Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with the first chapter of 2019! I can't believe that I wrote this one almost three months ago - it definitely doesn't feel that long. I remember having a little bit of writers block but then something happened at work that inspired this story. We have a man who comes into the charity shop and takes our puzzles off our hands and does them all to check if they really are complete. I overheard him telling my Mum about one that had a piece missing and I went home and wrote this about Dylan, James and Gary and Eddie too! I hope you enjoy :3
Disclaimer: I own the stories and the OCs too!
Dylan rested the palm of his hand on the sofa cushions while he looked under the sofa, his chin on the carpet and quite the unprepared expression on his face. He exhaled out of his pouting lips and his shoulders slumped. He wanted to give up. He was about to give up. But like how it often went when he was losing hope and about to grow very distant, there was someone by his side to cheer him up. It was little James Ketchum and like always and like his father, he had a soft and warm expression on his face.
He moved next to his best pal and didn't touch him but the smile that he gave Dylan while he wasn't looking at him was just as good and as sincere as if he had squeezed his shoulder. He moved closer to his side and peered under the sofa alongside with him. He didn't stop smiling.
"Don't worry, Dylan, we'll find it." He reassured his friend before he did touch him that time and he did reach out to squeeze his shoulder. It was brief but it was genuine. And after that, he shuffled on his hands and knees round to the other side of the sofa to peer from a different angle. "We won't give up until we do!"
Before that moment, I had a sympathetic look on my own face for the purple haired young male. But upon hearing the youngest Ketchum son's encouragement and enthusiasm, I found myself sharing the same warm smile at him. I nodded my head to reassure Dylan as well but I was mostly nodding my head because of James. My heart thumped with love.
The chestnut haired young boy was so much like my best friend Ash when he was a little boy. He radiated the exact same energy. Enthusiasm. Purity. Sincerity. It was certain that it all came from my raven haired best friend even though Misty shared those qualities too but in a different way. James definitely had them in the Ketchum way. But he also had drive and perseverance and loyalty like his mother's Williams' blood. He was a lovely little boy. The perfect mix of both of his parents and completely himself too. I adored him more and more each day.
Dylan didn't quite perk up right away at his best friend's enthusiasm and understandably so. He was so disappointed that his brand new puzzle piece had gone awry and it was going to take a bit more than reassuring words to motivate him to keep looking. But it didn't take much more. And soon enough after seeing his Ketchum friend continuing to be on his hands and knees and determinedly looking for the lost item, Dylan's faith in the search was restored.
He let out another breath out of his lips but they were no longer pouting. And then after pausing just a few more moments to collect himself, he shuffled around on his bottom and started looking under the opposite end of the sofa to which James was peeking. I resumed helping myself after smiling to myself but the truth was, I really wanted to just sit back and watch them. I enjoyed watching those two boys interacting and playing and being friends very much. But that would've been very selfish of me. And it definitely would have upset Dylan!
So I joined in with the search. After it was obvious that the missing puzzle piece was not under the sofa, both the boys moved on to look under the arm chairs instead, one of them searching under the cushions each. I decided to give the sofa an extra scan after they moved on from it. I hopped onto the cushions and knew that I was still small and sleek enough to poke my nose through and see the gap of the sofa bed underneath. But still, I could not see that puzzle piece. And after I had my own sigh much like Dylan, I moved on from there. I had a little bit of a pause to watch the boys before I stuck my nose under the radiators.
They were no longer looking under the arm chairs and started searching around the children's table in the play room where they had actually been doing the puzzle instead. James stayed on his hands and knees and patting the rug for any hidden pieces while Dylan shuffled on his bottom and searched the seats of the chairs. But still, no luck.
And even though his good friend was still searching for him, he wasn't offering him reassuring and encouraging words. Dylan started to lose hope all over again. And that time, he started to lose hope for good. All of a sudden, in the middle of searching, he decided that it was completely hopeless and he wasn't going to look anymore. His face crumpled with confusion and disappointment and he remained under the play table, pulling his legs to his chest. While one of his arms wrapped firmly around his own knees, the other hand started patting his own head with upset.
"What even is the point?" he asked in a level and unreadable tone, contrasting greatly to his wide eyes that were filled with bewilderment and helplessness. He didn't stop from pulling his legs to his chest. He didn't stop from tapping his own floppy hair either. He had a prominent frown on his face. "Don't bother anymore. I give up."
