Chapter 23

Gary's Apartment

Gary opens the box in the corner of his room that has been sitting there since he moved in. As he unwraps the newspaper, he catches a quick glance at the picture, which makes him throw it in a drawer. Why's he opening the box? Maybe it's because the little girl today reminds him of a young Leaf? Maybe he's just feeling a little more lonely today?

Gary sighs as he heads to his kitchen to drink some wine. He has all this money and plenty of women, but he's so alone. The only times he never felt alone were when he was with Ash and Leaf. Sipping from the wine glass, he wonders if he should just call some girl tonight. It at least helps distract his mind for a bit.

He chuckles as he realizes he really is an Oak. Work all the time and die lonely. If he doesn't die alone, then he'd probably die young like his parents. Since they died when he was a baby, he doesn't remember them, so he's unfazed when he sees pictures of them, even though Daisy and his grandfather shed a few tears. How can he miss people he doesn't even know?

But he does miss Ash and Leaf. Heck, even Misty! He always thought he could make new friends to fight the loneliness again, but there aren't too many people out there who aren't interested in using him. He does have the Oak name and the money as well as the looks. Gary sighs. It's hard making friends at this age since people are greedy and untrustworthy. He'd rather be alone than played.

Flashback

"Greeny…" a 13 year old Gary holds the sniffling girl.

"I'm so stupid, Gary!" she cries into his chest.

"No, you're not. You're strong and smart. That's what makes you Greeny."

"I should've known she wasn't really my friend."

"We all thought she was your friend. She fooled us all." Gary angrily tells her as he reflects on the girl who was using Leaf to get close to him and Ash. The raven haired boy is currently trying to find the girl so he can give her a piece of his mind.

"I just-I just want one female friend! Is that so much to ask for?"

Gary hugs the girl tighter as she sobs more. "You have me and Ash, okay Leaf? We're never gonna leave you. Heck, we'll even let you put makeup on us if you really want a female friend."

"No take-backs, Gary." she sniffles, which makes him relieved to see her calming down.

He pulls away from her and extends a pinky in front of her red puffy face. "No take-backs."

Flashback Over

Heh. Friends forever? Yeah, he's a fucking liar. But what can one expect from Gary Oak? He's a notorious playboy who just uses people for his own benefit. Even now, he is kicking out his recent hookup in the middle of the night. This is how he was supposed to end up: alone.

Army Base

"What do you mean I need to stay here another year?" Ash asks the Colonel. He's been in Goldenrod City 8 months and he's ready to leave before he dies of boredom. To avoid running into Leaf, Ash has just been staying around the army base.

"Cpt. Ketchum, it's orders. Since you're one of the most experienced young soldiers here, you have been requested to stay another year."

"What if I decline?"

"You can't."

"This place is too painful to me. I need to leave." Ash tells the man sternly.

"Cpt. Ketchum, you need to listen to orders. Get comfortable because you're here for another year." Before Ash can say more, the colonel says, "Dismissed."

The young man angrily salutes him before storming out. He really does not want to keep hiding in the army base. There's only so much he can do here, like training and talking to the same couple of people. He feels like he's back in little old Pallet Town, which makes him frown as he thinks about the town.

Screw it! He'll go for a run around the city. He needs a break from the base before he goes insane and hurts himself. Since it is a spring afternoon, he puts on a t-shirt and shorts before heading out. He'll just be sure to stay away from the area by the flower shop.

Eventually, Ash stops by a park with a public water fountain. He is grateful for the cool liquid as it hits his parched throat. As Ash looks for a bench to take a break on, something hits his foot. He looks down to see an orange ball with black stripes, which makes him freeze.

"Over here!" A man shouts from the courts on to the right of him, but Ash doesn't move. He closes his eyes and turns away before sprinting out of the park. Gosh, he had no idea there were basketball courts there. Usually, Ash steers clear of anything that'll remind him of the sport. Yeah, some army bases have courts, but Ash would never go to them.

Groaning, Ash tries to erase the thought from his mind while he quickly sprints as far away as he can. Leaving the army base was probably a mistake. Before he knows it, he is in front of a very tall building where he decides to catch his breath. As Ash looks around, he notices that he must be in the heart of the city since there are many tall buildings and lights as well as the street being very busy.

