Author's Note: Finally got this thing up! Over 5600 words!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Sue and Miss Tilly. Thankssss.
Pallet's Summer Festival
"Aha! You can't get me!"
A little girl laughed teasingly at the little boy trailing behind her, chasing her and trying to get within range.
"Oh, yes I can!"
The boy's laughter rang through the thick summer air, along with the shuffling of little feet.
The laughter of the children, sweet and carefree, caught the attention of several adults, who simply smiled, thinking back on their own youth. They didn't take too long to reminisce, however, before returning to the task at hand.
As the two children ran throughout the town, the boy reached into his pocket, pulling something out and raising it to eye level. Shutting one eye, he aimed at his target.
The little boy finally flicked his wrist forward, letting the object fly from his fingertips, and suddenly a small pop sounded.
Pop.
The little girl gasped and stopped where she was. Looking just over her shoulder, she peeked down at her ankle. A small pain was settling there, and there, beside her foot in the dirt, was a Pop-It, busted and lifeless. The girl's cheeks stained a dark pink.
"Oh, I'll get you for that!"
Whirling around, it was the girl's turn to give chase. She ran after the boy, hot on his heels, and the boy just laughed and ran, his cheeks flushed red with joy and the heat.
As the children of Pallet played, chasing one another and running around, taking everything in, everyone else was hard at work.
The sky was getting dark, shades of blue seeping into the purple hues left over from the sunset, mixing beautifully. The date was the fourth of July and all of Pallet was buzzing. There were women bringing chairs out to the street and food from their homes to several tables lined along the main road. Men stood in front of grills, cooking hamburgers and hotdogs and occasionally dabbing salt or pepper on the food, sometimes both.
The fourth of July was a big day in Pallet. It was an annual thing, which was much looked forward to after the town's yearly Poké Palooza, which was always held in May. The small town had all sorts of different festivals and celebrations throughout the duration of the year; this was one of them.
"Momma! Momma! When do the fireworks start?"
A young mother smiled down at her son, reaching down and placing a hand on his head.
"Soon, dear."
The little boy's face lit up and he squealed, turning away from his mother and running off, excitement coursing through his veins and an extra boost of energy surging through his small legs.
He wasn't the only one excited; everyone was eager for what was about to take place.
Pallet's Summer Festival: held every two weeks after the summer solstice, give or take a day or two, the name of the celebration spoke for itself. The festival was all about enjoying summer, relishing in the cool breezes and warm temperatures, cherishing the memories one made during the first half of the year and looking forward to the second half. Everyone spent the entire day in their homes, cooking food for the entire town, and when the sun began to set they finally emerged from their homes. Men went to work at grilling and getting the fireworks ready, which would be shot off later in the evening, while the women from each home brought chairs out to the main road for their family to sit in as they ate and chatted. And all the while, children ran amuck, laughing and playing like little kids will do.
Kids enjoyed it, adults enjoyed it, everyone enjoyed it. A celebration filled with food, friends and family, and pretty fireworks lighting up the night sky. What wasn't to enjoy? It was filled with excitement and laughter and fun. One of the most popular and anticipated holidays in Pallet Town.
And somewhere in the busy town, swarmed with so many bodies in motion that it seemed like there were three times as many people as there actually were in Pallet, Ash Ketchum carried a large plate of his mother's homemade cheese cake. The fourteen year old trailed behind his mother, who walked just a foot or so ahead, a large bowl of mashed potatoes in her hands and a plastic bag filled with canned sodas hanging from her arm. The two Ketchums approached one of the many tables covered in food for the townspeople during the celebration, each finding a spare spot or two without something already sitting there and placing the items down.
"Wait a minute, sweetie. That doesn't go here."
The black-haired boy looked up at his mother.
"What? Why not?"
"Cheese cake is a dessert, sweetie," Delia Ketchum smiled, "it goes on the dessert table over there." The brunette pointed just two tables down.
Her son blinked, looking down to the table his mother was pointing to, and pouted before giving a small nod. He'd never really realized that the different foods were organized by table; his mom usually made him a plate. He felt his Pikachu scurry past him, its fur brushing against his leg, and under the table, and once Ash was sure his beloved pokémon wasn't in the way, he began to turn.
