A Pallet Love Story

by nyorotono

Ash and Gary have been friends since they were born, however their relationship will be tested after Ash realizes a fact about himself that he cannot fathom sharing with those around him. Yaoi BoyxBoy

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The icy wind stung and the snowflakes felt like daggers brushing against the skin. There was a hostility in the air that caused uncertainty and strong tension. Gary Oak trudged his way carefully through the deep snow that engulfed everything beneath his lower shins; his faithful Umbreon was walking beside him, limbering on top of the white mass as the Pokemon did not break the surface of the snow. Gary was highly alert and wary of his surroundings. The last glimmer of daylight was falling beyond the horizon and the cold became increasingly unbearable. The wind howled menacingly and Gary could feel the peering glaces of predatory Weaville coming from just beyond the layer of coniferous trees. Gary had only a little further to go, but was incredibly mad at himself for getting caught in this situation to begin with, feeling that he had been taking it too slow through Routes 216 and 217 for the entire day, causing him to become incredibly late. He softly muttered to himself, and pulled the hood of his green heavy winter coat tighter; he was also wearing a thick black sweater underneath that, and additionally, a pair of boots, a large backpack, heavy snow pants colored black, and pair of mittens woven from Mareep wool. His destination was Snowpoint City, a city in the far north of the Sinnoh region, nestled in the mountains and picturesque, but always covered in sheets of snow and ice. The reason for Gary's trip to Snowpoint City, was yet another errand he had to run for his grandfather, who in collaboration with Professor Rowan of the Sinnoh region, wanted to study more closely the phenomenon of Eevee evolving into Glaceon in spots surrounding the city. Always eager to prove his intellect and impress his grandfather, Gary happily accepted this mission. The tawny haired boy had grown to love his work for his grandfather even more, as for the last three months, Professor Oak had been sending Gary across the world to learn about Pokemon in foreign regions; the professor had been so impressed by Gary's hard work, that he wanted to reward Gary by letting him see the world and work with other Pokemon Professors. Within the previous three months, Gary had been to three new regions and had spent very little time at his home in Kanto.

Gary surmised that the blizzard making his journey more difficult was likely made more intense by Abomasnow, high up in them mountains. Imagining all of the outcomes in his head and beginning to fear the worse, Gary began to pick up his pace; however, like most times, he was able to keep his cool and remain collected. Gary could hear choppy waves crashing on a rocky beach in the distance, meaning that he was near Lake Acuity, the last landmark before Snowpoint City; this meant that the tawny haired boy was close to his destination. Gary and his Umbreon steadily continued their way northwest, towards Snowpoint City, both of them keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Gary pulled out a bright flashlight that could help him stun any wild Weaville that tried to attack him. In the dimness of the dusk lighting and through the whiteness of the blizzard, Gary could make out in the distance a figure also walking northwest. The traveler was walking closely the trees. Gary thought nothing of the traveler in front of him until Umbreon stopped in its tracks and curved its back, entering an attacking position. In the corner of his eye Gary could make out a Weaville beginning to jump out of the trees toward the traveler. He ordered Umbreon to attack to wild Weaville.

"Umbreon, use dark pulse and help that guy!" shouted Gary pointing his hand towards the now startled traveler in front of them. Umbreon growled and fired a lightning speed dark pulse at the Weaville with great accuracy as Umbreon has excellent vision in the dark. Umbreon's dark pulse made contact with the Weaville, knocking it back into the trees and knocking the traveler down on his behind. Umbreon raced forward towards the traveler with Gary, slowed down by the deep snow, struggling to keep pace. Another Weaville jumped from the trees toward the traveler's direction; this caught Gary's attention

"Quick attack, Umreon!" ordered Gary. Umreon jumped forward at a fast pace, throwing its body into the wild Weaville, knocking it back a few feet. Umbreon stood between the traveler and the wild Weaville, with a protective stance.

"Follow it up with another dark pulse," Gary commanded confidently. He had now caught up with his Pokemon and the traveler after rushing his way to them.. Umbreon once again fired another dark pulse at the Weaville, sending it back into the dense collection of trees. Gary extended a hand to the traveler who placed his hand in Gary's in return.

"Let's get out of here—these Weaville are acting too aggressive," stated Gary in a collected tone that had a sense of urgency.

"Don't have to tell me twice," replied the traveler promptly. Gary hoisted the traveler off of the ground and the two began rushing their way towards Snowpoint City, with Umbreon watching over them, ready to protect the two from any more ambushes. The two trudged through the snow as fast as they could for nearly three minutes until they slowed down to catch their breath; their lungs were in agony caused by the frigid air that they were inhaling. Gary looked around him and tried focusing in on small sounds.

"I think we are good now," Gary stated, keeping a watchful eyes on their surroundings, "hopefully Umbreon scared them off."

"Let's hope so," panted the traveler, his hands on his knees. He continued to catch his breath for a few more moments until he stood up. He pulled off his hood and snow goggles. With the articles removed off the traveler's face Gary now noticed that he was around the same age as him. Gary also noticed his black hair and his eyes that were colored in a deep indigo. Unknowingly, Gary had met Jimmy, the same boy that Ash had slept with in Johto and Hoenn. The traveling boy had a subtle smirk on his face; he extended his hand toward Gary.

"The name's Jimmy—thanks for helping me out back there," he stated, prompting Gary to shake his hand. Gary placed his hand into Jimmy's.

"No problem," Gary responded, shaking the other boy's hand, "I didn't do much though, it was mostly Umbreon."

"Well, still thank you. I would have had my Typhlosion help me out but it's way too cold out here for him," Jimmy firmly replied, having gratitude in his face, "and what is your name?" Gary at first hesitated to respond, but he gave in after a few moments.

"The name's Gary Oak," stated Gary, placing his hands on his hips. Hearing Gary's last name caused Jimmy to recoil in shock for a second.

"Wait, Oak? As in Professor Oak?!" questioned Jimmy, raising his hands in the air.

"Yeah, I'm his grandson," Gary said as he began to once again walk toward Snowpoint City. Umbreon loyally followed him.

"Hey wait up!" exclaimed Jimmy, beginning to follow Gary, "what's Professor Oak's grandson doing all the way out here in Sinnoh?"

"What are you doing all the way out here in Sinnoh?" retorted Gary snidely, "you don't seem like you are from here—plus what does it matter to you?"

"I don't know I guess it doesn't really matter to me," muttered a defeated Jimmy, "it's just that Professor Oak and Professor Elm inspired me to go on my journey around the Pokemon world. I guess I'm just a fan of the guy that's all—and he didn't mention that he had a grandson so that was a surprise for me." Hearing that last sentence come out of Jimmy's mouth caused Gary to frown.

"Ack, he didn't mention anything about me?" asked a frustrated Gary. Gary had been working so hard for Professor Oak for the past three years and had wanted to inherit his grandfather's 'Professor' title ever since he was very young; hearing those words from Jimmy hurt him a little bit, although it did make sense as Professor Oak had doubts in the past about his grandson's ability and aptitude to become a Pokemon Professor.

"Yeah, not a word about you," replied Jimmy bluntly, holding his hands behind his head.

"Well he does have a grandson, and he is going to become the greatest Pokemon Professor in the whole world one day!" declared Gary triumphantly, "also I was right, you're not from Sinnoh either. You're from Johto, that's why you know Professor Elm."

"Correct!" stated Jimmy with a large smile, "you know him too?"

"Yeah I've met and worked him a few times," Gary replied, "kinda scatterbrained if you ask me, but he's still a smart guy."

"Yeah I can agree with that," Jimmy concurred. A cold stinging wind picked up and rattled the two boys and Umbreon by sending shivers down all of their spines. Sensing that the temperatures were dropping even more Gary pointed turned up the brightness of his flashlight and began to walk with an even faster pace which bothered Jimmy.

"Hey, slow down!" exclaimed Jimmy with frustration, "quit walking so damn fast, I'm trying to have a conversation with you."

"Keep up the pace then," retorted Gary bluntly, "me and Umbreon don't want to freeze out here and I assume you don't either." Jimmy began to match Gary's pace, taking in deep breaths of freezing cold air as his lungs were struggling to find enough oxygen. The black haired boy waded his way through the snow until he caught up with Gary and Umreon.

"You think we are almost to Snowpoint City?" panted Jimmy with labored breath, "agh I really hate the cold."

"Yeah we should be," said Gary, "I can see the city's lights off in the distance. They're bright even in this blizzard." The two trudged their way through the snow and Umreon gracefully limbered above the snow surface. They walked for ten more minutes, making their way up a small hill until they reached its peak; they saw below them Snowpoinit City. Its picturesque buildings covered with inches of fluffy snow and the city center decorated with green, red, and yellow lights that were strewn around evergreen trees and places on the edges of the cobblestone sidewalks. It was a beautiful sight to behold in this terrifying blizzard. Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, I hope the inns here have roaring fireplaces. I'm going to need one," Jimmy stated, happy to finally see the city. The two and Umreon walked their way down the hill and entered Snowpoint City immediately looking for an inn to stay at. They walked around the city center, noticing the lack of people ice skating on the large ice rink and walking around, likely because of the harsh blizzard conditions. It felt very eerie to the two boys. They two eventually found an inn located in the city center, called the Delibird Inn. It had a gray shingle roof and a facade on the front of the building that was painted to resemble a Delibird. It had glowing yellow lights strewn on the large glass windows of the first floor; it was a very charming building to look at. The two boys and Umbreon barged in to the inn, getting the attention of the people in the lobby. The lobby of the inn contained a front desk that had an elderly lady seated behind it. Additionally, there was also a buffet dining area and another area with numerous couches seated next to a large brick fireplace which had a blazing fire inside of it. Several people and their Pokemon were huddled around the fireplace and there were numerous Delibird giving them small souvenir gifts from the inn. Gary returned Umreon back to its Pokeball, thanking the Pokemon for all of its help. He then walked up to the front desk. Jimmy eagerly followed behind him.

