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It was a beautiful autumn day in Cerulean City. The ocean breeze filled the air with saltiness. Gary Oak, or should we say, Professor Gary Oak, arrived at the only church in the city at about 4:30PM, half an hour before the wedding of his old friend, Tracey Sketchit, started.
He was now Professor Gary Oak, you heard that right. Samuel Oak had retired from being Kanto’s Pokémon Professor after 40 years and was now spending his golden years in a retirement home in Alola, with some of his lifetime friends, he couldn’t have been having a greater time.
Gary always knew he would continue with his grandfather’s legacy, but he had not been expecting for it to happen until he was 30 something, but still, he embraced the position of Kanto’s new Pokémon Professor with optimism and a lot of energy.
There was something that had been worrying him before taking his gramps position. Gary had come out as gay in his early-20s, and he had had a few boyfriends along the years, but sadly nothing had gotten too serious... except for his last relationship which sadly didn’t end too well. Still, he was worried that the Pokémon Community would not accept a gay man into the position of a Pokémon Professor… fortunately, he was wrong.
3 weeks ago
“What are you talking about?” Samuel asked him, laughing. “Of course, nobody will care if you’re gay or not.”
“You sure about that, gramps?” Gary asked, worried.
“Yes! Professor Liv from the Oblivia region is married to a woman, you’ll be fine!” His gramps assured.
Samuel Oak had always been fine with his grandson being gay, Gary felt lucky to have such support coming from the only family he had left.
The life of a Pokémon professor wasn’t easy, when he didn’t have to meet young trainers to give them their initial Pokémon, Gary still needed to work on his research. He had a few assistants to help him, just like his grandpa used to have Tracey.
And speaking of Tracey, Gary was now attending his wedding. Gary hated weddings, especially now that he had just broken up with his boyfriend of 2 years because he just didn’t take his new job seriously.
2 weeks ago
“Are you fucking serious right now?” Gary asked angrily after his boyfriend, Eric, told him he shouldn’t have taken the position of Kanto’s Pokémon Professor without consulting him first.
“You should have at least told me about it!” Eric exclaimed, they were having an argument in Eric’s apartment in Viridian City, Gary had come visit him after being officially named Kanto’s Pokémon Professor that morning.
“Why? It’s not like you could have convinced me not to continue with my family’s legacy.”
“You call legacy a bunch of useless research about animal cruelty?” Eric asked, not thinking of his words before he said them out loud.
Gary was left speechless. “I… I can’t believe that’s what you think,” he said, clearly hurt, feeling each word like a dagger through his heart.
Eric took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”
“But you said it, and most importantly… you really meant it,” Gary sighed. “It’s over,” he added, crying.
“Gary,” Eric said, grabbing Gary’s wrist.
“Don’t make this harder!” Gary exclaimed. “I’ll come pick my things tomorrow when you’re not here, and I’ll leave my key on the counter before I leave.”
Yes, Gary hated weddings, and most of the times he declined wedding invitations… but Tracey’s wedding was an exception to that rule, he wasn’t as close to him as he once was, he wasn’t even his best man, but he was fine with that. Tracey was getting married to his girlfriend of 5 years, Misty; whom Gary also knew but had never been close to.
Gary wore a simple black suit for the wedding, including a white shirt and a tie of the eeveelutions which he wore proudly. He knew he looked nerdy and geeky, but he had embraced that as part of his personality for a while now.
After he parked his car, he walked into the church, which was almost empty, and took a seat in the middle, already planning out the evening in his mind: he would drive to the hotel for the wedding reception, and once in the hotel, he would spend the rest of the night by the bar, congratulate the newlyweds and take a pic with them in between drinks, and leave to his room early.
Ash Ketchum had come back to Kanto for the wedding of two of his best and oldest friends: Misty and Tracey. He took a bus to Cerulean City from Saffron City’s International Airport, and after the bus left him at the bus station, he took a taxi to the only church in the city.
He arrived at the church at 4:50PM, the wedding would start soon.
The years had taken a toll on his face, Ash now had facial hair, he always shaved his moustache, but he liked growing a beard. He wasn’t expecting on going to a wedding during his Pokémon journey, so the best he could do was wear his most formal clothes: black slacks and a white shirt. No tie.
“Pika pika!” his longtime friend exclaimed as Ash stood in front of the church and watched people go inside.
