“Just be as quiet as you can,” Gary warned as he pushed open the barn door, quickly making his way into the hay-lined building. “We don’t want to startle them.”

“Them? O-okay,” Misty promised, following him inside.

Misty had just arrived at the Oak ranch with Ash, ready for another day of hard labour, when Gary immediately dragged her off. He had said that he had something amazing to show her, but had still not revealed what.

She gazed into the dark enclosure, trying to locate the object of Gary’s excitement. After a few seconds of searching, allowing her eyes to become accustomed to the shadows, she came across something. She could just about discern the shape of two Pokemon, an Umbreon and Espeon. The couple were huddled together, their heads set next to each other. As she neared, she followed the line of their vision. There, less than half a metre from the Pokemon, lay a small brown Eevee, returning its parents’ glance. A grin of complete glee came upon her.

Misty halted her approach, not wishing to crowd the new family. “Aww, they are so beautiful. How old is the little baby?”

Gary focused upon Misty’s face, slightly obscured by the darkness. He knew she would love this. She always looked at Pokemon with a sort of amazement. He had seen that the last time she had been up to the ranch. She would speak to them - despite the fact she couldn’t understand their replies - in such a kind and involved manner, that he hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away for fascination. When there had been this new arrival, his first thought had been to show her.

“It hatched two days ago, just after you guys left.”

“I didn’t know you had an Espeon?”

Gary laughed. “Well, I didn’t exactly catch him. When I was travelling a few months ago, we set up camp in the middle of Ilex Forest. I remember waking up the next morning and seeing them sitting together, talking. It must have been love at first site. Espeon asked me if he could come along with us. And, of course, I had no problem with it. And now, they have a new baby.”

“That’s so sweet.”

Gary continued past Misty and towards his Pokemon. “Hey, guys,” he greeted as he sat down upon the think blanket. “How’s the little one doing?” They answered him in their own language, one Misty had no idea how to translate, as he petted their manes.

She took another few precautionary steps forward, instantly pausing when she heard Gary warn, “You maybe shouldn’t come any closer. Ever since Umbreon laid the egg, both of them have only let me come near Eevee. They are very protective parents. They won’t even let my grandfather get anywhere close. I’m sorry.”

“Oh,” she uttered, a little disheartened, but smiling none-the-less.

Umbreon, turning her vision from the new girl before her to look at her Master, blatantly questioned, “(Is this the girl you love?)”

Before he was able to protest, Gary reassessed the words he had been ready to say. How could he try to deny it? Umbreon could read his mind so well. “Yeah,” he quietly answered.

“What did she say, Gary?”

“Nothing important.”

As she stood watching the group, Misty noticed Umbreon raise her head and straighten her neck in her direction, sniffing at the water trainer. Understanding that the Pokemon must wish to familiarise herself with Misty’s scent, she crouched down and extended her hand. The dark creature gave the now offered limb a few more nasal studies before pushing her head into the hand, attempting to pet herself with it.

“I think she likes me,” Misty voiced as she rubbed the black fur-covered cheeks.

“But…they never let anyone but me…” he murmured puzzled, trailing off. He watched the girl’s movements in silence, how she was now also stroking Espeon’s long muzzle, much to the delight of the new father.

After a few moments, Misty turned her attention to the newborn once again. “Is it okay if I hold your little baby?” The parents nodded contently. Misty bowed slightly. “Thank you.”

Gary, his eyes still focused upon her, watched as Misty lifted the small furry mass into her arms with such gentleness, taking care to hold its tiny body in the most secure way possible.

“Hello, sweetheart,” she whispered to the infant. Almost instantly, it relaxed within her embrace, closing its eyes so that it could sleep within her warmth.

He still couldn’t believe this turnaround in his Pokemons’ actions. Why did they trust her so readily? “I didn’t realize you had this side to your personality.”

“Mmmm?” Misty asked, more attention placed upon the life in her arms that Gary’s words.

“Well, I always thought you were this violent, angry, loud mouth bitch.” She chuckled at his description. “I guess over the past few days you proved that preconception wrong.”

“Oh, it’s not wrong, but that’s only part of me. I can be a bitch sometimes, but I’m also a little softy. Both are facets of my personality.”

He looked down at the Eevee. “You are really great with Pokemon. You seem to bond with them so well and quickly. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I hope you’re right. If I want to go to university, I’d need to have that ability.”

“University?”

