A Change of Pace
Gary brushed his eyes with his sleeve one last time as he continued into the night, trying to escape the memories of what had happened. He had released his Eevee for company, it was curled up on his shoulder semi asleep. He soon grew tired of walking and decided to follow his eevee's lead and get some rest, it wasn't long until he found a rather open area where he could sleep. He knew he could use his Alakazam to teleport him to any five star hotel, but right now he needed a quiet place to think. He glanced down and saw a perfectly made fire, well minus the fire. There was a bundle of sticks surrounded by rocks to contain the potential flames. He grabbed a Poke' ball and dropped it onto the ground.
"Arcanine, could you make a fire for me? Its awfully cold." Gary pointed to the fire hole and the Arcanine gladly comforted his master before returning to its pokeball. He noticed a convenient log placed in front of the fire and sat down on it.
"Why did I tell him? I had hidden my feelings for all these years and I suddenly decide to tell him… I'm such an idiot." He said to the sleeping Eevee. Gary sighed and ran his hand through his thick brown hair.
"Then after I pour my heart out to him he tosses away my feelings for some… ugly pre teen prostitute!" Gary picked up a rock and threw it against a near by tree. He heard a startled rustling from the area where he threw the rock.
"… Is anyone there?" Gary looked over to where the noise came from.
"Uh sorry I didn't know anyone was here, ill leave." Said a quiet voice from within the darkness.
Gary hesitated for a moment before responding. "No it's alright, theres enough space for the both of us. Why don't you come out from over there and join me by the fire it'll be warmer here. You don't want to get sick. A small boy walked towards the fire without a moment's hesitation. The boy resembled Ash, except sporting blue and green colors rather than red and blue. He even had his own Pikachu walking beside him.
"Do I know you?" Gary looked towards the familiar looking boy.
"Kinda, I saw you at the Pokemon league, I know your… friend Ash." The boy smiled, "My names Richie, pleased to meet you."
"Oh, one of Ash's friends, he has so many…" Gary looked down at his shoes, "Oh and my name's Gary Oak." Richie walked over to the melancholy boy and sat next to him.
"You look sad… what's wrong?" Richie looked concerned, "did you lose a match or something?"
"I wish that was all that happened." Gary hesitated a moment before continuing, "Have you ever been rejected by someone you cared for? And in one moment everything and anything you have ever hoped for is taken away from you in one instant."
"… Can't say that I have." Richie placed a hand on the other boys shoulder to comfort him, surprised when Gary didn't push him away Richie continued, "I'm sorry… what happened?"
"The moment seemed so perfect…" Tears began to well up in his eyes, Gary closed them tight to keep the tears from flowing, "and he just said no… it wasn't supposed to happen like that. We were supposed to be together!" tears began to flow down his cheeks.
"… He?" Richie looked confused and paused for a moment, "who?"
Gary glared at the boy and stood up ripping Ritchie's hand off his shoulder. "Why should I tell you?! So you can judge me just like everyone else does? That's all people do! All they do is judge me and they don't even know me!"
"I wont judge you… I promise" Richie smiled at the taller boy, "and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's none of my business." Gary's face softened and the tears began to lessen slightly. He sat back down next to Richie and buried his face in his hands.
"He didn't even care about how I felt, all he said is 'I don't feel the same way' and I was so sure…" Gary choked out between his tears. "After all why would he need me when he has his little whore Misty and that stupid Pikachu!"
Ritchie's Pikachu sparky cringed at the way Gary said Pikachu, and Ritchie's eyes widened when he realized who Gary was talking about. "You mean it was…"
"Ash…" Gary looked at Richie, his eyes red, still filled with tears; he smiled "you know you look a lot like him."
Richie laughed nervously and sweat dropped. "I guess… well you know for what its worth I'm sorry It didn't work out with you and him."
"Thanks." Gary looked up at the sky and sighed, " Now I have nothing to hope for, and without hope what is a person left with?"
"Don't say that, you still have your Pokemon dream. To be a Pokemon master, you still have hope for that don't you?" Richie looked surprisingly upset.
