Yo friends of fanfiction, I'm back with a new chapter of LOVE, POKEMON, AND OTHER DELUSIONS! Chapter 8. Well let us get into it!

R&R

Enjoy the story.

Ash and Paul stared each other down. Pikachu and Torterra did the same to each other. Waiting. Waiting for the first move. Paul thought he heard Ash scoff before he called a move. "PIKACHU, USE IRON TAIL!" Paul knew he had the advantage on Pikachu but he also knew to NEVER underestimate the thunder mouse.

"TORTERRA, USE STONE EDGE!" Ash smirked at this, confident that Pikachu will just dodge the attack. As the iron tail was closing in of Torterra, Paul barked out an order. "Stone hedge!" Ash was bewildered when he saw the stones of stone edge raise up around Torterra, acting a shield from the glowing tail.

The raven haired trainer watched Pikachu bounce off the stones and land on his feet. He let out a laugh and started clapping. "WOW! That was good!" He stopped his clapping. "Real good." He said with a straight face.

Paul was confused by his opponents actions, but, brushed it off and smirked. "I know!" He gloated. "Traveling with Dawn has been quite helpful." He gestured to the 'Stone Hedge.' "She thought me this one!"

"You've been watching her train?" Brock asked from the side lines. Paul went red. "N-no! She forced me!" The eldest just nodded with a look. "Riiight." Ash waved his hands around to catch there attention. "Back to the battle, please!"

"Right!" Paul got back to his end. "Torterra! Use, double edge!" Ash's eyes went wide, he'd never seen the grass type use that move. Torterra leaped back, as far as he could, and ran forward, glowing. "Dodge it Pikachu!" Ash screamed. The yellow mouse just barely got out of the way of the glowing turtle. Once Torterra stopped glowing it flinched from the recoil. "Damn..." Paul cursed under his breath, he was hoping to surprise Ash so he wouldn't know what to do.

"My turn..." Ash muttered. "Pikachu!" He threw his hand forward. "Use-!"

"Do we have everything?" Asked the blue haired girl, looking into the basket. "Think so." Gary said walking to the register, pulling out his wallet, which he heard an 'aww' behind him. "Your wallet is SO cute!" Dawn said looking at said cute thing. His wallet had a picture of him and his first pokemon, Squirtle. The picture was as old as the wallet, 8 years. "He was cute, huh." Gary could get caught up in old memories too.

They payed for their respective baskets and walked out of the store. "So..." Gary tried to start some small talk. "How come you're traveling with Paul?" He still sucked at small talk. He saw Dawn form a soft smile. "We kinda just ran into each other. We were both here to travel around the whole region, so, we teamed up. That's really it. Sorry if that wasn't as exciting as you wished." Gary waved her off. "It's cool. Sometimes simple reasons, are the best reasons." He mentally wished he was traveling for such a simple reason.

"Hey." Dawn stopped and mumbled. This made Gary stop too. "There's a more... complicated reason, that you're with Ash. Right?" Gary raised an eyebrow. 'She's good.' He thought. He smirked. "Maybe." He started to walk again. "Come on. Knowing those two, the battle might already be over. And I'd hate to miss it!" Dawn stayed froze for a second more. 'What is your reason?' She thought as she watched Gary walk away.

Gary and Dawn spotted a field with smoke and thought that'd be their best bet to find their friends. They walked forward but before they got to close, Dawn tugged on Gary's sleeve. Which made him look to her. "What?" They both stood in front of each other. "Whatever is going on with Ash, May, you or even Brock, can I trust you to make sure everything stays okay?" Gary let a small laughed through his lips. 'This girl is so strange.' He gave her a thumbs up. "Just leave it to me."

"I just don't want anything to change..." Dawn mumbled. Gary shook his head. 'You really are like him...' He didn't say anything. Just looked at the girl and turned to walk forward, to the battle field.

"Use Ice Punch!" Were the words Gary heard as he walked up to the battle. He was surprised to see that it was Pikachu using the ice move. It was direct hit. From what he could tell the battle has been raging her a good bit. Both trainer and pokemon looked winded. Pikachu had a cocky grin on his small face, looking up, you could see his trainer had the same smirk. Looking to the other side, Paul had a calm and cool expression, his pokemon, matching as such, but Torterra was breathing a little heavy after that hit. Brock noticed him, and the newly arrived Dawn, and called them over.

