Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its wonderful characters. They all belong to Satoshi Tajiri and the Nintendo Company. If I did own it, Gary and Misty would be the ones traveling together…

Summary: Misty's day at a carnival turns from bad to worse, until Gary turns her frown upside down…

Warning: This fanfiction is an egoshippy story. Yes, that would be a Gary/Misty… If this pairing disturbs you, I suggest that you leave… Pokéshippers beware… But if you enjoy this pairing, I warmly welcome you here and I hope you enjoy!

Reminder: The texts in italics refer to either a flashback or a thought.

Embrace

By: Momentum's Strife

CHAPTER 1

"This day is so down the drain," grumbled an enraged Misty Waterflower as she went through the double doors leading to the Cerulean City Gym Battle Arena. She just got her butt kicked in the last Gym Battle for the Cascade Badge.

"Here!" she frustratingly said as she slammed the sapphire badge in the waiting palms of the young trainer.

"Geez! Miss, you don't have to be cranky just because you lost!" exclaimed the young man with an egoistical smirk to match.

"Just buzz off kid…" was the only reply Misty could muster.

"Man, this Gym is more pathetic than I thought!" the trainer continued. "Not only the Pokémon here suck, but the leader is a sore loser herself!" After hearing that unruly comment, Misty was utilizing every ounce of self-control within her to stop herself from strangling the trainer to death. The trainer laughed raucously.

"Misty, calm yourself down," she repeatedly thought while giving the trainer a death glare.

She perfectly knew the consequences if she did something violent to him.

But how could she calm down? She tried her best to shun the most embarrassing memory of her Pokémon career to the back of her mind…

Her Politoed was obviously more of a match for the newbie's Charmander. Poorly aimed Flamethrowers were going everywhere. Misty's Pokémon dodged the searing flames with tremendous ease. Until one fateful moment… Her Politoed was standing at the edge of the Gym pool, poised to strike one last Hydro Pump to end the match. But a missed Flamethrower scorched a paper banner at the near roof of the Gym. Ashes rained the whole arena. Unfortunately, some of it went into the poor Politoed's eyes, blinding it. It howled in pain as it lost its balance at the pool's slippery edge. It wiggled its arms frantically to regain balance…. But, failed miserably… It slipped. To Misty's horror, it did a lopsided somersault in the air and landed on its own head, knocking itself out.

The trainer just won because of sheer luck. And here he is, ranting for the world to hear that he actually beat Misty Waterflower because of his unmatched talent! "Goodbye, Miss! I'll not be seeing you!" said the overconfident trainer while heading off to the double doors leading to the exit.

"I hope that kid trips on his way home. That oughta remove that stupid smirk off his face," thought Misty viciously as she headed to her two-storey house which was conveniently located in the back of the Cerulean City Gym. As she was heading for her quaint home, she saw the young trainer heading off in the direction towards Vermillion City, where the next badge was to be obtained, still wearing that irritating grin on his face. There was something about that kid… Something that reminded of her about her past…

"Hi there, Sis! What's up?" Daisy exclaimed energetically while waving to Misty at the front door.

"Oh, nothing much," answered Misty, without even a pinch of interest.

"Hey Sis, what happened in that match between you and that newbie trainer? You won of course, right?" chirped Lily.

"Don't remind me about it," grumbled Misty.

"Why? What happened in there?" inquired Violet, who was busy making lunch.

"I don't wanna talk about it," mumbled Misty through gritted teeth.

The four women went silent for a few minutes while chowing down the lunch Violet made, while Misty's already bubbling temper increased every second… Then, Misty remembered something... "OH MY GOSH!" shouted Misty with a panicked face. "What's wrong!" her sisters shouted at the same time. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" babbled Misty as she went dashing into her room at the second floor.

"My goodness…I totally forgot about Tracey's birthday party! I was so preoccupied because of that stupid kid! I'm gonna be late! Oh, the guys will kill me!" thought Misty frantically as she searched her labyrinthine closet for the proper attire. She settled for a nice frilly, red sleeveless shirt while donning dark blue jeans and sporting cute girly sandals.

