Friend or Foe? By pet_rock Author's note(Please Read!): Gary fans! This story is not for you! Don't flame me if you like Gary, because I did a very negative portrayal of him in this fic. I warned you! I know this story is a bit outdated. I wrote it a looong time ago! I know Ash doesn't have his Charizard anymore, and I know that Gary is nicer in the Johto league! Flamers, I eat flames for lunch. For all of you that are still here, read and enjoy my first pokefic! Ash-14 Gary-15 Duplica-15 Misty-16 Brock-20 "Ash! Pikachu!" the earth still rocked from the explosion. Misty's arm fell limply to her side as she saw a piece of Ash's blue jacket clinging to a wooden timber from the explosion. The fabric was drenched in blood. "No.." she gasped. She fell to her knees in tears. Brock was by her side in uncomprehending shock. Finally he made a fist. *Gary, if its the last thing I do, I will have you behind bars for this...* Then he heard a light cough. "Ash.." Misty whispered hopefully. She ran toward the sound. A board shook beneath a pile old wood that had once been a part of the roof. Misty's attention was brought to the area, where she saw a hand under the wreckage. Brock had set the task of clearing away the wood. Misty grasped the hand. "We'll get you out, she said gently. When Brock had cleared away all the wood, he picked Ash up. "Are you alright?" Ash nodded mutely. *He's still shocked* Misty observed, looking into Ash's eyes. "Have you seen Pikachu?" Brock asked worriedly. Ash shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "We'll find him." Misty encouraged him. "Let's split up and look for him." "Ash, why don't you wait by the car with your mother?" Brock suggested. "I'm helping." he said simply. Neither Brock nor Misty protested, because they knew that Ash would help with or without their approval. "Just be careful." Misty said gently. "I will." he promised. Brock still looked worried. Ash needed medical attention. His side had been deeply cut by the wood and his arm looked broken. He grimaced in pain every time he walked. "Where do we meet?" he asked "We'll meet back here in an hour." Misty said. They all went their separate ways. Pikachu woke up next to a brick. He nearly fainted when he saw his close brush with death. He tried to run to find the others, but his feet were trapped under a concrete slab that had fallen at the explosion. Pikachu sighed and sat down to wait for the others to find him. Right then, he hear footsteps and hoped it wasn't Gary. A shadow of a boy was visible on the opposite wall. Pikachu desperately wished he could hide himself. He could only wait, gripped in fear. Pikachu was too tired too manage a thundershock as it hoped that Gary hadn't returned. "Pikachu? Are you here, Pikachu?!" It was Ash's voice. "Pikapi!" the pokemon cried happily at the arrival of its best friend happily. Hearing a loud "pikapi!" from behind a brick, Ash walked over to find Pikachu. He smiled happily and picked up Pikachu to free his leg from the concrete slab. Pikachu thanked Ash energetically. "The others are OK. We just split up to look for you." Pikachu smiled as he jumped on Ash's shoulder. When Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu met up again, they were all elated to find that Pikachu was OK. "Now, we've got to get you to the hospital." Brock said. "No way!" Ash cried. "Your starting to sound like Gary." It was meant to be a joke, but Brock suddenly realized the results of such a comment. It was out of his mouth before he could stop it. Ash looked down at the ground sadly. "I'm sorry..." Brock apologized. "It's OK" Ash whispered. The moment of awkwardness ended and they drove away. 6 months ago Ash was still. He had lost. To Gary of all people. In front of Misty. He had shut out the crowd's cheers, but he couldn't shut out Misty's concerned voice. "Are you okay, Ash?!" she asked, worried that he would faint or pass out. His face had looked so pale. She sat up so she could go to him. She wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was alright, that he would always have her by his side no matter what. Brock stopped her and shook his head silently. Ash needed to be alone this time. Ash felt tears stinging his eyes as he rushed to Pikachu. "Are you okay?" he asked his hurt pokemon softly. "Pika..." the pokemon said weakly, hoping that Ash would forgive him for failing. Ash smiled at Pikachu, happy that he was okay. Gary stood over Ash, who didn't notice him. "Ash?" he said softly, catching the other boy's attention. "That was a great battle..." Gary said, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the genuine admiration that had somehow shown in his voice. "No it wasn't..." Ash whispered. "It was bad... I lost...You were right...I am a loser." Gary sighed. It was hard to bring down his arrogance a notch, but he knew that it was the right thing to do. Ash had tried to comfort him last time in the indigo league, and this time he was going to return the favor. "I never meant that..." Ash stared up at him with wide eyes. "What..?" "Besides, you always have next year to prove you're not a loser!" Gary smirked. "I'll show you, Gary!" Ash said with a small smile." shaking Gary's hand. Misty and Brock stared at the scene in confusion. Ash and Gary were...GETTING ALONG?! They both did an anime faint. 2 months later Gary sighed as he sat down on his chair, reading a paper about a possible revision of the league rules. He was the pokemon master now, and it was important for him to read all propositions for new league rules. "Hey, Gary! Catch!" Ash yelled from across the field. A frisbee suddenly hit Gary on the head. Gary swore and glared at his rival, who he had beaten in the indigo league finals. He and Ash still competed over everything, but Gary hung out with Ash, Misty and Brock now. "Ash!! I'm trying to read! Act your age!" he yelled for the tenth time that day. "I am!" Ash retorted, unable to think of anything better to say. Ever since he had lost the league games to Gary, Ash had been trying to patch up his past friendship with Gary, although their friendship was getting better and better, there were days that Gary was not to be bothered. Today was one of them. "No your not! You're an immature loser who doesn't know a rattata from a pidgey!" Ash angrily walked away. "Hey! You forgot your..." The door to the Ash's house slammed. "Gary, don't you think you were a bit hard on him?" Misty asked, after a brief silence. Gary tried to suppress a blush at her sudden entrance. He cringed at the reproachful tone in her voice. "You've got to admit, he does act like a child all the time. I have to be hard on him or he won't grow up. Besides, *you* tell him he's a lousy trainer all the time.." Gary pointed out. Misty