Ahaha,yeah...so it's been exactly a year since I last updated...? Whoops, sorry about that. It's been quite busy for me. Honestly, the year's gone by so fast now that I think about it. Anyway, here's the latest chapter, and hopefully I haven't lost all of you guys yet.
Merry Late Christmas and Happy New Years! A great present by the way would be to kindly review ;) just saying...
Thanks to all my readers, but especially to CookiesNCreamNess, 19Madison, Spacebar, Pikachibi, and L.X. ie for reviewing the last chapter.
Warning: OOC-ness and kinda choppy scenes in my opinion.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
When he was younger, Gary used to play with the kids in the neighborhood who either amused him with their stupidity (Ash) or acted differently from the rest. Even back then, he had been socially researching, albeit unintentionally. With the other kids, he had been able to quickly discern their social habits and inclinations and decide they were too boring for him. Ashy-Boy had been amusing and great to poke fun at (he was also actually the only true friend Gary had when it came down to it, but he'd never tell the idiot that). Though Ash had been his main friend, Gary still made a point of memorizing all of his observations about the neighborhood children.
So why is it that he can't remember this little girl before him, no matter how familiar she seems?
"You forgot me." She sniffles, using her little hands to rub her eyes. "You didn't look for me."
"I didn't know we were playing hide-and-seek." Gary kneels down to the girl's level, trying to look her in the eye. The girl sullenly resists his attempt at a sincere apology.
She pouts, folding her slightly chubby arms across her chest. "You forgot me," the girl repeats instead.
"Oak." Gary feels someone shove him roughly. "…for Mew's sake, wake up!"
"What?" he groggily opens his eyes, not surprised to see the thesis from his last lab report right in front of his face.
"I know you're not much of a morning person, but seriously?" his friend's voice continues. "If this is how you spend your weekends, it is almost downright pathetic."
Gary slowly straightens his back, stretching and listening to his bones pop with a 'snap!' as he does so. "What time is it?"
"Maybe you should start asking from now on what day it is, Mr. Workaholic," Drew comments.
"Ooof, not a morning person too?" Gary nonchalantly asks, acting as if it is perfectly normal for a friend to catch him sleeping in on a weekend. Or rather, sleeping on his work.
Being a close friend of Gary, Drew knows that finding Gary immersed in his research is a reality that one has to bear. He's not sure which is the cause and which the effect, but Gary's workaholic tendencies and inability to find a girlfriend do correlate.
"It's not morning, you porcupine." Drew's voice is filled with annoyance. "So technically I'm not afternoon person."
"Arceus." Gary's back stiffens slightly as his viridian eyes widen a little in surprise. "It's that late?"
Drew eyes him suspiciously. "You better not be planning to head to the lab on a Saturday, Oak."
"So what if I am?" Gary says defensively. Busted.
"Dude," Drew says as he shakes his head, causing his green hair to fall slightly into his face. He flicks it away with his signature arrogance. "You've got a girl now. Put her first."
"Are you interfering-" the pokémon researcher questions in bemusement, "-for my love life or yours?"
"You," Drew growls, a slightly irritated and sheepish expression on his face. "You're the one seemingly doomed to living forever alone. But, if May's happy with me for pushing you two in the right direction….then that's a bonus."
"I knew it." Gary smirks. "Nice to know you needed an incentive to try to help me."
"Oak," Drew says in amusement, "I did help you."
The green-haired coordinator hands him a phone. Gary's phone.
"What did you do?" Gary questions, taking his phone back with a look of shock on his face. He's used to violations to his privacy by now, but he is surprised that this time Drew is the perpetrator. Usually it's one of the girls.
Drew nonchalantly shrugs, "I texted Leaf for you. She's coming by in twenty minutes to spend the afternoon out with you….You're welcome."
"How did you freaking know my phone's passcode?!"
Drew only waggles his eyebrows, daring Gary to guess. When he doesn't, Drew grins even wider. "Daisy told me."
"How did she-?" Gary begins to ask but then stops short.
"It's Daisy we're talking about here," both guys say in unison.
