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Ash gets fan mail.
Gary learned this unexpected fact of life one morning when he walked into Pallet Town’s small one-room post office and then tripped over an overstuffed mail sack. As he laid on the floor, debating whether he should give up on the day already, Ash’s face came into view.
“Sorry about that, Gary,” he smiled, sheepishly.
Of course this was Ash’s fault. Of course. Couldn’t he ever come quietly into town?
No, apparently not, because right then the old mailman shouted, “There’re three more sacks in the back!” and “Ash, son, you gotta take them! I can’t hold your fan mail anymore. I don’t have room here.”
Gary—still on the floor cuz Ash hadn’t yet offered a hand or picked him up—frowned and thought, ‘Who’s sending fan mail to Ash?’
That’s how Gary ends up sorting mail at Ash’s house every week.
The new season of the World Coronation Series is starting soon so Ash is training at home and, for some godforsaken reason, everyone in the world is thinking about him. A steady stream of letters arrive at the Pallet Town post office. Gary, armed with a paper knife, sorts through them with ruthless efficiency. If anyone asks, he’s doing this for his own sake. He wants to receive his mail on time at home—he refuses to resort to carrier Pidgeys. And Gary can’t allow Ash to wreck Pallet’s hundred year old postal system because he sucks at responding to his mail.
But, if he’s being honest, he offered to do this because he’s nosy.
Yeah, Ash is the Monarch, but Gary can’t believe people are actually sending fan mail so he’s gotta see it for himself. It turns out most of the letters come from children and, amusingly, a good portion of them are addressed to Pikachu. There are also battle challenges, interview requests and sponsorships offers. Unsurprisingly, Ash is only interested in the children’s letters and the battle challenges. He writes out response after response and Pikachu ‘signs’ his name with an ink-covered-paw. It would be so much easier to send a generic reply letter, but Ash stubbornly insists on answering himself.
“We’re never going to finish,” Gary mumbles, tearing open a particularly large envelop.
His eyebrows shoot up when he pulls out an invitation card adorned with a ribbon. He tugs off the ribbon, opens the card, and reads the elegant script:
The Pokemon Battle Commission requests the honor of your presence at our inaugural World Coronation Gala.
“Why’re you smiling like that?” Ash asks, warily. “What is it?”
“A marriage request. Can I be your best man?”
Ash snatches the invitation out of Gary’s hand. Gary can’t stop himself from chirping, ‘Oh, someone is eager.’ Ash flips him off. Ok, he kind of deserves that. But, judging by Ash’s pale face, he probably wishes it was a marriage request. It would be easier to reject.
“A gala,” Ash mutters. “Like one of those fancy parties that serves food on toothpicks?”
“Yep,” Gary says, helpfully. “Here’s the RSVP card. Looks like you get a plus one.”
Ash’s eyes flicker between the invitation, the card and Gary. For one very stupid moment, Gary thinks Ash will ask him to the gala. Instead, Ash just says, “Can Pikachu be my plus one?”
“No, Ashy. I’m sure Pikachu is already on the guest of honor list,” Gary deadpans. “Your plus one should be a human.”
Ash mutters a quiet, ‘huh,’ and then sets aside the invitation.
“I’ve gotta figure out a way to get out of that.”
Gary looks away. A sharp pang of disappointment strikes his heart, which is stupid. He doesn’t want to go to an event where Ash will likely be the center of attention. No way. So Gary decides he’s upset with Ash because Ash isn’t serious about his new responsibilities. If Gary was in Ash’s place, he’d handle things way better. Years ago, back when he still dreamed about being a Pokemon Master, he would imagine himself like that—receiving fan mail, giving interviews, attending those fancy get-togethers with other famous people.
It turns out that life isn’t meant for him, it’s for Ash.
Gary shoves away those thoughts. He’s happy with what he’s got, he’s happy for Ash. Really. So he starts quickly sorting the letters because he wants to go home rather than stay here for dinner again.
“Gary! Gary!"
