Renewed Friendship - Part 3
Gary, Misty, and Ash’s POV.

Author’s Note: Finally, the third part has been written! Phh, took me long enough though . . . I just want to take a moment to apologize to any readers I’ve kept waiting. I had meant to have this out months ago, but a serious writers block had taken me over towards this story, and I was unsure where I wanted the plot to go. I had almost given up on this fic completely, but I hate leaving stories unfinished, and my obsession for Gary is still burning bright, so I sat down at my computer and typed. I think I have most of the main plot sorted out now, so chapters should come out much faster then this part three did. Anyway, I’ll let anyone that is still reading this story read now. Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!

“Anything easy, has its costs . . .” -Barenaked Ladies, Falling for the First Time

Friendship was something I had little of in the past. It was now non-existent in the present, which was until now.

He had believed me, he was going to trust me . . . The first part of my plan had succeeded. Ash was a trusting fool, still the same after all these years. This was going to be a very simple assignment. Soon Ash and his friends would be in my grasp. Giovanni would be pleased.

I stared down at my hands. Ash would not. Once again I would be betraying my formal rival, and best friend.

******

Turning my head to the side, I stared at the glowing red numbers of the digital clock placed on the bedside table. I blinked . . . Where was I? Why wasn’t I in my bed at TR headquarters? ... Oh . . . right . . .

It was 10:00am, I had slept for ten hours, unusual . . .

I turned my head back to its previous upward position and proceeded to glare at the ceiling tiles, as I reviewed last night’s events, recalling a tiff I had with Ash’s bratty friend Misty.

Groaning, I rolled over onto my stomach. I had let my emotions take me over, rambled on in self-pity, and then had stormed off in anger, back to my room. Then I had proceeded to fall asleep in my cloths, due to exhaustion. Stupid fool . . .

Rubbing my hands harshly over my eyes, I jumped out of bed, shoving anonymous clean cloths onto my body, not bothering with a shower. Sitting back down on my bed, I leaned my chin on clenched fists. I was definitely not ready to go downstairs and face Ash, not to mention Misty. What was I going to say? Last night I had planned on making up some kind of lie to throw at Ash, about my sudden disappearance, but I hadn’t had the chance.

Suddenly my stomach grumbled in protest at its lack of substance.

I sighed. I’d have to make something up on the spot, I was too hungry to stall.

******

“Pikachu!”

“Pikachu, I’m a growing boy, let me have the last piece of bacon,” I cried, as I tried to snatch the bacon that Pikachu held in her paws. She had grabbed the last piece of bacon before I’d had the chance.

“Pi,” She said with a smile as she tossed the bacon into her mouth, chewed, then swallowed. I flopped back against the back of my chair in defeat.

Misty laughed. “You don’t need it anyway, Ash. You’re starting to get a bit on the chubby side.” I frowned at the insult as Misty and Brock both laughed at my expense. “Yeah, yeah, very funny Mis -,” I cut myself short as suddenly, Gary walked through the doors. Misty and Brock both stared at me oddly as my mouth gapped open in surprise. “Gary, what are you doing here!”

Gary looked up at me before he gave a quick glance at Misty. Her and Brock’s smiles had vanished as they both turned to find the source of my wonderment. Shifting uncomfortably, he fidgeted with the familiar pendant hanging from his neck. Just then Nurse Joy walked in, disturbing the quiet with her joyful aura.

“Still hungry? ,” She asked as she directed her head at the plates full of various breakfast foods she was carrying. “We have tons, since you all are the only visitors at the moment.” Just then she noticed Gary standing silently in the corner of the room. “Good morning sleepy head,” She exclaimed, smiling. “Sleep well?”

Gary glanced up at her for a moment before answering with a mumbled response. “Yeah.”

“Good! ,” Nurse Joy answered, as she turned, placing the full plates on the table, and collecting the empty ones. “Now sit down and eat. I’m sure you’re hungry.” Gary obeyed, as Nurse Joy left the room.

Again, the awkward silence ensued as we all stared at Gary while he glanced quietly at the pokémon pictures hanging on the walls, avoiding our glances.

As the seconds slowly ticked by Gary, agitated, glanced up at his place across the table from me. “What, do I have something on my face?”

I frowned. “No you’ve just been missing for the past three years! Where have you been? ,” I asked, glaring at him.

“Around,” He mumbled in response, simply, grabbing a piece of bacon from one of the plates scattered across the table.

I slammed my fists down on the table in frustration, making the plates shake, the orange juice slosh against their cups, and Misty and Brock to wince. “Around! Around! Is that all you can say, when your family and friends have been worried sick about you?! We searched for you for months! And then, when we couldn’t find you, we presumed you were dead. Last I heard, you had committed suicide! How did you think I felt when I heard that?” Clenching my jaw shut to stop the words from flowing, I relaxed my hands and glared at Gary, waiting for his response. It wasn’t what I was expecting to hear . . .

Glancing up at me in shock, Gary’s face suddenly became hard and cold. He snorted sarcastically as he returned my stare with an icy one. “What family, what friends,” He muttered so quietly that I had to lean forward slightly to hear him. Gary looked like he was going to burst in an explosion of fury and anger. “Who do you think made up that stupid suicide story? My family of course. They only pretended to be worried so that no one would know that they didn’t give a damn what happened to me!” His eyes filled with a sudden poison, as his voice dropped to a low whisper. “As for you Ketchum, you just felt guilty. The only reason you helped search for me, was so that you wouldn’t have to stay up all night guilt stricken!” With that, Gary jumped from his seat, and stormed out of the room, leaving me in complete and utter bewilderment.

