Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters. They all belong to Satoshi Tajiri and the Nintendo Company. The only thing I own is my obsession to egoshipping… (Yes, that's definitely enough for me… Go Egoshipping!)
Warning: This fic is, of course, an egoshipping fanfiction. Yep, that means it's a Gary/Misty, known as Shigeru/Kasumi (in Japanese). If you are not comfortable with this pairing, I'd highly suggest that you hit the "Back" button… But if you're obsessed with egoshipping as I am, then by all means… Welcome and I hope ya enjoy!
Reminder: Yes, you guys know the drill. The texts in italics will refer to thoughts, or flashbacks.
CHAPTER 2.
Misty was literally quaking in her skirt as she heard that intimidating voice again. She wanted to run from that forsaken place, to escape. But, it was as if she chained was on the spot. Her feet were like two frozen blocks of ice, forbidding her to go anywhere.
"Yeah, you really did do it this time, Waterflower!" he said, in utter frustration.
Her last name echoed throughout the cave, sending shivers down her spine. "A Gengar's scare is a mere joke compared to this guy's cold voice," she concluded. There was something else though… The voice sounded disturbingly familiar…
She finally took the initiative to see the person speaking. She looked up slowly…
The dim orange glow of the lantern softly illuminated his face… That cinnamon brown hair… Those cerulean blue eyes… That pendant… It was Gary Oak, Ash Ketchum's sworn nemesis. The reason why he was there, of all places, was way beyond her comprehension.
"What on earth is he doing here? Of all the darn places in Johto? Why here? Why now?" she thought in disbelief. She'd rather face a genuine cave hermit than him
She stared at his face… There was something plainly unnatural about it…
It was usually calm, smug and handsome, but now it was tainted with solid fury and disgust. He had his fists clenched so tightly that his palms started to bleed slightly. It was obvious that he was using every pinch of self-control he possesses to stop himself from butchering her.
Misty would rather go out into the storm and let herself drown in that heck of a downpour that to face him in that situation
A sickening feeling settled at her insides as she realized her mistake. The so-called vicious cave hermit was actually Gary; and the evil spirits and monsters beside him were, of course, his Pokémon! "Way to jump to conclusions, Waterflower," thought Misty miserably to herself.
She spared a glance at his Pokémon. It seemed like they're as mad as Gary was.
Arcanine was growling softly on Gary's left, already poised to attack. Umbreon was at his feet, eyes narrowed in concentration, ready to pounce. His Blastoise was directly behind him; water cannons loaded, aimed and prepared to shoot.
It was a good thing that he didn't order them to attack right away or she would have been blasted into smithereens within seconds. Seconds of deafening silence passed. Those dead seconds seemed like an eternity to her. She wanted to speak. She yearned to shatter to silence. It was as if the cave is becoming more silent by the minute. She even wondered for a moment if she became deaf. A graveyard would have been a more cheerful place for her.
She stared at his sapphire eyes. Usually, they were like an ocean on a sunny day; calm, benevolent and serene. Now, they were like a chilling blizzard; cold, uncaring and wrathful. She definitely liked the former…
He broke the silence. "What were you thinking! You are such a big, fat, stupid idiot!" he said viciously, fists still clenched and trembling with rage.
"What?" replied Misty softly. This was the first time she saw Gary all worked up like this. It was an entirely new scene to her. It was unnerving… It was scary.
That voice… Gary is definitely one of the calmest persons she knew. It was downright depressing and intimidating to hear him shout like that.
"What do you mean 'What'?" he continued loudly, as if he was reprimanding a child who made a serious mistake. "First, you clobber my Pokémon with that club of yours and now you don't have the decency of saying you're sorry!"
"Clobber your Pokémon?" she said softly. "What on earth is he talking about?" She remembered it now… She did hit something a while ago… If it wasn't Gary then it was…
Her attention turned to a purple, motionless body on the floor. She hadn't noticed that before. She was too distracted in paying attention to Gary's enraged demeanor. Sprawled on the floor was his Nidoking, obviously knocked out cold by Misty's blow. It seemed to have fainted instantly on impact.
She clapped her hand to her mouth, abruptly speechless. Her heart was about to burst with shame because of her actions. "Why did I have to jump to such an absurd conclusion! This would have never happened if I just...," Her throat felt dry and rough. It was as if she swallowed a thousand needles…
She never had the gall or the heart to harm a Pokémon herself, on normal circumstances.