Gary looks up from his laptop when Ash’s loud voice suddenly echoes through the Oak Lab. Ash is screaming his name, which isn’t good. It usually means Gary has done something annoying and Ash is coming to throttle him. Or at least it used to. He hasn’t heard Ash say his name like that in years. His laptop chimes with a new email so Gary returns to work. His office door is locked—Ash can’t get him. He’ll probably knock on the door and then go away after Gary refuses to answer.
Gary is proofreading his response when he realizes his two mistakes. One: Ash doesn’t knock. Two: Ash is ridiculously strong.
The lock doesn’t stand a chance against him.
Ash throws open the door with so much force that it bangs against the wall.
He rushes into the office and Gary frantically thinks, ‘What did I do? What did I do?’ He’s been his usual level of annoying, nothing awful. Ash stops in front of him, shoots him a pathetic look and then hops onto his desk. Gary’s torn between relief that he’s still in one piece and angst that Ash’s sitting on his paperwork.
“I gotta go to that stupid gala!” Ash cries. “I can’t get out of it! I talked to Leon. He said the Monarch is the guest of honor. That’s the most important guest that you can be!” He points his finger at Gary. “Did you know? Is that why you were grinning like an idiot?”
Gary scoffs—he’s got a very nice smile. Gramps tells him that all the time.
“No, I was thinking about how stupid you would look in a suit,” Gary answers, honestly.
Ash covers his face with his hands. Gary sighs. Alright, this is a delicate situation. He should try to be nice.
“I’m sure it wouldn’t be that bad,” Gary says. “You'll be fine. Just take one of your friends for company. The night will pass quickly.”
Ash peeks at Gary through his fingers. “You’re my friend.”
The implication of Ash’s words hit Gary like a ton of bricks. He can’t stop himself from blurting out, “Do we really need to put a label on our relationship?”
Ash drops his hands. “You said we’re best friend. Best of friends ’til the end, remember?”
Of course, Gary remembers—it’s one of his top five most embarrassing moments. He doesn’t know what came over him that day to turn him so disgustingly sentimental. Yeah, he meant what he said, but he never intended to actually say it to Ash. He has a reputation to maintain.
“C’mon, Gary. It wouldn’t be that bad. The night will pass quickly,” Ash says, throwing back his words.
Gary rubs his forehead. “I really don’t get why you want me to go. Does the Monarch’s plus one get sacrifice to Eternatus at the end of the night?”
“I wouldn’t let Eternatus eat you, Gary. Your hair spray would upset its stomach.”
Gary slumps back in his chair as he waits for Ash to explain himself. Ash has a lot of friends—most of them would drop everything to help him. So there’s no reason for Ash to be here pleading with Gary. He’s got other options. There’s gotta be something else going on here.
“This is your kind of thing,” Ash finally says. “Dressing up, showing off. Hanging out with rich people. You were made for this.” Then he goes straight for Gary’s ego. “You know, you’re my first and only choice.”
“I was there when you got the invitation. Pikachu was your first choice.”
“You’re my first human choice,” Ash insists. “I just really want someone who knows what they’re doing. Cuz I don’t.” He casts a pleading look at Gary. “Help me out here.”
Gary sighs. Contrary to popular belief, Gary has a heart and it’s got a soft spot for Ash. He hates seeing Ash look so lost. It doesn’t suit him—he should always be stubbornly striding forward. Usually, it just takes a few words to get Ash moving in the right direction but it looks like Gary needs to be more involved this time.
“Say please.”
Ash hesitates for a moment, but he gives in. “Please.”
“Now say, Gary, you’re the best. You’re way better than me.”
Ash shoves his shoulder.
“Hey, it was worth a shot,” Gary laughs, leaning back in his chair. “But you should try to be nicer to me cuz I’m going to be your partner for the gala.”
Ash brightens. “Thanks, Gary.”
He hops down from Gary’s desk then hurries out of the office—probably off to cause a mess elsewhere. Gary soothes out his crinkled paperwork. At least he’ll be able to finish his work in peace and quiet now. ‘Peace and quiet’ just lasts a few seconds. Ash suddenly pokes his head back into the room.
“By the way, I need to borrow a suit.”
Ash is pretty sure his tie is choking him.
Yeah, it’s definitely too tight. He reaches for the tie, intending to yank it off, but his mom’s hand shoots out. She grabs his wrist, lowers his arm and says, for the fifth time tonight, “Ash, honey, it’s fine. Now go stand next to Gary for another picture.”