"Hey, let me pay for your room tonight," Jimmy said, placing his hand on Gary's shoulder, pulling him back before he could reach the desk, "it's the least I could do after you helped out earlier." Gary turned his head and looking into Jimmy's eyes with a hesitant look. Gary didn't want to Jimmy to do such a thing as Gary didn't like people doing favor for him.

"O-only if you insist," muttered Gary back, placing his arms around his head.

"Believe me I do insist," declared Jimmy, giving Gary a smile and thumbs up. Jimmy walked up to the front desk and the old lady greeted the two of them.

"Good evenin' ya two," she said in a soft tone. She had long gray hair and droopy eyes colored black. She also had wrinkles that nearly covered every inch of her face. From a single glance at this woman, one could tell that she had decades of stories to tell, stored within her mind.

"Welcome to my inn," she continued, "how can I help ya boys?"

"We just need a couple rooms," stated Jimmy smiling back at the kind old woman, "one for me and one for my new friend." Gary recoiled his head back after hearing Jimmy say the last couple of words.

"I'm 'fraid I can't do two rooms," replied back the elderly woman in an apologetic tone, "only got one vacancy right now."

"Wha—what?" questioned Jimmy, "only one room? Well I guess we'll look for another inn then." Jimmy began to turn around until the elderly woman stopped him.

"Ya won't be able to find another," the elderly woman said, "this blizzard has every traveler in the area stuck in Snowpoint City. All the other inns are full. The room I'm offerin' is the only available one in the whole city."

"Ugh, I really hate blizzards," muttered Jimmy. He looked back at Gary who had an unsure look on his face. He then turned back to the elderly lady and began to pull the PokeDollars out of his pocket.

"Okay, I guess we'll take it. I'll pay to have it for the next three nights," Jimmy said, handing the woman the money.

"Sounds good to me!" exclaimed the old woman with a beaming smile, "here's ya key." She handed Jimmy an old fashioned key with a tag that had their room number on it. "Hope you two boys like Delibird, cause you'll be seein' mine flyin' around the hallways and cleanin' up the rooms."

"Delibird are okay... I guess," muttered Jimmy under his breath. He grabbed the key from the elderly lady and began to make his toward the stairs. Gary walked up to the old lady.

"Are there two beds in the room that we're staying in?" the tawny haired boy asked.

"Nope there's only one," replied the elderly lady bluntly.

"Agh! Only one!" exclaimed Gary raising his hands up in the air.

"Yup, sounds like a problem for the two of ya to figure out, haha" retorted the old lady with a small chuckle. She walked away from behind the desk to put up the no vacancy sign on one of the large glass windows and to tend to the other guests of the inn. Annoyed about the old woman's comments, Gary nervously, an uncharacteristic trait for him, walked towards Jimmy who was waiting for him by the stairs.

"I hope there's a sofa in there," muttered Gary quietly with a concerned look on his face. Jimmy chuckled softly.

"Why? Are you afraid to sleep in the same bed with me?" questioned Jimmy with a beaming smile, "don't worry I don't bite, haha." The two boys walked up the stairs up to the third floor, the top floor of the inn. They walked left down the hallway until they found their room; room 306 would be the room the two boys would share together for at least one night. Jimmy put the key into the room's lock, turned it, unlocking the door which let out a rusty, creaking sound. Jimmy pushed the heavy door open and the two boys entered the room. Jimmy turned on the lights of the room, which despite being dim, revealed a quaint room, with a large fluffy rug in the middle, two reclining chairs and a rustic wooden table in the middle of the room. In the far left corner of the room was a king sized bed, covered with a thick, white comforter; several large pillows were placed at the head of the bed. Across from the bed was an electric fireplace with a television hanging on the wall above it and to the left of the fireplace was the entrance to the bathroom. There was a pleasant scent that was similar to cedar wood that wafted around the room.

"Oh, the bed is huge!" exclaimed a joyful Jimmy. He immediately threw off his backpack and his heavy snow coat, the clothing flying to random places in the room, and then flung himself on to the bed, being completely exhausted from journeying through the blizzard earlier that day.

"Turn on that fireplace, Gary," commanded Jimmy, resting comfortably on the bed with his arms and legs spread across the whole bed, "once this room warms up even more it'll be heaven!" Gary obliged and went to flip the switch to turn on the fireplace. He flipped it, but no flames came out; Gary scratched the back of his head in confusion until a few moments later a Rotom flew out of one of the room's electrical sockets and then immediately into the fireplace, which then shot out hot flames that began to warm the whole room.

"Oh was that a Rotom?!" asked Jimmy excitedly,"I've never seen one before!"

"Welcome to Sinnoh, I guess," replied Gary, entertained by Jimmy's enthusiasm. Gary tossed off his heavy backpack and removed his snow coat, putting both of them in the far left corner of the room, near one of the sofas. He was relieved that he could finally remove the cumbersome articles of clothing. He let out a loud sigh of relief as he sat down on the floor, resting his back on the wall opposite of the bed.

"Ah, I'm glad to finally be out of that blizzard," Gary sighed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

"Hey, that reminds me," began Jimmy, sitting upright on the bed so that he could look at Gary, "you never did tell me what you're doing all the way here in Sinnoh." Gary opened his tired eyes and tilted his head back up to look at Jimmy.

"You never told me what you're doing here either," replied a reserved Gary, giving Jimmy a snarky look in return.

"Fair enough, haha" stated Jimmy with a light chuckle and scratching the back of his head, "I guess I'll tell you. I am originally from Johto where I searched the region for the legendary beasts, and I eventually caught one, Entei, my greatest achievement ever as a Pokemon trainer. Then I went to Hoenn looking for the legendary Regi Pokemon—Registeel, Regice, and Registeel—hoping to catch them as well, until I learned about their king—the creator of the Regi Pokemon. I learned that he is locked away in some forgotten temple near here in Snowpoint City." Gary, hearing Jimmy explain all of this, gave the boy a charismatic smirk.

"If I can catch the Regi king, then catching the rest of them should be easy, yeah?" continued Jimmy with beaming excitement, "at least that's my reasoning. That's why I am Sinnoh now. I just got here a couple weeks ago."

"That sounds incredible," said Gary, leaning in closer, "you've actually caught a legendary Pokemon?"

"W-well, I may have exaggerated that bit about Entei," replied Jimmy, scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment, "I was able to keep Entei in a Pokeball for a few minutes, but as soon as I went to pick up the Pokeball, Entei came bursting out of it, and gave an enraged look at me before sprinting away with a trail of fire following behind it."

"Oh, well that's a little less exciting," said Gary, also scratching the back his head and with an embarrassed smile, "but that's still really impressive." The tawny haired boy gave Jimmy a reassuring thumbs up.

"Thanks," said Jimmy, appreciatively, "it's my dream to travel around the world looking for mythical and legendary Pokemon in every region."

"It's a good dream," retorted Gary with a friendly smile.

"You have a beautiful smile, Gary," said Jimmy with sincerity in his voice, "you should use it more often. Being a broody, mopey loner doesn't make you cool." Gary was taken aback by Jimmy's comment; it had been so long since he received a compliment like that, however he was also offended by the last sentence that Jimmy blurted out.

"Okay, so I told you what I'm up to here in Sinnoh," started Jimmy, giving Gary an engaging look, "now you get to tell me." Gary now felt obligated to tell Jimmy; the two would share the same room for the night and Gary thought that it would be a good idea to get to know Jimmy better. Gary felt that it had been a long time since he had something resembling a relationship with another boy his age. For such a long time he had been so focused on working for his grandfather, that he completely neglected creating new friendships and relationships; it was an unhealthy way for Gary to live. In his mind, Gary knew that he behaved this way because he wanted to impress his grandfather and because he wanted to become the greatest Pokemon professor, however, there was a part of Gary that knew he struggled to form new relationships because of Ash. Both him and Ash had emotionally damaged themselves, sharing equal parts in the causing of the rift that grew between the two boys. The years of isolating himself from other boys his age had made Gary very closeted and scared. Without even realizing it, years had passed Gary by where he had neither a close friendship or relationship with someone, causing him the boy to become incredibly lonely. Gary believed that he thrived in this loneliness, allowing him to focus on his ambitious future, but that proved to be a self destructive belief as his isolation caused him to become unable to reach out for help. Despite his outward appearance and what he told his family members, such as his sister and grandfather, Gary knew that the biggest mistake in his life was walking away from Ash, who from birth had been his greatest friend.

"W-well," hesitated Gary, nervous to open up more to the boy sitting across the room from him, "I'm obviously here helping out my gramps. I'm helping him and Professor Rowan study Eevee evolution—that's about it." Jimmy looked slightly unsatisfied. His right eyebrow titled up and his mouth turned into a small frown.

"Wow, all that suspense just for that," muttered Jimmy, "you were so closeted just so that way you didn't have to say that."

"H-hey! What did you want me to say?!"questioned a confused and irritated Gary.

"I-I don't know, ugh," replied Jimmy, bothered, "with how uptight you've been acting I thought that you would be doing something secretive or cool—not to say that studying evolution isn't cool—but you know what I mean."

"I don't think I do," responded Gary, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. The two paused their conversation for a few moments before looking at each other awkwardly for a few moments, neither sure what to say next; the only sounds that could be heard in the room were the intense blizzard winds that blew outside the window, creating an unpleasant howling sound. Jimmy broke the silence.

"I just don't understand why you were so bothered by me trying to get to know you little better," stated Jimmy assertively, getting up from the bed and standing up. He began to walk towards the bathroom.

"I-I u-uh, I don't know," Gary stumbled, looking at the floor so he did not have to look Jimmy in the eyes, "it's a little complicated."

