Ash x Gary (Palletshipping)

Boiling Up a Fantasy

Me: "Did you know chapter 1 of this story was posted under a month ago?"

Iris: "You write too much!"

Me: "I like it, and I like my readers! And, Iris? You're a loudmouth...so shut it."

Serena: "I'm kind of scared for your readers."

Me: *Glares* "Anyway, folks, I got curious last night after I did my homework." *Makes face* "I have a freakin' midterm on Friday." *Makes another face* "But whatever, I was looking up Pokémon shippings on Bulbapedia, and I saw Loverivalshipping (which also seems to be referred to as Raltsshipping)—Brendan and Wally—among many other disturbing ones like Apprenticeshipping, which is Professor Oak and Tracey and it made me gag. And I was like: next book! I can't wait to start writing it! Sound good, people? And for those of you who could use a refresher course on who these characters are: Brendan is the male player (either your rival or you) in the Hoenn video games (Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire), and Wally is one of your main rivals. I thought this shipping would be super cute since Wally is super cute! Particularly in the new games. I just battled him the other day outside of the Mauville Gym, and he was trying to ask to be my rival, but he was blushing and couldn't get the words out. I was like: dude, you're asking to battle me semi-frequently, not marry me—what's the problem here? Okay, time to move on! Let's see what our heroes are doing now in Ash x Gary (Palletshipping)!"

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We went to see the Officer Jenny in Lavaridge Town, and Brock managed to get ahold of Professor Oak. After we all caught each other up on the situation—Gary, Teagan, Brock, Officer Jenny, Professor Oak, Scott, and me—Officer Jenny decided that it was best we wait for 'developments' in the case. But that's so frustrating! What 'developments' does she need to happen to decide this Team Fashion Monsters is bad news?! I don't feel safe right now in the Hoenn region; someone needs to do something. Why do the cops always seem so useless?

"Your face is gonna stick like that if you don't quit it with the scowling, Ashy boy," Gary sneers at me in the Pokémon Center. He proceeds to make funny, cross-eyed faces at me, prompting Pikachu to follow suit with some face-stretching maneuvers of its own. I smile a little because I know they're trying to cheer me up, but it's not really making me feel any better.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaims, having just let its face snap painfully back into its original form. Pikachu rubs the sore spots while Gary laughs at it.

"Pfft, forget you, Pikachu. Look at what I can do!" I look over at Teagan who's just gotten back to us from having her pokémon restored by Nurse Joy.

"Eww," both Gary and I protest. She has her eyelids flipped up! Nasty!

"Teagan, stop that!" Gary scolds.

"It worked better at getting your Ashy boy's mind off things, didn't it?" Teagan sasses back, thankfully putting her eyes back to normal.

"Y-" Gary starts.

"Save it," Teagan actually holds up a hand in the Gary Oak's face, "How about we go to the gym? Since you all are depriving me of contests, I demand to see a gym battle." She puts her hands on her hips and glares at me.

I shrug. "Okay." I'm always up for a battle.

While we walk the short distance to the gym, Gary comes up beside me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. He nuzzles his face into my neck and plants a soft kiss there. I lean back into him for the comfort...but...would all of that horribleness with those new bad guys have happened to Gary and Teagan if they hadn't've been with me? I can't help but think...no, and they'd be better off without me.

"I love you," I tell him. After all, what if it's the last time I get to say it?

"I love you, too, Ash," he returns warmly.

Teagan gags at us, and I finally feel like laughing.

"Ugghhh, what's wrong with the air conditioning in here?" Teagan complains as we step into the steaming hot gym.

"Flannery, the gym leader here, uses fire type pokémon," I inform her, "She likes to keep it hot."

"Blech, whatever," Teagan deadpans, "Where is the battlefield thingy anyways?" She gestures around at the steam-ridden corridor before us.

"You have to go through a bunch of trap doors and geysers to get to the room where Flannery is," Gary grumbles. He leans into me further, and, while I appreciate the contact, it's getting a bit warm for that.

"Gary, I'm hot. Get off of me," I whine.

He chuckles. "Got that right."

What? Teagan gives him a withering look and declares, "I'm out of here." What did he say?

I'm still confused, but Teagan's already disappeared down the low visibility hallway, and Gary has followed her into the steam clouds as well. I go after them, but after hearing a shout or two of surprise, I resign myself to the reality that we've been separated.

"Guess we're going this alone, Pikachu," I tell my buddy.

"Pikaaa." It's obviously complaining about the heat, fanning itself with my pokédex. I scowl at Pikachu and take the high-tech encyclopedia back. It glares at me.

As we continue down the hall, I take my jacket off, feeling a little dizzy. I wonder how everyone else is faring in this heat?

*POV change to Teagan*

I've just fallen on my butt, slipping on the water from one of those stupid geysers that I'm pretty sure are better suited for boiling Corphish than being used as transportation, when I decide that I've gone insane.

I throw my hands up to wipe at my eyes, and then I pinch myself, too, for good measure. But somehow this isn't s dream.

I squeal happily as I launch myself into a herd of Aron and its evolved forms. Oh, happy, steely day!

*POV change to Gary*

I think I'm either going to explode or faint. Because there's just no way this is happening. There is no freaking way that I am watching what I think I'm watching. I mean, Ash would never, right? The heat must've gotten to me, yeah? But that doesn't mean I'm going to look away. No, fantasy realm, I'm not an ingrate! Don't take away my strip tease from Ash! Even if my brain is totally fried by the time it's over, I have to see this.

Ash has already taken his jacket and shirt off and is now working at his belt. He's smiling at me as he backs into a steam cloud and beckons for me to follow. Of course, I do, and I thank my heat stroke, too.

*POV change to Ash*

I think I'm gonna cry. I know it's not real, but I think I'm gonna cry.

"Ash, darling, what are you doing here in the kitchen?"...Mom is...Mom is scolding me? "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: no playing in- Oh!" She cuts off because I'm hugging her now. How could it possibly be that she feels solid? She returns my hug.

"I love you," I say into her...stomach? Did I shrink? Who cares? I'm so overwhelmed that I get to tell her I love her again.

"Oh, Ash, I love you, too," she strokes my hair, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you and Gary play in the house so take it outside," she commands me, wagging a finger in my face.

"C'mon, Ash!" I turn around and see a much younger Gary, scowling at me and tapping his foot impatiently. I laugh and hug him, too. He actually blushes. I should've known from day one how much he liked me. How much we'll always love each other...