May had now been standing with the door open for a good seven minutes. Tired of poking her brother repeatedly like a robot, she moved on to a different tactic. Screaming.

"GARY!" Yes, she thought as she watched her brother twitch. Progress! Gary twitched once more in the course of her screaming before becoming completely still. That is, until a moment later when he sighed. He stepped in and closed the door behind him, but he still moved like a machine. The youngest Oak seemed to be stuck in his own big head; May decided it was time to break him out.

"Looks like you joined us," She said in a made-to-be-annoying tone that's usually reserved for sisters such as her. As expected, this only got her a glare. Of course.

"Shut it, May. Where are the Pokémon? That's why I'm here, isn't it? Or is this all a cover so you can torture me," Gary asked flatly. Pleasant. The older girl rolled her eyes but led her younger brother to a generally unused room off to the side in the lab nonetheless. It looked so new it was scary, but that was probably because of the team of investigators they'd hired for the case. The room itself had been evacuated of anything and everything of interest, and while normally one might've been concerned in regards to what had happened to all of a lifetimes worth of research, both of the remaining Oaks were too preoccupied to play with conspiracy theories. Maybe only a second after the two had stepped into the room, a noise erupted from the corner behind a large cabinet full of what must have been outdated books, one of the few things left. Gary shot May a questioning look, only to have his expression reflected on her face. Had they imagined it? It was unlikely. Perhaps this could be a clue? He watched her shocked expression turn calm in mere seconds though, and a small Umbreon landed lightly on Gary's shoulder. It leaned into its master's neck affectionately. Both siblings let out a sigh of relief and for the first time since he received that frantic message concerning his grandfather's whereabouts—or lack thereof—Gary became what can only be described as alive again. He pet Umbreon back and finally felt at ease, at least a bit. It was like having something familiar returned to his life; it had been long. Seeing Umbreon again brought about a new hope, a stronger will to get his grandfather back home.

With everything set in focus for the two, they went back out to the other Pokémon, the ones who were ballistic in every sense of the word. With that on their minds, neither of them paid even one thought to the mysterious shelf atop the cabinet that Umbreon had hidden by. Neither wondered why that was the only thing that looked as though it had not been touched by the police or investigators. Neither noticed that the books were in utter chaos, as if they'd been the main priority in a new scientific discovery that had the potential to change life as people knew it to an all-new extreme. Not a soul had paid any attention to the mangled mess that was once a recording of all fossilized and legendary Pokémon or the shards of paper that fell around it. And with no notice, no one would tell why, exactly, Professor Samuel Oak was kidnapped and how tragic the fate of his or her world was about to become.

Gary crossed over to the Pokémon and let one after the other out of their Pokéballs so as to get what they needed and keep things calm. As he'd been told, the Pokémon's messages were not easy to decipher, and as much as he hated to admit it, the great new professor had to go on and seek out help. He'd heard word of Pewter City Gym's Brock and how he was on a temporary trip home. Gary had met him a few times here and there, and though it was never exactly on the best of terms, He had developed an understanding that the man was an aspiring Pokémon breeder. He had proven to be an exceptional trainer through his Pokémon battles, and seems to know how to get them to cooperate during tough situations. Taking into account all of these things plus Pewter City being not so far off, the boy took off with his Umbreon first thing the next morning. Having a lot on his mind, he didn't exactly note on the unusual behavior exhibited by his Pokémon as anything more than anxiety. He should have known to pay more notice to things, even if that was what he was seeking help for.

Gary parked his convertible by the Pokémon center and made his way to the gym. Of course, he'd stopped by to say a quick hello to Nurse Joy too. Brock had always held a soft spot for her, everyone knew that.