Ash casts a pleading look at Gary, please stop my mom. Gary, who’s supposed to be helping him tonight but isn’t being really helpful right now, just waves him over.
“C’mon Ash, your mom just wants some nice photos.”
“Yes, smile, Ash,” his mom calls out. “I want to frame these pictures.”
“Don’t we have enough pictures of Gary in the house?” Ash whines, remembering the family photo albums. Gary shows up more than Ash sometimes—he’s always loved being the center of attention. “People are goin' to start thinking he lives here.”
“Well, Gary grew up here like you grew up at the lab,” Professor Oak says. “Though I don’t have as many pictures as Delia. I just have crayon drawings on the walls.”
Ash lets out an over exaggerated sigh as he accepts his fate. At least more time in Pallet Town means less time at the gala. So he grins and bears it as his mom snaps pictures and then lists some reminders for tonight. ‘Be polite,’ ‘Watch your feet if you dance,’ ‘Don’t stuff food in your pockets.’ He waits—hopes—for his mom to announce a curfew. That would get him out of the event early, ‘Sorry I gotta go, Mom said I need to be home at 8.’
“You can stay out as late as you want.”
Damnit.
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring Ash home by midnight.”
“Why? Is that when you turn back into a pumpkin?”
“I wouldn’t be a pumpkin, Ash,” Gary says, sending out his Alakazam. “I’d be something rarer like a dragon fruit.”
“Or maybe you'd be a nut,” Ash mumbles.
He reaches out to grasp Alakazam’s shoulder. Pikachu tightens his grip on Ash’s jacket; his little bowtie rubs against Ash’s cheek. A few days ago, teleporting to Galar sounded like a great idea. But now Ash fears he’s going to lose his lunch on the way.
Gary grips Ash’s hand. “Don’t let go. I’m not teleporting all over the world to look for you.”
Oh, he should’ve thought about that. He could’ve escaped.
Mom and Professor Oak shout their goodbyes as Alakazam prepares to teleport. They both look way more excited than Ash. Right before they leave, Ash sees his mom turn to Professor Oak and say, “It took them long enough.”
Long enough for what?
One second he's standing in front of his mom, the next he's standing in an empty hallway. Ash looks around. For a second, he thinks Alakazam missed the target. Maybe they landed in Unova or, better yet, Alola. But then he sees the Wyndon Stadium outside the window. He slumps forward.
“Are you ready?” Gary asks, recalling Alakazam.
“No.”
“We gotta go in eventually,” Gary says. “We can do it now when it’s still early and empty. Or later when everyone is here.” He grins. “I really prefer a late dramatic entrance.”
“Let’s go now.”
They head up the grand staircase, following the sound of music in the distance. Ash tries to reassure himself that everything will be fine. Super fine. He’s the guest of honor. People can’t be mean to him, right? Leon told him that this event is supposed to celebrate the start of the new tournament season and the previous winner. What’s the worst that can happen?
They could ask him to give a big speech.
Ash freezes outside the large wooden door. Gary shoots him a pointed look.
“Pull yourself together, Ash. We’re getting this over with now.”
Gary bangs on the door; it pulls back after a beat. Ash wants to run but he can’t feel his legs. Once the door opens, he can’t feel anything anymore. Gary was wrong. This place isn’t empty—it’s already full of people. He watches everyone’s head turn in his direction, their unblinking eyes pin him down on the spot.
“Everyone is staring at me,” Ash mumbles.
“No, Ashy-boy. They’re staring at me. I’m the best dressed person here,” Gary says, insufferably arrogant as always. “Now let’s go say hello to everyone.”
Gary presses his hand to Ash’s back. As they walk into the ballroom, Ash hears people whisper his name. He suddenly feels like he’s stepping into a nightmare rather than a party. A woman breaks free of the crowd to greet them. Ash is pretty sure he has seen her before—maybe he shook her hand after receiving his trophy last year but he shook a lot of people’s hands that day.
