Wartortle soundly slept in his pokeball, dreaming of playing in a large pool with all of his friends. Gary was there as well and seemed really upset at first but after he continued to bug him, he began to play with Wartortle, pushing the little guy under the water and Wartortle splashing him in return.
A thump, thump, thump, woke up the happy little Wartortle. He came out of his pokeball with a yawn and looked around. The first thing he noticed was Gary missing, his equipment and pokeballs still placed on the edge of the bed.
This, for some reason, gave the water Pokemon an unsettling feeling. But he just shook his head, forcing himself to believe he just went to the bathroom.
Still, he woke Eevee up to go look for their Trainer. Eevee seemed to worry as well so the two went out sniffing for him.
After a few minutes of roaming the halls, the pokemon heard loud thumps and someone cry out; sending a chill down their backs. They quickly ran to the door where the sounds came from and decided to peer in to see what was happening. Wartortle, being taller, stood up and looked through the keyhole. Eevee watched as Wartortle's eyes widened and he began to shake. The little fox poked at him, wanting to see as well. Wartortle quickly picked Eevee up and held him towards the keyhole, allowing Eevee to know what was on the other side.
Through the keyhole, there were two large sailors, one holding someone by their arms and the other looking at the captive person. That person was their Trainer. He was bleeding from his lip and had a few cuts on his face and arms. A bruise was already forming on his cheekbone.
Gary glared at the men and yelled out, "I'm telling you I didn't do anything! She's lying she came on to m-" but he was cut off with another jab to the face.
Eevee quickly wiggled out of Wartortle's grasp and looked down in thought, wondering what to do. Wartortle suggested just ramming in and attacking, but Eevee argued with him, wanting them to be a little more prepared.
"Don't be an idiot. Why would a lady lie 'bout somethin like that?!"
"She's blackmailing me! Since I didn't wanna get up in her pants, she made it seem like I was attacking her!"
"Oh don't give me that bull!"
The sailor then punched Gary in the stomach, causing the air in the 15 year old to be forced out, making him sharply inhale then cough profusely. As the sailor went for another jab, he paused as he heard the door slam open. As he turned, he was hit by a flood of rushing water to his face then was tripped by something. Gary took this moment of confusion to squirm wildly in the large mans' arms and as he ducked his head down, the blast of water shot to the other man's face as well, causing him to choke on the water and let Gary go.
At that moment, Gary's flight mode activated once again and when he fell to the floor he shot towards the door, grabbing the Pokemon that were still attempting to attack.
"Don't be stupid!" Gary angrily yelled out, firmly holding his two starter Pokemon.
The brunette then made a beeline to his room, knowing that not only were women obviously a weak spot to these sailors, but his girls had Pokemon to assist him as well.
Although they were his fanclub, they were also Trainers.
As he ran, his body finally allowed itself to remind him that his left leg was injured from a swift kick the sailor gave him earlier and Gary had to hiss at the sudden sharp pain but continue to run. They were right behind him.
Finally making it to the door, Gary noticed the door slightly ajar and pushed his body onto it, falling to the floor but instinctively turning in mid fall so as to not harm the Pokemon. The girls quickly awoke to all the sudden clatter as Gary told them to get their Pokemon and fast.
"Arceus, Gary! What happened?" Fuela quickly asked as she went down to his side.
"Liet, that's what."
"What?" Liana said, turning to the green-haired cheerleader who was getting out of her sleeping bag.
"She plotted revenge against me and now I have two stupid men running after me."
All questions stopped as the two soaked sailors came running in, a few Pokemon now following them.
Fuela, being practically the leader if the group, jumped in front of Gary, holding her hands out.
"Woah! Woah time out boys! What's going on here?"
"Excuse me miss, but we have to teach that boy a lesson!"
"What for?! What is his crime?"
The sailor looked at all the girls for a moment then kept his eyes on Liet. He quickly pointed to her and said, "Ask her! She was the one who told us! HE molested her!"
Everyone turned to Gary who was still sitting on the floor, Wartortle now supporting his back and Eevee still in Gary's arm.
Before Gary could explain his side, Liet quickly gasped and said, "No! No! You got the wrong guy! It wasn't him!"
"No one did anything to you! You just wanted to get back at me for not wanting to have sex with you! To teach me a lesson, right?"
Liet turned to Gary and glared at him for a moment. However, her obsession for said boy blew out the anger just s quickly as it came.
"No Shigeru-san, I never wanted you hurt."
"Yes, you did. To 'show me what I'm supposed to love', right?"