Dylan announced and it didn't take James very long at all to stop searching for the puzzle piece momentarily and glance over his best friend. He knew when his best buddy was truly upset and in that moment, he really was very let down indeed. He was starting to feel very anxious. The chestnut haired young boy gave me a glance after I stopped peeking underneath all of the window sills but soon enough, he looked back at Dylan.
He wasn't worried. He was concerned that his best friend was upset, of course, and he was empathetic but he wasn't out of his comfort zone. He knew exactly what to do. He knew exactly how to handle Dylan. In his opinion, there wasn't anything to handle. Dylan was Dylan and some things made him upset. So needless to say, he would go out of his way to make him feel better in a way that was right for them both. He would do that regardless of any labels his best friend might have.
There was always a little bit of nervousness in case Dylan got even more upset and anxious but at the end of the day, you always had to try with him. He was full of surprises. While I casually moved nearer to the purple haired boy so I could be there to offer comfort if he did suddenly feel even worse, James just gave the quirky male his same old soft smile. He nodded his head at him. Dylan was far beyond talking and looking at him too so James just made sure his tone did all of the comforting.
"I said that we're not going to give up until we find the puzzle piece and I meant it." The youngest Ketchum son reaffirmed his words to Dylan and before he stood up to his full height to search with even more of his might, he gave his friend a poke. This caused him to turn away from him and cling his legs even more. But he wasn't even more upset. He just didn't want to talk. James didn't mind. He humoured him. "Oh so you're not talking to me now? I see."
James Ketchum joked with Dylan and because he was the only other person who could do that to him, the purple haired Oak stopped looking so blank for just a split second and he furrowed his brow and looked over at his friend. But it didn't last long. After realising what he had done, he made sure he went back to his not talking state. He folded his arms over his chest instead of his legs. James chuckled. He reassured the slightly older male with his voice and his airy laughter.
"That's fine, you just sit there and have some quiet time and I'll look for the puzzle piece. I like running around anyway." James told Dylan and after a nod of his head, he proved his words were true by starting to look around every corner of the play room with much more energetic speed. He definitely got that from his father.
Little James looked high and little James looked low. He looked under the sofa all over again and even took the sofa cushions out before putting them back neater than before. He looked under the arm chairs and the children's play table chairs too. He surveyed the radiators. He peeked under the window sills. He looked on all of the shelves and between the DVDs. He even headed out of the play room to retrace all the steps that he and Dylan had taken that day. It had been a nice and easy and relaxed day.
The two boys were having a play date together and they had gone to the local second hand shop to pick up a new puzzle with Jayme. They had taken the car so it was possible that the piece had fallen out there but James wanted to wait until the last moment to break that to Dylan. He was adamant that it was in the house and he was even more set on finding it.
It had been a lovely day. And James was such a lovely boy. He knew how much the day had meant to Dylan and he knew how let down he was as soon as they both managed to complete the little puzzle except for one piece. He wanted to make it right. If anyone was going to make it right, it was going to be him.
But it was starting to look like nobody was going to be able to make it right for Dylan when the lost puzzle piece was still nowhere to be found. James came trudging back into the play room, a lot less pep in his step after even he was starting to lose hope that they were going to have the chance to finish the puzzle together.
I had stayed by Dylan's side the entire time that the chestnut haired male was gone and I hadn't done anything special to cheer him up. I had just simply been there. And after a few moments, he stopped being so distant. All on his own, he decided to not lose all hope entirely. He had pulled himself up off the floor and dusted his knees off. He had climbed back on his chair on his side of the table and waited for his best friend there. He was still tapping the top of his head rhythmically but he was no longer as anxious. He just needed time.
But I started to worry that his anxiety was going to come back all over again seeing that James hadn't been successful in locating the missing puzzle piece and was going to be even more shaken up by him starting to lose hope as well. For a rare time, I held my breath. I didn't want to see the purple haired male getting upset all over again.
My worries started to ease slightly as I clambered onto my own seat and realised that Jayme had followed little James back into the play room. She was flushed and her side bangs were slightly untidy from cooking in the kitchen but she was ready to be as accepting and patient with her son as ever. I got the impression that James had explained to her the situation. But she acted like she always did. She certainly didn't want to be the one to distress her son!
