Hey guys, it's a new fic! Enjoy!

I don't own Pokemon.

Lonely No More- Chapter One

Misty could KILL this kid, if she wasn't her own. She glanced down at the six-year-old girl, messy black hair covering up one emerald green eye, the other peering up at her mother with the most sheepish look on her face. The Gym Leader crossed her arms against her chest, not falling for this cute act. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, knock on the door and tell Professor Oak what you've done," she told her child, tipping her chin up to the home behind them. If it wouldn't come back and bite her in the ass, the redhead wanted to pick her child up and scurry back across the street back to their home. But she knew well enough that karma would have her way with her had she done that.

"But mommy-"

"No buts. March your little butt over there right now, missy!" Misty countered, her voice clipped with annoyance.

What had started with a simple lesson on how to catch a Pokémon turned into a disaster. Holly Ketchum-Waterflower wanted to follow in her parents' footsteps and set on her own journey in just a short four years. She loved Pokémon and couldn't wait until her tenth birthday. Misty loved her daughter's enthusiasm and so she would often bring her own Pokémon out to steer little Holly around and teach her everything her sisters once taught her all of those years ago. Admittedly, she gets the same treatment by both sides of the family. Her ex-husband Ash Ketchum was still just as ecstatic about Pokémon as he was the day he set out on his own journey. Then there was Uncle Brock, Uncle Tracey, Aunt May- you get the drift. This child had been surrounded by Pokémon lovers since she was in the womb.

Misty and Holly lived in Viridian City, right across from Professor Gary Oak himself. Even though he had been living in Sinnoh for a good chunk of his young adult years, he moved back to Kanto to be closer to his family. And, because of that, he had met young Holly quite a few times, when she was visiting his grandfather alongside Ash. The youngest Ketchum actually was rather fond of the old professor, referring to him as Mr. Oaky Dokey, sometimes forgetting the Mr., altogether. She also liked his grandson, much to her father's disappointment. (Even though their rivalry was long over with, and the two men got along rather well, they still had a silent competition to out best each other).

The raven-haired child clung to her mother's leg, not wanting to do as her mother asked. "No, mama. What if Gar-bear gets mad?" She whined, using her nickname designated for the professor in question. Points of creativity didn't go to the child, though, she just picked up on it from her mother, who had used it to piss him off one night. Now Gary just deals with it, finding it only slightly annoying coming from a little girl.

Misty bent down and plucked her daughter off her leg, as if she was a magnemite stuck to a jolteon and held her close, kissing her temple. "What have I taught you over the years, Holly? That you have to own up to your actions. You were the one who throw the pokeball. You broke the window. And now you have to admit it." She carried the child across the lawn and into her neighbor's yard. The redhead was rather nervous, especially since the home of Gary Oak wasn't a cheap one. And despite having a family connection, there was no telling what his reaction was going to be to her. After all, it was her fault. She shouldn't have let Holly play in the front yard. Luckily, the pokeball in question had been empty, so that was less money than she would have to spend had Holly actually broken a pokeball with one of her Pokémon in it. The mother's heart plummeted to her stomach as she saw Gary outside, looking at the broken window in question. He wouldn't snap at her child, that she knew. But boy he didn't look pleased.

A wiggly six-year-old was placed on the ground and she immediately went to hide behind her mother. It was a comical moment, Misty having to push her daughter closer to the professor, who had turned around to see what was going on. Holly wasn't having any of it. Her light-up shoes scuffed against the dirt as her mother kept pushing her forward. Finally, Misty scooped her daughter up once more and tucked her against her hip as she made her way to a very confused-looking Gary.

Sapphire eyes traveled between the mother and daughter duo before he finally broke the silence, "do ya happen to know what happened to my window? I heard a crash about twenty minutes ago. And," he paused, reaching for his back pocket and coming back out with a shattered pokeball in his hand, "I found this at the scene." He was well aware of what happened, he was just waiting for the little one to fess up.

Holly hung her head in shame, mumbling, "mama was teaching me how to throw a pokeball. I guess I got a little carried away…"

Gary looked between the girls, chuckling softly despite the situation. "Look, Squirt. I know you want the Pokémon to be weakened before you catch it, but with a right hook like that you might knock it so unconscious that Nurse Joy won't be able to save it." Then, his gaze shifted to Misty, his expression not nearly as soft. "So, how do you plan to pay me back for a broken window?"

