A/N: So to make this short. I'm sorry for the delay. My new job hasn't turned out quite like I expected and it has been pretty stressful for me. I am leaving there shortly and returning to a previous employer. Hopefully I will have more time to write soon. For now I will try my best to get back to writing. I got a Chromebook recently to replace an old tablet so hopefully it'll make it easier to write while at work and at home.
Chapter 10: Save Yourself
"Ash has really been slugging through the last few matches and we're all anxiously awaiting for him to make a turn around here on Battler's Review. It really looked like he was going to be a favorite for winning the tournament but now people are having their doubts." Barry commented as he glanced over at the stats for all the remaining trainers on their main screen.
"As you can see we are entering the second half of the tournament. The competition is heating up and Battler's Review has a special guest to help us determine who will win the tournament!" Barry yelled excitedly as he gestured towards a side stage that was unlighted keeping the figure cloaked in the shadows.
"Now I know you were all expecting the Champion of Sinnoh but unfortunately she couldn't make it to this airing and will have to make it onto our next show." Barry made an exaggerated frown and as expected the audience responded with the appropriate responses of groans.
"With my favorite, Ash Ketchum on the ropes, I just needed to bring in someone that could speak to his talents and reinvigorate my hopes for an appearance in the finals by Ketchum!" Barry continued as an explanation.
"Well you'll be waiting a long time for Ketchum to appear in anything other than a footnote in the league's newsletter the way he's been battling." May took her potshot. She knew it was a little low but she still wasn't feeling too charitable even after her little talk with Misty.
"Say what you will May but you know our guest saw Ash at his best. If anyone knows about what Ketchum's true potential is, it's our guest." Barry responded while winking to the audience. It was the buildup he loved to create. And as usual his thunder was stolen by his co-host. That was just how they worked. It was a lot of playful banter and one up-manship but they did it with enough grace and jokes that the audience loved it.
"Our special guest is none other than Brandon of the Kanto Frontier Brains and king of the battle pyramid!" May cut in with a grin as she flashed a megawatt smile to the crowd that she just didn't feel at the moment but she had to press on for the audience. With a wave of her hand the side stage lit up, illuminating the pyramid king. Brandon was as intense looking as ever and looked odd when he attempted to smile.
Barry reveled in the cheering of the audience. Yes it was a lot of work but well worth the reaction to get the pyramid king on the stage. He was notoriously hard to get an interview out of even though he was a top researcher in the field of ancient pokemon mythos and archeology.
After letting the roars ring out a moment longer, Barry dramatically lowered his hands to silence the audience before he turned his attention to Brandon. "Brandon, I can't thank you enough for taking time out of your busy schedule to come on to Battler's Review!"
"It is an honor seeing you again!" May cut in as she made her way over to where Brandon was standing, completely ignoring the small intimate interview set up. A small table with three chairs surrounding it. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised, the man rarely seemed to sit from what she could remember of him but she still found herself suppressing an annoyed sigh. "I don't know if you remember me but I was with Ash when he challenged you."
Brandon allowed a small nod to Barry in acknowledgement before turning his attention to May. The older man was nothing if not direct and to the point in matters. "Of course young lady, I remember you."
"Er…right." May forced a smile onto her face due to the lack of elaboration. It appeared that they would be doing most of the talking if this is how he'd respond to every question they asked. She could only hope that he'd be more talkative once they got on the subject he was here for.
"So Brandon, we've requested your expertise being that you are arguably the top level Frontier Brain of the Kanto region to help us get an expert review of our road to the finals!" Barry picked up the slack with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. His thought process was currently following May's and he was praying that this interview wouldn't tank.
"Well, young man, you certainly didn't bring me on to talk about your current career decisions." Brandon responded dryly as he quirked an eyebrow towards Barry. It was a subtle reference to the fact that his father the Tower Tycoon had expected Barry to follow in his footsteps and become a Frontier Brain just like his father was.