"Brock? No, sorry Mr. Oak, I haven't seen him today. He's pretty good at giving care for his Pokémon, you know. There's no surprise. If he's not at the gym you had better check his home, he'd be watching his brothers and sisters. Say hi to May for me, Okay? Yes, Brock too, when you find him. How's your Grandfather?" Gary had responded to most of this by merely nodding politely like any man should. At this last comment, though, he really did not want to reply. Unfortunately, if he didn't answer he would be risking people getting the idea of a worse case scenario, as he had done himself. "We're getting there, Thanks. I'd better go now, though. Thanks for everything. See ya, Joy," Gary had said with a wink, leaving a laughing nurse. Now, the young man reached the doors of the rock-type gym. He had walked up with an air of importance and confidence, drawing the glances of some rather beautiful girls along the way, but stopped dead once his fingers brushed over the doors rough handle. Maybe this was a mistake. I should go, Gary thought, but didn't budge. Then someone, a kid with shoulder length, messy green hair, bumped into him by the door and spewed some very unpleasant words. Kids these days, jeez. No matter, the boy pushed past him, leaving Gary to shake his head clear and follow after him. He must've been blocking the door for a while to get someone so pissed off. As he stepped through, Mr. Gary Oak was having more second thoughts about asking Brock. What's wrong with me, he scolded himself, it's only an opinion, no deal.

But it was. Gary was annoyed already, having to be here, but now he had to wait through a battle, it was that kid. He stood for a good twelve minutes watching what might have been a worthwhile battle, for a rookie, if it weren't for his nerves. Umbreon leaned into the ex-trainer's leg as if it wished to be back on the battlefield itself. It rested. Suddenly realizing the weight of what he was doing, all at once—with the same force as an anvil in cartoons—Gary sank down to the floor on his knees and joined his Pokémon, and soon enough, it got quiet. He blinked. Neither of them had had much sleep because of their nerves, plus all of the chaos back at home. I'll just close my eyes, only take a moment…

"Hey, you, no loitering. If you need a room, go to the Pokémon Center." A very tall, pale, and burly man loomed over Gary with a look of distaste etched on his face. His clothes were pristine and without a crease. He smelled disgusting. His hair looked shaggier then any hair should be, as if it hadn't been brushed, taking away from his otherwise acceptable appearance. Then, upon closer inspection, one might tell that there were heavy bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. As if that weren't enough, he spoke in a rather unfriendly manner, too. Only one thought crossed through Gary's mind as he woke up, and that was, Get a mint. Then and only then did the young professor realize where he was. He was sitting on a hard, cold floor slumped up against the wall, his face directed towards the general direction of a battling arena—he had fallen asleep at the gym. He doubled when he realized that Umbreon had left his side. One of the man's eyes twitched as if he wanted to say something more, probably a string of curses or whatever. Too tired to bother, Gary got up and moved on. Obviously, the battles had ended that day. Gary mentally smacked himself, knowing that if it weren't for him and his stupid sleep, he could've been gone.

No one else was in the gym, and he got kicked out before he could really try to find his Umbreon, which freaked him out a lot more than this whole 'finding Brock' ordeal did. As it turned out, Brock wasn't even at home. Gary would even bet that it would start raining, here in Pewter City of all places, just to make his day worse.

It didn't.

But something wouldn't stop nagging him, telling him that things were off more then he thought, and despite his many attempts, he just couldn't shake the feeling. He kept remembering that guy from the gym. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made that the man wasn't supposed to be there, or anywhere close, for that matter. His skin was too light to be from pewter, and his clothes too clean and creaseless, not to mention the expression he wore; the guy would stand out in a crowd. And so, before he could even spare a second thought, Gary turned on his heel and headed for the next city.

Gary didn't know how long he'd been wandering or even what city he was in; he was so lost in his mind. Imagine his shock when he was knocked sideways for the second time that day by a small kid running around with balloons and banners, wearing a 'City of Sensation' T-shirt and clutching a Corsola plush doll. Looking up, Gary saw rows and rows of lights and banners, endless colors illuminating the sky. It wasn't so late yet, maybe around seven?

May was probably wondering where he was.

Gary, not noticing who's face it was that adorned the sign posted on the doors right in front of his face, just ran through them, right up to the desk in the nice, quiet Pokémon Center.

All of the phones were taken. Wonderful. If it weren't for his pride, Gary would've given in to his agonizing desire to break down. Really, what hadn't gone wrong?

"May I use your phone, miss?

