Oh me, oh my. I went from childhood oneshots for these two to them as teens(13-14). I really hope this doesn't suck epically...
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKéMON.
The Pallet Poké Palooza
Nido! Nido! Nido!
A man in a suit and top hat stood in the middle of a make shift wrestling arena, his hand holding a microphone up to his mouth as a crowd cheered wildly, rooting for their favorite of the two competing pokémon.
"Come one, come all! See the amazingly strong Machamp take on it's arch rival, the rock foe, Graveller!" The man yelled, causing the crowd to really roar. Everyone yells excitedly and somewhere in the gathered crowd two men get into an argument about the winner-to-be and get into a fist fight.
Pidgey-o! Pidgey-o! Pidgey-o!
A little boy tugged at his mother's hand, pointing at a small cart where a man stands giving out pokémon balloons. He wiggled where he stood.
"Mommy, can I get a Squirtle balloon? Pleasseeeee?" The boy begged. His mother sighed, giving a small, "Okay, okay, dear." while she tried to keep a grip on her other child's hand, who was squirming to get away and go explore the festival.
Belllllll-sprout. Belllll-sprout.
A small Bellsprout stood, head tilted to the side, as it watched everyone race right past it's poor owner's small magic act, settled on the stoop of an old store. The man, shaggy looking and old, sighed.
"It's all about fancy inflatables and complex gizmos now, ol' Bell. No one cares for the classic attractions," He mumbled, shuffling a deck of cards. Ol' Bell looked to the man, then looked away, staring at a pair of boys walking past.
Pallet's Poké Palooza has begun.
The air is filled with thousands of sounds, from the precious Chu! of small electric rodents to the calling of, "Hot dogs here! Get your hot dogs!" being yelled by a small hot dog vender who was manning a worn out hot dog stand.
Today is the 3rd of May - best known in Pallet Town as the day of the annual Pallet Poké Palooza. The day had no special meaning to it; it was just a day to have fun. Every year in Pallet a big festival was held and, as the title of the big event in the small town might suggest, the festival was always centered around pokémon. Big pokémon, small pokémon. The super fast and super slow. The ones who were fierce and looked it and the ones that you wanted to cuddle. This was a day for pokémon and people alike. The Pallet Poké Palooza was the offical holiday of little old Pallet Town.
Down the crowded dirt roads of Pallet, which were packed with stands, people, and attractions, a blue-eyed brunette walked along. He was wearing a green tanktop that complimented him well and tan cargo shorts. On his feet were brown sandals and around his wrist was an almost feminine and childish best friend bracelet.
The brunette's stormy blue hues scanned over the attractions. Some looked flashy and fun, but many stands and carts where things were being sold were worn down and old. The boy recognized the individual stands well, just as he recognized the familiar faces standing by them. Most of the people who took part in selling things during the festival and sponsoring the attractions for this event were people who the boy had known since childhood. Most were much older than him in age, but that hardly mattered. They were old friends and neighbors.
As he stared at a little boy who was crying loudly at a popped, deflated Squirtle balloon, his mother looking anxious and a bit annoyed as she tried to hang onto her apparent other child and still comfort the sobbing boy, he felt a tug on his hand. The brunette turned his head.
"Uwahh! Look, Gary!" Came the excited cry of Ash Ketchum, age thirteen and a half. The black-haired, brown-eyed firework was clad in a light blue tanktop that had a big A on the front in white, for Ash. He wore shorts similiar to his friend fourteen year old Gary Oak's, though his were dark blue in color. On his feet were black sandals and around his wrist was, low and behold, a best friend bracelet that perfectly matched the one around the brunette's wrist. For once the teen didn't have a hat on, but his trusty Pikachu was still on his shoulder, holding onto it's master's head excitedly.
Before the brunette knew it the other boy was letting go of his hand and bending down beside a small attraction on the side of the dirt road they walked on. An old elderly woman sat in an old chair and, in a small fence, were little black and yellow furballs. As Ash scooped one up and he got a better look Gary recognized it easily as a Pichu.
"It's so cute!" Ash exclaimed, laughing as the little Pichu's tongue darted out of it's mouth and the pink muscle lashed at Ash's scarred cheek, licking the boy. Pikachu left it's usual post on Ash's shoulder, Gary noted - hopping down into the fence and engaging the smaller rodent pokémon in friendly conversation, it seemed.
"He's so small, too! I guess he's really just a baby, huh, Gary?" Ash said, looking at his friend. Gary smiled. "Well, of course, Ashy-Boy. Look at him," Gary answered.