And turning his body clockwise, to the right, he turned right into someone else. The boy gasped, stumbling a bit, and clutching onto his mother's cheese cake for dear life, not wanting to let it slide off the plate. A pair of hands came to settle overtop of his on the silver-trimmed plate he was holding, steadying him.
Ash Ketchum looked up to find Gary Oak, his best friend, biggest rival, and long time love interest staring down at him, just a few inches taller than himself. A grin adorned the brunette's face and he laughed, teasingly giving his friend a greeting of, "You sure are a klutz, aren't you, Ashy Boy?"
The comment brought a scowl to Ash's face immediately. Gary's grin widened.
"Oh, yeah, well-"
Suddenly, before Ash could retort back, there was a feminine laugh. The two boys glanced over at Ash's mother, who had her eyes shut and a hand covering her mouth.
"What's so funny, Mrs.K?" Gary asked. Delia shook her head.
"It's just so nice to see some things never change." Delia opened her eyes, smiling.
"You boys keep growing up, bigger and stronger and smarter, but you still get into your little spats, the same way you have since you were just a few months old."
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"I thought we met when we were, like, two?" He thought his mother had told him that before, not too long before. shook her head.
"Oh, no, no. Definitely not. You two have known each other much longer than that, Ashy. Why, you were barely three months old the day we moved in and met Professor Oak and little Gary." The woman gave a fond smile to the Oak boy.
"As small children you didn't really fight a lot, but you got into your own little spats every now and then and Gary here has been teasing you since he could say a full sentence. It's just so funny that it still gets to you, sweetie. That's all." The woman's smile turned semi-apologetic.
Ash huffed. "Yeah, well..." the boy murmured, pulling his lips together tightly. The boy stood there for a moment, pouting, and Gary began to laugh. Ash scowled.
A smile still gracing her face as she stared at the two boys she cared for dearly, Delia blinked as someone called out, calling her name.
Turning, the woman saw one of the girls of Pallet Town, Sue, age fourteen, approaching her. The girl stopped just in front of her, beside Gary.
"Miss Tilly wants to know if you could help gather some more flowers for her necklaces. We've almost run out," Sue explained. For the last half hour or so the teenage girl had been sitting with the old woman, who typically gave things away at any and every Pallet Town celebration. At the Poke Palooza she'd been given away Pichu; today she was giving away necklaces made from flowers. The special necklaces were called garlands in Pallet and the vast majority of the Kanto region, although if one ventured out to the Orange Islands they'd find that they were best known as leis in that area.
"Oh, is that so?" Delia glanced over at the elderly woman sitting nearby, carefully making the flowered necklaces. Miss Tilly glanced up and caught the younger woman's eye and the two exchanged a smile.
"Of course I'll help!" Delia agreed, Sue's face lighting up as she thanked the older female. The younger girl turned around, heading back to the small stand Miss Tilly was sitting at, and Delia moved to follow. The woman glanced back at her son.
"There are still a few more things at the house, Ash. Do you think you can finish bringing them out?" Delia asked. Her son nodded. The woman smiled and gave him a nod of thanks, heading off after Sue. The two boys stood in silence.
"There's still two more pots of stew and three plates of dessert," Ash said, after the boys had stood there in their own little bubble of silence for a moment. Gary looked at his friend. The boy smiled.
"Your mom really gets into these sorts of things." It was a confident statement. Gary had known the woman nearly as long as her son had. The woman became very over-zealous when it came to parties and celebrations, often working extra hard and overachieving at whatever she was doing for the celebration. Cooking a lot of food was a big feature of her's; she cooked a lot of food for every occasion.
"Yeah," Ash agreed, nodding, and the boy finally took a step towards the dessert table his mother had pointed out to him earlier.
"Need some help with the rest of the food?" Gary asked as he watched Ash approach the dessert table, taking one hand off the plate, adjusting the other, and nudging some of the stuff already on the table out of the way.
"Yeah," the boy called back to Gary, not even glancing over to his friend, as he finally made enough room to set down the large plate. Ash then turned away from the table, looking up to find Gary grinning at him, apparently waiting on him. The Ketchum boy smiled, laughing a little despite himself, and headed back over to where the brunette was, the two proceeding to head towards the Ketchum household together.
