By SnM

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Ash's phone rang. Groaning, Ash rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head. The shrill tone of the phone, however, contiued on. Ash sat up sleepily and looked at the time.
"Four thirty AM?" He mumbled sleepily. He reached over and picked up the phone. "Moshi moshi?"
"Ash? This is Professor Oak. The world-famous rare pokemon breeder, Brock, has been kidnapped by Team Rocket. You, as well as the other two members of your team, are expected to meet at headquaters in a hour to recieve futher instructions. Do you understand?"
"Yeah..." Ash muttered sleepily.
"Good. See you soon."
With a sigh, Ash hung up the phone. Sometimes being a Pokemon Protector (most commonly refered to as PP) wasn't all that great. Sure, one got to help endangered pokemon, but then one often got stuck with dangerous assignments like this... kidnappings, or pokemon thefts. Ash quickly dressed in his black PP uniform, then woke his Pikachu. Pikachu had been with Ash since he was ten, and together they had gotten their job with their local divsion of PP. They had worked their way up the ranks, and now were part of a three human, three pokemon team that handled some of PP's most important cases and answered only to PP's head, Professor Oak. And while the job had benefits, they had to be on call at all times. Like now. Mourning his lost sleep, Ash chirped to Pikachu, who hopped on Ash's back. The two headed out the door.

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Having parked his motorcycle in his reserved space, Ash headed inside with his pikachu. His two team-members were already there, their pokemon by their sides, waiting for him.
"Hmph. Late as usual, huh, Ketchum?"
Ash stuck out his tongue at Gary, one of his human partners and the source of the insult. Rumor had it Gary had gotten his position in the team through his connection to the head of PP, who happened to be his grandfather, but in truth Gary was a hard-working, intellegent young man strongly devoted to PP's cause. Ash bent over and petted Gary's pokemon partner, a friendly and devoted Arcanine. It barked happily in response. Another cold nose shoved it's way into Ash's free hand. He turned to its sorce: a familiar looking Vaporeon. He grinned.
"I wasn't going to forget you!" he chided the slightly spoiled but very sweet pokemon. After rubbing it a bit between its ears, he stood up. He shot the Vaporeon's owner, Misty, a grin. She was the final member of their little troop, a willowy girl with a love for water pokemon. She smiled back sweetly. Gary made a grimace that went unnoticed by the other two. Ash and Misty had an on-again, off-again relationship... currently, it was "off". The two hugged in a slightly-more-than-friends embrace, staying together a few more seconds than necessary. At least in Gary's opinion.
"That's enough, love-birds. We've got business to attend to," Gary reminded the pair. They pulled away reluctantly. The group headed upstairs, Arcanine and Vaporeon walking and Pikachu riding on Ash's shoulder.

After a short briefing from one of Professor Oak's underlings, the group had hit the road. Since Brock was one of the best breeders of rare Pokemon, they needed to get him back to run his breeding center. Otherwise, some rare pokemon he was working with would die out. Undoubtedly, Team Rocket, a common enemy to the PP, wanted Brock so that they could exploit his skills by having him breed the pokemon they stole. Ash and the rest were heading for a town called Sweet Valley--some out of the way farming area that none of them had ever heard of. It was where Team Rocket was believed to be holding Brock, but it would take several days of back-road traveling to get there. They had been told to spend their nights on the road and their days at small, inconspicuous motels, usual procedure for high-profile missions. The three drove in their respective vehicles until the sun started to rise. Then, Gary's car began to sputter and smoke came from the hood. They passed a road sign; there was a small town up ahead that might have lodgings they could stay in. Gary guestured to the sign as they passed. Ash and Misty both followed him as he turned off the highway. The three pulled into a hotel parking lot, dimmly lit by the rising sun.

Ash pulled off his helmet and got off his bike.
"Well?" he asked, looking at his two team-mates.
Gary kicked his car, which sputtered. He shook his head.
"This is going to take at least a day to fix."
Ash sighed, "I say if we spend the day here and then see if anything can be done. Argreed?"
Misty nodded, and Gary simply shrugged. The three headed into the lobby, Gary in the lead. The red-headed boy went strait to the front desk. Noticing no one was there, he rang a rusty looking bell a few times. An old, gray-headed man came out.
"Yes," the old man began, "may I help you?"
Gary nodded, "I hope so. We're looking for three seperate rooms for the day."
"We don't give out rooms for the day, I'm sorry."
Misty stepped forward. "Oh, please, sir. We're very tired, and we have a long trip ahead of us. Plus, one of our vehicles has broken down. Please, couldn't you give us something?" She put her best pout on. The old man eyed their uniforms, the dark color of their material seeming to melt into the shadows of the room.
"Well, I suppose I could try to work out something for you three...."
Misty smiled happily.
"Oh, thank you, sir!"
The old man nodded, mumbled something, and suffled back into the back-room.