She says she’s a member of the Pokemon Battle Committee. Ash forces out a hello. Oh, he sounds awful. He’s going to ruin this already. But then Gary swoops in with a polite, ’It’s nice to meet you,’ and his usual prideful introduction, ‘I’m Gary Oak from the Town of Pallet,' and he ends with a quick lie, ‘Ash is still jet lagged from our flight here.’
Gary starts chattering effortlessly and Ash has never been so grateful for his big mouth. He’s still speaking as he leads Ash away, ‘We’ll find you later to talk more. Again, it was really nice to meet you.’
They head to a table full of drinks and food. Gary grabs a glass. Then he looks warily at Ash and he says, “If I give you this, will you promise not to drop it?”
Ash’s hands are too sweaty to be hold anything right now, but he’s desperate for water so he nods his head, then shakes it because he isn’t sure what’s the correct answer. Gary takes pity on him. He hands over the glass; Ash gulps down the water in one swing.
“Don’t choke,” Gary scolds him. “Now it’s not going that bad. You’re still standing. For a while there, I thought you were going to pass out.”
“Can I pass out? I’ll lay down under the table. No one will notice.”
“What’s got you so scared? You’ve faced bigger crowds.”
“There’s a big difference between battling and this,” Ash says, waving his hands. “Battling is about my Pokemon, this is about me. What if everyone here hates me? What if they like me too much and they want a big speech?”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re thinking too much.” Gary sighs. “If they want a speech, just say, it’s a honor to be here, then talk about your Pokemon.” He raises his eyebrow. “And since when do care about what people think about you?”
Gary places a hand on Ash’s shoulder.
“But if anyone bothers you too much, I’ll get rid of them. That’s why I’m here.”
Ash slowly nods his head. Gary’s got a point. Nothing good comes from worrying about things that haven’t happened.
Gary grins. “Alright. Now let’s try to have some fun here.”
“You promise no dancing,” Ash says quickly.
“I’m sure we can find some other form of entertainment here.” Gary casts him a mischievous look. “But if you want to dance later, I’m willing. I could use a good laugh tonight.”
The gala isn’t so bad.
Gary leads Ash around the room because he’s serious about saying hello to everyone. Good first impression, he explains. Turns out, it’s easy to talk to most of the guests. Pikachu easily charms them. They congratulate Ash and then ask about his Pokemon or his old battles. He could talk about those topics forever.
There are a few difficult people. Some big-wigs from big name corporations try to badger Ash about sponsorship deals but Gary shoos them away with, “It’s a party, let’s not talk business. Ash will response to your letters soon.”
(He really needs to read those letters, he can’t avoid them anymore.)
And there are some persistent people who want to dance with Ash. Gary talks them out of it with, “Ash is my date tonight. He can’t have his first dance with someone else.” Against one very stubborn man, Gary drops his polite mask to bluntly say, “I don’t share.”
(“Don’t give me that scandalized look, Ashy.” Gary rolls his eyes. “It worked, didn’t it?”)
So it was a good idea to bring Gary to the gala. People even recognize his name when he introduces himself, which is how Gary and some scientist end up discussing Galarian fossils. Ash is half listening to them, half surveying the room. Leon said he would be here but Ash hasn’t seen him. Probably got lost on the way here. A burst of noise draws Ash’s attention to the back of the room. There’s Diantha, surrounded by a circle of admirers.
Ash squeezes Gary’s arm, promises he’ll be right back, then hurries off to greet Diantha.
It’s a relief to see a familiar face. Diantha steps away from her circle so they speak among themselves. They exchange a quick ‘how are you?’ and ‘what have you been up to?’ She’s sympathetic when he admits he’s still trying to get used to this type of attention.
“It’s difficult at first but you’ll find ways to manage,” she says.
“Should I start wearing a disguise? Or get a manager?” Ash asks, remembering his previous encounters with Diantha.
Diantha laughs. “You don’t have to follow my example. You must make your decisions based on what you want." She smiles slightly. "It seems like you’ve already decided on the person who you want by your side.”
“Gary? Yeah, he’s the best. He's here tonight for me.”
“It’s good that your boyfriend is supportive.” Diantha waves goodbye. “Try to enjoy your time here. I’ll see you around.”