"Stay there, Pikachu! Don't get into too much trouble while we're gone," Ash called back to Pikachu, who peeked out from under the tablecloth with a, Pika pi? as it watched it's owner leave the scene.
"Hey, where's Pichu?" Ash asked, glancing over at his older companion. Gary turned his head towards Ash.
"Eh? Oh, he's running around. I wanted to leave him with Grandpa, but he wanted to see what was going down down here in town. It's like he knows something big is happening today."
There was a pause.
"Is Professor Oak not coming, then?"
A frown settled on the younger's face.
"Well, no, he's not." Gary frowned, as well.
"Oh."
The two walked on in silence for a moment, their footsteps quiet and breathing in sync, both their heart's a little heavier than they would've liked.
It'd been a little while since their little family had been together for this festival in particular. Their little family consisting of Ash's mother, Gary's grandfather, and the two of them. Ash's father had left long before, so he didn't count. Gary's parents were always away on business, so they didn't count.
"He didn't come last year, either. Neither did you."
"Yeah. We were out researching in Johto."
"Yeah."
Another short pause followed the light bit of conversation. They were almost at the Ketchum household, at this point. They were close enough that Gary could see Mr. Mime's shadow through the curtains. The light was on inside and the pokémon appeared to be scurrying back and forth as it so commonly had come to do as it got older. They'd all been subjected to change as time passed and at this point the most stressing changes were in everyone's lifestyle. Last year, Gary and his grandfather had been out of town researching. The year before, Ash had been out on his pokémon journey. It'd been a couple years since they had been able to celebrate this festival together and Gary knew Ash disliked it. He did, too.
Slowly, the brunette reached over and took Ash's hand, just as they reached the fence. He felt the younger boy grab at his hand and he squeezed Ash's fingers lightly in a comforting manner. There was nothing he could say; he might be here, but his grandpa wasn't coming down from his lab for the celebration. He was far too busy to ditch out on his current project for some fun time, he'd told Gary earlier that evening. They would just have to go on without him.
"I'm back," Ash called as he opened the front door, going in first with Gary following close behind him. They each heard an enthusiastic, Mime! but the two boys didn't catch sight of the pokémon until they entered the kitchen.
It was much cleaner than it had been when Ash had left with his mother. The mess his mom had left behind on the stove, like the stew that had spilled over onto the originally white stove, for example, was cleaned. The floor was no longer covered in flour and sugar and the dishes she'd used were clean, tucked into the dish rack. It didn't look like an over-zealous woman had spent the day practicing extreme culinary skills and cooking practices at all. And behind the kitchen table, standing opposite to Ash and Gary, was Mr. Mime.
Mime, mime! the pokemon greeted and picked up one of the covered pots of stew Mrs. Ketchum had made. The pokemon circled around the table, approaching the boys and offering the first pot to Gary. The brunette laughed, letting go of Ash's hand and taking the stew. Mr. Mime turned around, grabbing the other pot and thrusting it at Ash, who took it, inwardly feeling mixed about Mimey being as excited as his mother had been all day for the festival. They were both so pushy when interested in something.
Mime, mime! The pokemon shooed the two boys away, who each had to snicker. They turned, leaving the kitchen, heading through the living room and then out the door, just the way they had came.
"Your mom's personality has really rubbed off on him," Gary noted. Ash had to smile, nodding. He and Mimey didn't always see eye-to-eye, but that was exactly what reminded the boy of his mother, along with the pokemon's eager, enthusiastic personality. They really were two of a kind.
By the time the boys had walked the food to the correct table, walked back to the house, gotten the dessert, and walked back again, Mrs. Ketchum was finished gathering flowers for Miss Tilly. The woman sat in one of the chairs she and Ash had brought from home, Pikachu cuddled up in her lap and Pichu perched on her shoulder having one of it's ears scratched. To her right there was one chair, to her left there were two. The Ketchums had brought four, as both Ash and Delia had been under the impression that Gary and the Professor were both coming.
"Good job, boys," the woman praised as her son sat down in the chair directly to her left, Gary sitting down on Ash's other side. On instinct, Pichu darted off Delia's shoulder, scurrying across the back of Ash's chair to Gary's shoulder, rubbing it's head against it's owner's jaw. Gary laughed, scratching underneath the Pichu's chin. Pikachu stayed settled in Delia's lap, a bit too comfy to move. Ash slouched in his chair.