“Yeah. On-off for a little while I’ve been thinking about becoming a Pokemon doctor. I know it’d be incredibly difficult, but it’s something I’d love to do.”

“What about training? I thought you wanted to become a Master.”

“Oh, of course. That’s what I’m hoping to focus upon when we get everything sorted out and start travelling once again. But lately…I’ve been thinking about what to do after I become a Master.” Misty couldn’t hold back a snort. “God, I must sound really conceited to say something like that.”

Gary shook his head. “No. You just sound sure of yourself. We need to be a little egotistical to survive in our line of work,” he admitted. “What does Ash think about it?”

He noticed her smile widen at the name. “He loves the thought of dating a ‘college girl’. Typical Ash, ne? But he really supports it.”

“That’s good,” he muttered, not really paying attention.

“You’re seventeen, right?”

“Yeah, as of a month and a half ago. April 7th.”

“So you’re almost a year older than Ash.”

“Yep,” he said proudly. “A few days over eleven months. I was always the oldest in our class, Ash was the youngest.”

“I guess Ash never enjoyed that fact.”

“Nope,” Gary returned. “Certainly not.”

Misty laughed. “So, how are things going with this girl you were telling me about?” she winked.

Gary felt himself freezing up, twirling a piece of hay between his fingers in distraction. How was he supposed to approach this subject? “Ah, okay. We’ve been talking a little more. But…I don’t think it’ll go anywhere.”

“Why not?”

“I…there’s just a few things in the way,” he sorrowfully told her, before instantly attempting to perk himself up. He lay back upon the hay, raising a hand to comb his long fringe. “Anyway, I don’t think I’m the type to get into a serious relationship,” he tried to convince himself as much as her. “Too restrictive. Nah, I love being able to be with a different girl every week. I’m sure you miss the days of being foot loose and fancy free.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I was never like that. Ash is the first person I’ve ever dated.”

That caught his attention. He pushed himself up so that he was resting upon his elbows. “You mean you’ve never slept with anyone other than him?”

She reddened slightly. “I’ve haven’t even slept with Ash yet.”

“You mean you’re a…” He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t say the word. “But you’re eighteen.”

“What’s wrong with still being a virgin when you’re eighteen?” Misty posed, though she didn’t sound at all insulted.

“Nothing. Just not something I could do.”

“Mmm. Well, it’s easy when you’re in love with someone.”

“Maybe.” Seeing that her attention had once again settled upon Eevee, Gary cast his eyes over her. If she was still a virgin, he was sure Ash would be also. He knew it was petty, but at least he’d beat his old rival at something.

He wondered if he really meant what he had told her. If there had been a chance for the two of them, would he not have forgotten about his old ways just to be with her? Yes. He was sure. That way of life would be nothing compared to having her to hold.

Why did he have to fall so hard for her? He’d never even considered having a serious relationship before.

He traced his glance over her body. Over her long bare legs, the curve of her hips…over everything. She was so beautiful.

God, what he wanted to do to her. He could see it in his mind’s eye. Alone in the barn, her laid naked upon the blanket, he free to do what he wished, able to take from her what Ash still hadn’t. How had the boy been able to resist her?

“Gary? Gary?!”

Her call punctured his reverie. He blinked his eyelids frantically to dissolve the mental vision in its entirety, turning away from her. He was sure he was red-faced. “Ah, yeah?”

“You spaced out there for a moment.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“I was just saying that maybe we should get back and help everyone.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” he instantly agreed.

Misty carefully placed Eevee back onto its previous position upon the blanket, not even rousing it from its slumber, and quietly stood. She lightly brushed a few blades of hay from her clothes. Gary rose also, giving each of his Pokemon a last affectionate caress before the duo made for the door.

“Morning, Gary,” Samuel Oak greeted as he strolled into the living room, a cup of green tea in his hands.

“Morning, Grandpa,” came the half-hearted reply as the teenager continued to stare at the television screen.

The older man looked down upon his grandson. His whole demeanour had seemed to have changed recently. He was normally so motivated. Now all he seemed to do was sit before that square, flashing box. “Are you okay, Gary? You haven’t quite been yourself over the past few days.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just got a few things on my mind.”

“Oh?”

Gary swallowed awkwardly, trying to build up his courage. He needed to talk to someone about this. He couldn’t make any sense of it by himself. “Grandpa. Have you ever…been in love with someone you couldn’t be with?”

The Professor took in a deep breath and sat down upon the sofa next to the boy. “Once,” he confessed after a brief moment.