"Well no I certainly don't want to bring that up." Barry laughed nervously. No he certainly did not want another lecture from his father about eventually having to take over the Sinnoh Frontier Brain's when his father retired.
"Ooooh maybe we should!" May responded with a grin. "Not like you do much work around here other than serve as eye candy for our viewers…although what demographic you appeal to I'll never know."
She made a show of reviewing Barry's entire outfit and body with a critical eye before finishing up her thought. "I guess you do draw in our grandmother's, you do have perfect cheeks for pinching."
"Well my useful-ness aside." Barry managed a long suffering sigh for the audience's benefit as he played up the put upon host. It got him a few laughs before turning his attention back to Brandon. As usual the man wasn't much for joking which didn't mesh well with their format but hopefully if they kept mainly to assessment of the pokemon battles they'd be in good shape.
"So Brandon, with your keen eye for detail and experience in battling the best of the best, who do you have taking it all home?" Barry queried while taking a seat around the small table. It wasn't much of a surprise that Brandon still hadn't deigned to take a seat.
"In my expert opinion, young man, you can't predict a winner so easily. Pokemon battles are always a test of skill but they are also based on luck of the draw." Brandon responded.
"Luck of the draw? Could you elaborate further?" Barry questioned as he motioned once more for the man to take a seat next to May.
"Of course, for example I would argue that Tobias could take the entire thing, but one bad match up could end it for him." Brandon finally took the hint and took the offered seat but he appeared completely ill at ease sitting.
"So you think Tobias could be defeated? From what I understand the only person to ever beat him was Paul over three years ago but it was in the Johto tournament so he was unable to field his legendary pokemon. I'd have thought you'd put him in the top slot to take it. I mean he has six legendary pokemon from what I understand." May played dumb as she knew all about Tobias. It had been something that Ash had never quite gotten over. It still rubbed her the wrong way that Sinnoh had made the exception. Most conferences frowned upon the use of legendary pokemon and Kanto along with Hoenn and Johto outright banned the use of Legendary pokemon in the conferences.
"Oh yes, if he came across a Legendary Buster." Brandon commented thoughtfully.
"A Legendary Buster!?" Barry exclaimed in excitement. This was turning out to be better than he thought. What in the world was he on about? A quick glance showed that the audience was also wondering about this. Some of the people were clearly becoming impatient with Brandon's tendency to answer a question without elaborating but for Barry it was great. Build up was key to ratings.
"I think this is the first time our viewers are hearing this term. Could you elaborate on what exactly a Legendary Buster is?" May followed up with a smile. It was all she could do to not shake the man. His lack of detail was killing her, figuratively.
"A Legendary Buster works much like a Dragon Buster. Their entire team is built around taking down Legendary pokemon. I'm not too surprised that you haven't heard the term. You see in the past the Legendary pokemon you know today were not so docile and elusive." Everyone could tell that Brandon was getting into his element. The man was getting visibly excited about this entire process. His answers were also getting longer, which left May and Barry silently thanking the gods for their intervention.
"You see in the past they ruled the land and we were but insignificant flies to them. People rarely wonder why legendary pokemon keep to themselves now days but it is due to the work of Legendary Busters." Brandon elaborated.
"While Aura Guardians worked to keep the peace and were the law in the past so to the Legendary Busters worked to keep settlements safe from rogue Legendary pokemon. People forget that places like Pallet Town were only settled a little over two hundred years ago. About the time the Legendary pokemon started keeping to themselves and with that the need for these specific busters died out." He finally finished with a smile after delving into the subject. If there was one thing he loved it was sharing his knowledge about the past.
"Wow!" Barry exclaimed. This was rating gold. "And now you're saying that some of these Legendary Busters still exist today and could actually take Tobias down?"
"Could you share your thoughts on who would qualify as a Legendary Buster and what they'd have to have in their pokemon team to bring down a Legendary?" May cut in, equally as excited as Barry over how this interview was turning out. While the man was still stiff and dry while talking small talk, once he got on his subject matter he was a completely different person.
