IMPORTANTE: I will include Unova and all of the region's pokemon. Instead of being from Johto, White is from Unova. This change is due to me playing Pokemon White during finals and then understanding the new pokemon more. I'll probably put in Kalos, too, in the future.
EXPLANATION FOR DISAPEARANCE: See A/N at the bottom of the page.
GUSH(E?): GUYS. WHAT. 700+ FAVORITES AND FOLLOWS!? 200+ REVIEWS? WHAT IS THIS? I LOVE ALL OF YOU. I HAVE THE BEST READERS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. YOU GUYS ARE THE MVPS. I NEVER IMAGINED ONCE THAT THE WANDERER WOULD GATHER THIS MANY FOLLOWERS AND FAVORITES. YOU CANNOT IMAGINE HOW HAPPY THIS HAS MADE ME FEEL. :D:D:D:D:D:D
NOW I WOULD CONTINUE ON WITH THE RANT, BUT I HAVEN'T UPDATED SINCE APRIL 23, 2014 AND I IMAGINE THAT YOU'D WANT TO READ THIS CHAPTER. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO…
Ages
Ash: 10
Gary: 10
Misty: 11
White: 13
AU. Instead of receiving a Pikachu as his starter, Ash Ketchum is only given an empty pokeball and a sheepish grin from Professor Oak. Anger and spite clouding his soul, he sets out only to find a ray of hope in the form of a small, injured Bagon. It's funny how a tiny twist of fate can change one's destiny forever. Dark, smarter Ash – various shippings included.
The Wanderer
Chapter IV
Ash's trip to Vermillion was a little bit better than he had expected.
They made good time, reaching Vermillion in only a day. The seaside city was beautiful, with small homes and a few high rises. It gave off a sense of serenity and yet bustled with activity at the same time, being one of the major ports of the Kanto region and receiving many different shipments from different places around the world.
Along the way, Ash had battled a few trainers with Charmander and Haunter. Although Route 11 was short, there was an abundance of travelers, so his two newest pokemon got some good experience in, winning the majority of matches but loosing to a few more experienced, powerful trainers. During the battles, Ash had a good chance to see how much progress had truly been made.
Charmander had a lot of brute strength and firepower, but he didn't know how to control his own power. Whenever he used a move, the move would be quite powerful but also inaccurate, slow, and messy, something that Ash needed to rectify. But otherwise, Charmander was steadily becoming a better fighter, having the strength to be great but somewhat lacking the finesse. He also had the attitude of a battler, being aggressive and working hard when training.
Haunter, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She had power and finesse, able to plow through pokemon without receiving a single hit, but the problem was that the ghost was just lazy. She would much rather be playing pranks than battling, usually showing off her powers before knocking out her opponent, occasionally disobeying Ash's orders and following her own agenda.
White didn't really talk to Ash a lot, instead choosing to give him the cold shoulder, but when she did, the girl wasn't exactly the nicest person on the planet. White fought with him just as much as Misty did, but Misty was much more playful and teasing than the harsh undertones of White's arguments. Her behavior still annoyed Ash, but the boy shrugged it off and decided to concentrate on what was important: his training.
The trio entered the city, Ash's nose taking in the curious blend between the salty sea breeze and the pollutants of the nearby factories and harbors. A magnificent ship rested at the end of a huge pier, with people of all different kinds flocking towards it. St. Anne, it was called. Ash dimly remembered a report he had heard back at home long ago about the construction of the ship; it must've been finished.
Home. His heart ached a little at the thought of his mother alone in their house in Pallet. Perhaps he was being too harsh and should give her a call –
"Hey, Ash," Misty called, interrupting him from his melancholic thoughts, "White and I are going to go shopping!" She smiled brilliantly, pearly whites showing.
"'kay," the boy grunted in response, already spotting the Pokemon Center, "I'll be at the Pokemon Center. You two have fun."
White stood in his way, a fake smile on her face. "But Ash," she drawled, "who's going to carry our bags?"
Realization struck him. They wanted him to carry their bags as they shopped. Over my dead body, Ash was tempted to respond with, but instead he settled for a meek "okay" after taking one look at the two girls' pleading faces. Arceus, his face was already turning red.
"Don't worry," the ex-Gym Leader laughed, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards a clothes store, "it won't be that bad!"
After hours of endless boredom while sitting outside of waiting rooms, Ash finally found himself at a store that was of some practical use – the only one that sold pokeballs and useful camping gear.
There were backpacks with huge storage compartments, one even boasting that a whole Gyarados could fit into its smallest storage system, an assortment of sleeping bags and mats, sharp tools for wilderness survival and defense, and finally a whole section of different types of pokeballs, so many that most of them seemed completely useless.
Ash wasn't overflowing with cash, but he had made a decent amount from battling all of the trainers along Route 11. He browsed the shelves, eyes widening at the price tags on the Ultra Balls and the Premier Balls. Yet he had to admit the price tags made sense; Ultra Balls were many times more effective at catching pokemon than the ordinary pokeball and they were for a high-level trainer attempting to capture powerful pokemon. The concept of Premier Balls was a little trickier; Ash wasn't quite sure how they worked. Apparently, they were much more spacious than a normal pokeball, so there was more room for a pokemon to move around while inside the Premier Ball. It was more of a luxury item for the rich's pokemon.
In the end, Ash bought five empty normal pokeballs. The trainer hadn't thought a lot about team building, but the boy knew that he needed some variety on his team. When he forked over the money to the cashier, a bored-looking teenager, she handed him a flyer with his change.
"Would you like to see some of our on-sale items?" she asked, gesturing lazily towards a few items stacked neatly on a nearby table. Something caught his eye – a decent-sized knife, the blade about six inches long.
"Is that on sale?" Ash asked, pointing at the item. A knife was possibly one of the most useful tools for any wandering trainer. It would be useful for cutting down branches for firewood instead of asking Bagon to smash it to pieces.
The girl gave him an are you kidding me look. "All items here are 75% off. Everything must go," she recited, rolling her eyes.
Ash used the rest of his money to pay, picking the knife up and testing its weight. It was a little bit heavy and off balanced, but it was seemingly high quality and a good deal for the money Ash had paid.
"Watch where you're pointing that thing," the cashier grumbled. She pulled something out of a cabinet and handed it to him – a weird looking sheath of some sort. "This comes for free. It straps around your calf."
"Thanks." Ash took the knife and slid it into the sheath before storing it in his backpack.
He hurried back outside the store, where Misty and White were talking animatedly. After an afternoon's worth of shopping, the two girls were in wonderful moods, smiling and laughing like kids. When they saw him approach, their conversation ceased and a slight hue of red crossed over Misty's cheeks. What were they talking about?