That single word brought Gary out of his dream state. He’d expected him to say no. “What? You have?”

He nodded. How he didn’t want to stir those memories, but they were already coming undone without his conscious command. “It was slightly after your grandmother died. This gir…woman helped me a great deal through that pain. She would support me when I felt down, would make me laugh whenever I needed to… She was such a comfort, my closest friend…my confident. I guess I couldn’t help but fall for her.” He hesitated for a moment, hanging his grey-covered head. “But I held my feelings back. There was a bit of an age difference between us that I had always felt uncomfortable with.”

The Professor sighed heavily. “Then she met another man, fell in love and they married. Shortly after, she became pregnant with his baby…” His voice was suddenly tainted with anger. “…and he abandoned them. I comforted her in the same way as she had done for me. But it was always plain to see upon her face that she never fell out of love with the father of her son, despite all he had done. I’m sure that, even today, she’s still in love with him.”

Gary felt his own head droop. “God. I think I’ve got it easy compared to that.”

“It’s never an easy situation, son. It’s always incredibly painful.” His mind stalled once more, not content with the long-buried emotions coming to the surface. He wanted to end this conversation, put the seal back on the memory bank, but at the same time his desire to help his grandson overrode his personal needs. “So, who is this young woman? Anyone I know?”

“No, no,” Gary lied. “Just a girl I ran into a little while ago. I can’t stop thinking about her. I’ve become totally obsessed. But she’s in love with someone else, and I know that she’s never going to leave him. But, no matter how much I try, I can’t stop myself from loving her. I’ve just got no idea what to do.”

“You have the same two options as everyone else possesses in this situation.” Oak held up his index finger. “One: you can break off all contact you have with her, never allow yourself to be around her. Eventually, you may even fall out of love with her.” He elevated his middle finger. “Or two: you can remain as her friend. You may have to endure a lot of anguish, see her with that other man, but at the same time, you will always be an important person to her. You may not think so now, but this second option is much easier to deal with than the first.”

Gary contemplated the words. Could he cope with Misty in his life only as a friend? Could he survive seeing her and Ash together? It pained him so much now. How would he feel when they became engaged? When they married? What if they ever had kids? Just the thought of Ash touching her made his blood boil. Wouldn’t those feelings strengthen as time went on?

But would it not be more awful to have her out of his life forever? Was his grandfather right? Would it be better to remain just as a friend rather than losing her entirely?

Samuel began to stand, setting a reassuring hand upon the younger man’s shoulder before heading for the door. However, he was halted in his tracks by a question.

“What decision did you make, Grandpa?”

He smiled. “I chose to make myself the best friend she ever had.”

“I thought so.” If his grandfather had been able to make it work, maybe Gary could as well. “I can’t see me being happy without her in my life. It hurts, but it would hurt much worse not to have her by my side. I need to have her as my friend.” He moaned. “I just wish I’d never fallen in love with her in the first place.”

“Never wish for such a thing, Gary. Love is a wonderful thing. We should never deny it, even if we will never be able to act upon it. And someday, I’m sure, you’ll meet someone else who CAN return your feelings, and the pain you’re going through at the moment will be just a memory.”

“I’m not sure about that, but…thanks anyway. I still feel awful, but a little more sure about what I have to do.”

“Good. And you know where to find me if you need to talk further.”

Gary nodded, offering a smile.

Friendship. That was what he had to focus upon now. Being her friend, helping her whenever she needed anything at all, while at the same time holding back his true feelings. That was his task. It couldn’t be that hard.

The group stood at the Pallet Town railway station.

The week had passed much quicker than they had hoped. It almost seemed like it was only yesterday they had received the call, but instead it had been eight days.

Maybe it had just been because the whole time they’d all been having fun, getting back to trivial activities such as watching movies, playing video games and just being together, enjoying one another’s company. Now it seemed that the holiday was over. It was time to get serious again.

Ash cast his eyes around the station. It had barely changed since he was a kid. The same wooden benches below the shelter, the same double painted yellow lines running parallel upon the tarmac ground. His feet were set behind the closest stripe. He could remember as a child being terrified of stepping too to close it. The fear of air turbulence pulling his tiny body over the edge of the platform…well, it had kept him up many a night before short holidays with his mother or school day trips. He looked down at his feet and smirked. Guess I still have an unconscious rule of never stepping over ‘til the train arrives.