Ash was currently traveling through the Ransei region in what was his biggest challenge yet, as the Ransei region required trainers to collect not 8 but 17 badges in order to be qualified for the Conquistador Conference aka the Ransei League. Ash had already collected 14 badges, but he was burnt out after 8 months of a non-stop journey, and he also needed a break because he had ended his relationship with the girl who traveled with him in that region and the previous two.
During his teenage years, Ash had never been interested in relationships, but as soon as he became an adult, he couldn’t hide his human nature, and so, he dated a few girls in his mid-20s, but nothing was serious until he met Kalissa.
He dated Kalissa for 2 years, but they broke up because Ash couldn’t give her what she wanted. She had plans of settling down with Ash after their journey in Ransei, but Ash had no plans for that anytime soon, he still had lots of regions to travel to and more pokémon to discover.
In the end, his dream of becoming the Pokémon Master was more important than any relationship he would ever have… but he knew that there was the tiny possibility that one day he would meet a girl that would make him reconsider things, but sadly, Kalissa had not been that girl.
Ash walked into the church, which was mostly full by then. He tried to recognize someone so he wouldn’t sit alone with his Pikachu. He knew Brock wasn’t coming because he hadn’t been able to get permission to leave the Pokémon hospital where he worked on in the Hoenn region.
Other than Brock, the only other possible person that could come was Gary, but Ash thought he might have been too busy to come to the wedding because of his Pokémon Professor duties.
“Pika pika!” Pikachu exclaimed, pointing at someone sitting in the middle, and Ash immediately recognized that person as Gary.
Would it be okay if he sat next to Gary though? Ash hadn’t spoken to him in more than 5 years, he didn’t even give him a call to congratulate him when he heard he had been named Kanto’s Pokémon Professor.
Ash had heard of Gary coming out as gay in his early-20s, and while Ash was not a homophobe, he never called Gary to tell him he supported him or anything like that… was he supposed to do that? It’s not like he had announced a big achievement… or had he? Ash never knew, and so, time went by and the two just became distant and grew apart.
It was very likely that he and Gary would just be awkward next to each other, without anything interesting to talk about.
Ash took a deep breath, awkward or not, sitting next to Gary was still better than sitting next to someone he didn’t know.
“Sir, no pokémon are allowed in the church,” someone stopped Ash before he could walk towards Gary.
Ash sighed, and he looked at Pikachu. Over the years, Pikachu had finally accepted getting into his pokéball from time to time. When Ash was a kid or a teenager, people didn’t mind him walking with Pikachu on his shoulder in places that forbade pokémon, but once he became an adult, people stopped being lenient on him.
“I promise it won’t be for long, buddy,” Ash said, petting Pikachu.
“Pika,” Pikachu nodded with a sad face, he understood.
And so, Ash grabbed Pikachu’s pokéball from his pocket and sent him back.
Gary was patiently waiting for the wedding ceremony to start. He wasn’t a religious person at all, and despite he hated weddings, he found the vows exchange a very touching moment. He couldn’t wait to hear what Tracey had prepared for Misty and vice versa. Knowing that Tracey was an artist, he was already preparing the tissues.
He was sitting alone on one of the benches in the middle, he was surprised not to see any familiar faces, but that just showed him how much he had grown apart from Tracey, and speaking of which, he just emerged in the front at that moment, wearing a most elegant tuxedo and looking as handsome as ever. Funnily enough, Gary had never seen Tracey with romantic eyes, he never had a crush on him.
“Mind if I sit here?” a familiar voice asked him.
Gary turned around to see him, he looked so masculine… and handsome, with that beard. He had not expected to see him at the wedding at all.
“Ashy-boy, what a surprise!” Gary exclaimed with a big smile on his face. “Be my guest.”
Ash felt something tingle on his chest the moment he heard that nickname again. Gary hadn’t changed at all, he still looked the same, just a bit taller. His hair was the same, no facial hair, but his eyes… the eye bags below them could tell Gary hadn’t had enough rest recently.
Ash then sat next to Gary.
“Where’s Pikachu?” Gary asked, curious not to see him with Ash.
“Church has a stupid no pokémon policy,” Ash said, rolling his eyes. “At least Pikachu has learnt to go into his pokéball now,” he sighed.
“The Pikachu I knew would electrocute you if you tried to send him back to that place,” Gary joked.
“Yeah,” Ash sighed with nostalgia.
“It’s good to see you, though,” Gary said with honesty.
“I… I’m sorry we… you know.”
Ash wasn’t good with words, but Gary was smart, and he knew to read people’s faces, and at that moment, he could see regret on Ash’s face, for not keeping in touch with him along the years.
