Chapter 11
The sound of waterfall was absolutely deafening. It was perhaps the worst place could've chose to have had a conversation, but perhaps he chose it specifically for that reason—the conversation he was about to have was one that he didn't want anyone to overhear. The distance of the waterfall from Ever Grande City would make sure that his dialogue with Brendan would be private, and the thunderous sound of the water crashing several hundred feet would be insurance enough against anyone dropping eaves. Privacy was something that Ash valued significantly as he had been keeping an enormous to himself and a select group of three others for the past few years; but he wishes to make that secret known soon—as soon as he builds enough courage and finds enough strength within him to reveal his secret. Brendan, one of the select three who knew that secret about Ash, was there with him by the waterfall. They stood on some rocks behind the waterfall, watching as the magnificent stream of water came tumbling off of a cliff and fell into the ocean below with a tremendous crash. The two boys were underneath Ever Grande Falls, an attraction on an island in the east of the Hoenn region which was also home to Ever Grande City, the location of the Ever Grande League, the setting for the best of Hoenn's trainers; Ash would be participating in the Ever Grande League in less than twenty-four hours, however he wanted a moment alone with Brendan before the tournament began; he wanted to get away from the stress, if even for a few moments. There was no better person to relieve Ash of his stress than Brendan; his calming voice, confident demeanor, and dazzling eyes had been a help in Ash keeping his head on his shoulders for the last five badges of the Hoenn region, and Ash had hoped that Brendan would continue to be his rock into the Ever Grande League. Ash always knew that he relied on his lover, but it wasn't until a couple weeks ago that he realized how much he needed him by his side.
The two had walked and climbed down a rocky path that was carved into the face of a cliff in order to get to where they were now. While Ever Grande Falls was a popular attraction in the Hoenn region, it was normally observed from the sea. The more unorthodox way to experience the falls was to stand underneath them and watch as the water came rushing down. The two had been standing underneath the waterfall for nearly ten minutes, in silence; they merely ogled at the beauty of the waterfall, both sets of their eyes determinedly fixed on the sight before them. Ash became so entranced by it that he almost forgot why he brought Brendan with him here. He intensely watched wave after waves of water come crashing down. His concentration was only lost when he felt Brendan wrap his hand around his own. Ash felt comforted as he made contact with Brendan's soft and familiar skin. He turned his head and looked at Brendan who also seemed to be deeply impressed by the magnificence of the waterfall.
"W-wow. Isn't this the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?" asked Brendan, his cerulean eyes looking straight up at the cascading water. He spoke in a louder than normal tone to be heard over the waterfall. Ash turned his head back towards to the falling river.
"Yeah, it's really nice... but I can think of one sight that I like looking at even more," replied Ash, slightly squeezing Brendan's hand. Brendan chuckled softly. A refreshing mist flew in the air and fell onto the boys' faces making them feel cool and moist. It combined with the spray of the sea, which the saltiness of could be smelt and taste in the air. Brendan diverted his attention away from the falls and turned his head towards Ash.
"What's on your mind, Ash?" he asked in a sincere tone, "what did you want to talk about?" Ash jerked his head in surprise.
"Wha-what do you mean?" replied Ash with a shocked tone. Ash turned his body towards Brendan; Brendan turned his body towards Ash. Both boys were now facing each other.
"You always bring me to private place when you want to talk about something important," answered Brendan with a smirk, "so what did you want to talk about?" Ash stood silent for a few short moments. It should have been no surprise to him that Brendan read him like a book as the cerulean eyed boy had gotten to know Ash so well over that last months of traveling with him, but the confidence with which Brendan always had when calling out Ash on his mannerisms and behavior never ceased to amaze him.
"Wow, you got me there," replied Ash, his mouth still agape. Brendan let out a happy laugh that had a playful cadence.
"Tell me, what's on your mind, Ashy?" Brendan asked once more, anticipating an answer this time. Ash finally gathered himself fully.
"Well, so after I'm done here in the Ever Grande League I planned on inviting you, May, Max and Brock to come back to Pallet Town with me to celebrate my birthday," started Ash, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand to comfort himself, "I was wondering if after the other three left and all went back home, maybe you'd like to stay with me in Pallet for a couple months? You could get to know my mom better, plus, I want you to keep me company—I don't want to spend a long time away from you. What do you think about that?" A large smile grew on Brendan's face.
"I think that sounds awesome," replied Brendan cheerfully, "I would love to be in Pallet Town with you and to get to know your mom better in person. To be honest with, I don't really want to spend a long time away from you either, Ashy, so you can count me in!" Ash breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Brendan say this.
"It means a lot to hear you say that," Ash responded with a beaming smile.
He was completely honest and wholehearted when he told Brendan that he didn't want to spend time away from him. During his time in Hoenn he had become reliant on Brendan and his love for him grew more and more every day. As his adventure in Hoenn had been winding down during the last couple of months, Ash had begun to wonder what would be next for him and Brendan, and he had begun to dread the thought of the two of them going their separate ways; now with him being in the final 16 of the Ever Grande League and his journey in Hoenn coming quickly to its end, that dread was beginning to build even more. Hearing Brendan say that we wanted to continue being with him gave Ash great relief; it also made his heart skip a beat, the same way it did when he first laid his eyes on Brendan all the way back in Verdanturf Town. Ash moved his body towards Brendan's. He planted a quick but loving kiss on the cerulean eyed boy's soft lips. As Ash pulled himself away, the normally tan skin on his cheeks had turned a scarlet red.
"Not to say that I don't appreciate you bringing me here, because this spot is incredibly romantic," began Brendan sincerely, his signature grin painted on his countenance, "but you could've just asked me that back in the dorms."
"Ah, I know," confessed a defeated Ash, placing his hands into Brendan's and pulling him closer, "but I just wanted to get away from the stress of the tournament for a little while—with you. You always make me feel so calm and that's what I need right now. I'm just really nervous about my next battle."
"Why are you nervous, Ashy? Your battles have been great," stated Brendan reassuringly, "I feel sorry for whoever you battle next."
"I know, but I'm so scared to lose," admitted Ash honestly. He sighed and looked down at the ground and felt a sense of fear overtake him, "I've lost two leagues before already and I don't want to lose this one either. I want to be the greatest Pokemon trainer ever and I feel like if I keep on losing in these league finals, I'll never get to that point."