Besides that one basic fear, this train station had always spelled good times for him. He loved Pallet, but the thought of crossing over its boundaries, and into the land he knew he would soon travel through on his Pokemon journey, never failed to excite him. This time though…

This was the only time he’d felt revulsion at the thought of the train’s arrival.

The past week he’d been able to forget so much. Yes, it was there, deep within, but he’d been given the power to put it on hiatus. There had been none of those dreams, none of the flashes of memories that threaten to make him vomit.

All that was returning now. Last night the dreams had begun afresh. If it hadn’t been for Misty waking him… No, he didn’t want to think about how the nightmare would have played out.

He could feel the tiredness weighing his eyes down. They’d stayed awake talking for hours. He didn’t know exactly how long. The subject had been taboo for a week, so he guessed it was natural for it all to come out in a flood once more. There hadn’t been any true anguish or tears. It had just been a truthful discussion about what the next few weeks would bring and how they were going to cope.

He did feel guilty, though. It seemed that they conversed about his emotions, what he was going through, more than hers. He wanted to help her as much as she helped him, but she just seemed so much stronger in regards to their past encounters. She’d always been such a rock.

He looked down at their hands, finger entwined, and then at her face. It bore the same evidence of exhaustion and apprehension as he felt within his own body.

Sensing both his glance and trepidation, she let herself lean upon him, resting her head upon his vacant shoulder. His body immediately relaxed. She smiled to herself. It always did the trick.

Several more minutes passed. Ash knew they shouldn’t have left so early, but his mother had insisted. He hated waiting.

Just then, he felt Pikachu become unsettled upon his other shoulder. “(There’s the train now)!” He pointed a short finger down the track.

Ash’s stomach sank as he saw the locomotive pull into the station.

Gary stepped into the train - minding the gap - and shut the heavy door behind him.

He couldn’t be bothered with this. What could he tell the court that half a dozen other people couldn’t? They already had Misty, Ash, that guy they hung out with (Brock? Wasn’t that his name?) and other high up members of the resistance. Why couldn’t he just stay at home and let them deal with it all.

He continued down the narrow corridor, looking into the compartments to both his left and right. They were all empty. Did the Government actually send a private train to take them to Viridian City? And it wasn’t a basic vehicle either. It was quite ornate.

Nothing’s good enough for the Pokemon Master, I guess?

As he approached the end of one section, voices echoed down towards him. Halting his journey as he reached the occupied compartment, he looked in through the windows, under the half-drawn blinds.

So this was where they were? Brock and Izzie sat upon one of seat rows (He didn’t know she was coming along with them. She had nothing to do with the occupation), and Ash and Misty on the opposite, Pikachu settled upon his trainer’s lap.

To join them or not to join them? His eyes focused upon the intoxicating redhead. He had promised himself to become closer to her, to become her friend. This could be the perfect chance. And Ash…well, she wanted the two of them put their rivalry behind. If that was what she wished, he wasn’t going to upset her. There was, of course, the chance he wanted to salvage their relationship for his own well being, but he didn’t like to entertain that nagging possibility.

Rapping upon the wood of the door before sliding it across, he popped his head in. “You guys mind if I join you?”

He saw Misty instantly smile. “Sure, no prob.”

Feeling his cheeks flush, he placed himself next to Izzie, across from Misty. He was sure he couldn’t take sitting next to his desire without reddening further. It was best to be cautious.

After a long awkward silence, Brock grabbed his bag and pulled out a few plastic boxes and a large blue thermo-flask. “Anyone hungry?” he offered. “I made a few treats for the trip.”

“Yeah, I’m starving!” Ash jumped for one of the boxes, tearing of the lid, and grabbed one of the onigiri. He dug in instantly, devouring the rice and nori in two bites.

“Ash, we only ate breakfast a few hours ago,” Misty complained. “How the hell can you be that hungry already?”

“This coming from Miss-Two-Servings-of-Ice-Cream-Everynight-Before-She-Goes-to-Bed!”

No suitable retort presenting itself, she simply kicked him in the shin. Ash barely batted an eyelid. Is this the way they normally get on? Gary wondered.

As Misty, Brock, Izzie and Pikachu also busied themselves with the mouth-watering selection of food, Ash held out the large box of rice balls to Gary. “Want some?” he muttered through a mouthful.

“Ah, what filling’s in them?”

Brock answered the question. “These ones,” he began, indicating the five - the sixth already having been inhaled by Ash - closest to Gary, “are pickled plum. The others are tuna and mayonnaise.”