"I'm sure it can't be that complicated," said Jimmy, holding back rolling his eyes so that he did not offend Gary too much, "I'm gonna take a quick shower—I feel so dirty hiking through the blizzard all day." Jimmy walked into the bathroom, closing turning on the lights and closing the door behind him. Shortly after the door was closed Gary could hear the water begin to run and the shower curtain be pulled back. The tawny haired boy got off the floor and quickly jumped on the large bed, taking the opportunity to lay on it by himself. He stared up at the cracked ceiling above him, contemplating in his mind the conversation he just had. He let out a loud sigh of frustration and rubbed his face. In his heart Gary could understand Jimmy's annoyance, but Gary knew that he struggled so much with creating new relationships to the point that it was incredibly painful for him to even try, that there seemed to be almost no point in trying. Gary closed his eyes and surrendered himself to his pain in the moment. Uncharacteristic tears began to well in the corner of his eyes. He fought back the tears and emptied the thoughts out of his head.

Gary stared at the ceiling for a few more moments until he heard the water abruptly stop running and the shower curtain pulled back. A few moments later the bathroom door was flung open; Gary instinctively tilted his head to look. Out came a soaking wet Jimmy, surrounded by a cloud of hot steam, and covered only by a towel. The steam that made its way out of the bathroom caused the room to become uncomfortably humid, however it brought with it a pleasant scent of lavender, likely from the soap that Jimmy used in the shower. Jimmy glanced over at Gary who was looking at him. Jimmy blushed, turning his face into a rosy red color.

"S-sorry, I left all my clothes out here," Jimmy apologized, having an embarrassed smile on his face. He walked toward his backpack that had been laying near the main door ever since he wildly threw it earlier. He took off his towel, the only thing that was covering him, turned him back towards Gary, and began to dry himself off, first starting with his hair and working his way slowly down his body. A sudden sensation took over Gary, like a different part of his body began to control him; he could not resist looking over at Jimmy drying himself off. The tawny haired boy peered over at Jimmy's body, noticing Jimmy's pleasantly shaped ass. He noticed the roundness and thickness of each cheek and how tempting to touch they looked. Little droplets of water slid down Jimmy's body, glazing his body and making it appear shiny underneath the golden lighting of the room. Gary felt the blood begin rushing to his member; he quickly had an erection form in his pants, making them become uncomfortable to wear. A noticeable bulge appeared near Gary's groin, making Gary blush himself, and causing him to panic and try to conceal his erection.

He squirmed on the bed by tossing his legs over each other, causing the bed to squeak underneath his movements and creating a lot noise which drew Jimmy's attention. Jimmy removed the towel off his back, and turned around to look at Gary, who was laying in an awkward position on the bed, his cheeks now a bright crimson red color from his profuse blushing. Jimmy faced Gary, revealing to the tawny haired boy his naked front body; Gary noticed the droplets of water from the shower glide down Jimmy's defined pecs, the rest of his chest, his petite torso, his navel, and even down Jimmy's smooth thighs and legs until they dropped down on the rug that he was standing on. Gary couldn't stop himself from moving eyes downward to get a glance at Jimmy's member; it was circumcised and flaccid, and three inches long in length in its softness. As soon as he saw Jimmy's member, Gary's eyes quickly glanced upward toward the ceiling, the tawny haired boy pretending that he saw no part of Jimmy's body. His erection grew harder, and he moved in even greater discomfort on the bed. Jimmy noticed the movement of Gary's quickly moving eyes; he looked at Gary, slightly moving his legs around to hide his obvious erection on the bed and blushed as he realized that Gary was admiring his naked body. A wry smirk formed on Jimmy's face.

"Oh, I see," stated Jimmy, his face a deep crimson from his immense blushing, "it's only complicated because you like boys."

"W-what?" muttered Gary, questioning Jimmy with confusion in his voice. Jimmy, finished drying himself off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and walked closer to Gary who was still laying up on the bed.

"It's obvious, Gary," Jimmy stated, as he crept closer to the bed, "don't be ashamed of it." Gary was nervous; he felt an air of uncertainty about Jimmy getting closer to him, and it made Gary curious as to what Jimmy was planning.

"I-I'm not a-ashamed of it," stated Gary, awkwardly stumbling over his words, "i-it's just complicated." All of the bravado and charisma that Gary carried and that naturally came to him suddenly disappeared thanks to Jimmy; he became awkward and struggled to maintain his normal composure.

"There's that word again," said Jimmy, with a seductive smirk painted on his face, "I don't like that word 'complicated'."

"But it is complicated," retorted Gary, with slight frustration in his voice, "you don't know me or my life."

"I guess that's true," Jimmy said, climbing on to the bed, "if you're not ashamed of liking boys is there one boy that you like that doesn't like you back? Maybe both of you guys were once together?" Gary's heart sunk and beads of nervous sweat began to form on his brow and his fingertips began to tremble and shake slightly. Gary of course still loved Ash, but he knew that he couldn't that boy back, and he had been too ashamed to admit that to himself or anyone else; he was ashamed that after these years he was still intimately attracted to Ash and that he couldn't move on from him. One part of Gary wanted to still chase after Ash, and hope that he could makes amends with him, and another part wanted to completely forget about his first lover. This conflict within tore away at Gary, causing him to to form unhealthy life habits and a destructive outlook on his future. Gary tilted his eyes to look into Jimmy's, who was sitting across from him on the bed. He hesitated to say what was on his mind, but Gary gave in. He was beginning to feel comfortable around Jimmy; he appreciated the empathetic look in his eyes and the caring tone of voice that he had.

"Yeah there was one boy that I used to be with—but that was a long time ago," confessed Gary, with a tone of embarrassment in his voice. He closed his eyes and looked away from Jimmy.

"You're still not over him, are you?" asked a sincere Jimmy. He got closer to Gary, and placed his hand over Gary's chest and wrapped his arm over Gary's shoulders to comfort him. Gary at first was uncomfortable by Jimmy's advances, however he realized that he appreciated the intimate physical contact, something that he hadn't felt in a long time and it felt good; he allowed Jimmy to continue holding him.

"No... I..." started Gary hesitantly, pausing between his words, "there's one part of me that isn't over him, but there's one part that really wants to move on... but it's hard." Gary stopped and he looked back at Jimmy who was gazing back at him with warm and caring eyes, and soft, understanding countenance.

"Why can't you move on?" asked Jimmy, "did he hurt you? Did it end because of something he did?"

"He did hurt me," stated Gary, being open and fully truthful with his answers for the first time since he met Jimmy, "but I think I hurt him too... and I think the only reason why he hurt me was because I let what he did hurt. It was the dumbest thing I've done, walking away from him, and it's made me become a terrible and lonely person. I think about him every day." Jimmy began to lean in closer to Gary, his chin resting on Gary's left shoulder; Gary breathed in, and exhaled, releasing a heavy, defeated sigh that echoed throughout the room. He took a pause before he spoke again.

"I don't know, it's hard to move on from him," began Gary sedately, moving his eyes away from Jimmy's and looking down at the ground, "he wasn't just my first love, he was my best friend too. I was friends with him since birth, and we saw each other every day. How can you move on from that? I just want him back with me—back in my life—but what if he doesn't want to come back to me?" Gary sealed his eye and tilted his head down, letting out another deep exhale, however, this wasn't a defeated sigh, but rather a sigh of relief. He was finally relieved to admit to Jimmy what he couldn't admit to himself or anyone else for the last three years; a strenuous burden was finally lifted off Gary, and for the first time in three years, the boy felt like he could breathe and move again. He acknowledged his own greatest fault, and experienced a strongly liberating feeling—one that he had yearned for. Gary moved his shoulders to shake off Jimmy's arm and his head, both of which had been resting on him. He tilted his head and body to face Jimmy. Jimmy had remained quiet, trying to be sympathetic and trying to understand Gary's frustrations and pains. Gary looked Jimmy in the eyes and spoke softly.

"I just want to feel the same way I did when I was with him, you know?" he said with a disappointed look in his eyes. As soon as Gary stopped speaking, a feeling enveloped him. He peered closer at Jimmy, and a feeling of lust swelled throughout his body; the tips of his toes began to feel fuzzy and tingly, and his heart jumped into his throat. It had been a long time since Gary felt this way looking at another boy, and he did not know how to control it. After disclosing his greatest weakness to Jimmy, Gary wanted to be closer with Jimmy—he wanted to be intimate with him, as he had been before with Ash. His body leaned closer toward Jimmy's body almost reflexively, and unconsciously tilted his head to the right as he leaned in and closed his eyes, expecting Jimmy to receive his lips in a kiss. To Gary's utmost surprise, Jimmy closed his eyes titled his head as well, and did receive Gary's soft lips on to his own and the two boys met each other with a short kiss that was emotionally charged on the part of Gary. The two moved their heads back away from each other after a few seconds of contact, and they looked at one another, both of their complexions a rosy red from blushing. Jimmy had a small, playful smirk on his face, and Gary had a faint look of shock; the shock on Gary's face not only came from the fact that he could not believe he kissed Jimmy, but that he felt incredible after it.

"I-I'm sorry," apologized the tawny haired boy, realizing that he may have been too imposing on Jimmy, "I shouldn't have done that." Jimmy reached forward and placed his hand on Gary's.

"Don't say sorry," replied Jimmy, smiling, "it was nice. I enjoyed it." Gary recoiled his hand away from Jimmy's and turned his head.

"Gary, don't make yourself feel bad," Jimmy began with a softness in his voice, "you don't deserve to hate yourself anymore. Be human again and enjoy being close with people, even if you can't be close to him anymore. Let people back into your life—it'll help you move on." Jimmy moved his head toward Gary, and placed a gentle kiss on the tawny haired boy's cheek. Gary, finally letting all of his hidden and neglected feelings go turned his head right as Jimmy was pulling away. He blushed as he look into Jimmy's indigo eyes and placed his right hand on the boy's cheek and pulled him closer for another embrace on the lips. The two kissed once again, the soft pairs of lips meeting each other and their tongues dancing with one another causing sparks of some long forgotten feeling to circulate in Gary's head; Gary lifted his hand off Jimmy's cheek and placed it on the back of the boy's head, drawing him closer. After lustfully kissing, Gary pulled his head back away from Jimmy's, breathing heavily from shortness of breath. His heart pounded in his chest and his hands and feet began to feel numb, and a swirling feeling enveloped his stomach.