Brandon nodded to the two with a small smile. "Someone like Cynthia or myself would qualify as a Legendary Buster. While the team doesn't have to be made up of any specific composition, each pokemon on that team must be able to defeat a legendary itself. Normally the pokemon are well trained and exceptionally powerful."
"Well that makes sense as you and Cynthia are undisputed in your power but neither of you are entered in the contest as far as I know. So is there some unknown Legendary Buster you know of in the tournament?" May queried.
"There is a young man in the tournament that fits the description. His pokemon have defeated a Darkrai, a Regice, a Latios, and even an Articuno. I don't know anyone more qualified for the title than Ash Ketchum." Brandon concluded unaware of the pandemonium that he was about to unleash.
"Woah!" Barry exclaimed with a hint of disbelief. While he knew about Ash taking out Darkrai and Latios in the Lily of the Valley Conference he had forgotten that he had also taken down an Articuno and a Regice during his time going up against the Frontier Brains of Kanto. "So you're saying that Ash could be titled as one of the world's only Legendary Busters and would be able to knock out Tobias to take this entire tournament?"
"Calm down Barry." May attempted to reign in her fan boy co-host. Seriously it was almost a little sad how much Barry idol worshipped Ash…and a little disconcerting. After a moment to make sure that Barry wasn't going to have an aneurysm, May turned her attention to Brandon.
"I'm sure our viewers are wondering if after so many years you still believe Ash still has what it takes to be considered a Legendary Buster?" May queried with a raised eyebrow. Even taking into account that Ash did have many encounters with Legendary pokemon they weren't really fights. The fact he defeated two in the Sinnoh League and two while working to conquer the Frontier Brains of Kanto didn't mean anything due to the length of time it had been.
"No way!" Barry cut in with a hint of frustration. While he was used to May being a little more cynical of the two, he wondered how much of this was colored by her current dealing with Ash Ketchum. If the tabloids were to be believed, the two had been in a rather harsh altercation a few weeks ago. Of course with all the press over the conference their little fight hadn't made it to the main stream media but it didn't stop people from talking.
"Just because he's been off the circuit doesn't mean he's lost the touch. That match with Blaine was an explosive reentry into the big leagues. I still bet he takes the entire conference!"
"Dream on Barry, he may be good but he's been away too long to just come back and be able to take the entire conference. It just isn't feasible." May retorted hotly. Her ire was starting to build and she was getting annoyed with Barry's pigheaded-ness over Ash winning this entire thing.
"Besides his last few matches have been one move away from a complete sweep by his opponent. If he's going to be a contender it'll be a miracle or someone needs to pull him out of that rut." Of course she felt a little guilty even mentioning it. She knew it was their confrontation that had caused him to spiral into the wreck he had been the last few matches. Misty had all but demanded she talk to Ash but she was still putting it off, mostly because she knew she was in the wrong and she hated being wrong. Of course the clock was ticking before Misty came back and she did not think she'd survive that.
Brandon decided to step in before the "conversation" if one could call it that at this point deteriorated into a shouting match. There seemed to be some sort of unspoken tension with May regarding Ash. It was how she fidgeted whenever she spoke about the young trainer from Pallet Town. While he was too old to get himself involved in the drama of young adults, he had a fairly good idea why Ash had completely changed from his match with Blaine.
"To settle your argument, yes, I would still consider him a Legendary Buster." Brandon summarized in a tone that bridged little question in his thoughts.
"I knew it!" Barry crowed in excitement before turning his attention back to Brandon.
"Brandon, we have our favorites of course but we need to give equal air time to everyone at Battler's Review." May decided to end this before Barry continued on his tangent about Ash Ketchum.
"So if it isn't too much trouble, we'd love to hear your opinions on who you think are the strongest contenders for winning. I know you said one battle could change it all but barring an unexpected defeat, who are some interesting trainers that have made it to the second half that you're going to follow?"