"This is all that kid's fault! If I ever see him again, I'm gonna kill him!" she thought savagely while combing her elegant red hair, and tying it into a pigtail. As she ran outside, things got from bad to worse. She ran so fast that she actually lost her footing and slipped on the way to their garage and her face landed squarely in the garden patch beside it.

"Oh, come on now! I don't have time for this!" she said savagely as she went looking for a towel which is usually situated in her car compartment. She didn't mind that her make-up was already being messed up during the vigorous wiping, just to get that yucky mud and soil out of her pretty face. After a few minutes of frantic cleaning, she scrambled to get her car keys in the ignition, and then drove like a maniac throughout the streets of her hometown.

"Out of the way!" shouted Misty as she drove past the slow-going cars, earning few curses from the enraged drivers. Misty's temper rose even higher upon hearing these. She already had half a mind of shouting back….but resisted herself from the temptation.

She finally reached her destination after ten minutes of excruciating road rage, which was the Cerulean City Amusement Park. Misty Waterflower should have been here at lunchtime to celebrate the 20th birthday of one her best friends, Tracey Sketchit, who already had a blooming career as a professional Pokémon watcher. The reason on why he chose this childish environment as a place to celebrate is way beyond Misty's comprehension. She finally got on her feet, secured the car and trudged along the path to the entrance to the park. Her feet felt like two blocks of cement as she crept closer to the park.

"Why am I doing this again?" she thought again. "What if somebody sees me here… I'll look like a total geek." But the thought of seeing her friends after a few years of separation was a good enough motivation for her.

She was still in a bad mood when she entered the park. "Hey, this place isn't that bad at all…" thought Misty. In fact, she sort of liked the place. All the rides and booths featured water Pokémon. Her low spirits lifted up a little. Slumping on the bench near a sparkling fountain with bearing a glorious Octillery statue on top of it, she dialed Ash's number to inform them that she had, at last, arrived. She waited for him to pick up. And waited… One ring… Two rings… Six…. Seven… Eleven… Twelve…

"Darn it! He's not picking up!" cursed Misty to herself, her temper rising up again. She tried to call again, but to no avail… She tried to call Tracey, but she remembered he doesn't have a cellular phone to begin with. "I am not searching this whole park for them! Darn it!" said Misty violently as her temper went up a few notches.

"OK Waterflower, think! Where could they be at this moment? Hmm…" thought Misty. After a few minutes of deep and critical thinking, Misty smirked. "Of course," she thought as a stroke of inspiration hit her. She was amazed at her own brilliance… She ran directly to a board where a map of the park is being shown, which was across from that bench where she was sitting.

The Food Court of the theme park was a humongous one. Misty cannot believe that this gigantic coliseum was solely dedicated for food. Booths of every food imaginable were being sold here, from the regular fried chicken for humans right down to the differently colored Pokéblocks which was the dream food of every Pokémon. One booth was even selling high quality Pokéblocks that were made by the great Brock of the Pewter City Gym himself, although at a reasonable cost. She giggled to herself as she remembered all those times she spent with Ash and the others. She can't believe how much she missed them during the past two years. She was so busy maintaining her Gym that she barely had time for her own social life, let alone to visit her friends.

"Hmm…they should be around here somewhere," whispered Misty. And after a few minutes of rigorous searching, she found Tracey in a table smack in the middle of the superdome.

"Hi, Tracey! I knew I'd find you here! Happy birthday!" shouted Misty energetically as she went dashing towards where he was sitting.

"Thanks, Misty! How've you been?" answered Tracey excitedly. "Oh, nothing much. My life practically revolved around my Gym these days so there's nothing much to say," sighed Misty. "But I've heard that the Cerulean City Gym is now one of the toughest Gyms to beat in Kanto…You must be pretty hard to beat to gain such a status." Misty blushed…but she suddenly remembered the trainer that challenged her from that morning. It must have shown in her face because Tracey suddenly asked, "Is something bothering you?"