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" questioned Gary nervously and out of breath. He peered inquisitively into Jimmy's eyes with a look of uncertain curiosity, eager at the possibility of giving himself to a partner for a night.

"I would love that, Gary," said Jimmy with a gentle smile and a lustful twinkle in his eye. He leaned in closer to Gary and both of them met each other for another kiss. The two embraced each other on the lips for a few moments, their tongues continuing to twirl around with one another, until Jimmy placed both of his hands firmly on Gary's shoulders and pushed him down on the bed, making him lay on his back with his arms spread apart. Jimmy placed his body over Gary, trapping the boy's torso between his legs. He pulled his head away from Gary's, despite Gary's eyes portraying his desire for the kiss to last longer, and began to remove the boy's shirt with a sort of anticipatory excitement. Gary's heart began to race fast, feeling as if it were about to beat out of his chest. The blood rushed to his member, making it hard and erect, and his breathing became heavy. Jimmy threw off Gary's shirt and began to notice the details of Gary's body, such as his defined abs and pecs, and his large biceps; he placed both of his hands on the boy's biceps. This caused Gary to recoil slightly.

"H-hey... I'm not a bottom!" Gary bluntly exclaimed with embarrassment as Jimmy placed his hand on his biceps. His cheeks became a deep red from his blushing a couple beads of nervous sweat formed on his brow. Jimmy moved his hands off Gary; he gave a small playful smile and blushed from slight embarrassment.

"Luckily for you, I can do both," stated Jimmy, smiling back at Gary. He stayed still for a brief moment, then got off Gary, and laid parallel to him on the bed; he also removed the towel off of his body, throwing across the room and making a loud thunk as it hit the ground. By taking off his towel Jimmy revealed his erect six inch member, displaying it proudly to Gary.

"Now it's your turn," said Jimmy playfully, winking at Gary. His smirk enchanted Gary, and caused him to take off the rest of his clothing; he hurriedly removed his pants, socks, and underwear, throwing them off the bed and not caring where they landed. Gary was now naked, presenting to Jimmy his incredibly hard six inch penis, which was now no longer contained by the tight confines of Gary's underwear. Gary leaned over Jimmy, placing his right hand over the boy's chest and his other hand on Jimmy's cheek. He leaned in closer for a kiss, closing his eyes as he drew in nearer to Jimmy's mouth. The two pairs of lips connected and the tongues amorously danced with each other as Gary tenderly caressed Jimmy's cheek with his hand. The kiss lasted for a blissful minutes, the two boys passionately drawing one another closer, enjoying the intimate contact that they had with themselves. Gary removed his hand from Jimmy's chest and moved it further down Jimmy's body, sensually gliding it above his sensitive skin. Jimmy's penis began to pulsate and the tips of his toes began to tremble from excited anticipation of what he thought Gary may do next. Gary's hand was now on Jimmy's thigh and he slowly slid it down until it was next to Jimmy's hole; Gary began to tease Jimmy's entrance by taking two finger and sensually rubbing it, causing Jimmy to moan with suspense.

Gary ended his erotic teasing and inserted both fingers in Jimmy's hole and began to slowly thrust them back and forth inside Jimmy, causing the boy to moan ever so slightly louder; Gary's teasing increased the sensitivity of Jimmy's hole, making it feel much more pleasurable. The fingers' insertion into him caused Jimmy to wrap one arm tightly across Gary's back, pulling him in closer. Gary's fingers went deeper into Jimmy, rubbing against his most sensitive areas and sending shock waves of sensual bliss throughout his entire body.

"A-ah... fuck," Jimmy moaned under his breath as the fingers moved inside him. Gary's member grew harder, and aroused, and began to pulsate with anticipation. He pulled out his fingers and removed his gentle grasp from Jimmy's cheek. He pulled his head away from Jimmy's, ending the erotic kiss that they both shared, causing Jimmy to groan in slight disappointment; Gary playfully nibbled on Jimmy's lower lip as he moved his head back. Instinctively, Gary got up from the bed and stood besides its edge. He firmly grasped Jimmy's legs, and pulled him to the edge of the bed, sliding him across the bed's soft comforter. Jimmy's mouth began to water at the sight of Gary's cock which was bobbing up and down with excitement. Jimmy climbed down to the floor and sat on his knees, and began to inch closer to Gary and his member; with his right hand, Jimmy grasped the bottom part of Gary's shaft and began to glide his hand up and down Gary's member, causing Gary to let out soft, little moans of pleasure. Drool began to dribble out of the sides of Jimmy's mouth as he looked at Gary's dick and felt its warmness in his hand; he began to lust after it even more.

"F-fuck, it looks so amazing," moaned Jimmy, eyeing every inch of his partner's member. He quickly leaned his head forward, placed Gary's penis into his mouth, and wrapped his lips tightly over Gary's shaft. He bobbed his head up and down, using his tongue to lick the head and bottom part of Gary's member which sent ripples of ecstasy and bliss all throughout Gary's body causing an uncontrollable tingling feeling in his fingers and toes. For a few brief moments, Jimmy removed his head off from Gary's dick, and licked and nibbled Gary's heavy balls, causing the tawny haired boy to curl his toes from pure euphoric pleasure and enjoyment

"Hmm... ahh... it feels so good," moaned Gary tossing his head back in euphoria and closing his eyes. He placed his left hand on the back of Jimmy's head and began to thrust his hips, forcing his member deeper into Jimmy's wet mouth. Jimmy began to make faint gurgling noises as he struggled to keep all of Gary's cock in his mouth. A thick coat of saliva now coated Gary's cock, and long strands of spit fell out of Jimmy's mouth and slid down Gary's shaft and his balls. Blood rushed throughout Gary's member, causing it to pulsate and vibrate. Jimmy's tongue swirled all around the head of Gary's member and he tightened his lips' seal, making each movement that Jimmy's mouth made feel even more incredible to Gary. The sensations that Gary felt were becoming too much for him to endure; he could sense himself crawling closer to his climax, so he firmly grabbed the back of Jimmy's head and pulled him off his penis. Both boys were breathing heavily. The saliva from Jimmy's mouth coated Gary's member, the light giving it a golden sheen from the soft lighting of the room. Jimmy took his right hand and placed it on Gary's penis and began to stroke it; Gary's member was now even more sensitive because of the heavy amounts of lubrication on it. The tawny haired boy began to moan even more.

"Ergh, a-ahh, fuck," moaned Gary as he caressed the top of Jimmy's head. His heart began to pound fast and the blood rushing to his head made him feel hot. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead and chest. The emotional and physical sensations that he felt were incredible and it helped him forget all of the pain and affliction that he had felt earlier.

"You're dick is so big!" mentioned Jimmy, still sensually stroking his partner's member, "I could hardly fit it into my mouth." Gary's cheeks turned a deep, scarlet red as he blushed.

"Ah, it felt so good—I could barely handle it," Gary panted with slight embarrassment. He looked down into Jimmy's indigo eyes.

"Hey, don't cum too early—I wanna do so much more with you," said Jimmy with a teasing and lighthearted twinkle in his eyes and a flirtatious smirk.

"H-hey!" exclaimed Gary, "don't make fun of me!" Gary took his right hand and placed it on the back of Jimmy's head; he pushed Jimmy's head and mouth closer to his member and he forced Jimmy's mouth on to his penis. Jimmy moaned seductively as every inch of Gary's dick entered his mouth. Gary once again used his hand to help Jimmy bob up and down on his member, Jimmy's mouth and tight lips gliding up and down his lubricated penis. Jimmy used his left hand in tandem with his mouth to stroke Gary, making the tawny haired boy moan louder in even more pleasure. Jimmy took his other hand and began to jerk off his own incredibly hard member, sliding his hand up and down his shaft, and cupping his hand over the head of his member when his hand reached the top.

"F-fuck," moaned Gary, outwardly.

"Jimmy's mouth is so tight... this feels so good," Gary said to himself, admiring how good Jimmy made him feel. Physical sensations of lust and euphoria once again circulated all throughout Gary's body, from his blood-rushed head to his curling toes; emotionally, Gary was relieved and ecstatic that he was able to be close and intimate with a boy again, something that he had missed. Gary became more lustful, and abruptly pulled Jimmy away from his member once again. He grabbed Jimmy's hand, and pulled him up from the ground, and then placed his lips on Jimmy's, beginning to kiss him once again. Both boys passionately kissed one another, Gary caressing Jimmy's cheek with his hand, and Jimmy, wrapping his arms around Gary, pulling him closer. The two kissed for a few moments longer, enjoying fully each second that they shared embracing each other. Jimmy was the one who pulled away, leaving Gary desiring more. Jimmy got on the bed's ledge and laid down on his back and spread his legs apart, preparing himself for his lover; he looked into Gary's eyes and gave him a seductive look that caused Gary's heart to beat faster and his blood to rush to his cheeks and loins. Gary moved closer to Jimmy, stroking his member as he walked closer. He placed both of his hands on to Jimmy's legs and spread them further apart; he took his right hand and guided his cock toward Jimmy's hole, and began to tease it by rubbing his head in circles against it.

"F-f-fuck," Jimmy moaned, closing his eyes in anticipation of Gary entering him, "I want it." Gary began to thrust, his member already lubricated by Jimmy's saliva, glided easily into Jimmy, who let out a soft gentle moan as Gary entered him. The tawny haired boy began to thrust his hips back and forth slowly at first, his hard penis going in and out of Jimmy's tight entrance, gradually building up momentum. Jimmy's tight ass made Gary's member and the rest of his body feel euphoric, making Gary crave an even better feeling causing him to thrust into Jimmy faster.