"Of course young lady, while everyone that has made it through the preliminary rounds are talented trainers, a few interest me and I'll be tracking their progress." Brandon interjected before Barry could get going again. While he enjoyed sharing his knowledge, these two just weren't his normal company and if he could get on topic he'd be happy.
"First of course is Tobias. No one has ever seen any pokemon other than Darkrai and Latios. So far in this tournament he seems to be following the same strategy as he did during the Sinnoh league by only fielding Darkrai."
"Right, he came on the scene with that Darkrai and who knows what else he has up his sleeve. Definitely a favorite contender for winning." Barry waved behind him to the screen behind them and a moment later the image of Tobias appeared along with his known pokemon.
"Well of course we all will be following Tobias's progress, and I believe every trainer out there is hoping they don't run into him themselves. His power is nigh unstoppable and I'd wager he'll take the entire thing." Mary ventured.
"I will also be watching Paul from Sinnoh. He has been training hard from what I understand and will be looking to claim victory for the second time at a conference after winning Hoenn last year." Brandon went on.
"Right, it will be interesting to see if they match Paul and Ash up for a rematch after their last battle at the Sinnoh Conference." Barry added with a look of glee on his face. That battle had been intense and if Paul got his rematch, well, it'd be worth the price of admission to see that fight.
"Ritchie and Assunta from Kanto will also prove to be tough opponents for anyone that they face. I believe they both have learned enough to level the playing field against anyone from other regions." Brandon glanced over at the screen behind them as both Ritchie and Assunta appeared with their standings next to their pictures.
"Then from Johto is a trainer that placed highly in the Johto league conference, Harrison. He challenged the Frontier Brains and while he didn't defeat us, he shows promise." Brandon smiled a little which still looked just wrong on the older man's face.
"From Hoenn I will be watching Tyson and Morrison, and finally from Unova I will be watching Iris. Each of these trainers I have listed have caught my eye for one reason or another. Most have potential to go even further than they have to date." Brandon finished his list just as the final name appeared on the screen.
"Well there you have it folks, a short list of who to watch for from Brandon the Pyramid King. As Brandon said, this isn't set in stone and I'm sure every battle from here on out will be worth seeing but hopefully we'll see something a little more interesting in some of the matches with the trainers listed behind us." May turned to the audience and flashed another megawatt smile.
"Brandon, thank you for coming in today, I think I speak for our entire viewing audience when I say it was a very informative interview." Barry commented as he waved his hand to engage the audience in his thank you. People in the audience responded with cheers and whistles along with yells of thanks.
"And that ends another episode of Battler's Review! The stage is set for an intense second half of the tournament coming up in another week. Don't forget that next week the contest rounds start. To kick off the occasion you will be able to see none other than our very own Princess of Hoenn participate in a doubles tournament as promised with Ash Ketchum!" Barry yelled as the camera faded out.
Barry glanced over at May the moment the camera light shut off and the audience started to file out of the live studio. He bit his lip in annoyance over the entire episode. If Brandon hadn't stepped in they may have really gotten into it. They had always had playful banter but it was going to come to a head.
"What?" May asked in an annoyed tone as she did everything in her power not to look directly at her co-worker as she got her papers together to take back to her dressing room.
Barry took a quick look around to confirm that they were in relative privacy...well as much privacy as you could get on a live sound stage in the studio. "I want to know what your problem is. You've been downright vicious lately, what's eating you?"
"Nothing." May responded automatically.
"That was probably one of the worst shows we've ever put on...if Brandon hadn't brought up the Legendary Buster information the ratings would have sunk. You didn't give me anything to play off of other than verbally attacking me."
"Takes two to argue."
"Real mature May Day and seriously what's wrong? I don't want another show like today's show"
"I told you to stop using that stupid nick name." May fiddled with her mic for a moment as she debated how to respond. Barry had known her longer than anyone and since they practically lived together on set they had gotten to know one another like brother and sister. She knew eventually he'd get it out of her one way other another.
"I had a run in with Misty..."
