The Way We Really Are

By Destiny's Vision

Ash now sat in a restaurant booth, next to a window. He was now having a cheeseburger and soda lunch, while Misty and Brock were out stocking up on supplies. Also, Pikachu was at a Pokemon center, being healed from an earlier battle.

Ash starred at his table as he ate. So, he didn't notice the restaurant door open, letting a very familiar person in Ash's life in. The person then saw Ash, and began to walk to him. Ash continued eating, not noticing the person, even when he stood next to him. " May I sit down?" a voice said. Ash looked up, stopping in mid-chew. He then realized who the boy beside him was. It was what everyone knew as Ash's rival, Gary Oak.

Now, a normal man would think that at this time, Ash would give Gary at least fifty reasons why he couldn't sit down, including some with words a child of his age shouldn't speak. But, this normal man would have been surprised, as Ash merely nodded, saying, " Sure. Sit on down." So, Gary sat down on the other side of the table.

The two stayed silent for a few moments, until a waitress came to their table. " 'scuse me hon," the woman asked Gary. " You wanna order somethin?" Gary smiled at the waitress. " No, thank you." He answered, shaking his head. " I'll only be here for a little while. I just want to talk to my friend." " All right." The woman said. " But, if you should change your mind, just give me a holler." The woman then walked away.

Gary then looked at Ash, and noticed he was quietly laughing.

" What " he asked. " It's just funny." Ash said. " How you said I was your friend. I mean, most people who know us think we're enemies." " I see." Gary said. " Well, I guess they don't know us that well, do they?" Ash made a wide smile. " So," he asked. " How are you doing?" " Same as always." Gary answered. " A badge here, a new pokemon there. How about you?"

" Same as you." Ash said. " That's nice." Gary said. Then, he noticed Ash making a big frown.

" Isn't it sad?" Ash asked. " What?" Gary asked. " You know." Ash said. " How we have to meet secretly like this, and have to make sure no one knows we see each other." Gary was silent. " Gary, how long do we have to do this?" Ash asked. " How long do we have to put up this charade? I mean, at first, it funny. But now, it hurts. I want things to be like they used to be."

At that, Gary smiled. " You know," he said. " You saying that makes me remember the day we met. Do you remember that day?" Ash made a joyful expression, as he looked out the window. " How could I forget?" he asked blissfully. " It was the best day of my life." Gary stayed quiet, hoping Ash would yet again tell him about the day.

" I had been wondering around the fenced ranch areas of Professor Oak's lab. He later caught me hanging on a fence post, starring at the pokemon. At first, he thought I was a pokemon thief. But, when he asked me what I was doing there, I told him that I was just so fascinated with the pokemon, I just couldn't help but stare. I personally thought I was in trouble, mainly because it was unlikely he would believe something like that, especially from a six-year old. But, amazingly, he believed me. And for that, he gave me a free tour of his lab. I think we had just entered the pokemon storage area of the lab, and… that's when I saw you." " I remember." Gary said. " I was fiddling around with an Ultra Ball. And when I heard Grandpa come in, I looked up. Then, when I saw you, something ran through me; something I had never felt before. It was so strong, it made me drop the ball. Did you feel it, Ash? It was like…" " Time had stopped." Ash finished.

" Yes, I felt it." " Then," Gary continued. " I believe we both realized something. We knew that we would become something very important, whether the best of friends or the worst of enemies. And since then, we've been what we are today." " Yeah." Ash said, frowning again. " Except now, we have to hide how we really feel. Heck Gary, I don't even remember why we started this rival business."

" Have you really forgotten?" Gary asked. " Has it really been that long?" Ash nodded. " Well," Gary said. " I remember. I think it was two years before we became trainers. I had invited you over to my house for the night. While you were there, I showed you a couple pokemon trainer magazines. There, I believe I saw an article saying that some of the best trainers had rivals, which were particular trainers that they battled with more often than others, mainly because they wanted to see who was better. I then suggested that we could be rivals. At first, you thought I was insane. You claimed that being rivals made us look basically like enemies. So, I said that we could look like enemies in the eyes of the public, but keep our true feelings for each other inside. After a while, I finally convinced you to go along with my idea. And, after sharing our secret with Grandpa, knowing he would be the only person who would know the secret, we officially became arch-rivals, or so everyone thought."

Ash starred at Gary with sad eyes. " Gary," Ash said. " That was four years ago. Why can't we end this now? Gary, you don't know how much it hurts knowing we can't be what we used to be." " Yes, I do." Gary said. " It does hurt Ash. It hurts every time I see you, and I can't really talk to you the way I want to. It hurts when I don't see you. It hurts when I remember things that we did that we can't do today. Oh, I miss those things. I miss when I could play with you, when I could hold you hand. And, most of all, I dearly miss feeling those soft lips of your on mine."

Ash's eyes opened wide with surprise, as he made a wide smile. " You remembered." He said. " My god, Gary. I almost thought you had forgotten our true feelings over the years." " Ash," Gary said softly. " How could I forget that I loved you? You are the very reason that I live. I keep going in the hope that one day, we can truly be together, like we used to be." Then, Gary gently took Ash's hand in his. " Because of the public," Gary said. " I know I can't truly show my love to you. But, I guess just this is worth it." " Of course it is." Ash agreed. " It's been so long since I've even been able to just hold your hand." The two starred into each other's eyes for a few moments.