"I guess… but I would give up any chance of being a Pokemon master if I could be with him." Gary ran his hand through the spikes in his hair. " I don't even have that dream anymore… all I have is misery."
"That can't be true, there has to be something else you want. There are other people out there you know." Richie looked down at his now sleeping Pikachu.
"Not for me there isn't." Gary paused for a moment, his eyes widened. "Wait! I know what I want, to humiliate his little prostitute!"
"Wait a second Gary, Misty didn't do anything to you. You shouldn't take out your anger on her."
"Your wrong about that. She's done more than you'll ever imagine. Now im tired I have to get up early tomorrow, im going to sleep. I suggest you do the same." Gary lay down close to the fire and closed his eyes, Richie soon did the same.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Ash Misty and Brock woke up early the next morning and made their way further into ilex forest.
"Man this forest is big, but now that we know where we are it shouldn't be much longer until we make our way out of here." Brock looked at the map carefully to make sure the trio wouldn't have another mishap like yesterday.
"We would have been out of here yesterday if you hadn't messed everything up Brock!" Misty glared at Brock for a moment. She looked over to Ash who seemed to be deep in thought. His Pikachu walked close beside him as cheerful as ever, acting as if nothing had happened yesterday. "What's wrong Ash you seemed troubled by something. Was Gary mean to you yesterday? The nerve of that guy! He can be such a jerk sometimes."
"Don't call him a jerk Misty! If it weren't for him Pikachu would have died! He was really nice to me actually, and if you ask me you're the one who's being a jerk!" Ash snapped back at the girl angrily, "and I don't see what your problem with Gary is!"
"Well sorry Ash If I mad you mad" Misty said sarcastically, "I don't know how your opinion of Gary changed in one day, he's been mean to you ever since I've known you!"
"Well for one thing, Gary has known me longer than you have! and for the second thing maybe Gary had his reasons for the things he said. Ash looked away from Misty. "And he was twice the friend you are!" Misty seemed to be extremely hurt by that.
"He WAS a better friend than me, well he's not your friend anymore! And im beginning to see why he's not!" Misty yelled back at him.
"Shut up Misty, for your information Gary and I are friends again!" Ash glared at the red head.
"Well good for you! You two deserve each other!" when Misty said that it made Ash really uncomfortable.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? That I'm gay or something? Well… im not!" Ash screamed
"I didn't say anything like that Ash stop putting words in my mouth!" Misty crossed her arms across her chest and looked away from Ash.
"Will you two stop it! I think I heard something over there." Brock looked over to his right.
"Well well well, you guys may be loser but at least you're not deaf." Gary was standing there with his hands on his hips. Richie was next to him, glaring at Ash.
"Gary?" Ash seemed to be happy to see him. "Richie? What are you two doing here?"
"Shut up Ash!" Richie yelled. "Gary told me what you and Misty did to him!" Ash looked over to Gary.
"Gary… please don't do this." Ash said softly. Gary turned his head; he knew he couldn't look Ash in the eyes.
"Ill do what I please!" Gary looked to Misty and twirled a poke' ball on his finger. "We challenge you and Ash to a tag team poke' battle, Brock can referee."
"What?" Ash was upset that Gary was being so hostile to him, he was so happy the two were friends again. "So what you said yesterday… it was all lies?!"
"No Ash… Im not the one who's lying!" Gary stopped twirling the ball and looked straight at Ash. "You're the one who's lying to your self!"
"What do you mean? Why are you acting like this? I thought we left off with a positive note, why are you doing this." Ash looked at Gary, and Misty just looked confused.
"Lets just say I realized that you didn't care how I felt! You rejected me and now you'll pay!" Gary looked back at Misty; his eyes were filled with pure hate. "Well do you losers except? Or are you cowards too?"
"Fine Gary we accept, and Ash and ill will wipe the floor with you two, and you Richie I don't know what he told you but we didn't do anything to him!" Misty looked over to Ash. "Lets go Ash, ok Gary one Pokemon each. Go poly whirl!" Misty threw her pokeball and her poliwhirl appeared in a flash of light.
