Alright, so I know that it's been forever, but hopefully there's still some of you reading this. Merry (Belated) Christmas! I sincerely hope you guys enjoy this chapter, since I'm trying to get my butt back into writing.

Special thanks to Viridian Cordelia De Green, Cutiepiepo2, Tempesty, Cute, and BlazingSapphire22, for reviewing the last chapter!

Warning: Really long chapter; Characters may be OOC; Bad sense of humor; awkward writing in general

Disclaimer: I'm secretly Nintendo, so yes, I do own Pokemon (if you can't tell that this is sarcasm, someone bless your soul)

Ash

"What do you think is going on out there?" Dawn curiously peers out the window, leaning towards me in the process.

I had been distracted by the food that our waitress brought to our table, so when she suddenly obstructed my view of my mouth watering fries, it was like a reminder as to why we were here.

Looking out the window, I see Della Evengale talking to Damien and Leaf.

Della always kinda scared me to be honest. She'd always scold me for taking a "sadistic thrill in forcing pokémon to fight their brethren", or something like that. This one time, I totally forgot about her position on battling, so I challenged her to a three on three match...needless to say, my pride wasn't the only thing stomped on.

"I have no idea," Misty says, biting her lip. I turn towards her out of instinct. She catches my gaze but does nothing but blink up at me.

Dang it. I promised myself that I wouldn't so much as look at her until I was ready. The last thing I want to do is hurt Mist's feelings by avoiding her, but after that...thing… I didn't want to talk to her until things cooled down. I was already lucky enough that Mist didn't beat me up or anything over it.

"Della being there doesn't bode well for Leaf," Gary murmurs to himself, giving me an excuse to look away from Mist. I manage to catch his words, but the girls manage to just barely miss it due to their own conversation.

"I'm sorry, what was that, Gary?" Dawn looks at him in confusion, but he doesn't clarify.

While the girls concernedly look at his face, I notice his fingers clenching into a fist.

After sharing a look with Pikachu, I turn around in the booth to grab a take-out container from the server's podium. The food, while delicious, could wait a little.

"Whatever's going on," Marina says, an odd smile on her face. Maybe she heard Gary? "Leaf can handle it."

"I hope things work out with her and her date," Dawn says, looking away from the window and resting her chin on her hands. "They look cute together."

Is Dawn dense or something? It's like she's not even paying attention to the actual situation and is off in her own world.

"Mist," Gary says suddenly. "Move."

"What?" Misty, though confused, shuffles out of the booth. As soon as she does, Gary is up and out the door.

"H-hey, wait!" Marina calls out after Gary.

Misty, already standing, attempts to go after him, but Marina quickly stops her.

"Maybe we should let them talk alone," Marina suggests.

"I-I suppose." Misty falters. She bites her lower lip nervously. When her lower lip comes out from under her upper lip, it's shinier and pinker.

And to think…I almost kissed those lips…

All of a sudden, Dawn gasps. "No way! Is that who I think it is?!"

I shake my head. Thoughts about Misty needed to take a back seat.

While the others are distracted, I slide out of the booth. It's been awhile since I've had to recognize the signs, but even I knew that it was time for damage control.

Leaf

As quickly as I can, I roll off of the person who had the misfortune of colliding with me. The victim is a guy about my age, give or take a year.

"Omigosh, I'm so sorry!" I apologize profusely, leaning over him worriedly. When I don't get an answer right away, a horrible feeling creeps up on me.

Sweet Mew, Annoying gasps You killed him!

"Nononono." I put my hands under his head to carefully check for any injury. I hadn't heard any cracking sound against the pavement, I think, so he couldn't have any head trauma...right?

Quick! Annoying hisses, Hide the evidence! No one saw anything!

I furtively cast a quick glance around for anyone. But, unlike Annoying's instructions, it was to search for help. Deciding that the best thing to do was to move him off of the ground, I attempt to heave him into a nearby chair. When I manage to do so, his head naturally slumps forward so I have to act quickly and gently lower his head down on the table myself.

There, Annoying says hopefully. Now it just looks like he's sleeping.

"Leafy?" A familiar voice says in concern from behind me. "Are you okay?"

I nearly jump a foot in the air but manage to school my expression into mild surprise as I reflexively cover the body-er person who had the misfortune of colliding with me.

"Yuppity yup yup yup," I answer with a cheery smile as I slowly turn to face Ash. He stands there, watching me carefully while holding a take-out box. "N-never better."

He looks at me for the longest time before sighing and accepting my answer. "If you're sure, Leafy."

