Notes: I used the division names for March Madness. I do not own the terms Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four. I don't know who does. I think they're public domain.
I DO own Pikachu's French Fry jokes. Don't ask, you'll find out soon enough.
Yami: ahem Anywho…
Chapter 1Ash Ketchem, age 14, almost 15, turned away from his battle with Macy. That had been close. Too close for comfort. It was time to give his pokemon a long rest and find out who his next opponent was. Pikachu leapt to his shoulder. "Pikachu!"
"I'm gonna go see who our next opponent is Pikachu, care to come along?" Ash asked with a smile.
Pikachu nodded. "Chaaa! Pi pikachu!"
"Ash!" Gary ran over. "Nice job! I caught the tail end of that match. You've improved!"
"Thanks. Care to have a look at the stat board?" Ash asked. Just tell him Ketchum! Ash urged himself. He couldn't, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, what if Gary didn't like him?
He passed Damon and Pythias. They were wearing ordinary clothing. Ash wouldn't have recognized them as Rockets if it hadn't been for last night. "Charizard go easy on it!" Pythias was saying.
Charizard growled as he and Tyrannotaur pushed and grunted. "Too bad Pythias, Charizard has weaker arms than Tyrannotaur. Unless you start using some special attacks we're gonna stand here all day." Damon said with a smug laugh.
"Not all of us have the badges dude." Pythias tapped his.
"Raichu rai!" Raichu waved at them. "Raichu!"
"Pikachu! Chaaaa!!" Pikachu grinned.
"That's the trainer from last night?" Gary asked.
"Yup, the one in the du-rag is Damon and the other one is Pythias." Ash said with a chuckle.
"Go for it Damon!" Shouted a pale skinned man with silver hair. He was tall, slender looking. A Skarmary and a Muk cheered from the sidelines.
"Just keeping in shape Bashou!" Damon waved.
"What is going on here?" Officer Jenny demanded.
"We're just practicing officer." Damon said with a cheerful smile. "I'm in on the tournament and I'm working my Tyrannotaur into shape."
"Just no fighting. Or you'll get disqualified." Officer Jenny reminded him before walking off with her Arcanine in tow.
"I think you should remember that too." Gary said, tapping Ash on his hat brim. "No fighting or you'll be disqualified. Make sure that your pokemon know it too."
"I will Gary, don't worry about it." Ash said with a smile. Gary actually was concerned about him? That was odd. Not that Ash wasn't grateful for the warning. It was enough to make Ash glow inside. Maybe he DID have a chance with Gary after all.
"Hey you two." Gary called at them. "Have a nice match. I wonder what you'll be doing afterwards!" He taunted, batting his eyelashes.
Damon glomped Pythias and hauled him around into a kiss on the lips. "What do you THINK we'll be doing?"
"Go find a room! You're making me sick!" Gary made a face. "Honestly, flaunting in public." Gary muttered as he turned away.
Ash felt his heart sink though the sidewalk. "What do you have against them?" Ash demanded. "What's wrong with being gay huh?"
"Nothing wrong with it. I just have a problem with Team Rocket entering a tournament. For all we know they could have stolen their badges from respectable, honest trainers like us. You watch your step training with them Ash." Gary growled.
"I will." Ash said, looking at the ground.
"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked.
Ash smiled at the little pokemon. "I'm alright Pikachu. Maybe we'll spar with Duel a little later. I'm sure that she can help me train Squirtle and Totodile, just in case we have to face Macy again."
"Chaaa pi pikachu!" Pikachu cheered. "Pika pika pikapika!" It chanted.
"Ash, wanna go get some burgers and relax?" Gary asked. "I know a place that has burgers that weigh a whole pound!"
"Sure! I wouldn't mind a burger that big." Ash felt his stomach growl. "Right pikachu?"
"Chu." Pikachu cheered. "Chu pika!"
"It makes you think doesn't it?" Ash asked later, over their burgers. He took a big bite. Pikachu was busy using ketchup to stick some French fries on the top of his head like antennae. "And Pikachu stop that."
"Chu pika pika." Pikachu said, in a mimicry of a robot. "Pikachu."
Gary laughed, spraying soda out of his nose. "None of my pokemon… ever did… that…" He laughed, turning red in the face. "Not… even… my… squirtle…!"
"I knew it! You started with Squirtle didn't you?" Ash demanded. "I never could figure out which pokemon you started with."
Gary blinked. "You mean it took you that long to figure it out?"
Ash flushed. "Well I never got to see you in battle. You always laughed me off when I challenged you. Until you got Eevee of course. And I knew that Eevee wasn't offered as a first pokemon. It's too hard to work with."