White looked away, checking her bag of clothes. Misty greeted him in her stead. "Took you long enough. What did ya buy?"
Ash shrugged, showing Misty his new purchases. "Five new pokeballs and a knife."
Misty blanched at the sight of the blade. "Arceus, Ash, why did you suddenly want to get a knife? Are you going to kill me in my sleep or something?"
"It was on sale," the trainer huffed defensively, stowing his gear back in his backpack. "And no, I'm not going to kill anyone. I just thought it might come in handy one day."
Misty shrugged indifferently. "Still, it's kind of creepy knowing that you'll be carrying around a knife."
The boy was about to rebut her argument when White stepped in suddenly. "It's a good idea to carry a knife while traveling; most people do. I had one with me in Unova."
"Do you still have it?" Misty looked nervous at the idea of two of her companions wielding blades.
White laughed mirthlessly. A dark look covered her face. "You don't want to know how I lost it."
There was a nervous silence as White's implication hung in the air, daring anyone to challenge it. "Okay," Ash began, scratching his neck. He couldn't tell if she was making a dark joke or being serious. "I'm hungry. Anyone want to get some food?"
"I'm down," Misty answered too quickly, jumping at the conversation change.
The trio went to a restaurant, devouring their first real meal in a while. The last time Ash had such a nice dinner like this was all the way back in Pewter City, so the boy took this as an excuse to eat everything in sight. White had the same mentality as he did, wolfing down her meal as Misty daintily chewed on her salad.
After darkness cascaded upon the town and Vermillion's nightlife took over, Ash finally arrived at the Pokemon Center. The three had rented out a single room, deciding that Ash was too young to act like a perverted boy and try anything stupid. Misty quickly claimed the couch, crashing with her enviable ability to fall asleep nearly at will, leaving Ash and White quietly arguing over the sleeping arrangements.
While Ash had offered to sleep on the floor, White was confusingly adamant in forcing him to sleep on the bed, claiming that it was barbaric to sleep on the ground when there was ample space on the bed and that if he refused, it would only make her detest him more than she already did.
Her statement was confusing, since Ash thought that White would want him as far away as possible.
So in the end, Ash had decided to comply with her demands, allowing her to get under the covers as he slept over them to ensure that there was no awkward skin-against-skin contact. Strangely enough, Ash felt self-conscious about his smell and took a shower, switching into some sleeping attire that the Pokemon Center had provided for them.
Tired and sleepy after the long day of battling and from the sheer boredom of shopping, Ash gratefully sank into the bed, a cool breeze reminding him of his lack of cover. White shifted her sleeping position when he plopped down onto the bed, and Ash yawned.
"Still awake?" he murmured, snuggling into the bed.
"Yeah," the response came, causing Ash to look at the girl. White looked lazily at him, her eyes half open with drowsiness. Her features were much nicer when they weren't scrunched up with hostility, Ash observed, and although she hadn't taken a shower, her face was still free of dirt or grime.
"Didn't I tell you not to leer at me?" White whispered.
Ash blinked. The tone wasn't laced with hostility or spite like the last time she had snapped at him, in fact, this time it was almost teasing. A wry smile danced across her face.
The boy shivered and looked away. "Sorry."
A nice silence descended upon them, interrupted only by the steady intervals of Misty's snores. Ash watched the shadows in front of him as they seemed to curl around his fingers, leaving ghostly sensations tingling across his bare skin. That wasn't good. Ash wasn't supposed to feel shadows.
"Misty told me about you," White muttered, drawing Ash's attention away from the shadows. He turned to face her. "Your father is Red?"
"Ash Ketchum," the boy sighed, not enjoying the topic of his estranged father. "Yup."
For a terrible second, Ash thought that the trainer was going to make a joke at his expense about his father, but the soft response that came instead surprised him. "That must be tough."
Ash gave her a wordless, confused stare as White elaborated. "I mean, it must be tough being the son of a champion, with all the expectations and the pressure to be great."
The boy nodded, understanding her point. "I guess that's why I introduce myself as just Ash to other people."
"Makes sense," White admitted, turning onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. "Were you two… close?"
Ash remembered memories, long-gone wisps of cherished moments flashing through his head. Sadness washed over him in gentle waves. "Yeah," he answered, hating how his voice shuddered, "he taught me a lot about pokemon."
"That's nice," the girl breathed. She seemed to be off in her own thoughts, so Ash didn't say anything. Another silence fell over them, but this time Ash felt awkward. Why was she asking all these questions? Mentally shrugging, Ash rolled onto his side away from White and attempted to sleep.
The solitary nightlight threw shadows around the room and they danced merrily, twirling around him and caressing his body. With a swipe of his finger, the shadows sunk away into their corners. A chill went through his spine as he did this; were they following his command or did they have a mind of its own?
"My family lived in Nuvema Town," White suddenly began. Her voice sounded just like how Ash felt: melancholic and homesick. "Professor Juniper gave me a Snivy as a starter when I got my trainer's license. I wanted to travel the world, but my mom was adamant in forcing me to stay in the small town while my dad encouraged me to follow my dreams."
Ash was quiet for a moment. "What happened next?"
"Well," the girl murmured, "my dad and my mom fought. They said that everything was fine, but I knew better. They got divorced. Apparently it was an ongoing fight, but – I don't know." She laughed bitterly, and Ash turned around to look at her.
"I'm sorry," Ash said, not sure how to handle the situation.
"Don't be," she scoffed. "It was their fault. Mom took my brother and moved to Sinnoh. My dad stayed with me for a while, but then he just disappeared."
"He just left?"
"Yeah, he did; without any warning, too. Professor Juniper offered me a place to stay, but I took that as my cue to start my adventure," White told him, spitting out the word adventure like poison.
After a brief respite in their conversation, Ash spoke up. "I know what it's like. It sucks."
White let out a short laugh. "You can say that again."
"Hey, you're not the only one with a bad start. I began my adventure without a starter." He flipped around to look at White, who stared at him with wide blue eyes. "Professor Oak gave me an empty pokeball. I guess it was my fault, since I woke up late."
"What pokemon did you want?" White wondered.
Ash smiled wistfully. "A Pikachu, since my dad had one. But I'm happy with Bagon – she's better than I could ever ask her to be."
He waited for a response, the pensive look on her face keeping the trainer quiet. "Did you set out with a goal?"
Taken back by the sudden question, Ash took a moment to respond. "Well, I was too angry at first to do anything but train. Ever since I was a little kid, I've always wanted to become a Pokemon Master."
As he expected, White laughed at his statement, but Ash trudged on. "Now though, I guess I have more concrete goals, like getting all of the gym badges in all of the regions. Right now, my biggest one is winning the Indigo Plateau Conference."
