Chapter Text
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽⚕️☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Summer might’ve ended, but its warmth stayed behind, letting students begin the school year with at least somewhat good weather to accompany them. That day in particular was slightly windy though, foreshadowing the approaching autumn. The cold wind ruffled the leaves of nearby trees as it sent a shiver down Ash’s spine.
He stood before the front gate, staring at the school building. It was huge with a beautiful yard, which was adorned with large trees and various bushes, benches placed here and there. Students sat on them, some enjoying their lunch, others talking with their friends about everything and nothing at once. The boy stared at them for a minute, not even realising how creepy he must’ve looked.
He probably should stop staring at strangers like that, but he couldn’t really help it.
Ash really just wished he had his own friends with him. It’s not like he has ever had any trouble connecting with people, of course.
Even as a preschooler, he never paid much attention to things that his peers perceived as weird or abnormal, which made him a very welcoming person. Thanks to that quality of his, he managed to befriend more people than most of us can even try to in a lifetime. If you were to try and write down all of Ash’s friends’ names, you’d need a very long piece of paper and a big supply of ink, and you still might run out of space.
And even though making new friends came to him easily, leaving his old ones definitely didn’t.
He managed to be with his best friends Brock and Misty for all of primary and middle school, and they got to spend their freshman year together. You could say Ash’s life was close to perfect, but when his mother was called to work in a different facility, he was forced to move and leave everything behind.
And so, just like that, he found himself standing in front of a new school in the big Vermillion City, the building filled with new people and new experiences to come. He wasn’t scared though, he was pretty excited actually. He missed his friends of course, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make any new ones right?
If only he knew.
Ash took a deep breath and smiled to himself, before walking onto the school grounds.
After a brief conversation with the headmaster, who welcomed him warmly and gave him a short overview of how his new school life would look like, he was sent to a classroom where there was supposed to be a teacher waiting for him. The entire beginning-of-the-school-year ceremony had taken place the day before, but Ash might’ve kind of overslept for that, so he was beginning his sophomore year with regular classes. He lightly knocked on the designated door before opening it, the heads of almost the entire class immediately whipping in his direction, threateningly almost.
„Oh, hello, you must be the new student we’ve been waiting for! Come on up, introduce yourself.” The professor smiled, inviting Ash with a gesture to join him in front of the class. He obliged, confidently walking up to the professor and bowing to his new classmates.
„Hi, my name is Ash, Ash Ketchum! I transferred here from Pallet Town, it’s nice to meet you all!” He smiled at everyone, his grin bright as always, as he straightened himself and looked at the teacher awaiting further instructions.
„Thank you, Ash. Go ahead and sit down right over there.” The teacher pointed towards the only empty spot in the very corner of the classroom, and Ash nodded, before heading for his new desk. He looked around at everyone, scanning the room. Nobody really stood out to him, or so he thought. That was until Ash’s eyes landed on the person sitting right next to him - the only one whose eyes weren’t currently glued in his direction.
Instead, the person was staring down at their notebook, inspecting a sketch drawn in it, as they played with a pencil in their fingers. They had dark hair with red highlights peeking through, long enough for them to tie it in a side ponytail. They were using their free hand to twirl a strand of the scarlet bangs around their finger, and Ash couldn’t even begin to assume their gender. Their long lashes and big eyes pointed towards them being female, but the sharp jaw and full brows said otherwise. The professor was already talking about something else, most likely continuing the lesson, but Ash wasn’t listening. He didn’t even realise that he’d been eyeing them long enough for the pretty neighbor to notice his prolonged staring.
He really should do something about it.
„What is it?” The person said softly, their voice delicate. They didn’t sound annoyed, but their captivating blue eyes displayed confusion.
„Oh, nothing, sorry.” Ash turned away, but not even a second later gave in to his curiosity and turned back around „I’m sorry, are you a girl or a boy..?”
...
An awkward silence followed, as an expression of shock appeared across the stranger’s beautiful face and Ash was pretty sure that he just got himself an enemy on the first day. Great work, Ash. Round of applause.
„Sorry, um, that was insensitive, I.. uh.. Maybe you’re neither! Which would be perfectly fine, obviously! I-I mean.. I uh..um.” Ash tried to save himself out of the awkward situation, but failing miserably just sighed and accepted defeat. „I’m sorry” he muttered, expecting his classmate to be angry, but they didn’t seem to mind at all.
Instead, they giggled and replied with a smile „I’m a boy. It’s okay, don’t apologize. Asking is better than assuming anyway.” The boy shrugged and turned away from Ash, focusing on the teacher, who was now explaining the plot of some book to the class.
Ash however didn’t seem to neither get the hint, nor be satisfied with the outcome of the conversation, as he continued talking „Then why did you laugh?” he asked, as the boy turned back to face him.
„Huh?”
„What’s so funny about what I said?”
„It’s not what you said though.”
„Okay.. then what is it?”
„It’s you.”
„Huh?”
„You’re funny.”
„Huh? What about me is funny?”
„I mean, most people I know wouldn’t just ask something like that out of the blue. Plus you got suuuper flustered.”