"Ash, sweetie, what's wrong?" Delia asked with a frown. Her son sighed.
"I'm just sort of bummed that Professor Oak isn't coming to the festival. He loves it."
Delia gasped.
"What, he's not?" The woman looked at Gary.
"Is this true, Gary?"
The teen nodded.
Gaping briefly, soon Delia huffed, crossing one leg over the other and successfully causing Pikachu to leap from her lap and into Ash's.
"That man! He knows we should all be together for things like this!"
Truth be told, Mrs. Ketchum had been the person who originally declared them their own little family. Professor Oak, as well as Gary, hadn't been in town this time last year, and this year the Professor was in town, sitting up at his lab doing Gyarados knows what! He was keeping their family apart during a special occasion!
"He's working on an important project," Gary tried to explain, though even to a junior researcher like himself, who understood the importance of science in the world, it sounded like a bad excuse. Just a week before his grandpa had been talking nonstop about the festival; it was actually his favorite of the year. But then a new project had come up and he'd totally jumped onboard. On Ash's other side, Delia sighed.
"Alright then." She wouldn't press the matter further; she understood how much Professor Oak loved his work.
"How is Mimey?" Delia went on to ask, looking at her son as he straightened up in his chair, slouching having started to hurt his back.
"He cleaned the big mess you left in kitchen," Ash told her, causing the woman to smile. She was so fond of her pokémon. He was cute and sweet and such a hard worker! She loved him dearly. Why, she'd almost consider him a son, but Ash was enough for her and-
Delia's inner thoughts were cut off by a loud screeching noise that left her gasping and covering her ears.
Scracccckkkkk. Screeeeeeeeee.
"Ahem! Attention, everyone, attention!"
The people of Pallet, some already sitting and others still standing, moving around, all looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Ash gasped.
"Professor Oak?"
"Grandpa?"
Low and behold, above the town, traveling via hot air balloon, was Professor Oak. With a megaphone in one hand, the professor was leaned over the side of the balloon, smiling. Gary noticed a sack hanging down from the bottom of the balloon.
"Hello there! Good to see you today!" The man waved down to his grandson and the Ketchums.
"I thought you said he wasn't coming?" Ash turned to Gary and asked.
"I... didn't think he was." He'd told him he wasn't, anyway. Had that been a big joke?
Gary got the answer much sooner than he expected and in a different way than he would've liked to.
"Gary, my boy! Don't be so dense! You know I would never dare to miss my favorite festival," the Professor bellowed down to his grandson for everyone to hear, leaving the brunette to blush lightly. Ash laughed at Gary, his mother giggling beside him.
"Yeah, Gary, my boy." Ash nudged the brunette playfully with his elbow, causing him to scowl.
"Ahem," Professor Oak cleared his throat. "Now then!" The Professor gazed down at the whole of Pallet Town, looking from face-to-face.
"Everyone, it's that time of year again! You've all been crammed inside your houses, cooking all day, and working out in the fields, preparing the fireworks for tonight's festivities. The rest of Pallet and I thank you for that."
The Professor paused to smile gratefully, before continuing on with his speech.
"But I have also been working on a small something for you. It isn't much, as I've been busy with what will be a very long, endearing project, but I have compiled a few things for you all. Let's call them party favors. I have to return to my lab now, but I hope you all enjoy your food and have a wonderful time watching the fireworks!"
And with that, Professor Oak lost the megaphone, a small remote control replacing it in his hand. He hit a big red button and the large sack dangling from the bottom of the hot air balloon began to glow. Brighter and brighter it glowed, until finally there was a small fizzing noise. Ash was reminded of Team Rocket.
Boom!
The sack exploded and out poured many things. All of Pallet gasped as confetti, candy, sparklers and other such things rained down. Most of it seemed to be festive items, but some things seemed like they were randomly thrown in, as was demonstrated as a bag of flower seeds fell down from the sky, landing on Miss Tilly's stand.
"Oh, party favors indeed," the old woman said with a hearty laugh, reaching forward and taking the bag of seeds into her hand. Beside her, Sue smiled.