"The gym leader from Cerulean?" Barry ventured with a slight frown. It was hard to keep all of Ash's friends straight since he seemed to collect three to four per region if not more. He was only familiar with May and the group from Sinnoh. The rest he had a passing familiarity with at best.
"Yep that's the one." May muttered more to herself than Barry.
"Sooooooo what's the problem? You two having a spat over who gets Ash?" Barry ventured with a lewd drawn out wink and a smirk.
"Yeah." May responded morosely.
Barry did a double take as he had looked away but quickly swiveled back to May. "Wait what? Seriously?"
"And here I thought we were closer than close and you don't even tell me you're in a love triangle with Ash?" Barry bemoaned as he clutched his hand to his chest dramatically slumping back in his chair.
"Think of the rating we could have generated." Barry continued on in almost a whine.
"Thanks for the support Barry...glad to see your moral compass is still straight as an arrow." May let out a disgusted sigh as she stood up from the desk and started to head back towards the dressing rooms.
"Hey wait!" Barry called out as he half fell out of his seat trying to catch up to May.
"Come on I didn't mean it like that..."
"And how did you mean it exactly?" May asked as she continued on towards her room without slowing down for Barry. It caused her some amusement that the play boy practically tripped over himself trying to catch up to herself.
"Well just looking out for our careers." Barry half shrugged as he followed May into her dressing room. "You know I hadn't put much stock in that tabloid report, but now i'm starting to wonder if there is some truth to that. Anything you want to talk about?"
"You know this is my dressing room right?" May attempted to avoid the question and hoped against hope that perhaps Barry would one day learn the meaning of privacy.
"Thanks for the update." Barry stated off-handily as he waved his hand in a bored manner. "Now you want to tell me what's bothering you or are we doing the pretend you're fine thing until you call me at 2 AM in the morning crying?"
"I do not do that!" May fired back with a glare.
"Oh alright...sure so two years ago when that asshole just left you in the middle of dinner when you told him you had a kid and you called me at 2 in the morning while watching the Holiday...that didn't happen. Just as long as we're on the same page." Barry responded sarcastically.
"Says the man child that runs away any woman that says "I love you." and calls them crazy." May rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Way to change the subject May." Barry leaned against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest. He was getting tired of this, it was time to force it out of her. "So you want to tell me what is going on or am I going to bring this up on air?"
May looked up from the papers she was fiddling around with to glare at Barry using the mirror. "You wouldn't dare."
"Watch me. I'll bring this up next episode. You know I have no shame." Barry played his trump card. If there was one advantage to his reputation, people knew he would do anything bar kill someone if it would up the ratings on the show. If this show ever ended...well his father would be quick to bring him back into the fold of the Sinnoh Frontier Brains. This was the only thing standing between him and his father's insistence that he take on some real responsibilities.
May carefully evaluated Barry, looking for any signs he might be lying. In the end it was all but hopeless and she knew she'd be forced to cave.
"Why can't you be like normal spoiled brats and just take the hand out from your father?"
"Because I refuse to be one of those spoiled rich kids that makes their way through life on the back of their parent's work and doesn't contribute anything to the world himself." Barry responded in what almost seemed a mature manner...until he ended it by sticking out his tongue.
"Yes how valiant and noble of you to find a profession in which you're not only allowed to be a man-child but actively encouraged to do so by the producers. I'm sure your dad is so proud." May responded dryly as she started to remove the makeup that had been applied earlier.
"I don't see how it's my fault that this show just happened to need my amazing personality to pull it out of the dregs of late late night TV. I mean seriously they were competing with infomercials before we took over." Barry responded petulantly.
"And anyway while we're on the subject of responsibility and family run business, isn't this all a bit of the kettle calling the pot black?"
"Pot calling the kettle black." May absently corrected Barry without batting an eye. "And being a gym leader is more my little brother's thing. Max always wanted to be just like Dad, I always wanted to travel and this job happens to be perfect for that."
