The Master Plan
Chapter 1: Caught!
It was another boring day, in another boring forest (Ash often wondered why so much of the land was forest), and they were lost. Again. As usual. (Or at least, as Misty was fond of pointing out, it was usual as long as Brock was in charge of the map).
Brock sighed heavily, "All right, all right. I admit it, already. We're lost again."
"About time he fessed up." Misty grumbled quietly to Togepi. Ash simply sighed as Pikachu, perched on his head as always, let her ears droop.
"You'd think," Ash began slowly, "That after spending so much time in forests, we'd learn how to navigate them." Pikachu gave him a soft "Pika." Of agreement.
Just ahead, an all too familiar laugh broke the woodland quiet, much to Ash's dismay, "Huh! Lost again, eh, Ashy-boy?" A voice called out tauntingly.
Ash groaned angrily, "Oh, shut up, Gary, and come out!" He called out irritably, running forward a few steps, stopping in front of Misty and Brock.
"Oh, pipe down, Ashy!" Gary called as he crested the next hill arrogantly, facing Ash with that haughty (Ash thought of it as heart stopping) smirk, "I've only come to tell you and your little friends that the road is about ten yards to your right."
Ash growled in fury, "We don't need your help, Gary!" Ash called out heartily.
Brock looked down, studying the map for a moment, before calling out loudly, "Hey! He's right!" Which was promptly followed by both Misty and Ash falling over momentarily, only to get up and berate Brock irritably.
"If you can see that on the map now, why couldn't you before?!" Misty demanded angrily.
"Yeah! It can't be that hard to read a map!" Ash added, backed up by a hearty "Pika-pi!" From Pikachu.
Gary tossed his head once, cutting in before Brock could defend himself, "As much as I enjoy standing around, listening to you three squabble, I need to get to Brilliantine. Smell ya later, Ashy-boy!" Gary called out, turning and striding back towards the road.
Ash stopped fighting with Brock abruptly, watching Gary leave in silence, looking longingly after the slightly older man. They had all grown, already, Ash was now eighteen, and looking it, though he still wore a similar outfit as before. He wore the jeans, no longer rolled up at the base, and a black, tight tee, with a small Pokèball over the left breast. His hair was changed, too, having been cut short, his cap now donning his head backwards instead of forwards, and a short goatee resting on his chin, a little square patch.
Misty, who also had changed attire (Her shorts had been traded in for jean capri's, and her tube top traded in for a proper baby tee with a water pattern.), paused after a moment, turning to watch Ash, "Ash, is something the matter?" She asked softly, Brock watching in silence now.
At Misty's voice, Ash turned to blink at her, "Huh? Oh, no, nothing's wrong, Misty!" He replied hastily, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous laugh.
"You sure, Ash?" Brock asked pensively, he was the only one of the three that hadn't changed what he wore at all.
Ash nodded, "Well, yeah, I'm sure. Why would something be wrong?" Ash asked, laughing it off unconvincingly. Misty and Brock reluctantly agreed, and they turned off the path, cutting back to the main road in awkward silence.
When they crested the last hill before they would reach Brilliantine, Gary was waiting at the entrance to the town. He raised his hand slightly, and strode into a crowd. Ash's heart leapt at the familiar signal the two had used when they were young. Gary wanted to see him!
A while later, after they had eaten, Ash, Misty, and Brock were wandering the town, which was currently in the throws of a huge fall festival. Ash was constantly scanning the crowd for Gary as they walked through the sights, sounds, and wonderful smells of the celebration. Ash was nearly beside himself, anticipation cramming butterflies into his belly as he searched, fidgeting much more than normal, and not doing nearly his normal amount of gawking.
Suddenly, he spotted Gary, calling back to Brock and Misty, "I'll be back in a bit! Going to check something out!" Before disappearing into the crowd after Gary, not giving Misty and Brock time to answer him.
