Chapter Six

Gary

If someone told me six years ago that I'll be attending Misty's wedding to Ash, I would have guaranteed that I would have laughed straight up to their face. Yet, here I am, at the Oak Mansion, a whole week before the big day. The wonders of therapy. If it wasn't for Leaf pushing me into therapy, maybe I'd never even be here. There are days when I do feel extraordinarily lonely, guilty even, because I should have never fallen for my best friend's girl. But are we best friends, Ash?

Ash and Misty do the romantic thing of getting married during the holidays, and encouraged in large part by Leaf, and in lesser part by the therapist, I decided to put more effort in spending time with Gramps. While we've had a rocky relationship in the past (no small part of that being my fault), my therapist fed me a lot of fluff on the miracles of Christmas and fixing relationships. Well, there's no harm in trying.

I'm sitting in my old room, at my old desk. It's still early in the morning, barely dawn, but I can't get myself to sleep. A part of me wishes Leaf would surprise me by sending a chapter that's she's worked on ahead of time. Oh, come on. Leaf's still in Unova till tomorrow because she "wants to make sure Arcanine is in super safe hands." It's hard to find someone to look after a pregnant Pokémon, especially since everyone is attending this wedding. We finally decided on leaving her with Dr. Whitford, not just because he's a doctor and knows what to do, but also because (let's face it) Leaf's budding romance with him. Don't get me wrong, he's a perfectly nice guy, just like Leaf wanted. But somehow, it bothers me. Since she broke up with Rudy a couple of years ago, Leaf hasn't ventured into a serious, committed relationship. "I just see this happening, Gary." Leaf says, "He's a Pokémon doctor, and he's here for the long-term. Stable. Plus, he's cute."

Well, at least I'll have something to talk about in my next therapy session. It took me a long while to accept that I needed therapy, in large part goaded by Leaf. There are times when I feel horribly guilty for my behaviour as a teenager. My eyes rest on the broken half of the Pokéball Ash and I had found when we went fishing. Been nearly twenty years. I cradle with it. I grow increasingly frustrated with not having anything to do. I decide to make myself useful and prepare breakfast. Daisy and Gramps are probably still asleep. I don't expect Tracey to be in before breakfast.

I stare into the backyard as the coffee brews silently. I've always enjoyed the peaceful time right before everything blows up and everyone is scurrying around. Back in the day when Gramps would speed eat to get to the Lab, when Daisy would speed dress to get to medical school in Cerulean on time. I hated the excruciating silence that came right after.

So, you can imagine my surprise when the doorbell rings at 7 50 am, shaking me off my early morning reverie.

And it gets even better. I open the door to find Ash Ketchum complete with fishing gear grinning at me.

"Well," I smirk, "Fishing for something, Ashy-boy?"

"Very funny, Gary" he says, "I was wondering if you wanted to come fishing today?" He asks, almost tentatively.

I spin around, surprised. We hadn't done that since…

"Oh," I manage, Should I? I mean, I don't really have anything to lose. My therapist's words come back flooding to me. This is about forgiving yourself, Gary, and forgiving them. And, above all, letting go.

"Sure," I say, before I can backtrack, "How about some breakfast first?"

Ash grins back at me.

It's a crisp day out, and I thank Pallet for having such gorgeous winter weather. I can only imagine Leaf working fast to finish a few chapters before "I let my hair down for a weekend, Gary" huddled in at least five layers of clothing. At this moment, I do not envy her.

We find a spot by the lake and settle down. Ash doesn't talk much but appears to be pensive. Which is surprising. He further adds to my surprise by getting out a pack of beer bottles and cracking them open. I raise my eyebrows at him.

"A little too early for that, don't you think?" I ask, but still humour him by taking a bottle that he offers.

"You gotta live." He says, taking one for himself "Besides, you're the best person to engage in this sort of shenanigans with."

"What's muddling inside your pea-brain, Ashy boy?" I ask, "I'm sure you didn't bring me out here to talk of my profanity to morning drinking. That's never been our style."

Ash laughs, "Gary."

"Yeah?" I ask, growing a tad bit impatient, "Aren't you excited? Getting married and all that."

"Of course." He says, "But that's not why I called you out today."

"Oh?"

"Look," he says, "I know you sort of stepped back because of what happened with you and Misty. But, the truth is, I've missed having you around, even if it was in a rivalry fashion."

I nod silently.

