Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon, or associated characters!

Author's Note: I've never written a Pokemon fanfic before, but I've become obsessed with the Gary x Misty pairing, so here's my first try. It's awfully short, but there's more to come :)

"Ash!" Misty's muffled voice reverberated through the huge piles of sleeping bags and back packs she was carrying. She staggered drunkenly behind Ash, struggling in vain to hold on to everything. Ash was grinning smugly, his left arm in a sling, and Pikachu chirruped cheerfully on his head. Brock's head was bandaged messily, and he also carried a smug smirk on his face. Misty's face was livid with rage, but no one could see over the mountain of stuff she carried. Misty shifted her grasp on a dangling sleeping bag and tried again to appeal to Ash's sympathetic side.

"Ash! It was an accident ok? I"M SORRY! Happy now?" Misty implored through clenched teeth. Ash shook his head.

"You don't sound sorry to me!" He said in a sing song voice. "And I'm injured, so I can't carry anything, might hurt my remaining arm you know..."

"Ugh. Look, you sleep like a Tentacruel with all your limbs just hanging out of the sleeping bag! How do you expect anyone, in the DARK, not to step on something! At least the arm isn't broken!" Misty was getting desperate, her arms were beginning to feel numb. Brock lifted his head from the map and remarked,

"What about my head then? Did you not see that either?"

"Apparently not...though it's hard to believe because it's SO BIG!" Misty screamed. Misty reproached herself for not being more careful in the dark. Ok, so she stepped on Ahs's arm, it's not like its broken, just a sprain... But landing on Brock's head... Misty fumed to herself, and they walked on in silence.

After another hour Ash felt slightly guilty, and extended his uninjured arm toward Misty, giving her an awkward pat on the shoulder, and taking one of the precariously balanced sleeping bags. Misty sighed in relief.

"Hmmumf. Nowwwww you take one, when we're in front of the Pokemon Center!" Ash just shrugged and walked the remaining twenty feet to the entrance, slipping through the sliding doors. Pikachu leaped off of his head and strolled through, waving to Nurse Joy. When the bedraggled group finallysettled down, they heard a familiar voice behind them.

"Ashy-Boy." They were surprised to be greeted by none other than Gary Oak. "Long time no see."

"Gary." Ash's voice was clipped, and cautious.

"How goes the traveling Ash, get any new Pokemon lately?"

"Eh, its been rough. See this arm? Had a run in with this Spearow, tried to peck my eyes out..." Misty coughed and suppressed a snort.

"Right." Gary rolled his eyes.

With clipboard in hand and a white labcoat slung over his shoulder, he presented the typical picture of a suave, teenage Pokemon researcher. Misty glanced in his direction, and her eyes widened. Gary had certainly grown up! His brown spiky hair was tamer, more sophisticated. But he still looked dangerous - dangerously sexy. Her eyes traveled to his arms, lean and muscled. She shook her head gently, clearly she was sleep deprived, if she found GARY attractive. His back pack was resting on a nearby chair, and Misty practically salivated when she saw the folding chair. She forgot Gary's good looks for the time being, and launched herself at the chair, knocking Gary's backpack to the floor haphazardly. She sighed with pleasure as her muscles began to relax. Gary rolled his eyes again.

"You could have asked Red, instead of knocking my stuff onto the floor."

Misty snored in response. Ash was pointedly ignoring Gary, and went off in search of food. Brock...was engrossed in Nurse Joy. Gary huffed in irritation, and grabbed the backpack off the ground, stomping off. He couldn't help but look over his shoulder at sleeping Misty, he'd never noticed how long her eyelashes were, or what nice legs she had... Ugh he thought to himself, You've been locked up in the lab too long. He walked on with a furrowed brow, never realizing that the little red backpack he clutched in his hand wasn't his.

TBC? Is it worth continuing? Comments please!