"A-agh... hrmm," Gary panted, looking into Jimmy's eyes as he began to go faster, "it's so tight." Gary inserted his dick deeper in Jimmy, his head making contact with Jimmy's g-spot, stimulating the indigo eyed boy's most sensitive spot, causing his soft, gentle moans to grow louder and louder.

"A-aa-aah, fuck, you're d-dick feels so g-good, Gary!" moaned Jimmy breathlessly. He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes, continuing to let out moans each time Gary connected with his g-spot as tremors of pure euphoric pleasure radiated throughout the entirety of his body. Gary continued to thrust his member deeper and faster in Jimmy, each time giving an even greater sensation of ecstasy. More beads of sweat began to form on his chest and forehead, some of them dripping onto Jimmy's body or the bed. He panted as he admired the look of Jimmy's body and the pleasure that it made him feel, each stroke getting him closer to his climax. Gary leaned forward over Jimmy and firmly grasped with his left hand the right side of Jimmy's torso and navel; with his right hand Gary vigorously placed it on to Jimmy's left cheek and used his thumb to pry open his mouth. Gary kept his thumb in Jimmy's mouth, placing it on Jimmy's bottom molars. He grunted and panted lustfully as he continued to thrust faster, hitting Jimmy's g-spot with each movement.

"Ergh, I f-feel so good," Jimmy, muffled by Gary's thumb placed in his mouth. Gary continued for a couple minutes longer, both boys enjoying every hot-blooded second that they were giving to each other. Jimmy's dick pulsated uncontrollably with excitement.

"F-f-fuck, a-aah." moaned a euphoric Jimmy, "I-I want to ri-ride you!" Gary's movements began to slow down until they came to a stop; he paused for only a few brief moments before taking his hands off Jimmy's body, then fell on to the bed, panting as he looked into Jimmy's eyes. Jimmy climbed on top of Gary, and felt for the tawny haired boys hard member with his hands, guiding it into his asshole and inserting it all the way into him, moaning as it entered him inch by inch. He began to bounce up and down, riding Gary's member. Gary placed both of his hands forcefully on to Jimmy's hips and began to help his partner by lifting him up and down on his member; Gary tilted his head back in pleasure and closed his eyes, enjoying every stimulating feeling this gave him. Jimmy placed both of his hands on Gary's defined pecs, rubbing them and Gary's pink nipples as he bounced his hips up and down on his partner's cock, enjoying each time it went deeper into him. Gary's member continuously hit Jimmy's g-spot, sending more and more blissful vibrations through his body that caused him to moan louder.

"Aah, fuck," Jimmy panted, "I'm getting closer, your dick feels too good!" Jimmy took his right hand and wrapped it around his dick and began to jerk himself off, his hand smoothly gliding up and down the shaft, stimulating every sensitive nerve that was in his member.

"Ergh, I'm close too," moaned Gary in ecstasy, the sweat still dripping from his forehead. Jimmy bounced up and down, faster and faster on Gary's hard penis, each time sending waves of pleasure through both of them, and edging each boy closer to their climaxes. Jimmy jerked himself off faster, feeling how close he was; his hand slid up and down his shaft quickly getting him closer to his orgasm.

"Mmm, f-fuck, Gary" groaned Jimmy closing his eyes and biting his lips, "this feels too good... a-a-aah... I'm cumming!"

"Aagh, fuck I am too," Gary moaned. Both boys came as the the same time; Gary's strings of hot semen came into Jimmy's hole, dripping quickly out of it and down his shaft and balls, and Jimmy's numerous strands of white, hot cum were shot all over Gary's chest and his own chest, drenching both boys in warm cum. Jimmy collapsed next to Gary, parallel on the bed, both boys panting heavily.

"Aah, that felt so good," panted Jimmy out breath and lightheaded from his physical exertion. He placed his left hand over his chest to feel his heartbeat.

"Yeah," replied Gary softly. He stared up at the ceiling. Gary once again finally felt complete and happy. After years of loneliness, Gary knew what it was like to care for and be close with someone again. He began to fell the anger and pain that he felt in the past few years disappear; he could feel the anger and resentment that he directed toward Ash go away and a new desire of making amends and trying to be friends with him again enveloped Gary. The tawny haired boy reached out his right hand and held hands with Jimmy. He turned his head and gazed at the indigo eyed boy.

"Thank you," he stated sincerely, "thank you for opening me up and making me face the things about me that I don't like." Jimmy was taken aback by Gary's moment of open appreciation; he turned his head and looked into Gary's eyes.

"Gary," began Jimmy with a soft, gentle voice, "the only person who can truly make you open you up and make you face down the parts of you that you don't like is yourself—you only have yourself to thank."

"Well, regardless... thank you," said Gary again with gratitude. He leaned his head in closer to Jimmy's and gave him a tender kiss on the lips. He pulled away after a few moments and then proceeded to get off the bed and make his way to the bathroom to find towels. He returned with a towel for himself and one for Jimmy which he tossed to him. Both boys began to clean themselves off.

"Had I know we were going to do that, I wouldn't have even bothered taking the shower, haha," chuckled Jimmy, cleaning himself off.

Gary laughed in response.

"So, do you mind sleeping together on this bed?" Jimmy asked Gary with a playful smirk, "or do you still plan on having me sleep on the floor?"

"Well I wouldn't mind having the whole bed to myself," mentioned Gary with a lightheaded tone of voice as the rubbed the back of his head. This response got a loud ground out of Jimmy.

"Just kidding, haha," laughed Gary with a beaming smile, "I would love to sleep next to you tonight." Jimmy let out a sigh of relief and began to lay down on the bed, climbing underneath the covers and adjusting his pillows.

"Good, because I am exhausted after today, and I didn't plan on leaving this bed at all," stated Jimmy with a faint smile encompassing his countenance. Gary looked over at Jimmy and smiled at him; he smiled in appreciation of the fact that he was able to meet Jimmy today, wondering what would have happened if he didn't move through Route 216 and Route 217 so slowly today. Jimmy let out another sigh.

"I'm glad I got to meet you, Gary Oak," Jimmy declared with a sincere tone, "you seem like a cool guy to be around." Gary's heart melted hearing those words; he didn't know how to respond and stood silent for a few seconds.

"I'm glad I got to meet you too, Jimmy," replied Gary. Gary finished cleaning himself off and put his pair of underwear back on. He went over to his backpack and grabbed out a heavy book and notepad and pen. He turned off all the lights in the room, except for the bedside lamp and then went back over to the bed climbed on to it, and crawled underneath the the covers laying close to Jimmy. Jimmy had began scrolling through his PokeNav which he left on the bed earlier, while Gary was gathering his items. He peered over at Gary and noticed the thick book that he was about to read.

"Do you have homework?" inquired Jimmy curiously, observing the thickness of the book.

"Yes, Pokemon Professors always have homework, especially aspiring Pokemon Professors," retorted Gary, "this book is Eevee and its Volatile DNA: A Closer Look as Eevee's Evolutionary Paths by Sinnoh's very own Professor Rowan. It's a bit long but I just need to skim through it to help me with all the research I have to do tomorrow."

"Sounds like a... fun book?" stated an uncertain Jimmy. He paused for a few moments before he began talking again.

"Wait did you say tomorrow?" Jimmy asked with an inquisitive tone.

"Yeah," replied Gary.

"Why don't you take tomorrow off of your research? I was gonna wait a couple days before I start asking around and searching for the Regi king. Maybe we could both hang out together here in Snowpoint City—I mean with how much you take all your researching seriously how often do you get to actually see all of the places that you go to?" Gary paused and thought about what Jimmy had said and realized that the last part was true. He had always been so focused on his research and impressing his grandfather, that despite going to several amazing locations in the world, he never had the chance to enjoy them; Gary had gone to several places at the behest of Professor Oak, such as the Orange Archipelago, Cinnabar Island, Ecruteak City, and Sootopolis City, but he never had a chance to enjoy all of those places and what they had to offer. He looked at Jimmy, who had a curious smile on his face.

"Sure, I can wait a day to start all my busy work for Gramps," declared Gary happily, looking forward to spending the day with Jimmy tomorrow.

"Haha, awesome!" exclaimed Jimmy with a beaming smile, "tomorrow should be fun!" He then went back to scrolling through his PokeNav, a souvenir he picked up during his time in Hoenn, and checked all of the statistics on all of the major league tournaments happening throughout all of the regions. Gary went back to reading his book, trying to absorb as much information as he could, and pausing every few minutes to write down important notes.

Eventually Jimmy grew tired, as he was completely exhausted from the events of the day, and closed his eyes, and began to fall asleep, laying close to Gary. Gary however, continued reading and note taking, for a few more hours that night while Jimmy tossed and turned in his sleep. Right before Gary put his book down to go to bed, Jimmy, moving in his sleep, placed his hand over Gary's chest. Gary looked over at Jimmy's sleeping body for a moment; he noticed Jimmy's excited expression which he always maintained, even while sleeping; he also noticed his dark colored hair and his soft skin. Gary looked at Jimmy with what felt like to the tawny haired boy a gaze of infatuation. Gary placed his book and note pad on the night stand, turned off the lamp causing the crackling fireplace to be the only source of light in the room. He then placed a hand over Jimmy's, closed his eyes, and fell asleep, remembering once again the feeling of laying with someone he cared about.

The two boys woke up the next day, coming around to the rude sounds of someone knocking furiously on the door; Gary jumped out of bed and frantically searched for a pair of pants to put on. He was able to find a pair, slipped them on, and answered the door. A Delibird pushing a cart of towels, making a housekeeping call, was the source of the aggressive knocking on the door. Gary stared at the Pokemon for a few seconds, still not fully awake enough to comprehend the situation.

"Oh," muttered Gary to himself realizing what the Delibird came to room for as it extended out its wing, demanding any dirty towels that the two might have had. Gary quickly searched around the room, looking in every corner for the towels that him and Jimmy used to clean themselves last night. He found them all and gave them to the Delibird, who happily received them and gave him clean towels in return. The Delibird bowed in appreciation and then left, walking down the hall to the next room. Gary closed the door and then began to walk back to the bed.