White rolled her eyes. "So ambitious, but ambition is a good thing. I just set out to become the best, but after a few years the dream slowly faded away when reality hit me. Progress slows until there is nothing left but hardcore training."
Ash frowned at the sobering words, and his excitement bubbled down. The girl continued, "Some trainers train for decades, hoping to win a league conference only to be defeated by a trainer who just seems to have a natural gift with pokemon. Your dad was a phenomenon because he didn't even bother winning the Indigo Conference, he went straight to the Elite Four and defeated them all when he was still a teen."
"I know the story," Ash attempted interjecting, but White could not be stopped.
"Have you ever seen him battle?" the Unovan trainer pressed, fire and passion resonating in her voice. "He doesn't talk. He understands his pokemon and they understand him, too. Beads of sweat would drip down his face while he did nothing but watch as his pokemon decimated everything in their path. I saw replays and watched them over and over again and I thought that I could one day match his level, but now I realize that I just don't have the natural talent."
"Of course you do," the boy responded almost immediately, not really filtering the words that came out of his mouth. "Don't think like that."
"But it's true," White pointed out. "Think about it. Pokemon are only a reflection of their trainer. They can only be great if their trainer can be. Red had a connection with his pokemon. It's something that ordinary people can't really replicate."
She let loose a small breath, and her eyes furrowed as if she were frustrated.
"I think you're not giving yourself enough credit," Ash told her. "You were really good in the final when you fought in the Indigo Conference a few years back. A rookie in her first year of training as the runner-up of the competition? That was amazing."
"Sure…" White relented, "but I didn't win, did I?"
When Ash opened his mouth to say something, White interrupted him. "Can we talk about something else?"
"Yeah, of course," Ash muttered, squirming slightly to get comfortable. A silence fell over them, and he was suddenly reminded of the Pokegear in his pocket.
A surge of feeling rushed over him – regret and nervousness amongst them. His earlier idea of calling his mom resounded in his mind. Earlier, near the start of his journey, Ash had blocked his mother's number. Maybe… maybe that was too harsh. Maybe he should –
"What's wrong?" White's voice dispelled his thoughts.
"Nothing," he lied, and it probably sounded as unconvincing to her as it did to him. "It's just… I don't know. I was really mad, and I did something rash."
She waited for him to elaborate on that thought, so he did. It was probably something about the late hour and the company that made him feel introspective. "The professor and my mom, they both thought that I wasn't ready, that I was too inexperienced. And I guess that they were right. I was going into the wild with just a pokeball. I was… mad. I think I still am. But I said and did some things for a long time after that were kind of immature, I guess."
"Don't sweat it," White picked up the second he stopped talking, "you're just ten, aren't you? Emotions are hard to control. They can make you lash out at people that you'd rather not. But you know what I think?"
He turned on his side to look at her. "What?"
"Prove them wrong," she said quietly, but there was a certain fire in her voice that sent shivers down Ash's spine. "You're still alive right now, aren't you? I mean, you're lugging around two dragons and a ghost but they listen to you. Show them that you were ready. That's what I did. I'm not much about leagues or anything, but I wanted to prove something. Find a powerful enough drive, and anything could happen, even…"
Her voice trailed off, and she stayed silent. Ash decided to not push her, and instead he moved onto another topic of conversation. "You should be like this more often."
White blinked, processing what he just said.
"I mean, it's more likeable," Ash struggled, trying to find words that wouldn't offend her. "On the road, or whenever there are any people, you're… not so nice"—Ash mentally chastised himself for putting it that bluntly—"and I don't like that. At all. But when you're like this, I really – "
Ash's eyes widened as he realized what he was just about to say, and he buried his face into the pillow. Though he couldn't see White, he heard her chuckle. "Yeah. Noted. G'night, Ash."
"Good night." The words came out muffled.
– Ω –
Vermillion City's gym was a large and impressive structure, with lightning bolts protruding like spikes from the building's edges. White and Misty had gone out somewhere, leaving Ash alone to challenge the gym.
Ash subconsciously tapped the three pokeballs hanging at his belt before sliding through the glass doors, mentally gasping at the huge amount of room the gym possessed. It was like a warehouse; giant, fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling in rows as the sounds of trainers and pokemon battling each other echoed off of the large walls.
Nobody paid him any attention as he walked silently towards a large crowd gathered around a battle. Squeezing his way to the front, Ash's efforts were rewarded when he spotted the tall, militaristic man battling another kid who looked a bit older than Ash.
It wasn't much of a battle, really. Lt. Surge's Raichu was sweeping the opponent's pokemon without any effort at all, using powerful electric attacks like Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave to decimate the poor challenger's pokemon. The crowd cringed and cheered as the electric-type showed off, blasting a Pidgeot straight out of the sky.
Not surprisingly, the battle was over soon. With a loud laugh and a hard clap on the shoulder, Lt. Surge told the kid to scram and come back when he was stronger if he really wanted to get the Thunder Badge. There didn't seem to be anything soft about the man; he was tough, loud, and blunt.
"Is there another challenger?" Surge cheered, cracking his knuckles. "Because Raichu is ready to fry another kid's dreams!"
Nobody stepped out. The Raichu stared straight at Ash with a smug grin, as if it knew what Ash was thinking at the moment. Lt. Surge noticed what his pokemon was looking at and stared straight at Ash before laughing and picking him up with one arm. Without any effort at all, Surge dropped Ash off at the challenger's box on the battlefield.
"Raichu smells a challenger!" Surge boomed, making the crowd laugh heartily. Ash, while not liking being thrown about like a rag doll, admired the way that the crowd seemed to love every word that came out of the man's mouth. "What is your name?"
"Ash, from Pallet Town," the boy responded easily, feeling the eyes of the entire crowd on him, beginning to sweat under the intense scrutiny. The Gym Leader stared at him blankly for a second, eyes clicking with realization. He knew, Ash realized with horror. Surge knew who he really was.
"Another Pallet Town newbie!" the man roared, a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. He was cautious, the trainer realized. "Get ready to be fried!"
The pun was horrendous, but the entire crowd laughed and enjoyed it nevertheless. To Ash's surprised, the lieutenant withdrew Raichu and sent out a ball-shaped pokemon with red top and a white bottom.
"A Voltorb," Ash muttered to himself, priming a pokeball. He tossed it a few feet in front of him, and with a bright flash, Charmander appeared, snorting flames and yawning. He took a few seconds to figure out where he was at, noticing the plain League-approved field.
"Ladies first," the older man taunted, earning a chorus of laughs from the group of people watching them.
"Hit him where it hurts," Ash called, face burning up with embarrassment, "Ember."
Charmander shot out a small plume of flame towards Voltorb, who didn't have enough time to dodge. The attack hit the pokemon straight in the face, if it were to have one. Since Charmander had become much stronger, Ember no longer required a build up to use and so he could use the move much quicker and easier than before. Flamethrower, on the other hand, took a lengthy build up to use.