"Interesting that you never seem to make time to travel home, it's almost like you're hiding Sammy from all your family and friends...oh wait...yep it is exactly what you've been doing." Barry responded with a raised eyebrow. It was tiresome. He had indulged May long enough. Sure they had, had words before but this whole keeping Sammy hidden away was now out of hand.
"That's not fair Barry! You know why I kept her a secret." May started to respond with a frown.
"No...you know what I actually don't think I really know." Barry responded sarcastically. "
"Other than some vague premise of thinking our resident rock head somehow knew you were pregnant and just abandoned you, you never really explained why you never told anyone." Barry ventured. In fact if not for a complete accident on May's part, he still probably wouldn't have known about Sam.
"I guess that's fair." She sighed in defeat. Barry was right and she hated when he was right. It made him downright intolerable. In fact he'd probably be gloating for a week over how right he was.
"Well settle in, this is going to take a little bit." May invited Barry to sit with a wave to her sofa.
Gary and Ash's room.
Dawn frowned when she came to the door of her boyfriend's current residence for the games. It was dead quiet on the other side...perhaps they still weren't back. Gary had called her the night before to tell her he was taking Ash out to cheer him up.
What worried her was that Gary had been rather vague with how he was going to help Ash out. She experimentally tested the door knob and found it to be open. She let out a soft sigh of exasperation.
The first thing that hit her when she cautiously pushed the door open was the smell. The entire room reeked of stale beer and takeout food. She drew her last breath of fresh air and dove into the figurative contamination zone.
The entire room was dark, only a little light coming through the sliding glass doors curtains and the oven's overhead light in the mini kitchen. It took her moment to adjust to the eyes but she quickly surveyed the damage.
Gary was lying across the couch with what appeared to be a burrito clutched to his chest...half eaten...gross. As if in some sick competition, Ash was propped up against the provided chair with his feet on the ottoman. One of his hands lying in a congealed tub of cheese and fries. From the looks of it he had wiped his face a few times during the night.
Dawn pinched her nose in annoyance. This wasn't the first time she had come over to find Gary coming off of a bender but she knew he was going to be cranky and as much as she loved him...she was not in the mood.
Without even a pause she walked past the two and pulled the curtains to the room back. A satisfied smile crossed her face as she heard the groans of protests coming from the two men behind her.
"Morning boys, you guys have fun last night?"
"Turn off the lights!" Ash half yelled half muttered as he waved a sticky cheese covered hand in the general direction of the light source.
Gary rolled over on the sofa clutching the burrito closer to his chest causing more of the contents to spill out onto his chest and neck before muttering out. "I love you so much Burrito."
Dawn just stood there for a moment as she assessed the situation. She knew one thing that would get them moving. It was evil and technically a lie but they were probably too drunk to realize it.
"You've got your afternoon match!" Dawn cried out in dismay before she covered her mouth to hide her snicker.
"Shit!" The two seemed to yell at the same time before they both stumbled to a standing position which ended up in a burrito-y mess on the sofa and congealed cheese and fries all over the floor.
Dawn laughed in amusement as she watched the two struggle to strap their shoes on and find their pokeballs.
"You're mean." Gary pointed out as he sat there nursing a cup of water, his face going a little green as he watched Ash somehow chowing down on a huge stack of pancakes after all the booze last night.
"And you were cuddling with a burrito." Dawn deadpanned as she poached an egg with her fork.
"To be fair all she said was that we have to prepare for our afternoon match." Ash pointed out between gulps of pancake. Saying it was air would be too kind.
Gary made a disgusted face at Ash's lack of manners. "You're still drunk so you don't get a say." Apparently Ash reverted to his old self while drunk...table manners and all.
"I'm not drunk!" Ash protested a little too loudly as he took a swig of orange juice...the combination of orange juice, syrup, and pancakes even caused Dawn to hesitate in proceeding with her meal.
"Trust me Ash...with your outfit choice...even for you...you're still drunk." Dawn tentatively interjected hoping to keep him from getting in a fight with Gary and getting them thrown out.