The little Pichu was definitely a baby. While it was of course true that when it came to the electric rodent evolution scheme the Pichu was the baby of the trio, looking at this small Pichu one could tell it was really a baby. The small pokémon could almost fit right into Ash's cupped hands.
Gary was still watching Ash and the Pichu when suddenly the small pokémon turned it's little furry head and looked at him. Upon seeing the brunette it reached out, beginning to make noises that neither boy knew a Pichu could make. Pattatu! Pichiacu!
"I think he wants you, Gary," Ash said with a laugh and, next Gary knew, Ash was handing off the small pokémon to him without his permission first. Gary frowned a little, but took the Pichu and, once it latched onto him, he smiled. Ash giggled. "Aw, he likes you!" The black-haired boy exclaimed. Gary smirked.
"Well, of course, who doesn't? With these dashing good looks of mine and these brains, everyone loves me!" The Oak boy declared and his smirk grew as he leaned towards his friend. "Right, Ashy-Boy?" He asked teasingly. Ash's face flushed. "Um.. Well..." The boy suddenly looked anxious. Gary grinned.
It was no secret Ash liked Gary. It never had been, really. The fact that Gary liked Ash back had been a bit of a better kept secret for several years, though - mostly between the ages of nine and twelve. Gary and Ash had always had these feelings for each other and each boy had, for years, mistaken the feeling for friendship and once they had realized what they felt towards each other, well... They didn't know if it was right or not. Was it okay to like your best friend? When you were a boy and so was he? No one would ever really be able to tell the boys; everyone would have their own opinion about such a thing.
And so they were stuck in this unwanted intermediate stage between liking each other and actually getting together, trapped here by a fear they didn't express to anyone but each other. Gary didn't mind too much at this age, though; just so long as the Oak boy was with his friend he was happy.
Right now with this little Pichu cuddling him he was pretty happy, too.
As the Pichu nuzzled it's face into Gary's, causing the Oak boy to smile by shy away a little to avoid getting Pichu fur all over his face, Ash watched with a grin. "You should get him, Gary," The black-haired boy came to say, causing his friend to look at him and the Pichu, seemingly aware it was being talked about, to stop it's nuzzling and look Ash's way as well.
"I mean, you two go great together!" Ash gave a big smile just as Pikachu hopped back onto it's rightful place on Ash's shoulder, giving a Pika pi! of agreement.
Blinking at Ash, Gary turned his blue gaze to the Pichu. They did, didn't they? Well, it was a little too early to really tell, but... They had definitely started off well. The little Pichu was so cute - it had big brown eyes that almost rivaled Ash's. Almost. Looking into the Pichu's brown eyes immediately made his best friend flash through Gary's head and he slowly came to smile. If he thought of Ash every time he saw this Pichu... That'd be great.
"I think I will," Gary said quietly and looked up at the woman, best known to the two boys as Old Lady Emma. "How much is he?" The brunette asked. Old Lady Emma smiled. "For you, Mr. Oak, he's free." She stated. Both Gary and Ash came to stand at attention. "Eh? Really?" Ash asked, surprised. The old woman's face became covered in a smile larger than her previous one. "You're the grandson of Professor Oak, Gary, and I've know you since you were a little boy. I know you'll treat this little one well, and that's enough payment." The woman said. Gary stared at the woman and smiled.
"Thanks," Gary said, Ash following suit with a, "Wow, you're great!" and Pikachu agreeing with a Pika! The old woman giggled. "Enjoy the festival, you two," She called Gary and Ash retreated away, throwing up a wave. Ash returned the wave happily, though Gary had the little Pichu secured carefully in his hands as they left.
With Gary's new addition happy and excited to have a new owner, Ash and Gary walked along. It wasn't long before the little Pichu had scurried up Gary's head and into his hair, where it nestled itself in the soft brown spikes. Ash laughed before a brightly painted stand caught his eye.
"Hey, cotton candy!" The black-haired boy exclaimed. Gary blinked, glancing over, and smirked. "You want some?" He asked, more than prepared to pay. Ash nodded eagerly. The Ketchum boy had always been known to love cotton candy. "Well, come on then, Ashy-Boy," Gary said and grabbed Ash's hand, pulling him over.
In no time the two boys were leaving the stand. Ash had red cotton candy, while Gary had blue. They couldn't give Pikachu and the new little Pichu any, since it wasn't recommended that a pokémon be given things like cotton candy, but Gary had promised to get both little electric rodents some poké snacks from his grandfather when they went home. That had sufficed.