"Ash," said Brendan solemnly, taking one hand out of Ash's and placing it on his shoulder, "you don't have anything to be afraid of. You're already an incredible trainer, and whether or not yo—"
"But I just don't want to lose," interrupted Ash abruptly, his nerves clearly getting to him, "becoming the best trainer in the world has always been what I've wanted and I don't feel like I'm any closer to it than I was two years ago."
"You know that I lost in this tournament, right?" replied Brendan. Ash closed his eyes and nodded his head up and down in acknowledgment. Brendan continued. "When I did lose, I was really devastated. I had spent so long, preparing and training my Pokemon for this competition, determined to never come back home until I received the Ever Grande League Trophy. I set out from Littleroot Town, with my Mudkip by my side, with the intention of training and breeding him and every other Pokemon I caught on my journey to become champions, so when I did lose in the round of 32, I had absolutely no idea what to do next. I did eventually return home to my mom and my dad, not as a champion but only as a loser—a devastated and sad loser at that. I spent the next few months mad at myself and at my Pokemon, even though they didn't deserve it."
"Brendan..." commented Ash.
"Let me finish," retorted Brendan adamantly. Ash became silent again; Brendan resumed with a sincere tone. His cerulean eyes told Ash that he genuinely wanted Ash to hear what he had to say, "I spent those months barely leaving my room and trying to figure out what I would do next. I was too scared to try to challenge the league again because I thought I would just end up losing, and I was too depressed to think of anything else, but I knew that I needed to move on to something. One day my Dad tells me that he's given little May her first Pokemon and that she's going on her own adventure through Hoenn—I was happy for her because she became one of my closest friends when I moved to Hoenn and now hearing that she was going on her own adventure finally gave me the motivation I needed. A couple weeks after May left I also left Littleroot, but this time I wasn't going around the region as a gym challenger. I was going to travel around the region with no purpose this time—I wanted to experience Hoenn as just a traveler and to see Hoenn with a fresh point of view, and I wanted to meet new people! One of those people I got to meet this time around Hoenn was you, Ashy."
Ash blushed a deep scarlet red as he heard Brendan say that last sentence. His heart began to beat faster and his head felt dizzy. The palms of his hand also became most from a light amount of sweat that perspired from them.
"What I'm saying, Ash, is don't let the fear and pain of losing blind you from seeing new and better opportunities in life. Those opportunities can change you and make you fulfill something that you didn't know you needed to be fulfilled. Sometimes losing can be a great thing that ends up making you happier. I'm so happy that I lost in the Ever Grande Conference because if I didn't there's a chance I may have never got to meet you, and I'm glad that I'm here with you today instead of a stupid tournament trophy because I love you and I want to be with you. Just never be afraid to lose, Ashy. I really mean all of what I've said."
Ash was silent for a few moments. He took in every word that Brendan had just said and understood what he was saying. He clenched his fists and tilted his head down; a singular tear had formed in his left and it began to drip down his cheek, eventually making its way down to Ash's chin and then dropping on to the ground, splashing on to the moist rocks that the boys were standing on. Hearing Brendan say those words with such sincerity and genuine care touched Ash's heart. He recalled back to the sadness and disappointment he felt losing in the Indigo and Silver leagues; the disappointment that he couldn't yet call himself a champion yet, but hearing Brendan's confession and his advice helped Ash realize that there wasn't any reason to be ashamed. He released his fists; he felt like he was releasing his shame and his stress as he did so.
"I-I... thank you, Brendan," said Ash with gratitude in his voice, "I think that was just what I needed to hear." Ash tilted his head back up and rushed towards Brendan, embracing him and wrapping both of his arms around his lover. Brendan reciprocated and enveloped Ash with his arms. Ash, his head in between Brendan's neck and shoulder, took in his scent. It smelt to Ash like the smell of thick air on a rainy day mixed with the smell of the sticky sap of a pine cone. It was a scent that had become comforting to him. Ash pulled away from the hug and grabbed Brendan's hand.
"I feel like I'm not scared of anything anymore because of you, Brendan," began Ash, beaming with his usual enthusiasm, "whether I win or lose this tournament I know I'll be happy as long as I have you with me." Brendan responded with an enduring smile of his own; there was also an enchanting twinkle in his eye.
"You will have me with you," he said emphatically. Ash's eyes lit up and blood rushed to his cheeks causing them to blush. He loved hearing Brendan say that.
"Let's head to the training fields then," declared Ash taking a step forward and bringing Brendan with him, "even though I'm not worried about losing, that doesn't mean I'm not going to give this my all! My opponent won't even know what hit him!" Ash raised a fist into the air triumphantly. The two boys began to make their way back up the rocky path that they had hiked down; they enjoyed each other's company as they hiked the scenic trail.
...
The training field Ash was using was covered in a thick sheet of ice that caused the surrounding environment to become cold. Ash's Glalie had been practicing its ice beam attack which over the course of the night had become increasingly powerful.
"Awesome, Glalie!" shouted Ash encouraging his Pokemon, "we're almost there. Once more, ice beam!" He pointed with his hand at the target he wanted Glalie to fire at, which was a spinning clay disc that Brendan had tossed up in the air. The ice type Pokemon shot out a beam of frozen power that made direct contact with the target causing it to shatter into frozen, falling pieces.
"Amazing aim, Glalie!" complimented Ash, commending his Pokemon on its accurate aim. Glalie let out a happy growl. "Now, Pikachu, show me your strength and shatter this field of ice an iron tail!" Pikachu, who had been waiting in the wings quickly rushed forward and jumped up in the air; he then somersaulted in air as his tail began to glow brightly and become enveloped in iron. Pikachu assaulted the ground with one swift hit from his tail, causing the field of ice to shatter into small pieces.
"Awesome work you two," stated Ash, proud of his Pokemon's prowess.
"Pi-kapi," replied Pikachu happily. Ash pulled out the Pokeballs for his two Pokemon and returned them back into their Pokeballs. As Ash was putting away the two Pokeballs, both Brendan and May came running up to him. They both had been there assisting him in training his Pokemon and were also there to give cheering support.
