Beyond The Walls

Hurray for multi-chapter updates! I had to go all the way back to Chapter 8 for a reference in this chapter (hence, the chapter title). One particular scene may be weird for some people, but it (and the conversation that follows it) was included for a reason. There's a more detailed author's note at the end of the chapter about it, I'd recommend reading it after your read the chapter.

Oh, by the way… smut alert!

Chapter 81: Admissions Revisited

"Gary? Gary!" A hand slammed against the locked bedroom door and Anna groaned, snuggling closer as Chelsea's voice called from the hallway. "I'm going running without you if you're not downstairs in five minutes!"

Barely paying her any attention, Gary opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of his girlfriend curled against his side, still entirely nude from the night before. If Chelsea thought he was leaving his bed anytime soon then she was very much mistaken. Yawning, he stretched sleepily and reached over to tuck an errant lock of hair behind Anna's ear. Her eyes fluttered open at the move and she blinked up at him before giving him a tired smile and pressing her body against his.

"Hey, beautiful," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and relaxing into the nest of pillows and blankets. Anna's only response was a sleepy mumble and a slight nuzzle, which didn't entirely surprise Gary. He too could feel sleep pulling him back into peaceful oblivion.

With the curtains drawn around his bed, he couldn't see the alarm clock or the morning sunlight streaming into the room but could still estimate the time. If Chelsea was ready to run then it was likely somewhere between seven-thirty and eight, which meant that he and Anna had only had a few hours of sleep. Even as Chelsea yelled up the stairs that she was leaving without him, he drifted back to sleep with memories of the night before drifting through his mind.

It had been close to midnight when the concert ended and hanging around the venue, getting dessert at a Pewter diner, and driving back to Pallet afterwards meant that they didn't get back to the mansion until nearly two in the morning, but they weren't tired. The casual kisses and caresses, the intense feelings swirling through them, and the pure energy of the night combined in a powerful mix and Anna's lips had been on his as soon as they stepped out of the car. The ensuing kisses were needy and desperate, full of battling tongues and panting moans as hands groped anywhere they could reach.

It was one of the most intense make out sessions Gary could remember.

Being so late at night and having all sense lost to lust, his hands had worked their way up Anna's shirt, discarding her bra while her hand groped its way down the front of his jeans. It might not have been the best idea on the planet but they didn't care: her cut-off shorts were yanked down, lace panties shoved aside as he plunged into her against the side of the car. It was fast and hard, downright rough, yet Anna arched into him, meeting his thrusts and crying out as pleasure overwhelmed her.

It was over far too soon and they collapsed against the side of the car, gasping for breath. They shared a laugh and headed into the house and upstairs as soon the orgasmic glow faded.

The kissing resumed as soon as they were behind his closed bedroom door, though the kisses were gentler and almost lazy in comparison to the ones downstairs in the garage. They slowly made their way to the bathroom, lips never parting for more than a second as slow, languid caresses skirted over their flesh.

With a sexy, flirty little smile Anna reached out and turned on the water in the shower as soon as they reached the bathroom. Sighing softly, she slid her hands up his stomach and chest, her fingers slowly running over as much flesh as possible before peeling off his shirt and tossing it into a corner of the room. It had been so long since they had been able to take their time and explore each other's bodies, and they reveled in the gradual removal of clothing, following each article with another series of kisses and caresses.

The anticipation had grown agonizing by the time he slid her now moist panties down her legs.

Shooting her a mischievous grin, Gary ran his fingers over her thighs, reaching around to grasp her bottom. Her legs trembled and a needy moan escaped her as he pressed tender kisses to her hips and stomach, hands touching her everywhere but the one place she most desperately wanted. Finally, a finger slid along her wet folds, just barely dipping between them, and suddenly, he pulled away, moving up her body to press a kiss to her lips as he ran a moist finger between her breast and down her stomach. Her nerve endings on fire, she groaned as he shot her another grin and leaned down to lick at the wet trail left on her torso before pulling away entirely to step into the shower.

The shower was largely meant to wash off the sweat from the concert, but it proved to be another erotic experience. With water streaming down their bodies and soapy hands leaving slick trails everywhere they touched, more gasps and moans filled the air until the water, now losing its heat, was turned off. Not caring about the water that was dripping off of them, they headed to the bed where Gary once more slid into her, this time slowly, gently.

