The Challenge

Chapter 2

Late that night – and I do mean late – I lay back in my bed with a tired sigh; it had been a long afternoon and an even longer evening and night. I hadn't gotten much of a chance to talk to Professor Oak since he was kind of busy with everything in the lab (something to do with a pregnant Arcanine), so I would have to wait a few days before being able to talk to him about my options. I managed to catch up with Tracey for awhile while I followed him around on the ranch as he worked and ended up not only finding out the he was gay (boy, did that one surprise me) but also being talked into staying for a surprise birthday party that he and the professor were having for Gary.

Then I got to spend some time talking to Kate, who I found out was working at a coffee shop downtown and taking classes at the community college in Viridian City. It was nice to talk to her for awhile, it always is, actually, since she's one of those people who are always nice and calm. She surprised me though, I can say that with certainty. I was expecting the thin little red-head I knew as a kid, not this girl who had suddenly grown up into a… really pretty… chick, I guess. I had never really seen her as a girl like that before, it was as if I had just noticed the way her creamy skin was framed by wavy red hair, or how pale her big blue eyes were and how nice they looked with that pink shimmery stuff she put on. And that was just Kate – not all of the other girls that were there! God… teenage hormones… I don't know when they suddenly showed up.

I digress, I'm getting ahead of myself. Suddenly finding Kate attractive was surprising but definitely not the most surprising thing of the night – Gary by far took that particular award. Gary has always managed to surprise me in some way, whether it be the way he can suddenly turn out to be cruel and harsh or the way he had always managed to catch so many pokemon or earn so many badges as a trainer, and then there was that major surprise when he decided to become a researcher. Over time, though, there have been certain things I had just grown to expect from Gary, defining features, if you will: spikey hair, the tanned skin of a traveling trainer, long sleeves, that annoying arrogance and sarcasm. The last two were still there, though the former was toned down quite a bit. Despite the fact that those two defining features of his were still there, I had no idea how to even think of my former rival. The other features that I always associated with him were gone.

Spiked hair? I suppose it's a bit hard to spike it when it hangs down to the middle of your back, though it actually didn't look so bad on him.

Tan skin? Try being pale as a ghost! Completely unlike the friend I once had who was hardly ever indoors as a child.

The long sleeves he had constantly worn since we were twelve? Yeah, those were gone too, and I found out why he had worn them in the first place: six years of cutting himself. That one… well, that actually scared me, as did learning that the reason he had moved back home was because of a suicide attempt.

Oh, yeah, and did I mention the piercings, eyeliner, heavy metal, and the fact that he had learned to play guitar? The last wasn't all that surprising, I suppose, considering that he had started playing piano when he was four – it had annoyed the hell out me back then because he would play for hours while I only wanted to go outside and play. As for the rest, well, all I can say is this: out of all of the subcultures he could have joined, a heavy metal head-banger was the last thing I expected. Enough said.

I can't really say that I had a bad time though, I mean, why else would I have stayed over past midnight? I had met a ton of new people, all whom had traveled from Sinnoh just for the party. A bunch of them had been pokemon trainers at some point, which was pretty cool, and some of them even had their pokemon with them. All in all, I had a pretty good time. As I closed my eyes to drift into sleep, one of the people I had met stuck out in my mind: a petite brunette named Chelsea and who was apparently one of Gary's best friends. She had intrigued me; she had gone to the same college as Gary up in Pastoria City and was originally from the Orange Islands (Ascorbia Island, I think), she trained pokemon in the Orange Islands and Kanto region for four years in between school, and even worked with Professor Ivy as an intern. She was almost as sarcastic as Gary (though not quite as annoying) and was actually pretty funny… Emphasis on the pretty too; she was average but there was just something about her that caught my attention.

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It felt so nice to sleep in for once, especially in a nice warm bed with a roof over your head. As much as I love camping out and sleeping in a sleeping bag under the open sky, it kind of loses its appeal when the temperature begins to drop dramatically and you have next to nothing to protect you from the wind or cold. Yep, my bed was a welcome change. Pikachu apparently thought so too, considering the way he had burrowed his way into the blankets during the night.

It was around eleven when I finally dragged myself out of bed, which is pretty late when you're used to getting up whenever the sun rises, and wandered down stairs. Mom was already at the table with a certain redhead whom I hadn't seen enough of last night since she was too busy talking to one of Gary's friends.

"Oh, he lives," Kate giggled when she noticed me.

"Someone had a late night, I see. Good thing Professor Oak called last night to tell me that you were staying late, I would've been awfully worried if he didn't. There's pancakes in the oven, by the way." Oops. I forgot I told mom I wouldn't be at the lab too late. I probably should have called her… oh well.

