There must have been some god watching from above with a scowl on his face, thought Gary vindictively. Dusk began to cover the sky in a delicious orange, but Gary did not see it. His head was in a permanent nod, his nose slightly touching the steaming water. His long brown hair, now drenched, hung down in sheets into the water. As the steam filled his face, Gary dipped his face into the water a little more, allowing it to lap his ears so he felt the odd sensation of hearing things through liquid. He heard footsteps on the wooden floorboards, and as he looked up, he saw the vague outline of Flannery's hair through the steam.
"Meeting in an hour at the Pokemon Center." she told him. He grimaced.
"Why at the Pokemon Center? Where's the originality, guys." Gary moaned. Flannery must have made a face, but he couldn't see it.
"Yeah, when we have a hot spring, let's talk in the hot spring!" an excited voice burst out. Gary saw a figure leap into the scene. Wearing shorts and nothing else, a young man splashed into the heated water, moaning.
"Definitely meeting here, definitely." He whispered, sighing with pleasure.
"Who's he? I like him." Gary said, smirking. Flannery hadn't said anything; she just stared down at the young man blankly.
"I don't know, actually." She said, frowning.
Gary had tried to relax, but he could not relax in a hot spring that had become the place for a reunion. As he sat, enjoying the feeling of steaming water pressing against his body, he heard familiar voices, and now that he thought about it, it seemed like Lavaridge was in an uproar. He could hear the sound of commotion quite clearly, although it was often lulled suddenly into muffled silence, as if there were someone repeatedly telling a noisy crowd to shut up. Just as he was about to get back to his comfortable position, he heard a voice he hadn't heard in a while.
"I don't mind talking over here."
Sopping wet and in swimming shorts, Gary got out of the water just as Brock walked in, followed by Misty and a short girl. Running footsteps told him that May probably heard the voices as well, for she and Wally were close behind. Soon, the hot spring had been reduced, or rather, upgraded, to a meeting room- a meeting room where the occupants had to meticulously find spots to perch, either in or out of the water. After quick introductions, Gary, Robin, and Wally found themselves shirtless in the hot water, while Brock dipped his toes in casually. The girls climbed the short wooden walls separating the spring from the town, sitting there with their legs dangling below.
"How'd you get here?" Gary asked, looking directly at Brock and Robin. Flannery noted how serious his tone had turned.
"Flew. Turns out the Rangers have some rich friends. We landed in the forests on that side-", Brock said, gesturing vaguely to towards the general direction of Mauville, "and trekked it up here. Took us barely ten minutes, we've left the supplies on the blimps for now."
Gary nodded, impressed.
"How many?" he asked now.
"Five hundred. About." Robin said, curling a lock of hair above his forehead as he spoke. "Five hundred Rangers, ready for battle."
Gary let out a low whistle.
"How many trainers do we have with us?" Flannery asked, directing her question at Wally, who hadn't spoken yet.
"A hundred and thirty six, including May and me." he said.
Gary swore.
"So that's about six hundred and forty or more in total, if we include all of us. Six forty…against thousands."
"How do you know?" May asked quickly. Gary noticed that the entire group was looking at him now. He realized then that he might anger them at this moment- because he hadn't thought of exactly how much information regarding their plans Ash and he had hidden from the rest of them. Flannery was the only one looking relatively unsurprised, so he assumed Ketchum had filled her in.
"Before we left Littleroot, before all of us went wherever we supposed to, Ash and I reached out to a few guys we know. Guys Ash and I know very well, and guys I had to talk to during my…reign as Champion." Saying those words made Gary feel slightly good about life. He was technically still Pokemon Champion of Hoenn- he hadn't been ousted yet. Admittedly, he did not feel like the most powerful trainer right now, and that feeling he owed to the absent Ash Ketchum.
"In fact, I was planning to surprise you…but some of those guys are on their way here. And I suppose they can give us exact figures on Sven's army. But right now, let's just keep it at a couple thousand or so."