"What was that?" asked Jimmy groggily, peeking his head sheepishly above the covers of the bed.

"Just a Delibird making a housekeeping call," replied Gary, rubbing the back of his head. He went over to the window and pulled back the blinds letting in the day light. Gary gave a shocked look as he peered out the window.

"W-what," he murmured, looking out the window, "there's so many people out the town square, and the sun looks so low in the sky! What time is it?!" Jimmy reached for his PokeNav which he left on the bed last night and looked at the time.

"It's three in the afternoon," stated Jimmy, looking at Gary with a bewildered look. Gary rushed on to the bed and grabbed Jimmy's PokeNav out of his hands to confirm for himself the time. He looked at it and saw that the time was 3:04 in the afternoon. He dropped the PokeNav on to the bed.

"We slept for that long!?" exclaimed Gary with a stunned tone of voice.

"H-hey—I mean we did have a long day yesterday,"Jimmy replied with an awkward smile as he rubbed the back of his head. Gary let out an exacerbated sigh as he peered out the window.

"What are you upset about?" questioned Jimmy, "you said that you were gonna take today off last night, didn't you? So that we could hang out together? You're not missing out on any time to do your precious research, so what's the big deal?" Gary looked back at Jimmy who gave him an excited smile in return.

"Y-yeah—I guess you're right, it's no big deal," said Gary getting up off the bed and standing up, "well, if we are gonna enjoy the rest of today together then I am gonna take a shower—I smell so bad." He turned around and began to make his way toward the bathroom. Jimmy quickly jumped out of the bed and ran up to Gary; he placed both of his hands on his shoulders and rested his head next to Gary's. Jimmy began to sensually rub Gary's shoulders with his soft hands.

"Mind if I take a shower with you?" asked Jimmy, curiously, with a playful twinkle in his eyes, "it'll save time if we shower together so we can see more of Snowpoint City today." Gary stood still and waited a few seconds before responding, enjoying the shoulder rub that he was receiving from Jimmy. He turned around and looked Jimmy in the eyes.

"I would love that," he said with a seductive smirk. He gave Jimmy a kiss on the lips. The two boys walked into the bathroom together and drew a shower.

Gary and Jimmy showered with each other for about ten minutes until they felt clean. They got out, dried themselves off, and then dressed for the day. Jimmy put on a a pair of thick black pants, a red and white hoodie, and wore a black and red beanie on his head. Gary put on a pair of jeans and a thick black sweater.

"You look nice," complimented Jimmy, looking up and down at Gary's outfit, "that sweater looks so soft."

"Haha, thanks!" Gary replied, blushing and rubbing the back of his head, "it is very soft—it's made from Mareep wool. I bought it back in Johto when I went up Mount Silver when I had to do some work for my Gramps. I've been wearing it ever since whenever I visit a really cold place." Jimmy gave Gary a warm smile.

"Well, let's get out there and see Snowpoint City!" exclaimed Jimmy with an enthusiastic tone as he raised one fist in the air. The two boys walked out of the room, went down the stairs, and exited the inn. They walked out and found themselves in the center of Snowpoint City and saw a huge crowd of people and Pokemon enjoying themselves after the harsh blizzard from the day prior. People waited in long lines for food stands that were creating enticingly delicious scents. City employees with their Piloswine were clearing the sidewalks and walking paths of snow and little kids and their Pokemon were having snowball fights. The large fields of grass, that were normally green during warmer months, were now blanketed in snow and the streams that ran through the city center were frozen over, covered with a thick sheet of ice. The tall trees were painted white by the fluffy snow and the roofs of the brick buildings were buried underneath feet of snow. A flock of Starly sitting on top of a large building's roof cried loudly as they began to take off. The sun, hanging low in the sky, painted a golden orange sheen over the entire city making it seem like a picturesque postcard.

"Wow, it looks so peaceful and perfect out here," mentioned Gary, taking in the whole scene that laid before him.

"Doesn't it?" stated Jimmy, walking up and then standing beside Gary, "see, doesn't this look like more fun than... than... than wherever else you were gonna go to today for your research?"

"I was gonna go back out to Route 217 to study the rocks and how they relate to Eevee evolving," explained Gary. He turned his head and looked at Jimmy who greeted him with a confused facial expression. "But yeah, you're right, this does seem like more fun. Where should be go first?" Gary finished his sentence with an excited and curious twinkle in his eyes.

"Well first things first, I think we should eat something. I'm starving," began Jimmy, placing both hands on his stomach which audibly growled, "why not start the day with desert! I can smell mochi coming from one of these food stands."

"Starting off the day with desert sounds great!" agreed Gary with a smile. The two rushed to a food stand that was serving mochi, and waited in a long queue with a dozen or so people in it. The line did move fast however, and the boys were able to buy their food within a few minutes. Both of them bought a bag of hot toasted mochi, that was sweetened with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar. They then began to walk on a path that went all around the city center area in a twisting and turning serpentine fashion. It was decorated with tall evergreen trees that all had sharp pointy needles and thick trunks; all the trees were planted in a uniform fashion with trees planted on both sides of the path and planted with a distance of ten feet from all other trees. As they began to walk, Gary grabbed one of his Pokeballs and brought out Umbreon to join them on their walk. Umbreon walked a couple feet ahead of the two boys, who were walking side by side, occasionally picking up a toasted moch out of their bags and blowing on it to cool it off before tossing the treat into their mouth.

"So, a Pokemon Professor," began Jimmy with an inquisitive tone, "what made you decide on trying to become one?" Gary waited a few seconds to reply.

"Well my Gramps is a Pokemon Professor, so I figured I must be good at it, plus I think the title of 'Kanto's Premier Pokemon Professor' should stay in the Oak family," replied Gary.

"So you just want to become one just because your grandfather is one too?" questioned an unsatisfied Jimmy as he tossed a mochi into his mouth.

"Not at all," stated Gary confidently, "it's not just for that reason. I've always wanted to learn more about Pokemon ever since I was little and being a Pokemon Professor is the best way to do that, so why not become one?"

"You don't need to be a professor to learn more about Pokemon," retorted Jimmy, "you need life experience! Hanging out with your Pokemon and battling and seeing the world with them is not only how you get to know and understand your own Pokemon, but other trainers' Pokemon as well."

"That's a fair point," conceded Gary.

"Training your Pokemon and evolving them is the best way to learn more about Pokemon," declared Jimmy confidently with a smile. He tossed another toasted mochi into his mouth and began to happily chew on it.

"While that would help you understand your own personal Pokemon, it doesn't help you understand entire species of Pokemon," Gary began with a sly smirk on his face. He tossed a mochi up toward Umbreon who jumped up and snagged it out of the air. "It also doesn't help you understand the mysteries of Pokemon either. Take Umbreon for example—Eevee evolves into Umbreon only with high friendship with its trainer. It has to feel completely secure with its trainer and trust the trainer with its life. Yes Eevee have been evolving into Umreon forever, but the only reason why we know how they do evolve into Umreon, is because a Pokemon Professor spent thousands of hours researching it, trying to understand the science behind it. That's why Pokemon Professors are so important." Gary's smirk turned into a self-assured smile as he turned and look at Jimmy, who had a very impressed expression.

"Hmm... that's a fair point..." Jimmy replied.

"I believe that if Pokemon Professors can keep on solving and learning more about the mysteries of Pokemon, then humans and Pokemon will understand each other completely, and both will be able to evolve together, working with each other to make a better world!" declared Gary triumphantly, "that's why I want to become the greatest Pokemon Professor ever—I want to help with that evolution." Gary looked at Jimmy with an excited and hopeful glimmer in his eyes; he was passionate about his future as a Pokemon Professor and was glad that he could explain his passion with someone besides his grandfather. Jimmy returned Gary's look with a smile of his own, appreciating the excitement that the tawny haired boy now had as opposed to his uptight demeanor the day before.

"I think that's a pretty cool goal, Gary," said Jimmy cheerfully, "I already thought that being a Pokemon Professor was a cool goal when you told me you were trying to be one yesterday, but now that I know how much you care about it—it just seems even better." Gary felt warm as he heard Jimmy say those words and began to blush slightly, his cheeks turning a bright rose pink.

"You know, Pokemon Professors can even help people like you better understand the legendary Pokemon that you try to catch," started Gary with a playful smirk, "professors have to read old docu—"

"Hey, you already have me convinced!" stated Jimmy excitedly, cutting off Gary, "Pokemon Professors are cool, but I don't need you to tell me that you help me catch legendary Pokemon—I think I do that pretty good on my own." Gary smiled and gave a lighthearted chuckle as he tossed another toasted mochi to Umbreon, who happily jumped for it in the air, gracefully landing back on its feet. Jimmy tossed another mochi into his mouth and chewed on it before he started speaking again.

"You're pretty cool, Gary Oak. I think you're gonna be a great Pokemon Professor one day," he stated sincerely.

"Thanks. I've always wanted to be a Pokemon Professor—ever since birth. It's what I've been spending my whole life practicing for, even though my Gramps didn't believe in me at first. It's what I'm meant to be... it's who I am" Gary said proudly.

"Ever since birth?" remarked Jimmy, "it must be nice to have known that's what you're meant to be since birth." Gary paused for second before he replied.

"What do you mean?" asked Gary curiously.

"I really enjoy hunting legendary Pokemon, but I wish I realized I did in a different way," began Jimmy rubbing the back of his head, " you see, after my first journey around Johto I needed an excuse to be away from my mom. I was so scared of her finding out that I was gay and being ashamed of me that I would rather run around Johto aimlessly and ignore her. So I ran all across Johto for a really long time, pretending my mom never existed."

The two stopped walking and turned and looked at each other. Gary looked at Jimmy and noticed the sadness and regret in his indigo colored eyes. Jimmy continued talking.