Misty frowned softly as she watched Ash disappear into the crowd, "You think we should tell him we know he's been seeing Gary yet?" She asked quietly.
Brock shook his head, "If we did, he'd want to know how we know, and I don't think he'd take to well to knowing I'm with James." Brock winced a bit, "Although it would be nice to be able to stop pretending to fall in love with every girl I meet."
Misty just shook her head in reply as the pair let themselves be caught up in the spirit of the festival. Misty was so enthralled by the celebration that a few moments later, when Brock slipped away, she didn't even notice.
Ash nimbly dodged through the crowd, making a beeline for the gym, where he'd lost Gary from his line of sight, the other male likely having gone behind the immense building. He slipped around the building's back, after making sure no one was following him, and promptly found himself pinned to the gym's wall by a hungry kiss. He returned it eagerly, arms wrapping around his kisser, hands massaging the other's back firmly, eyes closed, already knowing it was his lover, the touch so familiar it was unmistakable, assuring him it was his Gary.
Gary groaned softly, pressing his body to Ash's in a primal, lusty need, his tongue snaking out to beg entrance to his love's mouth, then ravaging said cavern. Slowly, reluctantly, he broke the kiss after a few moments, panting softly as he spoke, "Miss me, Ashy?" He asked with a breathless chuckle, smirking teasingly.
Ash moaned his lover's name softly, "Of coarse I did. How could I not, Gare-bear?" He asked with a smirk of his own, promptly pulling the other close for another kiss, before Gary got indignant over the nickname again.
The pair tugged at one another's clothing, the elder of the two slowly leading them into the nearby forest, and to the clearing he'd laid out a blanket in earlier.
In the bushes near said clearing, Jessie watched as Gary and Ash stumbled over to the blanket in lip locked bliss. Watching them lower, tugging each other's clothing off as they did, she let out a sigh, ducking as a button from Gary's shirt nearly took out her eye as it whizzed past.
Jessie retreated before anything else could fly at her, "You think we should let them be?" She asked, checking the other nearby clearings as she did. When she finally turned to look at James, one of her eyes twitched as she discovered her partner's hand was down Brock's pants. How Brock had gotten there without her seeing, she didn't know or care, though she did wonder how James' tongue was managing to puff out one of Brock's cheeks as they kissed with a duet of moans.
Meowth, along with Ash's Pikachu and Gary's Eevee (both had wandered away from their trainers just before the first kiss) wandered happily into the hiding place, laughing. Until, that is, they all saw James and Brock in their little groping session, all three of the Pokèmon groaning.
"Is sex all they ever think about?" Meowth demanded, Pikachu and Eevee backing him up with a "Pika!" and a "Vee!"
Jessie shrugged, "Probably." Came her dry, irritated reply, followed by a heavy sigh of longing as she lifted herself up off the ground, "I wish I got laid half as often as these guys." She shook her head sadly, moving to leave the hiding place, "Ah, well, I'm going to go do some window shopping, maybe catch up with Misty and get her to buy me dinner." She mutters softly, leaving the two couples to their copulation, the three Pokèmon trailing after her eagerly at the mention of a meal.
Jessie and the three Pokèmon found Misty out behind the local Pokèmon Center with Togepi in her arms, staring at the large lake that the town bordered. When Jessie sat down next to Misty, all four of the Pokèmon went down to play in the shallows.
"All four of them are out in the forest behind the gym, rolling in the hay." Jessie commented dryly, earning a sigh and a nod from Misty.
"I figured as much." She replied sadly, looking down at the Pokèmon as they laughed and played. The two sat there until dark, talking softly, or just watching the Pokèmon play.
Not long after darkness fell, a spectacular fireworks display began, all six of the friends gazing up at the nighttime sky, admiring the explosive beauty. Four of the friends, all of whom were in the nude, snuggled a bit closer to their lovers happily, enjoying their euphoric afterglows beneath the glowing skies. Silently, the friends and their Pokèmon wondered how all of them, rivals and enemies to one another, had ended up one big group of friends.
