Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine.

Author's Note: Ok, well I don't really have much to say honestly hahaha. I'm on summer break. Yay. I'll do my best to keep updating if you guys to your best to review and let me know this story still has interest!

Got that? REVIEW!

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All That Glitters Ain't Gold

Chapter 4

A Foundation Solidified

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Gary made his way to the backyard at a leisurely pace. After finishing his morning coffee and going into the lab for a bit he felt like it was time to stretch his legs. Besides, while he was a researcher, he was still accustomed to being out in nature from his years out traveling. There was just something soothing about relaxing under a tree with all the time in the world that put his mind at ease. It wasn't as if he were stressed or anything, his life was pretty sweet if you looked at it from an outsider's perspective, but even the almighty Gary Oak enjoyed his down time. He plopped down on the ground and distracted himself by watching the pokemon.

Considering that about half of them were his own it brought a smile to his face. He was able to remember every pokemon, and with that knowledge came all of the memories of catching them. When he was younger he had been jealous of Ash. There was a multitude of reasons--that whole grass is greener thing--but the big one was the fact that Ash had real friends. Gary chuckled to himself, rolling his eyes at the clichedness of his thoughts. But it was the truth, Ash had companions and he didn't. Which brought the thought full circle; Gary looked back at the pokemon. He had hundreds out there, literally hundreds, but he knew that, for whatever reason, if he had to name them all he could. His pokemon were his friends when he was lonely, his family when he was alone; and for those reasons he was able to lay back against the tree and remember why he was eventually able to move past his jealousy and be thankful for the life that he had lived.

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I can honestly say that I think I'm closer to my pokemon than Ash is to his own. I'm not saying he's a bad trainer--I have eyes for god's sake--but I do know I'm right on this. The guy has 30 or so Tauros' and I'd put money down that he couldn't tell them apart to save his life. Then he has this habit of catching new pokemon only to leave them behind as soon as he decides to go to a new region. That in itself isn't a bad thing, it's just that he never really uses them again once they get sent to my Grandpa. But to each their own, you know? I'm not trying to insult the way he conducts his life, just stating the facts to strengthen my original point. I am closer to my pokemon.

Like I said, I didn't have friends. Doppelgangers yes, but no one who actually had my back. Except my pokemon. Most of the time they were out of their pokeballs, partially due to the fact that we trained...a lot. I do take pride in the fact that MY pokemon actually evolved, heh. But anyways, they were my friends; and I constantly switched up my team. I changed teams often enough to where I knew all my pokemon, but not to where they'd think I'd forgotten about them. I know their odd quirks: Blastoise, for example, really likes fish. But not just any fish! Oh no, it has to be burnt on the outside and tender on the inside or else he refuses to eat it. Personally, I always thought it was kind of odd that a water pokemon liked fish but yeah, whatever. And there's Skarmony, who happens to have a really bad case of insomnia. I used to stay up as late as I could talking to him but more times than most I'd fall asleep first and wake up to find him crashed out next to me.

I could keep going on that tangent forever. But then, there would be no story now would there?

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Gary's peace was somewhat short-lived, however. He heard voices approaching and opened one of his two closed eyes to see who it was. Tracey and Dawn. He shouldn't be too surprised, though. Dawn did make a habit of inviting herself into his daily life and Tracey often popped up at random times. They wandered over to him and Tracey took a seat on the ground next to him. He honestly expected the same of Dawn, but raised an eyebrow as her eyes darted from side to side...nervousness?

"What's up Dawn?" Gary asked casually.

"It's almost noon and you don't have your coffee. Want me to go get it?"

Before he had a chance to reply Dawn had already run back to the house. Gary shook his head, she really did have his schedule down pat.

"I got your text Gary." Tracey said.

"Oh yeah?" He replied.

"Yeah. I'll help...but you better know what you're doing..."

"Thanks man, and don't worry. I've been told I'm a smart guy." Gary grinned.