"I'm as positive as plusle!" I falsely assure him. More like as negative as minun. But I didn't want Asher to worry.

"Okay." Ash nods before suddenly running away from me.

"H-hey!" I call out in surprise. I was hoping that he'd buy it, but I didn't expect for him to up and leave the conversation. "Where are you going, Asher?"

"Someone's got to go after him!" Ash hollers back, not turning around or slowing down in any way.

At this point, I'm not sure what to do with myself, but my victim is more than happy to grab my attention.

"...What hit me?" the guy groans, lifting his head as he comes to. "A bulldozer?"

How rude! Annoying frowns.

While supporting his head with one hand, the guy uses the other to flick his green fringe from his eyes.

Wait...green hair?

"That cannot be real," I immediately think once I finally realize his odd hair color. At the same time though, I suppose I've seen weirder.

The green-haired dude stiffens as if he's hearing my thoughts.

"Or, you know, you're speaking out loud," he says annoyedly. "By the way, my hair? It's all natural."

Whoops, Annoying says sheepishly.

"How'd that happen?" I blink incredulously. I quickly take my question back. Both my mom and dad had given me very detailed presentations on the pidgeys and beedrills. "Um, never mind."

"Whatever," he sighs, getting up from the seat I had placed him in. He begins to go inside before adding, "Oh yeah. Next time, watch where you're going, yeah? Klutzes should be sure to especially check their surroundings."

Even though he bore the brunt of it, I still fell too. Besides, he didn't need to be so snappy about it.

"Nice meeting you!" I call out to him sarcastically.

The guy came off as an arrogant sort of rude, but, for some reason, I couldn't exactly bring myself to dislike him. There was just some sort of familiarity in the way he acted...

Gary

"Why do you even care?!"

"Why do I care indeed," I mutter to myself, reflecting on the argument I just had with Leaf. Retrospectively, it feels like it came out of nowhere. Clearly, however, there are still issues that Leaf and I had to mend before we could even hope to move forward.

But could we move forward? … Did we even want to?

All I know is that an unbearable feeling of jealousy consumed my whole being when I saw Leaf with Damien. It was like being reunited with an old yet unwanted friend. Jealousy always caused me to think and act irrationally.

I angrily flick my wrist, sending the cool, round stone in my hand skipping across the pond. The force with which I flick the stone causes it to sink into the pond earlier than my usual skips. Frustrated with both my feelings and my temporary lack of ability to skip stones properly, I begin to furiously chuck them into the pond instead. When I run out of stones to throw, I irritatedly kick a nearby rock before settling down on it.

For a few moments, all is silent and peaceful at the little pond in the park. Then I hear the loud and obnoxious footsteps of none other than Ash Ketchum. Rather than turn and acknowledge him immediately, I wait.

"Why did you run off like that?" Ash wheezes when he finally reaches me.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" I ask, ignoring his question. I honestly thought that no one'd find me and that I'd have time to myself for a few hours.

Ash shrugs. "This is just where you always go when you're in a mood. You're a creature of habitat."

"Creature of habit, Ash," I correct, too moody to bother with his nickname.

"I said that, didn't I?" Ash asks, scrunching his face up in frustration. When I don't bother to respond, Ash shoves his take-out box into my face. "Fries?"

I only glare up at him.

When Ash offers you food, it usually means he's feeling sympathetic or generous. And I'm not in the mood to accept any such sentiments from anybody, much less Ash. Don't ask me why Ashy Boy gets special treatment. Probably because he's both my childhood rival and a chump.

"They're goooood." He shakes the box, thinking that the rattling sound of fries would further entice them to me or something. "C'mon, Gary, you know you want it."

The dunce would most likely continue to pester me until I gave in. I reluctantly grunt in approval, and Ash happily sits next to me.

He munches away on the thick pieces of fried potato, allowing us to fall into a rare yet companionable silence.

"Hand me a fry, Ashy Boy." I hold my hand out, and the raven-haired trainer quickly complies. Once it's in my hand, I frustratedly bite into it. "No doubt you saw that, huh?"

"Honestly, I just saw it coming. You guys haven't been on the best terms lately."

I want to argue, to say that we had that one conversation that lacked its usual enmity. But it was most likely a one-time thing because of Leaf's vulnerability. I don't think she'll confide in me like she did that night, especially if she continued to act like that conversation never happened.

"No kidding. I was trying to be helpful with the whole Damien thing, and she just blew up at me."