"The Pokemon are looking good Ash!" exclaimed May, "I feel sorry for this Morrison guy you're up against tomorrow because I don't think he's gonna have what it takes."
"I agree with May," Brendan chimed with a supportive smile.
"Ha, thanks guys," replied Ash appreciatively, "I'm feeling really good about this. Thanks for coming to help me train—it means a lot to me."
"Of course, that's what friends are for," stated May with a sincere tone. Brendan gave a wry smirk at Ash at the mention of the word 'friends'; Ash blushed in response.
"Yes, well done, Ash," commented a faraway and unfamiliar voice, "your Pokemon look very strong." The sound of this voice confused the three and it caused them to turn around and all search for its origin but couldn't find where it was coming from. The owner of this voice eventually revealed himself; he walked out from behind a large bush that had been concealing him. The owner of the voice was a slightly rotund young man, who seemed to be only a couple years older than Ash. He had tan skin and his hair color resembled a tangerine. He was also wearing a kimono, the color of which matched his hair; additionally he was also wearing wooden sandals. He began to approach the group of three who were looking at him awkwardly.
"Too bad all your training is for nothing and you will lose tomorrow," said the boy as he walked towards them.
"Uh, who are you exactly?" asked Ash, rubbing the back of his head.
"I'm Morrison!" he revealed dramatically, "I'm a trainer from Verdanturf and I am going to win the Ever Grande League!"
"Ah!" exclaimed May, "oh well, I still stand by what I said earlier. I still feel sorry for you, cause there's no way Ash is going to lose to a dork like you!"
"A-ah, oh," stammered Morrison, not expecting a reply like that to come from May, "it doesn't matter what you feel, because I'm beating your tomorrow, Ash."
"Hey, what were you doing just sitting and watching us in a bush?" asked Brendan, slightly annoyed.
"Yeah, that seems really creepy of you," May added with a repulsed tone.
"I was researching my opponent," stated Morrison, "you can tell a lot about your opponent about how they act both in a Pokemon battle and out of a Pokemon battle, and let me say, I think I know quite a lot about you, Ash."
"Oh yeah," replied Ash, unconvinced and with his hands on his hips, "what do you think you know about me?" After Ash finished his sentence Morrison walked up closely to Ash and whispered quietly into his ear. Morrison's hot breath tickled the inside of Ash's ear and made him feel uncomfortable.
"I saw both you faggots by the waterfall earlier today," he whispered, "I at least know that about you." Ash shuddered and his fingers began to feel numb. He stared blankly off into the sky and for a second he canceled out the sound of everyone else around him and heard only silence for a few moments. Hearing that word made Ash feel disturbed, but he was too scared to retaliate in any way. He felt so ashamed of who he was that he didn't want to stand up for himself. What especially bothered Ash was the malicious nature of Morrison's voice and how it sounded like he reveled in saying it. Brendan, noticing a change in Ash, got upset.
"Hey, back away from him!" he exclaimed with an infuriated tone. He walked up to Morrison and placed a hand on the front of Morrison's shoulder to push him away forcefully from Ash.
What's your problem, creep?!" scolded May who was also getting upset, "go away we don't want you here."
"Alright, alright," Morrison said insufferably as he backed away from the three, his hands raised in the air, playing an innocent victim, "I'm leaving now. I just thought I would introduce myself before our battle tomorrow. If any of you were smart I would put your money on me making it into the final 8—just some words of advice. See ya tomorrow, Ash." As Morrison finished speaking he turned around and began to walked hurriedly away from Ash, Brendan, and May. Brendan looked at him walking away in anger, May looked at him in disgust. Ash didn't look at him, but instead his eyes were fixed on the ground.
"Ugh, what a dork. I can't wait for you to beat him tomorrow, Ash," stated May, placing her hands on her hips. She expected a reaction to come from Ash, but when she didn't hear one she turned her head and looked at him with a concerned look.
"Ash? You alright?" Brendan asked, placing his arm around Ash's shoulders.
"Hmm, yeah," Ash replied after a short delay, "Of course I am." Brendan was unconvinced by Ash's words.
"Are you sure? You seem a little different after that Morrison freak came over," said May, "what did he whisper into your ear?"
"I'm fine, don't worry guys," Ash stated, "he didn't say anything—no need to worry."
"If you say so," replied May, "just promise me you're gonna beat that Morrison freak tomorrow."
"Haha, of course I am," laughed Ash, giving a thumbs up to May; his laugh sounded fake. May gave Ash a friendly smile in return.
"Well now that you're all done training, what do you say we all get some food from the cafeteria?" inquired May.
"Sounds good to me, I'm starving," Ash answered, his hand placed on his growling stomach.
"Ah, yes please, I'm so hungry," agreed Brendan.
"Alright, let's head over then!" May said excitedly, "oh but I hope they're still serving good food—it's so late."
The group of three left the training field that they had been using for the evening and then rushed their way to the cafeteria. As May had said, it was late in the day. The sun had been set for two hours and the full moon, along with the thousands of stars were featured prominently in the night sky in its place. It was difficult to see the stars, however, from all of the light pollution in the area, coming from the strong stadium lighting. Ever since the beginning of the Ever Grande League, Ash, Brendan, May, Max, and Brock had all been staying the Trainer's Village, a resort type area where the participants of the tournament would remain for the whole duration of it. There were enough dorms to house all 256 tournament participants and up to four guests, so Ash and all of his friends were able to stay in luxury while in Ever Grande City. There were twenty dorm buildings placed in the shape of a Pokeball on the perimeter of the village, and the dorm buildings themselves had three floors, each one having numerous rooms and at least one common area. In addition to the dorm buildings the village had sixteen training fields for the trainers to make use of, and there were three cafeterias that served free food to all trainers and their guests; there were also open areas with green grass, a spa specifically for Pokemon, and an onsen for the trainers to use. It had been the nicest tournament that Ash had participated in by far.
The three walked some distance on the campus of the village and made their way into the cafeteria that was closest to their building. Ash and Brendan headed straight toward the ramen bar and asked the chef for two bowls fill with noodles, cabbage, and spicy radishes. May got herself a bowl of yellow curry. The three walked out into the main dining area which at this time of night was sparsely populated; only a few tables had people dining at them. Max, Brock, and Brock's Ludicolo were eating at one of these tables. Brock was stuck babysitting Max for the evening while Brendan and May helped Ash. The three, their bowls filled to the brim with food, made their way to Max's and Brock's table.
