(March 6, 2016 EDIT: Revised Chapter 4)

(oДo)Hey! ChiiRyeeBiee here. Chapter Four of Missing Piece, finally edited and ready for take-off!

I'm still unsure of this story's flight, however. I've got a rough idea, so that's a little reassuring. Don't worry. I'd definitely finish it now that I've got it up and running :3 It'll take forever though AHAHAHAHA.

Hmm... Now onto the warnings, and just some things in general... Let me reiterate that this is yaoi, and it is definitely an AU so while it follows some canon aspects, it's not entirely the same. The date I used for Ash's birthday is August eight, because (from my long-term memory and research skills anyway) that's apparently Red's birthday. Err, there's still some cliché because I'm weird, and much denials and cluelessness. Asdfghjkl.

Leave me a review onegai to tell me what I should improve or if you liked it :D I love hearing people's responses!

Well, I'll leave ya to it. Thanks much for reading this, and enjoy! *skips off to the land of Palletshipping*


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Chapter 4: On Top of the World (Gary's Point of View)

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Ash fell asleep on the couch.

I finished doing the dishes when I walked over to where he was, only to see him peacefully sleeping like a saint. Aww, so cute. He was even cuddling with the Pikachu plushie I gave him – short, tanned arms wrapped around the soft toy as protectively as they could. He'd never admit it to anyone but I knew Ashy was a sucker for plush toys, even at his age.

Such an innocent sight. He looked completely helpless and off-guard; so trusting of his surroundings. If I stood there staring at him any longer, I may have been tempted to jolt him awake for leaving me with all the kitchenwork. Instead I decided to pick him up gently in my arms and take him to his bed for more peaceful sleeping.

Ash was the deepest sleeper I know. Once his head hit the pillow, there was no chance of waking him up for another ten or so hours, unless one had nothing better to do but try. And try I did. I attempted to pry off his Pikachu so I could carry him without the risk of dropping him, but He. Refused. To. Let. It. Go. He even unconsciously slapped my arms out of the way before cocooning himself tightly, purring (Purring?! I know, my thoughts exactly.) contentedly to himself.

Okay, I guess he won this round. Stalking towards our bedroom, I retrieved a polyester blanket from the closet to drape over him for the night. For such a small guy, he could emit one heck of a loud snore, audible from the bedroom despite our distant proximity. I'm surprised I slept through that last night! Ash's Bulbasaur plushie sat on his bed where he abandoned it along with his day bag, so I took it with me as well, knowing that the more plush toys cuddling with the ravenette, the more warmth and comfortable sleep there would be for wittle Ashy.

"Goodnight Ashy-love. Have sweet dreams, mmkay?" I whispered into the Pikachu Trainer's ear, brushing off silky raven strands covering his young, angelic face. He must have been so exhausted; repetitively riding every thrill ride in the amusement park over and over and over again. At least now he'd get some decent rest, but those limbs would be sore come morning.

I took a moment to just stand there, watching his chest rise and fall while he snored, admiring the way he nuzzled into his blankets and plush toys like a growing newborn. Here he was, my best friend – finally in front of me again, us hanging out like we used to as children. I hope he'd be alright in this room without me. I'd stay with him the whole night but he's a big boy now, not to mention he's been travelling with no one but himself and his Pokémon for the past ten months. No monsters under the bed or snack-stealing creatures would scare him away. Still, I couldn't help but worry. Ten years of distance could do that to you, you know? On the other hand, I guess he's been right all this time. I really have been babying him too much.

Ash and I had an awesome day. It was sort of like a date, except it wasn't because pfft, yeah right. I tried not to be too cruel at his being scared in the haunted house, but then he got back at me by dragging me into this girly carousel and guffawing at my predicament after those cashmere-ruining wet rides. The rollercoasters and fireworks weren't the only highlights of our day, as I somehow found out how much I missed being around the younger boy. He was fun to be with, to talk to, to annoy. And he was so cute when he got angry, like an infuriated Jigglypuff – bloated baby fat filling his cheeks accompanied by burning sienna eyes, shining with exasperation like polished volcanic glass. It was hard to take him seriously with such a cutesy, funny face. Heck, he was still cute even when he wasn't angry at me.

It didn't take a genius to figure that Ash had his guard up and he couldn't trust me with the friendship I was trying to earn from him just yet. I knew he didn't want me in his life, that I was merely a poor excuse of a companion to escape reality for a moment. I was trying not to revert to our past disputations, and it wasn't exactly easy, for I knew I was walking on burning coal and one big slip up could mean the end of this thing we have going on. I really did want to become friends with him again. Old habits die hard, like they said, but I'd keep trying, nevertheless. Ash was very special and very important to me. This holiday just couldn't, and shouldn't end in flames.

After minutes of tucking in the hazel-eyed teen warmly with his Pikachu and Bulbasaur dolls beside him, I changed into pyjamas and hopped into my own fluffy bed. Ash's birthday was the day after tomorrow. I've been thinking about it the whole day and I had a pretty rough idea of what to do for him. I had to remind myself to prepare every arrangement tomorrow, including a well-treasured gift for him that I've been keeping forever. I hope he would like it, and I'd make sure it was the best birthday he'd ever have, planned by none other than his childhood best friend.