"Well, look at it from Leaf's point of view," Ash says, none too subtly.

Right.

Belatedly, I recall Leaf's solitary figure as Cross and Evengale walked off with one another. Had she felt lonely? Girls could be rather sensitive, and I suppose I could've maybe come off kind of strong and added salt to the wound.

"Is she..." I ask hesitantly. "Is she okay?"

"When I asked, she said 'Yuppity yup yup yup'..."

Ash and I both wince.

"Hey, Ash. Hand me another fry."

He holds out the whole box to me. "Take the whole thing actually. You're going to need it."

Leaf

Shortly after leaving the cafe, I go home. Though the exchange with green-haired guy had temporarily taken my mind off of my argument with Gary, I'm still not in the mood to be talking to anybody. Just so that Marina doesn't worry, I send her a text saying that I'll meet up with her later. Based on the sly look she gave me earlier, she probably put two and two together and figured that I'm not really interested in Damien that way.

When I come into the house, I find Mom sitting at the table, sipping tea.

As the front door closes behind me, she looks up and allows a smile to take over her face.

"Oh hi, honey. How was breakfast at the Oak's?" While I walk over to her, Mom shuts the thick book in front of her.

"It was good," I reply distractedly. To be honest, that's my go-to statement for everything she asks me.

How was school today? Good. How are your grades in math right now? Good. How are Gary and Ash? ...Good.

Wanting to change the subject before she could question me more on my day, I ask, "Whatcha looking at, Mom?"

"Oh." She smiles ruefully as she looks back down the cover. I recognize it as a photo album documenting the Green household a year prior to the Sevii move. "Just...sifting through some old memories."

Ever since we received the letter and parcel from Dad, Mom's been going through our storage, mostly looking through old scrapbooks and such.

"Mom-" I walk up to the back of her chair and drape my arms around her shoulders. "are you okay?"

"Should I be a hypocrite or set an example for you by actually telling the truth?" Mom responds, the tone in her voice letting me know that sheknew that I hadn't been telling her all of what happened.

"You're the mom," I remind her. "My problems will always take a back-seat to yours."

"That's sweet, honey." Mom pats my cheek affectionately. "But know that that's not true. I'm sharing this with you because you're part of it, but I hope that you'll always come to me too with your own issues."

Mom sighs, "It's just…I sometimes worry whether I made the right choice, moving back here all those years ago."

"…what do you mean?" A feeling of dread fills my stomach.

"I mean-" Mom looks directly at me. "I know that you haven't been exactly the happiest since we've come back."

I open my mouth to protest, to say that I am happy…but then I realize that I can't. My lips are glued shut. I love my mom so I always try my best to be happy here, but…without Gary and Ash or any other friends to really hang out with, I always found myself bored. Summer in Sevii had always been something to look forward to. Life here in Pallet wasn't unpleasant...it was just…meh.

"I should've just waited it out," Mom confesses. "You were obviously unhappy with the sudden move, but that's to be expected. I had just been so concerned for those first few months that I didn't take into consideration what moving back and forth would've done to you…to our family."

I sit down quietly next to her. "…do you honestly think that I'm not happy here with you?"

It's true that I could be happier, that was through no fault of mom's. She always works so hard to take care of me. I honestly couldn't ask for a better mother.

Mom swipes at her eyes despite the lack of tears. "Honey, the point is that you could be a lot happier… you'd have your father and wouldn't have to go back and forth between the two of us…you'd have more friends…"

"And honestly?" she adds. "I'm regretting not fighting harder with your father…for your father. I gave up when I shouldn't have and moved just so I wouldn't have to deal with it."

I sit silently, taking Mom's words into consideration. I had always suspected that she felt something along these lines, but hearing her say all of this confirms it.

My hand makes its way to hers. "You're the best mother- you're always trying so hard to make me happy. But I…I don't want my happiness to come at the cost of yours. If you need to focus on your happiness, I don't mind one bit. I'm perfectly capable of finding happiness on my own."

Mom's silent for a moment before she takes me into her arms.

"Don't repeat my mistakes, okay?"

Taking Mom's words to heart, I decided to confront Gary. If I waited too long, our silence would probably span another nine years. I had to set the record straight before it was too late.

I had barely made my way up the steps before the Oak's front door opens. Gary appears, seemingly on his way out. He freezes at the sight of me.

"H-hi." I wave nervously before quickly putting my hands behind my back. I have the tendency to make hand gestures when I'm extremely nervous, and the last thing I wanted was to somehow accidentally smack him in the face or something.