"You boys have been hard at work at that for hours." She commented to them both fondly and impressively and she put her hands on her hips, nodding her head and moving round to the side of the table to get a proper look while James casually slid onto his own chair. I offered everybody friendly smiles. "It seems like you two picked a good one. It's so pretty!"
Dylan didn't say anything and his expression remained somewhat unreadable while his mother had a look at the puzzle on the table that was complete except for just one pesky piece. James just smiled. I did too but even more so while Jayme's hands remained on her hips. I looked at the jungle scene themed puzzle picture myself. I smiled that little bit extra.
The chestnut haired male had persuaded the purple haired floppy haired male to buy a puzzle to which the picture was more his cup of tea than his best friends. Instead of the usual planes and trains and boats like Dylan liked, it was a green filled jungle with a big orange lion like James preferred. So Dylan trying something new and buying something different was a victory, even if the two boys didn't manage to complete it!
But needless to say, Dylan was still very disappointed by the lack of closure. He still didn't go back to pouting but he furrowed his brow and looked up at his Mom with baffled and misunderstanding eyes. He stopped tapping his fingers on his head and tapped them on the table instead. He puzzle moved slightly.
"But it's not finished. It will never be finished. The last piece is gone forever." Dylan told his mother in dramatic words but his tone was very serious and very level. He frowned even more. James did too but his was in a sympathetic way. He didn't say anything, he just smiled understandingly. He didn't want his best friend to find out that he thought the puzzle might never be finished too.
Jayme was so very wonderful with Dylan, she always had been. She never really treated him like he was different and though some would argue that it was the wrong thing to do, she never researched into his label too much. She just took her son for being her son and worked with him and worked through his difficulties as if they were just part of him. And it seemed to work well.
She looked after him. She nurtured him. She comforted him. But she also encouraged him to see the other side of his point of view even though it was often very difficult for him. She helped him see that things didn't always go right. Things often went very wrong but that didn't mean that it was bad. It was just life. That was a bit confusing for Dylan but it was important that he understood the wider world from a young age. It would make it easier for him in the future. And it did.
"I don't think the puzzle piece is missing forever in this house, Dylan." Jayme told her youngest son in a reasonable voice, her hands moving from her hips and resting on the table instead. She shrugged. She told her son the truth, even though it was something that he might not want to hear. "Maybe there was one piece missing when you bought it. Sometimes that is going to happen."
Dylan didn't say anything. He frowned even more but he didn't say anything. You could see his eyes flickering from side to side. You could see him trying to process his mother's words. You could see him trying to understand. He looked between Jayme and James and I. but still, he didn't say anything. But the chestnut haired male did. He didn't frown but his own eyes widened naturally and in a child-like way. He said the words for Dylan that his best friend was clearly thinking.
"The lady in the shop said it was complete. She definitely said that." The green orbed Ketchum boy told his best friend's mother and I worried that, although he was being as kind and as honest as ever, his words would give Dylan some more anxiety. But I was the one that didn't have to worry. Dylan still didn't say anything but he nodded his head at James' words. He was listening. And though he didn't show it in any way, I knew he was grateful for his friend's loyalty.
Jayme was grateful for James' loyalty to her son too in the same way that Misty was grateful for Dylan's towards her own young boy. She nodded her head understandingly and continued smiling. She answered the other boy's words but she looked at her son. He was the one who needed to hear them most. He was the one that needed the reassuring.
"Maybe she was told that all the pieces were there. It's not her fault. A mistake happened. Do you think you can forgive one mistake, Dylan, and play something else before dinner?"
I almost held my breath. James didn't – he clearly knew the purple haired male very well indeed – so he didn't hold his breath. He just continued smiling his casual and warm smile of his, his zigzags moving and his eyes swivelling towards his best friend. Jayme looked at her son and waited for an answer from him but wasn't too intense about it. She gave him patience. She gave him time.
I believe that I was the one who watched Dylan's face change and truly noticed it. He had been frowning and baffled and trying to process before but upon hearing that a mistake happened, his expression suddenly softened. Mine did too. It was either James' kind nature rubbing off on him or he simply possessed that sweetness too. Dylan's eyes changed. His mouth didn't smile but his orbs did. He shrugged. He went about it casually and in his own way but you could see that he was trying to see things from another point of view.