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As always, I woke up at such an ungodly hour. Five am and I couldn't even sleep back. I was always uncomfortable with sleeping and I had no idea why. It was still really dark outside. Rather than waste precious time, I decided to get up and make the most of today since I couldn't sleep back anyway. Now would be a good time to start planning Ashy's birthday for tomorrow while he was still snoozing.

Ash carried on sleeping soundly at the sofa I left him on, probably dreaming about defeating every trainer in the upcoming Indigo Conference Tournament. He was, however, half-draped over it, just itching to fall off with one more nudge. I could also hear him mumble incoherent words, ranting about using Water Pulse on a Growlithe or something. Shaking my head at the absurdity that was Ash's sleeping patterns, I re-tucked the hazel-eyed boy in and left for the bathroom to shower, inwardly hoping he'd still be asleep by the time I finished my birthday planning.

"First things first... I should get cake ingredients, apple juice, and lots of burger buns... That guy's gonna want to eat a ton of food." I noted down important information into my Poké Gear while I made my way out of the hotel room for a stroll. Surely there were no shops open at six fifteen in the morning, but it didn't stop me from going out likewise. There weren't much preferable supplies in a faraway island like Boon Island either, so I had to forage what I could when they do open.

I dialled the number of my Grandpa's Poké Lab as I approached the thankfully open Boon Island Pokémon Center. After a few patient rings his assistant Tracey picked up and answered rather sleepily.

"Hello...? This is Professor Oak's Lab, how may I help you?" muttered Tracey in a monotonous voice. I probably called in too early...

"Hey, Trace. It's Gary here. How are you?"

"Oh! Gary! Hey, man! I'm doing fine, how about you?"

"I'm good, thanks. Is Gramps awake?"

"Err... yeah! Professor Oak's up. He's in the lounge having some of his morning coffee. Wanna talk to him?" The Pokémon Watcher informed in a slightly happier mood than before. We didn't talk that often, but Tracey and I were buddies. He was always helpful with giving me his opinions with my historical Pokémon Research.

"Yeah, thanks Tracey!" I replied with the same amount of enthusiasm.

Gramps was on the line in a few seconds and he was as excited to hear from me as Tracey was.

"Hey, Gary. How are you, son?"

"I'm great, thanks Grandpa."

"So, quite an hour you're calling in. Must be urgent... Need something from me?"

I didn't have to think twice about what I needed. "Yeah, Gramps. You know how Ash's birthday is tomorrow?"

There was a slight pause in the line before his voice came up again.

"Aah yes. He's turning seventeen isn't he? You boys must be celebrating it with just the two of you, isn't that right?" He predicted accurately.

"Ahaha, uuh, yeah."

I couldn't help but stutter a little in reply. He made it sound like a suspicious thing; celebrating Ash's birthday with ONLY his childhood best friend. Not that it was, pfft. Nothing wrong with it. It was just the timing of our holiday, or so I told myself. The guy could have a party when he got home if he wanted to.

"So you know that special Pokémon I came across with in the Hoenn Region? I was wondering if you were done researching so I could finally give it to its rightful owner."

Gramps cleared his throat before speaking up once more. "Sure thing Gary. All research from that Pokémon was conducted ages ago. I'll send it to you now. You're in a Pokémon Center right?"

"Yeah. My Pokémon are in Floe Island's Paradise Park so I don't really have anything to trade back."

Fairly soon the Pokémon Trading Machine I was in front of presented me with a polished purple and pink ball with a white M engraved at the front. A one and only rare Master Ball. I received it from Grandpa of course; how he got his hands on it I had no idea. There were only five known Master Balls manufactured that I knew of, so being able to have one of them was a really great honor.

Inside the rarity was another rarity – a rare Pokémon I thankfully saved from evil grasps of Team Magma and Team Aqua. It was a friendly little Pokémon and I felt bad having captured it, instead of letting it run free where it belonged. It seemed to like having a Trainer though. It must have been really lonely, being alone and tormented for existing because of its special abilities. I was glad that it would soon have a loving Trainer who would take care and give it all the attention it needed.

"Hey, thanks a lot Grandpa. I gotta go do my shopping now. Hope you have a great day. Say thanks to Tracey for me as well!"

Grandpa responded, "No problem, Gary. You have a great day too. Goodbye now!"

Hanging up, I walked out of the center towards the nearest shop so I could wait until it was finally available. I decided to call more people from Kanto asking for help and explaining my plan of action.

Daisy already knew of my plan about Ash's birthday so she asked me to pack some supplies beforehand. Mrs Ketchum was extremely excited and once again wished for us to have a wondrous day. She said she'd call Ash to distract him later and give him her present when he returned. Misty and Brock were surprised to hear from me, but they offered me their support and said that they'd celebrate with Ash once he got back. After all, you didn't just turn seventeen everyday and Ash had a lot of friends to celebrate with. It wouldn't have been fair if they didn't know he'd spend his birthday with his supposedly oldest rival.

When the clock hit seven am, the shops opened conveniently and I was able to gather everything I needed so far. The only problem I had to worry about was where to hide them in our hotel room, and how to plan everything in such a minimum amount of time. Ash and I were supposed to be off to Knot Island in an hour, and I wasn't sure when we'd be back for me to prepare everything without the ravenette knowing. Knowing Ash he probably wouldn't remember his own birthday, and since he travelled so much he would have lost track of time.

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I got back to the hotel room with all my supplies and decided to hide them all inside the empty top cupboards of the kitchen. If I distracted Ash well enough in the afternoon or let him sleep earlier at night then I'd be able to do some cooking and decorating. It would be hard though; I knew that much.

