Hey guys! I may have been confused in the beginning about how old these characters are in the story…but in the present day, their ages are:

Misty: 20

Ash: 18

Brock: 25

Gary: 18

Hopefully that clears things up! I'm trying to keep the age differences canon, even though it would be ideal if Gary was older than Misty. Also remember Ash chose his dream over Misty when he was 16 and she was 18, which is why it might be confusing as to how old they are now! Thanks for the reviews and positive feedback!

The following morning I woke up to the sound of my cell phone beeping. I was staying in Mrs Ketchum's guest room and so I fumbled around the desk next to me. I found my phone and stared bleary-eyed at t. It read:

Misty

I've been trying to give you some space since I realized Ash was in a critical condition and speaking about things that happened between us wasn't such a great idea. However, I heard from Brock that he's doing better. I hope you can take a moment so we can get together and discuss…things. I still care for you deeply and I need some closure. Please let me know when best would suit you.

Gary

I groaned! I had barely thought about Gary since the explosion between the Mew's! If I had, it was only because I felt guilty over everything with Ash. I stared at the message on the screen and thought back to a few months ago:

Flashback:

I was busy cleaning the gyms pool when there was a knock on the door. I sighed and got up, removing my headphones. I opened the front door and was nonplussed to find Gary Oak standing there, the usual smirk on his face, arms folded. I frowned in confusion, "Gary! What are you doing here?" He shrugged his shoulders and said confidently, "I realized I hadn't battled you in your gym before. I think it's high time we battle."

I grimaced, feeling like this was rather a bad time. I was furious with Ash for hanging up on me last night for no reason. He'd called me unexpectedly and I had been so happy to hear his voice. It had been years! Then he had hung up unexpectedly and not phoned back. I scowled at Gary and said sternly, "Now's not a good time. You need to make an appointment…you can't just rock up."

Gary laughed and raised a judgmental eyebrow, "Really? You're telling me if Ketchum had to rock up here right now, out of the blue, and demand a match, you'd deny him?" I blanched and said furiously, "He's my friend! So I would if there were no other battles scheduled!" Gary shrugged his shoulder and said rather smugly, "Well…he's a friend who hasn't been around for two years. I don't think you can really call him a friend."

This comment made my blood boil. Gary had always known how to push Ash's buttons. It seemed like he knew how to do the same to me. Gary laughed at my defenseless expression and said teasingly, "Come one Misty! Let's make a bet on it! I win, I get the badge and try get to hear all of your deepest, darkest secrets. If you win, I call Ketchum up and tell him he needs to get here now." His curiosity in me caught my attention, "Why would you want to know them anyway, Oak? My secrets are none of your business." Gary smirked and retorted, "Your relationship with Ketchum has always been of interest to me." It was my turn to raise my eyebrows now, "Really? And why would that be, Gary Oak?" Gary chuckled darkly and whispered, "I've been interested in you more specifically and whether or not you and Ash are…you know. Together."

I laughed, feeling astounded that he even thought such a thing. Ash and I had been close, yes-once a long time ago. But he'd chosen his dream over me without a blink of an eye, and I hadn't been surprised. Now, I was left with that feeling of wanting to get over him. The more I wanted to though, the more my heart ached for his presence. And the more that happened, the more pain I felt in my chest. It was heartbreak in its worst possible form. Thinking about this made me feel ready for a battle. I needed the distraction and so I agreed readily. I smirked and said, "You're on! You're not getting my secrets out of me! Those are mine to keep!" Gary chuckled at my sudden enthusiasm and walked towards the pool confidently.

XXX

Fifteen minutes later, Gary had won! I couldn't believe it! I'd trained Psyduck so well over the last two years, that you wouldn't believe it was the same duck! Confusion hadn't worked on Gary's Gyarados though! The Hyperbeam had been too strong and had frozen Psyduck into a solid block of ice. Gary laughed openly at my dumbfounded expression, which probably matched Psyducks!

He chortled, evidently amused at our same facial expressions. He ran up to Gyarados and patted it in good spirit, "Well done, Gyrados! Misty, your Psyduck is as bad as it always had been!" I scowled, crossing my arms stiffly and said in resentment, "It's gotten far better! I use Psyduck in every other match now, and we win eighty percent of our matches!"

Gary shrugged and smirked widely, "Doesn't mean anything. Hand over my prize." I rolled my eyes at his arrogance and walked over to the cupboard where we stored all the gym badges. It was full because I barely lost a match. I said stiffly as I dropped it into his open and waiting hand, "You caught me on a bad day. I demand a rematch in the future." Gary shrugged and smirked, "Cool with me! Why was it a bad day?"

I sighed and said miserably, "I guess this is where I spill my darkest secrets. Ash called me last night. It was…unexpected." Gary nodded in consideration, "And…?" he asked smoothly. I glanced up and gestured with my head for us to go and sit on the stadium benches. We did so and I sighed, "Mid way through the phone call he cut off. He said something about…" I raised my eyebrows now, realizing what Ash had been trying to tell me. I frowned at Gary suspiciously, sitting up straight and I glared at him, "You aren't planning anything are you? He mentioned your name and said you were returning here. He sounded…worried about it."

This caused Gary to smirk. He shrugged his shoulders and said confidently, "I may have told him I'm interested in you. I ran into him a week or two ago. He's probably just jealous." I laughed and said with a roll of my eyes, "Really Gary! Ash would never be jealous of me! I hear he's travelled with much prettier girls. I'm the one who should be jealous." Gary grimaced and asked me seriously, "Are you?" I bit my lip, and I think he realized there and then what my answer was, without me even having to say it.

End Flashback

I felt guilty now, thinking of that memory while I stared at Gary's message on my phone. He'd been straightforward since day one. He'd told me what his intentions were. He'd told me that if I didn't want to go out with him right now, he'd wait. He'd wait and be my friend for as long as it took to convince me. It's all he wanted. It was everything Ash had never done and right now I felt like a really crappy person. My hand hovered over the call icon and I hesitated for one second. Then I pressed the button and waited with baited breath…

A/N: Cliffhanger! Sorry for taking a while to upload a new chapter! I was a bit stuck but doing a flashback really helped! Hope you guys like it…let me know thoughts please!