Misty shook her head. "Nah, it's nothing to worry about," she murmured. "How did you find us anyway? This park must be at least fifteen hectares!" continued Tracey. "Oh, that…I remembered that Ash was with you…so I figured that you were here."

They laughed a little after that remark. As if right on cue, the person in question arrived with upon bowls and bowls of assorted food, ranging from chocolate-covered apples, spaghetti, and chocolate pudding. "Hey, Trace! Thanks for the food!" said Ash greedily. "Be careful with that. You brought too much food," remarked Tracey. "Nah, I can eat all these in a few minutes!" said Ash proudly, as if eating mountains of food was a great talent of his. "He hasn't changed a bit when it comes to food…The least he could do is say 'Hi'." thought Misty, hoping for him to do the latter.

But everything changed in a split second. A young boy wearing a Blastoise t-shirt and holding a Magikarp balloon suddenly darted in front of Ash. He lost his balance. "Oh no!" he exclaimed in horror. The plates and bowls that he held suddenly went flying as he tripped.

"Splat!" went the horrible sound. Ash Ketchum looked up to see Misty Waterflower all covered with sticky chocolate. The chocolate pudding he held earlier landed on Misty's flowing red hair, sitting like a grotesque hat. The sweet stuff covered her entire hair, making her appear as if she came from a boggy swamp. The delicious spaghetti landed on Misty's face, blending with her already messed up make-up. The two chocolate-covered apples smothered her precious red sleeveless shirt with candy and caramel. Ash could only stare.

After a few moments, Ash cracked a grin. But the grin got bigger and bigger…. and ended in a giant roar of laughter! "Man! You… look… like… a…. muck… monster!" Ash struggled to get every word out through his fits of laughter. Soon enough, the people around them began to stare to see what the hullabaloo was all about. And to Misty's horror and embarrassment, they began to laugh rowdily as well! She suddenly became the only center of attention and laughter in the whole of the food court! Tracey could do nothing but to stare. Ash's hysteria of laughter brought tears of joy to his eyes.

Tears were also starting to sting Misty's emerald eyes, but these were the opposite of Ash's…..they were tears of humiliation and regret…regret of coming there in the first place. Then again….another emotion was prevailing in her chest… anger….Her glare could have burnt a hole through Ash if he wasn't that dense.

"Ash Ketchum, you are such a clumsy, insensitive, immature pig!" screamed Misty with all her might. "At least, I… don't… look… like…a… muck… monster!" remarked Ash who was still doubling up because of laughter.

"Take that!" hollered Misty as she picked up and threw the plate of spaghetti into Ash's face. "Splat!" The audience howled out with more laughter. Even Tracey already started to laugh maniacally. Misty would have given all her money and designer clothes to vanish and evaporate on the spot. Tears began to slide down her rosy cheeks as she sprinted out of the Food Court. As she ran as fast as she could, she removed the chocolate pudding bowl from her head and threw it in a random direction. "Hey! What the-"said a guy not far away. The bowl hit an unlucky target. "Hey! Come back here, you moron!" shouted the young man. The audience, if possible, laughed even louder than before.

Misty Waterflower ran and ran. Passersby began to stare. Even the cramps on her sides didn't stop her. She just wanted to get out of that place as soon as she can. "I just wanna go home…." thought Misty desperately. "I hate that pig!" concluded Misty furiously as she ran towards the parking lot to her car, tears brimming down her face.

"Hold it! Hold your horses!" said a man's voice. As she heard that voice, a strong hand suddenly clamped down on her arm, forbidding her to go any further. "Let me go!" choked Misty. She just wanted to be as far from everybody as possible. She wanted to be all alone…

"No! Not until I've talked to you properly..."insisted the calm voice. Misty did not even turn around to face him. "Let me go!" she screamed. But, the vice-like grip on her arm never loosened.

"Calm down, for the love of Pokémon!" pleaded the man. The guy was still calm and patient. But Misty was still too flustered about the incident to care… "Women can be so stubborn sometimes," muttered the guy as an afterthought.