Before waking the sleeping boy, I whipped up some eggs and bacon for breakfast, with a creamy serving of hot chocolate good to go. While I was cooking I thought in advance to prepare some lunch we could take for our day ahead. I hoped Ash would appreciate breakfast in bed, not that he was in no condition to get up and move to the dining table. It was nice to care about someone for a change, even if it meant you were only doing little things like making breakfast for them to make them happy.

"Rise and shine, Ashy-love!" I laid the breakfast tray down on the dining table to nudge the still exhausted boy awake.

"Mmmhmfh. Go away."

Did the guy always wake up unhappy?

"Good morning to you too. Ashy, I made you breakfast. If you don't get up, you'll have none. You do want food right?"

Ash got up as quickly as possible, switching from tired to energetic with one snap of a finger.

"Where? I'm freaking starving!" He exclaimed, looking around frantically for food like he hasn't eaten in days. The boy would do anything for food...

"Tch. You weirdo. What kind of friend do you think I am, letting you starve? I made you breakfast in bed so you wouldn't have to get up. Here." I handed him a tray of food.

"Gee, thanks..."

"Eat quickly, okay? We have to board the ferry to Knot Island – which is the first island by the way – in forty-five minutes."

"FORTY-FIVE MINUTES? You could have woken me up earlier! I still need to shower! And pack properly! You better give me more time so I won't forget anything this time!" Ash cried worriedly. He proceeded to chowing his breakfast down as swiftly as he could.

Scratching at the back of my head guiltily, I apologized, "Sorry. I had stuff to do. Don't worry, I'll help you out. I'm practically almost ready anyway."

Ash and I luckily boarded another one of the small Seagallop Ferries to Knot Island just in time. The ferry did not have many people, much to our delight. The two of us sat closest to the ocean once again, this time without our Pokémon friends. From looking at his expressions I could tell the hazel-eyed teen was missing Pikachu and his other Pokémon dearly.

"Hey Ashy. We'll see Pikachu and Eevee in two days. Besides, they're having fun I'm pretty sure."

He looked at me with a weak smile. "It would be nice if we could spend today and tomorrow with them though. But I know they're okay."

As the ferry zoomed in to Knot Island our faces were whipped by a combination of the tangy sea breeze and saltwater. How was it that sitting near the water deemed a danger to the passengers? It was quite windy today but the air still felt as humid as it did yesterday.

"Gary, what's our plan for today? You didn't tell me beforehand." questioned Ash as we walked out the ferry dock. Knot Island was one of the small islands in the Sevii Area. It was less tree-filled and less inhabited, but it was famous for its beautiful cone-shaped extinct volcano Mount Ember. Of course there was also the well-known white sands of Treasure Beach, a place we were currently trekking through in pursuit of said volcano. To answer Ash's question, the two of us were going hiking and Rapidash riding on Mt Ember, and possibly learn a new thing or two about the history of the Sevii Islands.

"In general, we'll be volcano climbing today Ash. See that nice volcano up there?" I explained, pointing out at the terrain. "That's Mount Ember. We'll be riding trained Rapidash up the volcano from the Ember Ranch. You ever ridden a Rapidash before?"

Smiling, he beamed, "Yup! I raced with a Rapidash in an annual contest once near the Safari Zone you know."

"Really? Never heard of that!"

"It wasn't that scary either. Rapidash may be a Fire Pokémon but if they are trained like you say, they won't burn you."

Mount Ember was known to have a spectacular caldera view. From the internet I've seen aerial shots of its crater; brine water sitting calmly in the middle. The volcano looked exceedingly rocky and its jagged dominion was stained red and brown from where we were walking.

"Look Gary! There's the ranch!" confirmed Ash. He jogged his way ahead of me, approaching what seemed to look like a wooden barn surrounded by endless grass and hay bales.

An old man in a farmer's overalls walked over to greet us with a toothy smile. "G'mornin young lads. Lovely weather we havin' today, ain't it? I take it yer here for a ride up?" The man said in a thick cowboy accent.

"Uuuuh... hi. I'm Ash and this is my friend Gary. Yeah, can we please borrow some Rapidash to take us up the volcano?" The ravenette replied politely.

"Sure thing, boy. The name's Gorgon. I tend to all the Rapidash here in me ranch."

Mr Gorgon led us to the stables of finely-groomed Rapidash and a few Ponyta. Their manes were burning profusely – warm colours of the fire glistening to show off how healthy they were.

"Say, ye must be the Oak kid, aren't ya, son?" The old man asked me upon our arrival. Hmm. I surely didn't expect to be recognized even in the Sevii Islands.

"Yes, sir."

"Heh, knew it I did! Seen yer on tv sometimes. Yer research is what they call outstanding. Ancient Pokémon aye? They sure are int'restin' ain't they? You young'ins should visit the ruins 'ere in Fortune Island."

"Hehe, thanks... We sure will, sir."

He turned to Ash for moment. "And yer must be the incredible young Pokémon Trainer who's competed in five diff'rent leagues! Ash, I believe?"

"Yup! That's me!"

"Did yer know there's a sixth league somewhere, way way beyond all five regions?"

"There is?"

"Yeah Ash. Kalos Region has some interesting Pokémon. We have got to go there someday." I mentioned to the hazel-eyed boy.