She returns to her admirers, but Ash remains frozen on the spot. He doesn’t move until Gary appears at his side. Gary says something about Dracovish, Cara Lisa, and ‘How exactly did you catch him?’ Ash mumbles, ‘uh-huh,’ and, ‘he bites,’ because the word, boyfriend, is bouncing around so rapidly in his head that it’s knocking out his other thoughts.
“Are you alright? You look a little pale,” Gary asks. Pikachu squeaks a reply. “No, I don’t think you should shock him. At least not here. C’mon, Ash.”
Gary leads him across the floor to an open balcony. He still hears the music and chatter from the ballroom but there’s no one else out here. This is most privacy that they’ve had all night. It almost feels like they’re hiding.
“Well, what happened? Did someone upset you? Are you hungry?”
He must look bad because Gary asks Pikachu to fetch some food. Pikachu hops off Ash’s shoulder. Right before Pikachu leaves, he flicks his tail at Gary and then sends Ash a knowing look.
Ash’s face flushes red.
“I’m fine,” he manages to force out. “Really, really fine.”
“Then stop sweating, you’re going to ruin my suit.”
“Seriously, Gary?”
“What? You said you’re fine. Really, really fine.”
Ash covers his face with his hands; he tries to clear his thoughts. Diantha just made a small mistake. No big deal. Gary isn’t his boyfriend. But he’s kind of acting like one. No! Well…maybe a little. It’s not bad. It’s good. Really good. If Gary was his boyfriend, he would be happy. Ash presses his palms against his eyes. He shouldn’t have those thoughts because Gary definitely doesn’t think like that. It’s so easy to imagine Gary’s reaction to being called Ash’s boyfriend: he’d throw his head back to laugh, shout something like, ‘Ash? Ash Ketchum? I’ve got better taste than that!’ in the same mocking voice that he used years ago to say, ‘I don’t have time to waste with a loser like you!’
Gary gently grasps Ash’s wrists, slowly guides his hands from his face.
“Enough of that. What’s wrong?”
Ash doesn’t want to talk about how he maybe likes Gary more than he should. So he drags up something else that’s been bothering him.
“Why are you here?” Ash asks.
“You asked me. Did you forget already?”
“You didn’t have to come.”
Honestly, Ash expected Gary to reject his invitation. Gary has always been a ‘sink or swim’ type of person. He refuses to hold people’s hands but, tonight, he’s kept a steady hand on Ash’s back. Gary is really nice…no wonder Ash is so confused about everything.
“If you didn’t want my company, then you shouldn’t have invited me.”
“I’m not saying I don’t want you.” Ash actually feels the opposite right now. “It’s just that this isn’t like you. You’re being so…” Nice. Sweet. Supportive. “…helpful.”
“Yeah, I’m being helpful. I came here for you,” Gary says. “I wouldn’t do this for anyone else because I don’t care about anyone else like I care about you.”
Oh.
Gary draws back as if his own words shock him. A conflicted look crosses his face for a moment, but he continues on, “You’re the helpful one, Ash. If someone has a problem, you run to help. I know you’d do that for me. So I had to do something when you looked so unsure about yourself the other day.” Gary meets Ash’s eyes. “I know things used to rough between us, but you know you can rely on me, right?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but not too much.” Gary tries to look stern, but there’s no heat behind his gaze. “You gotta grow your own backbone.”
Ash smiles, amused. Of course Gary doesn’t want to seem too nice. Even so, his words warm Ash’s heart. His life is so busy now between traveling, training, helping people and Pokemon, and champion duties. It's a lot of work, it's kind of messy. Gary knows this. But he's still offering to be someone who Ash can rely on because he cares about Ash more than anyone else.
Ash’s heart skips a beat.
Gary glances away, rubs the back of his neck. “I’ll come with you to this gala next season too. I know it’ll probably take a while for you to get used to these things.”
“Next season, huh? You think I’m going to win again?”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t bet on anyone else,” Gary says, holding out his hand. “Now are you ready to go back inside? People are going to start looking for us soon.”
Ash reaches out to him, locks their fingers together. As they step back inside, Ash hopes the gala lasts all night. He doesn’t want to let go of Gary’s hand anytime soon.