took the field. It wasn't long before he found who he had to guard. This wide receiver was a bit shorter than usual.
"Are you their fast guy?" he asked him. The player gave him a nod. "Really? Ok…I was just making sure." The offense then snapped the ball and Barry kept a close eye on the receiver who ran the drag route but cut back towards the sideline again. The quarterback was easily sacked during that time. Barry was sure to get back to his man.
"Hey what route was that?" he asked him, but got no response. "Oh so now you won't talk to me huh?" When he still got no response he laughed and pointed at him. "He mad." He chuckled again as he lined up for the next play.
Coyotes snap the ball, the quarterback drops back and fires. It is…PICKED OFF! Norman has the ball and there's no one in front of him! 30, 20, 10, 5…TOUCHDOWN! An excellent pick-6 by Barry Norman and the Warriors have opened up a 13-0 lead!
Barry dropped the ball and then shot an invisible bow and arrow at the opposing players, which sent penalty flags flying. Ash slowly shook his head while Lucas and Gary laughed their asses off.
"Personal foul, unsportsmanlike conduct, shooting a bow and arrow, number 24 on the defense," the ref announced which was met with boos. "15-yard penalty that will be assessed on the kick."
Barry shook his head and waved it off in annoyance as he made for the sideline. "Shooting a bow and arrow? I mean like what the fuck dude?!"
Ash patted him on the head. "It's alright dude you scored the touchdown."
"Still man," Barry scoffed as he took off his helmet. "That ref's just mad he's ugly as shit." Even Ash couldn't stop himself from laughing after he made that comment.
The Warriors didn't slow down one bit through the rest of the game. Gary nabbed 3 touchdown receptions and 203 yards while Lucas carried 19 times for 154 yards and a rushing touchdown. Drew didn't break the endzone but terrorized the Lavender special teams, giving Ash consistent good field positioning. Ash threw for over 400 yards and 5 passing touchdowns, and Barry got it done on the defensive end, getting a staggering 4 interceptions and 2 of them became touchdowns.
Final score was a demoralizing 56-3 pounding on the Coyotes, and a statement win for the Warriors. Ash definitely entered the locker room with a smile on his face.
The team was getting their gear off together with Lucas, Ash, Barry, Drew and Gary all together bragging about their own accomplishments.
"Man I was running all over that cornerback. That kid stood no chance against me," Gary said as he unwrapped the tape around his ankles.
Barry laughed. "Boy you have no idea. The dude I was guarding I don't think had played before man. I think the quarterback too because he kept throwing to me for some reason."
Lucas chuckled. "Yeah I noticed that. It was like he was trying to lose." Everyone got a good laugh out of that.
"I was running through that special teams like I ran through May's DMs yesterday," Drew claimed and got a scoff from Ash.
"Yeah right. I'll bet she curved your ass," he shook his head.
Drew had a smile on his face, which was not a good sign for Ash's argument. "Actually I have a movie date tomorrow…so you can shut your ass up."
The group then let out an "oooooo" in unison which was finished off with a group laugh at the stupidity of it all.
"Drew's moving up in the world it's about time," Gary bragged.
"At least he'll keep his relationship unlike your thirsty ass," Lucas shot back and everyone was about to start rolling on the floor they were laughing so hard.
"Oh like you've ever had a girlfriend," Gary retorted and Lucas shrugged.
"Haven't found the right girl yet," he responded coolly and Gary only shook his head. "All the good girls are taken honestly. The rest are really undesirable if you ask me."
Gary sighed. "Oh well. Ash, how's it going with you and Dawn?" The group chuckled at the mere mention of the two together.
Ash nodded as he slipped on his street shoes. "It's going pretty good actually. We're getting to know each other better every day, but I still don't know if I really want her as a girlfriend though." He couldn't help but look at Lucas who was listening. It felt a little awkward talking about it with him around that was for sure.
Dawn made him feel…different. He felt more alive when she was with him and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. He didn't call it love…at least not yet…but it was some form of attachment that he didn't want to let go.
"Ah," Drew waved. "Don't rush into it. You'll have time to figure it out don't worry."
It was a bit silent as they returned to their street clothing, but Gary snapped his fingers. "I know! You should ask her to the homecoming dance!"
Barry nodded vigorously. "Yeah you should! It'll be a great way for you two to get closer!"
Ash raised his hands up defensively. "Hey guys…I don't even know if-," but he was drowned out by shouts of approval even from Lucas. "Alright, alright I'll do it." He was then met with "ayeeee" from all of his friends and hugs. He didn't have much of a choice at this point.
He was in no rush, and none of his friends pressured him either. They knew something like this took time and effort to pull off. They all pitched in ideas as simple as a catchy poster from Lucas to insanity like jumping from the second floor and landing in front of her from Gary. While Ash liked his enthusiasm, he couldn't dance if his legs were broken so he took that off the table. However, he didn't want to do something generic like a poster. It had to be good…and convincing.
He had time, 3 weeks to be exact, until homecoming. They were scheduled to take on the Fuchsia Broncos for the homecoming game the day before the dance. The Broncos were one of the teams in the "Big 5" League which included the Saffron Rockets, Cerulean Dolphins, Celadon Cobras and Cinnabar Eruption. These teams tended to be the powerhouses in the nation, hence the league name. Last year 4 of the 5 teams finished in the top 10 for rankings in the nation, the outlier being the Eruption.
He had to balance his want to ask Dawn to the dance and football. They had big games on the horizon, in fact, the week after homecoming they had a date with the Snowpoint Huskies who had the #1 defense in the league and ranked #2 in the nation overall. It was a must-win if they were to keep their #1 rank.