“It’s fine… people grow apart, it’s part of life,” Gary sighed as he looked at Tracey in the front, wondering how different things would have been if he was still his best friend, for starters, he would be standing in the front with him as his best man.
“It… shouldn’t be like that,” Ash sighed.
Gary turned to see Ash; gosh he had grown so much. Gary couldn’t keep starting at the hair on Ash’s hands, and then turned to see his beard.
“So, how’s life treated you?” Ash asked him.
Despite the time that had passed, Gary trusted Ash, and he found no reason to lie about a life he didn’t have. Who knows? Maybe Ash could give him some advice or encouraging words.
“Honestly, my life is pretty much sucking right now in every aspect you can think of,” Gary said with a laugh.
Ash turned to him, surprised.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Gary started, “I’m grateful for my job, but there are some days where I just want to throw everything and leave,” he sighed. “I know, it’s only been a few weeks and I’m already complaining, I’m such a crybaby,” Gary laughed at himself.
“Some days I’m jealous that gramps is enjoying a piña colada in the beach while I burn my ass off, I know it’s unfair to think that; he did this job every day of his life for 40 years, but that’s just how I feel when my head is about to explode from the migraine.”
“I understand,” Ash said with a smile.
“You do?” Gary asked, surprised.
“Yeah, traveling around the world in my never-ending Pokémon journey has become increasingly difficult as the years pass, the older I get, the harder it gets, and I always thought it would be the other way around.”
Gary smiled in sympathy. “Guess being an adult sucks,” he laughed.
“Yes, indeed,” Ash laughed.
“Also, I dated an asshole who thought the worst of my job as a Pokémon Professor, he even had the nerve to say my family’s legacy was just a bunch of useless research about animal cruelty,” Gary said.
“How dare he!” Ash exclaimed, feeling disgusted that someone thought that way about pokémon. “I’m glad you broke up with that idiot.”
Gary laughed, he realized this was the first time he was openly talking about him being gay to Ash.
“I… I also broke up with my girlfriend recently,” Ash sighed, feeling he could share this with Gary.
“How come?”
“She wanted to settle down… and I didn’t want to,” Ash revealed, “you probably think I’m the worst person on the planet,” he added, laughing at himself.
“I don’t,” Gary said, putting his hand on Ash’s shoulder. “You and she were not on the same page, I’m sad it happened, but I’m glad you ended things before it was too late.”
Ash smiled. “Thanks… I really needed to hear that; I didn’t know if I had taken the right decision.”
“Just follow your heart or whatever they say.”
“Yeah,” Ash sighed.
“Who would have thought we’d both come to Tracey and Misty’s wedding without a plus one?” Gary asked with a laugh.
“We sure are the big losers in the room, aren’t we?” Ash laughed.
Gary kept laughing to Ash’s comments, when he entered the church a few minutes ago, he wasn’t expecting to be laughing with Ash right before the ceremony started.
And just as they laughed, a woman sitting in front of them turned to them and shushed them. Once she turned back, Ash and Gary looked at each other and laughed in silence.
“I hate weddings, I’m so over this and it hasn’t even started,” Gary said, rolling his eyes.
“Same,” Ash agreed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for Misty and Tracey, but god I hate seeing everyone so happy while I’m feeling miserable,” he added.
“Don’t feel like that,” Gary said, trying to cheer him up. “Look at everyone, except for Tracey of course, we’re clearly the hottest bitches in the room.”
Ash laughed, it was so funny to hear Gary expressing himself like that, it was something he wasn’t expecting to hear, and he loved it.
The lady in front of them turned to them once again and this time she told them to moderate their language, and she turned back before any of them could say anything.
“Speaking of things that we hate, I also hate this church’s dumb policy of no pokémon, just imagine how cute the ceremony could have been if Misty and Tracey had their pokémon next to them,” Ash said. “And I hate that Pikachu is in his pokéball, he clearly doesn’t like being in there.”
Gary smiled, that was the Ash he knew, always passionate to talk about anything related to pokémon. He then turned to the back, wondering if Misty was late as it was already a few minutes past 5 and the ceremony hadn’t started.
“Tracey looks nervous,” Ash said.
“Yeah, Misty is nowhere in sight,” Gary said, turning back and saw that indeed, Tracey seemed impatient.
“You don’t think she’s going to… you know…”
“Of course not, look at Tracey, he’s a catch! She’d be stupid if she left him on their wedding day,” Gary said to which Ash laughed again. “Seriously, if she leaves him, I might as well try to get him for me,” he joked.