That was not exactly the right thing to say at that moment… Misty has reached her boiling point… She remembered the emotional encounters she had since that morning…She remembered it all…She remembered how it felt…They all came crashing down to her…That overconfident trainer from that morning at the Gym…those lousy drivers…Ash…Tracey…all those people in the Food Court… Now this guy! Who does he think he is? He can't stop the great, beautiful and talented Misty Waterflower! She was someone to be respected! She deserves better treatment!

"You think I'm stubborn! I'll show you stubborn!" screamed Misty as she summoned all the strength she could muster and slapped the guy holding her squarely in the face. "Ouch!" exclaimed the guy, who was caught in surprise. He unconsciously let go of Misty's arm and landed on his bottom. "Man! You sure are the strongest woman I've ever met! And the bravest and gutsiest one too. No girl ever slapped me… not ever," remarked the man calmly, while cleaning himself up as he stood.

"I'll tell you when I start to care! Just leave me alone!" snapped Misty acidly. "Fine, if that's what you want, Waterflower..." said the guy calmly as he turned around and walked slowly back to the entrance of the theme park. "It was a pleasure spending my precious sixty seconds with you," he continued, although his voice was much colder now and his last remark was evidently full of sarcasm.

Those last words pierced through Misty like a hot knife through butter. She definitely sensed hurt and defeat in the guy's voice. "He said my last name? Does he know me? Oh, no!" thought Misty in alarm and…in regret. She finally took the time and initiative to look back and see the guy who desperately tried to calm her down…Her temper vanished as she jogged to see him... The guy was already retreating slowly back to the park...He was wearing a blood red colored shirt while wearing black jeans. From the distance, Misty could clearly see that there was a necklace hanging from his neck...And that spiky brown hair… That patient, calm but arrogant voice…It was as if a bullet went through Misty's heart… He seemed familiar now…She recognized him…

She ran towards the guy. "Hey! You!" screamed Misty as she panted towards the young man…

The guy paused. As Misty arrived behind him… "Gee, I sure hope you're sorry right now… 'Cause I already have half a mind in calling Officer Jenny about this…" said the young man irritably while facing his back to Misty. "Look, I'm sorry, OK?" pouted Misty, twiddling her thumbs. "I should have never vented out my anger on you like that. You were just trying to help, I guess," murmured Misty sheepishly. "You're so darn right," said the guy, although his voice was back to the cool tone he used while trying calm Misty down.

"I'm really sorry, Gary," whispered Misty, oozing with sincerity. The young man whipped around. Indeed, it was the famous Gary Oak, the sensational Pokémon researcher who is the talk of most teenage women nowadays, who was also Ash Ketchum's rival.

"'Bout time you recognized me…and about time you said, 'Sorry'" he remarked, with a charming smile to match. "Guess I'm forgiven?" asked Misty, who returned his smile with one of her own.

"Yeah, guess so," came the reply. But then, Misty noticed something awkward. "Hey, what the!" she blurted. "Oh no!" continued Misty, trembling. "Why! What's wrong!" said Gary in alarm. He looked around. They were the only ones in the parking lot.

"I'm really sorry," she said regretfully. "What for? I said you're already forgiven," he inquired. "Err...I'm really sorry for spilling chocolate pudding on your shirt. So, you were the person that got hit by the chocolate pudding after I threw it," mumbled Misty regretfully. "Oh yeah…Actually, that was the reason why I chased you in the first place. Then, I saw you crying so I presumed something was wrong; which was more of a reason to go after you," he answered thoughtfully, while giving Misty another one of his handsome, TV-worthy smiles.

Misty's heart skipped a beat. "What? Did I actually hear that correctly? The Gary Oak was actually worried about me?" she thought frantically. "There's no use crying over spilled milk, I guess," mumbled Gary, interrupting Misty's daydream.

"So, do you want to come back in there to make up with your boy friend?" he joked. "No way! Not in this lifetime! Not after what he did…And he's not my boy friend!" said Misty, fuming.