******

Throughout the whole ordeal with Ash and Gary, I sat uncomfortably in silence and listened. Once again, Gary had shown me his hostile temperament.

I looked across the table at Ash. He looked confused and hurt at the same time. Reaching over, I touched the tip of his hand. “Ash, maybe you should go talk to him.” He looked up at me. I smiled.

“Ok,” He murmured, nodding his head. Rising from his seat at the table, he walked out the door.

“Poor Ash, this must be a lot for him to take in,” Brock said in sympathy, as he watched the door swing back and forth against its hinges.

“Yeah,” I replied. Brock and I glanced at each other.

“Lets go eavesdrop.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” I smiled lightly. And with that, Brock and I walked out of the room after Ash’s retreating form.

******

I stormed up the stairs, my fists clutched painfully at my side. Who did Ash think he was! He had no right to lecture me! Stopping in the middle of my rampage, I leaned against the wall and let out a long, loud breath of air. Again, I fidgeted with my pendant, which seemed to have become a sudden habit of mine.

“Gary? ,” I heard Ash’s voice ask softly. Turning, I saw Ash standing at the end of the hall, obviously not sure wether to approach me or not.

“What? ,” I asked, a little more harshly then I had attended, turning my glance back to the wall in front of me.

Sighing, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m sorry if I said something to get you angry, but I think you’re wrong Gary.”

My head snapped in his direction. “Excuse me? ,” I asked, shocked.

“About having no family and friends.” Ash shuffled his feet against the floor. “You have your parents, sister, and grandfather. Besides, I’m sure they had a good reason for telling us that story, just as I’m sure you had a good reason for running away.” He looked up at me questioningly. “Maybe they were just misinformed . . . ”

I let out a huff of air out through my nose. “Misinformed, whatever . . . ,” I muttered sarcastically.

“You’re still as arrogant as ever,” Ash laughed lightly, a smirk lighting up his face. Walking up to me he raised his hand up to place on my shoulder, but thought against it as I visibly stiffened. “As for friends Gary, I’d like to think that we’re still friends.” He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “Besides, I can’t even remember why we stopped being friends, in the first place.”

Smirking, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I can. I beat you in a pokémon match when we had that training day with my grandfather.”

“What! ,” Ash cried, placing his hands on his hips. “I was the one that beat you! Now I remember, you were a soar loser and had stormed off after you lost. You didn’t even give me any words of congratulations.”

“You have a terrible memory, Ketchum. Give it up.”

He snorted, as he leaned against the wall next to me, shaking his head in disagreement. We were both silent for a moment brooding over our own thoughts.

“So,” Ash said, breaking the silence, “are you going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“Why you left, idiot,” Ash said throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“Isn’t it obvious? ,” I asked.

“No,” Ash replied simply.

“Then maybe you’re the idiot,” I laughed, placing a smirk over my lips once again.

Ash then placed himself in front of me, forcing me to look him in the eye. A serious look was placed over his normally goofy looking face, unusual for the Ash Ketchum I knew. “Spit it out Gary, I promise I won’t tell anyone, trust me. Pinkie swear,” He said, raising the pinkie of his right hand.

Sighing, I pushed his hand away. I suppose I’d have to tell him sometime if I wanted to win his trust. Better make it good, Gary . . . “Yeah, yeah, ok, fine. I’ll tell.” So I told him.

The story I revealed to Ash was, of course, not completely true. If it had been, I would have had to tell him the whole ordeal with joining team rocket, and my present assignment I had been given by Giovanni. But I did tell him why I left in the first place. I told him about how defeated and lost I had felt after I had lost to him at the pokémon league. About what my parents had said to me if I lost the league. There was no way I could face going back to Pallet, I was too shamed and embarrassed to face the disappointment that I would see in my parents’ faces for years to come. For the point of where I’ve been for three years, I told Ash that I had been wondering from town to town, taking up various jobs and occasionally training my pokémon. He seemed to be convinced.

Ash stared at me awkwardly. “Gary . . . ,” He whispered under his breath, pity spread plainly across his face.

“Don’t bother feeling sorry for me Ash. I don’t need your pity,” I scoffed.

He shifted uncomfortably, glancing up at me apologetically. “Still, I’m sorry Gary. I feel like I should have done something to stop you. But I was too wrapped up in my victory, I didn’t notice.” Ash brushed his fingers across his nose, letting out a sniff.

“Forget it. It’s not your fault,” I said, kicking him lightly in the leg. “Anyway, since when did you start feeling guilty for my actions?”

Ash laughed. “I don’t know, maybe I am an idiot.” With that he walked down the hall and entered his room, shutting the door behind him.

Unable to stop myself I let a large grin spread across my mouth. That had been much easier then I had thought it would be.

Friendship was something I had little of in the past. It was now non-existent in the present, which was until now.

He had believed me, he was going to trust me . . . The first part of my plan had succeeded. Ash was a trusting fool, still the same after all these years. This was going to be a very simple assignment. Soon Ash and his friends would be in my grasp. Giovanni would be pleased.

I stared down at my hands. Ash would not. Once again I would be betraying my formal rival, and best friend.

To be continued . . .

~Sonya