"Sonic Boom!" Surge roared. His pokemon complied and let out a horrendously loud screech, making Ash clutch his ears in pain. Charmander winced at the loud sound and stumbled a little bit, a weakness that the Gym Leader capitalized on. "Tackle!"
The ball pokemon rolled forward with surprising speed towards Charmander, who was still clutching his head in pain. "Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled, attempting to get Charmander to hear him. The lizard pokemon didn't hear him and was struck by the rolling sphere, tumbling backwards a little bit.
Snarling with annoyance, Charmander blasted an angry plume of flame towards the electric type pokemon. Voltorb avoided the attack and rolled away, using its spherical form to easily navigate the field.
"Tackle," both trainers commanded at the same time. Ash spared a look at the Gym Leader, keeping an eye on the two pokemon charging towards each other. Surge had a weird expression on his face, staring down the younger trainer with scrutinizing eyes.
"Jump," Ash barked, watching as the two pokemon neared collision. Charmander followed his order and jumped over Voltorb, landing behind the ball pokemon. "Fire Fang!"
Surge kept his cool as Charmander sprang towards his pokemon, fire erupting from the lizard pokemon's mouth. With a lackadaisical grin, the Gym Leader muttered, "Sonic Boom."
Ash's hands instinctively went up to his ears, gritting his teeth when he saw Charmander take the full blast of Voltorb's furious screech. The resilient little pokemon showed no sign of pain and clamped his flame-covered fangs right into Voltorb's skin. Without another command, Charmander's orange stomach glowed red, signifying the use of some fire attack as flames enveloped Voltorb's body. With a strange scream, the ball pokemon instinctively sent a flood of electricity straight into Charmander's body. The force of the attack sent the small lizard sprawling, but it was too late. The damage was done.
Voltorb was returned to Surge's pokeball, covered in nasty burn wounds and a large gash where Charmander's teeth were when he used Fire Fang. Charmander rose on wobbling legs, sparks of electricity still arcing through his body. He tried to move, but an arc of electricity shot out of his body and held him in place. The pokemon let loose a spout of flame in annoyance, attempting to move but failing due to Voltorb's final paralyzing blow.
"Charmander, return. You did a good job." Ash offered a smile at his pokemon before returning Charmander, clipping his pokeball back to his belt. He tapped thoughtfully at his remaining pokemons, Haunter and Bagon, thinking about which one he should use.
In the end, Ash decided that Haunter needed some training. Although she was strong, she didn't have as much experience in battling in an official match.
With a flash, the ghost was released. It really didn't surprise Ash when Haunter giggled, did a few flips in the air, and turned around to face Ash just to give the trainer a snarky grin. He was a little bit accustomed to the ghost's antics, but Haunter's airy giggle still sent shivers down his back.
"Ooh, a ghost!" Surge grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Haven't seen many young trainers with the balls to handle a ghost. Let's take him on, Pikachu!"
Ash ground his teeth together when he saw Surge's next pokemon. An oversized Pikachu stared at him, cocking its head slightly with a bemused expression. Although small, Pikachus were definitely not a pokemon to underestimate. Pikachu was a pokemon that proved that appearance or size didn't matter when it came to battling.
"Thundershock!" Surge started, pointing towards Haunter in an exaggerated, comical manner. The crowd laughed at the gesture and Ash allowed himself a small grin.
Pikachu gave its famous cry and let loose a wave of electricity. Before Ash could say anything, Haunter dissipated and the attack passed right through her. She cackled and zoomed right at Pikachu, bringing her fist backwards for a Sucker Punch. What happened next was unexpected.
Pikachu used Quick Attack and sprinted straight through Haunter, completely dodging the attack. The normal type move had no effect on Haunter's ghost typing, but it helped Pikachu completely avoid Haunter's Sucker Punch. Haunter's fist collided with nothing, and, with a snarl, the ghost fired a thick tendril of darkness straight towards the pokemon too quick for the eye to really see. It caught Pikachu off guard, but the pokemon's small size and reflexes allowed it to turn to the side and redirect most of the blow.
"Thunderbolt!" Surge yelled. "Let's zap this punk!"
"Power through it with Night Shade," Ash told the ghost, wondering what to do next. Pikachu was obviously too fast to try to hit with a physical attack, but there was one strategy that just might work…
The two attacks met in the center of the field, neither attack more powerful than the other. A small explosion of energy burst forth from the two attacks colliding, sending dust flying in all directions.
"Haunter," Ash yelled over the cheering crowd, "Sucker Punch."
A small giggle told Ash that somehow the ghost had heard his instructions. When the dust cleared, Ash saw Haunter sail towards Pikachu, her hand glowing with otherworldly power. The Pikachu tensed, ready to use Quick Attack to fly straight through Haunter.
Ash held his breath. "You know what's coming, Haunter. Grab it and use Hypnosis!"
Before Surge can give any other sort of command, Pikachu had already sprung towards Haunter. This time, however, Haunter snatched the little mouse straight out of the air and pinned it to the ground, her eyes locking with the electric pokemon's. There wasn't any signal that a move was being used, but the two pokemon weren't moving, a mental battle surging between the two pokemon.
Pikachu lost and gave in to the darkness, yawning and closing its eyes. Haunter seamlessly began eating the pokemon's dreams, an odd psychic connection forming between the two pokemon. It was still a little bit hard to watch as the Pikachu squirmed on the ground, shuddering and grasping at nothingness. The color was slowly draining from the mouse's face, turning into a pale shade of yellow as its dreams were slowly consumed and turned into nightmares.
With a growl, Surge returned Pikachu, a hard expression on his face. No trainer liked to watch the life slowly get sucked out of their helpless pokemon.
"It's not often that I'm backed into a corner like this," Surge admitted, a dangerous smile on his face. "Raichu! Show 'em what true power is!"
Ash wasn't sure if that was an intentional pun or not, but the crowd laughed and cheered all the same. He felt his heart beat a little faster at the thought of all the people watching him, analyzing him, scrutinizing his every move. Steeling his nerves, Ash shook off most of the uneasiness. Haunter could battle for a little bit more, but using Hypnosis in particular really drained the ghost.
With a flash of light, Lt. Surge's Raichu appeared, a hulking beast of a pokemon. Typical Raichu were two and a half feet tall, but this one was easily over three feet tall. Its ears stood straight up, indicating that the Raichu currently possessed a dangerous amount of electricity. Its tail hit the ground, discharging electricity and leaving scorch marks behind.
"Be careful, Haunter," Ash warned, thinking of ways to take down Surge's pokemon. "Don't get too close."
Vermillion's Gym Leader didn't waste any time. "Thunder!"