"Oh come on, I was just joking! Just trying to liven up the situation here…Man, you sure have awesome lung power to shout like that… Maybe I should check up on you a little. For all we know, you could be an undiscovered Pokémon species," joked Gary again.

"Ha Ha! Very funny," replied Misty sarcastically. "That's strange…For some reason; he's the only guy I'm not getting angry at for teasing me…What's happening to me?" , she thought to herself. "Hmm, what happened? You went silent all of a sudden…What's the matter? Delcatty got your tongue?" asked Gary, with a puzzled look.

Misty could do nothing than just stare back. "Anyway," he sighed. "Do you really want to come back in there to see Ashy- boy? He could be really worried about you, you know?" he said exasperatedly as he stared in the entrance of the park. "No… Not now anyway," she murmured. She wanted as much distance between her and Ash as possible. "By the way, why are you here, Mr. Smarty Pants?" asked Misty, complete with a quizzical look on her face. "Me? Don't forget that Tracey works for my Grandpa. I got invited as well. I just arrived at the Food Court when you chucked that darn pudding into my shirt," he answered, with a half-amused, half-exasperated grin.

"So, what do you want to do?" continued Gary, who was staring at Misty with genuine concern. Going home was the last thing on Misty's mind. Her sisters were all out on dates, and she definitely did not want to be alone that moment. She needed comfort…she needed company…she needed Gary.

"Uhm, can I hang out with you a little more, please? I need some company…" begged Misty. Gary stared at her for a few moments, and then smiled. "Of course, but can you do me a favor? I really need to change clothes real bad. I can't stand it in these sticky clothes. My spare clothes are in my car… Can you wait? After I get changed, then we can work on you getting some clean clothes…and a clean face." requested Gary, with a wink to match.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you…I don't like to be alone…" answered Misty. Gary raised an eyebrow, wearing a rather surprised look on his face. "Gosh, he's really cute when he's doing that," thought Misty. After a few moments, Misty realized what she was thinking… "My God, what am I thinking?" she added to herself, and then snapped back to reality. "Don't worry! It's not like I'll peek at you or anything!" added Misty. "Fine," said Gary, admitting defeat and rolling his eyes.

Gary's red convertible was just a few parking spaces away from Misty's car. Misty gasped. It was still the same convertible Gary used on his Pokémon journey a few years back, although it looks like it is still in prime condition. "Now, you stay there. Don't turn your back unless you want me to call you a pervert, OK? Can you hold this for a moment, please? " commanded Gary, as he gave his old Yin-Yang necklace to Misty's hand. Misty snorted. "Don't treat me like a baby!" snapped Misty and crossed her arms. Gary grinned and unlocked his car door to get his bag of spare clothes in the passenger's seat. In that fleeting moment, Misty's thoughts focused upon on Gary once more…

"My God, he's such a cutie when he's smiling…I can't deny that he's really good-looking," thought Misty, with a dazzled look on her face. "Urgh! What's the matter with me!" retaliated Misty, who was lost in her thoughts. "Gary is just a friend, OK? Don't think about him like that!" she thought as she mentally scolded herself. She heard the car door swing open. "But still, I am curious…How does he look like without a shirt on?" Misty giggled to herself at such a thought. The temptation was big…She couldn't resist. This was her only chance. Her curiosity got the better of her… She decided to take a peek at the shirtless Gary. She turned her head around…Her jaw dropped to her knees because of what she saw.

"My God," were the only words she could muster. She expected Gary to have a scrawny, nerdy build because he was now in the Pokémon researching business. But, it was in fact the opposite. Misty didn't even blink. Her eyes got glued to his masculine body, from the muscled abdomen, up to the broad, chiseled chest and shoulders down to his muscular arms. But when, she looked up to his face, her drooling look was replaced with one of embarrassment. Gary was staring intently at her, wearing another one if his arrogant but oh-so-handsome smirks. Misty realized the situation and blushed a deep crimson red. It was impossible to distinguish the hue of her hair to the one on her face!