Daisy is almost omniscient in matters concerning the household. And since Gary currently lives in the Oak residence….that'd include him.
"Nosy woman," Gary mutters. "I have phone passcode for a reason."
"And she's your sister for a reason," Drew laughs.
Gary would like to say he's not vain, but, hey, is it a guy's fault for taking twenty minutes to get ready? In this sense, he's not vain but proud. He's taking care of his appearance for himself and not for others.
...Though it'd be a lie if Gary said he wasn't thinking about Leaf as he combs his ever spiky hair and pulls on his clothes. Drew had offered to give Gary hair tips before he left, but the brunet had quickly dismissed him. It's a fact that Gary's hair is way better than Drew's.
When he's finally downstairs, Gary finds Leaf and Daisy in the living room.
"Sorry," Gary apologizes, jamming his hands in his pockets as he walks up to the two. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting."
Leaf smiles at him, shrugging in such a way that suggests that she doesn't mind.
"Leaf's been here for probably about a minute," Daisy reassures her brother, sipping from her tea cup. "I just busted out some Earl Grey in case Drew didn't wake you up in time."
Leaf gives him an amused look at this, as if to say 'You were still sleeping?'
"Gary," his older sister says calmly, setting her teacup onto its tiny plate. Her facial expression betrays nothing, but there is a meaningful tone in her voice. "Why don't you go into the kitchen and bring in the cookies I made earlier?"
Recognizing a 'leave, get-out-of-here' when he hears it, Gary nods and begins to walk into the Oak's kitchen. But not before stopping in the hallway to the kitchen so he can hear whatever his sister has to say to Leaf.
"I didn't expect to ever see you," Daisy tells Leaf. "For the longest time, I..."
Daisy trails off, and Gary agonizingly waits for her to finish so as to confirm his suspicion. Instead, there is the sound of her teacup, followed by a dainty sipping noise.
Realizing that his older sister had dropped the subject, Gary decides to focus more on a response from Leaf.
Silence. As to be expected when one person in the conversation is mute.
"Ah, this really brings back memories." Daisy sighs in content, and there is the 'clinking' sound of her teacup again.
Wait, what? He knew it. His sister had been hiding something last night from him. So Leaf's an old friend of Daisy's? How has Gary never met her before then? He couldn't have been out of the house that much.
There is silence once more, and Gary's almost tempted to go back out to the living room and demand answers.
"Yeah, you're right," Daisy suddenly says. "It's taking Gary a while just to get cookies."
Arceus.
Quickly- and while murmuring some minor obscenities under his breath- Gary rushes to grab the plate of still-warm chocolate chip cookies, only slowing down in the hallway as if to make it appear he had been leisurely taking his time. He makes sure to be loud on his way back and pauses in the doorway.
"A little too sweet, don't you think, Sis?" Gary asks, taking a bite of a cookie and chewing before the two turn to look at him. The chocolate is still gooey and warm.
"So that's what's been taking him so long." Daisy shoots a coy look to Leaf. "Gary's been eating cookies."
Leaf shoots Gary an amused look that lets him know that the two are onto him. Of course he had to be in the same room as two intuitive girls.
"Well, now." Daisy claps her hands together after placing her teacup onto the table. "I think it's about time that you two head out. Don't want you two coming back too late, after all." She winks at them conspiratorially.
The know-it-all smile worn by his older sister rings the alarm bell in Gary's mind that Daisy of all people is attempting to further set him up with Leaf.
He ends up taking her out on a walk around town. Despite the chilly temperature last night, the afternoon is warm, and Leaf beams brightly as she takes in the sun. From besides her, Gary bemusedly watches her twirl and spin in excitement.
She stops suddenly in front of a lamp post, staring at the papers taped enthusiastically all over it.
"Oh right," Gary says disinterestedly as he looks at one of the posters, "the carnival's in town for the month."
She spins around to face him, clasping her hands together almost beseechingly. Her doe-like eyes look directly at him, filled with innocence and eagerness.