felt a little guilty at that truthful comment. "Well, he knows *I* don't mean it!" she pointed out. "I mean it." Gary said, throwing the frisbee to the ground in anger. Ash stood at the doorway, feeling ashamed that he had acted so childish over a comment that Gary probably didn't mean anyways. He was about to apologize when he saw Gary talking to Misty. "uh..Gary.." Misty said quietly. Unfortunately, Gary didn't hear her. "It would make everyone's life easier if he wasn't around." Ash let out a soft gasp at these words. "Gary, look behind you." Misty said stiffly. Gary turned around slowly, when he saw Ash. "I...I.." he stammered. "So that's how you feel about me?" Ash asked with a pained look on his face. Gary couldn't answer. "I'll make things easier for you then." He started to run away, when Misty stopped him. "Ash, don't go out with your feelings like this.." she said, while trying to pull him inside. "Let him go, Misty. He'll just come crawling back! He couldn't survive a day on his own!" Ash looked even more hurt by these words (If that was possible) "Gary! You don't mean that!" Misty cried in shock. "Do you?" she said angrily. "He's right." Ash said sadly. "It is easier without me." He pulled away from Misty's grasp and ran away. When he was gone, Misty looked at Gary with anger. "Why on earth did you do that for?!" "To teach him some maturity. It'll make him a better trainer" Gary said, feeling a little guilty for hurting Ash. "By messing with his feelings?" Gary was silent. "I thought you were his best friend." She said icily. Misty got up and walked to her car. "Where are you going?!" She ignored Gary and drove away. Misty finally found Ash sitting by the bridge. He was throwing rocks in the water. He turned around and saw Misty. "What are you doing here?" he asked without looking at her. "Gary's just letting off a little steam. I'm sure he doesn't mean it." "He's always letting off a little steam." he said glumly. "I can't go back. I'll just get in the way." "Your just as good of a person as anyone else" Misty said. He looked up, caught her eyes and looked away quickly. "You really think so?" he said quietly. "I really think so." she affirmed. "So, are you coming?" Misty said, offering her hand to help him up. Ash took it and blushed. "OK." he said at last. Gary didn't act surprised when he saw that Ash was back. Ash didn't even acknowledge Gary's existence. "Pass the salt, loser." Gary said trying to provoke a fight. Ash only responded by giving Gary the salt he asked for. He sighed at his failure to get Ash's attention. Misty, however was oblivious to these events. She was busy eating the delicious new dish Brock had prepared. Ash had finished his dinner and was reaching for another bread roll. Misty was also reaching for another roll when they both had a hand on the roll. "uh..you take it.." Ash said, blushing fiercely. Misty looked more than self conscious and stammered, "no..you..take it.." Pikachu, who hadn't seen any of the scene, took the last bread roll. Brock had to suppress a laugh. Gary watched the scene with a scowl. Who did Ash think he was? Didn't he know there was no way Misty could like him back? Besides, *He* was The pokemon master. There was no way that Misty Could resist his charm. Ash was just an annoyance, a nuisance that Had only delayed him getting together with Misty. *But she blushed too* said an annoying thought. He pushed it away, ignoring the instinct that had made Ash want to be his friend again. Ash was going to be really disappointed if he got his hopes up. Gary knew the outcome. Misty would fall in love with him. It always worked that way. He and Ash always fought over everything, especially girls, but Gary had always won. "Gary!" Misty called. *She must want to spend some time with me* he thought with a superior smirk, walking to the kitchen. "It's your turn to wash the clothes." she reminded him. "Oh." Gary said deflated. "Ash!" she called. *He must've forgotten to do the dishes last night* Gary thought, but he saw all the dishes stacked up, nice and clean. Ash ran in and smiled at Misty. "Do you want to go to the store with me to get some groceries?" "Sure!" Ash cried eagerly. Even Gary's confidence had to waver at this scene. "Can you put those groceries down over there?" Ash started towards the table when someone snuck behind them and yelled "Hi!" They both jumped at the sudden intrusion and saw Gary at the doorway. Embarrassed, Misty asked what Gary wanted. Ash just started to pick up The groceries he had dropped in his fright. "Do you have some wood glue?" he asked, after probing for an excuse. "Did something break?" Misty asked. "Oh, it's nothing, just my flashlight." Misty noticed the inconsistency with using wood glue to repair a Flashlight and was about to point it out when Gary was gone in a flash. *hmm..that's strange* Misty observed, but the incident was soon forgotten as soon as she lost herself in her chores. Gary walked away from the scene, feeling ashamed because of the stupid excuse he had made. He couldn't believe he was acting like a fool over some girl! He never felt like this with any of his cheerleaders. *It must be stress.* Gary decided. <> Misty gently squeezed Ash's hand before she left the room. Ash sighed after she closed the door. All Ash could hear was voices in his head reminding him what happened. Ash took the remote and turned on the TV as he often did when he wanted to shut out reality, which was often. He finally came to the news where a newscaster was smiling by an image that said "Local Heroes." "Today, a young kid was saved by his best friend George..." Ash changed the channel. Finally he came to a channel with a cartoon fox and dog. The fox said "We'll be best friends forever. Right, Copper?" Disgusted at the memories popping up, he turned off the TV. <> Ash sighed. He had dropped the plates again and they had all shattered. "I'm sorry for breaking your dishes, Gary." he said in a low voice, embarrassed for being such a klutz in front of Misty. No remark came and Ash looked up, a confused expression on his face. "Gary..?" he began, but he stopped when he saw Gary's face. An angry glare inhabited it. Ash stepped back. "Gary?" Misty asked cautiously. She put a hand on his shoulder, but she withdrew when she saw Ash's confused and scared expression. "Ash, what's wrong?" Suddenly, Gary slapped Ash on the face, hard enough to leave a red mark. "I paid for those dishes myself you idiot!" Gary yelled. "You are going to pay me back!" "Gary! Don't do that!" Misty cried out in concern. He forced Ash to his feet and punched him in the face. "Gary! What's wrong with you?! Stop!" Misty cried, horrified that the usually controlled Gary had flipped out so badly. Brock finally lifted Gary up. "What's your problem?!" Brock yelled. "ASH IS THE PROBLEM!!!" he howled, making Brock nearly relinquish his hold on him. He looked back at Ash and saw something worse than shock or terror. He saw acceptance. "How long has this been going on?" Brock demanded. Gary stayed silent. "Long enough!" Misty said finally. She helped Ash up. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm sorry. It's my fault." he whispered. "Don't you dare say it! Don't even think it!" Brock said vehemently. "How long has he been hitting you?!" "This was the first time." he lied. *Actually the first time in front of them* "Gary just lost his temper. That's all." "Then why have you been wearing long sleeves?" Brock asked heatedly. "I...uh.." he stammered. "If it's the first time, you won't mind showing us your arms." Ash pulled away from them. "I..I.." he searched for an excuse. "Come on." Misty said gently. He rolled up a sleeve and confirmed their suspicions. Covering his arms were bruises and cuts. <> After Ash had returned from the hospital, Brock and Misty had both decided to sit out for a week to work things out. "If I had only did something.." Ash began sadly. "There's nothing you or any of us could have done." Brock said sympathetically. "He was my best friend! I really thought I knew him...The Gary I knew would never do something like this. Sure he always called me loser...but.." "That wasn't the Gary you knew." Misty said solemnly. The dreams. He wanted them to all go away. "GET LOST!!" Gary yelled in one. "Die!" Gary cried, drawing a katana in another. He had woken up from all these dreams, screaming. Why won't he forget! Why can't he just wake up without these memories?! As hard as he tried to stay awake, his body grew so tired that he fell asleep. <> At first, Brock and Misty both tried to convince Gary he needed help. Maybe the stress had become too much for him, and he had lost control over his usually stable emotions. Still, it was hard to tell. After a few weeks of this, it was obvious Ash couldn't survive it much longer. She had to talk to Ash before the decision. She called him into the kitchen that night with Brock and Pikachu. "Ash, it isn't getting any better and we're all getting really worried. We're thinking of stepping in." "Gary will come around!" Ash argued, not wanting to give up on the friendship that had started to repair. "Ash, he's hurting you worse.." Misty countered, pointing out Ash's hurt arms. "So I should turn him in?!" Ash yelled, not like the prospect of ruining Gary's title with something like this. "Ash, we're really worried about you." Brock added softly. "I can take it for a bit longer. Gary is sensible. He'll come around." At that, Ash left the room, leaving Misty as worried as ever. <> "Misty, why did you bring me here?" Ash asked. "I don't need any help. I'm fine." he said stubbornly. "Please, Ash, just do this. If not for yourself, do it for me." Ash sighed and acquiesced. He would do anything for Misty. "He seems to be suffering from depression.." the doctor said. Just take a few of these tablets a day and try to stay away from anything stressful for three weeks. If you still feel bad, you can make another appointment." Ash sighed, but the doctor didn't notice. He had never looked at Ash through his whole speech. Ash silently left the room and Misty squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. A brief silence occurred before both of the teens headed for home. <> "I heard you talking to the others yesterday." Gary said in a low, angry voice. Ash's eyes widened for a second in fear. "W-What did you hear..." Ash whispered. "Enough." he said simply. Finally he exploded. "What are you thinking?! I was not hitting you that hard!" Ash stepped back. "Now go back and tell everyone you were lying! Tell them you were angry with me and wanted to get even or something or I'll show you how hard I can hit!" For a moment, Ash considered doing this, but changed his mind. "No, Gary." he said firmly. For a moment, Gary had a surprised look. Ash never said "No" to him. But that look changed to anger again. Gary pulled back for a punch. Ash shrunk back and held his arms in front of his face. Gary pulled his arms to his side. "Now.." he began menacingly. "Gary! What's going on here?!" Misty asked from behind him, in worry. "It's nothing...Gary..was just helping me up after I tripped.." Ash cut in after seeing Gary's look. Gary got up to leave and he closed the door. He was careful to stay near, so he could hear the conversation. <> Ash sat down on the guest bed. He had still been unable to go back to his old room. He couldn't stand to see HIS stuff. All he could hear was Gary's voice in his head when he realized what he had done. "I..I'm.." "No! I can't think about that can't think about that can'tthinkaboutitcan't.." Ash reminded himself, repeating the mantra he spoke to himself every night now. Still he hadn't told the others about what happened to Gary, although he wondered why they didn't ask. *Because they know you can't deal with it,* a sensible voice answered in his head. *Why does it always have to be Gary's voice?* he thought bitterly. "Ash?" A gentle, concerned voice asked. *Misty* he recognized. <> "Ash, what REALLY happened?" Misty asked, not believing Ash's story for a second. Gary scowled and leaned closer to the door. When he did this, the door rattled a bit. Both trainers turned their attention to the door. "What was that?" Misty asked. She turned to Ash for an answer, but saw that Ash's eyes were wide as though he was terrified. "He's listening." Ash said in a low voice. Misty knew who HE was. Still, she didn't know what to do. "He knows about last night." he continued with a whisper. Misty never saw a more terrified expression on Ash's face. "I'll tell Gary to buzz off." she said in an unusually harsh tone. Ash didn't bother to stop her. He knew Gary was going to just hit him anyway. He might as well let Misty tell him to go away. However, Brock beat them to it. "Hey! Why are you eavesdropping?!" Gary was unable to find an excuse. "Please, Gary. Go." Misty said, pointing at the door to his room. Gary gave Ash one hate-filled glance before slamming the door. Brock joined Ash and Misty in the room. "What happened?" he asked Misty, seeing how shaken Ash looked. "I just came in to practice a few moves when I saw that Gary was about to hit him." she said, pointing at Ash. "Is that what happened, Ash?" Brock asked, looking at him face to face. "He just scared me...that's all.." "Gary knows that we know." said Misty's voice from behind him. "How..?" "He must have been snooping like he did today." Misty said after some thought. "I guess we should be more careful about meeting together. Brock and Ash nodded