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Ash flung himself down onto the double bed he and Gary would be sharing.
"Well, this is just great!" he commented sarcastically.
The old man had given them two rooms: one for Misty and one for the boys. Gary quietly slipped off his shoes and set them neatly on the end of the bed. Quickly, he changed into some more comfortable sleeping clothes.
"We should make the best of it. Get some rest while you can, alright?"
Ash rolled his eyes. "So are you my mother now or what?"
"Shut up."
With an over-dramatized sigh, Ash set his shoes on the floor but didn't change, having rushed out of the house without a spare outfit. He then settled into his side of the bed. On the floor, Arcaine and Pikachu curled up together.

Silence settled on the room.

Ash shifted slightly.
"Ash?" Gary asked gently, "You still awake?"
Ash rolled over to face Gary. "Maybe. Why?" Gary lay on his back staring at the ceiling.
"I was wondering... just what is between you and Misty?"
Ash shrugged as best he could in his position. "Nothing much. Mainly friends, as far as I'm concerned, but she always seems to think we're more."
Gary let out a small 'oh'.
"Why'd you want to know?"
Gary sat up and faced Ash. "I... I... that is, Ash..." Gary stammered, then shyly put a hand on Ash's shoulder. Ash shifted away from his touch and sat, too.
"Well?" Ash asked, "what is it?"
Gary slipped out of the bed and went and stood by the bed post farthest from Ash. The other boy followed suit and came to stand behind him. "Can't you tell me?" Gary slowly turned and faced the other boy.
"Do you love someone... if you don't love Misty?"

Ash took a step back. Gary wasn't acting at all like himself. Something was up.
What are you talking about, Gary?"
Gary smirked and stepped closer to Ash. "Just answer. Are you afraid to tell me?"
Ash scooted away again, but Gary continued to advance on him.
"Of course not!" Ash shot back. "I'm not afraid of anything! I just don't understand why you're asking me this kind of thing."
"Haven't you got it yet, Ketchum?"
Gary leaned up against Ash. The shorter boy took another step back, and felt his back hit the wall. Ash swallowed nervously.
"Get what, Gary? What are you talking about?"
Gary placed his hands on either side of Ash so that he was leaning against the wall and trapping Ash in. Gary brought his face close to Ash's, their breath mingling.
"How I feel about you."
Ash forced himself to look up into Gary's eyes.
"We... we're friends, aren't we?" He asked hesitantly.
Gary laughed in response, a low, grating laugh, lacking any actual mirth. One of Gary's hands travelled up to Ash's head and removed the ever-present cap, throwing it to the floor. Then, his hand returned to the other boy's head and entangled itself in Ash's thick black hair.
"That was a really funny, Ketchum." Gary finally replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Ash began to protest the statement, ask what Gary ment by that, say something to reply to the percieved insult, or just say anything to get the feel of Gary's body against his... when Misty entered the room. Gary saw her first and smoothly pulled away from Ash. Misty wavered at the door.
"Am I... I'm not interupting anything, am I?"
Gary, now with his hands in his pockets, approached her. "No. Of course not." Misty moved out of the door way to let Gary pass. He paused in the door-frame and spared a look back at Ash. "I'll talk to you later, alright?" Without waiting for a reply, he left, shutting the door behind him. Ash sank to the floor with a sigh of relief. Misty went over to him and croutched by his side.
"What was that all about?"
Ash shook his head. "I have no clue..." Without looking, he groped for his hat until he found it. Instead of putting it back on, he simply let it settle in his lap.
Misty squatted next to her friend. A concerned expression crossed her face.
"Ash... are you sure you're ok?"
The boy nodded silently.
"But," Misty continued, "you seem so, I don't know, upset. What happened? What did Gary say to you?"
Ash simply shook his head, again.
"Ash, I'm worried about you! Gary was acting pretty weird when I got here, and now you're giving me the silent treatment! At least you could tell me what's wrong!"
Ash sighed and met Misty's gaze. "I'm sorry, Misty. I... I need some time to think. Would you mind...?"
Misty shook her head and rose to her feet. "That's fine. But... you know you can talk to me if you need to, right?"
"I know. Thanks."
Silently Misty exited, leaving Ash alone with his thoughts.

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to be continued...