"Well hey, look who it is," commented Brock, watching the other three walk up to the table, "how are you feeling about tomorrow, Ash?" Ash had zoned out a little bit so it took him a few seconds to respond.
"Hmm, oh yeah I'm feeling really good about! Thanks Brock," replied Ash giving a thumbs up. Brendan took note Ash's hesitancy; it was the second time that he noticed Ash's reluctance to give a positive answer.
"We'll all be there for you tomorrow! I know you're gonna do good," chimed in Max reassuringly.
"Yeah, we're excited for you, Ash!" added May.
"You already know you got my support—no one is a bigger fan of you than me," declared Brendan with a warm smile.
"Thanks guys," said Ash with gratitude, "ah, I'm starving, come on Brendan, May let's eat." The three promptly placed their bowls on to the table, sat down and began to eat, Ash and Brendan taking huge bites of ramen noodles, making sounds of satisfaction and joy with every bite they took.
"Ah, this ramen is so good!" exclaimed Brendan happily, with a sparkle in his eyes and with his mouth watering.
"Food always taste better when you're starving!" agreed a famished Ash. Ash and Brendan continued flinging noodles into their mouths, savoring every note of flavor on the noodles. After a few small bites of curry, May placed down her bowl and began to speak.
"The three of us met who Ash is supposed to battle tomorrow-Morrison," stated May, twirling her food around on her chopsticks, "he seems like a dork if you ask me."
"Oh really? Well he must know what he's doing if he's gotten this far into the tournament," said Max.
"That's true," chimed in Brock, "you have to be a really good Pokemon trainer to get into the final 16. Ash, I'm sure you know that from experience.
"Hmm, yeah—yeah," replied Ash in between flinging noodles into his mouth, "these next few battles are going to be real tough, but I feel like I can win this thing if I got you guys behind me." Ash immediately became occupied with his ramen again. His eyes were looking down at the table and his head was also tilted downward, gesturing to the others at the table that he did not want to talk. He hoped the conversation about Morrison would end.
"So what was this Morrison guy like?" asked Max curiously, "I haven't seen any of his previous battles in the tournament."
"He was fat and he wore old people clothes," May replied with aversion, "he also talked really highly of himself—like he was almost certain that he was going to win tomorrow."
"He also watched us from a bush while Ash was training," added Brendan, placing his chopsticks down in his bowl which was half empty.
"Ugh, how weird," said Max disgusted.
"I know—he said he likes to 'research his opponents' or something, but it just came off as creepy," Brendan retorted.
"And he came up to Ash and whispered something into his ear," commented May turning her head towards Ash, "hey, what did he say to you, Ash? You never told me and Brendan earlier." Everyone else at the table all turned their heads toward Ash as well and looked at him with curiosity. Ash, who did not want to continue talking about his opponent quickly placed down his chopsticks making a loud ding sound as they collided with the bowl. He made a fist with his hand and slammed it against the top of the table; Ash tilted his head up and looked at the other four at the table.
"Don't worry about it!" he said indignantly, his face clearly expressing annoyance, "I don't really want to talk about that jerk right now, so if we could talk about something else?!" Brendan, May, Max and Brock all became awkwardly silent and didn't know how to react—even Brock's Ludicolo stared at him with a stunned look; Ash normally never lost his cool. Ash quickly realized how rude he was acting and how awkward he had made everything and he felt incredibly embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, guys," apologized Ash with great sincerity, "I'm really tired and I don't want to talk about my battle tomorrow. To be honest I'm a little stressed out about it. I think I'll just go to bed now. See you guys tomorrow." Ash picked up his finished bowl of ramen and left the table. He placed the bowl in the dirty dish bin and then left he cafeteria to make his way to his dorm room.
"Is-is he alright?" May asked, concern in her tone. She looked at Brendan with a sincere look in her eyes.
"I've never seen him do something like that before," replied Brock as shocked as the rest, "he must be really bothered by something."
"I'll go make sure he's okay," stated Brendan, getting up from the table, "I'll see you guys tomorrow as well." He excused himself and then quickly ran out of the cafeteria to catch up with Ash who was already halfway to their dorm building by the time he caught up to him. Brendan ran on the hard brick path. The soft orange lighting of the lamp posts illuminated his way towards Ash.
"Hey, Ash! Wait up!" exclaimed Brendan trying to get Ash to stop. Ash continued moving forward. Brendan quickly ran pass a couple passersby and their Pokemon, apologizing as he brushed against one on their shoulder. "Ashy, is there something bothering you about tomorrow?"
"Brendan, if you want to talk about my battle tomorrow go back," retorted Ash bluntly; he continued walking away.
"I don't want to talk about that, I want to talk about you," stated Brendan with a soft concerned voice. He finally caught up with Ash and extended his hand out to grab Ash's so that he could pull the boy back to him. "Or we don't even have to talk about anything—I just want to be here for you because I care about you." Ash stopped walking away but didn't turn his head to face Brendan. He felt comforted by the familiar hand of Brendan's touch.
"Ah... alright, let's head back to our room," said Ash, giving in to Brendan's request. The two began to walk together, Ash a few steps ahead of Brendan. Seeing another group of passersby coming towards them, Ash let go of Brendan's hand. After a minute of walking they had reached the dorm they were staying in, Dorm J. Many rooms were lit up and lively conversations could be heard coming out of rooms that had opened windows. The two entered the building and walked up the stairs and made their way up to the third floor; on the third floor they made their to Room 316, the room that Brendan and Ash had to themselves.