He lasts for about a minute before he gives up, sighing and jamming his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Fine. We'll go see the carnival."
She smiles brightly at this, linking her arm through his and hurriedly dragging him down the sidewalk, following the arrows on posters scattered across the town.
Along the way, though, while passing through an especially festive street, they come across a –you guessed it- flash mob.
Yeah, because that's a common occurrence.
A group of whooping guys and girls their age come running into the center of the street, smack dab in the middle of it all. They burst into choreographed dance, blasting loud techno-dubsteppish music through nearby store speakers. The storekeepers look slightly disgruntled, but do nothing to break up the flash mob.
"C'mon," Gary says, annoyed by the disturbance as he grabs for Leaf's hand. "We can take a detour."
Except her hand is no longer there. Leaf is gone.
"Arceus," he curses under his breath as he looks for the brunette. She must've been separated from him when the rambunctious flash mob flooded the street. The pure obnoxiousness of it all is the main cause of Gary's disinterest in Pallet Town social events.
He's looking for her and asking around when he hears even louder cheering over the loud music. Thinking that Leaf would probably be drawn to the crowd out of curiosity, Gary follows the sound of cheering, forcing himself through the throng of flash-mobbers. A few shoot him disgruntled looks but quickly and cheerily return to dancing.
Eventually, Gary manages to get to the epicenter of the noise.
"Awwwwww, yeah, gurl," one of the boisterous dancers shouts, pumping his fist in the air. "Show 'em how you do it!"
Leaf easily moves with the beat, almost like she's part of the song itself. Her movements flow gracefully into one another, and Gary can't help but watch her in a trance. So this is where she went?
Belatedly, Gary recalls how he had seen her face light up in fascination out of his peripherals. Less than a second though, she had been gone from his side.
Did Leaf somehow know of this flash mob or something? She had fallen easily into the choreographed dance of those around her; every dance move she executes is flawless. It's almost like a cliché highschool movie where everyone knows the same dance and song.
He feels lonely actually, being off on the side while watching Leaf and everybody else dance. Still, he pushes down the feeling and focuses on his date instead.
While she had been dancing, Leaf's eyes had been closed as she listened to the beat. Finally, she opens her hazel eyes, which immediately lock with Gary's dark viridian. With a slight tilt of her head, she beckons for Gary to join the dance beside her.
In response, Gary shakes his head. He normally wouldn't want to be caught dead in something as ridiculous as this flash mob….and he also didn't know the dance. Admittedly, it is more of the latter that poses a problem.
She tilts her head once more, this time seeming to gesture to a dancing guy beside her.
'Watch,' her hazel eyes seem to say.
At first, Gary has no idea what she's possibly trying to tell him, but, by watching both her and the guy beside her, he realizes that there is a pattern to their dancing. After observing for a few minutes, Gary manages to memorize it.
Leaf smiles widely at him once he looks over at her. She gestures for him to join her once more, and, unlike what he would've done before, Gary plunges into the flash mob without forethought.
The first thing that Gary feels when he's dancing is freedom. He doesn't really have to worry about embarrassing himself because he is surrounded by others. It's also actually pretty fun to be dancing alongside Leaf.
At the thought of her, Gary casts a side glance to his companion. She smiles brightly, tilting her head upwards towards him. In this very moment, Gary feels the urge to suddenly lean down and kiss her.
He manages to suppress this desire, instead smiling lopsidedly back at her.
The last notes of the music eventually play, and the flash-mobbers scatter, still whooping and hollering.
What a rambunctious bunch.
"Okay." Gary tugs on her hand, pulling her forward and away from the crowd. "We need to fix this."
He stops her in front of the display of a store. Leaf, somehow understanding that Gary wanted her to wait for him, obediently stays put as he runs inside.
Ignoring the looks he receives, Gary quickly grabs his intended purchase from the aisle and rushes to buy it at the register. He coolly ignores the female register employee's attempts at conversation and dashes outside once the box is put into its bag.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting long," Gary says as he rejoins her, looking at his receipt to double check the purchase in the meanwhile.