"Ehem," Gary cleared his throat. "You can close your mouth now. You're drooling," he added. He was deeply amused by Misty's reaction. "It-it's not what you think. I was looking over….to the bushes in front of your car…Yeah…that's it…."stammered Misty. Gary chuckled. "Bushes! Man, Misty! I've heard better excuses from a chicken sandwich! You were practically drooling back there," remarked Gary, still wearing that particular grin. "But, I don't blame you," he added. "No woman existing on this planet can resist the charm of Gary Oak! Not even the great and stubborn Misty Waterflower!" he proclaimed proudly as he put on his trademark purple shirt. Misty's emerald eyes narrowed because of that comment, and blushed a deeper crimson of red, if that was possible. But, she smiled at the same time…"I guess it's true," she mumbled to herself.

"Can I have my necklace back now?" he interrupted, looking at Misty. "Uhm…sure," replied Misty, as he handed back Gary's Yin-Yang necklace. "So…Now that's done… Shall we work on you now? Here… Clean you face first…," he said as he gave Misty a face towel. As she was cleaning her delicate face, Gary was mesmerized. "Man…she sure has changed over the years...She's way prettier than before," he realized, but shuddered at his last thought.

He kept staring at Misty while she's cleaning up…and was heavily startled to see her in tears again. "Why! What's wrong now?" he said in alarm. "I'm really sorry…You should be in there having fun with Ash and the rest. But instead, you're stuck with me. All I do is worry and disturb people," said Misty feebly. Gary was at a loss for words. He flinched. He didn't know exactly what to say. He didn't know why….but he also felt bothered in seeing her breaking down like this… Unlike his past girl friends, when he couldn't care less about their feelings when he broke up with them… "Oh, come on, Misty…You know that's perfectly false…," answered Gary, while wiping Misty's tear away. She stiffened at his touch, while she looked into his blue eyes… "You're not disturbing me…But, I am worried about you. That's why I promised to you that I would give you company…," he continued warmly. "Thanks…" was all Misty could say. She was touched by those last words…words of genuine concern… maybe even, words of love…She already had half a mind of hugging him…to feel his warmth…but resisted the temptation. She smiled a little.

"Phew" thought Gary, as he looked at Misty's emerald eyes. He was way relieved when he saw that she was feeling better… He returned Misty's smile with one of his own. "Come on, I'll get you some clean clothes inside. I saw some shops that actually sell decent clothes. You can rinse your hair in the comfort room. I'll pay for everything," he continued, smiling. "Are you sure about that? I have some money with me as well. I'm not that poor, you know," she answered, with a hint of pride. "Nah, I'll pay for it… If there is one thing I'm proud of besides my looks, my career and my Pokémon, it would be my bank account. Just consider it as a treat from the most handsome guy you'll ever see," he replied, whipping out his checkbook.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Watch out buddy, your head's inflating... You might not be able to go into the shop because of that gigantic ego of yours," answered Misty, wearing one of her grins. Gary snorted, pocketing his checkbook. "Admit it! I'm the most handsome guy you ever saw! Right! You were so checking me out when I was changing in the car a while ago," he continued, sporting a mischievous smile and a raised eyebrow. "Gosh! That smile is killing me…Is he seducing me? If he is, its working perfectly," thought Misty frantically. "Fine, whatever you say!" she admitted, grabbing Gary's hand. "Just do me a favor, OK?" she continued. Gary raised his head a little, wondering what this request might be… "Let's just stay far away from Ash and Tracey as much as possible," mumbled Misty. "Man! They really did badly today now, did they?" he asked. "It would be a lot easier if they said 'Sorry', but no! They had to humiliate me in public!" said Misty coldly. "Fine, if we, by chance, see them, we'll turn our tails and hide, Mistress," joked Gary. She giggled in response to the new nickname. "Let's go," he replied enthusiastically. Hand in hand, they entered upon the Cerulean City Theme Park once more.