For the first time in front of Gary, it seemed, Brock swore out loud, startling May. Misty was the one who figured it out first. It had probably clicked in her head when he mentioned his title. A slow smile spread across her face.
"No way." she said. "No chance."
"Yes way. Not all of them, but a few. The ones I trusted then, and the ones I trust now."
Apart from Flannery, the rest of the group looked blankly between Misty and Gary, wondering what in the world they were talking about.
"Who. Names." Misty demanded.
"Brawly. Watson. Roxanne. Tate and Liza."
As everyone realized what they were talking about, Gary saw smiles emerge. He had just revealed to them that FIVE Hoenn Gym Leaders were on their side. It was a pity Gary couldn't approach anybody in Kanto and Johto. The Gym Leaders from these two regions had long since disappeared, or were already in Sven's clutches. Finally, Misty asked the question he knew somebody would ask.
"What about Wallace, Norman, and Winona?"
"Dead."
May let out a sharp gasp, while Misty covered her mouth as she emitted a silent scream of anguish. Gary did not know how else to break the news- he felt being blunt was the best possible way. He had known, though, that Misty and Wallace had gotten along very well, and this piece of news would have hurt her very much.
"You okay?" he asked her gently. She wiped a tear from her eye and pushed her hair out of her forehead. She nodded firmly.
"Fight now. Grieve later." was all she said. Gary nodded.
And so it began- the first and possibly most important military strategy meeting the group had ever had. Gary began the discussion, revealing his extensive plans, and was pleased to see how much Wally was adding on to his plans- the boy had an impressive grasp on strategy. His plans on having different regiments headed by one person was initially agreed upon by the group, until Flannery weighed in and revealed how it would probably be even better if they increased the number of regiments. These new groups would be headed by the Hoenn Gym Leaders who were currently on their way to Lavaridge.
As the meeting progressed, it was almost comical to Gary to see how much everybody truly swore. He had never seen half these people show aggression, let alone cuss. Gary himself, a natural at such things, found himself swearing at every possible occasion. At one particular moment, he growled so loudly that everyone stopped in alarm. His reaction had come once he realized that their only possible course of action would be a frontal assault. On paper, they were nothing to Sven's massive following- which of course did mean that a frontal assault would be disastrous. The real problem was that the Dark Apostles would be waiting for them at Mount Pyre, a mountain much too large in diameter and circumference for Gary to even think of sneakily surrounding the enemy. They didn't have enough to surround an army that big. They would have to hit the Apostles as hard as they could, without any subtlety or slyness, two factors Gary had always considered vital to defeating Sven. They could not exchange blow for blow with the man; the Apostles could perhaps take the hits, but they couldn't.
After what seemed like hours, every possible thing had been decided, and each General had been given a squad. Now, the only thing left to do would be to speak to everyone collectively and separate them into their groups. At first, Gary had been hesitant to allow Robin much authority, but when he heard the young man speak, his view changed entirely. He trusted everybody within the walls of the hot spring, and he firmly believed, now, that even if they failed to come out triumphant, Sven would be hard pressed to simply sweep them away with the back of his hand. They were fighters, and they would go down fighting if they had to.
When Gary finally stepped out of the hot spring, he knew he needed to be alone. He had, as the months had passed, grown far more accustomed to being on his own than with people, even if the people were friends. This was strangely ironic, especially considering how Gary was, at the moment, fully prepared to die. He believed that there were two sides to the world- good and evil, in an equal balance, and even a small thing can tip the scales. He believed that at this moment, good did not stand a chance. He knew that this could be the last moment he would have to share with people he considered comrades or friends, but he could not bring himself to do it. He climbed up the pathway towards Mount Chimney.