Leaf, as expected, does not answer him. When Gary looks up from the receipt to gauge her feelings, her face is lit with fascination as she looks into the window display. A miniature eevee tackles its fellow eevee, rolling around in the display case as the two play with one another.
"Here." Gary thrusts the bag towards her, catching her attention when the content slightly jostles. "This is for you."
She turns away from the toy store window, an ever amused expression on her face as she takes the bag from him. Curiosity then takes over her expression, morphing her face almost entirely.
Gary can't help but intensely watch her fish his present from the bag.
When Leaf is finally holding his gift in her hands, she blinks in confusion, not fully comprehending.
Gary taps on the corner of the box, where the label is. "So we can communicate better," he explains.
Leaf nods, ripping her present free from the confines of the box. Somewhat hesitatingly, she picks up the attached pen and writes, 'Thank you.'
Gary smiles at her, taking the now useless box and turning to throw it away in a nearby trashcan.
When he turns back, Leaf is pushing the orange button of the draw erase board back and forth. Her hazel eyes are lit with a childish sort of wonder as she erases her handwriting until the loopy scrawl is completely gone.
"You ready?" the brunet asks his date. "Or do you want to just wait until evening to go to the carnival?"
She bites her lower lip in response before ducking her head back down. When she is done writing, she happily shows him her board. 'I just want to be with you.'
Her candid answer strikes a chord in Gary, and he embarrassedly rubs the back of his neck.
"I-I don't know what to say…" he says awkwardly. Girls usually throw themselves at him, no lines required. There is certain logic behind pick-up lines; you tell girls what they want to hear. But, with his heartbeat increasing at an unsteady rate, Gary can't piece together a single thought of such logic. "but... I just want to be with you too."
After spending the rest of the afternoon hanging out in the park, Gary and Leaf finally go the carnival. Gary had promised her that it's actually more fascinating at night, and, judging by the look of pure awe and joy on Leaf's face as she looks at the lit up attractions, he's right.
'Where should we go first?' Leaf asks after Gary's paid for their tickets. There had been a weird incident involving his purchase, but he dismisses it. Pallet Town can be strange, after all.
She eagerly looks around at the multiple booths and attractions, trying to assess which would be the best one to start out with. 'It all looks like so much fun!'
"It's your choice." Gary shrugs. "But we should keep in mind that the carnival's open 'til about midnight."
Leaf nods resolutely, biting her lip in thought before pointing excitedly to a huge swinging pirate ship.
"Alright," Gary agrees. He's fine with anything as long as it's not a water ride. It's a pretty warm summer night, but it's best not to tempt a cold.
Before they can take so much as a step, however, a huge Pachirisu makes its way toward them. Because of its huge body, it's forced to waddle frantically to where Leaf and Gary are.
"How cute! A couple out on a date!" It squeaks in an especially high-pitched voice. Hanging from its furry arms are several passes and even a camera. "Would you guys like to get a picture together to commemorate this occasion?"
"I didn't know you could talk." Gary suspiciously raises an eyebrow at one of the carnival's many mascots. While it's been many years since he's last been, the walking mascots had never talked to any carnival-goers.
Leaf, on the other hand, doesn't question the mascot's strange behavior. Instead, she beams brightly. She quickly flashes her board to Gary. 'So cute!'
"Of course I can!" Pachirisu exclaims, waving its arms in the air. "Don't be silly!"
Gary opens his mouth to retort, but, before he can, the Pachirisu grabs his and Leaf's tickets.
"Why, you have the special tickets!" Pachirisu then shoves two all-access passes into Gary's hands. "Special passes for the cute couple!"
He raises an eyebrow in response. Gary debates on saying something but decides to let Pachirisu have her fun.
'Thank you!' Leaf smiles at the pokémon mascot.
"No problem!" Pachirisu beams before its fuzzy paws scramble for the camera around its neck. "Let's take your picture then!"
"I don't want to," Gary simply says, sticking his hands in his pockets. He waits for the mascot's response. In all honesty, he didn't really care, but he was curious to see Pachirisu's reaction.