I ate breakfast quickly while talking to Mom and Kate, and found out that Mom intended on dragging me out shopping ASAP for new clothes. Fortunately, Kate was heading back over to the Oak place after picking up some things from her house and had stopped by to invite me along. Eager to escape being unwillingly taken to the mall, I agreed pretty easily and with minimal convincing and we left only a short while later.

Walking along the roads of Pallet to Professor Oak's lab with Kate felt awesome. The air was chilled but the sun was shining and it felt wonderful on our backs, better yet, it brought back childhood memories. Memories of when we would race down the then-dirt road (it had been paved since then) towards the woods, then whoever won would stop and wait so that we could cut through them together. Beyond the patch of woods was a vast field with a small stream before the forest that surrounded Professor Oak's property. We used to cross the stream on stepping stones and go through the woods until we reached the backyard at the professor's house. That was the fast way to the lab, taking the roads took longer and it wasn't as fun. God, I missed the old days.

Glancing Kate over, I noticed she was wearing purple Converses with flowers on them and cropped jeans. That meant she could run and that was all the encouragement I needed.

"Race you!" I yelled and took off down the road with Pikachu clinging to my shoulder for dear life. I heard Kate laugh and begin chasing after me.

The last thing I expected was for her to catch up with me; now having longer legs, I would think that I would be able to run faster. Apparently not the case. Not only did Kate catch up with me but she beat me horribly. I couldn't help but wonder when she had gotten so fast; she usually spent most of her time reading and how that equated to running fast was beyond me. She reached the trees first and stopped, watching me as she caught her breath; I laughed and fell to the ground once I reached the small grassy patch between the woods and the road. Pikachu jumped off of my shoulder and scampered over to Kate before quickly leaping up to perch on her shoulder.

"So Mr. Pokemon Master is out of shape, I see."

I looked up to see Kate standing over me with a small smile on her face and looking as though she were fighting back a laugh. She reached up and scratched Pikachu behind the ears and her soft smile grew into a grin as he practically purred under her touch. I couldn't help but grin at the sight; Pikachu had always been fond of Kate and her pokemon, especially her eternally happy eeevee, Shadow, and her hyperactive charmeleon, Socrates. Then again, it wasn't hard for someone to be fond of her – she was just too nice to dislike. And she picked out awesome pokemon: I remember hearing a story involving her horsea using Watergun on Gary for being in a bad mood after losing a battle. Six or seven years later and I'm still trying to get Kate to admit that she ordered her pokemon to do that… Either way, any pokemon with the nerve to do that is a good one; or at least a funny one.

"Only a little," I replied. "Seriously, how did you get so fast?"

"Playing soccer with the girls and Tracey. And Gary, on the rare occasion that he ventures out of his lair… which is actually a lot more common lately than it was when he first came home." I noticed how distant her voice seemed at the last part and wondered what exactly it meant but didn't ask. As curious as I was about how different Gary now was, I really didn't feel like talking about him, not when I was having fun hanging out with Kate.

My response was little more than an 'oh' as I stood up and we began to walk through the woods. The woods of Pallet have always seemed different from the woods in the other places I've been to, maybe it's because I'm so familiar with them. Kate and I walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes while Pikachu ran around ahead of us, sniffing tree trunks and occasionally pawing at the ground. He seemed happy to be back in Pallet.

"How long are you going to be home, Ash?" Kate asked after awhile.

"Until my birthday."

"Why so long? Is everything ok?"

I smiled at the concern in her voice. "Everything's fine, I'm just taking a break," I assured her but she looked worried. "Why?"

She shook her head slightly. "Sorry, I'm just a bit paranoid now. Gary moved home suddenly in August saying that he just needed a break from school and in the end it was because of a suicide attempt… I just didn't want it to be anything like that." I hated how sad she sounded when she said that.

"How long was it before Gary told anyone about that?" I asked.

"Beginning of October, as far as I know. He apparently actually sat May, Anna, and his grandpa down and told them about it; then we got in a fight and he kind of threw it in my face… Not exactly a great way to find out that your best friend tried to kill himself," she added bitterly, kicking at a rock that was on the ground. I know I mentioned that Anna had replaced me as Gary's best friend but I had also learned last night that she and Gary were now dating and had been since Halloween. From what I could see, it seemed more like they had been dating since three Halloweens ago, that was just how they acted around each other.

"What was with all of the fighting between you two? You never used to fight much when we were kids. Me and Gary were always the ones to fight." That last part especially was true, I could tell so many stories about the fights we used to get into. It's amazing that we were once best friends, considering the injuries we used to give each other and how much trouble we used to get each other into.

Kate was quiet for a few minutes as we broke through the edge of the woods and began to cross the grassy field to a distant patch of forest. "Part of it was because I was jealous of Anna," she finally said. "But Gary was also really moody when he got back home from Sinnoh. He'd be fine one minute and then pissed off or depressed the next; even Anna and May said that he was acting different. Everyone pretty much thought he had just dropped out of school for no reason," her voice lowered sadly. "Once he finally told everyone everything, it all made sense. I guess we weren't exactly being very good friends for us to not realize something was wrong."