There was a pause. Then, a massive crack of thunder nearly tore open Ash's eardrums, bolts of lightning streaming out of the pokemon's body. The flash was too bright for Ash to see anything – all he saw was whiteness and a constant ringing sound in his ears gave him no clue on Haunter's condition. Even though she was a ghost, that massive thunderbolt would've fried anything in its path.
His vision slowly cleared. With unbelieving eyes, Ash gazed upon Haunter's unconscious body. His jaw slightly hung open as Ash comprehended what just happened: Raichu had just one-hit KO'd his Haunter.
Ash returned Haunter to her pokeball, still in a daze as he clipped the pokeball to his belt. The trainer knew that Haunter's defense was pretty low, but that attack from Raichu was just insanely overpowered. He wondered whether or not Surge's Raichu had badly injured any pokemon before.
Gritting his teeth, Ash grabbed the brim of his hat and turned it backward, balling his hands into fists. Blood surged through his veins.
"Bagon, let's go," the trainer said, revealing his final pokemon. Bagon's shiny form appeared after a bright flash, earning whistles and cheers from the crowd. Some people stared at the rare pokemon, murmuring to themselves.
Something akin to anger bubbled in Ash's stomach. Raichu didn't have to go so overboard with its attack – Haunter could've really been hurt. Almost coincidentally, Bagon growled and pawed at the ground with her stubby arms, snorting in anger as if she could sense and sympathize with her trainer's emotions.
"Raichu," Surge called, a smile ensnaring his face, "Thunder!"
This time, Ash was prepared. "Flamethrower to deflect it, then get out of there."
Ash averted his eyes as Raichu unleashed its devastating attack. The flash of white wasn't as bad as it was last time, but it still forced Ash to shut his eyes. There was an explosion somewhere, causing the battlefield to rumble. The trainer opened his eyes and squinted to see what had happened.
There was a crater and a circle of flames around it. Apparently, Raichu's Thunder and Bagon's Flamethrower had collided in the middle and created an explosion, but Bagon had not come out unscathed; a few arcs of electricity sparked from the pokemon's body, showing that a portion of the attack had hit her.
Surge grunted, slightly annoyed. "Thunderpunch!"
Raichu took off towards Bagon, its fist cackling with electricity. It was then that Ash had realized Raichu's primary weakness; its lack of speed. The electric type lumbered around, moving awkwardly.
"Stop it with Rock Tomb," Ash told his pokemon, "then close the distance and use Dragon Claw."
The ground underneath Raichu cracked and large boulders rose up to intercept the electric type. Like the tank it was, Raichu took the hit and powered through the boulders, stumbling only a little bit when a rock hit its underbelly. Bagon used Raichu's little trip up to her advantage, sprinting forward at full speed and slashing at the pokemon's stomach with Dragon Claw. Surge's pokemon growled in annoyance and swung its fist with all of its might. Bagon ducked under Raichu's Thunderpunch and rolled away, putting distance between the two battlers.
"Don't give Raichu an opportunity to use Thunder," Ash warned, knowing that Raichu's ranged attacks were more powerful than Bagon's. "Iron Head."
Bagon sped off, rapidly closing in towards Raichu as Surge gave his own command: "Thunder! Fry that dragon!"
Raichu cackled with electricity, about to fire another overpowered bolt of lightning. Ash shut his eyes in preparation, but no overwhelming flash of light came. Instead, the trainer heard a large crash and opened his eyes to see Raichu sail through the air, landing on the ground with a hard thud. The pokemon's Iron Head had disrupted Raichu's Thunder and threw the electric type off of its feet.
The crowd cheered and applauded even when Ash didn't do anything particularly impressive – all he had done was tell Bagon to use Iron Head. Raichu didn't get up, a large bruise already forming on its stomach after taking a hit that could smash boulders to smithereens. With an interesting look in his eye, Surge withdrew Raichu and Ash followed suit, offering his dragon some praise before returning Bagon.
"Congratulations," the Gym Leader said while walking towards Ash, "you've won the Thunder Badge, fair-and-square." A small buzz of excitement grew in the pit of his stomach at the realization that he had just defeated Surge.
The huge man handed him Ash's third badge. The Thunder Badge was in the shape of a golden star with an orange octagon in the middle of it, a nice, golden shine glowing from the badge. The trainer pocketed the badge and looked back up at Vermillion's Gym Leader.
"I know who you are, Ketchum," Surge muttered under his breath just loud enough for Ash to hear, "and you should know that we're always watching."
A sinking feeling penetrated his thoughts as the Gym Leader clapped him on the back, loudly declared that he was going to need to rest his pokemon before accepting new challengers. With that, Surge strode through the crowd and disappeared through the Gym doors.
The crowd dispersed, leaving Ash alone on the battlefield except for a kid wearing a hoodie. The person clapped slowly, and although the hood managed to obscure most of the kid's features, Ash felt as though the kid was strangely familiar. Heavy with apprehension, Ash offered a meager, "Hello?"
The person chuckled, throwing his hood back. "Strange seeing you here, Ashy-boy."
Ash blanched, taking a step back in shock as he recognized his childhood best friend turned rival and tormenter. Memories washed over him like a roaring tsunami, crashing, tumbling, making the trainer clench his fist. Gary's face was still as indifferent as usual, only a twitch in his eye betraying his inner turmoil.
"Gary," Ash greeted, unsure of what to say.
The other trainer nodded, allowing a silence to thicken the already tense air in between them. They stared at each other, daring the other to step down.
"I'm better than you," Gary began suddenly. His voice was forced. "I got my own starter. You didn't."
Something akin to pure rage turned Ash's vision red, and he took a step towards the Oak. "Screw you, Gary."
The trainer laughed dangerously. "I didn't loose a single pokemon when I thrashed Surge. You barely won. Think about it. I've always been ahead of you in everything that we did."
The words really struck home, mainly because they were true. Ash grit his teeth, thinking of a comeback, but nothing came. There was one card against Gary that Ash possessed, but he wasn't going to bring it up. Yet.
"Now you have nothin' to say, huh? What do they call us these days, Ash, Pallet's prodigies? But the thing is," he paused, sending Ash a predatory grin, "there's nothin' prodigal about you at all."
Ash opened his mouth to retort, but snapped it shut when he realized that he didn't have a plausible response to Gary's jab.
"I heard about Lavender Town," Gary continued with his monologue, "they called you a goddamned hero. But how can the Ghost King of Lavender be a hero when even the smallest thunderbolts use to make him scream?"
"Gary," Ash began, a warning tone in his voice, "don't go there."
His rival shook his head. "But I am, Ashy-boy. I'm diggin' into the past."
"You're an ass," the darker haired boy said simply.
