Intermission – Chapter 2
He wanted to see us? He wanted to see me? I'm sure gramps misunderstood things, Ash probably just asked how Tracey and I were; so, I ignored gramps and went back to the lab.
"Gary?" he asked me but as I said, I ignored him; my eyes were wet again.
I shut the door to the lab and closed it. I knew Tracey would come up with something to explain my behavior to my grandpa, after all, he always got me out of this like this (not that these things happened regularly but I was emotionally unstable at the time).
So, Ash wanted to see me again, huh? After 3 years of not seeing each other. I wondered what he looked like now, I mean, I had seen his Kalos League battles on TV but it was TV, I wondered what he looked like now in person, was he taller? Was his skin darker? Were his lips more irresistible than before?
All these thoughts in my head made the idea of seeing him again seem like a terrible mistake. I'm sure Ash was definitely hotter now and I wasn't going to be able to resist him. Maybe it was for the best not to see him again.
So, eventually, Tracey got into the lab using his keys but he was alone so I assumed he got rid of gramps for now.
"I told him you and I had a fight" Tracey said entering the lab.
"Thanks."
"Are you ok?" he asked concerned.
"You know I'm not" I said as I sat down on the floor.
"He wants to see you, Gary" he smiled trying to cheer me up and he sat down next to me.
"I'm not sure of that."
"C'mon, don't be so negative! Let's head to the Ketchum residence and say hi!"
"That's a terrible idea" I laughed.
"Dude, please; I just called Misty and told her Ash was here so she's coming to stay this weekend."
"You did what?" I asked completely shocked.
"If I can't make you go to Ash, she will help me make you go to Ash" Tracey said with a determination I had never seen in him before.
"You're crazy!" I stood up, angry, mad.
"Maybe I am, but you're in love and you don't want to do anything about it!" he stood up. Now it sounded like we were fighting.
"He's not even gay!" I shouted as I kept crying.
"You can't know that unless you try!"
"He's not! That's the thing! It doesn't matter if I try! It doesn't freaking matter!"
"Why do you have to be so negative about this?" he asked and I knew he was disappointed of me.
"I'm being realist, Tracey."
"Why do you have to be so cruel on yourself? When I wasn't sure whether to ask Misty out, you told me all these things about being optimistic and that she might feel the same about me… why can't you say all those things to yourself right now?"
"Because I don't want to get hurt" my eyes redden even more than before.
"You're not being fair to yourself, Gary; you don't deserve to treat you like you do" he said as he got out of the lab. Now it wasn't completely a lie what he told gramps about we having had a fight.
I didn't see Tracey the rest of the morning, I didn't get out of the lab. There were some more explosions (the reaction ones and maybe one or two that came from my heart). He wanted to see me, I should have been happy about it, but I wasn't.
At one moment, I just couldn't handle it anymore and I went to my room in the third floor of the mansion. I went straight to bed and I instantly fell asleep.
"Okay, we have to get you out of here!" a girl's voice exclaimed opening the door of my room.
"Misty?" I asked still sleepy.
"That's right, mister!" she exclaimed getting me out of bed by pulling my feet.
"Tracey! Why did you bring her in here?" I asked from the floor as he entered my room.
"I told you that we would get you to Ash" he laughed.
Misty eventually knew about my feelings for Ash and she supported me as much as Tracey, however her methods were a little more drastic, like getting me out of bed by pulling my feet.
"Miss Ketchum is organizing a dinner tonight at the Ketchum residence to welcome Ash from his journey and we're all going" Misty said.
"A dinner? Tonight?" I asked surprised as I stood up.
"We're going to make you look so hot Ash is not going to resist you" Misty said with a smile on her face.
"What the hell did you just say?" I laughed, now feeling a little better.
I have to confess, the idea of that dinner just made me feel more excited to see Ash again, plus I'd get to taste Miss Ketchum's delicious food!
"We have to get you some new clothes" Misty said after opening my closet.
"Hey! That's private!" I blushed when she opened the drawer where I kept my underwear.
"You definitely need new clothes" she laughed "let's go!" she took my hand and got me out of my room.
"My shoes!" I exclaimed.
"You need new shoes too!"
"I'll get them" Tracey laughed entering my room.
I felt kidnapped. As we got out of the mansion, Misty threw me into the backseats of her car as she and Tracey took the pilot and co-pilot seats.
"Where are we going?" I asked scared.
"To Viridian City" she said turning the engine on.
That was it, I knew I couldn't do anything to escape, Misty and Tracey were definitely going to help me buy some new clothes to wear that night at the Ketchum residence, I was so nervous!
Viridian City was near Pallet Town, it was about 20 minutes by car, so we got there quickly.
"I don't really need a lot of clothes, just what I will wear tonight" I said before getting out of the car.
"Honey, you need a full change of wardrobe! You got nothing but lab coats!" Misty exclaimed.
"That's because that's all I ever use!"
"Ain't that sad?" she laughed.
"Hey! Don't take it on my lab coats!"
I still remember when I told Misty about my feelings for Ash about eight months ago, I loved her reaction.
Misty had visited us (well, Tracey) at Pallet Town so she was staying in the Oak's mansion for a couple of days. That night I wasn't able to sleep, so I went to the backyard and sat on the grass (does that sound familiar to you?).
It didn't take much time until Misty joined me, she couldn't sleep either.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked getting out of the kitchen and into the backyard.
"Can't sleep?"
"Not at all" she smiled and sat down next to me "I have so much things on my mind right now" she sighed.
"I guess we have more things in common than just Tracey" I laughed and she laughed too.
"I didn't remember you this funny" she said.
"Huh?"
"Back when you traveled around Kanto, when you and Ash were rivals."
And I knew the moment she said his name I would be telling her about my feelings for him.
"I've grown up, I guess" I said.
"We all have grown up."
"Not Ash" I laughed and she laughed again.
"I wonder how he is doing" she said looking up at the sky.
"I bet he's making new friends, living new great adventures, training new Pokémon, getting hotter and hotter."
"Wait, what?" she laughed.
"You have to admit he's hot" I laughed.
"Are you really saying this? Did you drink alcohol or something?" she kept laughing.
"I mean it and no, I'm not drunk, Ash is hot… I like him" I said nothing more.
"Is this a joke or something?" she said standing up and looking around as if she would find some hidden cameras in the trees or in the grass.
"Nope" I smiled.
"Oh!" she finally realized that all I had said was true "since…"
"Ever" I completed.
She sat down next to me again.
"Thanks for telling me this… it means a lot to me, really."
"I knew I could trust you with this, I mean, Tracey trusts you with all his heart."
"Does Tracey already know this?"
"Of course, now I can finally be myself when I'm with both of you."
She smiled again.
"Thank you" she whispered looking up to the sky.