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A brutal heatwave hits Pallet Town on the first day of summer.
Ash quickly realizes his dusty old fan can’t do much against the extreme heat so he packs a bag, grabs Pikachu and rushes out of his house.
“We’re going swimming,” Ash says, placing his hat on top of Pikachu’s head. “I know a place nearby. Hang on.”
Pikachu lets out an excited squeak. His paws cling onto Ash’s jacket as Ash jogs to Professor Oak’s lab. If they cut across the Oak’s backyard, they’ll reach the lake outside of Pallet Town in a few minutes. The promise of cold water propels Ash forward. Nothing could distract Ash from this journey.
Nothing at all except the sight of Gary sprawled on the grass outside the lab.
Ash makes a beeline straight for his old friend.
On closer inspection, Ash sees Gary is lying on top of his lab coat. Ash kneels down right next to him.
“Whatcha doing, Gary?”
No response.
Ash resists the urge to poke Gary’s face because he doesn’t want to lose any fingers. So, instead, he leans over Gary and says, “Hey, Gary. Gary. C’mon Gary, you can’t ignore me. I’m right here. I won’t stop talking until you answer me.”
Gary groans. “Can’t you let me melt in peace?”
Ash grins. “Do you really want to become a puddle of hairspray?”
“Very funny,” Gary grumbles, opening his eyes. “Why’re you so happy? It’s too hot to be happy.”
“I’m going swimming,” Ash says, cheerfully. Then, as a good friend, Ash realizes he can’t just leave Gary out here to melt. “Come with me.”
“Swimming?” Gary repeats. “You and me?” He’s silent for a long moment before he waves his hand dismissively. “Go on your own. I’m busy right now.”
“No, you’re not,” Ash says, a bit of a whine slipping into his voice. He already made up his mind about Gary joining him so he isn’t leaving this place alone. “You’re just lying on the ground. There’s no one even around. Where’re all the Pokemon?”
“Swimming in the ponds, or inside their Pokeballs. This is perfect time to inspect the grounds,” Gary answers, covering his face with his arm. “I’ll be up in a minute.”
Ash leans back, taps his fingers against his knee. He’s never been good at waiting for anything, but he counts out sixty seconds in his head. His patience isn’t rewarded. Gary is still lying down after his minute is up. He looks almost peaceful.
Ash sighs, loudly.
Gary ignores him, but Arcanine — lying nearby — rises his head.
An idea flashes through Ash’s mind.
“Hey, Arcanine,” Ash calls out. “Do you want to go swimming?”
Arcanine barks happily.
“You don’t like water, Arcanine,” Gary mumbles, sleepily. “You’re a fire-type.”
Ash ignores Gary’s comment. He claps his hands together then says,
“It’ll be fun!”
Arcanine’s tail wags rapidly back and forth, it hits the ground with a loud thump-thump. The noise finally wakes Gary.
“Fine. Fine,” he says, standing up. “Let’s go swimming.”
Ash grins.
Even though Gary drags his feet all the way to the lake, he’s the first one in the water. Ash looks on, amused, as Gary swims circles around Dracovish and mumbles, ‘How can you swim? How do you exist?’ Nearby Arcanine and Pikachu splash their paws in the water while the rest of their Pokemon wander in-and-out of the lake.
Ash stretches out on the smooth rocks surrounding the lake. He should’ve planned this trip sooner. The soothing sound of running water and the distant birdsongs nearly lull Ash to sleep, but then Dracovish lets out a loud cry. Ash bolts upright in time to see Dracovish leap out of the water. It rushes straight to the forest. Before Ash can chase after it, Dracovish flops down on the grass. It's loud snores startle everyone.
A burst of laughter escapes Ash.
“You always bring home the most interesting Pokemon, Ashy-boy,” Gary calls out.
“Hey, Dracovish is a simple little guy,” Ash insists. “It likes to battle and play. It just gets distracted a lot.”
“Like trainer, like Pokemon.”
Ash throws a towel at Gary’s face as soon as he steps out of the water. Unsurprisingly, Gary catches the towel easily. Surprisingly, he accepts it with a quick ‘thanks’ rather than throw it back at Ash’s head. The cold water must’ve put Gary in a good mood. Or maybe he’s happy about discovering his next research topic. Either way, he’s smiling when he sits down.
“We haven’t been here in a long time,” Gary says, his voice almost wistful.
Ash hums in acknowledgment, they used to spend a lot of time here. They swam together in these waters as children. But then, a few years later, they stood — quite literally — on opposite sides of the nearby river because their rivalry overrode their friendship. Their last encounter out here involved fishing rods, a broken Pokeball, and Gary rejecting him with, ‘Tying with you is just as bad as losing!’