“This is the house of the lord, stop with your talk full of sins!” The lady in the front exploded at them.
“Why don’t you mind your own fucking business?” Gary asked, reading the homophobia on her face.
The lady gasped and she turned back, feeling very offended.
“I’m sorry, but she deserved it,” Gary said to Ash.
“I’m with you in that,” Ash said. “Do you… get a lot of hate comments because… you know.”
Gary understood the question, it seemed Ash was still a bit uncomfortable to use the word gay, but it was fine, Gary thought he was probably the only gay person Ash knew.
“Not very often, really, it’s not as bad as they picture it in movies, or maybe I was just lucky. Gramps was there for me since I came out of the closet, I also had Tracey, before he stopped working for gramps, and well, you know me, I am a fighter,” he said with a smile.
Before Ash could say anything, everyone stood up, Misty was finally ready to walk down the aisle.
Ash and Gary stood up and turned to the entrance, Misty was there, more beautiful than ever.
“That’s the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen,” Ash said with a tear on his eye.
Misty’s had let her hair grow over the years, and now her hair was so long it reached the half of her back. But what probably stood out the most was the tiara she was wearing, made of blue flowers.
“She’s gorgeous,” Gary said.
The wedding march started playing, and Misty started walking down the aisle with her father. All eyes were on her, Gary then turned a bit to see Tracey, he looked so happy, watching his bride to be walk towards him.
Once Misty arrived at the front and her father gave her away to Tracey, everyone sat down and enjoyed the ceremony in silence.
And just as he expected, Gary cried during the vows.
30 minutes later, Misty and Tracey had said their I Do’s.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!”
Misty and Tracey shared their first kiss as a married couple in front of their family and friends as everyone applauded and cheered them.
Tracey grabbed Misty’s hand, and they happily walked out of the church, ready to go to the hotel where the wedding reception would take place.
“You need a ride to the hotel?” Gary asked Ash after Misty and Tracey left and everyone was starting to leave the church.
“Yeah, do you have a car?”
“Yup,” Gary said, standing up.
“Cool!” Ash exclaimed.
As soon as Gary and Ash went out of the church, Gary saw a familiar face, waiting for him next to his car.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Gary exclaimed the moment he saw Eric.
“Huh?” Ash asked, confused.
“Hey!” Eric exclaimed, walking towards Gary.
Gary grabbed his keys and gave them to Ash, “get in the car, this won’t take long.”
“Oh… okay,” Ash said, sensing the tension, and walking to Gary’s car.
“What? You already replaced me?” Eric asked with a laugh.
Ash felt something in his stomach, he assumed that guy was Gary’s ex-boyfriend.
“What are you doing here?” Gary asked, annoyed.
Ash opened the door of the car and went in, but he could still listen to Gary and Eric’s voices, they were standing right there in front of the car, and it was impossible not to look at them.
“I was just kidding,” Eric said, trying to break the tension.
“Eric, I’m not in the mood, what do you want here?”
Eric’s cheerful spirit went away. “I… I’m sorry for the awful things I said.”
Gary took a deep breath. “I’m sure you didn’t come all the way to Cerulean City just to tell me that.”
“You could always read my face,” Eric said with a smile. “I’m willing to give you another chance.”
“Excuse me?” Gary asked, offended, if anyone, it was him who could give Eric another chance for how awful he had been to him, not the other way around.
“Please, Gary, we were good together,” Eric insisted, grabbing Gary’s wrist.
“Let go!”
“Just listen,” Eric sighed. “I need you, and you know you need me. I have a job offer in Sinnoh, we can start over, just leave your job here, and let’s start anew,” Eric said with bright eyes.
“You’re seriously asking me to drop my life here to follow you? To drop the job my family has had for generations… like you don’t know how much all these means to me, you even met my grandpa. How dare you?” Gary asked, infuriated.
“You’re blinded by your anger, and I don’t blame you, just think it through, Gary…”
“The answer is a no,” Gary said firmly as he started walking to his car.
Eric started laughing hysterically.
“You know you’ll never find anybody like me, Oak!” Eric shouted in anger.
“That’s the point, you asshole!”
“Nobody will be able to handle your issues like I did! You know you’re sick and crazy, nobody will stand by your side when they see the real you like I did!”
“Shut the fuck up!” Gary shouted, his blood boiling.
“You know I’m right! Nobody cares for you like I do; nobody will understand you, you’re a little piece of shit and you know that. And I know I’m a piece of shit too, that’s why we got along so well!” Eric exclaimed, laughing maniacally.