in agreement. "Ash, try to be careful. OK?" "I will." Ash said simply before leaving the room. "I really don't like the fact that Ash still has to share a room with him." "Me neither, but we've got to act natural. Besides, we can check up on them every now and then, and I'm sure Pikachu will shock Gary if he tries anything." "OK.." Misty sighed in surrender. What else could they do? Ash sighed and opened the door to his room. His shoulders slumped as Gary crossed over in front of him and locked the door, so nobody would interfere. "WHAT did I tell you?!" Gary yelled in anger. Ash stepped back warily until he reached a wall. Gary grabbed his shoulders tightly. Ash made a sound from the back of his throat that sounded like a squeak. He heard the doorknob rattle, but Gary did not let up on his grip. Finally the rattling became banging. Gary sighed in annoyance and relinquished the grip. Finally he unlocked the door and Brock stormed in, followed by Misty. "What is going on here, Gary?!" she yelled. Then she saw Ash. His shirt was torn at the shoulders and blood was snaking down his arm. "Ash!" she cried in concern. She rushed at her friend in concern. "Are you okay?!" "I'm fine." Ash said looking at the floor. Brock scowled at Gary. He felt a certain protectiveness over Ash who was like the a little brother to him. "Ash tripped over a pile of books.. Is that right, Ash?" Gary asked fiercely. Ash withered under his gaze. "Y-yes.." Ash said in a small, scared voice. <> "Are you OK?" Misty asked in concern. Ash looked down and after a while he finally spoke. "Misty, do you think Gary hates me?" Misty squeezed Ash's hand gently. "No." she said softly. "What did the doctor say?" he asked. Misty looked at the floor also. "The doctor said that Gary.. won't.. Be able to walk again." Ash turned away. His face was knitted in concentration. "This is all my fault.." he murmured. "No," Misty disagreed, "you remember what Brock said. There's nothing anyone could have done to stop it!" "But I let it get too far." "Ash, if it hadn't been for you, we'd all be dead now, including Gary." She stood up, still holding Ash's hand. "Just get some sleep. We can talk about it in the morning.." Ash nodded and she left. He didn't realize how tired he was until he curled up under the covers and immediately fell asleep. Misty had made her way into the workshop, but decided in a split second to go to bed. She couldn't summon up the energy to even think of watching TV. Still the shock of the recent news about Gary had played a significant in sapping her energy. She was the last person in the house to finally drift off into sleep. <> Brock had noticed a change in Ash's demeanor. First, he seemed more reserved and quiet. He didn't spend as much time Training his pokemon. Most of the time, he would sleep the whole day away. Misty had noticed that the light was always on in the living room at night. Of course, Brock took this into consideration and decided to check this out. That night, the light was on as usual. Brock, who had taken it upon himself to stay up all night, crept quietly into the training hall. He heard a remote clattering to the ground and a strangled gasp. "Ash?" he asked, wondering what the other boy was doing. "Oh, it's just you," Ash sighed in relief, while picking up the remote that he had threw behind the couch in his terror. Brock had noticed that he limped very noticeably. "What did he do to you?" Brock asked sharply. "Oh, you mean this..?" Ash asked pointing to his right leg, with a fake smile. " I just accidentally.." "Ash, please let us help." Ash looked at Brock with an uncertain look. He saw red marks on both of Ash's cheeks. He saw a pensive expression on his face as a flash of terror glimmered in his eyes. "I'll be OK." Ash said, trying to sound strong. Then he started to feel a bout of dizziness. Leaning his weight on Brock, Ash waited for it to pass. "Did Gary hit you on the head?" Brock's voice sounded so angry, Ash didn't even try to cover it up. "Y-yes.." he whispered. "You.. you.. could've been killed!" Brock cried. "I..I'm fine.." Ash continued watching television Brock sighed. *I wish that was true* he thought to himself. Misty was eating breakfast, when she saw Gary and Ash walking in. She saw Ash's injuries and tried to act natural. Still, it took a lot of restraint. "Good morning!" she said, looking at Ash. Ash gave her a tiny smile. When was the last time he did that? Still, she was glad he was smiling now. Ash started to sit next to her, but Gary tripped him, and slid next to her. "Oops! How clumsy of you!" Gary mocked. Brock scowled and Misty rose from her seat to help Ash up. He gave Her a grateful look as he sat next to Brock. Gary's reaction from the recent events was far from positive. He kicked Ash hard. Ash began to yelp in surprise but he stifled it. Brock yawned to make the position of his legs between Gary and Ash inadvertent. Gary saw through the act and scowled at Brock. Gary slumped down in his seat. He didn't like how things were going. First, everyone was scowling at him and Misty wasn't paying any attention to him at all. In fact, she was staring at Ash the whole entire span of breakfast. When everyone was done eating, Gary insisted that it was Ash's turn to wash the dishes. When Ash was carrying everyone's plates in a stack, Gary pushed Ash to the counter hard. Dishes flew all over the place and shattered. Still, nobody cared about the dishes. They were worried about Ash, who was wincing in pain. One shard of glass had embedded itself in Ash's arm. Brock was experienced with injuries and he carefully pulled out the glass shard, while Misty bandaged his arm. Gary sighed, while he watched for cases on TV. After an hour, Gary ran in excitedly. "I have a match tomorrow!" he Cried out in excitement. Pokemon battles were always the highlight Of his life. New challenges always gave him time to shine. "What is it?" Misty asked, hoping Gary would calm down. "Well, a lot of league winners from some of the other leagues want to battle me." Gary said a bit more calmly. A little of Ash's enthusiasm returned as he ran to the car. "Where do you THINK your going?!" a voice yelled. "To watch the battle." he replied innocently. "You want to go watch the battle in your condition?" Gary scoffed. Ash's smile faded as he turned around to go back to his room. "Wait, Ash!" Misty cried. Shocked at Misty's insistence, he turned around and gave her a puzzled look. Misty didn't really notice. "You are the one that got him hurt in the first place!! You have no right to forbid him to at least go someplace!" she yelled in anger. "I'm just worrying about his safety!" Gary cried in a defensive tone. "If you cared about his safety, he wouldn't have been injured