„How else was I supposed to know though? It’s not like I can read minds?”
„I don’t know, but-”
„Ash and Goh!” The two boys practically jumped in their seats, turning to look at the professor whose eyes looked like they were on the verge of burning holes through their heads „I’m not sure if you forgot, but we’re in class, not some friendly meeting, so I would greatly appreciate if you sat through the rest of the class in silence.” The teacher scolded the two boys, before sighing and quickly getting back on track, continuing the extremely boring talk about his book.
The two boys sat quietly for a second, before looking at each other and giggling. Ash was just about to continue their conversation and annoy the professor even further, but Goh put his finger up to silence him. Ash was confused for a moment, but understood when Goh brought out a piece of paper and two pens out of his bag, and started scribbling something with neat handwriting.
G: It’ll be less noticeable this way
Ash’s reply was a bit messier, but hey. At least it was readable.
A: Guess you’re right. So, Go, is it? You got a funny name lmao
G: Actually, there’s an ‚h’ at the end
A: Still funny
G: Well no, not really
A: Well yes
G: Girl, it’s a name
A: I’m a boy tho?
Before the boys’ bickering could go any further and Ash could pass the note back to Goh, the bell rang. And on that cue, every single student stood up and rushed out of the classroom, the crowd disappearing out of view in mere seconds. The teacher was yelling something about homework after them, but it was most likely lost among the screams of the flooding corridor.
The two note-passers sat in silence for a second, watching everyone spill out into the hallway. Goh was just about to start packing, before the teacher called him to his desk. The boy gave Ash an awkward apologetic smile, before making his way to the professor. Ash however was very content with his first period of class. He already managed to make - well, sort of - a friend! Other than already being on one teacher’s naughty list, things were going pretty smoothly - though, nothing less was expected from the guy who could easily strike up a conversation with a rock if he wanted to.
With that pleasant thought in mind, he glanced at the note laying on his desk, and a smile forced its way onto his lips as he tucked it in the pocket of his hoodie. He then began packing his things, wondering whether he should pack Goh’s too, just to be helpful. Before he could decide though, his sort-of-a-friend returned, an unreadable yet somewhat worrying expression painted on his face.
„You seem bummed out?” Ash asked cautiously, multiple potential reasons for the boy’s sudden mood-drop popping up in his head at once.
„Yeah, uh..” Goh paused for a second, and his confidence from before was suddenly gone. His eyes were glued to the floor as he played with the hem of his sweater „They want me to… show you around the school.”
Well damn.
After that reaction Ash was expecting something more dramatic, like detention for talking during the lesson, or being sent to another class - stuff like that. Being shown around the school didn’t seem all that terrible.
„Is that a bad thing?” He asked, still unsure what Goh’s expression meant.
“Well, uh. I’m not sure how to put it.” Silence followed, which was Ash’s way of letting Goh know that he would wait until his sort-of-a-friend knew how to put whatever was on his mind into words “I’m not exactly.. Mr. Popularity, if that makes sense. And first impressions matter, so.. if you’re seen with me on your first day, then.. y’know.” Goh explained, pretty sure that he just managed to lose his first potential friend.
“…Okay..? And?”
Oh.
Nevermind.
“You.. you don’t mind?” Goh asked, still unsure whether he was hearing this right. Maybe his ears were giving out? Is this that age already?
“Why would I? You’re cool, I’m glad to have you all to myself!”
Oh.
Oh wow.
Goh’s chest was suddenly filled with a warmth he had never felt before. Was this how making new friends felt?
If only.
Goh was pretty much Ash’s complete opposite. Making friends was absolutely not easy for him, and he probably wouldn’t admit it, but he was scared of even trying. As a ‘weird’ kid in high school, the chances of the seemingly friendly person hitting him up being just another bully in disguise were pretty high too. You can’t really blame him for having trust issues, can you?
He only ever had one friend, and that was Chloe - the only person who was nice enough to notice him crying at the playground all by himself, back in their preschool days. Ever since that day, Chloe has been Goh’s first, only, and last - or so he thought - friend. They got along really well, since they shared a quiet and calm demeanor, and just so happened to live near each other.
Sadly, their high schools were not near at all.
It was just Goh’s luck that his best and only friend would go to a school located on the north edge of the city, while he attended one that was placed as south as possible. The two buildings literally couldn’t have been further away from each other, making visits between the two friends rare. Cloe didn’t even have it half bad, because her girlfriend Dawn was there with her, so there wasn’t much to complain about.
Goh on the other hand.. well.
As we previously established, making new friends was a big no-no and when it came to romance, the case was pretty similar. He only ever had unreciprocated hallway crushes, or at least that’s how he’d call them - really he just never gave them a try. Being alone was one thing, but dealing with a broken heart all by yourself, all while having to stay focused at school and somehow survive until the weekend? No. He couldn’t risk that.
So he simply didn’t bother. He was doing fine by himself, and occasional calls or meetups with Chloe were enough for him to feel loved - at least, that’s the mantra that he’s been repeating to himself for the past year, which he tried so desperately to believe.