A good while later, once the fireworks show was over, the four boys began going about the business of redressing. When Ash was pulling up his pants, he noticed that the bush behind which James and Brock were hiding was moving. He tapped Gary's shoulder, the pointed silently at the bush. They both nodded, quietly sneaking over to the other couple's hiding place, then abruptly jerking the moving leaves away, to see Brock and James, half dressed, blinking out at them.
All four of them let out a belated yell of surprise, scrambling into the clearing Gary had set up for himself and Ash, yelling at one another as they finished getting dressed.
"How long were you guys back there?!" Ash demanded squeakily.
"Us!" James retorted, "What about you? How long did you know we where back there?"
"Yeah! We weren't paying you any mind!" Brock added, "We were too busy with each other!" He grunted, having been elbowed in the gut for that last statement by a very mortified James.
Gary seemed to be the only one not throwing a fit, calmly finishing getting dressed, then moving to gently draw Ash into his arms, "The way I see it," Gary commented dryly, "It was only a matter of time before we all discovered one another, anyway." He sighed as he found Ash's face pressed against his chest, casting a glare to both Brock and James.
Brock shifted his weight, "Well, as long as we don't hate each other over it," His eyes flickered to James uncertainly, "I don't think it's too big of a deal."
Ashe lifted his face, blinking at Brock a few times, muttering softly, "You, you don't think I'm stupid? You're not mad at me?" He asked, answered by a shake of Brock's head.
Gary smiled softly, "I told you they wouldn't be mad over it, Ashy." He muttered gently, giving Ash a light kiss, and making all four of them blush. When the kiss was broken, Ash sighed softly.
"I suppose we should tell Misty." Ash muttered in dread.
"Oh, don't worry about that, Ash. Misty and Jessie already know." Brock piped up, then winced as James stomped on his foot, "Ow! Hey, what was that for?"
"He might not be ready to hear that, you numbskull!" James replied angrily, though it was a bit late, as Ash had turned a lovely shade of crimson, and had gone completely still.
"They know… How?" Ash asked, stunned and mortified.
"Well," Brock began reluctantly, "James and I accidentally caught you a few moths ago... You and Gary were going at it, and we'd been looking for a place to do the same." He blushed heavily when he finished his explanation.
"Oh." Was all Ash could manage to say, before he numbly started heading back to the Pokèmon Center.
"Ash!" Gary called after his supposed rival, "Ash, since they know, and they're the ones we were worried about knowing, do you think maybe we could spend the night together?" He asked tentatively.
Ash stopped dead in his tracks, turning to look at Gary with a little smile, "The media will have a hayday when they get wind of it." Ash warned, his smile growing to a grin as Gary simply shrugged, grinning back, "Okay, then, but we have to stay at the Pokèmon Center."
The four young men made their way to the Brilliantine Pokèmon Center, where they found Misty and Jessie waiting out front.
"There you three are! We were beginning to get worried! Ash, what is he doing here?" Misty ranted, pointing at Gary as she referred to him.
"We know you all know, so Gary is spending the night." Ash replied quickly, then swiftly went into the Pokèmon Center, heading straight for the dorms with Gary at his heels, hoping the media wouldn't pick up on them too soon. After all, the Jhoto and Orange League Champions, who were publicly sworn rivals, weren't supposed to be sleeping together, let alone in the same building. Ah, the complications.
Misty simply blinked when Ash and Gary passed, confusion written all over her face as she looked to Brock and James, "Okay, what happened out there?" She demanded at the same instant Jessie said the same.
The two remaining males blushed, "They found us in the bushes when we were getting dressed." James explained, sheepishly staring at the ground, "Then Brock told them you knew they were sleeping together." He nodded at Misty.
Jessie glared at Brock, "Why did you tell him that, you numbskull?" She demanded
Brock cringed, "He said something about telling you, so I figured it was a good idea. He took it well, at least!" He whined out in defense.