"Professor Oak wanted to be involved with the festival, after all," Ash said, grinning from ear-to-ear, happy.
Delia nodded, smiling as confetti rained down on them, getting stuck in their hair and in the fur of the two pokémon in their company. Pikachu made a little noise, immediately attempting to shake off the colorful confetti. A piece, purple in color, landed on Pichu's noise and the baby electric mouse very nearly went cross-eyed trying to look at it. Gaping at it in wonder, it soon sneezed, causing Gary to turn his head away quickly as the little pokémon held onto his shoulder, the force of the sneeze very nearly making it topple off it's owner's shoulder. The brunette trainer laughed.
"Well, you heard him," a man said nearby to his wife and son, "let's dig in!"
And with that said, all of Pallet went to work on the tables of food. The elderly and the children got to go first, then the adults, then the teenagers. Ash picked, mostly, just the food his mother had cooked. Why? Because he loved her food. Gary got some of Mrs. Ketchum's mashed potatoes, but didn't go crazy about it like Ash did, who piled them onto his plate until there was a mountain of them.
After they were all three situated and ready to feast, the trio talked about everything. Gary and Ash looked back on old memories of past summer festivals, while Delia told them all about the few that they themselves couldn't remember. Apparently once upon a time Gary, age four at the time, stuck his head in Charles Clearwater's food to spite him after the boy had bullied Ash. Another time, when Ash was six, the boy had stuck a lit sparkler into his mouth. That was a memory both boys remembered.
Before anyone knew it, the food had been consumed and the garbage was being cleaned up. Everyone helped out. Some actually gathered the trash up, while others stood along the road, holding out trashbags for the garbage or manning trashcans. The clean up didn't take long with so many people and soon everyone was heading to the launch ground for the fireworks.
Pallet was a small town, with the fanciest of it's features being Professor Oak's lab, the grocery store, and the park. But those places weren't the greatest. The best thing about Pallet was the wilderness. Woods left alone, trees forever standing tall. The town had many open fields and, for firework displays like this one, the entire town gathered in one of these fields, taking blankets and cameras with them to watch and document the show. Ash, Delia, and Gary were no different.
Running back to the Ketchum household, the three each grabbed something. Ash grabbed some more canned sodas, to drink during the show. Gary grabbed an old blanket for them to sit on and Mrs. Ketchum grabbed a camera for picture taking. After they had everything they left, Pikachu, Pichu, and Mimey in tow.
By the time they got to the launch site, it was packed. People were here, people were there, people were everywhere! But they managed to find a space and Gary laid out the blanket, with Ash's help, and the three sat down on it, their pokémon scurrying to join them. Ash sat the sodas he had brought along on the blanket as Delia laid her hands in her lap, the camera held securely between his fingertips.
"I can't wait!" Delia gushed, "I love fireworks!"
The brunette abandoned the camera in her lap, clapping her hands together in excitement as the people closer to the front of the launch area began to get extra loud, becoming excited and roused.
"They're starting!" Someone shouted and the crowd gave a loud roar, ready to see something magical.
And just seconds later, they really were. There was a loud crackling noise and the first firework was set off, two more quickly following it. The crowd gasped and exploded in cheers. And amongst those cheers, the Ketchum duo was cheering, too, loud and energy-filled. Pikachu sat in Ash's lap, gazing at the sky in awe as Pichu snuggled against the bigger mouse, it's face hidden in Pikachu's fur. Gary took a moment to observe the two.
As Pichu stayed tucked against Pikachu, quivering slightly, the larger pokémon couldn't help but take notice.
Pika pi?
Pikachu placed a small paw down on Pichu's back.
Pi... pi... Pichu moaned miserably.
Pika pi! Pika, pika, pika pi! Pikachu seemed to be convincing the smaller mouse of something. But Pichu just shook it's head.
Pi, pichu, pi...
For a moment Gary thought he saw Pikachu visably frown, but just seconds later someone else was stepping in. Gary was left staring as Ash reached down, placing his hands on Pichu's sides.
"Hey, come on, buddy," the boy cooed, turning Pichu around to face the fireworks. The mouse squeezed it's eyes shut, Ash lifting it up to his head, where he let it sit, his hands still flush against the small pokémon's sides.