"Wha-?!" Pachirisu flails its arms around. "Don't want to-?"
Leaf gives the mascot a sympathetic look. 'We should get going before the lines get too long.'
"No need to worry about that!" It says hastily in response. "The passes let you get any food that you want free, and you can go to the front of the line if you get in the quick pass line."
"So," the mascot concludes, "how about that photo?"
His date turns to him questioningly.
"Alright," Gary concedes as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
They pose for several pictures, with Pachirisu occasionally shouting out instructions with what could only be described as pure enthusiasm. When they're finished, Pachirisu begins to waddle furiously away.
"Hey!" he calls after the pokémon mascot. "How are we going to get a copy of those?"
"I'll send it to you in the mail?" Pachirisu states nervously, though it comes out more like a question.
"How?" Gary asks, very much amused. "You didn't write down our addresses or anything."
While the mascot flounders about for an excuse, another couple approaches the Gary and Leaf.
"Excuse me," the guy addresses them. His large, dark sunglasses obscure the majority of his face. "But have you happened to see my two children? They seem to have gotten lost."
Immediately a concerned Leaf flashes her board to them. 'What do they look like?'
"They're twins," his female companion cuts in, though her voice is greatly muffled by the sapphire blue scarf wrapped around her neck. Her matching eyes dart around, most likely looking for her children. "A boy and a girl with brown hair?"
"That could be a great deal of kids," Gary observes, raising an eyebrow meaningfully.
"If you haven't seen them, then we'll just be along," the guy says, looking irritated. He shakes his head, causing his rather flamboyantly styled brown hair to almost hit his companion.
"Kasumi! Satoshi!" the young woman began to call out nervously, wandering away from the other couple. Her husband follows.
'You have great friends,' Leaf writes. She gives Gary a knowing smile that he returns as well.
"I know."
Not too far away, Pachirisu furiously waddles away into a little niche by the restrooms. Waiting for her are three young adults. The orange-haired female immediately springs into action, assisting the mascot in removing the huge head. The first male takes the camera from her and works quickly to upload its contents onto the laptop. The second merely continues to stuff his face with funnel cake.
"That was close!" Dawn gasps as she's finally freed from the stuffy mascot head. Her hair is a little static-y, so she desperately attempts to brush it down before Kenny comes back. "Do you think he caught on?"
"To be honest," Drew says, his eyes glued to the screen, "I don't think there's any way he couldn't have."
Dawn pouts for a moment before perking up. "No need to worry! We at least have cute pictures! Daisy'll love them!"
"Let's just hope that Gary will love them too," Misty says as she texts on her phone. "The last thing we need is for him to get into a pissy mode."
Though the words remain unspoken, the four are all in agreement. Gary tended to act worse than a woman on PMS when in that mode- complete with mood swings too.
"Alright, Kenny and May have managed to get away as well, " Misty reports after a minute. Dawn and Drew sigh in relief. The water trainer continues, "Oh, and May says that there better still be funnel cake left for her."
Her boyfriend immediately freezes, making a choking sound. "O-oopsh."
"Ash, you idiot!" Drew turns to the black-haired pokémon trainer, casting him a slightly shocked and disgruntled look. "You weren't supposed to eat our share too!"
He points to a nearby, adjacent table now littered with powdery paper plates. "All the ones on that table were yours!"
Yeah, so like I always say, I always think there's room for improvement in my writing. Of course, if I always waited until I thought it was perfect, then I'd never have anything posted -_-' Curse my perfectionist and procrastinating nature.
Anyway, in case you somehow didn't understand, the whole crew is being meddlesome in Gary's love life. Daisy included. I honestly wanted to add more scenes to this chapter, but that'd make it too long and it'd take me too long. I ended up scrapping a lot of scenes entirely or for the next.
Now I really hate to do this, but if you guys could give me some love via reviews I'd really appreciate it. I want to know what aspects of my writing you like or don't like :3 In the spirit of New Years and Christmas, please review?
Please give me your comments, opinions, and suggestions!