After getting their cotton candy Ash and Gary, along with their two mouse pokémon, wandered around. They took in the sights of the festival and stopped at a few attractions. They stopped at one attraction called "Catch A Karp!" where you could catch Magikarp from a water tank and, if you wanted it, you could keep the pokémon. The attraction, ran by a Pallet native, was free. Ash failed in catching a Magikarp, but Gary succeeded, though didn't keep the fish pokémon.
After having fun from early in the morning until late in the afternoon, Gary and Ash finally decided it was time to leave the main festival grounds. While leaving, they caught sight of a Poké Paint-A-Face attraction. Ash gasped. "Wait, wait! Let's go there before we leave!" He pointed, desperately wanting to go to the face painting attraction desperately. Gary frowned, before managing a small grin. "Fine, fine. I've always wanted to see you with the face of a Muk," He said suggestively, wanting to see Ash look goofy. Ash huffed, but the two continued to the attraction.
The attraction was a small tent and it was, currently, getting ready to close. "Oh," The girl manning the tent glanced up, seeing the two. Upon seeing Gary her cheeks lit up pink. "Hi, Gary. Were you coming to get your face painted?" She asked slyly, smiling. Gary shook his head, resisting the urge to scowl lightly. "No, but Ash wants his painted." He motioned to the black-haired boy beside him, as if saying, "Don't ignore him." The girl glanced at Ash, who was smiling happily, clueless to the fact that the girl had, and always had had, a crush on Gary. "Oh..."
"Okay, then. Ah.. What do you want?" The girl asked with none of the happiness she'd spoken to Gary with. "Ah, well... I don't know! Maybe a..." Ash drawled and Gary, not wanting to stay here long now that he knew Miss Crushing Teenage Girl, whom he disliked immensely, spoke up. "He wants to look like a Pikachu." He answered for Ash.
"Eh?" The boy turned to look at his best friend, who met his stare. "Just like this one," Gary went on to say, pointing at Pikachu. The girl eyed Pikachu and nodded. "Okay..." She said quietly, distressed and disappointed that Gary wouldn't be having anything done. Ash looked at Gary, pouting. "You don't want anything?" He asked. Gary shook his head just as the girl came to look hopeful. Ash frowned and looked to the female, named Anna.
"He wants to look like a Raichu!" Ash announced, causing Gary to flinch and Pikachu's tail to twitch. "Ash, I-" Gary went to protest, but Ash put his hand on Gary's shoulder, patting it and smiling at Anna. "We wanna be in the same sort of group as our pokémon!" Ash said, thinking Gary would make the perfect Raichu. Anna's face lit up. "Okay!" She squealed, running off to get the paint she'd just previously put away into a box. Gary looked towards Ash to find the boy smiling at him.
"She likes you," Ash said, causing Gary's eyes to widen slightly. So Ash knew, after all? Huh... Arms wrapped around Gary briefly.
"Too bad I don't wanna share," Ash said, smiling and causing Gary to do the same. Anna returned soon after and started right away, starting with Ash only because Gary insisted.
"Heheheh, today was great!" Came the cry of Ash Ketchum as he walked down Pallet's main road, his best friend walking beside him. His face was painted yellow with one big red circle on each cheek. Aside from his scarred cheeks he looked like the human incarnate of the Pikachu who rode on his shoulder.
"Yeah, it was fun," Gary agreed, walking beside Ash with his hands in his pockets. His own face was painted yellow like Ash's, though the circles on his cheeks were a darker defined gold, like the electric cheeks of a Raichu. Ash smiled.
"I wish every day was the Palooza." Ash said as they walked. Gary smiled and stopped walking, pulling Ash to a stop, too. The younger male blinked up at him.
"The Palooza is fun, but any day with you is fun," Gary said and Ash blushed behind his painted face mask. "Eheh.." He laughed like a goof and Gary smirked, pulling him close.
"Ashy-Boy..." Gary purred and took Ash's chin in his hand. Ash squeaked and Pikachu covered it's eyes shyly while the little Pichu dove into Gary's mass of brown hair, peeking out. "Gary..." Ash mumbled as Gary pulled his face closer for one of their rare, unusual kisses.
"I love you," Gary mumbled and pressed his lips to Ash's as they stood on the deserted dirt road. Ash felt a shiver run down his spine and he closed his eyes, returning the kiss meekly.
Now if only they could do this always, in front of people and without the worry of how their relationship would be taken... If only.. If only..
...Maybe one day.
AND SO THE Pallet Poké Palooza HAS ENDED.
-sigh- Man, this sucks. I dunno if it's the plot or... What. But I don't like it. I'mma get going on a new one right away so I can feel better about my writing abilities... Meh.