James sighed, just shaking his head a little, "We'd better get going, Jessie." He nodded to Brock, smiling coyly, "I'll see you tomorrow, Brocky." James crooned as Jessie began dragging him off by the ear.
Brock blushed, grinning like a fool as he waved goodbye to James for the night.
The next morning, Gary groaned as he awakened, muttering sleepily, "What is that horrible noise?" Even as he ran a hand through Ash's hair gently.
"Reporters." Misty replied in irritation, stuffing a few things into her backpack as she did, glaring at it.
Gary groaned loudly, "Already? I was hoping they wouldn't catch on for another day or so." Gary replied as Ash began waking up, yawning against Gary's chest, then placing a soft kiss there.
Gary smiled softly at Ash, kissing the younger male's cheek lightly, "Wake up, Ash, we've got a press rally waiting for us." He sighed wearily, "I'm not out of bed yet, and already, I'm tired."
Ash opened an eye with a grunt, "Can't we send someone out there and tell them we'll call a press conference?" He asked groggily, nuzzling Gary's chest as he tried to will himself back to sleep.
"Afraid not, Ashy. These are the paparazzi and tabloid people, most likely. They don't want to wait for a press release." He replied, wrinkling his nose, "We might as well just get it over with."
Ash groaned a bit, but slowly began pulling himself out of bed and getting dressed, casting a glance around as his sleep fogged brain began to clear, "Hey, how'd they find out about us, anyway?" He asked in confusion.
Misty shot him a glare, her lips pressed tight together as she simply glared for a few moments. After a prolonged silence and a never ending dumbfounded look from Ash, Misty began her rant, "Well, from what I've heard, two couples," Misty glared at the sleeping Brock, then Ash and Gary, "Were overheard yelling at each other in the forest. Some girl came along, saw them getting dressed, and decided to listen, and ended up reporting it all to every tabloid and news company in the region. Some other anonymous tipper saw you four meet up with Jessie and me, and saw you two," She jabbed a finger, first at Ash, then at Gary, "Walking into the Pokèmon Center last night! And now! Now they've started asking horrible, nasty questions about not only you four, but Jessie and I as well!" Misty finished with a growl of rage.
Brock yelled, sitting up and looking around quickly, "Huh?" He blinked a few times, then frowned, "What's all that noise from?"
Misty glared at him, "The press you, you, you Phamphy faced Mankey!" Misty grabbed her backpack, picked up the sleeping Togepi, then stormed out of the room in a huff.
The three men left in the nondescript room blinked at each other until Ash finally shrugged, at which point they all abruptly returned to their early morning routines.
Meanwhile, a furious Misty stormed out of the Pokèmon Center, her glare silencing and parting the crowd of photographers and journalists like Moses parted the Red Sea. She stormed through them and off in the general direction Jessie and James had gone the night before, and into the nearby woods.
An hour later, the three males finally walked into view of the glass doors of the Pokèmon Center, the mob of reporters and photographers instantly becoming louder, the camera flashes nearly blinding.
Ash swallowed heavily, grinning as he muttered softly, "That's an awful lot of reporters – and cameras." His eyes instinctively flickered to Gary's then back at the reporters.
"Just relax, Ashy, and remember that it'll be over with in a few hours." Gary replied, gently placing a hand on Ash's shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze as he smiled softly, "Just remember I can be here for you now." Gary's smile warmed, sighing happily as Ash relaxed.
"Shall we enter the tsunami now?" Asked Brock, looking ready to dig himself a hole, crawl into it, and never come out again.
Gary and Ash nodded, Pikachu giving a 'Pi-pika" of dread from her perch on Ash's head as the men walked to, then out of the Pokèmon Center's front doors.
Later that morning, after they had dealt with the majority of the press, Gary and Ash sat at a table in the Pokèmon Center, enjoying a (relatively) quiet lunch. As they ate beneath the flashing glare of a dozen or so cameras, they spoke quietly about where to go next, with Ash fretting about when the media would back down.