"I don't want to do anything else before dinner. And a mistake shouldn't have happened." Dylan announced, his eyes swivelling to everyone around the room before they focused on the place that the puzzle piece was missing in the centre. He then shrugged a second time, leaning back on his chair slightly. He sighed. He was okay though. "But it's fine."
And with that, Jayme gave her son a proud and approving glance before she squeezed his shoulder and didn't make a huge deal out of it and headed back to the kitchen to finish off dinner. But it was a big deal. Dylan could've easily been very upset and not understanding and even slightly frustrated and angry. But his Mother asked him to forgive so he knew that he had to at least try and do that. Jayme was very proud. But someone who was perhaps even more proud was James.
Like his best friend's mother, he didn't make a big deal out of it but the way he shared a look with me and shared a smile with me said it all. He really liked Dylan. He liked Dylan for Dylan and he always had. He knew that he struggled with new people and new situations and new changes but he struggled with his own things too. And Dylan was nice about his (if a little blunt) so of course he was going to be nice back. They were very nice boys. And they were even nicer together. In fact, they were wonderful.
James had taken on board that Dylan said that since he couldn't finish the puzzle, he didn't want to start a new activity together. So since the purple haired male had gone back to being quiet but not distant, the chestnut haired young boy decided to fill that time with chatter. He nattered away to his best friend and Dylan didn't say anything back but he listened. He almost sort of enjoyed the lack of silence. It was nice to feel that someone really really wanted to talk to him.
Another thing that I noticed was that after their mother had left the room, Eddie had since come out of his own bedroom to see what the fuss was about when he had heard his little brother 'complaining'. He had his headphones around his neck and his hands stuffed in his pockets but I found it curious how while James was nattering away to Dylan, Eddie seemed to obviously hover by the side of their play table.
He looked down at the puzzle. He shrugged. He studied it hard and then went on his way. I didn't have time to worry about it too much; I just assumed that he was piecing together what had happened so he didn't have to ask Jayme. And then he went on his way, putting his headphones back on his ears.
I didn't have time to think about it too much, because instead of honing in and listening to James talk to Dylan about Pokémon and Poké Balls and Journeys in the future, further on in the house I heard Jayme move out of the kitchen and answer the door to her husband when he got in from work.
The door was shut behind him and I was sure that they had a hug and a kiss and a greeting. I was then certain that Jayme had asked Gary about his day because I heard her do so. I imagined his tired but Oak-like smirk when he told her that he had lots of breakthroughs in his research but he would tell her more about it over dinner. I think that they shared another bit of affection and a cheek kiss and then Gary told his wife that he was going to say hello to all the children before he had a brief sit down on the sofa ahead of meal time.
That was all that I had to fathom. That was all that I had to guess. Because soon enough, I would see it with my very own eyes. I heard Gary's footsteps come padding down the hall after he took off his work shoes. He clearly bumped into Eddie in the hall as he headed back to his bedroom because I heard some small talk between them. And then after Eddie, Dylan was next.
The auburn haired Pokémon Professor stuck his head round the play room door to smile at the boys before he entered properly. He had been told about his youngest son's play date with James but he clearly had forgotten about it with work and research and that was okay. He still greeted the chestnut haired young boy. He then greeted the purple haired floppy haired boy, moving round to the side of the table after rolling his work shirt sleeves up. You could see that he was tired. You could see that he was exhausted. But he would always be there for his children.
"Oh it's the usual play date and puzzle time, is it? I see. You two certainly know how to live it up." He told the two young boys with a friendly smile and the youngest Ketchum son grinned shyly up at his best friend's Dad while Dylan went back to looking blank. He didn't understand his father's playful teasing at all. Gary knew this and smiled even more, fondly, as he unbuttoned his top button and got ready to relax for the evening. "Put the last piece in the puzzle then."
I really did hold my breath that time. And James did too. He couldn't stop his eyes from widening and looking very worried even though he often was very casual around Dylan. He knew how to control it when he upset his good friend but he often couldn't fix it when someone else did. And in that moment, he was very worried indeed because there was a massive chance that Gary had put his foot in it without knowing the situation at all.