Eric’s words started to hurt Gary, what if he was right?
“But I’m done… I’m fucking done with you! Just one more thing… fuck you! Fuck your stupid pokémon! And fuck your job!” Eric shouted.
Gary had had enough, and so he ran towards him and punched him in the face.
“Gary!” Ash exclaimed, getting out of the car as soon as he saw the punch.
“I’m fine,” Gary said, getting into the car.
Ash stood there for a few seconds, watching Gary’s ex cry in pain on the floor.
“Let’s go!” Gary shouted to Ash.
Ash tried to feel bad for the guy, but he just couldn’t, he deserved to be punched in the face for everything he had said to hurt Gary.
Ash got back in the car. Gary started the car, and they left the church’s parking lot.
The ride to the hotel was a silent one, Ash didn’t know what to say. He looked at Gary, tears coming out of his eyes, and a few drops of blood on the fist he used to punch Eric.
Once Gary parked the car in the hotel’s parking lot, he finally spoke up.
“I hate men, every single one of them is an asshole, except for Tracey, gramps… and you,” Gary said.
Ash smiled. “He deserved what you did back there.”
“Yeah, he fucking sure did,” Gary said.
“And just for the record… everything he said… I know it was wrong.”
Gary turned to see Ash. “You just saw me punching him. You really believe that I’m not a crazy piece of shit?”
“He provoked you, he had it coming, and what kind of question is that?” Ash asked him with a gentle laugh. “You’re nothing like that.”
“How can you be so sure about that? You and I haven’t been close in more than 5 years,” Gary said.
Now Ash was a little hurt by Gary’s words, even if Gary didn’t mean to hurt him.
“I… I know we could have been closer during the past few years, but you know what? Our conversation at the church… it made me feel like time had not passed, you’re not a bad person, Gary, I know you since we were kids,” Ash said, cheering Gary up. “Remember the day when we were playing hide and seek with your grandpa’s bulbasaur outside of the lab?”
A smiled appeared on Gary’s face. “We couldn’t find him, and I was so sad, thinking gramps would be mad at me. I cried a lot; I was really scared.”
“And then your grandpa came to the lab, with that bulbasaur on his shoulder.”
“I was so relieved,” Gary said.
“You worried for a pokémon that wasn’t yours, don’t get me started on the love you have for your own pokémon now,” Ash said. “You’re a good person, Gary.”
“That… means a lot, thanks,” Gary said, holding back the tears.
“You know how much I care about my friends, and you’re one of them,” Ash said, putting his arm around Gary’s back for a few seconds, then patting his back gently.
“I feel like over the years I’ve let my relationships define me, but not anymore,” Gary said with determination.
“That’s good! You go, girl! Yass queen!” Ash exclaimed.
Gary laughed; he wasn’t expecting to hear those expressions from Ash.
“That was okay to say, right?” Ash asked.
“Yeah,” Gary said.
Gary took a deep breath. Ash’s words had helped him feel better after all the horrible things Eric had said to him, all he wanted to do now was drown his sorrows in alcohol and go to bed early.
“Your hand, are you sure you’re okay?” Ash asked, worried.
“Oh…” Gary said, noticing he had a bruise. “Yeah, I’ll just go to the bathroom and wash it off. Let’s go and enjoy the party,” he added, getting out of the car.
Ash got out of the car, and he placed his arm around Gary’s back again, hugging him as they walked into the hotel and then to the wedding reception.
The place looked insanely beautiful and elegant. Gary had been to a few weddings before (just the ones he couldn’t refuse to go because his grandpa forced him to go with him), but this was Ash’s first wedding. The tables had beautiful silk tablecloths and the place was full of blue flowers, probably Misty’s choice.
“Oh my God!” Gary exclaimed as they got in, the first thing he saw was an oil portrait of Misty, made by Tracey of course.
“Damn!” Ash exclaimed, speechless. “Tracey’s really upped his artistic skills, back then he only did sketches with a pencil.”
“Yeah, my boy went to college and studied a career in Art,” Gary said proudly.
“I see,” Ash said with a smile.
“Well, I’ll go to the bathroom and then I’ll head to the bar and probably spend the rest of the night there,” Gary said. “It’s okay if you prefer sitting on a table and making new friends. You’ve probably have had enough of me for the night.”
“Nah, you won’t get rid of me so easily,” Ash said with a smile. “I’ll wait for you at the bar.”
“Seriously? Ash Ketchum drinks alcohol?” Gary asked, shocked.