“Oh, well then. I’ll just pack my things real quick and we can go.”
“Sure!”
Ash was something else though. Goh’s usual way of handling suspiciously friendly people was simple - concise replies, limited eye contact, cutting the conversation short before it could escalate into anything else. Yet Ash managed to get through the defense mechanism Goh had been putting up for years now.
Was it the way he was so innocently honest? Or the way he immediately seemed to care about Goh’s wellbeing? Or maybe it was that bright grin, inviting anyone who caught a glimpse of it to smile as well?
Goh didn’t know, but for once, he didn’t really care. He’s been silently praying for someone who would care for him to come, even if he’d never admit it out loud. Now, the angel he’s been waiting for forever was standing right there, in front of him, smiling.
“Ready?” Ash asked upon noticing that Goh’s desk was all cleaned up, the signature bright smile never leaving his face.
“Yeah. Is there anywhere you’d like to-”
“The cafeteria.” Ash replied instantly, but upon realising that he might’ve come off as a bit rude, he quickly added “..please. And thank you for agreeing to show me around.” Goh chuckled at the eagerness fondly.
“It’s nothing, really.” It was everything, actually.
Not to Ash maybe, but to Goh this was like Christmas, better even.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽⚕️☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
The two toured the school halls, first and foremost exploring the cafeteria of course. They spent the entire day just chatting with each other, since the headmaster let Goh skip class, so he could show Ash the building instead. The new student seemed to be fixated on the classrooms and different club rooms the two passed, but Goh couldn’t help noticing the constant stares and glares he was getting from everyone. Was he really setting Ash up for failure? Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to do this after all.
Hours passed and the school day was nearing its end, neither of the boys realising that so much time had gone by already. Ash seemed to have had fun, so Goh decided to ignore the anxious voice in his head, deciding he would deal with it when he was alone - back home where his parents would probably be absent, like they usually were. His house was pretty empty most of the time, so being alone with his thoughts was never an issue.
“Can I come to your place?”
Well shit.
Ash and Goh were now sitting on one of the benches under a tree, the sunset glowing orange as students dispersed towards their homes. The two boys had finished the school tour not too long ago, and were now just chatting about nothing in particular, right up until the topic of going home came up.
“Huh?” Goh let out a questioning sound, unsure if Ash was being serious.
“I’d love to invite you to my place, but I’m not done unpacking my stuff yet so it’s a whole mess.” Ash smiled sheepishly, as his legs dangled in the air above the ground “I mean, if you don’t want to, that's fine, obviously. I’m just having a lot of fun with you, I kinda don’t wanna separate yet.”
Well shit.
Goh was hoping that the prayers for a potential friend to appear in his life would be answered eventually, but he was not expecting them to hit him in the face so brutally on a random Tuesday.
„O-oh! I mean, sure, why not?” Goh replied, his words way ahead of the mess in his head. Not that he was complaining about inviting over someone, who just casually admitted to enjoying his company, of course. Suddenly Goh felt like he wanted to spend every minute of the week by Ash’s side, laughing and chatting about their hobbies or interests. Was becoming this attached to somebody in such a short period of time healthy? It couldn’t have been.
„Really? I mean, I don’t want to be too much, and I can be a bit overbearing sometimes.”
Are we being for real? Is Goh dreaming right now?
„You’re not, don’t worry. Come on.” He simply replied, still slightly taken aback by all the attention and consideration being sent his way out of the blue. Having a potential friend is one thing, but having someone who actually likes being around you, and considers your feelings is another.
„Alright then! So, you were saying you like collecting Pokémon cards?” Ash recalled their previous conversation as he fell into step beside Goh, looking at his newfound friend with fondness and curiosity.
„Yeah! I’ve got a whole collection back home” Goh replied enthusiastically, suddenly not caring about how nerdy he might sound „Do you have a favourite Pokémon?”
„Hmm..” Ash thought for a while, holding his chin up in thought, before smiling and answering happily „It’s gotta be Pikachu. It’s just so cool, you know? With all the different moves it can do, especially thunderbolt! How about you?”
„Well, Mew used to be my all time favourite, but lately Scorbunny started growing on me for some reason.”
“Mew, huh? Basic as hell.”
“Says the one who chose the literal poster boy of Pokémon!”
“Shut up!”
“You started it!”
The rest of the walk went by similarly - filled with constant bickering, laughter and jokes, fighting and making up almost immediately.
To say Ash was happy with his first day was an understatement. He found yet another person to add to his ever-growing list of friends. And even though he’s done this hundreds of times - smile, talk, listen, just be his warm, welcoming self - each time gaining a new friend, it felt somewhat different this time. He couldn’t exactly put his finger on the reason either.
Maybe it was the way Goh’s eyes lit up when Ash continued talking that morning? Or was it his calm, kind nature? Maybe it was the way he beamed when talking about his interests?
The walk to Goh’s home was pretty quick, though Ash found himself wishing it was even a tiny bit slower.
Just so he could listen to his friend yap about Pokémon for a little while longer.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽⚕️☾₊‧⁺˖⋆