Serena was finally back to her hotel room after the sun set. Earlier, she offered to register the borrowed jacket as her laundry, but Gary declined as it turned out he's staying in the same hotel. He made an immediate booking with the receptionist to save time since they would go together to Cerulean tomorrow morning.
Showering was a great way to refresh herself. The bathroom was squeaky clean and the water temperature is just right. Serena was wrapping a towel around her freshly washed hair when her phone rang. She quickly reached to answer it. It's Clemont and Bonnie again.
"Hi, Bonnie." She greeted when Bonnie's face appeared on her screen.
"Serena! Are you back already? So, how was your trip?" she joyfully asked.
"It's awesome here." she answered ,"I'll send you some pictures."
She quickly selected some pictures in her gallery, mostly are panoramic views of Celadon Greenhouse and Celadon Mall Garden.
"Kanto is so modern." Bonnie was amazed and called her brother to the phone ,"Come here, Clemont! Look!"
The video screen displayed both siblings admiring the pictures she sent and pointing out details in them. Bonnie noticed the beautiful decorations, and Clemont commented on the modern architecture. The siblings briefly asked her about the areas featured in the pictures.
"We should go to Kanto someday, Bonnie."
"Prepare your leave, then. Even a gym leader should take a break sometimes." Bonnie agreed ,"I hope Kanto has many single girls."
"But why is there no picture of you?" she quickly added.
"About that…" Serena explained ,"Ash's friend has drove me around and explained so much about the buildings. I felt bad if I have to trouble him even more."
"His name's Gary, right? I love his dark green eyes." Bonnie responded.
Bonnie's discovery made Serena recall back her memories. Did he really have green eyes? She didn't notice it.
"Do you know what he does? Gary Oak, huh? His name sounds familiar." Clemont asked. He either saw him or TV or in one of Ash's social media comment.
"I'm not sure, we didn't talk about it. Perhaps you can ask Ash later." Serena replied.
Gary's name was not hard to find on the internet. She just hoped Clemont and Bonnie would not be too shocked after finding pictures of him on yacht with a bunch of girls in bikini who he claimed to be his old friends. Added with a throwback picture when he was still a 10 years old boy in the same pose. Born into privilege, perhaps he developed a bit of decadence.
"He's so handsome, Serena." Bonnie's eyes twinkled ,"and so hot."
Serena nodded slowly. She did not disagree. He might not hold a special place in her heart like a certain someone, but she's not blind.
"See Clemont? You should leave your inventions sometimes, your face has potential. If you let your belly fat pile up, how are you gonna pick up a girl as pretty as Serena?" Bonnie took the chance to critique Clemont's sedentary lifestyle that he picked up lately and he just blushed. The three of them laughed together and she promised to call them when she meets Ash tomorrow.
After calling her mother in Kalos and hearing how proud she was, Serena figured she should text Ash now. She navigated her contacts list to quickly tapped on his name : Ash Ketchum.
"Hi Ash! I had a great day. Thank you for asking Gary to show me around."
The reply was unexpectedly fast that she jumped with joy. Usually, Ash would take some time to reply. He would be occupied by whatever it was that kept him busy.
"Hi Serena! I'm glad you had a blast. Gary told me you guys are heading to Cerulean tomorrow. I can't wait to hear your adventures. I'll also introduce you to my good friend Misty and Tracey."
Serena replied about how excited she was to get to know them, although unbeknownst to Ash, that would be unnecessary since she already knew them. Even without checking each of Ash's friends, she really paid close attention to whoever commented on his profile.
The glass window displayed the night scenery glowing with city lights. The billboards, high-rise buildings, and traffic jams made Celadon a lively city, even at night. Many places were still open, and when Serena admired them from the comfort of her own room, she wondered if her new friend had gone somewhere else. However, she quickly dismissed her thoughts. Wherever he goes was none of her business.
Ash typed on his phone while lying on his sleeping bag. Since the hospital could only provide one extra bed per room, he decided to just drag it to the room. It's a good decision to always keeps his camping equipment in his car. If he's going to switch shift with Tracey, it's not wise to drive all the way from Cerulean to Pallet and around. As a result, they're all sleeping together in Misty's patient room now.
"Who are you texting with, Ash?"
"Serena. I was asking about her trip with Gary."
"Really? How did it go?" Misty replied curiously.
"It went great." Ash changed the topic to something much more urgent ,"Enough about them. So, why are you here Tracey? What's up with you and Daisy?"
"The same reason you're here, Ash. I'm helping my friends. The three of you needed my help."
Ash sighed. That's not specific enough. Clearly, he's there for Misty. But, what about Tracey? He was tempted to take a peek at Tracey's sketchbook to see which Waterflowers sister he drew.
"By the way Ash, I'm still curious. Why did you ask Gary to accompany her?"