Ash shook his head and got up from his bed after being lost in thought. It was Saturday and a players' day off. He had to spend it in some way that didn't involve staying at home all day. So, he checked his phone for any recent texts and almost on cue one popped up from Gary.
You down to hang? He read. Ash quickly replied, Yeah fo sho. Where tho? Ash didn't have to wait long for Gary to reply, since he was likely in the same situation. Idk let's go to the mall or something. I'll hit up Lucas, Drew and Barry too.
Ash nodded and replied, Let me know. Knowing he'd be taking off he grabbed his car keys and wallet from his nightstand and exited his room. He thumped down the stairs and shouted, "Mom! I'm going to go hang out with my friends!"
"Ok honey! Stay safe!" she replied from the kitchen. Ash nodded and headed through the front door and hopped into his car, waiting for Gary's text. After a few minutes his phone buzzed reading: Alright everyone is down except for Drew. Says he's busy with May -_-. Lucas told me Dawn is busy right now sorry bro.
Ash shook his head. Gary always did that. The second he started talking to a girl he committed every fiber in his body to hooking him up. That wasn't all bad, just sometimes he got out of hand.
Ash then made his way to the mall, music going strong of course. He personally loved rap and R&B, his favorite artist being Future. When the other guys were on his aux Lucas always played Young Thug, Gary played either Chris Brown or Drake while Drew was obsessed with Kodak Black for some reason that Ash didn't understand. To say that their music went hard was an understatement. He had no idea what Barry liked, but he caught him singing Wiz Khalifa a few times so he could guess.
The mall was close to his house to his luck. It was the hang out spot in the area and didn't fail to find kids from his school from time to time. He found a parking spot outside the building and shut his car off. He then checked his phone for any updates and noticed that Gary had told him to meet them at "the regular spot". This was the plaza area with the large fountain that the mall was known for.
It took him a few minutes to get there but he found Gary, Lucas and Barry standing next to the fountain out front of the mall. They all greeted him with routine handshakes.
"It's about time you got here. Your car must be slow as hell!" Lucas teased and got a push in the shoulder from Ash.
"Boy I've been in yours and you were doin 35 in the 50 so stop," Ash shot back and got a laugh from Gary and Barry.
"That's because there was snow you little shit. I don't want to die!"
The two went on and on about their cars while Gary and Barry laughed along at each other's insults and roasts. They agreed that they were all hungry so they stopped by a burrito place to eat. The boys sat down together after they ordered their food.
"Anyway, how's the ladies treating ya'll," Barry brought up. Lucas laughed.
"Pfft. No one seems interesting to me. All the girls that want me are straight deplorable," he responded.
Gary shook his head. "Come on Lucas you could be getting it so good. I wish I could attract as many girls as you to be honest."
Lucas had a shocked look on his face. "Did Gary just admit that? Did a comet fly across the sky last night?" Ash and Barry laughed.
"Credit's given where credit's due, even I honor that," Gary said and fist bumped Lucas. "What about you Barry?"
The blond-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "What you mean? I barely got here. I don't know anyone still." No one argued with him. His excuse was at least valid. It was now that their food was ready so they all grabbed it and sat back down. There was a time of silence as they all began to eat, but they resumed eventually.
"I can't believe Drew is actually trying to date May," Ash spoke up.
Gary shook his head. "Hey man I wish him all the best. He snatched up a good one."
Ash nodded and decided to bring it up. "I think you guys were right. I kinda do like Dawn."
Gary nodded his head in agreement. "Go for it dude! You got her." Ash then flashed a look at Lucas who shrugged.
"I don't care," he said. "Just don't be an asshole."
"Won't be a problem," Ash replied. "You know me." They then returned to eating for a minute until Gary looked up at who entered the restaurant.
"Ah hell no…is that-," he asked. Ash looked back to see Dawn…with Kenny Rose, the starting quarterback for the Snowpoint Huskies…and they were holding hands. He turned back around to contemplate what he just saw, and Lucas was up out of his seat making his way over. He heard a small altercation and Kenny defending himself, Dawn almost shouting at her brother.
"He's not what you think!" he heard her say. It eventually hit the point that Dawn dragged Kenny away from the restaurant to eat somewhere else. Lucas then returned to his seat…fuming.
"What the fuck?! I hate that dude so much…why him?!" Lucas tried to keep himself from shouting. Ash didn't even know what to say. He was almost certain he and Dawn were getting somewhere…but it turns out she didn't see him that way.
"He's a straight asshole dude," Barry agreed. "When I played for Twinleaf last year he was always talking shit the entire game. Felt good to pick his ass off a few times. We even butted each other's helmets a few times and got some nasty words in."
"Oooo I can't wait until we play them. We're gonna take a shit on them," Lucas clenched his fist. Gary nodded in agreement, but Ash still stared downwards. He didn't get it…why did he feel so…shocked? They weren't dating, and honestly weren't even talking, but he still felt like he was maybe getting somewhere.
"It's alright Ash…you should find a girl that actually likes you back," Barry tried to ease him. "Don't waste your time on a fake relationship."
"Yeah…whatever," Ash replied and finished his burrito. He could tell that his friends wanted to help him out, but there wasn't much they could do.
"Ooooooh, these hoes ain't loyal," Gary sang the lyrics to one of his favorite songs.
"No they aaaaaiiinn't," Barry added on, and everyone laughed, even Ash snuck in a few chuckles. But he just couldn't shake the feeling of a dead end.
Who else was there?
Raise your hand if you've had this happen to you…yeah it sucks. This is unsugar-coated reality guys. You feel like you're getting somewhere with someone and then bang…it's gone. You feel like there's no one else in the world when there are plenty.
If you enjoyed please follow/fav and review! Thanks for reading!
P.S. The song they sang at the end was Loyal by Chris Brown.