Mr Gorgon went inside one of the stables and walked out two of the healthy fire horses near us. One of the Rapidash kept moving away shyly and timidly, but the other remained obedient.

"This shy fella's called Suzie. She ain't very confident and if fer some reason she won't take yer up then yer gonna have to both ride this other fella, Sasha." Mr Gorgon explained, trying to tame the said shy horse and letting Ash hold onto Sasha. Interesting nicknames for Rapidash, I thought to myself.

Ash was smiling and petting the fire horse, beaming and laughing gladly. "She's so beautiful Gary! Aren't you, girl?" There goes his cuteness again... Heh. If only Ash could see the way he smiled was so beautiful, too.

"Yer must really care fer yer friend there, don't ya, son?" Mr Gorgon whispered to me so Ash wouldn't hear. It seemed that Suzie refused to cooperate which meant I had to ride together with the Pikachu Trainer. It wasn't such a bad thing. I never really knew how to tame Rapidash.

I focused my attention back on the old man's statement. What in the world did he know?

"Uuuh..." was the only thing I could say in reply. Was the fact that I wanted to repair our relationship written all over my face?

"The look in yer eyes when ya watch 'im. It's diff'rent, y'know. It may sound awf'lly weird but an ol' man like me? We know these things like we know da world."

What in the world was he talking about? Look in my eyes? What look? Oh well, old men. Even my Grandpa was crazy with his poetry sometimes. I wish I didn't end up like that soon enough.

"Well young lad, ya'll know it soon." He mentioned before walking over to Ash to assist him in riding the Rapidash. A few moments later I mounted the fire horse behind the hazel-eyed teen and within minutes we waved our goodbyes to the old man.

'Ya'll know it soon...' The phrase kept resounding in my head. What will I know? How will I know? I don't even know... Oh, whatever.

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Ash was guiding Sasha quite competently through the rocky terrain of Mount Ember. There was a dusty rough pathway made especially for climbing and we followed that same pathway, hoping to reach the top of the volcano as soon as we could. Mount Ember in estimate was nine hundred forty-seven meters tall and we kept going around, and around, and around, merely a vicinity away from the summit. I heard there was a shrine at the top, dedicated to the mysterious legendary bird Moltres who used to reside at the volcano.

While we ascended up the volcano, I remembered to take as many photographs as I could of Knot Island's marvellous view. White sand and blue water, in addition to the green of the trees were mixed in together in the view to create what looked to me like a professional painting. These sceneries were just priceless. Someone needs to remind me to thank Daisy for picking this particular place to go on a holiday.

"Hey Gary...?"

"Hmm?"

"I was just wondering... Why was it that you wanted to become friends with me all of a sudden? We haven't exactly been close to each other these past few years, have we?"

And he popped the question. I wasn't expecting this until later, but then again, this was Ashy we were talking about. One hundred percent straightforwardly curious and zero percent perceptive.

"Because I missed you, Ashy." May as well be honest. He'd never believe me though.

"Missed me?"

"I missed having a best friend."

"But I thought you didn't want me to hold you back from becoming the best." I could hear him pout in front of me, confused.

"I don't need to be the best anymore. I have everything I want. I don't need anything else."

...except maybe being your friend again, Ashy.

"You're hiding something." He speculated, eyes still trained on the dusty track. I brushed through my hair with a free hand, noting the way it frizzed in the humid air. No gel today, thank goodness. Over-usage could ruin my beautiful auburn locks.

"Nothing you need to know..." I sighed in response. "I ain't telling you, not yet anyway."

"Fine then. See if I care about you and your secrets..." He muttered, this time completely focused on navigating Sasha towards the summit. She whinnied in reply, trotting forwards in compliancy.

It would take more effort from me to earn Ash's friendship again. I broke him when I left. I destroyed him, and I knew it. I said words that I knew would burn and did things that I knew would never be forgotten or forgiven. All to earn some attention I didn't need, because his wasn't enough. Or so I thought...

It turned out that I needed him more than anyone. He was my best friend, and he cared about me a long time ago. Should we be given the time, I believe we could salvage the friendship we used to have. He was the only one who could see through my status as the grandson of a famous Professor. He saw me as Gary, jerk of the century, Gary, his own Pokémon Researcher. Gary, the unworthy, loser-like, better-than-Giovanni-anyway Viridian City Gym Leader. Life wasn't as interesting without him, and I wanted and needed him back.

My arms were wrapped up around the ravenette yet again, holding him tightly to avoid falling off the fire horse. He was so warm. I rested my chin on his shoulder and leaned on him, wanting to rest my sleepy eyes.

"What! What are you doing?" He asked incredulously. I was so tired and I hated it.

"Let me sleep, Ashy. I got up at five am this morning." I whined. He merely scoffed his disappointment.

"This is why you don't wake up at dawn, Gary. You need to sleep more or your eyes will remain baggy."

"I don't choose to wake up though! I just do. I can't sleep. It's hard to sleep back."

"You might fall off."

"I'll hold on tight."

"But–! Oh fine then."

He sighed heavily, harrumphing again for having to deal with me. It wasn't my fault I had such stupid and uncomfortable mornings...

"I'll wake you up when we reach the top. You're such a Snorlax." He said. Unfortunately for me, I didn't even have enough energy to retaliate as I subsequently dozed off on his shoulder.