Gary's hands closed into fists and he clenched his jaw. Six pokeballs dangled at his belt – a full team. Of course Gary would already have assembled six pokemon. White's words from before echoed in his head: Two months and you've only caught three pokemon? By this time, I already had my full team.
The Oak took a step closer. "And you're a pussy. Scared of everyone and everything."
Ash's lips curled up into an admittedly malicious smile. "Didn't seem to matter to your grandfather. Or Daisy. Or May."
Okay, Ash had to admit that that was a low blow of savage proportions. But Gary had a knack for bringing out the worst, most vengeful and petty side of Ash, just like Ash could easily bring out Gary's arrogance and bullying tendencies without any effort at all. They made a poisonous combination.
Professor Oak, Ash knew, loved Gary as much as he could. He loved him as much as any grandfather would love his grandson. But Ash knew that, as a pokemon professor, the old man favored Ash more – which made it all the more grating that the professor didn't have a starter for him. Daisy, Gary's sibling, always thought he was a brat and instead babied Ash, treating him like a surrogate brother.
May… was a completely different story. It doesn't matter, anyways, Ash thought, bitterly, she left.
The look on Gary's face told Ash that he'd struck a cord. He knew Gary well enough to play him like a piano, but unfortunately the opposite of that was also true. "If Gramps actually did care about you, he would've saved you a starter," Gary shot back, but his face was turning red. "I, on the other hand, got the best Squirtle he had."
Arceus, that ticked Ash off. He was ready to slug the kid in the face. "Fight me," he said rashly, unclipping Bagon's pokeball and priming it.
"I was waitin' for that," Gary snarled, backing up and unclipping one of his own pokeballs. "You're so easy to read, Ash. Like a pathetic, butt-hurt little boy."
"Bagon," Ash called, and in a brilliant flash of light, the young dragon appeared. As if sensing the hostility between the two trainers, she snarled at Gary.
"I'm gonna fuck you up with just one pokemon," the other kid cussed. "There's no way that you'll win. Destroy them, Wartortle!" Gary's temper was flaring again. Ever since he was young, the curse words would only slip out when Gary got mad – which was, sadly, fairly often.
The turtle pokemon growled upon its release, shaking its furry eyebrows and tail. On its shell, Ash could clearly see the scars from previous battles; the pokemon from the Squirtle evolution line tended to wear those scars with pride. It must have been used in a lot of battles.
"Hone Claws," Ash instructed, and Bagon's small arms glinted briefly. Before he could say anything else, a torrent of water came rushing at the bipedal creature. Without any need for Ash to say dodge, Bagon rolled to the right and began rapidly closing the distance between the two pokemon. Ash wasn't that worried about Bagon getting hit by any special attacks; the most powerful ranged move a normal Wartortle would know would be Water Pulse, and dragon-types were resistant towards water-type moves anyways.
"What a unique pokemon to see in Kanto," Gary muttered, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Bagon – dragon type, right? Then, Wartortle"—Ash's blood froze with trepidation, praying that Gary wasn't going to say what Ash feared he was about to say—"use Ice Beam."
Bagon, sprinting right at Gary's Wartortle, was smashed in the shoulder by a thin beam of ice. She howled in pain and hit the ground hard, sliding to a stop before Wartortle's feet. Running that quickly and getting shot in the shoulder by such a powerful attack must've made the dragon pokemon spin out of control.
A tsk, tsk, tsk sound came from Gary's throat, and he shook his head. "It's obviously its first time gettin' hit by an ice attack. I pity it for havin' such an incompetent trainer."
Ash's hands shook, and he couldn't tell whether or not it was out of anger or fear – fear of losing to Gary.
Bagon snarled and stood back up, catching Gary's Wartortle off guard. "Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled, and he noted that it was probably the first time he had actually shouted during a pokemon battle. Strangely, Ash found himself feeling panicked, something that never happened to him before. Sure, he'd felt nervous before, especially when he was about to square off against a Gym Leader, but panicked? Never once until now.
The dragon pokemon delivered a vicious slash to the turtle and it stumbled backwards. Ash wasn't going to let it release another Ice Beam, so he told Bagon to get in close and smash it with Iron Head. Bagon instantly jumped forward, head lowered, and slammed into the torso of the turtle pokemon.
"Take the hit!" Gary shouted, taking a step forward and pointing his finger at Ash's pokemon. "Then shoot it point-blank with Ice Beam!"
Ash fired an order as quickly as he could spit the words out of his mouth. "Dodge, then Double Team – Bagon!"
Bagon rolled under the initial Ice Beam and split into two copies, one fake and one real, but the Double Team didn't matter at all to Wartortle. The laser-like Ice Beam cut through both images, and Bagon took a sustained Ice Beam at point-blank range right into her face. She was knocked onto her back by the force behind the super-effective attack, but Wartortle didn't relent in its assault. The Ice Beam sprayed forth and the dragon screamed in agony.
"Gary, stop!" Ash pleaded, choosing the health of his pokemon over his pride. With a smug expression, Gary called for the turtle pokemon to stop its attack, and Bagon stumbled to her feet, rocking back and forth slightly. She tried to make another attempt to hit Wartortle with a Dragon Claw, but it was obvious that the only thing keeping her standing was sheer will. If she got hit by another attack, she'd be done for.
"It's alright, Bagon, take a rest," Ash soothed, returning his pokemon. Then, after Bagon disappeared, he narrowed his eyes at Gary. "How did your Wartortle already learn Ice Beam?"
"TMs," the other shrugged, allowing a wicked smile to cross his face. "When I heard that you were runnin' amok with a Bagon, I instantly picked up a couple of Ice Beams – ya know, just to be safe. Though, to be honest, I thought you were gonna be better than this."
Ash's teeth grated against each other, and he primed Haunter's pokeball. Then, he remembered that Surge's Raichu had KO'd her, which left him with a paralyzed Charmander to go up against Wartortle. It was a battle the Ash was definitely going to lose, but something about just giving up against Gary made Ash's blood turn to fire. Bagon would have been able to take out Wartortle had Gary not used Ice Beam, but it was Ash's fault to underestimate the Oak like that. With his near limitless cash supply, it made sense that Gary would go out and buy a bunch of TMs. It was what any smart trainer would do.
"Charmander, it's all you," he said. The fire pokemon burst out of his pokeball and took one look at the water pokemon before letting loose a roar.
Gary flat-out laughed, putting his hands on his knees and ducking his head down. "Oh Arceus," he chuckled, running a hand through his ridiculously spiked hair, "this is a joke. Hose 'em down, Wartortle. Don't even take him out at once. Take your time."
Charmander cried out in indignation, sending a few puffs of fire into the air. "Smokescreen – cover up the whole area," Ash started, and the little lizard pokemon followed his command. The entire battlefield was quickly fogged up, and Ash could barely discern the two outlines of the dueling pokemon.