"Really, Ashy, if you want to hit the gyms in order of difficulty, we should go the other way." Gary offered calmly, using his finger to outline a course on the map he had laid out on the table.
Ash slurped his ramen before replying, "Maybe so, but the way I showed you looks much quicker." He sipped at his tea as Brock came up with a plate of onigiri and a bowl of udon. Brock slid the plate of onigiri over, so everyone could have some, before sliding into the booth to sit with them.
"Either of you seen Misty since this morning?" Brock asked, the other two simply blinking a few times.
"While dealing with all those horrid reporters, I wouldn't have noticed if I had seen her." Ash replied gloomily. Gary nodded his agreement, then glared at the reporters that had them surrounded.
The press people backed off, then guiltily began to dissipate, a few soft grumbles audible from both the reporters and Gary.
"Err... Right." Brock muttered softly before speaking up again, "Anyway, we can look for her on our way out of town. Have you two decided what route we'll be taking?"
"Whatever one keeps the map out of your hands." Came Ash's irritable reply, "I'm sick of being lost all the time."
"Hey, Ash, go easy on him. Even the best navigators get lost sometimes." Gary commented nervously. Ash and Brock blinked a few times.
"You get lost?" Ash asked, stifling a laugh, and was answered with a pouty huff.
"I'm not saying me, I'm just saying that most people get lost at some point in their lives." Gary retorted, folding his arms and tipping his head back, much to the amusement of the other two.
Ash grinned, "Well, at least you're not as bad as Brock! With him, we're always lost!"
"Hey! That's not funny!" Brock complained as Gary snickered softly.
"Not to worry, Brock. I'll hold the map this time, so we'll surely not get lost." Gary replied with a grin.
Elsewhere, at precisely the moment Brock was asking after her, Misty was pacing on the beach, on the far side of the lake that she and Jessie had taken the Pokèmon to the night before.
"How dare they not come looking for me! Stupid Ash, and stupid paparazzi! Stupid, stupid love struck idiots!" Misty growled in rage, stalking loudly into the nearby forest, Togepi "Priii"ing at her, enjoying the bumpy ride.
A few moments later, just when Misty's rage was beginning to subside, she noticed the sound of another person's footsteps nearby. An icy chill of fear ran down her spine when she heard a gun's hammer being cocked.
She lowered into a crouch, pulling out a Pokèball, and releasing Corsola, whispering hastily to it, "Take Togepi with you, and hide in the bushes. If anything happens to me, go find Ash and Brock, and tell them." She then nudged the two Pokèmon towards the bushes, moving to run back the way she came.
She was stopped, however, when Butch stepped out in front of her, gun pointed at her face, "Sorry, Misty, but we need you to come with us." Butch's cold smile had Misty standing still until Cassidy had come up behind her, using a large rock to knock her out. Butch simply blinked, lowering the gun, uncocking it, and putting the safety back on before holstering it, "You know, you could have just used the tranqu dart on her, like we had planned."
Cassidy grinned as she shrugged, "This way was more fun." She replied with a giggle.
Corsola frowned worriedly, watching Misty being dragged away. She gently began herding Togepi in the direction Misty had started running in before Butch stopped her, searching for Ash.
As things ended up, that evening found Ash, Gary, and a gloating Brock making camp in a small clearing, well off their intended course. Lost yet again, this time not from Brock's incompetence with a map, but from Gary's. (Gary blamed it on Brock's 'crappy' maps, and was recycling said maps as toilet paper, much to Brock's dismay.)
Misty, on the other hand, was still out cold, a captive in Team Rocket's local base, and slated for 'shipment' to the main H.Q. in Kanto. She had an ice pack bandaged to her head, and her Togepi and Corsola were still wandering the woods, searching for Ash, but still nearly a mile away from him.