Ash laughed. “I’m not a 10-year-old anymore, give me a break.”
Gary smiled and he walked to the bathroom while Ash grabbed a seat at the bar and waited for Gary.
From the bar, Ash saw more people arriving, everyone was stopping to admire Misty’s oil portrait, and speaking of which, it seemed Misty and Tracey hadn’t arrived yet.
Ash now thought about Gary, he felt bad for him. He knew his new job as a Pokémon Professor was stressful and consuming enough, and the whole drama with his ex-boyfriend surely wasn’t helping. Ash had never been bothered about the idea of two men together, sure, he was shocked to hear that Gary was gay all those years ago, it came off as something unexpected, but in the end, he felt happy for him, and he still regretted not being closer to him at that moment.
Ash was the only one sitting at the bar right then, everyone else was taking their place in a table.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked Ash.
“I’ll wait a few more minutes,” Ash said to him.
“Alright,” the bartender said.
And as more people arrived, it was inevitable for him to remember Kalissa. He wouldn’t admit it, but he felt lonely, after all, he had traveled with her for almost 3 years, and he had gotten used to being with her every day.
It was then that Gary came back and sat next to Ash on the bar.
“I’ll have a margarita,” Gary said to the bartender.
“I’ll have a beer,” Ash said.
“Coming right up,” the bartender said as he quickly gave Ash a beer and started making a margarita for Gary.
“Beer, huh? I’m definitely the gay one, aren’t I?” Gary joked, making Ash laugh.
“I’m a simple man, what can I say?” Ash said, taking a sip of his cold beer.
“I would have sworn you were an alcohol virgin.”
The bartender gave Gary the margarita and so, Ash and Gary kept talking. 3 beers and 5 margaritas later, there was still no sign of the newlyweds.
“No fucking way! You can’t be serious!” Ash laughed so hard after Gary told him the story of how he and one of his ex’s did it in the Oak lab.
“Of course gramps wasn’t there!” Gary clarified.
“But still! I can’t believe you had sex in there, that place is like a sanctuary, fuck!” Ash kept laughing.
Ash normally didn’t swear, but the alcohol was making it easy to say those words now.
“C’mon! I can’t be the only one with these types of stories, what’s the most interesting place you’ve had sex in?” Gary asked, really curious to hear the answer.
“Let’s see,” Ash said, thinking. “Probably a cave in the middle of nowhere.”
“Ouch! That doesn’t sound comfortable at all.”
“It wasn’t, it was really awkward, Kalissa and I woke up with terrible backaches the next day, and of course, I sent Pikachu to his pokéball whenever I had sex, just to clarify,” Ash said, finishing his beer and asking for another one.
Gary laughed; he had never expected to be talking about sex with Ash Ketchum of all people.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Sketchit!” someone said on the microphone.
“Finally!” Gary exclaimed.
The lights went down to create a more romantic atmosphere. Gary and Ash had a good view from the bar, from there they could see the dancefloor. Misty and Tracey entered the place with all lights on them.
Everyone applauded and cheered the newlyweds. Misty and Tracey waved and smiled at everyone around them, and once they reached the dancefloor, they had their first dance as husband and wife.
The song Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran started playing.
“Of course, they picked that song,” Gary said, rolling his eyes.
“You can’t blame them, it’s a beautiful song,” Ash said to Gary.
“Yeah, they also danced to this song the night he proposed,” Gary revealed.
“That’s lovely,” Ash said, his eyes still on Misty and Tracey.
Gary turned to see Ash and smiled at him, even though Ash didn’t see it.
“People fall in love in mysterious ways, maybe just the touch of a hand…”
“Those lovebirds really make love seem easy, right?” Gary asked.
“Some people are just luckier,” Ash smiled.
Once the song was over, Misty and Tracey sat in their table in front of the dancefloor, and it was time for the maid of honor and the best man speeches; and after them, the party officially started, people walked to the dancefloor and danced while others went to Misty and Tracey to take pictures with them.
4 beers. 6 margaritas.
“Really wished I had been his best man,” Gary sighed his regret.
“Why did you guys grow apart?” Ash asked him.
“He went to college in Kalos, as for me… I lost track of my life after that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You see me now, you see Kanto’s new Pokémon professor, you can say I have it all figured out, in a way that’s true, I’ll keep this job until I retire. It’s obvious I won’t have children so in a sad way, the Oak legacy of Pokémon Professors ends with me,” Gary said.