in the first place!" she countered. Gary glared at Ash and stalked off to the car. Ash silently followed him. As soon as they got to the stadium, Misty took out all her pokemon. Of course Misty was giddy at watching Gary battle with his new dragon Type that he had just caught. She had always wanted to see a dragonair In battle. She was in an energetic mood and her enthusiasm caught on with the others. Gary and Ash were falling all over themselves helping Misty get the car ready for the trip back to Viridian. Ash picked up Misty's CD player that had been left in the car, when a foot shot out and tripped him. He fell to the ground while the CD player flew from his hand. Misty just gasped. Finally she picked up the object and sighed in disappointment. Ash looked down at the CD player. "I'm sorry, Misty." he said, in sorrow. Misty tried to restrain her disappointment and forced a smile. Ash sighed in relief and didn't see the scowl Gary gave him. When they got home from the battle, Gary slammed his fist on his bed. *I can't believe they won the battle! They must've cheated!* he thought in frustration. *and where is Ash?!* Gary thought, looking around for the other boy. "Ash!" he yelled, running up to the couch in front of the TV. Nobody was there. Gary knew the one possible place Ash could be. He ran to Misty's room. "Hello Gary!" Misty said, smiling brightly. "Have you seen Ash?" Gary asked, still hypnotized by her eyes. "Well, he said he was going for a walk." "Doesn't he know that it's a bit late to be going for walks?!" Gary cried in annoyance. Misty frowned. *Maybe he's just trying to keep scarce with Gary in this mood.* She still felt worried. "Why don't you wait until ten before looking for him.." she trailed off, when he started to shake his head, "besides, I need some help with my pokemon." she cut in. That did it. In a second, he forgot all about Ash. As Misty suspected, Ash came in at 9:30. All the rooms in the house were dark, except for Misty's room. He could hear Gary's voice and decided to sneak quietly back in. Gary was really mad when he had left, so Ash wanted to avoid any confrontation. Gary had caught sight of him and started to head towards him. "What did you think you were doing?!" Gary yelled in anger. Ash just looked at the floor. Finally Gary got tired of waiting for an answer and grabbed Ash by the arm. He was pulled into his room and pushed him against the wall. Gary slammed the door and locked it. "Answer me!" Gary yelled. Ash just shuddered. Gary grew angrier and slapped Ash on the face. "Lately, you haven't treated me with respect..." he began. "No," Ash said, shaking his head. "You haven't treated me with respect." For a moment, Gary's eyes were wide in shock, but quickly his eyes narrowed in anger. He slapped Ash again and the angry spark faded from Ash's eyes. Gary pushed Ash against the wall, knocking his breath out. Before he could catch his breathe, Gary already had a tight grip on his shoulders. He pinned Ash to the wall. With a rush of anger, Gary flung Ash into the nightstand. Ash didn't move. Misty ran in and gave a shocked cry. She looked at Gary and then at Ash. Gary's face was a mixture of anguish and shock. "Gary.." she said warily. Finally he opened his mouth and screamed. Gary was waiting alone by the emergency room. He knew he was alone for a reason. He had hit Ash hard enough to send him to the hospital. If Ash died, Gary knew that he would never forgive himself. He didn't even remember why he had hit Ash. Still he had to go in. He couldn't run away forever. Gary turned the door handle and walked into Ash's room. Gary heard a faint beeping noise and turned his head to see Ash .He was covered in bruises and bandages. Gary quickly looked away. *What have I done to him?* Tears of remorse rolled down his cheeks. He didn't hear someone else walk in. "Gary?" a voice questioned. Misty. "W-what did the doctor say?" he asked her in a low voice. "He's in a coma, Gary.." For a moment there was silence. "I hurt him really bad.." Gary said in sorrow. He wished Misty could tell him everything would be OK and Ash would forgive him, but they both knew that would be a lie. The first thing Ash saw when he woke up was Misty's face. "Oh! You're OK.." she whispered. She signaled for the others to come closer. "Where am I?" Ash asked, still dizzy. "In the hospital." For a moment he was confused until he remembered the fight. "Oh, right.." Ash whispered. Misty was sympathetic. "The doctor will be here soon. You need to be awake for the checkup." Ash nodded mutely and waited. Misty looked at him in concern and got up to tell the others. That was when he saw Gary's apologetic look before the other boy had slinked away. It was a week since Ash had came home, and Gary still had yet to face Ash. He had already started to pack. There was no way he was going to be allowed to stay after sending Ash to the hospital. "Gary" The voice was so quiet that it was little more audible than a whisper. The boy turned to find Ash. Gary was stupefied. "Well..?" he forced himself to ask. "Why do you hate me?" Ash asked without looking at Gary. "I dont.." Gary assured him. Ash got up with great difficultly. "I would have believed you.. once.." he said sadly, walking out. "Wait!" Gary yelled. "I..I'm sorry, Ash.. I'm just going to leave now... you shouldn't want to be my friend anyway..." Gary whispered. Gary felt stinging in his eyes, and he knew that he had broken his promise to himself not to cry. "Gary..." Ash said sadly, moving towards him. "Do you promise not to hit me again?" "What?" Gary asked, looking at Ash in confusion. "Do you?" Ash asked a little louder. "Yes." "Do you want to stay?" Ash whispered. "You really want me to stay?" Ash nodded. "Yes.." Gary said, nodding. He smiled at Ash, who smiled back. "No! You can't! He's my best friend!" Ash yelled at Brock. "Oh, and do best friends send each other to the THE HOSPITAL?!!" Ash was silent. "DO THEY?!" Brock insisted. "IT'S NOT GARY'S FAULT, OK?!!" Ash yelled. The sight of Ash trying to challenge Brock was almost amusing because of the way Brock had towered over him. "THEN WHOSE FAULT IS IT THEN?!" challenged Brock. "mine." The whispered comment made Brock's expression soften. "Ash.." Misty whispered. He shuddered as her hand fell on his shoulder. "I need to get some sleep.." Ash said frantically, before running to his room, leaving a puzzled Brock and Misty. Gary saw Misty putting a hand on Ash's shoulder and his vision turned to an angry haze of red. He couldn't believe Ash was taking advantage of the situation to flirt with Misty so shamelessly. Gary's hand tightened *We'll see if he even THINKS of doing that again!