I stopped in the middle of the field and Kate followed suit; she looked slightly confused as I turned to face her. "You're one of the best friends anyone could ever have, Kate. Don't let something that Gary did make you question that! You know Gary, he never tells anyone anything – I'm surprised he's changed enough to actually stop doing that." I said honestly, feeling pissed at Gary for making her feel this way. "How could you know what was going on with him when he wouldn't even tell his best friend or his sister?"

Kate stepped around me and continued to cross the field, leaving me a bit baffled. She usually didn't do things like that; usually she would stand and hear someone out entirely. It wasn't like her to just walk away from something; I guess it just goes to show how much this whole thing with Gary really affected her. I almost wished I was capable of affecting her like this; I don't mean making her sad. What I mean is, I wish she liked me as much as she liked Gary. She had seriously been head-over-heels for him since I was in Hoenn! And it wasn't as if Gary returned those feelings; he had definitely been into Anna way more than Kate, in more ways than one, too. Part of me wanted to punch Gary in the face for that… another part of me really envied him for having the ability to make people practically love him. Ugh, it was so confusing.

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I was partially surprised to see that the lab was pretty crowded, compared to usual that is. Dr. Harris, a researcher that used to work in the lab when I was a kid and now worked in Sinnoh (he was also May and Gary's godfather, if memory served correctly) was helping Professor Oak with a nidorino that was freaking out as they bandaged an injury while May watched on with a bottle and syringe. One of the guys that I recognized from the party the night before (I think his name had been Shawn) was doing something on one of the new-looking computers that were set up on desks in the back area of the lab and the girl Chelsea was placing large books on shelves over each of the desks. I don't think I've seen so many people in the lab at once since I was a little kid and Gary's parents worked in the lab with Dr. Harris and Professor Oak; usually it's just the professor and Tracey or May. Kate and I had split ways when we reached the house with Kate going to the porch to hang out with some of the people from the night before while I headed to the lab. May smiled and greeted me when I entered the building.

I eyed the bucking pokemon nervously while Pikachu cooed softly in concern. "Do you guys need help?" I asked.

"Probably but it wouldn't be a good idea to have any more people near him. He's scared enough with two people surrounding him but we need him to be held down so Grandpa can treat his wounds – the nidorino have been fighting for dominance for months." May explained quickly as I leaned against the lab bench she was standing next to. Pikachu jumped down and began sniffing the bottle interestedly.

"Uh, Pikachu, I don't think you should play with that," I quickly interceded by scooping him up and letting him climb up on my head. "What is that stuff, May?"

May laughed and I smiled at the sound; I had always liked Gary's elder sister. She was a lot like Kate in the fact that they were both some of the nicest people you could possibly meet even though I knew she could be incredibly protective of her brother. With only two years between the two siblings, they could almost pass as twins, especially now that they both have long hair. May's auburn hair, though wavy compared to Gary's perfectly straight hair, was only a few shades lighter and her blue eyes were only a touch darker than Gary's. Their eyes were the same exact shape and they even had the same high cheekbones and straight nose. It was kind of eerie at times. "You two amaze me and this is antivenin in case someone gets stung by one of those spines. Nidorino venom isn't as strong as a nidorina's but it can make you kind of woozy."

I nodded in understanding; I had gotten stung a time or two while hanging around the lab, fortunately, Professor Oak and Tracey know what they're doing. I wasn't aware May was the same way. "I didn't know you helped out with first aid," I said.

I noticed May furrow her brow slightly as she swept her hair out of her face. "I help out a lot," she said quietly. "I can do a lot of emergency things around here; I even gave my brother eleven stitches a few months ago," she added with a nervous glance at Professor Oak.

"What happened?" Gary never seemed to get injured that often, I was always the one getting stitches and bandages and shots of all sorts.

"You saw his arms, Ash; what do you think?" May asked. Though I understood what she was talking about immediately – I had seen the scars on Gary's arms the night before – the harsh tone in her voice caught me off guard; May was always very sweet and caring, the meanest thing she would ever do is occasionally hit Gary upside the head for doing something rude or stupid. It was always rewarding to see her do that whenever Gary and I ran into each other throughout Kanto, which isn't really as mean as it sounds.

I didn't reply to her question and she didn't say anything else. It didn't seem like she was mad at me; it just seemed like she was deep in thought. I felt kind of bad for May, with the way she's always looked out for Gary, it must have been hard for her when she found out about… well, everything.