"Stop it, Shigeru-san!"
"She took me to an empty room and tried to pull down my pants!"
"You wanted it at first Shigeru-san! You wanted to do this with me because you love me!"
"I never said yes to doing that and I sure as hell would never love you."
The girls were all staring at Liet now, shocked by the sudden outburst. The guilty cheerleader then suddenly turned from innocent to infuriated, pointing to Gary.
"Are you really gonna believe this guy? He wanted to touch me first! He's the one lying! Can't you see how mean he's been to all of us this whole time? It's an even bigger reason as to why he would attack me and then lie about it!"
"I thought you said it wasn't Shigeru who did it," Fuela quickly stated, frowning at the girl.
"He was there too! He was with that other boy! I just didn't wanna rat on Shigeru-san because I love him so much!"
As the lies continued to grow, the sailors seemed to realize their mistake and left without another word. Gary would have preferred an apology, but let them leave, knowing it is most likely for the best. Especially because authorities won't be involved. Fuela and the rest of the girls interrogated Liet and scolded her for her actions and lies. This appeased the brunette, allowing him to feel at ease about tomorrow.
"Here Shigeru, let my Chansey heal you," Niel said, helping Gary sit on the bottom bunk.
As he sat down, he then realized that he was still holding Eevee and dropped him onto the bed, a look of disgust on his face. Eevee didn't mind too much though. He became accustomed to these reactions.
While the Chansey brewed something in her egg to heal Gary's leg, he silently thought of the larger picture of what he had done. He had taken a huge beating for Ash. What's wrong with him? Why stick up for the kid?
Gary shook his frustration away. No, he had no reason to be angry at Ash right now. The little black haired boy probably wouldn't have been able to handle that. He's been treated so wonderfully his whole life that being suddenly accused of molesting someone would have been too extreme for him.
"I got the hat, Shigeru," Liana said, her blonde hair flicking back and forth as she ran in with Ash's hat. She explained that the sailors gave it to her and apologized for disturbing the girls at such a late hour.
Gary thanked her and took the cap, placing it next to him. Niel pulled up a chair and sat on it, slowly pulling up Gary's left leg onto her lap so it could be straight out. He winced at the bend but took several deep breathes to keep himself calm. Unlike Ash, he knew how to handle excessive amounts of pain. This wasn't as bad as a broken bone. Niel then pushed up the pant leg, moving slowly as to not touch the limb.
"Sorry it's taking a while for the potion to brew. It takes longer because you're human."
"'s fine," Gary mumbled.
Soon Chansey smiled and pulled out her egg from her pouch, lightly hitting it against the chair to crack it open. It was a perfect horizontal break and when Chansey took off the top, Gary stated at the blue liquid inside. The pink Pokemon gave Niel the top part of the egg which she held underneath Gary's calf. Chansey carefully angled the egg shell over his bruised limb and poured the liquid onto it.
Gary winced but chuckled, murmuring, "Haa, that hurts. It feels weird."
"Yeah, mostly everyone whose been healed dislikes the feeling."
"It's like I can feel all the strains loosening then forming back together...I'm glad I didn't break anything. That feels even worse."
Niel nodded as she pulled up he top egg shell that was now half full of the blue potion.
"Don't move it for a little while okay, Shigeru?"
"Yeah, yeah. Guess I'm taking the bottom bunk then."
Before going to bed, Fuela made sure to tell Liet to sleep at the other side of the room, away from everyone.
"Be thankful we didn't just throw you out," Fuela stated and she turned around.
The green haired girl quietly made her way there, glancing at Gary who only looked away.
Fuela sighed and quietly sat next to Gary on the bed. Gary chose to ignore her, continuing to look at his healing leg in thought. It was a little blue. Ew.
"You did this to protect him, right?"
Gary turned to the fiery redhead who was holding Ash's cap, inspecting it with her eyes. As she went to try it on, Gary snatched it and placed it on his lap.
"I was just going to the bathroom and this all happened. It has nothing to do with him."
Fuela looked at him for a moment then smiled, getting up to go to bed. The simple fact that Ash's hat was with him was proof enough that this story had a larger explanation. But she believed Gary had already gone through enough tonight.
After another deep sigh Gary laid back on his bed, turning away from everyone because he wanted to make sure his left leg was not perturbed by anything and he wanted to think without disruption.
Looking at his watch with a half swollen eye, he sighed (he was beginning to feel old because of all his sighing). One hour left. Perfect.