"Money's kinda tight, but I think I can swing-"

He held up a hand to stop her. "I've got a better idea, Red. How about you help me around the house? I've got a conference to head to next week, would be great to have someone clean up while I'm preparing for the trip." Gary looked smug. Misty looked worried. And Holly was just glancing between the two adults, all confused.

"Ah! Money smoney, I can write you a check and things'll be fine. Better yet, I'll even order it for you, have them come in and install the bad boy," she didn't want to play maid for Gary Oak. She barely liked playing maid for herself and her daughter.

"Nah, I like my idea better. I'll even get you a uniform to wear," Gary spoke, sending her a rather private smirk.

Was Gary coming onto her? Misty felt her cheeks begin to flush, praying to Arceus that her child didn't see it. He had used pick-up-lines on her time and time again at various functions that the group of friends was invited to, and she had always turned him down. (Well, except for the time that she had drunkenly kissed him a couple months ago. But, in her defense, Ash had said something stupid—imagine that, right? And Gary was just… there. Or, at least that was what she told herself). She and Ash had split up a couple of years after Holly was born. They were able to keep their friendship intact, but all it took was the former to put his foot in his mouth before they were arguing.

"Mommy, why is your face all red?" Holly asked, tilting her head to the side. In return, her mother brought her hand to the back of her daughter's head, situating her so that she was facing their house instead of her and Gary. And she sent him a glare in true Misty fashion. She could tell he was laughing, seeing his torso jut back and forth. "Alright, Gar-bear, I'll clean house for you. But only while Holly is at school. After that, I'm picking her up and we're going home. Deal?"

The professor gave a carefree shrug, watching as Holly tried to squirm around against her mother's hip to face them again. "Work on that hook, girl. You'll be catching Pokémon in no time," he told her, ruffling up her already messy hair. And with that, he was heading back towards his house.

Misty snapped out of her trance once she heard the front door to the Oak home shut. She glanced down at her daughter, who was watching her with an innocent smile.

"I heard daddy tell Gar-bear to stop trying to get in your pants. Why does he want to wear your pants, mama? Is he gonna wear that for his uniform?"

The redhead puffed her cheeks up a bit before smiling back at her baby girl. Oh, Ash Ketchum was a dead man when he came to pick their daughter up this weekend. "I don't know, sweetie. He would look kinda silly in my pants, wouldn't he?" She spoke, going to tickle her daughter on the belly. Misty listened to Holly's giggling fit as they made their way back across the lawn to their own humble abode.

o0o0o0o0o

"Remember, count the marill as you're breathing. One, two, three, there you go," Misty whispered, rubbing her daughter's back as she took deep breaths from her Nebulizer. It was a nightly routine, the poor girl being a terrible asthmatic. She would need to breathe with this machine for about twenty minutes before she was able to go to sleep. The only problem being that this made her incredibly sleepy, so her mother came up with the idea for her to picture pokemon jumping over her bed, and she would have to count how many she saw. It kept her awake and calm during the nightly procedure.

"Mama can I sleeps now?" She spoke around the mouthpiece, her once bright green eyes turned dull as her need for sleep took over.

"Just a few more minutes. Look! Is that a pichu? Count how many you see!" Misty spoke, pointing to the empty space by the foot of Holly's bed. Her fingers traced circles against the small child's shoulder blades, almost on the brink of passing out herself. This was probably her biggest fear when it came to letting her child go out on her own in a matter of years. Would she remember to take care of her asthma? Would she come home before she ran out of inhalers? Would she remember to stay awake to finish with her Nebulizer treatment? All of these thoughts crossed Misty's mind on a daily basis. Ash seemed to think that she would be fine. But, honestly, he just didn't think about all of this. That was what they fought most about. And what ended their marriage. Ash was a good father, but he and Misty would constantly butt heads with their differing parenting styles.

The slowpoke timer in the redhead's lap began to chime, signaling that the twenty minutes were up. She carefully slipped off Holly's bed and began to tuck her in. "Goodnight, my little fairy," Misty whispered, ducking her head to place a kiss on her daughter's cheek, who was already slipping off into slumber. She heard a very faint 'night mama' as she was walking out of her room, taking care to turn off the light before pulling the door to a close.

As the redhead was coming down the hall, stifling a yawn, she was met with an eager Togetic, who ran right into her arms. She hugged him close against her chest as she headed back to her room. Misty knew that she was going to need as much sleep as she could get before she went to Gary's in the morning. Ever since she kissed him, he had been cockier than normal with her—if that was even possible. After she had initiated that kiss, he had wasted no time in pulling her closer to him. Even though he broke the contact before anything past groping happened, it was like Gary still held that over her head. Like he knew he could woo her over any time he pleased.