Tracey's nickname was the "Unofficial Oak." Gary thought it fit him; after all, he had been the one to coin the term. But it was true. At first he had honestly hated the guy. When he looked at Tracey all he saw was one of Ash's friends who had an odd, if not creepy, obsession with his grandfather. A pain in the ass nuisance who wasn't good for anything except drawing pictures. His battling sure wasn't anything to phone home about. It still wasn't, Gary surmised, but it really didn't matter anymore. As he grew up some and the years rolled by he had actually started taking the time to get to know the guy who happened to be living in his house. At the same time, Tracey stopped being such a fanboy and mellowed out some, making him seem more relatable and, in Gary's opinion, tolerable. Then, sure enough, more years rolled by and it reached the point it was at now. Tracey was a part of the family--hence the nickname--and the only person Gary honestly felt he could talk to unguarded.

As Gary listened to his friend talk about the details of their most recent plot he couldn't help but think of how the guy honestly had changed over the years. For the most part, all the changes were purely physical: Tracey was still--in Gary's opinion--way too nice for his own good; and still had a knack to bump his head into others' business and offer a shoulder of support if ever needed. But one thing that had changed had been Tracey's insecurity level. As they had gotten closer Gary steadily picked up on Tracey's lack of confidence when it came to anything about himself except for drawing. The situation eventually came to a head one summer when Gary was trying to go partying and Tracey claimed that he didn't really feel up to it. When he asked why, Tracey mumbled something about girls not being interested in him and that had been the final straw.

He essentially told Tracey that he was tired of his bitching and that it was time to change. From that day forward Gary introduced Tracey to the world of weight lifting and every morning they worked out together. In Gary's mind it was simple logic: the fact of the matter was that Tracey was wider set, big boned, but by adding some muscle to his arms it readjusted one's focus and turned his stature into a plus instead of a minus. Unfortunately, about a month or two later he got called in to do a long term research project in the Sinnoh region. But before leaving he drug Tracey to all of his favorite shopping spots and helped him pick out a new outfit--all paid for by Oak money of course! Keeping to Tracey's original color scheme, the two decided on a pair of green camoflauge pants and a red sleveless top (beater!). The outfit was paired with simple red high tops and, naturally, Tracey's red head...thing. By that time, Tracey's hair had grown out so they also took a trip to the salon. His bangs were kept at their normal length, but the rest of the hair was layered in a semi-spiky style that Tracey claimed made him look like Tad--whoever the hell that was. Whatever the case, Tracey kept the look and eventually grew into his own...and quite well if Gary did say so himself.

His inner Tracey musings were interrupted, however, when Dawn plopped down next to them and passed him a hot cup of coffee. So she was a decent chick. Gary figured if he was the type of guy to get off of obedient, housewifey types then he probably would've been willing to give Dawn a fair chance...maybe. He shook his head, it was probably just the coffee talking. But, for the moment at least, he felt like he should do something more than just ignore her...but what? He grinned and snapped his fingers as inspiration hit.

"You know Dawn. You didn't really get much of a chance to talk to Tracey here yesterday. He's about as Oak as you can get without the blood; hell, in the last few years he's lived here and been around Gramps a lot more than I have. If anyone has picked up anything about poetry, it's this man right here."

And just like that, Dawn's eyes turned to Tracey with an excited glint. He caught the older boy's eyes over Dawn's head and fought down the laugh. Of course Tracey didn't know any poetry! Gary was as confident in that as he was in his own name, but he DID want to do something nice for Dawn, and giving her hope was pretty nice as far as he was concerned: mission accomplished. He knew that Tracey wasn't mad at him, but the look he was being sent fell somewhere in between bemusement and bewilderment; as if he wanted to ask if this was some kind of ridiculous joke. Gary just shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes, leaning against a tree to see where it all ended up.

"Hair of spiky chestnut, eyes a dazzling blue

Striking as a hungover drunk, if woken up to soon

Pearly white teeth, forever lodged in a smirk

Laughing at jokes only he understands, fucked up kind of mirth

Researcher by day, playboy by night

But beauty and brains doesn't quite sum it up right

Kind of a jerk, with an ego much too fat

For unfathomable reasons, women just seem to dig that

He's rude and crude, yet still a dashing young bloke

This is my ode to the great Gary Oak."