Brendan had the key card to the room; he scanned it, the door unlocked and he quickly pushed open the door. He suddenly grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him into the room. He closed the door behind them, causing a loud banging noise as the door's lock snapped into place. No lights were turned on in the room; instead the sliding glass door to the balcony was open to let in both the moonlight and fresh air. Brendan took Ash and placed him against the wall right next to the door, leaving his right hand placed on Ash's shoulder. He tried looking into Ash's caramel colored eyes, but they were still looking at the floor and Ash had a pouty expression on his his face. Without hesitation, Brendan leaned in to kiss Ash; he tilted his head as he did so, and their pair of soft lips embraced each other, for a brief, fleeting moment. Brendan pulled his head back. Ash's eyes lifted up from the ground and they looked into Brendan's cerulean eyes as if to say to Brendan that he enjoyed the embrace. Brendan's lips met Ash's once again, this time the kiss lasted longer, and their tongues began to dance with one another. After a blissful minute Brendan pulled back his head once more and he gave Ash a warming, loving smile.
"That's just so you know I love you," he said with a heartfelt voice. Ash blushed; his eyes once again averted Brendan's and looked down at the floor. An expression of shame was painted across Ash's face.
"I know," he mumbled timidly, "I'm sorry for the way I was acting—you should go back and have fun with the other four."
"No," Brendan said firmly, "I want to be with you. You seem upset by something and I want to make sure you feel okay." Ash closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Even though Ash enjoyed how much Brendan comforted him, it always came with shroud of guilt because Ash never got the chance to reciprocate toward his boyfriend. He opened his eyes and looked at Brendan once again. He began to walk away from the wall and walked toward the bed.
"Thanks, Brendan," said Ash solemnly. He took off his shoes and his vest and crawled on to the bed. Brendan did the same, taking off his shoes and his beanie before also laying in the bed, on the opposite side of Ash. He rested his head in his hand while Ash rested his head on a pillow.
"What's wrong, Ashy?" asked Brendan, the soft moonlight from outside shimmering in Brendan's eyes. It was the second time today that Ash had heard those words from Brendan; he felt bad that there was always something wrong with him that required Brendan's help, but Ash would be lying to himself if he thought he could handle his problems alone. Ash took a few moments to respond.
"Why do you love me?" he asked bluntly with no discernible expression on his face. Brendan shook his head in surprise.
"What do you mean?" replied Brendan, not understanding Ash's question.
"Why do you love me?" Ash asked again, "you always take care of me and try to make me happy when I'm sad. Why?" Brendan tilted his head up to ceiling and took a few moments to reply.
"Because I care about you, Ashy. I care about you a lot," began Brendan, " I always try to make sure the people I care about are happy, because if they feel sad then I feel sad too." Ash continued looking at Brendan with an expressionless stare.
"And I love you for so many reasons," Brendan continued, a smile creeping on to his face now, "I love you because you make me laugh and because you are a smart and kind trainer—you share a love for battling and Pokemon with me that I have never felt with anyone else. I love you because you know exactly what goal you want to achieve and finding a goal to pursue for your whole life is a hard thing for people to do. The truth is, Ashy, I fell in love with you a long time ago."
"But I'm a guy," replied Ash.
"What does that have to do with anything?" questioned Brendan with a serious tone.
"Everyone expects for us to fall in love with a girl—that being together with another boy is wrong. Wouldn't it be easier to fall in love with a girl... to be normal? To not have people be disgusted by who you love?"
"No it wouldn't be easier. That's not who I am. I don't want to love a girl. I want to love a boy—I want to love you.!"
"Why do something you'll get nothing but hate for?" Ash rolled over and laid on his other side, turning his back toward Brendan. A cold wind blew into the room.
"Some people may try to hate us for it, but it's worth it to me. I may get used and taken advantage of by caring so much about the people in my life, and I might get hate for loving another boy, but at least I am being true to myself, and that's something that a lot of people can't say. Our love is a great thing, and it's nothing to be ashamed of, Ashy. Please always remember that." Though Brendan did not see it, tears began to form on Ash's eyes. For so many years Ash had been ashamed of who he was and he was ashamed that he could never honestly say that he was openly himself. No matter what, he was never able to get rid of the feeling that he was doing something wrong. He wished that he had be born different from the way he currently was—that he had been born "normal".
"What made you ask that, Ash?" questioned Brendan sincerely. Ash remained silent for a few moments longer.
"That Morrison guy earlier," started Ash, "when came up to whisper to me in my ear... he called both of us faggots. He said that he saw us by the waterfall earlier today." Ash turned his head around to see Brendan's reaction, his eyes still wet from tears; Brendan sat up on the bed and he formed a fist in his right hand that he implanted into the mattress of the bed as a sign of anger.
"What. That fucking creep," stated Brendan with resentment. Ash noticed a change in Brendan's eyes. The familiar friendly twinkle in his eyes changed into a wrathful glow and the inviting smile turned into a infuriated snarl; the tip of his nose began to twitch slightly and his nostrils flared. This was an expression that Ash had never seen before. Seeing that Brendan was clearly bothered Ash turned his body around moved closer to Brendan. He placed his hand over Brendan's fist. "He really said that?" Brendan asked with a serious tone.
"...yes," replied Ash.
"Ugh, I'm gonna beat him up the next time I see him—you might not even get to fight him tomorrow if I see him before your battle." Brendan pushed his fist even further into the bed and clenched it even harder.
"That's why I freaked out at dinner," Ash said softly, "I just didn't want to talk about him—I don't even want to fight him now." Brendan released his fist and placed his hand into Ash's. The scowl disappeared from his face and the anger left his eyes. Brendan turned his face a looked at his lover with genuine concern and sincerity.
"I'm sorry. I should've known better," he apologized.
"Don't be sorry. I didn't tell you so how could you've known," Ash replied, "please don't be angry."
"I want to be angry, Ash. He disrespected us and he invaded our privacy. That Morrison jerk is lucky to be walking around on both of his legs right now."
"Please. I don't like seeing you angry like this." Brendan's face lightened up even more. His expression became blank. Ash removed his hand off of Brendan's and he got up off of the bed. He walked out on to the balcony; the chilly night breeze that was made colder by the sea made him shiver a little bit. He placed both of his hands on the railing and just stared forward, the moon illuminating his view of the other dorm buildings and the very tops of tropical palm trees swaying in the wind. Brendan followed Ash outside. He stood behind Ash and placed both of his hands on Ash's shoulders. The two stood in silence for a couple minutes, neither knowing what to say. Ash broke the silence.