He climbed, and refused to take the cable car. He had had a lot of things on his mind after Ash had left them in the submarine, after that incident. It had been a small incident, but he thought of it as he climbed. The journey was a treacherous one- finding holes and ruts and small ledges was a professional mountain climber's specialty, and Gary had none of the skill. But yet, he could do it, and he still had not understood how. The others did not know him very well, not as well as Ash did, and none of them had lived or traveled with him, so they perhaps hadn't seen the difference. Gary felt the difference. His arms felt stronger, his body felt more balanced, and most of all, his mind felt oddly stable, which was very different from before.
Gary knew everybody worshipped him as they did Ash. People knew how much power he could call upon, but people did not know how. He knew very well why he had risen to such heights- it was because he had let his battles be fuelled by nothing but rage. That was why he and Ash Ketchum had been similar in the first place. The difference was that Ash had broken long before Gary had. Gary had, of course, been unpleasantly surprised, calling out Ash as a coward and a weakling. But he understood things now. A deadbeat father had shaped Ash's entire life. The Pikachu- accompanied trainer had considered it a duty to rescue others out of the goodness of his heart because there was a void that would be forever empty. Ash wanted to take care of others, because his father had failed to take care of his family. But something had snapped after Pikachu died, and after Ash came out of his recluse. He had become a different person, and at first, Gary had resented him for it. He had been angered by the sudden change, and how easily it had transformed Ash. He hated to admit it, but after watching Ash take on Mount Pyre and rescue him, and listening to him speak to the group, he knew Ketchum had surpassed Gary completely. Had this Ash been present months ago, Umbreon would have been reduced to nothing, while Pikachu would have still been alive. Ash and his team were unbeatable to any human being- which was why Gary had absolutely no hope that this war would be won. If Ash didn't arrive right on time, there would be nothing for him to save.
As the submarine had plodded along underwater, the ghosts of Pokemon had followed them. Flannery had been stuck to the glass windows, watching the creatures pass. They had seemed like hallucinations rather than actual beings. Captain Stern had been absolutely silent as they passed. An old man, Stern had probably felt a little sentimental watching death simply swim past him. Gary had not expected himself to feel emotional at the time, and he had not, until Umbreon had appeared. In death, he realized, one did not breathe. As Umbreon looked at him, unblinking, he tasted salty tears on his lips. He found himself grasping at the glass, weeping as Umbreon simply looked at him. He could not meet her eyes. He had failed her. It took all his willpower to not shout out again and again, and his body began to quiver and shake, until he felt Flannery beside him. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug, and he just stood there, senseless and in a grieving mess. She whispered words of consolation in his ear, as Stern looked straight ahead, piloting the submarine. Once Gary's body had begun to calm down, and he wasn't shivering so much anymore, he heard the voice. It had resonated within the walls of the submarine, making Flannery and Stern start in surprise.
Gary Oak.
And silence.
Gary Oak.
Umbreon just stared at him with her piercing gaze.
I was born in the darkness, but you brought me out of it. For that, I give you everything I have.
Suddenly, she exploded in a burst of light, and nothing remained in her place but wisps of darkness.
Gary did not remember what happened after that, because he woke up on the floor, facedown, with Flannery and Stern panicking at his sides. When he checked the glass, the ghosts had vanished. He did not know what happened, nor did the other two, but some unspoken agreement between them resulted in them dropping the subject entirely. The events revolving around Ash's departure had been far too mentally trying on them.
Flannery had dug herself into a pit of silence after Ash had left, but an understanding had passed between them to never bring up the topic. Flannery would never tell anyone about Gary Oak's most vulnerable moment, he believed that. But ever since that day, a pall had dropped over Gary's mind. He was not himself anymore, and he wasn't sure at all if he liked it or not. His humor, even in his own mind, had turned grim and black, and he couldn't smile without a conscious effort. He truly felt like he had no love to give the world, not after Umbreon's unblinking stare had penetrated him with such depth and force.