Flashback

Misty was fuming after her most recent argument with her ex. They had been arguing over Ash letting Holly stay up too late past her school bedtime during the weekends. The two got heated in the discussion, and the redhead was about five seconds from decking her ex-husband in front of the entire party, who was there celebrating Tracey and May Oak's engagement. Gary had gotten between the two before things could get ugly and he had pulled Misty aside to see what was going on. (He knew better than to ask Ash. Because then those two would get in an argument and all hell would break loose). She explained everything and then excused herself to go get some fresh air.

The redhead soon lost her temper, looking back at all of the other times she and Ash fought. Misty always blamed herself, as she would be the one to start yelling. She was the one who filed for divorce. She was the reason why Holly would wake up from a dead sleep, creeping down the stairs to see her parents arguing. And she hated herself for it. The alcohol in her system from the evening wasn't exactly helping and fairly soon she was curling in on herself sobbing, wondering if she was just unable to have a loving relationship without fucking it up.

It was Gary who found her like this and she was completely unaware of his presence until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Misty peered up, meeting his gaze with her own. Had he not been flirting with her off and on all evening that touch would have probably seemed innocent. And, at first, it did. He took her by the elbow and helped her get to her feet. But Misty was so beside herself at the moment that all she did was press her face against his neck, her head tucking beneath his chin. The professor was confused, but he just wrapped his arms around her nonetheless. He was expecting her to lash out at him, tell him to beat it, he didn't expect to have his arms full of Misty Waterflower. And for reasons unbeknownst to him, he didn't mind.

She wasn't sure what gave her the urge. Maybe it was the close proximity. Maybe it was the alcohol. But his lips were awfully close and she was tired of feeling sorry for herself. Tired of blaming herself. She couldn't help that she was hard to love. Misty craned her neck and soon her lips were on Gary's. It took him a moment to react, but he decided to just go with it. Her hands found his neck as her arms wrapped around his shoulders all the while he grabbed her legs and hooked them around his waist. Their kiss continued, only increasing with intensity as the minutes past. He broke the contact with their lips and let his mouth travel, placing a line of kisses from her neck down to her collar bone. She only tightened her thighs further, softly moaning into his ear. And as his lips traveled back up to meet hers, he slowly lifted her dress up, one hands traveling up her thigh.

"You're drunk. I'm sobering up. And we need to get back in there before someone comes looking for us," Gary muttered, using his other free hand to squeeze her backside.

Misty's face flushed, but she suddenly came to her senses as to what they were doing.

"Maybe another time," he winked, releasing her to the steady ground.

"If you play nice, maybe."

That was all he needed to hear. Gary didn't know what came over Misty, but he was glad that it was him that came out to check on her, rather than Ash. Call it whatever you'd like, but he had been pining after her for years now, ever since he came back from Sinnoh and learned that she was single. At first he thought that it was a simple lust factor. But the fact that he had to chase after her made him realize that that wasn't the case at all. Otherwise, he would just hook up with a very willing girl. Something about Misty was far more exhilarating than just another girl, and it plagued his brain to no end. Ash was one dumb son-of-a-bitch to let this one go.

End Flashback

Gary might have been a lot of things to a lot of different people, but he had respected her enough to not let things get that far. Misty thought about the fact that she was now going to be alone with him for an extended period of time. The lustful part of her was gearing up. But the logical part of her wanted to keep her walls up, knowing that he could very well look at this as a free booty call every day, only to act like it never happened once it was over. Maybe that night was just a fluke. It angered her to think that Gary Oak would use and ditch her like that but, really, did she think he wasn't capable of it?

Once she reached her bedroom, she flopped down in bed and let go of Togetic, reaching for her phone on her nightstand. Much to her surprise, she had a text from Gary.

[Text:

Hope you're ready to work, Red. Hope you like lace, you'll be wearing it tomorrow.]

Misty rolled her eyes. What a cocky bastard. What makes him think that she would…? Then, reality dawned on her. Her kid had broken his window. He could hold that over her head for as long as he pleased. She rolled over on her stomach, tossing her phone to the side. Togetic watched her very curiously as she groaned into her pillow.

It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

Sound out your thoughts below. This will be a two-shot, to prevent me producing a gargantuan one-shot in one night like I really want to. But, I also need sleep. Damn muses.