Ash felt bad to hear that, but he also cared about Gary’s happiness, it was obvious Gary would not be happy if he pretended to be straight, marry a woman and have kids with her.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with all that, gramps is fine with that,” Gary said. “What I want to say is… my mid-20s are kind of a big blur, I feel like I wasted those years for some reason.”
That was rough for Ash to hear. He knew Gary had dropped out of Project Mew when he came out as gay, and he had already dropped his dream of being a Pokémon Researcher before that, so it seemed Gary didn’t do anything in his life after that, he just waited until the time his grandpa told him it was time for him to step up and become Kanto’s new Pokémon Professor.
“But hey, like you said, in the end it all worked out,” Ash said, trying to cheer him up.
“Yeah,” Gary sighed, knowing that professionally yeah, Ash was right… but romantically speaking… not so much.
5 beers. 8 margaritas.
“Sorry, I have to say it, you’re killing it in that suit, and that tie is so cool,” Ash said, probably the alcohol speaking.
Gary looked back at him and smiled with a bit of suspicion that Ash was already drunk, there was no other way he would say that, would it? “Thanks.”
“Let’s go take a picture with Misty and Tracey before we get wasted,” Ash suggested.
“Good idea,” Gary said.
Ash and Gary walked to Misty and Tracey on the other side of the place.
“Congratulations!” Gary exclaimed, giving Misty a big hug, and then giving another to Tracey.
“Thank you, guys, for coming,” Misty said as Ash was now hugging her.
“How does it feel? Being married and all that,” Gary asked as Ash hugged Tracey.
“It’s just been a few hours, nothing much has changed,” Tracey said after Ash’s hug.
“Yeah, other than now my last name is Sketchit, it feels the same,” Misty said with a smile.
“That’s good, isn’t it?” Ash asked.
“Yeah,” both Misty and Tracey agreed.
“We saw you sitting at the bar a while ago,” Tracey said.
“And we were like, wow, Ash and Gary sitting at the bar? That’s unexpected,” Misty completed.
Ash and Gary laughed.
“It’s not something we were expecting either,” Gary said.
“Well, we’re just happy you guys came,” Tracey said, putting his hand on Gary’s shoulder.
“Thank you for making some time to share this moment with us,” Misty said.
“Of course!” Ash exclaimed with a big smile.
After that quick exchange of words, Ash stood next to Misty and Gary stood next to Tracey, and a photographer took their picture to remember that night.
“Keep enjoying the party, guys,” Misty said.
“I know you, Gary, go easy on the drinks,” Tracey said.
“That’s Ash’s job for the night, don’t worry,” Gary said, teasing Ash.
Ash and Gary returned to the bar and the night went on. They kept drinking together and filling each other in about their lives in the past 5 years. They skipped dinner and continued drinking.
7 beers. 10 margaritas.
The song I don’t wanna miss a thing by Aerosmith started playing for the slow dance moment of the night.
“Oh God, I love this song!” Ash exclaimed. “Too bad I have no girl to dance with,” he added with a deep sigh.
Gary laughed. “I can dance with you if you want,” he asked, mostly to tease Ash, the alcohol was already making an effect on him.
Ash said nothing for a few seconds, and Gary thought he had pissed him off.
“Wynaut?” Ash asked with a laugh, making a pun with wobbuffet pre-evolution.
“Oh… okay,” Gary said, blushing, he had not really been expecting that answer.
Gary thought Ash had had too many beers already to have accepted to slow dance with him.
“I could stay awake just to hear you breathing…”
Ash stood up and reached his hand out to Gary. Gary smiled and grabbed Ash’s hand, standing up, and they walked to the dancefloor, which was already filled with couples slow dancing to the beautiful song.
“… I could spend my life in this sweet surrender…”
Gary and Ash joined the slow dancing couples on the dancefloor. They faced each other and shared a laugh; they really were going to slow dance together, weren’t they?
They grabbed each other’s hands at first, but then it was Ash who decided to take the lead and he put his hand behind Gary’s lower back. Gary felt relieved Ash was leading, he was feeling the most vulnerable, and so, he laid his head on Ash’s shoulder, which Ash didn’t seem to mind at all; and they started to slow dance.
“… every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure…”
No words, no laughs, just the sound of their steps (some of them clumsy due to the alcohol in their blood), their eyes closed, but overall… they shared a moment of peace, enjoying the song.
From the distance, Misty and Tracey saw them dancing.
“Are those Ash and Gary?” Misty asked her husband.
“They are,” Tracey said with a happy laugh.
“I bet it’s the alcohol… Ash isn’t… is he?”