The memory stirs something in Ash’s chest. A familiar pang of frustration at Gary’s old arrogance, and an unexpected burst of fondness for Gary himself. Despite everything, Gary has been a reliable presence in Ash’s life for a long time: first as his know-it-all childhood friend, then his sworn rival, and now his best friend.
Ash is sure his ten-year-old self would be horrified to learn Gary is his best friend. Back then, Ash couldn’t stand Gary’s sense of superiority. He always tried to find some imperfection in Gary’s perfection. But now, there’s something comforting about his presence, from the dark green shade of his eyes to the proud tilt of his chin and the curve of his lips. Ash realizes he’s staring too much when Gary smirks at him.
“Like what you see?” Gary asks.
“No!” Ash spits out, quick and high-pitched.
Gary laughs loudly.
“Hey! It’s ok! I like how I look too!”
Ash turns away, fuming. Maybe it’s true that he likes how Gary looks. He can’t take his eyes off Gary whenever they’re in the same room, he can’t get Gary’s face out of his head after they talk. But he can’t say that aloud. Gary’s ego is big enough without Ash praising his face. For a brief moment, Ash considers tossing Gary into the water to escape his teasing, but then Gary presses his knee against Ash’s and says, in a soft voice,
“And I like how you look.”
Ash’s head whips in Gary’s direction. There isn’t a hint of malice or mischief in Gary’s eyes — he’s actually being sincere.
“What?” Gary asks. “Don’t like how you look?”
“Oh no, I know I’m the best looking guy in Pallet Town,” Ash says, smiling slightly at Gary scoff. “I just didn’t think you noticed.”
Ash always thought he looked at Gary more than Gary looked at him. He remembers how Gary used to brush him off as kids, and now how Gary is too busy with work to hang out a lot. It’s hard to imagine Gary setting aside time to admire his face so Ash is shocked when Gary presses a hand to his cheek.
“You’re hard to ignore,” Gary says. “Trust me, I tried.”
Ash stares at Gary, wide-eyed and tongue-tied. Gary usually leaves him speechless, but never like this. A heavy silence settles over them. Ash can’t put together his words — can’t tell if Gary is joking, can’t calm his racing heart — so, in the end, he doesn’t get the chance to do anything. Gary draws his hand back, turns away as if nothing just happened between them.
“I’m going back home. The heat is messing with my head.”
That finally snaps Ash into action. He reaches forward, cups Gary’s face in his hands, and says,
“I lied! I like your face! I like it a lot!”
If Gary is being honest, then Ash should be too. He likes Gary’s face, especially when Gary looks proud of him. It’s a rare look that Ash has always sought out. Nothing else could compare to it. Well, nothing until now. Under Ash’s touch, a faint blush appears on Gary’s face. The sight shocks Ash — he’s never seen Gary like this. He can’t stop himself from brushing his thumb across Gary’s cheek. Gary’s eyes flutter close; Ash’s heart skips a beat.
Ash suddenly realizes two things at once. One, this is Ash’s favorite look on Gary’s face now. He could stare at Gary like this forever and he’d never get bored. Two, he really, really likes Gary.
A burst of confidence fills Ash’s heart. He leans forward quickly. Too quickly. He misses his chance at a kiss. Instead, Ash’s lips press against the corner of Gary’s mouth. Ash draws back — too embarrassed to try again — but he doesn’t get far because Gary grasps his arm.
“Don’t be a tease,” Gary says.
And then Gary kisses him.
Gary’s kiss is soft and sweet, nothing at all like Ash expects. The gentleness makes Ash’s heart ache, but Gary never holds back when they face each other so he shouldn’t start now. Ash grips Gary’s shoulders, presses his lips firmly against Gary’s mouth. As always, Gary understands what Ash needs. He pulls Ash onto his lap, tangles his fingers in Ash’s hair, and deepens their kiss.
They finally part when they’re lightheaded from kissing and the sun. Under the shade of the nearby trees, they lie down together with Ash’s head on Gary’s shoulder. It’s too hot to be this close, but Ash isn’t willing to let go of Gary right now. He’s always known he was drawn to Gary for some unexplainable reason and now that he knows the reason, he wants to stay together.
“We should come out here again,” Ash says. “We could pack some food, have a picnic after we swim.”
“Oh? Are you planning our first date already?” Gary asks, his voice full of amusement.
Ash huffs. “Yeah. I like you. Didn’t you figure it out after what we…” He makes some vague gestures with his hand, too embarrassed to say it aloud. “…after what we just did?”
Gary laughs, then kisses Ash's forehead. “I got it, I swear. You like me, I like you. We’re gonna come out here tomorrow to swim and picnic.”
“I didn’t say tomorrow.”
“Why wait? I wanna be here with you again,” Gary says, then continues, softly, “I wanna be with you.”
Ash reaches for Gary’s hand, intertwines their fingers together.
Tomorrow, then. It’s a promise.