As he finally began to relax, Gary felt something jump onto the bed then instantly recognized Eevee's paws as he climbed over him; Wartortle soon after. Eevee noticed the bruise on his cheek and eye and instinctively moved up and softly licked the wounded area. This made Gary blush but become frustrated and push the little guy away.
"I don't need that it can heal on its own."
The Eevee frowned but looked away, feeling apologetic about his actions.
The two moved in front of him, lying on their stomachs to stare at the brunette. Gary stared back and frowned.
"I guess I should thank you two, right?"
The two nodded, Wartortle being more excessive about it.
"Well I already repaid the debt so I don't need to."
The two sat up in shock, practically asking when at happened.
"You two idiots were planning on continuing to fight instead of running away once I was free. I saved your lives by grabbing you. Not to mention my stupid natural reflexes that kept you guys from getting hurt when I fell earlier. So we're even."
Wartortle continued to argue about this so called "save", but Eevee simply shook his head, understanding that these small actions were the most affection Gary had ever given them. The small fox Pokemon then circled around himself to get ready for bed. He didn't want to sleep in his pokeball tonight. Wartortle continued to angrily murmur but went into his shell without another word.
Gary watched them for a moment then looked down at his leg. That was when he noticed Ash's cap at the end of his bed. Lazily, he forced himself to sit upright, grab it, then fall back down with a thump. As he laid on his back he inspected the hat, thinking of it's owner and if he was upset for taking it. Ash wasn't one to get upset about small things like that.
'I am...' Gary grimly thought.
With a sigh he placed the cap over his face, hoping to get some sleep. However, after one simple inhale, Gary felt an odd shiver go up his spine. It smelled just like him. The brunette took another whiff and couldn't deny that he absolutely loved his scent. Something about it seemed so welcoming and homely; kind and full of memories; intoxicating and hot...
The brunette's eyes widened and he pulled the hat off his face, turning to his side to prevent anything that was planning on having a reaction. Since when did Ash give him this sort of feeling?
With a hesitant gulp, he brought the cap back to his face, savoring the feelings and memories intertwined with the scent, and for once in a long time, Gary slept peacefully.
Everyone who was leaving the S. S. Anne either happy or depressed about their wins or losses of the past day. Gary, with a slight limp to his step, silently walked out of the ship choosing to ignore the glorious sunrise that was occurring to his right. Although most his cuts and bruises were almost fully healed; some needing band aids but others being allowed to heal on their own; he still had the extreme bruise on his leg that decided to reveal itself once he awoke. It was a good thing his pants were able to hide it. His face, however, could not hide the slight black and blue halo sported around his right eye socket.
The group stopped at the end of the boardwalk and turned to Liet, who kept her eyes firmly fixated on the ground. Gary kept his distance from the girl, making sure not to look in her direction, but still allow her to view what she had done to him.
"We've left some equipment in here. Just in case anything happens," Fuela calmly stated.
Liet looked up at Fuela; shock in her eyes. Before she could argue, the bag was tossed to her. Liet looked at all the girls who seemed to have mixed emotions of sadness and pity. However, determination was the dominant expression on their faces. They have already accepted this choice.
Her eyes soon ended on Gary and she couldn't help but to regret her actions.
Seeing all the cuts and bruises on someone she loved so much broke her heart. Yet it was worse than that for she was the one who did this to him.
"I'm...really sorry, Shigeru-san..."
She wanted to continue her apology but the look of utter disgust on Gary's face as he stared down at her feet forced her to stop. Even her voice brought him frustration.
Without another word, Liet left in the direction towards Vermilion City, bringing the cheerleader count down to five.
"Gary!"
The brunette boy flinched at Ash's voice calling him and quickly gave Liana Ash's hat.
Ash watched as the two spoke then the blonde nodded, running over to Ash.
"Here ya go Satoshi-kun!" Liana happily stated as she gave him his cap back.
Ash thanked Liana (politely asking her not to add the '-kun') and took the hat, placing it in its natural location on his head. But he looked past the blonde cheerleader toward's Gary who had his back towards him. Why wasn't he looking at him? Was he still upset over their little spat last night? Ash threw out the idea, knowing that Gary had a temper but not bad enough to become frustrated over something so small.
"So you're too scared to face me, huh Gary?"
Gary scoffed but didn't turn to Ash. He had no reason to look at the boy and Ash surely had no reason to see his wounded face. He didn't know whether Ash would make fun of him or worry and the thought of either situation occurring upset Gary, for in his mind both events seemed as if they would end badly.
