Driving on the Right
Chapter Two
By Erin Ellis

The Pokemon Convention was every Pokemon Master-to-be's dream; and if not -the- dream, -a- dream to anyone else who did anything related to pocket monsters. Easily reaching an attendance of over 20,000 people, the PokeCon had dealers rooms, extensive panels on anything and everything, separate sections for trainers, breeders and gym leaders; panels with tips for beating the Elite Four, pokemon as pets, the ever-popular pokemon showing circuit, and a very interesting cosplay... There were a lot of girls dressed as pikachus, but Ash always felt that the little animals should have more fur -- if he saw a real pikachu showing so much skin, he'd be appalled at the mistreatment. Breeder Brock never seemed to mind, strangely enough. Anyway, it was everything Ash had ever wanted in one place.

As a former Indigo League competitor and Orange Islands champion, Ash was invited to speak on one of the panels. A.J., some girl he'd never heard of, Richie, and Gary were also there-- something about up-and-coming pokemon talents in the next year's Indigo League.

"Well, looks like all but one will be people I'll be happy to see again," Ash claimed upon hearing the lineup. But in some dark place inside of him -- the Non-Pokemon/Feelings part -- he knew that wasn't quite true, unless he turned out to really hate the girl. It would be good to see Richie again, and A.J. had promised him a battle next time they met. But Gary... Gary was the unknown, Gary was the one deterring his almost single-minded devotion to being a pokemon master-- or at the very least, deterring his single-minded enjoyment of the PokeCon. Either way, Ash really didn't appreciate it very much.

Case in point... the other night. Ash wouldn't lie; ever since they were kids and had changed from best friends to bitter rivals, he'd felt a certain something -- not quite dread, since Ash was no coward -- but maybe... anticipation, yes, that was it. Because something about Gary always seemed to catch him off-kilter, always made him question whatever it was he was doing, and there wasn't much that irked Ash more than thinking about why he was doing something. So, nights before he left for home, or times when he knew he would have to clash with his rival, he tended to have bad dreams. Usually involving Gary-- sometimes replays of past meetings, always humiliating Ash, belittling him, surpassing him.

This time had been different. Oh, he'd dreamt of Gary, all right. But instead of it being Gary showing him up through whatever knowledge or honors he'd gained since they'd last met, it was Gary stopping him from arguing with his lips on his. And on other places. He'd woken up sweating and breathless... and otherwise completely betrayed by his body.

What the heck was that supposed to be anyway? He hated Gary, right? So then, why was he (his body, really; Ash denied all responsibility) interested in... mushy stuff with him? Why was the thought of Gary lying beside him, caressing him, enough to make him forget his enmity and add new things to the 'Not Pokemon' file?

...Or at least, why wouldn't they just stay there?

"Arrgh," Ash cried, throwing his head back in frustration.

"Calm down, it's not -that- long a line," Brock fussed.

+ + +

driving on the right
by erin ellis
two: get in my hair

+ + +

Brock smiled. "We're almost at the fifteen more minutes sign."

The younger boy rolled his eyes, embracing the change in thoughts. "You're only enjoying being in line because the registration person at the end is Nurse Joy."

"Hee hee..." ...Guess some things you don't grow out of. Respect as a friend and trainer aside, Ash honestly hoped he would never, ever act like Brock. "You know, the Nurse Joy in Vermilion is the loveliest of all."

"You say that everywhere we go. Besides, I thought you'd decided once and for all that Joy from Pewter was your favorite."

"Well, that was before she put out that restraining order..."

"What?" Ash was dismayed (but not entirely surprised) to see that Brock wasn't joking. "So that's why you've been spending so much time in Pallet?"

"No, no, that's just to see you... and your lovely mother." Ash always hated it when Brock mentioned his mom and grinned in the same sentence, especially since it tended to happen often. "Anyway, it wasn't too much of a problem until they stopped sending Officer Jenny to enforce it..." He stuck his lip out in a pout. "Those male officers aren't any fun at all."