"Remember the time we came out here and found that Pokéball and broke it?"

"Juvenile." I laugh

"Yeah, and the time we snuck into the movies."

"Your mom was so mad."

"I thought you'd be my best man, you know." Ash says, after a few moments of silence.

"Ouch," I say, "I hope Brock doesn't hear you."

"Yeah, well."

"It would have been awkward if I was, you know." I say slowly, attempting to gulp down my beer.

"But, Ash" I say, "I'm happy for you. And I'm not saying this just to make this less awkward or whatever, but because I truly am."

"I know, Gary." He says, and then studies me for a moment, "You've changed."

Have I?

"You seem calmer."

"It's the wonders of therapy, Ash." I smirk, "You should try it sometime."

"She never meant to hurt you, Gary."

"I know." I say, as I toy with the beer bottle in my hands. I let out a deep sigh, "I don't have any regrets, Ash. You learn a lot by falling in love."

He looks at me, confused. I smile. "And you learn a lot more by falling out of love."

I look at him, and he nods in understanding. We aren't rivals, and maybe we'll never be best friends like how we used to be. Or maybe we will. But for now, I can't help feeling relieved, lighter, and finally forgiving myself for falling in love with Misty Waterflower.

"Amen to that." Ash says, and we laugh.

Ash forces me to have dinner at his place, because Mrs. Ketchum has "cooked up a feast". I realise I have no choice in the matter, because even after spending the whole day fishing, Ash literally drags me to his house, where I find Gramps and Daisy already chatting with Mrs. Ketchum in the living room, cooing over Daisy's slight baby bump.

"Gary," Mrs. Ketchum gushes, "There you are!"

And suddenly I feel like a little kid again. Eating dinner at Ash's house.

The week passes by in a blur, and I'm mostly bored because of the lack of work. Hans, Daisy and I go for a couple of walks, and Daisy and I team up to cook a great meal for Gramps on Christmas Eve. The four of us stay up late by the fireplace drinking hot chocolate. For the first time, I feel warm and wanted in the Oak Mansion. This holiday season is giving me a lot of firsts.

The day of Ash's wedding is sunny. Mrs. Ketchum rented out a part of Pallet Park and the altar is beautiful. It's a traditional white wedding- pale pink and white roses adorn the place. I'm wandering around aimlessly when I bump into Brock.

"Hey G-Man" he says, in his typical drawl, draping his hand over my shoulder and almost leaning his entire body weight on me. He reeks a bit of the whisky we were having last night with the other boys who had turned up for Ash's bachelor party. My inference wasn't wrong- Brock could most definitely not hold his liquor.

"All right, mate?" I ask, helping him stand straight

"Oh, you know" he says, using his other free hand to clutch his left temple. "I think I'll make it through the ceremony."

I would hope so. I wouldn't want to imagine catching Brock if he collapsed at the altar. Or even worse, if I was asked to take his place.

I didn't think that would happen anyway. Even though I was one of the groomsmen, there were plenty of backup options- Tracey, Drew or even Paul.

"Whoa…" Brock says, interrupting my thoughts, "check her out." He says pointing to some woman standing, her back facing us.

She was pretty hot, her dark brown hair tied up in a messy bun and what a low cut, it was almost criminal. This woman was shapely.

She turns, and even though she's wearing shades, she waves at me.

"You know her?" Brock exclaims beside me.

I squint my eyes, as a dreading realisation begins to form at the pit of my stomach.

It isn't….it can't be…No. I wasn't just objectifying…

But she walks closer and pushes her sunglasses up, and there's no mistaking those green eyes.

"Hey, Gary," Leaf says, "Brock. I've heard so much about you." She extends her hand to Brock and I can feel him practically drooling beside me.

And then she looks up and smiles at me, and my brain just goes bust. Suddenly, she isn't Leaf anymore. I bite hard on my lower lip to try and control myself, but I feel my head spinning. Like something hit like a tornedo. I try to push out thoughts, but I fail because I'm staring at her, her neck, her shoulders, my gosh what the hell is she wearing -it's a beautiful pale-yellow dress but there's so much cleavage.

"Brock here needs a bit of a hangover cure." I say, my voice rough, shaking my head, hoping that it would work with my thoughts as well. "I'll see you at the ceremony?"

She laughs, and just then I hear Daisy calling for her. "Looks like I'm needed too. See you boys later."