* Ash fell to the ground, sobbing. "StopitstopitstopitStop...!" he screamed as more punches came. Gary lifted him from the lapels of his jacket." Do you plan on doing that again?!!" Ash didn't even know the offense. Gary didn't even tell him. "What did I do?" he asked weakly. The question infuriated Gary more. "YOU KNOW FULL WELL WHAT YOU DID!!" "but you never told.." A slap cut him off. "Go ahead, Gary, hit me if it'll make you feel better." Ash said with a calm voice. Gary stepped back. "Ash, I.." "If you're sorry, get help.." Ash begged. "There's NOTHING wrong with me!!" Gary yelled. "Prove it, Gary. What are you afraid of?" Gary was silent for a long time. Ash was starting to get unnerved by it. The slap seemed to come from nowhere and he took a few steps back to recoil. "Go to bed." Gary whispered fiercely, shuddering in anger. "No, Gary! You broke your promise..you lied to me!" Gary stepped back, unsure of what to do. "Ash..I'm sorry..I'll try harder..." "Thankyou..Gary.." Ash forced himself to say, even though he wanted to cry. "No! I'm fine!" Ash argued, "I don't need to stay home!" "Oh, so you're limping because you're FINE?!" Misty cried, indicating Ash's legs, which were covered in bruises. "It's nothing that's going to kill me. Right, Gary?" Ash said pointedly. "Right." Gary agreed, though reluctantly, not wanting to risk breaking his promise to Ash. See! Now let's go!" Ash said, jumping into the car. Fortunately, Gary missed the glares the Brock and Misty gave him. He jumped to his usual seat next to Misty and smiled suavely. The incident was thrown to the back of his head. The girl sitting next to him did not forget the past incident and was looking forward with great anger and consternation in her expression. "Come on, Misty, what are you waiting for?" Gary asked impatiently. Brock could already see Misty's temper boiling to the top. He noticeably cleared his throat. Misty, who was about to stand up and yell at Gary, took a deep breath and switched the car to drive. "Everybody OK back there?" "Yes." Ash and Brock both assented. Some vigor returned to Ash's voice and she threw the incident to the back of her mind. "Alright! Misty, disable the explosives! Brock! Look for a way out of here. Ash! Distract team rocket while I try to go and free Pikachu!" Gary ordered, as another assault by team rocket had Been perpetuated. Everyone glared at him in annoyance because of the fact that Gary was Being so bossy. Brock and Misty ran to do their respective tasks while both felt an uneasy feeling in their stomachs. They could not pinpoint the reason for the bad vibes, so they ignored it. Ash ran up to Butch and Cassidy and sent out Pidgeotto, who started A whirlwind attack. The irate Team, (most notably Cassidy) looked down and saw the twerp. Cassidy smiled in triumph as she brought out her newly stolen pokemon, A Venusaur, and ordered it to solar beam Ash. Ash tried to jump out Of the way, but the attack hit him in the legs as he fell to the ground In agony. Gary quietly ran around Pikachu and he untied him. The pokemon ran Right towards Ash to see if he was alright. Even though Ash wasn't nearly at his level, Gary thought to himself, He was sure that Ash could handle Butch and Cassidy with ease. He Wasn't too concerned. Then he heard the scream. Misty was finished disabling the bomb and Brock was running towards her. "I found an entrance! Let's get out of here!" Brock cried. Misty nodded. "OK, when Gary and Ash get back we can-" A loud scream pierced the air. Someone was yelling in pain. Misty's eyes widened in horror. She had heard that scream many times before. "Ash!" she screamed, running towards the sound. Brock was also running with her. Gary ran next to her, followed by Pikachu. "What's going on here?!" Gary yelled in an irate tone. "pikapi!" Pikachu yelled pointing. Gary turned and gasped. Ash was sprawled on the ground. His whole body shook. "No..! Ash, get up!" Gary yelled. Cassidy was getting closer, and it made Gary shudder when he saw the look on her face. Ash tried to get up, but he fell to the ground. Brock ran to Ash and picked him up. "Let's go!" Brock yelled to the rest of Gary and Misty who were standing stupefied. Gary didn't follow the others. Instead he stood blankly. "Come on, Gary!" Misty yelled, pulling him back into the car. Only Gary noticed that she was holding his hand. Brock placed Ash in the front seat. Gary sighed in annoyance "That's my seat!" Gary yelled in anger. "..and..!?" Brock stood up, looking at him eye to eye with a killing stare. He dared him to say more. For a moment the two engaged in a battle of wills. Gary looked away and nothing more was said for the rest of the trip to the hospital. Ash just looked at his feet quietly. "Idiot." Gary mumbled as he passed by Ash, still angry for losing face in front of Misty. Ash hobbled into the house last. The crutches still gave him trouble. He nearly fell over the stoop, but Misty had warned him on time and he was able to get through. "Ash. Come here." Gary said with an even voice. His fists were shaking in suppressed anger. "No.. No.." Ash whispered, shaking his head. "We just need to talk about the case.." Gary said calmly. "No! I don't want to!" Ash yelled. Misty ran in. "He doesn't want to go Gary, OK?! He needs rest! He just got hurt, Ok?" her hands were shaking from anger now. "Look I'm the leader and I am the one who will decide that!!" "Who says?" Misty whispered. "Excuse me?!" Gary started towards her. He saw only a red haze. "Stop it, Gary!" Ash yelled in horror with a cracked voice. Gary didn't seem to hear him. "I'll go, Gary!" Still no success. Ash took an pokeball from his pocket and he hurled it at the back of Gary's head. The pokeball hit its target and Gary fell to the ground. Gary turned to face Ash. "So, you're faking!" Gary yelled, grabbing the crutches from Ash who fell to the ground. He couldn't get up. Misty had recovered from the shock enough to yell at Gary. "Leave him alone! He's not faking, Gary!" Brock heard all the commotion and he ran at Gary. "What is going on here?" he cried in shock, seeing Ash lying on the ground. Gary was holding Ash's crutches and Misty was obviously terrified. Gary dropped the crutches and ran into his room, slamming the door. Brock quietly gave Ash the crutches. "Are you OK?" he asked. "Gary was gonna hit Misty. I had to throw a pokeball at him.." Ash whispered. He looked at Misty in concern. Brock noticed that she was looking very pale. "Misty.." he began. She burst into tears and ran to her room. Brock went after her. On the next day, Ash decided to train some of his pokemon. *I haven't done this in awhile* he thought a little sadly. Suddenly, all he could see was pink. He felt dizzy from the lack of Oxygen. "..can't.. breathe.." he managed to say before nearly passing