Ash opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Sometimes you scare me, Brock." Hopefully Misty would show up soon.

"Ah, you're funny, Ash. Nurse Joy's registration is only fourteen short minutes away..."

"Oh man..."

+ + +

Misty had eventually joined them, though was useless for what Ash had needed her for; she showed up when they were literally the second people in line for registration. She -claimed- that she'd been watching a movie and gotten caught up in the story; Ash wasn't sure what Misty was doing watching TV when she was supposed to be waiting in line with them. Brock had said to calm down, defusing the situation before another fight broke out. They'd split again to kill some time before Opening Ceremonies that evening, though Ash had a sneaking suspicion that Misty just wanted to avoid them some more... and Brock just wanted to annoy him. Both were doing a good job.

"You know, Brock," he said none-too-sweetly, "you can go wander around yourself. Don't feel like you have to hang out with me."

"No, no trouble," he waved off. "Sitting here in the lobby is a great place to people watch."

It actually was. The lobby of the con hotel was huge, with vaulted ceilings and marbled floors, a large, glassed-in area housing a sizable amount of flowering tropical plants donated from the Orange Islands gyms, and sets of very cushy armchairs (much like the ones the pair were relaxing in) scattered about. From where they sat, one could watch people coming from registration, wandering through the plant-life, activity at the banks of elevators leading to people's rooms, and the hallway leading to the convention center, where some events had already begun.

Ash himself felt strangely uneasy, and waffled between checking out what pre-convention events he was possibly missing, and sitting in the oh-so-comfy chairs. It would be good to just sit here and relax... of course, that was hard to do with Brock grinning at him like that...

"So," Brock said, slapping him on the back. "You ready?"

"My trainer panel isn't until Sunday," Ash replied.

"No, not for the panel, for -him-."

"Him who?" Ash was terribly confused.

Brock sighed, then seemed to start over. "Well, it'll certainly be great to see Richie again."

"Yeah, it's been a long time. I wonder how Sparky's doing?"

"And Tracey'll be around."

"Oh? I thought he was minding the lab for Professor Oak. I hope all the pokemon will be fine by themselves..."

"Don't worry about it," Brock said idly. "Okay... A.J.... to see him and his whip must be interesting," he continued, voice full of... something.

The shorter teen wrinkled his nose. "Sounds painful... I still have some issues with training pokemon like that."

"Hmm," Brock said, deep in thought. "Falkner? Otoshi? Bill? You -were- talking about those cosplayers before..."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The guy you like."

"Wha-a-at?!" How the heck had this become the topic of conversation? And, Ash had to say he was a bit insulted by some of the choices. Like he was supposed to fall for every guy he came across? Who was he, Brock?

"It.. it isn't Snap, is it?" Brock said, looking somewhat ill.

"Aaugh, no," Ash shook his head.

"Then who? Who do you like?"

Good question. "Uhh..." Ash looked up from squirming uncomfortably to see... him.

It was sunset, and from where Ash and Brock sat, they had a beautiful view of the sun shafting pinks and oranges through the clouds. And so it was almost in silhouette that he saw a particular couple come from the greenhouse area to the sunken lobby, but Ash knew it was Gary anyway. Who else always arrived at the right -- or wrong -- time? Who else would have such a ridiculous haircut, such a smug glint in his eye, such a pretty girl on his arm? Who else would notice Ash directly after he'd noticed him, and come over to gloat?

Something churned in Ash's chest that felt uncomfortably like jealousy. Gary's escort was pretty, with short auburn hair and smoky blue eyes, and looked like she was probably in college. Man, if Gary liked older women, then what would he want with younger men?

...Oh, this was bad. This was bad for a whole lot of reasons, though strangely enough, the one that seemed the most immediately pressing was that in taking the time to think about it, he'd choked up, and now Brock would be making fun of him in a minute, or otherwise doing something that might bode ill for him.