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Ash nudged me awake when we'd arrived like he promised. Strangely enough that was the best nap I've had in years. Rubbing my eyes free of its grogginess, I gradually became in awe at the sight of the spectacular Mount Ember. Volcanoes were usually boring-looking to everyone else, but I believed such scenery should at least be appreciated. The crater of Mount Ember was surrounded by a thick, wired fence to avoid anyone from falling, exempting three of the small lookouts people were standing around to admire the supposedly rippling waters at the bottom of the crater. From afar, I could also see a few tourists taking pictures of the same small shrine dedicated to Moltres.

Ash and I hopped off the Rapidash and walked towards the said shrine. A magnificent statue of the fire legendary stood its ground, its goldness gleaming and grinning at the light..

"Wooooooow! Moltres looks so chimerical." Ash stated next to me as he gazed upon the statue, Sasha stomping in agreement behind him. I focused my eyes on the sign that was written in cursive text at the front.

"Look Ash, it says here that we could 'Honor the legendary Moltres with wishes that could come true. Write a petition on the given piece of paper and watch it come true as you release it in the air and let it sink in the crater lake'. Sounds interesting, huh?"

His hazel orbs widened gleefully in excitement. "Really? Sweet! We gotta try it! It's like a wishing well, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Typical childish Ash...

The younger boy eyed me for a second, and I had to rethink what I'd just said for earning such a judging and suspicious look.

"Aren't you excited, Gary?"

"No, not really. It's just wish-making. But it definitely is a fascinating tradition."

"JUST WISH-MAKING?!" He exclaimed, as if what I had said was something taboo. "Hey, it's not everyday we run into something like this, y'know? We have to try it whether you like it or not." The ravenette protested, pouting for all it was worth. Typical childish and sentimental Ash...

"Hey, don't fret. We'll try it, you big buffoon. No more temper tantrums, seriously."

There was a small container with pieces of paper attached to the mysterious looking sign. Taking one each, the two of us began drafting our so called wishes. Luckily I brought pens I though we wouldn't need, handily kept in my backpack of daily things. Sasha also behaved obediently even when Ash left her unsupervised.

Wishes. I didn't really make wishes. It was hard to believe that just pleading for something to happen would actually make it come true someday, even if they could come true. I could have wished for anything, and if these wishing rites were real, my life could have been so much better. Maybe I could wish for a better car of my own since I hardly used my red one, or to win the next few battles at my very own gym. Maybe I could wish for some ridiculous anti-friendly Pokémon corporation like Team Rocket to lose their ability to think, or have the privilege to revive a Tirtouga from a fossil. I could wish for the impossible, like become ten years old again or get my parents back. But they were just empty words. What could you possibly get from empty words?

In the end, I thought none of those personal desires that niggled at the back of my mind. Instead, I thought about the present. I thought selfishly and selflessly. And stupidly, too. Even though I knew it couldn't just come true out of the blue, just the thought of it made me hope anyway. Maybe that's what they're for – wishes. A kindled hope, strengthened to come true by the constant thought of it.

'I wish Ash would be safe. That we could be best friends again. That he'd have a great no, the best birthday ever tomorrow. I wish he would keep smiling, reach for his goals, always be his happy self, and never give up.' I scribbled on the paper like there was no tomorrow. It was a stupid wish. A wish that only came to mind when you had nothing to think about. It was evident that I was not an expert at the wishing field, and I really was not into them like others were. To think I thought about my best friend more than I should... I wanted Ash to know I cared. That I genuinely, genuinely cared about him.

"Done! Garyyyy, hurry up, you Slowpoke!" Ash was already making his way towards one of the crater lookouts with Sasha to let his wish ride the wind. He's been calling me lots of weird Pokémon names lately.

I followed straight and approached the lookout, smiling at the breathtaking sight of the water. It was like any other lake, but the view from up here was more captivating than most. Both the younger teen and I extended our hands in the air and waited for the wind to carry our dreams along, with our hopes that someday... just someday, they would actually happen.

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Ash and I took our time to take photographs of each other near the crater lookout, at the shrine and even a few snapshots of the scenery we really admired. We were literally on top of the world. It was a privilege to be up at such a spectacular-looking place. How breathtakingly amazing.

The time on my Pokétch read twelve forty-three, indicating that it was time for lunch. Finding a quiet table spot on the summit devoid from other people or any distractions, I set up our lunch-to-be while Ash groomed the fire horse with contentment.

"Ashy! Lunchtime! You too, Sasha." I called out. I packed club sandwiches and chicken-filled rice balls to eat and of course, some apple juice for drinking. Ash helped himself to lunch while I prepared Rapidash's share of my own Pokémon food recipe.

"So Gary-Berry... What did you wish for?" The curious ravenette began. His eyes were twinkling with eagerness even as he ate the whole lot of rice balls I made.

"It's a secret."

"What...? How could it be secret? That's not fair."

"How is it not fair?"

"I'm gonna tell you mine if you say yours first." What a cheeky brat Ash was.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna say."

"You suck Gary. Fine. I won't tell you my wish. Wishes won't come true anyway if you tell others what you wished for."

I rose my eyebrows at him after taking a bite of my half-eaten sandwich.

"Oh really? Then why were you asking for mine? You don't want my wish to come true?"

Ash scrunched up his face into a frown. "No. But whatever you wished for must have been stupid. It wouldn't need to come true."

That was harsh! Especially since my wish was about him, for Arceus' sake. Did he really hate me that much?