out. "Oops! Sorry!" said a bubbly voice. Duplica saw him wince in pain as he slowly extricated himself from her grasp. "Did I hurt you?" she asked in concern. "Oh, I just injured myself in a pokemon battle.." he said quietly, pointing at the crutches leaning next to the couch. His voice was so quiet that Duplica could barely hear him. The girl berated herself for not paying attention to the crutches. They did appear when she had first saw him. "Can I watch movies with you, Ashy-boy?" she asked flirtatiously. Ash smiled. "Sure, Duplica." He really needed someone to take his mind off the past two months. Duplica's constant advances had usually made him nervous, but now he really needed her company. Duplica's eyes widened. Usually Ash would find an excuse to leave the room, but now he seemed like he genuinely wanted her to watch movies with him. In fact, he didn't seem to mind that she had an arm wrapped around his shoulder. Although he wasn't really thinking of the romantic situation, Duplica still thought it felt nice... "Hey, Ash!" Gary yelled, spoiling the moment. "hmm?" Ash asked turning around to face Gary. "About yesterday.." Gary began. Ash cut him off. "Can we talk about this later, we have company." he said coldly. Gary didn't seem to hear him. "How could you let team rocket beat you Like that?!! You may be a loser, but I didn't think you were that bad!" Duplica cringed at the ferocity in Gary's voice. "Gary, we can talk about this later!" Ash yelled back, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. Suddenly Gary slapped Ash. Duplica gasped. Ash looked away from her in shame. "Don't you DARE talk back to me again!!" Gary screamed. "GO AWAY, GARY!" Duplica screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Gary looked at her with anger. "This is none of your business you witch!!" Gary yelled, ready to hit her. Ash caught the slap. "Don't even try it, Gary!" he growled. Gary pulled his arm away and stomped back to his room. Duplica just looked at Ash with sorrow. She hugged him tightly and cried. Ash tried to comfort her, but all Duplica could remember was Gary's hate filled expression and the mean things he had said to Her. It was the next day when Duplica could finally approach Ash again. She knocked on the door to Ash's house, hoping desperately that Gary would not answer her. The door knob rattled and she could hear an annoyed grumble. She decided it was Gary. The door opened and she looked into the red, angry face of Gary. She hated being right. Without saying a word, he slammed the door. Duplica angrily stopped the door with her foot. "I need to talk to Ash." she said firmly, surprising herself. Then Gary smiled. "He can't come to the door now.." The smile was far from friendly. "Why not?" Duplica asked testily. "Because he's asleep." "Then wake him up!" Duplica yelled, losing her patience. "I can't do that. He's unconscious." Gary said, widening his evil grin. Duplica took a second to understand the ramifications of the response before running at Gary to throttle him. "Ash would hate you for that." Gary smiled, smirking. Duplica stopped. She obviously wasn't going to win this one. "Okay, can I just see him then?" "Gee, you must really hate him." Gary said in mock concern. "Gary, I need to talk to him! Let me in!" "Did Ash put you up to this?!!" Gary yelled, seething in anger. Duplica saw this and gasped. She stepped outside. "No..," she said quietly, "he didn't. Just forget I even came here." She walked out, not noticing Gary's suspicious glare. Slowly, Misty opened her eyes after a rare undisturbed sleep. "Misty! Come here!" Gary yelled loudly. Misty winced at the sharpness of the tone. She didn't like the dread that was slowly surfacing in her mind. Then she heard a loud boom. She willed her legs to move in a panicked run. Instinct now sent her to Gary and Ash's room. She swiftly twisted the knob and pushed the door open to find.. nothing. "Looking for something?" a voice asked curiously from behind her. Misty turned around to find the owner of the voice. Gary. "What are you doing here?! I told you to come into the living room!" "I thought I heard something and came in to see if you were okay.." she couldn't say the real reason she had run into the room. She knew how Gary would react. "Liar." Gary seethed in a low and angry voice. "You just thought that I hurt Ash again." Misty couldn't believe how nasty Gary sounded. It didn't sound like him at all. "Where is he?" she demanded angrily. Gary glared at her. "Which one of us do you like better? Him or me?" Misty couldn't believe Gary was even asking this question. She looked down with turmoil written on her face. "Look, Gary.. I don't have time for this! Where is Ash?!" "What's going on?" a voice asked from just outside the door. Misty felt relieved. It was Ash. The doorknob shook as Ash tried to open the door. "Gary, can you let me in?" a voice asked quietly. "Go away! I'm busy!" Gary yelled. "The door is locked." Misty informed him, just so he would know she was in the room too. A few seconds later, the doorknob jiggled again and the door opened To reveal a very worried Ash, holding a pokeball. "What Are You doing, Gary?" he asked in a strained voice. Just the act of Speaking made him look tired. "Go away, Ash," Gary said coldly, "this doesn't concern you." Misty could see Ash flinch a little bit as Gary took one step Towards him. "I-I'm not leaving..." Ash whispered softly. "Gary! Leave him alone!" Misty yelled, with her fists scrunched tightly against her sides. Gary just ignored her as he grabbed Ash by the arm he was holding His pokeball with, squeezing it tightly, making the other boy drop the pokeball. "I TOLD YOU to GO AWAY." Gary whispered through gritted teeth. "I.. won't.. listen to you anymore." Ash said softly, but firmly. "WHAT?!" Gary cried, incredulous. "You cannot control everyone and everything, Gary. I just said 'no.' What are you going to do about it Gary?" Ash said calmly. "Ash! No!" Misty cried, horrified at what Gary's reaction would most likely be. True to expectations, Gary reeled back his fist, and punched Ash in the face. The smaller boy fell to the ground, holding his bloody nose. "You asshole!" Misty cried, running towards Gary. "Misty! Stop!" Ash begged, standing between her and Gary. "Get Pikachu!" "But Ash-" Misty started, not wanting to leave Ash alone. "I'll be fine..." Ash promised, hugging her. "Just get Pikachu.." Misty obeyed unwillingly, even though she still wanted to beat Gary to pulp. "Ash, what are you doing sticking your nose in me and Misty's affairs?!" "You promised me that you would stop!" Ash yelled in anger, looking around for the pokeball that he had dropped. "Looking for this?" Gary said nastily. He put the pokeball under his nose