It was one of her main principles… No decent Pokémon trainer, in his or her right mind, would hurt a Pokémon gravely on his or her own.
"But, it was just an accident!" she thought helplessly, hoping that thought would loosen the growing knot on her chest. The dread was beginning to settle in, nauseating her on the inside. The guilt was eating her alive.
Her thoughts of self-pity definitely were not enough to compensate for her actions. "Enough excuses! What's done is done…" She thought that she needed to do something to atone for her mistake. "But what!" Wallowing herself in her thoughts weren't going to help Nidoking in any way.
She never found the right words to express how extremely sorry she was at that moment. She felt sorry for Nidoking, for Gary, and for herself.
Gary knelt beside Nidoking and examined its condition. His face is now etched with a very concerned and worried look. Minutes of silence passed briefly. Gary and his Pokémon were deeply focused on Nidoking now. It was like Misty was invisible to them, like she was never there to begin with.
He stood up and gave Misty a death glare. His Pokémon followed suit and stared at her like she was a gross sea slug. They say that the Pokémon reflected the trainer's feelings.
She could identify that particular feeling as surging rage…
It was so awkward and irksome that Misty, once again, became the center of attention. Worse of all, she still couldn't speak. She was dumbstruck and intimidated by Gary and his Pokémon. She couldn't find her voice. It was like someone ripped her vocal cords right out of her throat. Even if she could speak, she still couldn't find the right words to say how sorry she was. She was still as a statue under Gary's icy stare.
Thunder clapped from outside. The storm was becoming worse every second.
He picked up his bag silently and pulled an orange bottle out. Misty could just read the label of the expensive-looking medicine in the dim light. It was a bottle of Reviving Potion.
"What a rotten day… First, it rains like hell. Then this brainless imbecile comes along, trying to kill us all with a stick," he mumbled, obviously referring to Misty's rash actions with disgust and unfaltering anger. He uncorked the bottle and fed the contents to Nidoking's awaiting mouth. He then settled himself on the rocky cavern floor, heaving Nidoking's heavy head on his lap, while waiting for the medicine to work.
Misty could only stare. Despite the gravity of the situation, the scene looked almost…cute. There was the self-absorbed Gary Oak all worried, for a change. It was definitely a thing you don't see everyday. His usually arrogant and snobbish features looked like something else… There was something different about him during that moment. Something Misty couldn't pinpoint. Something that intrigued her…
He was now stroking Nidoking's head gently, hoping for it to wake up soon. His Pokémon were watching them intently, waiting for their comrade to feel better.
This was the other side of Gary that she was definitely not aware of. Yeah, sure she saw his obnoxious side during every waking moment they met… And yet, she never realized that he had this inborn capability to be nice… to be affectionate… to be caring. So caring, that he was like a genuine father to his Pokémon, a protective and loving one at that.
It was a scene that could melt the coldest of hearts, even Lt. Surge's.
After five minutes of dreadful waiting, Nidoking finally stirred awake. Gary breathed a sigh of relief. Nidoking was fine for now.
"You OK, buddy?" he asked softly. It nodded in response… Gary smiled a little. He was way glad that Nidoking was all right. It wobbled slightly as it tried to stand up.
Misty was smiling ear to ear when she saw that she did no permanent damage to Nidoking whatsoever. She was able to breathe normally again, relieved of any anxious tension. The dread was slowly lifting away…
But, her moment of temporary relief shattered like brittle glass within seconds. Nidoking lost its balance when it got on its feet. It was still way disoriented and dizzy from the impact. Gary, being the smart and perceptive trainer that he is, sensed that something was still definitely wrong.
He examined Nidoking's head more carefully, searching even for the tiniest sign of an injury that is causing his Pokémon so much pain. After a few seconds of rigorous inspection, he found a nasty lump on the place where Misty's blow landed. Drops of blood were trickling slowly from it.
Upon seeing this, he instantly got on his feet and grabbed his duffel bag, reaching for his Pokémon's medical supplies. His face faltered when he found out that he had none left… That Reviving Potion he used was the last of them.
Author's Note: Yes, I know I'm evil… Another cliffhanger! I have one request as of now. Please review people… I'd highly appreciate it. I promise to update as soon as possible. College life is so hectic!