Gary softens, leaning against the door way with his hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans. "Hey."

There's an awkward pause before either one of us bothers to speak.

"Gary," I start, nervously wringing my hands together behind my back. I take a deep breath, readying myself for the conversation to follow. "A-about earlier-"

"You're right," Gary interrupts, cutting off both my words and temporary confidence. "I had no right to interfere in your life….I'm sorry."

"-I..." I falter, a tad bit confused as well. I had walked in, expecting that I would be the one to apologize for acting all snippy. Gary was only trying to show concern. "Um, okay..."

We fall into silence, and even though things should be settled, I still can't help but feel like there were underlying problems we had to get through.

Should I try to address them? Judging on how long we've spent without talking, we'd have to dig really deep to bring them out into the open air. Maybe we could just go on?

Yes, Annoying scowls, because this system is totally working for you two.

"No," I manage to say, looking down at our feet. "I...I want to apologize. You were only trying to show concern in your own way. I was just..."

"I...I was never interested in Damien that way," I confess, hoping that this wouldn't somehow backfire on me. "We were fake dating to make Della jealous."

"Huh." Gary says after a moment of silence. "So then why did you...?"

"I-I don't know... there's just something about you that...that always makes me...restless." I was previously going to say 'on edge', but he'd probably take that the wrong way. I could've also said 'nervous' or 'have butterflies in my stomach' but then it'd seem like I like liked him.

Which I don't.

"I do have that effect on people." Gary smirks.

At first I think he's serious, but then it dawns on me that that's his own horrible attempt at lightening the mood.

Even though it's not funny at all, I find myself laughing. Probably out of relief that there's some chance for normalcy between us.

Why dredge up the past? All it does is make us unhappy.

While things are still positive, I decide to be proactive and take the next step. "Listen, I know that things haven't been…the best between us, but…can we maybe start over?"

"Start over from where?" Gary asks, piercing me with his viridian eyes.

I hadn't really thought that part through, but I find myself saying impulsively, "From the beginning."

"Alright." Gary takes his hands out from his pockets and offers one to me. "I'm Gary Oak."

I play along, shaking his hand. "Leaf Green. I live next door."

"Ah…then, just a warning: I tend to play my guitar early in the morning."

I grin. "I like to play my flute in the middle of the night."

"I'm told that I can be an unfeeling jerk sometimes," Gary offers good-naturedly.

"I can be a rather obnoxious girl when I want to be," I tell him, smiling brightly all the while.

I feel his thumb rubbing small circles on the thenar of my hand but don't dare to acknowledge it in case he might yank his hand away from me.

"I-" He pauses, averting his gaze for a moment. His viridian eyes return full force. "I like to hug people the first time that I meet them."

I'm confused for a few moments- after all, Gary's not a physically affectionate person in general- before I feel his arms around me. My confusion ends, and I'm instead sent into a stupor. The sound of a hammering heart eventually causes my brain to acknowledge that I. am. hugging. Gary.

I don't know what brought on his uncharacteristic affection, but I don't dare to question it.

"And I…" My voice comes out as a whisper as my own arms wrap around Gary's larger frame. "I like to hug people back."

We stay like this for a couple of moments before I begin to pull back. I had just experienced a moment with Gary, and I didn't want to push it.

"No." Gary's embrace tightens. "Just one more minute…please."

I flush but stop trying to pull away. "A-alright."

"Because you said please," I softly add, attempting in vain to sound a bit cheeky.

Maybe this new beginning is all that I- that we- need…

Alright, just a couple of notes: this chapter (as you could probably tell) had a lot of key moments and so much stuff that I ended up cutting some things out and then just alluding to some others instead.

One major thing to notice is the "change" in Leaf and Gary's relationship. They've agreed to start over and don't bother touching on what has been causing them to argue in the first place.

Ash and Misty's drama has sort of taken a back seat, but I brought it up again just so you guys don't forget between the updates.

I introduced a certain character in this chapter (y'all should all know who he is), and there was going to be another but then I cut that character out at the last minute. Both of those characters (and some others) will FINALLY be making their way into this story.

(Because I freaking started this story years ago, and I'm just taking too long to get this up to speed. You guys might have to deal with some choppy chapters as I try to accelerate this a bit)

I also brought in Leaf's mom some more since I thought it'd be hypocritical of me to not include parents when I usually just laugh at high school stories that totally disregard adults. Anyway, the moment with Leaf's mom will be important in the future.

Please give me your comments, opinions, and suggestions.