"Ohhh! Look at that!" Delia cried out, snapping a picture of a displayed firework, but Gary wasn't focusing on the woman sitting on the other side of his best friend. Her exclaimations were just like background music right now. He was focused on Ash's face, calm and confident and peaceful, and the boy's hands on his pokémon's sides, reliable and secure. For a moment, Gary saw Ash from a much more mature angle as the trainer coaxed Pichu, quietly, into opening it's eyes. Slowly, the Pichu came to listen. Opening it's eyes, showing it's brown hues to the world, the small mouse made a noise at the sight of the night sky.
Pi, pi... the pokémon sounded amazed, fascinated, it's face aweful, and Gary had to smile.
"See, buddy? It's not so bad, is it?" Ash asked.
Pichu! Pichu pi!
Ash laughed, carefully lowering his hands after deciding Pichu was hanging onto his head safely.
"Oh, Ash, Gary!" Mrs. Ketchum was nudging at her son's arm as soon as he lowered it. "Get up! Let me take some pictures of you!"
"Eh?"
The two boys looked at the woman, then at each other, and a smile spread across Ash's face.
"C'mon, Gary, let's do it," the boy insisted right along with his mother, the look on his face eager and confident, but the light in his brown hues just hopeful.
"Who knows? We might not be sitting here together next year." The words hit at Gary's heart, making him think back to the small piece of a conversation he and Ash had had earlier heading to the Ketchum house, about how it'd been two years since they'd celebrated the summer festival together already. Together as in him and Ash. They really didn't know if they'd be able to celebrate together next year and, as the thought pulled at both of their heart's somewhere deep inside, Gary finally nodded, bringing himself to smile.
"Yeah, okay."
Standing, Gary pulled Ash up and Delia squealed, ready to take picture after picture after picture.
And oh, did she take picture after picture after picture. The camera could take 32 pictures. Delia Ketchum had no problem filling up those pieces of film. She took pictures of Ash and Gary, both together and seperate. She took pictures of the pokémon, together and seperate and with their young trainers. She made them take pictures of her, too, with Mimey and of people who passed by, heading to different blankets. Funny faces, serious faces, off-guard faces and happy faces. Delia Ketchum made sure she got them all. And then the finale. Oh, the finale. When all those fireworks were shot off, lighting up the night sky with blues and reds and violets, she got someone else to take a picture, wrapping her arms around Ash and Gary's shoulders. The pokémon got placed into the picture, too, the fireworks blazing wildly in the background, like a beautiful back drop, and they used the last piece of film in the 32-piece camera for a group picture that would last forever.
Afterwards, Delia just wanted to develop the pictures as quickly as possible. On the way back to the Ketchum household she walked ahead, staring down at the camera in her hands with a big smile, Mr. Mime at her side. Pichu and Pikachu scurried past her, taking the lead, but the woman didn't seem to notice, too happy at how the festival had went.
When they reached the house, Delia said goodnight to Gary, going on in and taking Mimey with her as well as coaxing the two electric mice inside. A happy, Mr. Mime! could immediately be heard from inside, Mimey very happy to be home. He loved the house more than anywhere else.
Out on the doorstep, Ash and Gary stood there, basking in the porchlight. Ash held the blanket in his arms.
"You wanna come in?" Ash asked, hoping that Gary would. Maybe he could stay the night and their celebrating wouldn't have to end there on the doorstep. That's what Ash was hoping for, anyway. He liked spending time with Gary, obviously, especially now that they didn't see each other a whole lot because of Gary's research and his own pokémon journey.
Needless to say, the black-haired teen was very displeased when the taller boy shook his head.
"Nah, I need to get home and see how Grandpa is. He wants me to help him with his project; he says it's already a handful," Gary explained.
"Oh."
A silence settled between the two, the only sounds audible being the leaves as the wind swept through them in the trees and a few wild pokémon lurking nearby.
After they'd stood there minutes, neither speaking, Gary decided it really was time for him to get home.
"Well, I'll be going now. Hope you had as much fun tonight as I did, Ashy Boy," the brunette said with a smile. Ash frowned, but made himself to smile.
"Yeah, I did."