The figure of a tall man with spiky auburn hair walking out of the building down the street gets his attention. It can't be? Can it? Before Ash can think, he sprints over to the man and grabs his shoulder. Dark viridian meets brown as the two men stare at each other. "Gary." Ash manages to say, which makes him drop his hand. Yup. There's no doubt about it: this is Gary Oak.

The man with red hair next to Gary gives him a questioning look. "Um. Do you know each other?" He asks them.

Gary quickly wakes from his shock and shakes his head. "Nope." He then hops into the car as the red haired man follows. Ash doesn't even bother to fight or chase down the car while it drives away. What's the point? Gary left first, and Ash doesn't need him. The raven haired man runs a hand through his hair as he mentally curses himself for even approaching Gary. Their friendship had ended years ago, so what the heck was he doing?

Ash chuckles as he leans against a street pole. The Pallet Town trio happens to be in the same city, and they're all strangers now. Wow, how life works. Leaving the army base today was definitely a mistake, he thinks as he makes the jog back.

Flashback

"Leaf was pretty pissed today." An 11 year old Ash says while sitting on the grass.

Gary shrugs. "Not our problem she can't control her anger."

"I mean, it was kind of our fault too."

"She's too bossy. Why should we listen to her?" the auburn haired boy annoyedly asks.

"Because she's helping us be better!" Ash argues.

"I'm already good! I don't need her telling me what to do!"

"Fine, Gary! But I'll take her help. Don't come crying when I start beating you!"

"You're not as good as me, Ashy Boy." Gary narrows his eyes at his friend.

Ash stands up and grabs the forgotten basketball. "If I beat you, we listen to Leaf. If I lose, then you don't have to listen to Leaf, but I still will!"

Gary stands up as he heads to the court too. "I'll win!"

20 Minutes Later

"I told you I'm better than you!" an exhausted Gary exclaims while they drink water in his kitchen.

"Whatever! I'll train with Leaf and get better!"

"Well, I'm gonna train with her too!"

Ash gives him an annoyed and shocked expression. "I thought you didn't want to?"

"Greeny is smart. You barely beat me, so I can't let you get extra training with her alone."

Although Ash wants to glare at his arrogant friend, he smiles instead. "Cool! Let's call Leaf and ask her to train us tomorrow!"

Flashback Over

Fortunately, Ash makes it back to the army base without running into any more people he knows. He hopes Misty isn't here too, but knowing his luck, he might just run into her eventually. Ash groans. Wasn't the point of him joining the army and avoiding Pallet Town for him to never be reminded of the pain anymore? But he's already ran into Leaf and Gary, and he's been feeling more heartache than he's felt in the past 5 years combined. And now he's stuck here for another year. What did he do to deserve this?

Misty's Apartment

"I'm sorry you didn't make the playoffs." Misty says as she sits on her boyfriend's lap.

He kisses her while holding her closely. "It's okay. That just means I get to spend more time with you."

"And more Burger Queen dates?"

He chuckles. "More Burger Queen dates."

Hours later, Misty gets up to get a cup of water as Rudy sleeps. Their relationship has been pretty private, but Rudy fears it won't last for too long since he's spending so much time in Goldenrod City. He's been trying to prepare her for when their relationship goes public, although Misty isn't sure she's ready for that.

Yeah, it's one thing to be dating Rudy, but it's another to be dating a pro-athlete. Does she like Rudy? Yes, she does. He treats her well and cares about her. Does she love him? An ache in her heart tells her the answer to that as a flash of unruly black hair hits her thoughts. She quickly shakes her head to clear it. She's with Rudy now, and Ash broke up with her. It's his own fault for letting her go.

Maybe she was always meant to be with Rudy. They are childhood friends, first loves, first everything really. So the fact that they happened to meet on a fieldtrip she subbed for has to be fate, right? Misty smiles as she returns into bed next to her boyfriend. She plants a kiss on his lips, but he doesn't stir. Yeah, she likes him, and she hopes to love him again.