I opened my mouth. James did too. He got ready to explain the entire situation all over again to the auburn haired male but he didn't need to. Something very rare happened. For Dylan, something very strange happened. He was known for reacting in many different ways - distance, frustration, hand flapping, head tapping. But one thing he didn't often do when he was upset was cry. But in that moment, it was obvious that he really had been very upset and disappointed with how the puzzle saga turned out despite trying to be brave and forgiving for his mother.
All of a sudden, his unusual coloured eyes pricked with tears and his bottom lip stuck out. For a rare occasion, he looked very vulnerably up at his father. He was usually like that with Jayme but in that moment, he looked as though he was about to be rather clingy with Gary. He sniffed.
"The last piece is gone." He told him simply with another few sniffs while looking down at his lap. His bottom lip trembled. He really had tried to be brave but it was just no good. It wasn't in his nature he felt. It was making him very upset that he couldn't do what his mother or his best friend had asked of him. That's why he had become teary eyed. "It came without it. It's hopeless."
James looked even more sympathetically at Dylan when he saw him trying to blink back his tears and really had to do his best in not getting watery eyed himself. He didn't want to upset his best friend even further but eventually figured it was worth the risk. He reached out and held onto his arm wordlessly to comfort him. You could tell that he really was forlorn with how his sentences had gone back to being very simple.
Gary didn't really understand the situation, nor did he understand why Dylan was so upset, but he had enough understanding to not question it. He had enough experience to just take it at face value. His youngest son was upset and disappointed and his own eyes flickered from side to side when he realised it.
I had known Gary for many many years at that point but I feel like that day, I really began to understand who the Junior Professor Oak was. As a ten year old kid, he had been so egotistical and bratty and almost snobbish. He could still come across as that as an adult but that was just the face he put on when he was vulnerable. In reality, he had such a sweet and selfless centre. And he proved it so very much that day.
I studied him even more. He looked very very tired. It was Friday evening and it was the end of the week and like he had said, he had worked hard that day and had many breakthroughs. The truth was, he was exhausted. But he had made a promise to himself a long time ago. He wouldn't let work get in the way of family. Not again. He was always going to make sure they all knew that they were important to him. He was going to make Dylan know how much he meant to him, at least in the future if he didn't understand it right away.
So I felt a wave of fondness for the auburn haired male when he pushed past his underlying tiredness and glanced between his son and his best friend. He went about it casually and that was the best thing about it. He pushed his tired and flopping from the end of the day locks from his eyes and nodded his head once.
"Nothing is gone forever, Dylan. There are some things that can't be replaced but there are some things that can be remade." Gary explained to his son and both the purple haired male and the chestnut haired one didn't understand the depth of his words but he listened. James did especially so when his best friend's Dad turned to him. "Do you think you can get me some cardboard? And I need to get some pens."
James Ketchum didn't hesitate to nod his head and do what Gary had asked of him. He had been round to play so many times and knew that room as if it was his own house. He knew where the craft box was. I did too. So I hopped down from the chair and decided to help out. We both rummaged and found a strong piece of cardboard while the auburn haired Pokémon Professor rolled up his sleeves even more. He clearly meant business.
He reached into the drawers of the children's play table for the pens and he grabbed a piece of paper too. After James and I returned with the single piece of strong cardboard and sat back at the table, Gary showed off a tired smile of gratitude and accepted it off us both. But he didn't say anything. He was too busy. He was too busy working hard. He was too busy working hard for his son.
He studied the gap in the puzzle and the shape for a few moments before cutting a piece of paper and the cardboard for that except same shape. Dylan watched and like his father, he didn't say anything either. But while the older Oak's expression was full of exhaustion but determination and gladness to help, Dylan's expression was unreadable. He just watched his Father. James scooted on his chair closer to Dylan. He wanted to watch with him. I climbed onto the lap of the chestnut haired male and watched with both.
It was extraordinary what Gary was doing. I had known about his secret artistic eye for quite some time and it was impressive how he knew what shape to cut with just a few glances. It was also impressive how he knew how to draw and copy the missing puzzle piece design exactly with just a few mumbles of encouragement and directions of the right colours from James. But what was most wonderful of all was how he didn't hesitate to help out his son. He was weary. He didn't understand his son's emotions. But he wanted to make him feel better. And clearly he could do anything to help out his youngest boy.