Her warm, wet body pressed into his, leaving no space between them as they kept a slow, sensual pace. Growing delirious from all of the sensations that had built up in the last hour or so, Anna gasped, shuddering as a gentle hand moved along her side, brushing against ribs and cupping her breast. Despite the slow pace, her climax came suddenly and she moaned loudly, digging her fingernails into Gary's back as she spasmed around him. Caught off guard by the sudden tightening of her around his hard length, Gary cursed, burying his face against her neck to muffle his groan as he spilled himself within her.

Still trembling and whimpering, Anna arched against him, wriggling and grinding against him as the waves of pleasure kept rolling through her. Breathless from his own intense orgasm, Gary lifted his head from the crook of her neck to kiss her. He swallowed her soft groan of disappointment as he withdrew, leaving her empty.

Chuckling slightly, he pulled back and returned his focus to kissing and caressing her hot skin, just as he had in the bathroom. He moved down her body just enough to bring his mouth to her breast, teasing the nipple by alternating between gently biting it and lapping at it with his tongue. His hand wandered down her torso to lightly rub the swollen bundle of nerves between her thighs.

Another groan reached his ears and he glanced up to see that Anna's eyes were tightly shut. He pressed slightly harder with his hand and was rewarded with a gasp as her hips bucked. Smirking faintly, Gary moved further down her body, slowly kissing and licking at her torso as he moved, never ceasing the movement of his hand. Her hips jerked against him as his mouth came to her pelvis and nipped harshly at the pale curve of her hip. Dragging his tongue down along her outer thigh, he kept moving downward until, halfway down her thigh, he switched over to her other leg and kissed his way up the inside of her leg until he once more reached her pelvis.

Without a second thought, he pressed his mouth to her dripping core, taking broad licks and reveling in the sound of her pants and gasps, not caring that it was predominantly his own release that he tasted. With his hand still moving and his tongue running along her folds, occasionally dipping into her, she felt the waves of pleasure starting to wash over her again. Her hips bucked again and Gary moved his hand from her clit to hold her still. Two fingers suddenly dipped into her, pumping slowly in and out as he moved his mouth to that bundle of nerves, lightly sucking as he felt her starting to clench around his fingers.

Within only a few short moments, she was undone again, writhing under his ministrations until he withdrew his fingers. He smoothed a hand up and down her leg as he peppered her hips and side with soft kisses as she started to come down from her high. He moved back up her body and captured her lips once more in a final sweet kiss before pulling her into his arms and tugging the covers over them as they relaxed into the comfort of the bed.

Another voice yelled from down the hallway, followed by another round of banging on the door, and Gary groaned, frustrated with the lack of sleep he was getting this morning.

Anna cuddled closer still with a sleepy sigh of her own. "They are determined to get you downstairs," she murmured.

"They can wait," Gary replied, burying his face in her hair and trying to go back to sleep. After so many wakeup calls, he doubted he would be able to, but it was worth a try.

A few minutes passed peacefully before there was another knock at the door. "Rise and shine, sleepyheads!" May's cheerful voice called through the door, followed by her retreating footsteps.

Gary's eyes snapped open. "I give up," he complained, slowly sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He felt exhausted and just wanted to stay cuddled in this comfortable little nest with his girlfriend. Clearly that just wasn't an option today.

"I was wondering when you were going to say that." Anna looked up at him, still appearing groggy but smiling nonetheless.

They lay quietly, simply enjoying each other's presence for a few minutes before they had to get out of bed. Neither wanted to leave their dark and quiet niche. Gary's hand slowly moved up and down Anna's back while she rested her head on his chest and, feeling supremely comfortable, Anna slid her hand across his lower abdomen, not realizing how low her hand was until it brushed across hardened flesh. She grinned at the pleasured hiss the accidental touch drew from him.

"Thinking about last night?" she teased, deliberately running a finger along his length. Gary laughed softly and bit down a groan as he nodded. "It was fun," Anna said, raising her head to peer up at him again.