"You could have looked up my pokemon on the computer." Gary pointed out.
"I never thought of that. I was concentrating so much one beating Macy and Harrison that it never occurred to me that I'd eventually have to fight you." Ash knew as the words came out of his mouth that he would… eventually… have to battle against the man he loved. There, it came out, in his thoughts at least, the man he loved.
Man, that hurt. Having to battle, even a pokemon battle, against the people you cared about. That would hurt too much. Ash almost hoped that either he or Gary was eliminated before then. But that defeated the purpose, the dream of being the best pokemon master in the world. It all came down to Gary, or the championship. Ash forced that thought to the back of his mind.
"Ash, see that's always been the problem with you. You've never looked AHEAD at what might happen over the next few matches. Look at the odds. Let's say that you make it to the final battle. Sixteen trainers are going to make it to the sweet sixteen. Odds that you'll fight me are one in sixteen. Then the Elite Eight, one in eight chance then. Next the final four; that's a one in four chance that we'd meet in battle. And if, by some remote chance, we DO meet each other in the finals, then you won't be able to avoid a battle with me. Sorry Ash, but it's all a numbers game. You have to be prepared to face the odds." Gary explained, pointing a french fry at him.
Pikachu rudely snapped the fry out of his hand and mimed smoking a cigar. "Pikachu stop that!" Ash growled. Pikachu giggled.
Gary laughed. "Pikachu, you're gonna make me die laughing if you keep that up!" Gary laughed.
"Pi kakakakakakakakakakaka!!" Pikachu giggled, rolling around on the seat. Ash caught pikachu just before the electric mouse pokemon would have rolled off the edge of the booth.
The pale haired Rocket that they'd seen earlier was waiting on them. Ash had heard Jessie make a reference to part time jobs. Ash supposed that whoever this guy was, he used it as a cover. Whatever the reason Bashou happily bestowed the check on them before heading towards the table where Ash saw Cassidy and Butch enjoying ice cream sundaes.
"There do seem to be a lot of Team Rocket members here for this tournament." Ash commented, chewing on a french fry.
"Pikachu." Pikachu stuck a pair of French Fries in his mouth and imitated a vampire.
Gary snorted soda in this time and choked. "Where?" He asked, trying to keep from laughing at Pikachu's awful joke.
Pikachu pouted in disappointment.
"Over there, in the smoking section. Third booth on the left." Ash whispered, keeping his voice down. "Their names are Cassidy and Butch."
"You seem to know an awful lot about Team Rocket." Gary pointed out.
"I keep running into them. I suppose you could call it the Devil's Luck." Ash said thoughtfully. He chewed on his soda straw a moment. "I suppose their here to see Damon. I don't think I've ever heard of a Team Rocket member in a major Tournament before.
"Right. I suppose it would be unusual enough to bring a lot of them here." Gary commented. "I don't like it though. But then again, I only know what I've heard. I suppose there are halfway decent people in there. But you'd never know it from the rumors."
Ash took a sip of soda. "Oh come on. I don't have a problem as long as they don't try to steal anybody's pokemon. There are these two Rockets named Jessie and James. And they're obsessed with stealing my Pikachu. Of course, we outsmart them every time, right buddy?" Ash asked, giving his pokemon an affectionate scratch behind the ears.
"Pi-kaaaa chu!" Pikachu agreed with a smile. It snagged some French fries from the tray and mimicked Phanpy.
"Pikachuuuu!" Ash protested, turning red with embarrassment.
"Kachu!" Pikachu leapt into Ash's lap and stole his hat. "Pika pi, pikachu. Pika pi!" Pikachu turned the hat backwards and mimed Ash's customary peace sign.
"Somebody's had a little too much sugar." Bashou commented as he took the check. "Have a nice day." He said with his customary quiet tones.
"Want to head back with me?" Gary asked with a smile. "It looks like it's going to rain, so sparring is out. We might as well check out our opponent's rosters."
"Yeah, my next battle is against some kid named Jackson from New Bark Town…" Ash thought for a moment. "I wonder if he's one of Professor Elm's students."
"Well, we'll find out won't we?" Gary asked with a chuckle. "I've going up against someone from New Bark Town as well. His name's Yoshi. I think that his Typhlosion is going to be a problem for anything except my Blastoise." They got up and left. "I'm not so worried about his Beedrill though. My Arcanine should cream it in less than two minutes."