"Even though I really enjoyed my second journey across Johto, searching for those legendary Pokemon, I started to miss my mom. After a really long time I went back to see her and I came out to her. Even though she was upset and shocked at first she eventually accepted me for who I am and said that she would love me no matter what. Even though I now know I'm mean to hunt legendary Pokemon now, I just wish I could have all that time I spent avoiding my mom back and spend it with her, ya know?"

Gary remained silent for a few moments before replying. He didn't know how to respond.

"I-I'm sorry you had to go through that, Jimmy," Gary responded wholeheartedly. Jimmy one hand in his pocket and started walking again; Gary followed alongside him.

"It's alright—I'm sure you understand. Everyone like us has been through something like that with our parents," said Jimmy.

"Oh, I-I don't think I do understand it,"muttered Gary apologetically. Jimmy tilted his head and look at Gary with curious eyes.

"Really? What's your coming out story, Gary?" he asked, "I mean I told you mine—least you could do is tell me yours." Gary remained silent for a few seconds.

"I don't think I have one," began Gary looking at the ground, "all of my family sorta knew I was gay. Growing up every already thought I was gay, and I never told or acted otherwise, so they just kept assuming that way." Gary looked up from the ground and turned his eyes toward Jimmy.

"Ah, you're one of the lucky ones then!" stated Jimmy cheerfully, "be happy that you're one of the lucky ones, Gary. It takes a lot of courage to come out. You never know how someone will react until you actually come out. It's one of the most terrifying experiences."

Hearing Jimmy say this made Gary think back to Ash. More than ever, he now regretted how he treated Ash. Gary realized that he could have never imagined what Ash was going through at the moment he walked away from his; ignorance blinded him during the moment he broke up with Ash. Gary now realized that he failed Ash not only as his lover, but also as his friend; his heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. Gary struggled for a few moments to muster a response.

"Again, I'm really sorry that you had to go through that, Jimmy. I can't imagine what that must have been like," he said solemnly, failing to think of any other response. Jimmy gave a lightheaded smile and a shrug in response. Both boys started walking again.

"What's done is done," stated Jimmy nonchalantly, "I'm just glad I'm out of the closet now... that's all that matters."

"I'm glad you're open and comfortable with yourself now," replied Gary encouragingly, "you know, I think you're pretty cool too, Jimmy. I'm happy I ran into you yesterday." Jimmy blushed hearing Gary's words, his cheeks turning into a reddish pink color.

"Thanks," said Jimmy with an appreciative tone and a content smile. Jimmy noticed in the corner of his eye a giant ice skating rink that crowds of people were walking toward. He suddenly had a desire to skate and began to walk in the direction of the rink.

"Hey, let's go ice skating!" exclaimed Jimmy excitedly, "it looks like there a rink over that way—c'mon, let's go skate together!"

"I've never been," stated Gary nervously, following behind Jimmy who was eagerly racing towards the skating rink, going off the walking path and journeying through the tall blankets of snow that covered the grass.

"Neither have I!" exclaimed Jimmy with a smile, "let's try it out together!" Jimmy ran fast with Gary trudging along behind him, struggling to keep pace in the fluffy snow that came up to his shins. He summoned Umbreon back into its Pokeball to spare it the run. The two lined up in the queue and waited for a what felt like to both of them an eternity until they were each given a pair of skates. Both boys quickly put on the skates and entered on to the rink, unsure on how well they would both be able to skate. The rink was in the shape of a very large oval and the sounds of excited children and skates scraping on the top layer of ice echoed all around. It felt considerably colder by the rink, causing Gary to shiver. Both nervously walked on, placing one foot on to the ice and waiting a few seconds trying to understand the lack of traction before fully committing and placing the other foot on. Once they both had gotten on the ice they fumbled around for a few moments, trying to find their balance; they soon found their balance and then proceeded to slowly and carefully skate, hovering close by the railings in case they felt like they were going to fall. Slowly but surely they skated and started to do laps around the rink. Gary grew more confident each minute he was out on the ice; he felt surprisingly happy knowing that he could skate. A sly smirk crept on to Jimmy's countenance.

"Hey, this isn't too bad, " he said happily, "this is actually kinda fun!"

"I think so too!" agreed Gary, "thanks for coming up with this idea!"

"Thanks for doing it with me," replied Jimmy, turning his head and looking at Gary, "I kinda thought you might've not wanted to."

"Why's that?" asked Gary curiously.

"I don't know, just the way you acted when I first met you yesterday," Jimmy retorted, "you didn't seem all that friendly."

"Heh, sorry. I'm a little shy around new people," Gary admitted. He turned his eyes away from Jimmy and rubbed the back of his head. "It's been a big problem of mine for the past couple years."

"Hey, don't worry about it," said Jimmy wholeheartedly, "everyone has problems, and those problems don't always last forever. Life is all about solving our problems so that we can become better people." Jimmy extended out his hand toward Gary, seeming like he wanted Gary to do the same. The tawny haired boy began to do the same thing; it felt right as he placed his hand into Jimmy's. He felt the warmth of his hand envelope his own and the softness of Jimmy's palm felt incredibly calming. The two held hands as they ice skated. Gary blushed as he held Jimmy's hand and warm blood rushed in his head, causing him to become warmer.

"Hey, Gary," started Jimmy holding the boy's hand a little harder as he began to speak, "t-there's something I kinda wanted to ask you."

"What is it? Gary asked, his mind racing as he wondered what Jimmy was about to say next.

"I-I was wondering, if maybe after you do all your research for your grandpa, maybe you'd like to see a little bit more of Sinnoh? Together?" Jimmy asked with burning curiosity, "I would wait a little while before I started looking for that Regi king Pokemon. I don't know, I kinda want to spend more time with you." Gary remained silent for a few moments. He was flattered to hear Jimmy say those words and his heart began to beat faster. His cheeks became a deep scarlet color. He began to feel even more infatuated with Jimmy as he looked into his indigo colored eyes that were filled with intrigue and passion. Gary also saw a look of infatuation in Jimmy's eyes as well, which made his heart beat faster. He felt intoxicated by Jimmy.

"I would love that," Gary replied with a soft and gentle tone, "I'm sure I could take a break from working for my grandpa for a while. Let's go on a trip together."

"Awesome!" exclaimed Jimmy excitedly, "let's visit somewhere warm—I mean Snowpoint is great and all, but I'm really wanting some warm sunshine."

"I'm feeling the same way, haha," laughed Gary.

"Great! I have a good feeling about all this," replied Jimmy with uncontrollable enthusiasm. He let go of Gary's hand and started the skate faster. He sped up, leaning his head and body forward and moving his arms and legs in tandem with each other to gain more speed until he abruptly fell, landing on the left side of his body and causing an audible thunk sound as he made contact with the ice, which caught the attention of other people in the rink. Gary rushed as fast and he could to Jimmy's side, careful not to fall over himself. He stopped by Jimmy and extended a hand to help him up.

"Are you okay?" asked Gary with a concerned tone. Jimmy placed his hand into Gary's who then pulled him off the ice.

"I'm fine, don't even worry about it," said Jimmy with an embarrassed smile and blushed cheeks as Gary lifted him up. He rubbed his left shoulder to comfort himself. To Gary, it seemed that nothing could dampen Jimmy's attitude

"I've just discovered that I don't like ice skating—what's your opinion on it?" Jimmy inquired, his cheeks still colored pink from his blushing.

"I could live without it," retorted Gary with a wry smirk, "let's go do something else." Gary wrapped his arm around Jimmy and the two boys skated their way off of the rink, returned their skates, and then began to take another walk around the city center of Snowpoint. The sun was now hanging lower in the sky and considerably fewer people were in the city center because of the drop in temperature. As the two were walking on one of the many winding paths, and idea came into Jimmy's head and he suddenly jumped on to a snow bank, and picked up two handfuls of snow, and compacted it to form a ball. He raised his right arm and aimed at Gary.

"What are you doing?" questioned the tawny haired boy.

"I'm about to beat you in a snowball fight, that's what I'm doing!" exclaimed Jimmy confidently. He wound up his arm, and then threw the snowball as hard as he could, aiming for Gary's left shoulder. As the snowball flew towards Gary, he ducked quickly out of the way, and grabbed a handful of snow himself and quickly formed a snowball that felt compact and heavy in his hands.

"Nice aim, but you didn't throw fast enough!" exclaimed Gary as he released the snowball from his hand; it flew into Jimmy, hitting him on his upper left chest, exploding as it made contact with him. Jimmy stood in his place, appearing to be unfazed as the snowball hit him.

"That didn't hurt at all! You throw like a girl, Gary!" shouted back Jimmy, a teasing smirk painted across his face. With these words uttered, the two boys, buoyed by the banter, found themselves in the middle of an all out snowball fight. The two grabbed snow and rolled it into compact spheres as fast as they could; they pelted each other with dozen of snowballs, aiming carefully so that they did not hit anyone who was walking by. They threw as hard as they could, the snowballs flying furiously everywhere, and both boys dodged and ducked their way out of the path of numerous high speed snowballs; both shrugged off any hits they would take and would become even more motivated to get back at the other. It would be Gary who got the most important hit, as he threw a snowball as fast as he could, aimed for the top of Jimmy's head. It flew fast and collided with Jimmy's head, exploding on impact and making loud sound. It was thrown so hard that it knocked Jimmy back, causing him to lose balance and fall over on his back onto a thick pile of snow. Gary, shocked by Jimmy falling over, quickly rushed over to check on him.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Gary, looking over Jimmy who was laying on the ground. Jimmy's hair, cheeks, and ears were all covered with snow and it was apparent that snow had crept inside of his hoodie. Gary also noticed a noticeable part of Jimmy's face a deep red where the snow ball had hit. Jimmy sat up, still in the snow; he was shivering and his teeth chatered.