“Not that I know, but who are we to judge and label them?” Tracey asked.
“You’re right, besides, this will make a great story when we talk about our wedding in the future,” Misty laughed.
“Indeed, especially if they end up sleeping together,” Tracey joked.
“You don’t really think they will…”
“I don’t know,” Tracey said, watching Gary’s head on Ash’s shoulder, and Ash slowly leading them into their dance.
“Oh! I’ll tell the guy recording the wedding to focus on them!” Misty exclaimed with a laugh.
“You’re evil, I love you,” Tracey said, kissing his wife.
“… and I don’t wanna miss a thing.”
“I’ve never slowed danced with a guy before…” Ash said to Gary.
Gary turned to face Ash, their noses almost touching, their hands still holding each other.
“I like it,” Ash added with a smile.
Gary smiled again, thinking that Ash was definitely drunk to say such a thing. He didn’t say anything back, he just laid his head on Ash’s shoulder again, and they kept dancing until the song was over.
Ash and Gary got back to the bar, but neither of them felt like having more drinks for the night.
“I’ll call it a night,” Gary said.
“I guess I will too,” Ash said.
“You’re staying at the hotel, right?”
“Yeah, my invitation came with a room reservation for the night,” Ash said.
“Cool, let’s go to our rooms then.”
They left the place, unnoticed by the crowd, it was close to midnight.
Ash and Gary had rooms on different floors. Gary’s was on the 3rd floor; Ash’s was on the 5th floor; so, they shared an elevator ride until they had to split for the night.
“Well, tonight was fun, thanks for sticking with me,” Gary said as the elevator made its way up.
“I had fun too,” Ash said with a smile.
The doors of the elevator opened as it reached the 3rd floor, it was Gary’s time to leave, and for them to separate.
“Will I see you tomorrow for breakfast?” Gary asked him as he turned to him before leaving.
Ash didn’t answer, he looked at Gary, and he grabbed Gary’s hand.
Gary understood what Ash wanted, it was insane… probably a very bad idea… a terrible one really, but the fire in Ash’s eyes was contagious, and so, holding hands and without speaking a word, they both came out of the elevator on the 3rd floor.
Gary led the way to his room while Ash walked behind him, still holding hands with him. Gary opened the door of his room, and they got in.
Gary closed the door of the room, not before putting the Do Not Disturb sign on it.
Once in the dark room, Gary turned on the lights just a little bit, creating a warm atmosphere. He and Ash looked at each other, the fire still present in their eyes.
Neither of them wanted to ruin the moment by saying a word, so they just went along with it… and they kissed, both coming at each other at the same time.
Ash’s lips felt raspy and dry, and his beard tickled a bit. Gary’s lips were soft and juicy. The heat in the room increased exponentially as they continued kissing. Clothes fell off to the floor: shirts, slacks, socks… and underwear.
Naked bodies, silence, kisses, hugs, touches, caresses, bed sheets, moans, pleasure, satisfaction, orgasms.
After an intense session, Ash and Gary were exhausted, they wouldn’t admit it, but it had been the best sex of their lives so far.
Ash and Gary laid on opposite sides of the bed, still naked but already covered in the elegant white bed sheets. Ash was facing to the ceiling; he couldn’t believe he had had sex with Gary… he had had sex with a man… how crazy was that?
Gary was feeling so happy, never in his life he had thought of having sex with Ash, not even in his craziest and wildest fantasies, he was looking at Ash with a big smile.
“So that’s why people experiment,” Ash said after he recovered some of his breath.
“And thank God they do!” Gary exclaimed with joy.
“You know? It was fun, and I always wondered what it would feel like with a man, but I, I don’t know, I think for me it was more of a one-time thing,” Ash said with a smile on his face.
“You don’t have to worry, I’m not going to chase you into your next Pokémon journey,” Gary said with a laugh.
Ash laughed and turned to see Gary, maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it had been the slow dancing, maybe it was that he felt lonely, maybe it was the spark and the chemistry he had felt with Gary since they saw each other at the church… whatever the reason, Gary was the most handsome human being in his eyes at that very moment.
“So, what happens next?” Ash asked with curiosity as he reached to the night table and grabbed a bottle of water, drinking a bit of it.
“Well… you can go to your room, and I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast,” Gary said. “Or… we can make this a two-time thing and you stay the night,” he smirked.
Ash didn’t have to think, he put the water bottle back on the night table, he smiled, and he threw himself at Gary, kissing him passionately, ready for the second round.