The red haired girl turned around to see who had tapped her shoulder so quickly, she almost fell over. She was becoming annoyed, what with all these people running up to her. Sure, she'd thought it would be fabulous, having everything be about her for a day. Then again, those getting-fed-grapes scenarios tend to only get so far. She shook her head. Really, though, who'd have thought something so great could be so annoying? It was cute, for a while. Earlier, when it was just local families and young trainers, some people who had taken care of her when she was young and her sisters were busy. Giving a little girl a Corsola doll, meeting a Totodile and his young trainer. She'd even battled an ex-elite. And won. Misty was in heaven, but that was before it got so crowded. Now she could barely take two steps. All of Cerulean City was a mesh of trainers and fans, Pokémon freaks and conmen and even people who'd traveled all the way from the league. So it was hectic, sure, but she wasn't about to hide out in her room, especially not on her own day. Please.

There were already people at the gym; she took refuge at a Pokémon center instead.

Misty caught herself before she tumbled over completely and hastily apologized to the small water Pokémon who she had tripped on. She stepped back as she watched the guy in front of her in slight annoyance. He had first attempted to catch her when she fell, and was now standing there awkwardly with his chestnut hair askew and his deep blue eyes shining through its free-fallen strands, retracting his arms. He smirked. Even she couldn't deny it; awkward or not, this guy was hot. Now he stood tall, his hand outstretched again.

"Ahhm... Phone?" The guy asked, smirk in place. Ugh. Shaking her head, Misty held out her phone. Outside she was smiling, but inside she was fuming. Why? Guys hitting on her were another reason that her night headed downhill. While it was flattering and all, it just didn't have the same effect when it was a pimply teenager trying to get into her pants. Eew, right? Exactly. And even though this guy was admittedly hot and stuff, it was still a guy with the same motives. The pigs.

Maybe she was too tired to fight, or maybe… no, not even saying it. No matter, Misty had decided to give him the phone and was kind of surprised to see that he didn't put his number in. Actually, he took it and called someone. As it went on, he looked more and more distressed but hid it well. At one point he got this look in his eye, making the redhead double in shock. It was gone as soon as it had come, but, for a moment, this guy had seemed…familiar.

At least he had genuinely needed her phone. It's always hopeful to know that not all guys were complete sleazes.

Um, how long had she been staring pathetically? No idea, but when he handed back her phone with a grin on his face, her previously approving thoughts ventured back to her mallet. WHY did she leave it at the gym?

Gary stood in front of her now, watching her sigh as she took back her cell. Well, May was pissed at him, so he had to promise that he'd keep looking. And Umbreon was still missing, he had placed Officer Jenny on the lookout. But hey, there was some kind of celebration here tonight, so maybe the Gym Leaders would be around. It'd be a plus to this damn day. He'd have to find them. But first…

Gary looked up and really took in the girl's appearance. She was nothing short of stunning. She was tall, but not too tall, and was walking around in a bathing suit with a light white and blue windbreaker slung over all casually. Maybe it was normal around here—that'd be nice. He took in her big emerald eyes, which sparkled despite her apparent distress. Her lips were full but pouty. And her hair, cascading down her head like a waterfall, despite its fiery appearance. She had the kind of face that a guy would want to make less sad.

Did Gary have the time? No. Would he make it?

Gary was still grinning at the girl as he leaned closer, noting the spark in her face when she noticed their proximity. Then, something hit him.

"Do I know you?"

A/N: So... hi :)

I'm not going to lie, this story was pretty much forgotten, banished to that place in the back of my mind which is near impossible to find, let alone escape. Somehow, it did~

Anywho, I had this pretty much already written... It occured to me that my marionette over here turned into one of those teaser-stories that will never be, and if I let that happen, I'd die of hipocrasy. No denial. I have you guys to thank, because I randomely got a bunch of alerts recently, and when it occured to me that after months of abandonment people are reading this, I needed to continue. So thanks :) Have a cookie. Consider it a promise for the continued revival of whatever this is that you're reading.

So, in the end, I just edited this-I'm still in the process of remembering this plot, and why I like it so... I'd appreciate thoughts 'n stuff, 'cause I have more written, just not in order, shame on me. Just to know if it makes any sense outside of my head. Adieu!

Reviews make Gary seriously awkward in front of Misty~

Quel