"Okay, I'll admit... that one did hurt," confessed Jimmy, looking up at Gary from the snow. He shook his head from side to side to get the snow off his head and he brushed the rest off of his shoulders.

"Sorry, I probably shouldn't have thrown that last one," muttered Gary, embarrassed.

"It's all good!" declared Jimmy cheerfully, "it was a fun snowball fight! The only problem is that I've got snow in my clothes now and I'm freezing. Let's go back to the inn for a bit and warm up by the fire." Jimmy looked up into Gary's eyes and noticed the tawny haired boy's infatuated look which made his heart melt. Gary simply nodded his head in agreement. He extended his hand to Jimmy and hoisted him up from the snow. The both began to make their return back to the Delibird Inn which was across the city center, about a fifteen minute walk away. As they walked a cold, chilling wind suddenly blew into Snowpoint City, making the temperatures unbearable. Both boys shivered and and their teeth chattered; they walked close to each other to keep warm. They hurried their way back and made their way back into the inn, the cold wind pushing them inside forcefully as they walked into the building. They nodded to the kind old lady who was working the front desk and then headed up to their room up the stairs. Jimmy unlocked the door and pushed it open. The floor creaked and groaned underneath them as they walked into the room. Jimmy immediately flipped the switch for the fireplace and began to remove his clothes which had been made wet and freezing by the snow; a few moments a Rotom came through on of the electrical sockets and caused the fireplace to turn on. Jimmy had stripped off all of his clothes, leaving on only his t-shirt and his boxers and thew them by the fireplace to dry. He grabbed a heavy and woolly blanket from a cabinet, wrapped himself in it and then sat beside the fire to warm up.

"This feels so much nicer," remarked Jimmy, still shivering from the cold, "you know, I didn't mind the cold before, but Snowpoint City has really made me not like it."

"Mind if I join you?" asked Gary politely looking at Jimmy. The fire crackled as it began to heat up more.

"Of course you can join" replied Jimmy with a charismatic grin. Gary sat down close to Jimmy. The two boys leaned their backs against the bed. Gary wrapped his arm around Jimmy, who placed his head on to Gary's shoulder. The two stared into the fire, entranced by the glowing flames the illuminated the room. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both simply enjoying each other's warmth and intimacy. The tawny haired boy broke the silence.

"Thank you for talking me into taking a break from all of my research, Jimmy," stated Gary wholeheartedly, "I feel like I've been missing something and I fell like the time I've spent here has given me that thing."

"I'm glad you agreed," retorted Jimmy, "it's been really fun getting to know you a little better, Gary Oak—and I'm looking forward to getting to know you better." Jimmy tucked his head in deeper between Gary's neck and shoulder. With his left hand he reached toward Gary's groin and began to rub his member. A sudden rush of blood went straight to Gary's member and it began to become erect, rubbing uncomfortably against the confines of his boxers and pants. The tawny haired boy began to feel dizzy in his head and he could feel his heart beat uncontrollably in his chest. He didn't expect Jimmy to move on him, but it felt so good to him in the moment.

"Is this okay?" asked Jimmy, with his eyes opened wide and an adoring look on his face.

"Mmm," moaned Gary amorously, feeling his member become even harder, "yes. I want it." Gary leaned in and tilted his head to kiss Jimmy; their lips connected. He leaned in closer and placed his hand on Jimmy's cheek embracing it with his palm. He could feel Jimmy's gentle warmth radiate on to him and it made his heart flutter. Jimmy grabbed the zipper of Gary's pants and pulled it down. He placed his hand on Gary's erect member and felt its heat. Gary pulled his head away from Jimmy's, ending their oral embrace and pulled his pants and his boxers down to his knees. His throbbing member was now naked and Jimmy's mouth began to water as he looked at it.

"It looks so eager," remarked Jimmy looking at Gary's penis, the drool beginning to dribble down from his lower lip. He placed his mouth on to Gary's member, creating a tight seal with his lips around the shaft. He began to slowly move his mouth up and down Gary's dick, his moist mouth lubricating it.

"Ah, fuck," moaned Gary. He leaned his body back against the foot of the bed and closed his eyes, tantalized by the euphoric sensations Jimmy was giving to him. He placed his hand on the back of Jimmy's head, moving it back and forth and petting him. Jimmy began to use his hand in addition with his mouth, moving both of them in tandem with each other on Gary's member which was now covered in warm saliva. After some time Jimmy removed his mouth off of Gary's penis and used his tongue to lick the underside of the head. This made Gary move and squirm his body uncontrollably, as he was unable to handle the sensations Jimmy gave to him. As Gary's member throbbed harder, Jimmy sensed that Gary was close his climax so he placed his mouth and hand back on to the shafted and began to bob his head up and down once again.

"E-ergh, fuck, J-J-Jimmy," moaned Gary, unable to control himself as he came closer to coming. He couldn't hold back anymore and he released all of his seed into Jimmy's mouth, filling it to the brim. As Jimmy took his head off of Gary's member and swallowed all of Gary's semen, Gary dropped his body down and began to breathe heavily. Jimmy leaned back against the foot of the bed alongside Gary and placed his head on the tawny haired boy's shoulder.

"Mmm, that felt amazing," said Gary breathing heavily.

"Ah, good." moaned Jimmy in reply, "I just got the urge to do it all of the sudden—I just felt really drawn to you."

"Uh, I need to go clean up," said Gary embarrassed, turning his head and looking at Jimmy with blushing cheeks colored a scarlet red. Jimmy smiled in reply and Gary got up off of the ground and headed to the bathroom, with his pants and boxers still awkwardly hanging around his knees. He grabbed two hands towels and made on of them wet; he began to clean himself up. Jimmy crawled up to the bed and laid on it, facing the bathroom, so he could look at Gary in the bathroom adoringly.

"Mmm, Kanto boys look so cute," stated Jimmy, admiring Gary from afar. Gary paused what he was doing and turned his head to look at Jimmy, both flattered and stunned to hear him say that.

"Oh yeah," replied Gary looking over at the indigo eyed boy, "how many of us have you been with?"

"Only two, sadly," stated Jimmy, "but you both have been the best by far...ah you're all so dreamy!" Jimmy rolled over on the bed, letting out an lustful moan as he did so.

"Hmm," contemplated Gary, "who was the other guy from Kanto you've been with—the one besides me?"

"Oh," hesitated Jimmy for one moment, wondering whether or not he should answer Gary. He eventually gave in against his better judgment. "I-it was Ash, oh what's his last name Ash Ketch—"

"Ketchum!?" exclaimed Gary, cutting off Jimmy and turning dramatically toward him. Jimmy had a shocked look envelope his face as he was not expecting to see that reaction out of Gary.

"Y-yeah..." stammered Jimmy, still not understanding Gary's reaction. The tawny haired boy took a step back. He felt his heart sink.

"Wait, when did you sleep with him?" asked Gary fervently, and with a uncharacteristically anxious look in his eyes.

"Uh, well the first time was well over a year ago," started Jimmy bluntly, "then I hooked up with him again not too long ago—maybe a few months back. He was also with another boy, Brendan, the last time I saw him. Gary, why are you freaking out?" Gary didn't respond but instead just took another step back. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the ground. Jimmy soon realized what may be the reason for Gary's erratic reaction.

"W-wait, don't tell me," began Jimmy, "is Ash the boy you still have feelings for?" Jimmy looked intensely at Gary. Gary turned his head up and looked Jimmy the eyes and nodded his head in embarrassment and shame.

"Y-yes, still," replied Gary. He placed tilted his head back down and placed it into the palm of his hand.

"Gary, I-I-I'm sorry, there's no way I could have known," retorted Jimmy. Gary came out of the bathroom and stood awkwardly by the fireplace. He wasn't angry or displeased. There seemed to be no emotion on his face.

"Did he seem happy when he was with you? And was he happy with Brendan?" asked Gary with a sincere tone. Jimmy hesitated to answer; he didn't respond for a few moments.

I-uh-how," stammered Jimmy, flustered and annoyed "how does this help you, Gary?! This isn't something you need to know or should know! It's time to move on from him—let Ash live his own life!"

"Please," replied Gary with a monotone voice, "it's just something I need to know." Jimmy struggled internally, but eventually he gave in to Gary's request.

"The first time I slept with him he wasn't okay—he seemed kinda depressed, but the second time I saw him, when he was with Brendan, he was so happy. The two of them are in love, Gary. Ash has moved on from you—it's time for you to move on from him." Gary closed his eyes and his heart sank further. When he heard that Ash was happy with another boy, it made him incredibly angry. Gary had spent years in torment and sadness in what happened between him and Ash. The the dark part of Gary—the cruel part of Gary—had hoped that Ash had been feeling the same all this time, but to hear that his former lover wasn't, it sent Gary into a dark place. All of the progress that he had made in moving on from Ash has suddenly been destroyed and all that was in Gary's mind and heart now was confusion, anger, and misery again. He opened his eyes and looked at Jimmy.

"I-I c-can't," he stuttered solemnly, "I-I just can't." Gary looked around the room for his possessions and began to grab them all. This caused Jimmy to protest.

"G-Gary, wait!" Jimmy exclaimed jumping off the bed and placing his hand on Gary's shoulder, "what are you doing!? Please don't leave—just stay with me tonight!" Gary ignored Jimmy and brushed the boy's hand off of his shoulder; he continued grabbing all of his belongings. He swung his backpack around and began to make his way to the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob; he turned around to say goodbye to Jimmy before leaving.

"I'm really sorry, Jimmy," stated Gary looking Jimmy in the eyes. A tear was beginning to form in both of Jimmy's indigo colored eyes.

"Don't leave, Gary, please," begged Jimmy, "just stay with me."

"I-I just can't be here right now—thank you for everything... I mean it," replied Gary. He opened the door and left the room. He walked downstairs and exited the inn, thanking the elderly lady at the front desk on his way out. He then began to look for another inn in Snowpoint City to stay at while he completed the research he needed to do for his grandfather.