" You know," Ash said, as he let go of Gary's hand. " Now that I think about it, I bet you love being my rival." Gary looked at Ash, confused.

" What do you mean?" he asked. " Well," Ash said. " When it comes down to it, you're getting the better part of the deal. I mean, you're obviously a better trainer than me." " What?" Gary asked, surprised at what Ash had just said. " Ash, how can you say that? I'm not better than you." " Of course you are." Ash argued. " I mean, you win more battles, more badges, not to mention you capture more pokemon. How could I be better than you?"

Gary starred at Ash for a moment. " Ash," he said. " Do you remember when we were younger, and my grandpa let us battle?" " Of course." Ash answered. " It was my first pokemon battle. How could I forget?" " Well," Gary said. " Do you remember the pokemon we were given?" " I think so." Ash said. " I think I got a young Weedle, and you got a Caterpie that was going to evolve soon." " Right." Gary said. " Man, when Grandpa told me my Caterpie was more powerful than your Weedle, I thought I had you beat. So, we started the battle. And, you immediately told your Weedle to use Poison Sting. Sure, you hit my Caterpie, but it looked like a weak attack. So, we battled on. But, from then on, you told your Weedle to either use String Shot, or just dodge any attack. I didn't know what you were doing, that is, until I noticed my Caterpie getting tired and weak. Then, it hit me. You had poisoned my Caterpie, and because of me not noticing it, you were sure to win. Then, you told Weedle to Tackle Caterpie, and with just that, Caterpie fainted. You had won by using one of the oldest and wisest strategies." " That's also the only battle I ever won against you." Ash stated. " But, then again, we were probably too young to really battle."

" Ash," Gary said, a bit irritated. " That's not the point. I saw the way you battled. You were better than I was, and I knew that in the end, when we were older, you would still be better than I would be, by a long shot. So, ever since then, I have idolized you for that. And now, even if I win all our battles, earn more battles, and capture more pokemon, you still are the better trainer. I mean, while I use my pokemon mainly for power, you use your pokemon for equal needs. You make them more powerful by ways of friendship and compassion, while they give you the wins you need, not to mention friendship in return. You see, you have a style I am yet to master. Thus, in the end, you're the better trainer, not me."

Ash starred at Gary in amazement, not believing what he had just said. " Gary," Ash said, almost unable to speak. " I…I never knew you felt that way." Gary smiled at Ash's comment. " I'm surprised you didn't know. Besides, it's one of the reasons I love you." Then, Gary looked out the window, with a thoughtful look on his face.

" Ash," Gary asked. " Do you think you're going to train pokemon all your life?" " Well," Ash answered. " I don't really know. I mean, I'll do it for most of my life. But after that, who knows." " Well," Gary said. " You think you might be willing to hear a suggestion?" Ash looked at Gary curiously, wondering what he was getting at. " I'm listening." He said. " Ash," Gary asked. " Do you know of the Pokemon Daycare Center in Goldenrod City?"

" Of course." Ash said. " It's pretty popular for raising and breeding pokemon. What about it?" " Well," Gary said. " I was thinking that when we were older, that maybe you and me could, well, start our own daycare center. It would be fun! We could take the pokemon of other people, and raise them, just like if we were true trainers. Then, if the people wanted us to, we could breed pokemon and make pokemon eggs. And, we could be together, always." Gary then looked at Ash. " So, how about it Ash?" Gary asked.

" Do you think you'd like to do that with me?" Ash was silent for a few moments, as he thought about Gary's offer. Then, he made a wide smile.

" Of course I would." He answered. " It sounds not only fun, but, in a way, a bit romantic." Gary smiled as well.

Then, Ash noticed the restaurant door open, letting two familiar people enter. " There's the rest of the gang." He said. Gary stood up. " Should I give you a ' I'm a better trainer than you are' insults to look normal?" " No." Ash said. " Just stand there." Gary looked at Ash questionably. Then, Brock and Misty came up to the table. " Hi, Ash." Misty said merrily. Then, she gave a grim look at Gary. " What he doing here? Insulting you in spite of how you're better than him?" Ash was silent for a moment, then said, " No. He and I were just having a simple conversation; a conversation about when our rivalry may end." Ash then put out his hand in front of Gary. " It was nice talking to you, Gary." Ash said. Gary then hook Ash's hand, nodding. " It was a pleasure talking to you two, Ash." Then, Ash waked away from Gary, also leaving a stupefied Brock and Misty, who soon hurried on to catch up with him. But, before they did, Gary saw Ash walk by the window. And, as he did, he mouthed a message to him. " I love you." Gary smiled, and mouthed a " I love you too." Then, Ash walked away, follow by Brock and Misty. Gary stood there for a few moments. Then, he slowly walked out of the restaurant. As he did so, he imagined the day Ash would not be his rival. And, he knew it would be the happiest day of his life.

In this world, as we have all seen, there are many people who believe that the only way to live is to hate, or even just rival, one another. But, indeed, they are wrong. What we should, and must do, is love one another; love each other as a friend, brother, sister, or even a lover. This way, in the end, we can make this world a better place.

So say the words of

Destiny's Vision

THE END