Ohayo minna. What a day this has been. Anyway. I bring you Pokemon clan a new fic! A Gary/Ash one. I've never been to the Pokemon fics myself, but I bet it's a pretty popular pairing. O.o Anyway. I dedicate this to Kori just because. Well, you should thank him, otherwise I never would have bothered writing this down. Then again, you shouldn't if you don't like it. O_o.

Warnings: Shonen ai & yaoi

                  AU ages

                  OCC (Slightsap!Ash and Badboy!Gary)

                  Original Character- Kei (NOT a Mary-sue. Yuck. He won't stay long either)

                  Like I've stated earlier, this follows the Pokemon Yellow timeline rather than the show's, as I haven't seen the first season in ages, except for Misty's short appearance.

If you flame me on these things, I will ignore you and assume you're stupid. I mean, no offense, but why are you still reading this if you don't like the stuff I warned you about? Any other reason I will accept. But I still like constructive criticism better.

So, I'll leave you alone to read, ne? Ja.

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            "Ow! Mom!" Rubbing his hands through messy strands, 15-year-old Ash Ketchum say up in bed. "Sheesh, I'm up, I'm up! No need to hit me!"

            Slim and relatively tall, his mother blinked innocently towards him. "But honey, you won't wake up otherwise."

            He grumbled something to himself about naivety and dragged his 'carcass' out of bed. "What do you want, anyway?"

            "It's breakfast time, honey. Oh, and Gary dropped by to tell you 'today's challenge is still on.' He's such a fine young man; you two aren't fighting again, are you?"

            "No, mom, we aren't fighting." He made a strange face and slipped out of bed, tangled covers falling off the mattress after him. He pushed his mother towards the door, clad in nothing but black boxers. "Mom, I need to get dressed!"

            "Alright, honey. Just hurry up though, I made you pancakes."

            He brightened at the word 'pancakes,' hazel eyes flashing mirthfully. " 'Kay!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Gary! Hey, Gary!" He ran towards the teen lying in the field, lounging beneath a large oak tree. A long wheat strand was caught between his lips, his eyes shut.

The 16-year-old smirked when the raven-haired boy arrived. "Ketchum."

Ash dropped next to the older male, pressing his back against the trunk. He sighed and eyed a group of fangirls nearby wearily. He shifted his gaze to the sky, making out random shapes as he spoke. "Doesn't that bother you?"

A single chocolate eye unveiled to watch him. "Mmm?"

"…The fangirls."

The lid dropped closed again and the russet-haired teen spit out the wheat-strand, grinning. "No, of course not."

"I dunno, it'd bother me." Gary sat up, looked at him, and chuckled. Ash frowned in annoyance, crossing his eyes and turning his shoulders in so that he looked at Gary with a pout. "What?"

"Just imagining you ever having fangirls."

Ash twitched, growling at his senior. "It's not FUNNY!" Gary burst out laughing, while his companion seethed. "Damnit…"

The 16-year-old calmed and returned to his previous position, staring at the bright blue sky. "So, what're you doing here anyway?"

"I was going to ask you about the supposed 'challenge.' With you, no one could ever know what that means."

The comment cracked a smile across the elder's face. "Only for you."

The baseball cap-donned boy made the strangest face. "Ow. Diss."

Gary snickered. "Except this time it really is a challenge. But a long one."

Ash shrugged and stretched out on his stomach, chin resting in the crook of his arm while he gazed at the older teen. "So? What's it for?"

"Well…" he frowned at the sky, "You remember what you asked last night?"

[Flashback]

Ash lay spread-eagle on the bed, head resting on someone's leg. Three guesses who that is and the first two don't count. He was still slightly panting, eyes half-lidded and glazed. "That's a nasty habit."

The one above him shrugged carelessly, taking a long drag from the cigarette before flipping it into the ashtray. "Blame it on Kei. …I'd recommend putting your boxers back on before you fall asleep. With a mom like yours, you know-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll do it later." A long silence passed between them, Gary running his fingers absently through Ash's onyx strands, while the other rested calmly. "…Hey, Gary?"

"Mmm?"

"Will you ever stop messing with my head?"

He blinked and looked down at the boy, who seemed very young and innocent suddenly. "What?" Ash did not even twitch as he continued. "I mean, you're always flirting with your fangirls, and just about anyone else our age- and you've slept with at least half of the entire high school population, and a third of the ninth grade, and- You're driving me insane."

"Ash--"

"Oh, don't even. I know it's what you do and everything but… I don't know, I guess...I..." He sighed quietly. "Can't you just stay with me, you know, settle down a bit? …Give long-term relationships a shot?"

"What makes you think you're so special I'd do that just for you?" He snapped. Surprised with himself, he bit his lip, but didn't say anything.

"Because…" He sighed again and his eyes closed, "...you always come back to me." It was a long time before anyone moved again, and then only because Gary was leaving for home.

[End of Flashback]

"…Yeah, I remembered all right." He swallowed, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"I gave it some thought," He decided to refrain from mentioning the question had stolen his ability to sleep. "Look, I know gramps has been pestering you about starting Pokemon training recently, since he's giving out starting Pokemon soon. You have to join and become the best in the world, ok? It'll take a lot of work and time. Then…" he glanced to the one beside him, "I'll give it some serious consideration."

Ash sighed and rolled onto his back, staring at the branches overhead. "…"

Gary turned on his side, holding his head up in his palm, frowning. "Ash?"

His eyes drifted shut wearily. "…Ok."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You are such a humanizer." The young man flicked his companion's forehead, leaning against his house's outside wall, brick biting into his back.

Gary snickered, grabbing the cigarette from his friend. "A humanizer?"

The natural-blonde, though this month his hair was a blaze of electric blue and psychedelic purple, smirked, watching the other suck the life out of his cigarette, before exhaling, eyelids fluttering while he did so. "Damn right."

The russet-haired teen flicked the ash off before he stretched his hand out the first. "What the hell's a humanizer?"

"'S like a womanizer except for both sexes. Humans, see?"

"Tch." He decided to keep the cigarette and took another long drag from the quickly-disappearing tobacco stick, smirking hazily. "You've got some imagination, Kei."

"You know it. Did you know, though… you're pretty when you're high."

"Why am I, anyway? D'you stick some mari-jane in your cigerettes again?"

"Yeah…" He sounded wistful. "It's not my fault you stole it, anyway."

"…Am I, really?"

Kei blinked, "Really what?"

"Pretty."

The punk grinned wickedly, shoving his best friend against the wall. They made out for a bit before he was shoved away roughly. "Kei. Wall. Ow."

The teenage delinquent snickered and hoisted him to his feet, leading him towards the porch. Gary caught Ash's eye and winked before disappearing into the dark house. Flat hazel orbs stared at the door for a moment before the owner pulled his cap low over his eyes, burying his hands in his pockets, and continued on his way. If Pokemon was his only chance, then Pokemon it would be.