"I don't know why your doing this Gary but if it makes you happy ill battle" Ash reached for a pokeball. "Go tododile." Ash wasn't very enthusiastic about the match.
"Go Nidoking!" Gary tossed the ball and the huge Nidoking appeared.
"Go Sparky!" Richie motioned for his Pikachu to enter; it did as it was told.
"Horn drill" Gary pointed to Ash's tododile.
"Thunderbolt!" Richie pointed to Misty's Poliwhirl.
And as soon as the match began it ended Misty and Ash's Pokemon had been KO'd in one hit each.
"Tododile!" a red beam flashed and brought tododile back to the pokeball. "Well I hope your satisfied Gary. You won."
"Poliwhirl? You lost in one hit! Errrr…. Return." Misty glared at Richie and Gary. "Well? No 'loser' comments Gary? You won! No gloating, or laughing?"
Gary just stood there unsure of what to do. "Yeah Gary, why don't you and Richie just leave." Brock stared angrily at Gary.
"Im sorry." Gary let a single tear roll down his cheek. "Im so sorry, all of you. Richie, I lied to you and told you Ash made fun of me. And im sorry Misty for being so malicious. But im so sorry Ash, I never meant to…" More tears ran down his cheeks, and hesitated for a moment. "Im just sorry!" Gary ran off into the woods.
"Gary!" Ash ran after him, leaving the three others confused behind him.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Gary finally stopped running when he reached a river where he collapsed and began to cry hysterically. Mumbling 'sorry' over and over again. Ash wasn't too far behind him, he had been following him for a while, and it wasn't long until he found Gary. He was hugging his knees to his chest and crying in front of a river. He sat next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Gary please don't cry…it kills me to see you so upset"
Gary looked up and saw Ash standing they're smiling at him. "Don't play with my feelings Ash."
"I would never dream of it…" And with that Ash leaned over and kissed Gary. With one hand he stroked Gary's cheek and with the other he wiped away his tears.
Misty Brock and Richie had followed Ash and stood in the forest watching the two kiss. All of them smiled and went back to leave the two alone.
Fin
Gary brushed his eyes with his sleeve one last time as he continued into the night, trying to escape the memories of what had happened. He had released his Eevee for company, it was curled up on his shoulder semi asleep. He soon grew tired of walking and decided to follow his eevee's lead and get some rest, it wasn't long until he found a rather open area where he could sleep. He knew he could use his Alakazam to teleport him to any five star hotel, but right now he needed a quiet place to think. He glanced down and saw a perfectly made fire, well minus the fire. There was a bundle of sticks surrounded by rocks to contain the potential flames. He grabbed a Poke' ball and dropped it onto the ground.
"Arcanine, could you make a fire for me? Its awfully cold." Gary pointed to the fire hole and the Arcanine gladly comforted his master before returning to its pokeball. He noticed a convenient log placed in front of the fire and sat down on it.
"Why did I tell him? I had hidden my feelings for all these years and I suddenly decide to tell him… I'm such an idiot." He said to the sleeping Eevee. Gary sighed and ran his hand through his thick brown hair.
"Then after I pour my heart out to him he tosses away my feelings for some… ugly pre teen prostitute!" Gary picked up a rock and threw it against a near by tree. He heard a startled rustling from the area where he threw the rock.
"… Is anyone there?" Gary looked over to where the noise came from.
"Uh sorry I didn't know anyone was here, ill leave." Said a quiet voice from within the darkness.
Gary hesitated for a moment before responding. "No it's alright, theres enough space for the both of us. Why don't you come out from over there and join me by the fire it'll be warmer here. You don't want to get sick. A small boy walked towards the fire without a moment's hesitation. The boy resembled Ash, except sporting blue and green colors rather than red and blue. He even had his own Pikachu walking beside him.
"Do I know you?" Gary looked towards the familiar looking boy.
"Kinda, I saw you at the Pokemon league, I know your… friend Ash." The boy smiled, "My names Richie, pleased to meet you."
"Oh, one of Ash's friends, he has so many…" Gary looked down at his shoes, "Oh and my name's Gary Oak." Richie walked over to the melancholy boy and sat next to him.