"If it hurts this much to have a total stranger be disgusted by your sexuality, then how is it even possible to come out of the closet?" said Ash in a quiet solemn voice, his grasp around the railing of the balcony becoming even tighter, "if it hurts me this much, then I can't imagine how I would feel if May, Brock, Professor Oak, or my mom acted the same way that Morrison does. How could you possibly be expected to be your true self when people like that exist in the world. It's easier just to hide who your real self is." Brendan wrapped his arms around Ash and held him closer. His hands were placed over Ash's chest, and he could feel his heartbeat;. The heartbeat felt weak; it felt like the heartbeat of a person who was lost. He placed his head on to Ash's shoulder.
"You can't think like that, Ashy," stated Brendan, "how can we expect the world to change and to accept different people if those different people don't stand up for themselves. There's nothing wrong with the way that we were born. The only thing wrong is the world for not seeing that." Ash let out a deep sigh. He was so frustrated with himself. Despite all of his confidence and courage during a Pokemon battle, he had neither the confidence nor courage to reveal who he actually was to the rest of the world; he was content living a lie for his entire life. It was his paradox. Ash let go of the balcony railing and placed his hands over Brendan's and closed his eyes.
"You're brave, Brendan. I hope I can be like you one day," stated Ash honestly.
"I know you will be," whispered Brendan softly into Ash's ear. Ash, profoundly in love with Brendan, turned around and stood across from Brendan, facing him. Ash looked at Brendan; Brendan's cerulean eyes received Ash's adoring gaze. As Ash saw Brendan, he saw only his beauty, both external and internal. However, it was Brendan's internal beauty, his caring nature, his desire for a better world, and his courageous attitude that made Ash keep on falling in love with him. After only a moment's hesitation, he leaned in, tilted his head, and embraced Brendan on the lips. Ash tightly grabbed Brendan's shoulder with one hand and pulled him closer. The two kissed for a long, blissful minute, their tongues beginning to perform a dance with one another, each moment becoming more pleasurable for both of them. Ash pulled away from the kiss, leaving Brendan with a disappointed expression on his face as who still wanted more. He took his other hand and placed it on Brendan's other shoulder. He genuinely adored Brendan and couldn't help but tell his lover that fact; at the same time he also wished that he had the courage to tell the rest of the world that as well.
"I love you, Brendan. You're just so... beautiful, in every way. Your heart and your empathy is beautiful. Let me show you how much I love you." Ash said with a smirk, beginning to push Brendan back into the room.
"I already know you love me," replied Brendan, rubbing the back of his head as he walked backwards toward the bed.
"I know, but... I just can't help myself," Ash said, "you're always helping me with... well everything—and there aren't any other ways I can show you how much I care about you because I can never help you with anything." Ash leaned in for another short, but sweet, kiss before prompting Brendan to sit down on the bed.
"You don't have to worry about that, Ashy," stated Brendan, "making you happy is the only thing I ca—whoa!" Ash interrupted Brenda's response by jumping on to the bed with him and laying on top of him, trapping Brendan's torso. Ash took his hands and placed them on Brendan's forearms, making him spread his arms out. He looked at the cerulean eyed boy with an amorous smile.
"I like being on top of you. I feel like I don't get to do this enough," declared Ash seductively.
"Wha—hey, just don't get any wrong ideas," replied Brendan. He move his head up towards Ash who was tilting his head down to meet him halfway for another embrace on the lips. Their lips met once again, igniting a fire of passion within both of them. Ash began to feel warm as blood rush throughout his body; the blood swelled in his cheeks, turning them into a deep red color that resembled the scales of a shiny Gyarados. Their tongues played with each other for a few moments, Brendan's always initiating the contact. Feeling Ash's member get hard and rubbing against his through their pants, Brendan, this time, pulled his head away from the kiss, removed his arms from Ash's grasp, and began to remove both his and Ash's shirts, tossing both of them at the foot of the bed. Brendan wrapped both of his arms around Ash's torso and began to sit up on the bed, with Ash now sitting in his lap. The cerulean eyed boy began to tenderly kiss parts of Ash's neck and chest, and tenderly caressing Ash's cheeks, causing Ash to give out soft moans of enjoyment.
"Ah, Brendan... your lips feel so good against my skin," Ash moaned, tossing his head backward and closing his eyes. Brendan aroused Ash for a few moments longer before prompting Ash to get off the bed with him. Brendan stood up, his noticeable bulge bursting out of his tight shorts; he began to take off both his shorts and his underwear, letting free his hard member which immediately caused Ash's mouth to water, a couple small streams of saliva falling out of the corner of his mouth.
"You look so eager, Ashy," stated Brendan with a playful smirk. Ash had nothing to say in response because of how accurate what Brendan said was; he always loved seeing Brendan's erect member. Without any prompting from Brendan, Ash got onto his knees, opened his mouth, and leaned forward. His lips tightened as Brendan's member went into his mouth, massaging his lover's most sensitive skin. Brendan placed the palm of his left hand on to the top of Ash's head. The touch of Brendan's hand always made Ash feel comforted and desired. He moved his mouth even further down Brendan's shaft, trying to fit the entirety of it into his mouth.
"Ash, ahh," moaned Brendan looking down at his lover with a lustful look. Ash continued to move his mouth back and forth on Brendan's dick, sending a wave of ecstasy throughout Brendan's entire body with each movement; it soon became so pleasurable that his toes and fingers began to shake uncontrollably and his breathing erratic. His member pulsated intensely inside Ash's mouth. Sensing that his partner was too close, Ash removed his mouth off from the member, a couple thick strands of saliva dripping off Brendan's dick as he did so. The member was completely coated in Ash's warm saliva.
"You're so big, Brendan. It's hard to fit it all in my mouth," commented Ash. Brendan's cheeks turned a rosy pink color as he blushed in response and his eyes dashed up towards the ceiling in embarrassment.
"Ashy," replied Brendan, "your loud, big mouth can easily fit all of me in there." Brendan gave a playful smirk as he ended his sentence. "Now come here." Brendan bent down to grab Ash's hands and pick him up from the floor. He laid the raven haired boy on the bed and made sure that he was laying on his back and had his legs hanging off of the bed; he quickly took off Ash's pants, and tore off his underwear as well, tossing both of them on to the floor. Brendan then knelt down on the floor and with his hands, he grabbed Ash's calves and lifted them into the air. Ash's heart began to beat out of his chest and a couple drops of sweat formed on his forehead as he anticipated what would happen next.