and smelled it. "A...Charizard?" he said, giving Ash a look of slight annoyance. "You should know I can handle that!" Gary grinned, taking out a pokeball. Ash gasped, and stepped back. Gary couldn't be doing what he thought he was doing...He just couldn't. "Arcanine! Go!" Ash was frozen stiff by the sight of the large pokemon, standing ready for battle. "Gary..." Ash started, after he finally found his voice. "Arcanine! Fire spin!" Gary ordered. The pokemon looked confused, wondering where its opponent was. All he could see was a scrawny kid staring at him with fear. Gary looked at his pokemon impatiently, wondering why it wasn't attacking like he ordered it to. "C'mon, Arcanine! Attack!" Gary yelled in impatience. Suddenly, Gary realized what the problem was. "Attack him!" Gary said, pointing at Ash. Arcanine looked confused as to why his trainer wanted him to attack the boy, but he wasn't the type to question his trainer, who seemed to be unusually frantic. Ash stepped back, sobbing softly as he realized that he was cornered. *Please hurry...* Ash begged Pikachu and Misty mentally. Arcanine prepared for its attack, but never finished it as it was hit with one of the strongest thundershocks that Pikachu could have ever released. The Arcanine growled and fell to the ground in pain, shivering from the intensity of the attack. Pikachu fainted from the intensity of the attack it had taken to take down Arcanine. Ash ran to the fainted pokemon and carried it out of the room. Misty ran next to him, "Are you alright?!" she asked Ash in worry. "Yeah, I'm fine! But I think Gary's flipped!" Misty groaned inwardly. That was pretty obvious, considering the situation. "So, do you have a plan?" she asked him. "No. Do you?" Ash asked, looking over to Misty. Misty gasped suddenly, as she pulled Ash back. "Look in front of you!" she warned. Ash looked up and saw a Nidoking standing in front of the door. "Misty! Get out of here! Take care of Pikachu!" Ash cried, handing her the unconscious pokemon. Misty didn't even have enough time to object, before Ash ran back to where Gary was. "What are you doing?!" she cried at his retreating back. "I'm gotta get Gary to recall his pokemon!" "Ash! You idiot! You can't-" before Misty could finish her sentence, she was knocked to the ground by the ground shaking. The fall knocked Pikachu out of her arms. "No!" she cried in panic as Pikachu rolled away. She tried to get up, but the rumbling only increased. "Ash! Nooo!!" she cried when she thought of Ash. "Misty!" she heard someone cry. "Ash-?" Misty asked hopefully, still scrambling for Pikachu. "No, it's me." Brock said, picking up Misty, and carrying her out the door. "But Pikachu and Ash..." Misty started. "We can't help them if we're trapped in there too!" Brock pointed out sensibly, carrying her out of the house. "Nidoking! Try another earthquake!" Gary ordered. "Gary! Stop it! We'll both die!" Ash begged, struggling to get to his feet so he could rush at Gary. The ceiling started to crumble as slabs of concrete and wooden timbers fell to the ground. Ash screamed in pain as he was buried in fallen wooden timbers. He felt his vision blur before everything went black. Gary quickly recalled his Nidoking so it would stop using Earthquake, but he was too late. The damage had been done, and he too was buried under the wooden timbers that fell from the ceiling. Gary opened his eyes, as he felt a wave of dizziness and nausea. Where was he? "Oh...he's awake..." a voice said in relief. "huh...?" Gary whispered, feeling very lightheaded. "who...?" "It's me..Ash.." At the sound of that name, Gary remembered everything. "What are you doing here?" he said, feeling too tired to add a tone of contempt. "...." "Go away, Ash. I hate you." Gary's vision felt blurry again, and he felt like he was going to pass out again. He could hear crying, and a whisper, "I'm sorry...." Then everything went black. When Gary woke up the second time, Misty was there. Her eyes were narrowed in anger. She looked so cold and hateful that it terrified Gary. "So, your finally awake.." she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Where's Ash?" Gary asked. "I'm surprised that you actually care, considering what you said to him." Misty said with a caustic tone. Gary was confused, not quite remembering what he had said to Ash in his drowsy state that he half remembered. "He should hate you, Gary, but for some strange reason, he doesn't." Misty said softly, losing some of her sarcastic tone. "I don't know why *you* hate him! So fill me in, because I'm confused." "We were best friends..." Gary whispered. "So what happened?" Misty asked. "I pushed him away...I made fun of him all the time, just so he would go away...I had to..it just.." Gary stopped, and paused as though he was thinking. "Why did you start making fun of him?" Misty asked, feeling very confused. "He had everything I wanted. His mother loved him. Even my own grandfather liked him more than me! I just couldn't stand it..and..I just made fun of him...because I liked him too, and I hated myself for it, and I hated him for making me like him!" Gary finished the last sentence in anger, clenching his fist tightly. "Gary, I feel sorry for you." Misty said in a cold tone, leaving the room. She slammed the door behind her, and Gary knew that he was finally alone, just the way he wanted it. A part of him was happy for finally succeeding, but a larger part of him felt a new emptiness inside that made him wish he didn't. "Hey, Ash, the doctors said you could leave tomorrow." Misty said, smiling as she kissed him on the cheek. Ash hugged Misty as she wrapped her arms around him so she could rock him back and forth. "Where's Brock," Ash asked tiredly five minutes later. "He's trying to get a date with your doctor." Misty smiled. Ash laughed lightly, and Misty reveled in the sound. It had been awhile since she heard him laugh. "Ash...Remember once you get out...We can go on the date we planned.." Ash's face turned crimsome red when he thought about the date they had planned. "Oh, and Pikachu should be out of the pokemon center tomorrow too.." Ash's smile grew larger at this, until Ash's facial expression grew serious. "Still..I don't understand what I did for Gary to hate me.." Misty held his hand gently. "You did nothing wrong..." she assured him. "I'm getting kind of tired, Misty...Could you...?" Ash started. "Of course I'll stay.." Misty interrupted, kissing him on the forehead. Misty stayed with him all night, even after he fell asleep in her arms. THE END God! That was a long fic! (According to my standards) Well, I hope you enjoyed it, um...bye... [Hides under table, and waits for flames and ::hopefully:: good reviews] This is my first pokefic. Be gentle.