Gary took one of the latter.

“Mmmm, tuna. I’ll have one of those.” Misty quickly shot her hand forward, narrowly missing Gary’s. He couldn’t let her touch him. That would be too much of a temptation.

“Brock, these are delicious,” Izzie uttered, finishing off a sandwich. “I think chosen the right boyfriend. I’ll never have to worry about cooking for the rest of my life.”

“Lucky you.” Misty nudged Ash. “With us it’ll be pokeballs at dawn to decide who gets stuck with dinner.”

“Well, you guys won’t have to worry about that for a while,” Brock spoke. “I’m sure you’ll be sponging off my cooking for a few years still. Ah, the wows of having such an amazing talent.”

Misty glanced at both Ash and Izzie. “Sadly we’re the ones who have to put up with the over-inflated ego that goes along with it,” she commented.

“I’ll second that,” Izzie agreed, receiving a disenchanted glare from her boyfriend.

“Maybe I should refuse to cook for a few days and see if you guys think my ego is over-inflated.”

“Nah, don’t worry, Brock,” Misty joked. “You don’t have to go THAT far.”

The group sat in a quiet peace enjoying their snacks.

Ash, his fingers gently petting Pikachu’s long ears, glanced over towards Gary. The older boy seemed a little uncomfortable within the setting. That was understandable. He hadn’t seen Izzie for many years and didn’t exactly know Misty or Brock. The only person he did know was Ash himself, but that fact just served to increase tension rather than lessen it.

“Er…Gary,” Ash begun, desperately attempting to start up a conversation. Gary instantly turned his attention from what he was eating. “Misty told me your Umbreon had a little Eevee.”

A small smile made an appearance upon Gary’s features. “Oh, yeah. Just a few days ago.”

“That’s great. I didn’t even know you had an Espeon. It must take a lot of work to train them.”

Gary moved his head up and down. “It is difficult, but they are one of the most loyal breeds of Pokemon, so it’s well-worth it.”

“I’ve always wanted to catch one.” A chuckle escaped him. “But then there are a lot of Pokemon out there I keep meaning to capture.”

Gary shared in on the joke. “Well, at least that’s one thing I’ve beaten you in; the number of different types I have.”

“By a long way, I’m sure.”

The conversation died down softly, but it seemed enough. Ash saw Gary relax a little more, some of the anxiety falling from his shoulders.

Gary stared out the window at the blurred countryside. It was going to be at least another hour before they reached Viridian. But he didn’t really mind. Though he had always felt like a lone wolf, the company of those around his own age did feel comforting on occasion.

He couldn’t believe how civil he and Ash were managing to act. They were still not really speaking to one another as the close friends they had been, but with a level of respect that had been forgotten over the last while. And - he wasn’t sure why - it had felt somewhat comfortable.

Also, Misty had proved a great distraction. He had learned a little more about her over the past few hours, discovered a few more of her facets. On one side she had this sarcastic sense of humour and could be a little overly cynical, but on the other she was bright, caring and playful. He couldn’t help it. The more he got to know her, the further he managed to achieve his goal of becoming her friend, the stronger his feelings became.

Gary gazed over towards her. Brock and Izzie had long ago disappeared off to stretch their legs, and Ash had his attention focused upon the area they were travelling through. He was free to look at her without raising suspicions.

She looked very different to the two last times they had spoken. Then she had been dressed in scruffy work clothes, covered in paint and dust. However now, clean and with her longish hair down, hanging straight, she looked both absolutely entrancing and terribly cute.

She wore a black fitted t-shirt, a quirky print of a Corsola adorning its front, along with heavy baggy jeans. Stripy, sock-covered feet stuck out of their ends. Earlier she had claimed Ash’s baseball hat, and it still had pride-of-place upon her head, but it didn’t seem that her boyfriend minded too much. How could someone look so amazing wearing such casual clothing? Maybe he was so accustomed to kogals ­ with their faces caked in make-up, sporting the latest fashion in clothes - that tomboy Misty had become simply bewitching. She was everything he had never had.

She pushed her trainers off onto the floor and set her feet up upon the cushioned bench, her knees pointed upwards. Shifting her back from resting against the seat’s upright, she leant against Ash’s side, causing him to encircle an arm around.