"That was really mean, Ash. I feel so hurt!" I retorted in a dramatic way in hopes of hiding my pained feelings. Was I really that evil to him before? He wouldn't even let me try to be nice again! Ash merely shrugged away my exclamations, shaking his raven mop around with a ludicrous look directed at me.

"Yeah, right Gary. Yeah right."

"You really are no fun, Ashy."

When lunch was over I cleaned up thoroughly and we went on our way, exploring more of the Mount Ember summit. More pictures were taken of the wonderful views and some with Sasha included.

Ash and I were looking out at the scenery one moment when the younger teen spoke up.

"I'm bored Gary. Can we play a game?"

"How come? Aren't you inspired by such a scene?"

He fidgeted uneasily. "I am, but since we're here, we may as well do something besides stare out at the landscape."

Tch. I sighed. "What do you wanna do, then? We don't exactly have a board game handy."

"Who said anything about board games?" Ash sneered, crossing his arms. "How about an outdoor game? Tag? Dodgeball?" The ravenette paced around as he brainstormed before jumping up to voice his brilliant idea.

"How about we play hide and seek? Like we used to as children! Had we our Pokémon, we could have a battle or I'd challenge you to a race but I doubt it's very safe to run around here. Whaddya say?" Hazel eyes flickered pleadingly as they bore back into my emerald ones.

Hide and seek, of all games. He was turning seventeen tomorrow and the guy still couldn't grow up and act his age. I should humour him, I suppose. Let him indulge in playing a childish game. After all, he'd never be sixteen twice, and it'd be long till we visit this place again.

"Hide and seek is so–"

"Awesome!" He finished for me. "And you say I'm no fun. This is why you have baggy eyes Gary. You're getting old and you don't wanna have fun! You're such a Grandpa Slaking."

"What? That doesn't even make sen–"

"Of course it makes perfect sense. You're seventeen and still young! Live life a little. For that, you're IT! You better count to ten and find me, Gary-Berry!" He rushed off cunningly into a dominion of rocks and bushes.

Ash was such a child... Sheesh. And I thought he didn't want me to treat him like a baby!

"Ungrateful bastard..." I muttered, looking for a tree to lean on. Fine then! The guy better run as far away as possible while he could. By the time I finish counting, I swear to Arceus, I'm gonna find you and I'll never let you go.

"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... Ready or not, Ashy, here I come!"

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

It turns out that I enjoyed playing the children's game more than I thought I would. He was right; I was getting old and boring. Soon enough I would be like my grandfather if I kept doing too much work. Ash wasn't exactly so hard to find as his blue and white attire stood out from the rocks, and he had more trouble trying to look for me since I hid cleverly and sneakily. Sasha was napping quietly where we left her so we let her sleep for a while, undisturbed.

After much sightseeing and playing, Ash and I decided it was time to get back down to Knot Island, so we rode on the fire horse to take us back to the Ember Ranch.

I hadn't noticed on the way up that there was a nearby hot spring resort called the Ember Spa. We visited it for a brief moment just to see what it was like, but there wasn't much to see and we didn't bring any spare clothes.

"Aww man. I wanted to swim." Ash complained unhappily.

"Tomorrow Ashy. We're heading to a beach resort tomorrow." I promised the ravenette.

Time was also ticking by and we needed to get back to Boon Island so that I could start making better preparations for tomorrow. A one-man job really. I'd need all the help I could get. I should have had Eevee with me for support... How I missed the brown fluffy creature so much.

We arrived at the Ember Ranch after a two-hour trek down. Imagine how long it would have taken us to get down by foot. Sasha was happily coping – she seemed used to the tiring exercise. Fairly soon we were able to take the fire horse back and Mr Gorgon welcomed us into his ranch for a bit of a break. He scared me a little with his enigmatic perceptions, but he was indeed a nice grandpa.

"So, how'd you young'ins like the view up there? Fascinatin' ain't it?" The old man concluded while sipping his tea.

"It was really beautiful! I loved the wishing rite." Ash exclaimed in response.

"How 'bout yer, young lad?"

"Unlike anything I'd ever seen before, sir."

He sent us off with a few homemade fortune cookies. It must have been sad for him, living alone and taking care of so many Rapidash and Ponyta without assistance. It seemed unfair to me. Grandpa was alone, but he had his assistants. Mr Gorgon was completely alone, having only Pokémon to accompany him. I understood well that they could be a joy, but it was human nature to want to be close to someone as well. Loneliness was a sensitive topic for me to talk about. It was only right that I was concerned about other people who were lonely too.

"Son? Mind a chat with an ol' man like me?" I remember him asking me when Ash wasn't paying attention. I simply nodded back, wondering what on earth he wanted to say.

"Sir?"

"I know ya ain't thinkin' much 'bout love yet, but a guy like me used to be a Psychic, y'know? Could read people's feelin's, that I could. Probably still can."

"I see. That's very nice sir."

He cleared his throat and looked me in the eye with an emotion akin to concern. "I see terrible things coming yer way, but there'll be good things, I tell ya now. Take care of him, son. Take good care of him. Don't let 'im disappear like I did mine. Don't let yer heart give up on 'im."

I let the old man say what he wanted, but I still didn't understand what he wanted from me. I got the part where his wife must have passed away, and that he was forewarning me about something between Ash and I. I knew I had to take care of Ash. He was my best friend, and he meant a lot to me. I wouldn't dare let anything happen to him like the way I hurt him again.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Back at last! I could just sleep now!" cried Ash as he let himself slouch down at the sofa of our hotel room. The trip back wasn't long, thankfully. We managed to catch an early ferry back and this time, we stayed far from the water. It was about three thirty-nine, so I had quite a lot of time to prepare. If only someone would distract Ash so I could start...