"It's her!" Brock said, eyes lighting up.

"Huh?" Ash grunted, shaken from his reverie. His taller companion was grinning like a fool. Had Ash thought 'might' bode ill? Try 'would definitely'.

"May Oak. Watch me make $175."

"May Oak?" Ash repeated dumbly. "But May has long hair and is a lot shorter and cute and likes to kick people."

"That was ten years ago, Ash," Brock said, exasperated. "I'm sure its possible she's gotten a haircut since then. And she's still cute. I think its time to turn my girl winning-over streak to thirty-one," he said, voice smug. Running a hand through his spikes (which seemed to do absolutely nothing), he gave a self-assured smile and walked to where Gary and the girl-- rather, he and his sister were standing together.

May Oak. Suddenly, the pressure in Ash's chest seemed to decrease by a million percent. Some part of him was feeling annoyed that that one fact -- what girl was with -Gary- -- had any sway over his feelings, but it was getting used to being ignored by this point. Shaking his head again, Ash stayed a distance from the trio; he was always tempted to gag while Brock "worked his magic", and perhaps if he didn't move, Gary wouldn't come and talk to him. Hey, it worked for T-Rexes.

May and Brock conversed for a bit, then wandered off, the teen taking an opportunity to turn to Ash and mouth 'thirty-one' behind his back. Ash made a face that quickly changed to a grimace... Misty wouldn't be happy about losing again, and would probably take it out on him. Life was perverse like that. And in other ways as well...

"Oh, Ashy-boy," Gary singsonged, making a show out of noticing him and sauntering over. Ash scrambled to his feet; the older teen was tall and lanky, standing nearly a head over Ash once he'd approached. Man, howcome Gary had to beat him in everything? His voice had even dropped an octave or two. Ash, on the other hand, still squeaked from time-to-time, to his friends' great amusement.

"Hey there." Great, now what? 'Why are you talking to me,' he did not ask. You should be civil to people you dream about, right? "So, uh, where've you been? Haven't seen you around Pallet lately." That was good, Ash congratulated himself.

Gary shrugged. Ash had never noticed how broad Gary's shoulders were. Did his own move that smoothly? "I've been in and out, around. If you weren't avoiding me, you would've known."

"A-avoiding you?" Ash didn't feel like giving credence to the statement, since analyzing the truth might give him an answer he certainly didn't want to hear. "No way, -you've- been avoiding -me-." Oh wait, civil. Darned defense mechanisms.

"And why would I possibly do that?" Gary asked, amusement in his voice.

Uh... "Because you're afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of me beating you in a battle," Ash answered matter-of-factly.

"So, I'm afraid of you beating me, when you've never been able to even come -close- before," Gary trailed, eyebrows raised.

Ouch. Gary: one, Ash: negative a bazillion. "Yeah, well... well, you don't want to break your streak," he finished lamely.

"Obviously you've been taking your clever pills," Gary sneered. "Where're your little shadows? They're always good for a laugh or two."

So much for being friendly. Somehow Ash had known this would happen, and was happy for it. It was so much easier to react to Gary when he was being hostile. "They're my friends, and you just saw one of them. Where's -your- little entourage? Too cheap to pay your cheerleaders today?"

He snorted, making it an elegant gesture; a slight arching of his fine eyebrows coupled with an exaggerated wrinkling of the nose that seemed to accentuate its shape. "Eh, girls are a hassle. Too needy. I got rid of them years ago."

Ash stopped, looking at his rival strangely. "So, you don't like girls?" he asked (not hopefully, really; please not hope in his voice).

The older teen's eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at, loser?"

"Uh, nothing," Ash backpedaled. Great job, big mouth. "Um, I guess I'll see you at the panel Sunday. Yeah." He surreptitiously stepped backwards, scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously. "Hey, look over there, it's Team Rocket!"