A jet of water was fired out of Wartortle's mouth and Charmander barely dodged it, but it was immediately followed up with another spurt of water. Ash's pokemon squeaked and jumped as Wartortle kept on firing bursts of water at his feet.
"Yes, that's right!" Ash heard Gary laugh, and the sound of clapping hands made it through the fog. "Make it dance, Wartortle!"
"Smokescreen one more time, then get in close and use Dragon Claw, once you do that get out of there and repeat," Ash said lowly, making sure that Gary couldn't hear what he said while the Oak was laughing. Charmander nodded in reply and filled the battleground with a smoke so thick that he couldn't even see their outlines anymore.
There was a sound of a pokemon crying out in pain, and due to Gary's enraged WHAT!? Ash could tell that Charmander landed a clean hit against Wartortle. Listening to Ash's previous command, there was a hissing sound as a new Smokescreen replaced the fading smoke. Though he couldn't really see what was going on, he could tell that Wartortle was actively trying to watch where Charmander would attack from since it wasn't spewing out random gouts of water anymore.
Another enraged cry from Wartortle told Ash that Charmander had successfully struck again, and his heart swelled with hope. Maybe Charmander, using this method, could actually take out Gary's Wartortle. Even if he could just take out one pokemon –
There was a faint screech and the sound of electricity cackling. The haze faded, and Ash saw why Charmander didn't use Smokescreen again. The fire-type tried moving, but tendrils of electricity arced through his body and immobilized it. The paralysis from earlier, Ash recalled, sucking in a breath.
Wartortle, having reacquired its target, fired a large halo of water that smacked the unmoving form of Charmander square in the chest. He fell backwards from the brute force of the attack and screamed so loudly that even Gary flinched, but Wartortle unmercifully sprayed the fire-type down with jets after jets after jets of water until Ash finally managed to get a good grip on Charmander's pokeball. The flailing fire-type was recalled with a beam of red light.
The two trainers stayed silent for a moment, and it took Ash a moment to realize that he was breathing heavily, as if he'd just run a mile. Gary had an unfathomable look on his face, but he didn't gloat in victory like Ash thought that he would. Instead, he just stared at Ash with neutral eyes, and Ash found himself unable to pinpoint the emotion on the Oak's face even after knowing him for all of his life.
"That," Gary finally said, recalling Wartortle into a white Premier Ball, "was pathetic."
With those condemning words, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the gym, waiting for the automatic glass doors to slide open before turning his head. Ash already knew what he was going to say before the boy opened his mouth. "Smell ya' later, Ashy-boy."
Then the doors clicked shut.
– Ω –
Before Ash knew it, the sun had already set and the coastal city lit up in an unmistakably beautiful array of light.
Bagon, Haunter, and Charmander were all resting up at the Pokemon Center. After giving those three to the nurse stationed there, Ash wandered out listlessly. He didn't know why or where he was going, but Ash just wanted to… get out. Escape.
But from who? his mind mentally chattered.
Shrugging at no one in particular, Ash continued his idle walking, cruising by souvenir shops and staring at the little trinkets. He didn't bother to keep a track on time, and he'd left his Pokegear back at his room in the Pokemon Center. The only reason that Ash realized that it was getting late was when the sun's light was gone and replaced by the ones on the street lamps.
The trainer sat down on a bench and leaned his head backwards, staring up at the sky. Due to the city's light pollution, he couldn't see the stars in the sky like he would in Pallet Town.
Ash sighed, deeply, and buried his face in his hands.
He knew who he was trying to avoid. Ash couldn't bear to face his pokemon after failing them like that. Starting from Bagon getting hit completely unprepared by an Ice Beam and not factoring in Charmander's paralysis, Ash had repeatedly failed in the battle against Gary. Although Ash knew that he was probably being too harsh on himself, the loss to Gary still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Pathetic. Incompetent. Those were the words that Gary used to describe him.
For a scary moment, he felt doubtful of himself. That battle was a one-sided curbstomp dished out by Gary. He didn't even manage to take out one of his pokemon, and even if Ash somehow managed to take out Wartortle, Gary had another five pokemon to back it up.
I'm better than you.
Yeah, he is, Ash thought, groaning. He stared at nothing in particular, not even noticing a certain pissed off redhead stomping in his direction until a hand smacked across his cheek.
"Ash!" Misty roared, putting her hands on her hips. "Where the hell have you been? I tried calling you on your Pokegear, but you left that in your room – White and I thought that you'd probably have gone to Surge's gym but he said that you challenged him hours ago, your pokemon are still at the Pokemon Center and I don't even know what you were thinking…"
Her words trailed off into white noise as Ash had a sudden epiphany. Misty's slap in the face certainty did wonders.
Pathetic. Incompetent. Those were the words that Gary used to describe him. But, Ash decided, balling his hands into fists, he's wrong. I'm the son of a champion. I've got that blood running through my veins. What Gary said about being better than me… it might be true right now, but it sure as hell won't be in the future!
"Misty," Ash said suddenly, knocking her out of her rant by standing up, "everyone expects me to be a good trainer, right? Since I'm the son of Red?"
"Yeah, I guess," she answered honestly, but then her eyes narrowed. "Wait, were you listening to me at all – "
"Then I'm not going to disappoint them," Ash stated, feeling a wonderful energy pound through his chest. It was rousing, in a sense. "I'm going to be the best, Misty. I don't care how many times I lose, I don't care how many people put me down – I will not stop until that is a reality. I will never give up. I'll become the best and prove all of them wrong!"
There was a beat of silence after his triumphant claim.
"Look, that's great and all," she said, frowning, "but where did that come from?"
Ash blinked and realized that he'd pretty much broken out into a rather loud self-proclamation on a fairly crowded street. His face turned red from embarrassment, and he sat back down on the bench. Whatever energetic feeling he had was quickly put down by Misty's sobering words, but Ash believed what he had said.
That was the goal that he had set out with. Nothing was going to stop him from being a Pokemon Master.
"Mist," Ash whispered, ignoring all the strange looks that he was getting, "let's get back to the Pokemon Center and rest for the night. Do you have anything you've still got to do?"
"No, I got everything taken care of," the girl shared in an equally low tone. The duo started to walk back in the direction of the Pokemon Center, and when they passed by one of the seaside stands, Misty suddenly ran up to the little kiosk.
"Ash, check it out!" she shouted excitedly, picking up what seemed to be a bracelet covered in seashells and jewels. "Isn't it beautiful?"
The light reflected off of the green jade in pretty ways, sure, but there wasn't anything that special about it. Ash tactfully refrained from saying that, and looking at the price tag, he found that it was actually quite cheap. "Do you like it?"