"What do we do as of now, Gary? Should we go beach walking?" He suggested. He looked a little tired and was already getting comfortable next to his Pikachu and Bulbasaur plushies. That wouldn't do at all! I needed him out of the hotel room, pronto!

"Umm, you know what, Ash? I need to make a quick call, okay? Just wait for me." I stammered before finding the door to our bedroom.

"Okay. I'll just be–" he yawned loudly, "–here."

As I went inside the bedroom, I dialled Mrs. Ketchum's home number, wishing she would pick up instead of Mr. Mime.

"Hello?" A female voice echoed in the line.

"Mrs. Ketchum! Thank goodness! Are you busy? I really need someone to distract Ash."

I could hear her giggle excitedly over the phone. "Oh, it's time! How much time would you need, Gary?"

"Two hours is enough, Mrs. Ketchum."

"Alright, dear! Hang up and I'll call my darling!"

What a lifesaver. She was like my mom, honestly. Correction: She was my mom. Her and Daisy took good care of me in my childhood with the absence of my real mother. For that I was grateful to her and my older sister. She knew me just as well as she knew Ash. But if she was my mother, wouldn't that make Ash my baby brother? Uggh. Cringe of doom. That's just... weird.

The ravenette was already on his Poké Gear when I exited the bedroom. Mrs. Ketchum acted fast.

"Moom! Why do want me to get so many souvenirs? And they sound stupid too! What? No. Mom, please don't! Okay, okay, fine I'll go get them, but you have to make me something nice when I get home. Yes, I love you too." He complained in an unamused manner.

"Gary, I have to go down to the shops." Ash said to me while he was still on the line.

"You want me to come?" I pretended to be concerned. I could see him turn scarlet at my comment.

"No, no. I'll go alone. I need some air, anyway. You'll be alright here right?"

"Okay. Go ahead then. I'll just do some errands too. Take care, Ashy. Do call me when you're returning."

I got ready immediately when Ash left the hotel room. Just in case, I locked the door and hoped Mrs. Ketchum bought me a lot of time. I wondered what he had to grab? I'd find out later.

Baking trays, pans and pots were scattered all over the kitchenette in a matter of minutes. I needed to make burgers and his birthday cake. I needed to decorate the cake, wrap his presents and blow up a few balloons. I also needed somewhere to hide everything, so I tidied up one of the walk-in, unused cabinets in the lounge. The advantages of staying in a hotel: room service ensured total cleanliness of your place.

Ash loved chocolate didn't he? I was planning to make him the most delicious triple chocolate cake in the world! Taking out an old family recipe from my travel knapsack, I readied myself to measure out cocoa powder and sugar. My sister taught me how to cook. She knew how independent I acted, so she taught me everything she knew, like how to bake and sauté and follow recipes. I found my cooking skills most useful as I took care and spent time with Ash the whole week.

In one and a half hours I got all three dozen batches of burgers made, sauce and patties and all. I multi-tasked baking and keeping my eye on the boiling pots fairly well. A mixture of a sweet and salty scent surrounded the room, tickling my nose as I sniffed the air.

The cake was also thankfully set for cooling. I would just re-heat everything up for tomorrow. It was better than having to get up at an insane hour like three am to make everything and risk waking the ravenette up. While I waited for the cake to cool I blew up all the multi-coloured balloons with a mini helium tank I brought from the shops. Ash would be back anytime soon, and the cake still needed to be decorated!

After another thirty minutes I got the cake elegantly covered in icing and marzipan, placing it properly in the cabinet along with the burgers and balloons. I stored all the dishes in the dishwasher and put away all the remaining ingredients. It was no use if I let Ash inside since he'd be able to tell I did a lot of cooking. The aroma of sweet chocolate and chilli sauce still lingered around the room.

It was already five thirty-two pm when Ash got back from his souvenir shopping errand. "Gary! Let me in!" The younger boy knocked on the door. Thank goodness! I just finished everything! But I couldn't let him go inside...

"Hey, Ashy." I replied back, quickly opening and locking the door from the outside. Phew. I was exhausted.

"Umm, hi. Can you maybe get out of the way? I need to put away these bags."

"I'll do it for you."

"N-No, I can do it myself. Now let me in."

"Sorry Ash. I can't. How about we go out instead?" I knew I was stalling, but he couldn't know about my surprise. Surely he'd understand that, wouldn't he?

"Why not?"

"It's a secret."

He looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"You and your secrets! Seriously? We're friends and you hide secrets from me? How am I supposed to trust you if you don't trust me?!" He stomped off angrily, dropping his bags at my feet. I didn't mean to make him angry. He probably didn't have a good time trying to find all the things he bought.

"Ashy, wait–!"

It was too late to call him. He was already gone.

I looked down to inspect the variety of products under me. Oh... I understood now. It was a lot of shopping. And an embarrassing haul at that.

Striped knickers and flashy pink women's bathing suits and lingerie? Mrs. Ketchum was a genius. But Ash was not too pleased about it, and he hated me yet again. Why did these things happen to me?!

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

I found the younger boy moping around the entrance of the hotel. He was sitting on a large rock, peering out into nowhere and kicking his shoes back and forth in irritation.