"Where?" Gary turned his head, and Ash took the opportunity to bolt from the lobby. That hadn't particularly gone well. Of course, considering the situation, he wasn't sure what 'well' actually counted as anymore. He needed to sit down and think, sort everything out.

Why did all this thinking have to come during the Con? How annoying. Maybe he could just ignore it and it'd go away.

+ + +

It didn't. For the rest of the day, Ash's thoughts kept drifting to a certain auburn-haired rival, who had become considerably more annoying, in spite of-- or perhaps because of becoming considerably more hot. And the more he decided not to think about it, the more he did. He couldn't concentrate on the League director's speech during Opening Ceremonies. He barely ate anything for dinner. He'd hardly noticed when Brock and Misty had left for some gym leader's meeting, and then had sat through two identical panels on the value of pokemon grooming and fashion before giving up and going back to the room.

He ended up cross-legged on the bed, his favorite pajamas not giving him very much comfort. Oh, man. What a day. Not only had he discovered he liked guys, he discovered he liked Gary Oak, of all people. This was why he tried not to pay any attention to his feelings. Nothing but trouble.

"Pi, pika," Pikachu said, patting him on the back.

"Thanks, Pikachu..." he pulled the little animal into his arms. "You're the only one who ever seems to understand me. You'll always be here for me, right?"

"Ka chu, Pikapi!" it burbled.

"Aw, Pikachu," Ash said, squeezing it tight. The electric rat smiled and wriggled out of his arms, scampering through Brock's legs as he entered the room.

"Um, was that supposed to happen?" he asked, concerned.

Ash gave a smile that looked more like a frown. "Well... Pikachu always comes back... right?"

"Of course it will," Brock smiled kindly, ruffling his hair. "Oh. You weren't at the meeting, not being a gym leader, I guess... Misty had to do something with her sisters, but she'll be coming in later, so you'll have to scoot over, since I'm not sleeping on the floor."

"Hey! Why don't you sleep with -her-?"

"Think about that statement. She kicks hard, you know," he said, from experience.

"But," Ash began, really not in the mood for company.

"Let me have the side with the alarm clock, because the breeding panel's really early," he interrupted. "I'm gonna take a shower, in case you need to use the bathroom."

He didn't, so Brock entered, and the muffled hiss of water and Brock forgetting not to sing in the shower when others were sitting in their pajamas, ostensibly trying to go to bed could be heard. Geez, how inconsiderate... busting in and making a lot of noise when he was trying to get some good thinking done. Now that he thought of it, Brock was taking his own sweet time in there. Really, how much was there to do in the shower? His (cursed!) imagination began, seeing the youth standing there, rivulets of water coursing through the brown spikes and defining the slight muscles of the slender, pale body...

Wait. That wasn't Brock. Crap.

This was going to be a long night.

Oh, man...

+ + +

tbc.

+ + +
+ + +

[notes]

+ Did anything happen in this chapter? Oh yeah, Gary. I told you he'd get here eventually... He'll be back later, though he's always in Ash's heart, awww... er.. uh.. yeah, anyway.
+ tyrannosaurus rexes can't see you if you don't move. So, if you don't want him to eat you, stand still. Unfortunately(?) for Ash, Gary is smarter than a t-rex.
+ I know I said only three chapters, but this one was too long so I split it, and now there's a bonus epilogue-y thing as well. Five's not a bad number... (This one would have been out earlier, but it took two days(!) to find an mp3 of 'Around the World' by move. Damned Initial D music.
+ Is it just me, or does Misty get the shaft in this story? I don't hate her, so I hope the story doesn't seem like I do...

[next]

Saturday is always the longest day of a convention. Being trapped amongst crazed fan-types for so long tends to grate on the sanity. Perhaps that explains Ash's actions next chapter, or it could just explain mine. Featuring both Richie and Team Rocket. Woo woo.

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