"I-I mean," Misty stuttered, setting it down, "it's just a bracelet, that's all."
Ash allowed a small chuckle. Her previous excitement indicated the exact opposite of what she'd just said. And, because Ash was feeling like a generous person and rather giddy after his epiphany of sorts, he offered, "I'll buy it."
Despite Misty's spluttering protests, Ash fished out a wad of cash and handed it to the cashier, taking the bracelet in his hands and giving it to the ex-Gym Leader. She immediately put it on and stretched out her arms, admiring the way it looked like a kid admiring a new toy that they really wanted.
Then, she seemed to catch what she was doing and crossed her arms, huffing, "You didn't have to buy it for me, idiot."
Who knew calling someone an idiot could sound so endearing, Ash mused. The pleased look and soft smile on Misty's face made up for her words, and Ash resumed walking back towards the Pokemon Center.
When he didn't hear Misty running to catch up with him, Ash took a quick look back at her. She was still staring at the bracelet with a wide smile on her face. Under the light from the street lamp, Ash could see a soft, red tint on her cheeks, but that could've easily been imagined. Nevertheless, the image of a genuinely smiling Misty next to the ocean was tucked into Ash's mind, right in the folder titled Things I Don't Want to Forget.
"Hurry up," Ash called, snapping Misty out of her reverie. She instantly caught up to him, and the two walked in a comfortable silence. When Ash checked to see if she was still there, he caught Misty looking at him with another soft smile. Feeling his own cheeks rapidly heat up, Ash looked away, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.
When Ash and Misty finally arrived at the Pokemon Center, he quickly took back Haunter, Charmander, and Bagon from the nurse and reattached their pokeballs to his belt. Ascending quickly to their room, the two found White messing around with her Pokedex.
"White, whatcha looking at?" Misty greeted, two trainers looking at the object in their older companion's hands.
"Nothing," she snapped, hiding away her Pokedex. Before she could fully conceal it, Ash saw the page that she was looking at – Bagon's evolutionary line. He decided not to bring it up, however. Then, White turned her eyes to Ash and gave him a smoldering glare. "Where have you been?"
"Out," he answered simply.
Misty decided to elaborate upon that. "I found him moping around in the shopping district. Whatever weird mood he was in, I think that I managed to slap it out of him."
Ash nodded, about to sink into the bed when Misty roughly shoved him off. "Noo! These beds are clean! Go shower your filth off and then come back."
"Fair enough," the boy conceded, grabbing a spare change of clothes from his backpack and ducking into the bathroom. After a quick shower, he took a look at himself in the mirror and shuddered at the dark marks on his skin, and the fractal lines running from his shoulder pulsed with his heartbeat. Without a second to spare, Ash quickly threw some clothes on and stepped back out of the bathroom.
Misty went in immediately after him, threatening to kill him if he so much as stepped within a foot of the bathroom door. By now, Ash was already sort of used to that, so he didn't try to come up with a snappy retort.
He plopped down onto his bed, fully aware of the sudden fatigue that was setting down upon him. The boy stared up at the ceiling aimlessly, completely unaware of White's gaze upon him until she spoke. "What happened?" Her eyes weren't narrowed anymore. She seemed more concerned than anything. "As far as I know, you managed to get a badge from Surge, so you weren't upset over that. Something must've happened afterwards."
Ash debated upon whether or not to tell White about his loss to Gary. On one hand, she was incredibly open with him the night before, but that was probably due to both of them being really tired whilst still being in a talkative mood. But on the other hand, he was afraid that she'd mock him for losing.
"It's nothing," he said, opting for the second choice.
"It couldn't have been nothing," White insisted, tapping him on the shoulder. "Come on, tell me."
"I said," the trainer asserted, "it's nothing." He rolled so that he was facing away from White.
When he spared a glance at White, he saw that her eyes were looking down at the floor and her hands were balled into fists. "Suit yourself, then," she hissed, standing up. "You probably just lost or something, and you're being a little kid about it. Grow up," the girl finished harshly.
"Yeah, something like that happened," Ash admitted tiredly, not wanting to get White in the mode where she does nothing but lash out at him.
The girl stayed unmoving for a second, looking down at him. "You could've just said that," she said meekly, sitting back down.
"My bad," he replied. "I should've just told you before things escalated."
Emotions are hard to control. They can make you lash out at people that you'd rather not, she'd said. Those words applied as much to Ash as they did to White. Then what emotions were ruling White? Was it anger? Hate? Or maybe –
Ash shook his head, not allowing his head to go down that particular train of thought. She would never think of him like that.
"Well," White started, unsure, "did you… get better?"
"I did," he ascertained, remembering his thoughts. "The guy that I lost to said that I was incompetent, that I was pathetic. He said that he was better than me. And I'm going to do everything in my power to prove him wrong."
Something about his answer definitely pleased her, and she leaned against the wall of the room and shut her eyes. "Good," she murmured, "that's what I like to hear."
"See?" Ash said suddenly, catching her off guard, "I like you a lot better when you're like this."
When the girl didn't say anything, Ash tilted his head to look at her. Her long, dark hair was still in her usual ponytail and her eyes were still shut, but there was something noticeably different about her. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but if Ash had to take a wild guess, he'd say that she looked softer, if that made sense.
"Shut up, kid," she ultimately said, her long eyelashes casting shadows against her skin. Her words didn't have the bite that usually possessed, and a small smile ghosted her face. "What are you planning on doing tomorrow?"
"Head north through Route 6 and go to Saffron," he told her. "If that's fine with you and Misty, that is."
"I think we'll be good with that." She opened her eyes – a lovely shade of blue – before flicking Ash's forehead with her finger. "Get some rest."
"Yeah, yeah," Ash grumbled, stuffing his face into his pillow. "Good night, White."
Her words mimicked what she said a night before. "G'night, Ash."
Aaaaand done!
In regards to White's character, I'm picturing her as wanting to close the distance between her and Ash while also wanting to get further away from him. So obviously, those conflicting feelings are rather frustrating, and the poor target of those frustrations being vented is no other than our little Ashy-boy.
It's up to the reader's personal interpretation, but you could see that scene between Ash and Misty where he buys her a bracelet as Ash starting to realize that he's having feelings for her. But I'll leave that open, for now.
Gary and Ash's relationship here is a lot worse. It'll be expanded upon. Later.
And now, WHY I HAVE NOT UPDATED IN OVER A YEAR:
In the past year, my personal life has… not been so great. Without going into too specific details, let's just say that, although death is something that happens to everyone, it was the first time that someone very close to me had passed away. A lot of things fell apart very quickly, and I took a break from writing in order to piece everything back together. Now, things are a bit better, and my updates should be more regular.
I'd like to apologize for not notifying you all sooner.
Anywho, I'll update soon.