Making sure that Ash's legs would stay in the air, Brendan then took his hands and firmly grabbed both of Ash's ass cheeks and began to spread them apart, revealing to Brendan Ash's tight, pink hole. His mouth became moist as he looked at it. He leaned his neck forward and stuck out his tongue. He began to lick Ash's hole, making circular and penetrating movements with his tongue.
"Fu-ahh," moaned Ash, his eyes rolling back in his head as felt this sensation that Brendan had not previously given him. Brendan's moist tongue in his hole made Ash feel a wave of unusual pleasure, the unusual pleasure of it making it all the more sexually exciting. Ash positioned his arms underneath his head and closed his eyes to enjoy every passionate and erotic sensation that he was feeling; his heart began to beat even faster and an uncontrollably, tingly feeling caused his toes and feet to quiver and shake. Brendan continued to lick Ash's spot for a few minutes longer, immensely enjoying seeing the pleasure that it gave Ash.
"Ahh, Brendan is almost as good with his tongue as I am," thought Ash to himself. He panted and moaned audibly, unable to control himself. Brendan pulled his head away pulled down Ash's legs. Brendan then spat on his member making it wet, and began to rub it to make sure it was fully hard. Sensing that Brendan was about to penetrate him, got up off the bed suddenly and tackled Brendan to the floor, making a loud noise as their bodies collided on the carpeting.
"Wha—hey! What was that for?!" asked Brendan confused and annoyed as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I want to ride you," stated Ash, the lustful and loving look in his eyes enough to stop Brendan's annoyance, "if that's okay with you?" Brendan gave a warm smile in reply.
"You know, you did look kinda cute on top of me earlier," he said. Brendan then laid on his back on top of floor, giving Ash a seductive smirk as he did so that made the caramel eyed boy's heart flutter. Ash proceeded to get on top of Brendan, resting his knees at the sides of Brendan's lower torso. Ash reached around himself and grabbed Brendan's hard penis and guided it toward his hole which had already been lubricated by Brendan's saliva. He inserted it into himself, only putting in a fourth of Brendan's large member to ease him into it. Ash then began to move his knees, and the rest of his body, up and down, riding Brendan's dick, enjoying greatly every inch that entered him. Sweat began to form on both boys' chest and on Ash's forehead and the raven haired boy began to move up and down the shaft faster.
"Ahh, fuck... Brendan... you feel so good," moaned Ash lewdly in between heavy pants of hot, steamy breath. Ash leaned forward and rested the palms of his hands on to Brendan's warm chest. He could feel Brendan's heartbeat. It was beating almost as fast as his.
"Y-y-you're so tight," Brendan gasped. Brendan placed his hands over Ash's and began to hold them tightly. Ash's tight hole massaged the sensitive skin of Brendan's member as it moved up and down his shaft, making Brendan feel immense sensual rapture that flow through out his whole body. As Ash moved up and down Brendan's dick he began to move his hips in a circular fashion, to better the pleasure that both him and his lover were feeling. Brendan's member penetrated deeply into Ash, pushing against Ash's most sensitive spot, sending out a shock wave of euphoria each time it hit it. The caramel eyed boy moved up and down Brendan even faster, his breathing becoming more erratic as he did so; he could feel himself coming close to his climax without even touching himself.
"A-ah-ahhh, fuck," Ash moaned a lustful Ash, "I'm almost cumming without touching myself." Ash looked deep into Brendan's cerulean eyes as they glowed from the moonlight that was coming from outside. He felt so in love with Brendan; he felt connected to him—as if Brendan were the missing piece that made him feel whole.
"You're so beautiful, Ashy. I love you," moaned Brendan. Both boys could no longer contain themselves; the ecstasy that they felt was too much for them to handle. Ash shot strings of his hot, white cum on to Brendan's chest, and the cerulean eyed boy came inside Ash, his member also shooting out string of warm semen. Ash, exhausted from his exertion, collapsed on top of Brendan, his head conveniently nestled next to Brendan's. Both lovers panted profusely and the sweat that they produced made their bodies stick to each other.
"Ahh, I mean it A-Ash," panted Brendan softly into Ash's ear, wrapping his arms around Ash and holding him closely, "I really do love you. I don't care what other people might think. I love you and I'm not ashamed of it. I hope you know that."
"I-I do know that," replied Ash sincerely, "I love you too."
"I do love you, Brendan, I just wish I didn't hate that fact about me."
...
Ash's and Morrison's battle about to happen. Their showdown was next up in the rotation and all that they had to wait for was for the battle before theirs to finish. Ash was sitting in the room where the participants waited before entering into the arena, his friends supporting him and trying to cheer him on.
"Make this Morrison freak cry, Ash," demanded Max excitedly, one fist raised in the air.
"Yeah! Make sure he goes home sobbing because he lost to the Ash Ketchum!" exclaimed May cheerfully.
"You've made it this far, Ash, you've only got a couple more battles to go before are in the final," mentioned Brock, "hmm, Ash are you okay?" Ash was sitting on a bench, staring at the ground and holding Pikachu's Pokeball in his hand. He seemed a little out of it to the other four.
"Hey, Ash, you got a battle coming up soon, look alive," said May, snapping here fingers.
"Hmm, wha—" replied Ash, suddenly realizing where he was again, "yeah, don't worry about it guys. I'm gonna win this thing."
"Are you sure? You've seemed out of it all day," stated Max with a concerned tone.
"Mhmm, I'm gonna win this thing don't you worry," said Ash giving a smile and thumbs up. Ash, of course, was lying to his friends. He had been nervous about this battle all day and was dreading it. All he did was ignore that fact and try to portray that he had confidence for this battle like he did for any other.
"If you say so, Ash," said May unconvinced turning her head and placing her hands on her hips.
"We should probably head to our seats. It looks like the current battle is about to end soon," said Brock pointing to a monitor on a wall that was displaying the current battle that was taking place in the arena.
"Oh! You're right," retorted May, "best of luck, Ash. Sending that weirdo home crying, okay?"