"Don't r-run away like t-that again, Ashy." I panted in between breaths. Honestly, why did he have to worry me like that? When I finally caught my breath, I approached Ash and sat next to him at the rock.

Turning to face him, I apologized meaningfully.

"Sorry, if I angered you. I didn't mean to be so secretive. I just... didn't want you to know yet that's all. I promise I'll tell you soon. And I won't be secretive anymore, okay?"

He pouted like a child, acting cute and innocent again.

"You're so hard to read, Gary. I never know what you're thinking."

"I'm sorry. You know you could just ask. I'll make it up to you, just please don't be mad anymore." I took his hand into mine, massaging his soft fingers and joints. His hands were calloused with age; a sign of hardwork and effort put into his battles. He wasn't as young as I believed, but I bet he needed someone to take care of him along the way as he was too busy to do so himself.

He fiddled with my fingers which were long and less flawed compared to his. "I'm sorry for reacting badly." Like the visible sunset in front of us, Ash's cheeks were tinted pink. "You probably saw what my mom made me buy. Sheesh, it was so embarrassing; I had to walk into shops and pick out designs she SPECIFICALLY stated and everyone was looking at me... It was hectic. My mom... she's sooo, clingy sometimes."

Heh. If only I could understand what it was like to have real parents. "You're lucky you have a mom." I mentioned out loud without thinking. Once my words caught up to me I couldn't take it back. Why did I say that? Of all things...

"Hey Ash, I didn't mean to say tha–"

"I know. I didn't take it personally."

"Oh... Alright then..."

Another one of those awful silences decided to stop around and wait for one of us to speak to one another. The sun was gone and before us remained a beautiful night sky; stars twinkling intermittently like colourful LED lights.

"Say uuuh, Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"You eaten dinner yet? It's getting late. Wanna get food at the late night restaurant back in the hotel?"

"Oh yes! Heck, I didn't even notice how hungry I was up until now. Let's go!"

We both stood up and straightened out our messy clothes before entering the hotel to grab some food. Hopefully by the time we were finished the cooking smell in our hotel room would have dissipated to leave no clues about my surprise for Ash the next day.

We were looking at the restaurant's dinner menu when Ash began speaking. "I'm ordering the same barbecue roast chicken main with a side dish of potato salad and cheese fries with sprinkled bacon on top, and lots and lots of apple and orange and mango juice because I can! What are you getting Gary?"

"A coffee and a steak dish with mushroom sauce."

"That's all?"

"Yes."

"You eat so little!"

"You eat so much."

"I love food! I'm just glad I have a quick metabolism."

"And I don't eat or drink a lot because I don't wanna walk to the hotel like a pregnant woman nor do I wanna have to wake up at night to pee." I concluded, irritating him. His Jigglypuff ego was back again like the cutie he was, getting all angry for something so trivial.

We ate and conversed our way through the meal, chatting about how many legendaries we'd seen in our lifetime. Apparently Ash had met every legendary Pokémon I knew, starting with Ho-oh and ending with Genesect. If I was with him along his journey it would have been an honor to gain more knowledge about the complexity behind those creatures.

I remembered that I kept the fortune cookies we received from Mr Gorgon in my daily backpack I brought from our hotel room just in case. We just finished consuming our scrumptious dinner, fully satisfied and content.

"Here, Ash. Let's open fortune cookies." I insisted, handing the ravenette a fortune cookie.

"Oh, yes! We should!"

He eagerly took the homemade fortune cookie from my hand. There were about six in the pack, so we made a deal to open one during dinner for the next two days as well.

Cracking open the brittle exterior of the cookie and eating it, I read the suspense-filled fortune presented in front of me.

"A misfortune to come may look like the end, but don't be discouraged. It is only the start of something better than planned."

Oh great. A sad thing. How very unfortunate for me. But then again, I didn't really believe in fortunes. It wasn't really the end of the world. Still... that old man knew something I didn't. It couldn't hurt to be careful for the future.

"Yay! My fortune's awesome, Gary! Mine says, "A pleasant surprise is at your door. Appreciate it when it arrives. You never know, you may discover something unknown." What's yours?" Ash giggled excitedly. Of course, if he believed in wishes then he must have believed in fortunes too.

I told him what mine was and he bursted into a loud laughter. Had he no sympathy for me? But if the fortune was really true it did mention I didn't have to worry. Misfortune to come... I hoped it didn't involve Ash.

Upon finishing our dinner, I paid for both meals while Ash waited at the door and fairly soon we made our way up to our hotel room to rest from such an energy-draining day. Ash took a quick speedily and emerged from the bathroom wearing the same Darkrai pyjamas he wore the other day. He fixed up for bed and lied down hastily, feeling undeniably sleepy.

"Goodnight, Ashy-love." I whispered, walking over to where he laid to tuck him in.

"You tuck me in every night, don't you?" Ash mumbled sleepily, peering at me with half-lidded eyes.

"It's because you love being tucked in... and I know it." I pointed out, smirking to no end. "Now sleep tight, you have a REALLY REALLY big day tomorrow."

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.

.

.

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With Ash, I felt on top of the world. And no one could argue to me about that. It didn't matter how successful or handsome I looked, because without a best friend, life for me would be nothing. Loneliness was something I have felt before, but Ash took that away from me. Just as long as I had him nearby my side, I was pretty much assured that my life could and would never go wrong.