"He's got to be tough though, right?" Ash asked. "I mean, to make it this far he's had to be a pretty good Trainer." They were headed up the elevator to the pokemon center's apartments now.
This was an accident
Not the kind where sirens sound
Never even noticed
We're suddenly crumbling
"Yeah. I suppose that's true." Gary said. There seemed to be something on his mind. This was the one thing that he didn't get about Gary. When they were in public, he pretended that Ash didn't exist, or even worse, mocked him. But when they were alone together he was the sweetest guy that Ash had ever met. He just didn't get it. "I supposed I'd better take my own advice about numbers." Gary stretched lithely before flopping on the bed.
Tell me how you've never felt
Delicate or innocent
Do you still have doubts that
Us having faith makes any sense
The little voice in the back of his mind screamed at him. Just DO it Ash!
I can't! Ash thought to himself, frustrated. I just CAN'T!
Tell me nothing ever counts
Lashing out or breaking down
Still somebody loses 'cause
There's no way to turn around
If you can't have the courage to tell him this, then you don't have the courage to win the championship. You don't have the guts to do… to say these THREE. LITTLE. WORDS.
Staring at your photograph
Everything now in the past
Never felt so lonely I
Wish that you could show me love
"Ash are you okay?" Gary asked, looking up at him.
"I suppose so." Ash said, not really hearing him. Just do it Ketchem. Ash thought to himself. Come on! If you can't expect yourself to do this then how do you expect your pokemon to win the battles ahead. How can you trust them if you can't trust the people around you?
Show me love, show me love, show
me love,
Show me love, show me love
'Til you open the door
Show me love, show me love, show me
love,
Show me love, show me love,
'Til I'm up off the floor
Ash looked down at Gary, for one long, frozen moment. The look in his eyes was soft, gentle. Ash's rival flushed lightly. Slowly, so that Gary could pull away if he wanted to, Ash leaned in to kiss his former rival.
Show me love, show me love show me
love,
Show me love, show me love,
'Til it's inside my pores
Show me love, show me love, show me love,
Show me love, show me love,
'Til I'm screaming for more
Their lips met, but Gary didn't turn away. He leaned into the kiss, pushing Ash's hat off onto the floor. Pikachu caught it and curled up on the couch to take a nap, using the hat to shield his eyes from the evening light filtering in the window.
Random acts of mindlessness
Commonplace occurrences
Chances and surprises
Another state of consciousness
Ash didn't notice this. Gods… it feels so good. It feels so right! Ash thought to himself. The pleasure of the kiss rolled through him, as Gary leaned upward into the kiss, running a hand through Ash's silky black locks.
Tell me nothing ever counts
Lashing out or breaking down
Still somebody loses 'cause
There's no way to turn around
"Ash… after all this time…" Gary broke off with a moan. "I ran… and you chased me all the way here."
Tell me how you've never felt
Delicate or innocent
Do you still have doubts that
Us having faith makes any sense
He turned them over, pushing Ash back onto the bed. They pulled back, panting. "Oh gods…" Ash moaned, looking up at Gary, his former rival.
You play games, I play tricks
Boys and boys, but you're the one
Like a game of pick-up sticks
Played by fucking lunatics
Gary smiled, leaning in to kiss him again. "You only had to ask Ash… you only had to ask." Ash moaned, opening his mouth for the older boy. Gary smiled as he twined Ash's tongue with his.
Show me love, show me love
Give me all that I want
Show me love, Show me love
'Til I'm screaming for more
"Oh…" Ash moaned softly. "Oh gods… take me now… please! We may never have this chance again…"
"We will. I'll make sure we have the chance to do this… again and again…" Gary said, running his hands along Ash's hips, trailing a finger down his thigh.
Ash moaned, bucking his hips beneath his former rival. Pikachu growled from the couch, cheeks sparking. The pokemon sighed and opened the door, locking it behind him. "Uht oh. I hope Pikachu isn't too upset." Gary panted.
"But he locked the door. How much you want to bet he's standing guard out there to make sure nobody gets in." Ash grinned, before pulling Gary down into another kiss. "Gods I want you so bad."
"And I'm more than willing… Ashy boy." Gary smirked at the use of the nickname.
Show me love, show me love, give me all that I want
Show me love, show me love, give me all that I want
Show me love, show me love, give me all that I want
Show me love, show me love, till I'm screaming for more
"Gary… you know I don't like being called that." Ash chided, pulling Gary down to kiss him. Ash sat up, chucking his jacket and shirt into a corner. Then Gary began to caress him, hands moving lovingly down his hips and thighs. And Ash thought about nothing more than his lover for a long time.