"Good luck!" exclaimed Max and Brock at the same time. Max, Brock, and May all began to make their way to their seats in the arena, but Brendan stayed behind.
"Hey, Brendan, aren't you coming?" asked Max.
"I'll join you guys in a minute, I just wanna tell Ash something. Ya know, as a former Ever Grande League contestant," replied Brendan with a friendly smile.
"Alright, don't be long!" said Max. Brendan sat down next to Ash on the bench and placed his hand on Ash's shoulders.
"Are you nervous?" asked Brendan with concern. He tilted his head closer to Ash.
"I am. I don't even want to fight him," confided Ash, "he was just so hateful yesterday. It's taking all of my passion out of the battle." Brendan let out a soft sigh. He hated seeing his lover this upset. He wanted to comfort Ash but he knew he only had a few moments to so.
"Listen," started Brendan, "jerks like this Morrison guy know that they can't beat people like you in an actual Pokemon battle. They try to take things you're scared about and try to get into your head and throw you off your game."
"Hmm?" muttered Ash, turning his head toward Brendan and looking into his deep cerulean eyes.
"Don't let him get into your head," repeated Brendan, "he knows he can't win against you so he's trying to mess with you, don't let him. Don't let that hateful person win." Brendan gave a warm, loving smile to Ash, the kind of smile that Ash had grown deeply fond of over the last several months of traveling with Brendan. Ash gave a smile back. He understood what Brendan was saying; Ash was certain he was going to win the battle now.
"Thanks, Brendan, that's what I needed to hear," replied Ash with a happy smile.
"Ash Ketchum and Morrison, please enter on to the arena," said an echo-ey voice that rang through the waiting room. It came from two large speakers that where hanging on the wall. It was finally time for Ash's and Morrison's battle.
"Ah, I guess I'm up," said Ash, now finally full of his normal energy and confidence. He gave Brendan a quick kiss on his cheek before waving goodbye and running out into the arena. He was finally ready to beat Morrison. Ash ran out on to the arena and heard the cheer of thousands of people in the stands, excited for the next Pokemon battle that was about to take place. A normal Pokemon battlefield would be used for this match. On the other side of the battlefield Ash could see Morrison waddling to where he was supposed to stand.
"Too bad your boyfriend has to see you lose, haha," laughed Morrison across the battlefield. Ash formed a fist in his hand and looked down at the ground. "If you lose against me I bet Brendan won't be interested in you anymore, then you'll have to find another dirty faggot boy to fuck around with." Ash took a deep breath to collect himself. He loosened his fist and turned his head up.
"You're a hateful biggot, Morrison. You're pathetic," replied Ash with swagger.
"Eh!?" responded Morrison, not expecting Ash to reply like that.
"You know you can't beat me so you're trying to tear me down. I'm gonna beat your sorry ass!" proclaimed Ash excitedly, pointing a finger at Morrison.
"Let the 3-on-3 Pokemon battle begin!" shouted the referee who was standing on the left sideline of the battlefield.
"Okay, Swellow, I choose you!" said Ash throwing out his Pokeball. Swellow came out of the Pokeball and immediately began flying up in the air.
"Hmm, okay," muttered Morrison, "Gligar let's go!" Morrison tossed out his Pokeball and his Gligar entered on to the arena. The crowed cheered loudly as both trainers threw out their Pokemon.
"Let's start with bite!" shouted Morrison, pointing his finger at Ash's Swellow. Gligar jumped forward with great speed at Ash's Pokemon.
"Quick attack, Swellow!" commanded Ash with confidence in his Pokemon. Swellow charged forward at a blinding speed and tackled Gligar head on, knocking the Pokemon into a pile of rocks. Gligar was slow to get up after the attack. Loud cheering could be heard from the crowd, all of it for Ash and his Swellow.
"Ahh, dammit!" exclaimed Morrison, taking a step back.
"Awesome!" shouted Ash happily, "follow it up with a wing attack!" Swellow's wings began to glow with power as it once again charged toward Morrison's Gligar.
"Dodge that attack," demanded a panicked Morrison, however it was too late. Gligar took another direct hit and was sent flying back several feet.
...
"I'm really proud of you, Ash," said Brendan, looking at Ash with an affirmative smile. The whole group was in the cafeteria for a celebratory dinner after Ash's victory against Morrison. Everyone was happily eating large bowls filled to the brim with hot, spicy curry.
"I am too," agreed Brock, "that was some of the best battling I've seen you do."
"I didn't really do much," said Ash, his voice muffled by the sounds of curry noodles in his mouth, "it was all Swellow and Torkal who did the heavy lifting—I didn't even have to use Pikachu to win that battle!"
"So now it's only the final 8, huh," said Max, who was also shoveling spicy curry noodles into his mouth.
"Yep, and then after that the final 4, and then it's just me and whoever that last person I have to beat is!" exclaimed Ash excitedly, "ah, I'm ready to win this whole thing!"
"We're ready for you to win too," said Brendan with a big warm smile.
"Yeah, I'm ready for you to finally win one of these things," muttered Brock under his breath.
"Hmm? What what that?!" questioned Ash with an angry look on his face. He glanced over at Brock with an intense stare.
"Oh, wh-what, it was nothing," stumbled Brock trying to take back what he said.
"Ah it doesn't matter. I feel like I need to train more—I'm going to the training fields!" declared Ash full of energy. He got up suddenly from the table and began to rush out of the cafeteria and make his way over to the training fields to prepare himself and his Pokemon for his next opponent.
"I'll join you and help you out," said Brendan, getting up and following Ash.
"Me too," added May, doing the same.
"I guess I don't have anything better to do," chimed in Max, following suit.
"Hey guys! Don't leave your dirty dishes lying around! I'm not going to clean up after you!" exclaimed Brock seeing everyone else in the group leave. He crossed his arms and looked down at the ground with an upset expression.
While Ash would go on to lose his next battle and be eliminated from the tournament, this time it was different for him. Even though he didn't get to achieve ultimate victory in the Ever Grande League, his victory against Morrison felt incredibly significant to him; it was victory against hate and prejudice, a victory that's more important than any other. Not only did Ash feel good about his win against Morrison, it was also because of Brendan's words that he felt okay losing for once. He wanted to see where this loss would take him; he wanted this loss to make him even stronger.