"Stop ganging up on me." Ash responded in a petulant manner before losing interest in the conversation over the "discovery" of his pancakes. "Oh man look guys! Someone ordered me pancakes."
"You ordered them idiot." Garry mumbled into the table, his head resting on the cool surface as he prayed that the pounding would just go away.
"Aww someone ate half of them." Ash muttered in annoyance. Clearly it wasn't enough of a problem for him to stop eating them though.
Dawn pulled a face, it was kind of gross if you thought about it. Ash was willingly eating pancakes he thought someone else ate half of. Determined not to think about it any further she turned her attention to her loving boyfriend. Her boyfriend that supposedly held an advanced degree in pokemon researcher and evolution theory, not that he ever acted like it.
"So Gary, you wanna tell me what part of taking Ash out and getting him completely hammered was supposed to make him feel better?"
"Not really." Garry responded in what more of a whine.
"Aww...you want to have this discussion later when you're feeling better?" Dawn asked in a sweet tone.
Gary gave a tentative nod as he lifted his head up from the table and proceeded to nurse his water.
"Well too bad, should have thought about how you'd feel before you got piss drunk and passed out on your sofa." Dawn responded blithely.
"My pancakes are gone..." Ash chimed in dejectedly before appealing to the two. "Guys I think someone stole my pancakes."
"You ate them." Dawn sighed. It was like taking care of two toddlers. Ash seemed to be satisfied with the answer before digging into the side orders with gusto. She turned her attention back to Gary who looked a little green.
"So?" She pressed with a raised eyebrow.
"Well Ash finally came back to the apartment after being M.I.A. for the past few weeks. We talked, he wanted to become someone better than his father. So we decided to celebrate a new Ash."
"So the first step in Ash's journey to being a better father and friend was going on an all-night bender?" Dawn responded with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
"Well when you put it like that..." Gary muttered petulantly.
"Next time make sure you invite me along." Dawn finally let Gary off the hook with a wink and a loving kiss on the cheek.
Gary let out a relieved sigh. He thought he had been in for it. It turned out he had a girlfriend that understood.
"Oh I almost forgot, your grandfather called me earlier since he couldn't reach you." Dawn innocently mentioned as she played with the hash browns on her plate, spinning it round and round in the ketchup.
Gary froze, his glass half way to his lips as he turned his entire attention to his girlfriend. "What'd Gramps want?" He said with no small amount of trepidation in his voice. If Gramps wanted something it was never good, in fact the old man was probably trying to foist some interview he didn't want to do off on him.
"Well..." Dawn tapped her chin in faux thought as if she didn't remember exactly what she had agreed to sign up Gary for since he wasn't there to say no. "He said that he had been asked to appear as a guest announcer for an upcoming Coordinator contest. Guess they figured he'd be able to give some unique commentary."
"No way." Gary grumbled as he went back to nursing his water.
Dawn giggled. "Well that's gonna be kinda hard..."
"How...wait...what did you tell him?" Gary half demanded and half begged. That smile was back and it always meant trouble for him. Damn her...maybe Paul was correct giving her the nickname Troublesome.
"Since I couldn't get a hold of you and I know how much you love judging coordinator contests, I told Professor Oak that of course you'd be interested in taking over for him." She only managed to hold in her laughter for about ten seconds after she saw Gary's face sour at her news.
"Tell me you're joking." Gary pressed as he debated the use of calling Gramps to try and foist this back onto him.
"Not even a little." Dawn smiled before reaching out and tweaking his nose. "You know you love me."
"Debatable." Gary grumbled.
"Well no matter what you've always got me!" Ash chimed in with a grin his food completely finished off and nothing left to distract him, he rejoined the conversation with Gary and Dawn.
Gary just rolled his eyes in response whole Dawn chuckled before patting Ash on the shoulder.
"Sooo any word on who either of you are facing off against for the next part of the tournament." Dawn decided to change the subject to something that everyone would be interested in.