"You look sad… what's wrong?" Richie looked concerned, "did you lose a match or something?"
"I wish that was all that happened." Gary hesitated a moment before continuing, "Have you ever been rejected by someone you cared for? And in one moment everything and anything you have ever hoped for is taken away from you in one instant."
"… Can't say that I have." Richie placed a hand on the other boys shoulder to comfort him, surprised when Gary didn't push him away Richie continued, "I'm sorry… what happened?"
"The moment seemed so perfect…" Tears began to well up in his eyes, Gary closed them tight to keep the tears from flowing, "and he just said no… it wasn't supposed to happen like that. We were supposed to be together!" tears began to flow down his cheeks.
"… He?" Richie looked confused and paused for a moment, "who?"
Gary glared at the boy and stood up ripping Ritchie's hand off his shoulder. "Why should I tell you?! So you can judge me just like everyone else does? That's all people do! All they do is judge me and they don't even know me!"
"I wont judge you… I promise" Richie smiled at the taller boy, "and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's none of my business." Gary's face softened and the tears began to lessen slightly. He sat back down next to Richie and buried his face in his hands.
"He didn't even care about how I felt, all he said is 'I don't feel the same way' and I was so sure…" Gary choked out between his tears. "After all why would he need me when he has his little whore Misty and that stupid Pikachu!"
Ritchie's Pikachu sparky cringed at the way Gary said Pikachu, and Ritchie's eyes widened when he realized who Gary was talking about. "You mean it was…"
"Ash…" Gary looked at Richie, his eyes red, still filled with tears; he smiled "you know you look a lot like him."
Richie laughed nervously and sweat dropped. "I guess… well you know for what its worth I'm sorry It didn't work out with you and him."
"Thanks." Gary looked up at the sky and sighed, " Now I have nothing to hope for, and without hope what is a person left with?"
"Don't say that, you still have your Pokemon dream. To be a Pokemon master, you still have hope for that don't you?" Richie looked surprisingly upset.
"I guess… but I would give up any chance of being a Pokemon master if I could be with him." Gary ran his hand through the spikes in his hair. " I don't even have that dream anymore… all I have is misery."
"That can't be true, there has to be something else you want. There are other people out there you know." Richie looked down at his now sleeping Pikachu.
"Not for me there isn't." Gary paused for a moment, his eyes widened. "Wait! I know what I want, to humiliate his little prostitute!"
"Wait a second Gary, Misty didn't do anything to you. You shouldn't take out your anger on her."
"Your wrong about that. She's done more than you'll ever imagine. Now im tired I have to get up early tomorrow, im going to sleep. I suggest you do the same." Gary lay down close to the fire and closed his eyes, Richie soon did the same.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Ash Misty and Brock woke up early the next morning and made their way further into ilex forest.
"Man this forest is big, but now that we know where we are it shouldn't be much longer until we make our way out of here." Brock looked at the map carefully to make sure the trio wouldn't have another mishap like yesterday.
"We would have been out of here yesterday if you hadn't messed everything up Brock!" Misty glared at Brock for a moment. She looked over to Ash who seemed to be deep in thought. His Pikachu walked close beside him as cheerful as ever, acting as if nothing had happened yesterday. "What's wrong Ash you seemed troubled by something. Was Gary mean to you yesterday? The nerve of that guy! He can be such a jerk sometimes."
"Don't call him a jerk Misty! If it weren't for him Pikachu would have died! He was really nice to me actually, and if you ask me you're the one who's being a jerk!" Ash snapped back at the girl angrily, "and I don't see what your problem with Gary is!"
"Well sorry Ash If I mad you mad" Misty said sarcastically, "I don't know how your opinion of Gary changed in one day, he's been mean to you ever since I've known you!"
"Well for one thing, Gary has known me longer than you have! and for the second thing maybe Gary had his reasons for the things he said. Ash looked away from Misty. "And he was twice the friend you are!" Misty seemed to be extremely hurt by that.
"He WAS a better friend than me, well he's not your friend anymore! And im beginning to see why he's not!" Misty yelled back at him.