It was awhile longer before the adults finished up with the nidorino and even longer before I finally got a chance to talk to the professor. I passed the time by talking to Shawn and Chelsea and I found out that they were both going to be researchers on Professor Oak's new research team for some sort of eevee breeding program that Kate had briefly mentioned yesterday. Apparently Shawn was trying to upload new programs for processing data on the computers that Professor Oak had recently purchased specifically for his newest team. Shawn seemed like a guy who belonged in a lab; it was just something about how quiet he was and how quickly he managed to work on the computers. He just seemed like he would fit in with a bunch of researchers, Chelsea, on the other hand, was different. She seemed like she was better suited to be a trainer than a researcher with her energy and attitude. She almost reminded me of Misty, just… different. The more I talked to her, the more I liked her and it was confusing me because I felt the same way about Kate. Never having a girlfriend was starting to have a negative effect on me.

It was almost relieving when Professor Oak finally came over and greeted me after bringing the nidorino outside and checking on the other pokemon. "Hello, Ash. We hardly got a chance to talk yesterday, you certainly seemed surprised to see my grandson last night." Here we go again with Gary…

I forced a smile. "Yeah, it was kind of a shock… The hair and the piercings really weren't something I'd ever associate with Gary."

"Ah, yes, I know what you mean. I can deal with the hair considering my son had long hair for several years when he was Gary's age and, of course, Dr. Harris has had long hair for quite some time now. The piercings though," Professor Oak shook his head with a sigh. "I couldn't understand the point in my son's tattoo either but I assume you're not here to talk about Gary."

"Yeah," I admitted. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh boy, the last few times someone has said that to me, I've found out very worrisome things." Professor Oak said as he made his way over to the desks, gesturing for me to follow him as he sat down at one of them. I followed and sat in the chair at the desk next to the one he was at. "Tell me, what is it you want to talk about?"

"Well, I'm going to be in Pallet until my birthday and that's pretty much because I don't know where to go next. I was kind of hoping you could give me an idea."

"There are many different things you could do, Ash," he began, sounding thoughtful. "But if you're going to be here until the end of March, why do you need to decide so soon? You just got home yesterday, after all." I stared at him. Was Professor Oak telling me to take a break? That wasn't something he did very often, usually he encouraged me to keep going to the next place. This was definitely a change. Something must have shown because he laughed softly. "Not something you expected to hear?" he asked. I nodded in response; that was one way of putting it. "Well, I realized – at my grandson's expense, that it's important to take breaks when you need them. Jumping right back into training by running off to a new place is not your only option at the moment. The past few times you've come home after a competition, you've left within a few days, heading to a new region with hardly any break." I had to admit that he was right with that. "I can name off a few things that you could do but I'd like to see you think about them for a few days and genuinely take them into consideration before running off."

"Ok," I replied easily. What harm would staying around do? "Shoot."

"Well, for starters, you could stay in Pallet and train while helping me here in the lab." I assumed this was a joke when the professor chuckled softly at my apparently funny reaction to that suggestion. "I was kidding, Ash. Though you are more than welcome to help out with the pokemon here while you're in town until your birthday, you would likely find it quite enjoyable." I don't know how much I would enjoy helping out in the lab, it seems boring. Playing with and training the pokemon here, on the other hand, that could be fun… "Other than that, you could redo any region you've already been through-"

"I thought about redoing Kanto, but I don't know. I'd kind of like to do something entirely new."

Professor Oak smiled at that. "I figured that. Here's something you might not have considered though: if you were to redo Kanto entirely, you might just be able to become a gym leader."

A gym leader? I'd never really thought about that. There's a big difference between being a gym leader and a pokemon master, that's for sure. But if you're a gym leader, then you're kind of trapped in a gym, aren't you? But then you get to battle all the time… Hmm… Maybe that wasn't that bad of an idea.

I was about to ask Professor Oak what trainers have to do to become a gym leader when Dr. Harris interrupted us.

"Samuel, didn't you want Gary to come down here around lunchtime?"

"Ah, yes; I nearly forgot about that. Is it that time already?"

"It's already close to twelve-thirty. You should probably tell him before it gets any later; once he gets out of bed and starts hanging out with his friends he's not going to be too thrilled about coming down to the lab."

Professor Oak sighed and turned back to me. "I'm sorry, Ash," Oh, don't tell me this conversation is over just because you don't want Gary getting annoyed. "I'm afraid he's right, we've been planning this for months and I certainly don't want to forget about it – "

"Do you want me to go tell Gary that you want to see him?" I asked, feeling pretty annoyed that this conversation was getting cut short just to cater to Gary's needs.

"That would great, actually, Ash. He's probably in his bedroom right now, take a right at the top of the staircase and it's the second door on the left; the room next to the attic stairs."

"Alright," I replied, trying to cover up the fact that I really did not feel like fetching Gary for the professor.

"Thanks, Ash!"

Why did I get the idea this was going to be a long stay in Pallet?

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