The moments passed by slowly. Gary never took his eye from her, studying every simple movement she made, completely intrigued. Drowsiness looked to be coming upon her. Her eyelids kept falling, and the thick book she held seemed unstable within her long fingers. Realising her own sleepiness, she put the book down upon her lap and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands. But her efforts didn’t seem to work. Within a few more moments, her eyes had fully closed and her body slouched slightly.

“Is she asleep?” Gary whispered to Ash.

Ash turned to the girl leaning against him, pushing up the front of the hat so he could study her face. A smile tugged upon his lips. “Yep. Out cold. We were up pretty late last night talking over stuff. We barely got any sleep.” Ash coaxed Pikachu from his lap, unwrapped the book from Misty’s hands and gently pulled her down so that her head rested upon his thighs. When he was sure she would be comfortable, he reached down and gripped one of her hands within his.

Gary watched with interest the black haired youth’s actions. Here he was, the boy whom only a few years ago whole-heartedly believed that girls were from a different planet, now tending to the one he loved.

“She’s so cute,” Ash whispered in devotion.

“I guess,” Gary shrugged, wishing he could reveal how much he agreed. “So, looking forward to these trials?” he sarcastically joked.

“Yeah, as much as I’m looking forward to another bullet in my leg.” He sighed, sitting backward, his eyes cast upon the roof. “I just wanna head back to Pallet and forget about all this shit. But I know that once this is over, we can all get back to our normal lives.”

Gary nodded in agreement, turning his vision upwards as well, plunging the compartment into another long silence.

“Ah, Gary?”

“Yeah, Ash?”

“Are we…okay?” Ash put nervously. He’s wished to bring up this topic back at the Oak ranch, but had been too afraid of Gary’s potential response to do so. He felt a little braver today, this whole trial deal giving him the desire to sort out other threads of unfinished business. “I know we haven’t exactly been getting along lately-“

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Gary laughed.

“Yeah. But, after everything that has happened with the war and all, it sorta makes you see how insignificant our hating each other is.”

Gary brought his attention back down upon his old friend, an aspect of shock betraying his feelings. What did Ash mean? There had been an air of reconciliation the last time they talked, but the only thing that had passed between them was an apology and some joviality. Not any true form of resolution. Was that what Ash was now hinting towards?

He continued to think for a moment, conflicted as to how to respond. He’d been battling with that question for weeks, maybe longer. Did he want to push this rivalry behind him, and, hell, possibly start off their friendship once again? Or should he keep feeding this hate he felt within? Ash had everything he desired; the title Gary had fought so long to claim, extreme fame, the only girl he’d ever loved. No, he didn’t want to go on like that. Ash had never acquired those things out of spite, so why should Gary punish him?

He nodded once more, determined to support anything Ash would say. “I understand. It is pretty stupid. We’re not kids anymore but we act like it so much of the time.”

“Yeah. Misty said she can’t understand us fighting all the time and I guess…I can’t either.”

He looked down upon the redhead’s sleeping form. “She’s right.”

Ash took a deep breath. “I know we already agreed to call a bit of a truce but…maybe we could have another try at some kind of…well, friendship.”

He was serious. Ash didn’t just want the two to leave their petty anger in the past. He actually wanted them to become friends once more. And, as crazy it sounded to his own mind, Gary was tempted. They had been interacting well over the last while, and he’d enjoyed Ash’s company. Without coming to a conscious decision, he found himself speaking, “That’s a good idea. I…I kinda miss the way we used to hang out and all.”

“Me too,” Ash replied, smiling.

“I like your friends. Brock’s a really dead on guy, and Misty…she’s…” What could he say about her without giving away too much? He tried to keep his vision from settling upon her form, but the desire to behold her was just too strong. “She’s very special. I hope you know how lucky you are to have her?”

Ash’s eyes also fell on Misty. “Believe me, I do.”

Glancing between the couple opposite, Gary felt a grin coming to him. He was sure his need for Misty was never going to quell, but at least if he couldn’t have her, Ash did. He would always treat her like the goddess she was. At least that was one thing Gary could be happy about. Ash didn’t have it in his power to hurt her.

Okay, a few little notes. I'm trying to keep the fic as Japanese as possible (I've nearly changed my fics to use Japanese names before, but it's just too much work), so there are a few references I should highlight.

Ash and Gary’s birthdates: In Japan, a new school year begins in April, so their birthdates are fitted around this.

Kogals: This is a fashion style in Japan, especially popular a few years back. It was based around dyed hair (primarily blonde but also red), really dark skin and a LOT of makeup. In other words, very similar to Valley girls.