Gary walked straight to the Pokemon Center in Vermilion to heal his Pokemon, hoping that Ash wasn't following. Once assured that he wasn't, Gary calmly made his way to the store, feeling like he deserved to restock after all those battles on S.S. Anne. He earned enough money to waste a couple bucks anyway.
After he and the girls bought what they needed, Gary made his way to the automatic doors, feeling pumped for the Gym Battle that was just ahead. He had no worries. He already knew what was coming and his plan for beating the leader. But as he left the Pokemart, he came face to face with his rival, not realizing the presence of the boy early on.
The two made eye contact for a split second before Gary quickly turned away and sped walked to the direction of the Gym; his cheerleaders in tow. However, that was a bit of a mistake as he hissed at the sudden jolt his leg created and had to slow down.
"Wait Gary! Are you hurt?" Ash called out as he followed.
"Go away, Ash."
"Where did you get that black eye?"
"I don't have one!"
"And your limping... What happened to your leg?"
"I just tripped it's nothing."
"Is this why you wouldn't let me see you earlier?"
"What're you talking about? I just get tired of seeing your face all the t-"
"Gary stop joking! Let me see your face!" Ash called out as he grabbed the brunette's shoulder.
Gary yanked his arm away, replying, "You know what a bruise looks like!"
"So you DO have one! Let me take a look at it."
"You have no reason to look at me! I'm fine!"
"Stop being stupid, Gary!"
Lightly growling, Gary pivoted and glared directly into Ash's eyes, causing the boy to freeze in his place. He stared into Gary's eyes for a moment before looking at the bruised eye then the rest of his face; observing the cuts on his cheek, a band aid on the other, and a busted bottom lip that was diagonal to his black eye.
"What. What the hell, Gary?"
"Don't be so shocked."
"How can I not be?! Were you in a fight in S.S. Anne?"
"Nice investigating detective? How long'd it take you to think that up?"
Ash glared at Gary then asked again, "what happened?"
Gary roughly sighed, putting his hand through his hair.
"Nothing!"
"Nothing."
"I just got into a little brawl with a couple of guys."
"A couple?!"
"Look I took care of it! After I defeated them in a Pokemon battle, they got so pissed that they just attacked me! But even as one person I beat them without a problem."
"That's not what your face is telling me."
"Either way, I'm up and kicking."
"You mean limping."
"Ash, what do you care?"
Ash stayed quiet for a moment, frowning at his hurt rival.
"Did you at least tell the police or something?"
"Always the 'goody two shoes', huh? Of course not."
"What? Why the hell not?!"
Both groups watched as the two argued about practically nothing. Misty and Brock looked over to the cheerleaders who simply shrugged, not knowing what to say.
"Ash didn't I tell you this before? I don't need you! Not for Gramp's Pokedex; not for this!" Again that ache from the last time he spoke these words appeared. Although he didn't comprehend it, he felt like that was all a lie.
"You should be preoccupied on simply becoming the Champion; or rather, being better than me and since we both know that that's IMPOSSIBLE for you, I suggest you bring up your game."
"Hey, I'm just as strong as you are Gary!"
"Ha! Don't make me laugh! If you're so strong the prove it Satoshi-kun~"
Ash simply stood there quietly, letting his anger grow and burn enough to make his cheeks rosy. He opened his mouth to retort but shut it, exhaling through his nose. The blackette angrily looked down at his feet, then to the right, then turned around and walked back to the store without another word. Brock looked back and forth between the two then followed Ash, leaving Misty to stare at Gary. He watched her with a stoic expression as she frowned and shook her head, following Ash as well.
With a huff, Gary pivoted again and continued to the Gym, debating who he had just hurt more: Ash or himself.
A.N. And break. Yeah I'm cutting it here. Next will be a snippet from the Gym Battle then off to Diglett's Cave! (Smartest Gym Leader ever. Have an electric type gym right next to Diglett's cave lol jeez...) But if you remember, when you go through Diglett's Cave, there's this dude who you can trade Pokemon with. I'm actually planning on making him a wee bit important lol (I lol because that is sarcasm my friends). It might change up the natural storyline but I want it this way and it's fanfiction and my story so I'm fine.
Also, after that dude, there's the next city (I'm skipping the Power Plant to get through the story a little faster) Very big event goes on there! If you know the next one and what it's famous for then you can guess what kind of event it'll be.
Read and Review D: tell me what's good and what's not! If something seems off! What got you angry! What made you happy! I wanna know what you think about it just in general. Reviews are like X Speed and X Accuracy for me. Brings up my speed and accuracy to write. :P
Thanks for reading!