Intermission – Chapter 1

I see my life flashing before my own eyes and I think to myself: "this is it". It's inevitable, this place will explode and I won't survive harmless… I won't even survive. Alright, maybe I'm exaggerating things, I'm in my grandpa's lab and some reaction I was carrying on a beaker just got out of control but it's not like the whole place is about to explode, just about a square meter around the reaction area.

My name is Gary Oak; I am 17 years old and I am a Pokémon Researcher. I'm currently working at my grandpa's lab, you probably have heard of the great Samuel Oak (Professor Oak for short), yes; I am his grandson. However, I don't really study the same things he does, his studies mostly focus on how humans and Pokémon interact with each other while mine focus on Pokémon evolution.

Then you may wonder what the hell I was doing carrying a chemical reaction (that had just exploded seconds ago) in the lab. Well, my idea is this: you can synthesize evolution rocks; yeah, you may think I'm the craziest fella in the planet for thinking that, but hey! It may be true.

Just as I was taking the adsorbent for cleaning the mess I had just made, someone got in the lab (I had been alone the whole time by the way).

"Hey Gary, whoa! What just happened?" Tracey entered the lab and freaked out when he saw the fire consuming everything (ok, just the square meter I told you… and not fire, just some smoke).

"You know how explosive these reactions can be" I proceeded to clean up everything… and yes, this was not the first time something like this had happened yet I was delighted how Tracey always acted so surprised and asked the same questions.

Tracey has been working here with my grandpa for a couple of years and we eventually became best friends (because he literally lives here and well, I don't really go out much except for the times I have been to Sinnoh to study with Professor Rowan). I trust him with my life and he trusts me with his… for instance he knows everything about me and vice versa. I still smile when I remember the night I told him my biggest secret.

We were sitting in the grass of the backyard; it was a cloudy night of December.

"Is that your biggest secret?" he laughed after I told him.

"Well yeah" I smiled a little relived to see him take it that way.

"Dude, I thought you had killed somebody, you were so serious about it" he couldn't control his laughter.

"Thank you, Tracey" I kept smiling.

Back to the present day, do you remember the explosion? Now the lab was completely on fire. Alright, I just cleaned that mess completely.

"What are your plans for today?" Tracey asked while walking to his computer.

"Nothing much, gonna give it another try to this reaction to see if next time it destroys the lab."

He laughed, he always found my sarcastic comments so funny, I guess that was something that made us best friends faster.

"What about you?" I asked curiously while putting some reactants on a clean beaker.

"I'll head to Cerulean City this afternoon; I'll probably spend the night there" he said casually though I know he was dying of excitement inside.

Tracey's girlfriend, Misty, lives in Cerulean City and he visits her once or twice a week (she comes to Pallet Town once or twice but not weekly, monthly). I'm happy for Tracey, he had a crush on her since they traveled together to the Orange Islands and last year he finally decided to confess his feeling to her… and it was an amazing night (according to what Tracey told me, don't think I eavesdropped on them or anything like that).

"Yeah, you will definitely spend the night there" I teased him.

"Why don't you come? It's been three months since the last time you visited, you need to get out of the lab for a change and have a walk along the beach" this was something he would tell me every time he went to Cerulean and I appreciated the effort but I was not definitely in the mood of leaving Pallet Town, not even leaving the lab.

"Thanks, but I'm really busy here."

Tracey knew me and I he knew he didn't have to insist because I would not change my mind, so he just changed the topic.

"Have you seen your grandfather? I didn't see him on my way from the mansion to the lab" he said and honestly, I had no idea where my gramps was. I've been here since very early in the morning and if he went out, I didn't listen to the sound of door open.

"Not really, maybe he just went to visit Miss Ketchum."

"Ketchum, huh?"

I knew where this was going and I didn't like it.

"Shut up!" I exclaimed before he even said anything else.

"What?" he laughed, teasing me again in silence.

"I'll just… I need some fresh air" I said and I went out of the lab to the backyard of the mansion.

Ok, you may be wondering what just happened there. Tracey emphasized the Ketchum… it turns out Miss Ketchum has a son, his name is Ash, yeah, Ash Ketchum; I'm not going to focus on why he has the same last name as his mother but you may draw some conclusions… the thing is, that's part of the secret I told Tracey the other night.

"So, is there someone you particularly like?" Tracey asked me after all the laughing.

"Yeah" I blushed, something I didn't do much around people but somehow, I knew I'd be doing that around Tracey a lot of times in the future that followed.

"Well?" he sounded really curious as if he had no idea… well, maybe he had no idea.

"You know him" I sighed.

"I know him?" now he sounded extremely curious.

"Yeah."

"C'mon dude, just spill it out!"

"Ketchum."

"Say what?" he stood up and looked at me all amazed.

Now my face was entirely red.

"That's awesome dude, Ash is totally a catch!" he said with a lot of excitement.

"Could you not make a big deal out of it, please?"

"Sorry, it's just that… this is so big, dude!"

"I haven't even seen him for two years, am I pathetic or what?" I said with a sarcastic laugh.

This was not one of the sarcastic comments I made that got Tracey cracked up.

"Don't say that" he sat down again and put his arm around me and I know he was going to lecture me about how love can seem impossible but in the end, if you have faith, it can work out for you.

There I was looking up to the sky, wondering where he was. It had been a week since the Kalos League ended. Maybe he had come to Pallet Town a couple of days ago and just left today; I mean, there had been other leagues before and he hadn't had the courtesy to at least come by and say hello to me, that was something that hurt me way too much.

"I'm sorry, Gary" Tracey said getting out of the lab.

I didn't turn to face him; I didn't want him to see me like this even though he had seen me like this a lot of times before.

"It's going to be ok, dude" he said with optimism.

I finally turned to face him, my face all wet and my eyes red. I didn't say anything; he knew why I was crying and he also knew that what I most needed then was a hug.

So, he hugged me and I cried on his shoulder until my eyes dried out.

I don't know how many minutes passed, ten? Twenty? Half hour? But suddenly we heard the mansion main door open, we knew it was my grandpa. My eyes were still red so I turned to face the lab while Tracey went to the mansion to entertain gramps until I was feeling better… but gramps went out to the backyard too soon.

"Ash just got to Pallet Town this morning" he said with enthusiasm "and he wants to see you guys."