He pulled himself up the steep mountain, never slipping, always effortlessly climbing. He wore no gear, he needed none. He felt his arm muscles ripple as he clenched them, and he noted how easy it was for him to go on. For the second time, at that moment, he felt like he was not alone. He felt something stir within him, something that pulsated with energy and power. It was a familiar power, something he felt he had known for years. As he finally emerged atop Mount Chimney's volcanic peak, he knew Umbreon was with him.
As the warm winds made his long and unruly hair far more uncontrollable, he relished standing there. He felt a little more alive being away from Lavaridge, and all the people there. Ever since he had returned from the submarine, he had been over-sensitive to the presences of people around him. He observed much more, and with observation came uneasy realizations- realizations that over eighty percent of the forces under his command were so very close to being governed completely by their fear. Fear was something Gary could almost smell. Like a sixth sense, he knew when someone was afraid. He had felt fear rolling off in waves, even within the confines of the hot spring. Even the Leaders of this massive movement had fear somewhere coiled in their hearts, which was why Gary needed to get the hell out of there, in case it managed to rub off on him. He could not let fear or panic touch him. He didn't let it affect him while he lay imprisoned within Mount Pyre and he would not let it affect him even seconds before his death.
He spent the rest of the evening atop Mount Chimney. He first sat, completely unmoving, watching the magma sizzle and scream from the irregular holes punctured on the peak of this active volcano-mountain. After a half hour of doing this, he rose with a cleared mind, and summoned all his Pokemon at once. Arcanine relished the heat below his paws, while Blastoise's nostrils issues steam as the big turtle Pokemon found himself not in his preferred element. Above Gary floated a Pokemon he had rarely used- a Pokemon he had in his team only out of chance. Years ago, when the tyrants Butch and Cassidy had attempted to steal a newly resurrected Aerodactyl, he had rescued the flying predator. He had left it in the care of a friend, but after a whole two years, he had gone back for her. Aerodactyl still listened to his commands, even after this much time. It had been unfortunate when Sven had captured him, because he knew he had been forging a powerful bond with the age-old beast.
Hmph. One more thing I owe Ash for. Teaching me to make friends with my Pokemon.
Gary truly enjoyed himself. He trained with his Pokemon, watching them practice new moves and maneuvers. He ran faster than he could before, and he could jump much higher and longer, which contributed to him leading Blastoise around the mountain while the water Pokemon attempted to perfect its aim once again; all three of his Pokemon were out of touch after being in captivity for so long. Arcanine connected with the flames of the mountain, and was soon moving as fast and accurately as he once did. Aerodactyl, meanwhile, continually practiced its mid-air movement in tandem with Gary's wishes. Soon, they moved as one. All three of his Pokemon were truly his friends again. He smiled to himself.
Umbreon, Blastoise, Arcanine, Aerodactyl, and me. We don't know what defeat is!
Once his Pokemon had warmed up enough, and he felt that they were truly ready, he allowed himself a walk. Atop this mountain would probably be the last time he had leisure time, he thought ruefully, making his way to the edge of a cliff he knew overlooked the entire region. Chimney was not the highest peak in Hoenn, but it gave him quite a view.
Yes, Sven had changed the landscape, and yes, the world looked uncared for and broken. But Gary could still find reasons to smile. He could still see patches of green for the lush wild grasses and splashes of blue where the lakes spread out. It was for these miniature expressions of color that he fought for, he thought, smiling to himself. His reverie was interrupted by the sky.
A movement from above made him look up quickly, but it was gone as quickly. And then it happened again- a flash of light somewhere above the clouds, a muffled burst of illumination that was accompanied by the terrifying sound of thunder. The lightning strikes continued for some time in the sky, and he saw different colors- fiery reds, auburn browns, lime greens, and, more consistently, sunshine yellows. Gary returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs and began his descent, knowing that time had run its course on his momentary happiness. Carefully fitting his feet and hands on ledges and handholds, he lowered himself as fast as he could.
In a few hours he would be on his way to Mount Pyre to dole out as much destruction as he possibly could. He just hoped Ash would join him in time.