Just as Gary was about to answer a familiar red head walked through the door prompting Dawn to wave her over.
"Oh hold that thought." Dawn motioned towards Misty with her hand.
"Hey Misty, over here!"
Misty paused mid-step before making her way over to the trio, along the way she had to dodge a few random people as the restaurant was bustling. She slipped into the booth next to Gary since Ash and Dawn were sitting on the other side.
"Well I wasn't expecting to see you all here, having a secret meeting without me?"
"Hey Misty!" Ash grinned as he realized his friend had just arrived.
Misty shot a smile towards Ash. Perhaps May had heeded her warning and had finally talked with Ash.
"Don't mind him, he's still drunk." Dawn explained as she gestured towards Ash.
"Drunk?" Misty raised an eyebrow before turning her attention towards Gary who she knew without a doubt was the instigator in whatever happened.
Gary glanced over at Misty in hopes that perhaps the red headed terror hadn't targeted him. Unfortunately he was in her sights and he knew it was better to head it off before she started yelling. "Ash finally came home last night and we got talking about the whole situation with May. Then we decided it'd be better if we discussed it over drinks...and then we got really...really drunk."
"And I found them passed out hugging a burrito." Dawn interjected while pointing to Gary. "And cheesy fries...I think." She then motioned to Ash who seemed content to just sit there listening to the other three talk.
"Hugging a burrito?" Misty queried with a raised eyebrow directed towards Gary.
"I can never deny the embrace of my true love." Gary responded with a cocky smirk.
"Charming as always Gary." Misty just shook her head a bemused expression on her face.
"Good to know where I stand in our relationship." Dawn deadpanned as she rolled her eyes. "Second to a food item."
"Who said you were second?" Gary suggested with a waggle of his eyebrows and a smirk.
"Jerk!" Dawn attempted to smack Gary on the shoulder in a playful manner but couldn't quite reach. She turned her eyes imploringly to Misty.
Without even looking, Misty brought her hand around in an epic smack to the back of the head that left Gary clutching his head in pain.
"I've got a hangover! Not helping." Gary managed to get out between huffing large breathes of air while attempting not to throw up what little he had left in his stomach from the night before.
"Don't be a jerk then." Misty commented nonchalantly before turning her attention back to Ash.
"So May come to talk to you yet?" Misty queried.
"Nope, haven't seen her since the incident at the restaurant." Ash responded with a small shrug, some of his good mood leaving him even though he was still mainly content to just sit there and listen to everyone.
"Why would she come to talk to Ash? She doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with him from the last episode of Battler's Review I saw." Dawn interjected with a small roll of her eyes. This was getting ridiculous, if May wouldn't see reason she had no issue knocking some into her.
"I had some words with her and I gave her a deadline to talk to Ash or else." Misty smiled innocently.
"Oh this ought to be a good story, do tell, I'm sure you were the picture of calm cool and collected." Gary muttered sarcastically as he continued to nurse his poor head.
"Yeah what happened?" Dawn asked with no small amount of interest. After an eyebrow from both Gary and Misty at Dawn's sudden interest the blunette smiled. "I just need to know what's been covered if I have to give her a follow up reminder."
"Well...it all started with..." Misty begun to retell the story of her chasing down May right after the brunette had fled the restaurant.
A/N: Thanks again for reading, sorry this was a slower chapter. Hopefully you all found it entertaining enough.
Advanceshipfan: I'm not dead yet!
Aboz567: …Sooooo...hmmm…yeah…I might have ended up pushing that off until next chapter. Actually if you got to reading this you know I pushed it off until next chapter. Sorry! I promise I will write the Misty/May scene…soon.
Ace of Spies: Thanks for the indepth analysis. I appreciate it and I agree, I think Dawn is probably the most level headed of his friends. Again the fight I have planned for Misty and May…whenever I actually get to it, should be pretty good.
Supa-dupa-lemonade: Thanks!
AdvancedLover: Welcome, glad that you enjoyed the little Brock acting like Ash joke.