Gary Oak sat under a tree on the grounds of his grandfather's Pokémon preserve. He took a deep breath of the crisp November air, hoping that it would clear his head. He still felt a little woozy.
"Umbre?" his Umbreon asked with concern.
Gary pulled his Pokémon close to him. "It's okay, Umbreon. I'll be okay."
Gary leaned back and rested his head against the trunk of the massive tree. His grandfather's words were still spinning around in his head.
---
"Hey, Grandpa. What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Sit down, Gary," Professor Oak gestured in the direction of the couch in the living room. "I have something I need to tell you and I wanted you to hear it from me first."
Gary noticed that his grandfather seemed nervous. "What is it, Grandpa?" he asked as he sat down.
Professor Oak took the seat on the couch next to Gary's. "I just wanted to…goodness, I don't know where to begin, really." He took a deep breath. "Mrs. Ketchum and I are going to get married."
"Well, it's about time!" Gary grinned at the sight of the shocked expression on his grandfather's face. "Don't look so surprised, Grandpa. Everyone in Pallet Town knows you and Mrs. Ketchum have had a thing going for years."
"They do?"
"Sure. It's the worst-kept secret in town. When's the wedding?"
"Uh…next month. Probably around Christmas."
"Boy, you guys aren't wasting any time. Is there a reason why you guys are in such a hurry?" Gary winked. "I'm not going to have an aunt or uncle in a few months, am I?"
"No," Professor Oak said hastily. "It's nothing like that. But since you brought up the subject…"
"What do you mean, Grandpa?"
"Gary, Mrs. Ketchum…Delia and I have been involved for many years. Eighteen years, to be exact."
"Eighteen years," Gary mused. "Right after Grandma died, huh?"
"Yes. Delia helped me get over the pain of your grandmother's death. When we first started our relationship, we weren't…we, um…we didn't…oh, I don't know how to say this."
"Just spit it out, Grandpa." Gary was starting to get worried at the turn this conversation was taking.
"Gary, Ash is my son. Mine and Delia's."
Gary's eyes grew wide, then he grinned nervously. "Okay, that's funny, Grandpa. Now what did you really want to talk to me about?"
"Gary, it's true. Ash is my son, which makes him your uncle."
Gary looked at his grandfather, hoping that something in his expression would indicate that this was some sort of joke. But as Gary studied the serious expression on his grandfather's face, the truth hit him like a ton of bricks.
Oh my God, Grandpa's not kidding.
Gary grew deathly pale. "You…you're serious?"
"Yes, Gary."
"Oh my God." Gary looked ill and started to sway unsteadily in his seat.
Professor Oak was ready this time. "Gary, put your head between your knees." As Gary leaned over, Professor Oak started patting his grandson's back reassuringly. "It's okay. Ash did the same thing yesterday."
Gary's head shot up. "Ash knows? Oh shi…" Gary didn't finish his sentence. Bringing his head up too quickly had made him so dizzy that he passed out and tumbled to the floor.
---
As Gary stroked Umbreon's head, he spotted a teenage boy and a small yellow Pokémon approaching the place where they sat.
"Hello, Gary," Ash said awkwardly.
"Hey, Ash," Gary replied, not bothering to look up. "Guess Grandpa told you about you and me being related, huh?"
"Yeah," Ash said as he and Pikachu sat down next to Gary and Umbreon.
"Well, don't expect me to start calling you 'Uncle Ash'."
"Don't worry, I won't ask you to. I still can't believe it myself." Ash stared off into the distance. "Look, Gary. I know we haven't always gotten along."
"True."
"But since we're…we're family now, then maybe we should try to get along. For Mom and Professor Oak's sake. You know, " Ash said with a slight smile, "we fight so much that we should've figured out that we were related a long time ago."
Gary grinned. "Yeah. It's kind of like how me and my sister May used to fight all the time. Wonder if Grandpa's told her yet?"
"Yeah, guess I'm her uncle, too. That's weird…she's older than I am and I'm her uncle."
"Yeah." The two boys watched in silence as Pikachu and Umbreon started playing together. "Are you going to move here when your mom and Grandpa get married?"
"Probably."
"Pikachu will like it here. You've done a good job training him, you know."
Ash was momentarily taken aback by the compliment from his long-standing rival. "Thanks, Gary. Your Umbreon is pretty awesome, too."
"Well, naturally. We Oaks have always been master trainers." Gary smiled slyly.
Ash grinned. "Maybe being related to you isn't so bad, after all."
"Yeah, well, don't let it get around. I do have a reputation to uphold, after all." Gary stood up. "Let's have a Pokémon battle and see which Oak is the better trainer, shall we?"
Ash scrambled to his feet. "You're on!"