"Good question , Misty. First, Gary is flexible to his schedule. Even if he had a task, he'll manage to finish it real fast or squeeze it in his schedule. Second, he is an experienced traveler like me. He gets everywhere real fast. He's also very articulate although sometimes he could talk too much. Just the perfect person for the job. "
"That's right." Tracey agreed.
"What if she likes him?"
"Gary is a good friend of mine. Isn't it good that they get along?"
"But, aren't you jealous?" Misty gathered the courage to ask him more specifically. That wasn't the kind of answer she expected.
"Jealous? Why?"
"What if they fall in love?'
"They just met. They won't fall in love." Ash casually replied.
"I mean, a boy and a girl spending time together alone. Anything could happen."
"What nonsense is that? You read too much girly comic, Mist." Ash grunted. If it were true, then, perhaps he and Misty wouldn't stay friends like this, although he must admit that he did fear it might happen to Misty and Tracey.
"But Misty is right. It might not happen to everyone, but what if it happens to them?" Tracey responded.
"That's none of my business." Ash answered shortly before adding to his sentence ,"But, I actually think it's a good idea if Gary starts dating just one person. I mean, is he still dating his bunch of cheerleaders? I know he's got a lot of energy and could explore uncharted areas easily. But, really? How many are those girls? What if he's got a heart attack? He's still young!"
"Ash! I don't know what you're talking about!" Misty replied. Such imagination just ruined her day. She was actually very intrigued Ash could think of something perverted like that. Where did he learn that? In the same time, she was glad he gave a neutral answer.
"Ash… I think he just consider them as friends. You know some of them cheered for him since we were still kids." Tracey forced a smile. Working closely with the Oak family, he just knew some things.
"Well I don't know! I just said my opinion." Ash curled up in his sleeping bag. He had enough of this imaginary scenario that's unlikely to happen. Ever since they were little, Gary and him were never interested in each other's love life. He was ready to just sleep.
"Is this all?" Gary asked when Serena finished dragging her luggage from the hotel room to the lobby the next day.
"Yeah." She hoped it wasn't too heavy, but he didn't seem to have a problem with it when he loaded it easily into his car. A bit impatient, he didn't bother waiting for the porters' help who were busy carrying luggage of the minibus in front of them. Why waste time waiting for others when he could do it himself?
On their way to Cerulean, everything seemed fine. Except, he looked a bit tired with faint dark circles under his eyes. Was it okay for him to drive?
"Did you go out somewhere else last night?"
"No. I just finished some works." he casually answered before turning to her, then asked with a delighted look ,"Why do you ask?"
She took a short breath. This guy really looked entertained that she noticed.
"I… just thought you went someplace fun." she answered in a panic ,"Since you look tired."
"If I go somewhere fun I'll take you along." he replied ,"That, if you want to, as your guide."
Serena calmed herself. Gary's right. He's just a friend and her Kanto guide here, nothing more or less.
She didn't know why she has been having funny feelings every time she saw him or talked to him. Probably because so many things had happened yesterday. Regardless, she's convinced herself that these strange emotions are going to disappear as soon as she sees Ash.
He put on a pair of sunglasses to see the road clearly when the morning sunlight hit the car windshield. She deliberately caught a glimpse of his face and found out Bonnie was right. He does have a pair of beautiful green eyes.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/U : I originally planned to skip this part and get straight to the Cerulean. I'm glad I didn't do it because I then realized talking about events/something/someone after the event itself ended is what makes life fun. It also gave me chances to delve deep into other characters' impressions of the current event. (And Ash!? Even I am as curious as Misty now, although I am the author. Where would he learn that? Geez the dialogue just came so naturally, I am now tempted to write fanfics based on it for many characters)
I didn't include Gary talking with anyone because I imagine he won't be talking to anyone on the phone that much, especially about mundane things. He's kind of a ... solitary individual? He hates wasting his time, and perhaps a person like him is always surrounded by people so he would appreciate quietness. He chose to travel alone and also had weird methods in expressing his feelings. Sometimes he did it well, a lot of times he's just terrible at it. For example, provoking is an abnormal way to motivate Ash and Goh. Oh what a bad habit he has.
I once again laughed when I wrote about Gary's trip with his cheerleaders in bikini. God, that was so abnormal. He did gradually become the cool guy we know in DP and Journeys, but I'll never forget his OS/Indigo era that I adore so much, wearing a ridiculous beach shirt that only a guy like him can wear because he's rich and funny like that. I refuse to believe that funny kid is gone already. He must still be alive, only buried deep inside the cool Gary we know today.
[FOR READERS: Please check this fic's original link in AO3 for picture attached] I attached my drawing to celebrate this fic hitting 150 views! Yay! Thank you for views, kudos, and generous comments! 150 views might not be much compared to famous ships, but considering this is a rareship, I think it's doing amazing and I had so much fun writing this :) If my prediction is correct, we'll have 4-5 chapters left till ending. Phew, I can't wait. Please don't hesitate to correct any grammar mistakes you found, and do tell me if you think an illustration are breaking the immersion, I really need a feedback.
Please tune in for Chapter 5!