"Shut up Misty, for your information Gary and I are friends again!" Ash glared at the red head.
"Well good for you! You two deserve each other!" when Misty said that it made Ash really uncomfortable.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? That I'm gay or something? Well… im not!" Ash screamed
"I didn't say anything like that Ash stop putting words in my mouth!" Misty crossed her arms across her chest and looked away from Ash.
"Will you two stop it! I think I heard something over there." Brock looked over to his right.
"Well well well, you guys may be loser but at least you're not deaf." Gary was standing there with his hands on his hips. Richie was next to him, glaring at Ash.
"Gary?" Ash seemed to be happy to see him. "Richie? What are you two doing here?"
"Shut up Ash!" Richie yelled. "Gary told me what you and Misty did to him!" Ash looked over to Gary.
"Gary… please don't do this." Ash said softly. Gary turned his head; he knew he couldn't look Ash in the eyes.
"Ill do what I please!" Gary looked to Misty and twirled a poke' ball on his finger. "We challenge you and Ash to a tag team poke' battle, Brock can referee."
"What?" Ash was upset that Gary was being so hostile to him, he was so happy the two were friends again. "So what you said yesterday… it was all lies?!"
"No Ash… Im not the one who's lying!" Gary stopped twirling the ball and looked straight at Ash. "You're the one who's lying to your self!"
"What do you mean? Why are you acting like this? I thought we left off with a positive note, why are you doing this." Ash looked at Gary, and Misty just looked confused.
"Lets just say I realized that you didn't care how I felt! You rejected me and now you'll pay!" Gary looked back at Misty; his eyes were filled with pure hate. "Well do you losers except? Or are you cowards too?"
"Fine Gary we accept, and Ash and ill will wipe the floor with you two, and you Richie I don't know what he told you but we didn't do anything to him!" Misty looked over to Ash. "Lets go Ash, ok Gary one Pokemon each. Go poly whirl!" Misty threw her pokeball and her poliwhirl appeared in a flash of light.
"I don't know why your doing this Gary but if it makes you happy ill battle" Ash reached for a pokeball. "Go tododile." Ash wasn't very enthusiastic about the match.
"Go Nidoking!" Gary tossed the ball and the huge Nidoking appeared.
"Go Sparky!" Richie motioned for his Pikachu to enter; it did as it was told.
"Horn drill" Gary pointed to Ash's tododile.
"Thunderbolt!" Richie pointed to Misty's Poliwhirl.
And as soon as the match began it ended Misty and Ash's Pokemon had been KO'd in one hit each.
"Tododile!" a red beam flashed and brought tododile back to the pokeball. "Well I hope your satisfied Gary. You won."
"Poliwhirl? You lost in one hit! Errrr…. Return." Misty glared at Richie and Gary. "Well? No 'loser' comments Gary? You won! No gloating, or laughing?"
Gary just stood there unsure of what to do. "Yeah Gary, why don't you and Richie just leave." Brock stared angrily at Gary.
"Im sorry." Gary let a single tear roll down his cheek. "Im so sorry, all of you. Richie, I lied to you and told you Ash made fun of me. And im sorry Misty for being so malicious. But im so sorry Ash, I never meant to…" More tears ran down his cheeks, and hesitated for a moment. "Im just sorry!" Gary ran off into the woods.
"Gary!" Ash ran after him, leaving the three others confused behind him.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Gary finally stopped running when he reached a river where he collapsed and began to cry hysterically. Mumbling 'sorry' over and over again. Ash wasn't too far behind him, he had been following him for a while, and it wasn't long until he found Gary. He was hugging his knees to his chest and crying in front of a river. He sat next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Gary please don't cry…it kills me to see you so upset"
Gary looked up and saw Ash standing they're smiling at him. "Don't play with my feelings Ash."
"I would never dream of it…" And with that Ash leaned over and kissed Gary. With one hand he stroked Gary's cheek and with the other he wiped away his tears.
Misty Brock and Richie had followed Ash and stood in the forest watching the two kiss. All of them smiled and went back to leave the two alone.
Fin