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Ash yawns as he adjusts the straps of his pack on his shoulders, the dirt trail of Route 1 turned umber in the fading sunlight. He’s just about to turn and ask if they should set up camp for the night when something on the side of the road catches his eye. His feet stride towards it before his brain even registers they’re moving, the overgrown grass and weeds flattened under his shoes as he ambles off the path.
The marks are faded from years of exposure to the elements, the small, precise letters nearly indistinguishable from the grain of the wood. Even so, Ash can still make out the words penned onto the corner of the Viridian City sign.
Gary was here. Ash is a loser.
“Hey, what are you looking a—oh.” Gary’s voice cuts off abruptly as he leans over Ash’s shoulder to inspect the sign. “I—wow. I totally forgot I wrote that.” His chest rumbles against Ash’s back as he laughs. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised Gramps never told me off for vandalizing the local route markers.”
“Yeah, ya always did like to leave me notes,” Ash says, the roll of his eyes belied by the fondness in his voice. “Used to piss me off like ya wouldn’t believe.”
Gary snorts. “That was the point, Ashy.”
Ash turns to land a playful punch on Gary’s arm. “If you wanted my attention, you coulda just been nice to me.”
“That wouldn’t have been nearly as cool.”
Ash rolls his eyes again, taking Gary’s hand in his as they head back to the road. “Sure, Gar.”
“You thought I was cool. Don’t deny it, Goh already confessed that you used to gush about it an embarrassing amount.”
“He did not,” Ash says, easy. After a pause, he adds, “but yeah, maybe I sorta thought you were a little cool. Sometimes.”
“All the time.”
“Don’t push it.” Ash knocks his shoulder into Gary’s, the movement awkward with their hands still entwined. “So, what about you?”
“Hm?”
“Still think I’m a loser?”
“Yep,” Gary chirps, popping the ‘p’ obnoxiously. “A sore one.”
“Am not!”
“Are too.”
“Am not!”
“Yeah, fine.” Gary winks. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ashy.”
“I’ll prove it! You, me, MarioKart. We’ll settle this like men.”
"Okay." Gary shrugs. "I’ll even take it easy on you and promise not to use any blue shells.”
“That’s… actually kinda nice of ya,” Ash says, suspicious. “Feeling bad about teasing me, huh?”
“Nah. I just know you’d actually have to pass me for a blue shell to work, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, very funny, Gary.”
They’re still bickering by the time they reach Pallet at 3am. Their raised voices wake half the town on their way through, but no one bothers to lean out of their window to tell them off for it like they would have years ago. They’re all, unfortunately, used to it by now.