Stormy blue eyes trailed lazily over the Ketchum boy's face, taking it in and looking past what was on Ash's surface to what was conveyed in his eyes. He didn't want to see Gary go. But he needed to, really.
"Grandpa and I are heading out of town tomorrow," Gary said suddenly and Ash felt like someone had just dropped a bomb on him.
"What?" The boy looked up, shocked. Gary nodded.
"Yeah," the brunette rubbed the back of his neck, "For this long term project of his. I don't know how long we'll be gone."
Ash looked down, visably saddened and distraught. Gary hadn't even said anything about this until now and he didn't like surprises. Not one's like this.
"Well then... it was nice seeing you again," Ash murmured.
They'd spent the last month or two together, so Ash supposed his wanting Gary to stay was a little selfish, but that didn't help the sad feeling he was harboring in his heart.
Gary frowned, looking down at the boy, hating the look on his face and just wanting to wipe it away.
"Close your eyes," the brunette commanded. Ash glanced up, confused.
"Uh, what?"
"Just do it," Gary insisted.
Eyeing Gary's face, unsure, Ash nodded and let his eyelids slide closed. Gary smiled softly.
The next thing Ash knew, something was being slipped over his head, coming to dangle around his neck. The boy's eyes snapped open and he reached up with one hand, the other still clutching onto the blanket.
Around his neck was a thin silver chain Gary had worn for perhaps the last year and a half. Feeling the smooth silver between his fingertips, Ash looked up at Gary.
"Gary, what-"
"It's my promise to you," Gary stated. Ash blinked.
"Promise?"
Gary nodded.
"I promise that this time next year, I'll be here and we'll celebrate again. I'll be right here with you." The brunette offered Ash a warm smile. The younger boy felt his cheeks heat up, though only slightly. Gary was promising they'd spend the next summer festival together again, too?
"And next time I'll make Grandpa come along, too. For sure." The Oak boy reached out, taking Ash's hand in his briefly.
"Give that back to me next year. Hold onto it until then, Ash."
Until then... the words made Ash warm inside, suddenly. Like he had something to look forward to for the next year. Gary winking at him might have contributed to the warm feeling, too.
Gary let go of Ash's hand and turned away from his long-time friend, moving off the Ketchum's doorstep and heading on out through the fence.
"See you later, Ashy Boy!" The brunette called back, throwing up a wave without glancing over his shoulder to see what Ash was doing, a big grin gracing his face.
He was leaving tomorrow, for probably a long while, but he was happy.
On the doorstep, Ash stood, watching Gary's figure disappear into the darkness. His cheeks a dark pink at this point, the boy laughed, mostly at himself and Gary and this silly promise they suddenly had, and smiled.
"Until then. Okay."
Ash turned towards the front door, turning the knob and pushing it open. Stepping inside, he shut the door behind him and dumped the blanket in his arms on the arm of the couch. Then his hands were on the chain and the chain was at his lips, the sterling silver pressed against his lips.
Ash smiled.
He didn't care how long Gary stayed gone suddenly, because he knew when he'd return. He'd be here for Pallet's next summer festival; he'd made a promise lined in silver. And for Ash that was enough.
THE END
And... done! I have to say: I loved the beginning of this, and then got to hating it towards the middle, but I liked the ending. I think I actually pulled it off! Sorry for any mistakes or whatever of suckishness, you guys. I wrote this in a day and it's late now. But try and think of this: this is the LONGEST chapter in this entire series! Whoa! But yeah, thanks for reading and please review. You can read all you want; reviews make authors here happy 8D
Something I want to address: thanks to those who pointed out the abscence of "Delia" in the last chapter. I'm gonna go back and fix that now. But I have to say, frankly? As I was editing this on I was saving periodically and... every time I saved there was this one part, when Sue is calling Ash's mom, that kept changing itself. Originally she was actually calling Delia; I had her actually saying something. But it kept taking out her name and just leaving "!" The hell? Whatever. I just changed that part. But if you see something funky like that, please tell me!
Also, I'm gonna go update the publication schedule on my profile right now, because now it's very inaccurate, so please go check that out, too! Bye, guys! PuddinPie loves you!
Next Installment: Puppy Love, Friday, 07/06/2012. Look forward to it! It's gonna be cute!