Once she is safely out of hearing zone, Brock exclaims "That's Leaf? Our Leafy?"

She isn't your Leaf, Brock.

What the hell

"Yes" I say, clearing my throat. "All grown up, eh?" I say, laughing, cringing at how I'm sounding.

"What a beauty."

"I know," I say, and it's the first time I've admitted that out loud, and then it makes sense. For the longest time, I had looked at Leaf as this kid who is five years younger than me. But she was in fact, an incredibly beautiful woman and a fabulous researcher. As corny as it sounds, she is the ultimate combination of beauty and brains.

"Well," Brock says, grabbing a bottle of water and opening the cap, "she is Hélène Brodeur's granddaughter, after all. Such a striking resemblance."

How could I have missed that? Everyone talks about how pretty Grandma Hélène is, and how Leaf takes after her.

"Well," I say, mostly because I'm really annoyed with Brock drooling at her, "she's taken. Pokémon doctor up in Unova."

"Damn."

The ceremony passes in a blur for me, as I spend most of the time trying to catch a glimpse at Leaf, who is seated between Hélène and her mum. The irony isn't lost on me that I have this realisation on Misty and Ash's wedding day, and even more, right after Leaf begins her first ever serious relationship since Rudy.

I'm internally rationalising with myself the whole day. I can't.

The day rolls around, and as evening sets, Delia has the wedding tent transformed with fairy lights and candles. Grandpa Oak is asked to do the honours for Misty's "father-daughter" dance, before Ash and Misty have their first dance as a couple. I smile and laugh and clap as loudly as everyone else as a huge sense of relief washes over me. I can't really describe it, but it is a feeling of complete detachment, spiritual almost.

It's a long, lively evening, but it does come to an end. We all wave Misty and Ash off as they make their way to the Orange Islands for their honeymoon. There's more dancing, more of watching Brock trying to hit on most women. It's quite nearly late as I cradle a glass of scotch as I sit by one of the last few remaining tables and wait for Grandpa Oak and Mrs. Ketchum to finish being emotional.

I'm twirling with the rim of my glass when I hear a "Hey there," and look up to find Leaf, her hair still up, as she makes her way, her heels in her hand. She plonks on the last available chair next to mine, "Ughh… I can't believe I've got to go back tomorrow." She whines, "at least you got some time off"

"Well," I say, "I can look after Arcanine if you like."

"No." She nods, "I already made my boyfriend look after my Arcanine during Christmas just so that I could come to this wedding. It's not right."

Boyfriend.

"Of course." I say, "Is Henry going to be around?"

"No." she says, and frowns, "I made him miss Christmas, so the least I can do is ensure he's home for boxing day. He did ask if I wanted to go, but it's too early for a meet the parents' stint, don't you think?"

My heart sinks, and it finally dawns upon me why I'm so bothered with her and Henry. Till now, she was my go-to person. And suddenly, it feels like she isn't. It is going to be Henry this or Henry that. I'm not going to be a priority for her anymore—and that makes me feel alone.

And today, I just realised she is also breath-takingly beautiful. I feel a sense of anger bubbling inside me- almost hating myself for taking so much time to get over Misty Waterflower. I stare at my hands as I let out a big sigh.

"Hmmm… Gary?"

I jerk my head towards her. Oh yeah. Meet Henry's parents.

"It is too soon." I say finally, "Sorry, I'm just.."

"You've been out of sorts since I met you in the morning." She says,

Oh no. Here it comes. Leaf's perspective is unparalleled….

"It must have been a tough day for you huh?"

What?

"It'll happen, Gary." She says, softly "I know watching Misty getting married today was well….I imagine I would feel the same if Rudy married someone else."

Wow. Leaf has completely misread my entire situation.

"I know this is really easy for me to say," she continues, "but you know, I never thought I'd meet Henry. After Rudy, I didn't think I would date seriously ever."

I really wanted to start laughing just then, given the amazing situation I had gotten myself into. But, I was so angry. I couldn't understand it, and I just wanted to be alone. I'd sort this mess out. Wake up in the morning and pretend like none of this happened.

I stand up abruptly, "I'm just…I'm sorry, Leaf. I just want to be on my own for a bit alright? I'll see you tomorrow?"

She is slightly taken aback but composes herself very quickly. She nods in understanding. "Sure, I'll see you tomorrow."

I thank my stars that Daisy and Hans will be driving back with us tomorrow.