By the end of the "poem" Gary had opened his eyes and stared at Tracey blankly as the older man erupted into a fit of giggles, obviously proud of himself. Honestly, what was he supposed to say to something like that?! He stuck with snorting and rolling his eyes dramatically before letting a small grin cross his features. He spared a glance at Dawn, curious as to her reaction, but more than anything she simply looked confused: face scrunched, constant blinking, etc. The blue haired girl looked like she was going to say something, but abruptly shut her mouth before letting any sound out; instead taking on a wounded look, as if someone had run over her puppy or something. Gary figured he should probably ask her what was wrong, but before the words left his mouth he heard the sound of applause directly behind him...and judging by Dawn's expression he had an inkling suspicion as to who it was.

"Geez Gary. I always figured that if you cheated on me it would be with a woman--"

He looked up to be greeted with the winking face of Misty Waterflower.

"--I didn't mean to interrupt the...poetry session...but I just wanted to let you know I'm leaving to go hang out with Ash and Brock."

Misty waved politely to Dawn and Tracey before turning to leave to go. Before he could properly think it out Gary reached out an arm and grabbed one of Misty's legs. In his head it was perfect. He'd trip her up and suavely catch her in his arms; she'd blush and feel dumb while he came out on top looking super cool. In essence a good plan...but naturally the execution was not as perfect as he would have hoped. Instead of gracefully falling into his arms Misty's body came toppling onto his own in a sloppy mess. In the end, he was on his back with Misty laughing for all she was worth as she sat on top of his stomach. The only lesson learned here, Gary surmised, was that Misty's ass had the capability of knocking the wind out of him. Stu-fucking-pendous.

"Heh, if you're really gonna miss me this much I wouldn't have minded giving you a hug, you know." Misty cackled.

"Yeah yeah, have fun with Ashy-boy. I'll see you later." Gary grumbled in reply, pride still wounded.

Misty left; and not even a full ten seconds elapsed before Tracey burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Real slick, Oak."

"Shut up, fag."

"What, you didn't like my poem?" Tracey feigned a hurt look.

"Gary, you shouldn't use words like fag. It's a very derogatory term...unless, do you dislike homosexuals?" Dawn asked innocently.

For a second he just looked at Dawn, with an occasional blink. Was she really serious?! Sure, she had a point but it's not as if he was honestly accusing Tracey of being gay and looking upon it in a bad light. Then, for her to take it even further and hear his quick quip and make it into something bigger by assuming he honestly did have a problem with gays was actually kind of ridiculous. It made him wonder when the world around him had gotten so politically correct. It was as if no one could do anything nowadays without stepping on someone else's toes and pissing off certain groups. But, as he looked at Dawn he realized that she really didn't know any better--she was honestly raised to believe that using a word like fag was something of a be all to end all. So, if he took his logic further it was also safe to assume that her earlier question regarding his views on homosexuality was a legitimate one and not just her pulling his leg like he had suspected...meaning that she was waiting for an answer. His barely concealed laughter made it a little hard to speak, though, so he waited for it to subside before facing the blue haired girl.

"That's not the case at all. In fact, I've gone clubbing with Wallace on a few occasions; and, let me tell you, that man can pick up other men almost as effortlessly as I can pick up a woman."

"But...aren't you too young to get into clubs?"

This time he couldn't hold back the laughter.

"It's all about who you know, Dawn..."

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That's about the time she started asking questions about clubbing, partying, and that whole scene. You know, I really have no problems sharing that part of my life with people; it's certainly not anything that I'm ashamed of. I am well aware of the perks to being young, good looking, and rich and I've spent my entire life living it up! Say what you will about it, "taking advantage of your position is wrong yada yada," but I could really care less what anyone thinks about the way I've conducted my life. You do what you will to get ahead, and there's no denying that--partially in thanks to networking, which is so much easier achieved when alcohol is involved--I have made friends with people in high places. It's not like I made all of my friends like that, though. Somehow the thought of going to a big bash at the Indigo Plateau and being greeted by a belligerent Professor Rowan...well, it's just wrong. But that's not what the issue is here!