"This battle's been intense." Brock told them with a wide smile. Gary chuckled. "I can tell." Both trainer and pokemon stared each other down, looking for anything to grasp the victory. Ash's eyes went wide and then a wild smile grew on his face, one that Gary took note off. 'That looks like the smile from before...' Gary was no phycologist but, that had to mean something. Right? He looked to his right to see Dawn, oddly quiet. "Pikachu! Double team!" Ash's words pulled him away from the girl. When he looked he saw five Pikachu's, each with that cocky smirk. He noticed Paul's body tense and his eyes narrow, hoping to find the real mouse, Gary guessed.

"Pikachu quick attack!" Ash commanded, looking so in to the battle, he probably didn't even see Gary or Dawn's arrival. The five Pikachu each charged at the grass turtle. "Torterra protect!" Paul barked, a light green shield formed in front of the pokemon. Gary shook his head. 'Torterra is so drained. Will he be able to hold off this onslaught?' He wonder if Paul noticed his pokemon wincing with each attack. He smiled when he looked up to see that, yes, Paul knew. 'He can see it. What will he do?' Gary thought.

"He needs to do something..." Dawn mumbled with eyes focus on the protecting turtle. Gary laughed in his head, he wanted to tease the girl for caring so much about Paul winning, but, he kept inside. 'You're like his worried girlfriend.' He started to laugh at his own thoughts. Which earned him a look from Brock.

"Torterra, SKULL BASH!" Gary was pulled out of his head by Paul's move. He saw the turtle tuck his head in his shell. 'Smart move. His shell could take a beating more then his protect!' He mentally complemented Paul, but, it didn't last long. "Gotcha!" he heard Ash scream. Everyone's eyes went wide. Well not Gary's, he knew Ash. 'What does he got under his sleeve?' He thought as he tried to remember that face Ash is making. "ICE PUNCH!" All five Pikachu's fist started to glow light blue and rammed them into Torterra's shell. 'It's a dick move, but, it will work.' Gary thought as he watched. Paul is forced to make a move, or... He'll just lose anyway, eventually.

Paul gritted his teeth... Until his face softened. "You win." He simply said pulling out Torterra's pokeball and recalling him.

"T-That's it!?" Ash's said to now one really. "That's all!" Gary took note off this behavior.

Paul walked up to Ash with a content smile. "Yup, that's it." He put out his hand. "You win." Ash's face turn soft as well and shook his hand. "Thanks for the match." Gary shook his head. 'He can sure change his mood.' Paul pulled Ash forward and whispered into his ear. "You win, this time." Ash smiled at him. "Can't wait for the next one."

Dawn and Brock looked at each other, both with weird faces. "Wait! IT'S OVER!?" They both yelled at the same time. The other three just laughed at them.

Gary, Ash and Brock stood on one side, the side of the airport, Paul and Dawn stood on the other, the side to continue their journey. "Well, see yea." Ash said with a sorrowful face. Dawn raised her hand up and said. "Don't look so sad, we'll see each other again soon." This brought a smile to Ash's face. "Yeah!" He said as they high fived. Dawn then turned to Gary. "Don't forget your promise." This made all the others look at the two in confusion. "Yeah, Yeah, Whatever." He said turning away waving her off. "I'll go save our seats." To everyone else, he looked cool and aloof, but, his face was red like a pokeball.

"See you, Dawn." Brock said giving her a hug that she gladly return. "See you." Her words being muffled by Brock's shirt. "See you around to Paul, keep HER out of trouble." The eldest said pulling away from the hug. Paul laughed, which made Dawn puff her cheeks. "No problem." Ash and Paul just shared a knowing look and a nod.

The groups walked away from each other, knowing that this is far from the last time they'll see the other. It still made Ash hurt inside watching them walk away.

Our three heroes were sitting in a row on the plane headed to the Hoenn region. "Here we go. To Hoenn!" Ash said with a fist pump. Brock chuckled at the boy. "Surly nothing can go wrong this time." Gary joked leaning back in his chair. "Dude, shut up." Ash said with a worried face. "Heh, Just joking." As he said that the plane shook. "Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Gary yelled holding his head.

"Prepare for trouble!

And make it double!

To protect the world from devastation!

To unite all peoples within our nation!

To denounce the evils of truth and love!

To extend our reach to the stars above!

Jessie!

James!

Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!

Surrender now, or prepare to fight!

Meowth!

That's right!"

Those were the words our heroes heard before looking at Gary will killing intent, Pikachu included. "H-Hey! How was I suppose to know they were here?" He tried to defend himself.

Oh my! Is that team rocket?! You'll find out next chapter! Did you enjoy? I hope the battle was okay. I think it was alright. I enjoyed being in Gary's mind this chapter. I hope it helped show what he's been doing in the story. Well see you friends of fanfiction!