I listened to the sound of pens colouring. I listened to the sound of cardboard being snipped to make it perfect. And then I heard the gleeful and hopeful hum of Gary as after he blew the pen marks to dry them, he for once almost shyly produced the newly made puzzle piece for his son.
Dylan didn't know how to react at first. His expression remained blank. His expression remained unreadable. He had watched his father working hard with a few tips here and there from James to make a new puzzle piece but when it was finally in front of his face. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say.
All kinds of thoughts and feelings and reactions flooded his brain. He looked up at his father and met his eyes for a rare time. And it was when that even he could understand that his father was tired and wanted to relax that evening but had worked hard to make him feel better, that he knew exactly what to do.
He felt his eyes pricking with tears for a different reason but he pushed past that. He just gasped. He just smiled. He just accepted the puzzle piece in both his hands, holding it as if it was so very precious to him. It was. He then smiled even more and looked at James for permission and Gary too before sliding the new piece into the puzzle hole. It was a perfect fit. It was perfect. And Dylan's reaction was perfect.
"Better!" was all he said at first gleefully, shaking his head as he looked down at the complete puzzle with his best friend and went back to tapping his head rhythmically with excitement. He beamed. He positively beamed. He had got the closure that he needed and even more so. He clarified his words and his reaction made all of Gary's end of the week feelings fade away. "Better than before."
Dylan announced to his Father and this made Gary soften and it made James and I feel the same way too. We smiled while Dylan continued to smile and tell the older male that it was even better than before in his own way. And Dylan didn't hug Gary but he almost did in his own way. He tilted his head and rested his cheek against his arm briefly but lovingly. He was happy. He was so very happy. It was such a turn of events.
And Gary knew that it really was worth it when after his youngest son rested his cheek against his arm, he quickly urged James to take a photo of the complete puzzle before he was to help him put it back in the box and tape it up. Because, in Dylan's words, he didn't want any of the puzzle pieces to go missing again but especially not the one that his Dad had made for him.
And this made my heart happy. This made my heart so very happy. Needless to say, Gary felt the exact same way. Soon enough, he left the boys to it to head to the bathroom to wash up for dinner but he took all of the warm feelings with him.
He had been tired. He had been so very tired. He still was exhausted from a whole week of research but he was happy knowing that he had done the right thing. He was happy knowing that he had put his son first. And he was determined to always put his son first and his other children too. They meant so much to him. He couldn't tell his own parents that now that they were no longer around but he could express that with words and actions to his own family instead.
And it was obvious that Gary's quiet kindness and sweetness had an impact on everybody around him. It had an impact on Dylan who would forever tell people about what his Dad had done for him that day. It had an impact on James too because he went home and told Ash that he was glad his father had a friend like Gary like how he had a friend like Dylan.
And last but not least, Eddie was secretly impacted too. In the same way the older auburn haired male often went round subtly being strong and sincere, the dual haired Oak son clearly possessed that same ability too. Because that day, Dylan and James and Gary too were too busy to notice that Eddie had been watching his father giving his brother a new puzzle piece.
And while he watched, he had another version of the puzzle piece in his hand as well. He had made his own one. He hadn't had the chance that day to give it to his brother but that was okay. Maybe he would one day. Maybe he never would. But that was okay. It was the thought that counted. It was the gesture that counted. It was such a kind gesture. It was such a kind thought. It went unnoticed but it still had the same sincerity.
Eddie and Gary clearly had the same sincerity and James did too. They all cared about Dylan and in different ways in the same way too, they helped him out. The way they thought about him was wonderful. And that day I was content in my own thoughts that no matter what and no matter if he realised it or not, Dylan had his own little squad. He had his own little squad of people protecting him and helping him and loving him. And they would be there forever. Always. Just like he was there for them too.
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 I really liked writing this one. It was nice to have a change of focus of characters and to try something new. I have a soft spot for Gary and I enjoyed showing the kind of father that he is. I definitely want to explore him even more in the New Year. Dylan is an interesting character to write about too. And I definitely love he and James' friendship! Thanks again for reading and I will be back next Wednesday with another chapter so see you then!
AmyBieberKetchum signing out :P