So I was at a crossroad. Dawn's a young and naive girl; did I really want to be the one to open her eyes to how the world works outside of Pokemon Contests? No, not really. It's not that I didn't think she couldn't handle it or anything, I was more concerned with the thought of her thinking it was really cool; not because I was worried about her going off and getting trashed--I doubt she'd be able to convince anyone she was old enough to buy booze, and I seriously doubt Brock would buy her a bottle--I just didn't want her to idolize me and put me any higher on the pedestal I was already fighting so damn hard to get off of. I think it was a well funded fear!

But, then you take into account that I am a red-blooded man. Now honestly, who doesn't like to blab on and on about their various exploits? And you add in the fact that Dawn is nowhere near as innocent as she tries to appear--I mean seriously! Have you seen that piece of cloth that she tries to pass off as a skirt?! I swear that girl has "accidentally" panty flashed me more times then I can count. As if that wasn't enough, she tried giving me a picture of herself in some maid getup once. I'm telling you, no normal kid wears tiny french maid suits and takes suggestive pictures for kicks. Then you add in Tracey, who has taken on the role of my best friend, wingman, and--when things have gotten bad--pretend boyfriend. Just our various adventures alone could probably produce a best selling book! Maybe it was the mood I was in, or it could have been the weather, but the next thing I remember is an afternoon filled with laughter at stories of the past.

It was a good prelude to what was going to come later that night.

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He figured he was ready. Well, more like knew he was ready. It wasn't like he was going to do anything special with himself or anything.

After Tracey and Dawn left he had texted Misty's phone and asked her to let him know when she'd be getting back. Naturally, her response was wary and suspicious but it was how he had hoped she'd react. It made everything all the more fun for him. So now here he was, after making sure everything was in order, going up to his room to meet his fake girlfriend and take her out on their real first fake date. When he looked at it logically, it kind of made his head spin. These fake relationship things were a lot more complicated then one would think, that was for sure. But it was definitely not something that he'd admit out loud; after all, he was Gary Oak and having problems with women of any sort was not in his manner. At the end of the day, he did have a reputation to uphold! Having reached his room, Gary put his thoughts on hold and turned the knob to the door and entered, nearly falling over at what he saw. Misty was there, all right. But she had apparently explored the room a little and found his old Super Famicom, considering she was screaming at the tv as she navigated Mario (not mine don't sue) through a level. What the hell kind of woman plays video games?!

"Don't even say it, Oak."

"Hm? What are you talking about?" He played dumb.

"Nothing, nothing at all." She played along.

"Ready to go?"

They left the Oak Complex and Gary led them south and eventually they reached the water. He heard Misty gasp at the beauty of the open water and the sun starting to set on the horizon. He smirked and wordlessly released Blastoise from its pokeball. The water tortoise grunted then jumped into the water--Gary had already briefed him of the plan. He hopped onto its back before extending a hang to Misty, who took it and together they sat as Blastoise surfed to the location. It was a tiny block of land, the actual end of Pallet Town per se. As a kid, Gary had come to this spot to think about things. It was his own spot away from the world; and while he was wary of sharing it with someone, the thought of being spied on annoyed him even more. The ride was a short one and soon Blastoise was called back and Gary led them to the spot...

"What?! No fucking way! SHOO!"

Gary groaned as he chased off the wild Pidgeys. His big plan was to simulate their "first date" and add a little to it. Part of the additions was going to be the inclusion of good food to their super awesome all night picnic. It appeared that stupid, hungry Pidgeys had other plans, however. Oh well, nothing could be done about it now! Gary turned and walked back to the blanket and basket that Tracey had helped him set up earlier in the day; Misty, it seemed, had figured out what his plan was and was sitting on the blanket giving him an amused look. Feh, she probably got a huge kick out of watching him chase the birds away. He gave her a mini glare and decided to see for himself if anything was salvageable from the picnic basket. After rifling through he sighed to himself. It wasn't completely lost, but if there was some sort of god out there Gary figured he was probably laughing over the irony of the situation. Gary looked over at Misty and gave her a sheepish grin as he pulled out his find.

"Well, at least we have sandwiches."