He nodded again, slowly becoming more awake as her fingers wrapped lightly around him, pumping ever so slowly. A few short minutes passed quietly between them as Anna continued her lazy movements and Gary lay back with his eyes closed. As she moved her hand, her mind drifted back to the night before, her thoughts wandering languidly through everything they had done.

She felt a swoop of heat flood through her as she remembered how he had taken her against the side of the car in the garage and sped the pumping of her hand. Feeling his hand trail across her back, she recalled the feeling of his mouth and hands moving over her in the bathroom while the steam from their shower rose around them. Her grip tightened on his member and her movements sped up even more as she recollected the feeling of his body, still wet from the shower, poised over her in the bed, slowly sliding in and out of her.

Then, the memory of him working his way down her body came to her mind. The thought of his tongue and hand working her over sent a delicious shiver through her and, releasing a moan at the memory, she shoved the blanket back and lowered her head to take him into her mouth. She took pride in the sudden, loud gasp this drew from her boyfriend and slid her lips along his hard length as her tongue swirled over his head and her hand continued to pump what wasn't in her mouth.

She soon heard him pant her name, as though she needed the warning when she could feel his body tensing and his fingers tightening their grip in her hair. She took him deeper and, a few pumps of her fist later, felt his orgasm spill into her mouth. Swallowing the salty fluid down, she pulled away and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I love you, babe," she murmured before pulling aside the curtains around the bed and standing.

Gary watched her, briefly mesmerized by the sway of her bare hips as she made her way into the bathroom. He could hear the water running in the sink and assumed she was starting to get ready for the day. Still recovering from his orgasm, he closed his eyes and sank back into the pillows. He didn't realize he had dozed off until Anna cleared her throat and spoke.

"So, uh, babe… You ate me out after coming in me last night."

"Yeah," Gary commented drowsily. He opened his eyes to see her standing beside the bed, wearing only a pair of panties and a t-shirt. It didn't seem like a big deal to him, especially considering how many times Andrew had spilled himself within his mouth back when they dated. At the time he had just wanted to keep pleasuring his girlfriend.

"Yeah?" Anna laughed softly. "That's all you have to say? No other comments?" She smiled and leaned over him, running a finger up and down his chest.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Gary asked, returning her smile. "It's not the first time it's been in my mouth, you know; it's just the first time that it's been my own."

"So you admit that you've swallowed before?" Anna asked teasingly.

She laughed again when Gary rolled his eyes slightly. He knew that she had a thing for male-on-male action and that it was a fantasy of hers to see him with another guy. If anything, he found this little quirk of hers amusing.

"Vegetarians need to get protein somehow, right?" Anna burst into laughter at the joke and Gary couldn't help but laugh as well. "Kidding," he finally said, sobering slightly. "Seriously though, there was usually alcohol involved… It makes Andrew a bit slow with the warnings. Besides, easier cleanup."

"It didn't bother you at all? Last night, I mean."

Gary thought briefly before shaking his head. "Honestly, you were so fucking hot last night…" He grinned and reached out to stroke her bare arm, giving a low chuckle as goosebumps rose along her skin. "I just wanted to keep going. I didn't really think much about it."

Anna sat on the edge of the bed and watched him as he fell quiet. His fingers continued their slow trail up and down her arm but he rested his head against the pillows, closed his eyes, and said no more. He seemed relaxed but she wondered if there was more going on in his mind. She let the comfortable quiet reign in the room for several moments while she pondered the night before, Gary's actions, and all of the little stories she'd heard about her boyfriend from Andrew and Gary himself.

All things considered, she figured she really shouldn't have been too surprised by what Gary had done last night; not after he had evidently been so involved with Andrew while living in Sinnoh, not after he had fooled around with Tracey months earlier. Gary had seemed to become more comfortable talking about things he and Andrew had done; in fact, he had even begun initiating the stories that Andrew had originally been the one to share. He truly seemed more at ease with himself this past month than Anna could recall ever seeing him.

One thing, however, kept coming to the forefront of her thoughts: Gary had been so hesitant and unsure when he had brought up his sexuality to Anna back in… September, October? Either way, it had been months earlier, and they had never talked about it since then. Sure, they had laughed over stories that either he or Andrew had shared and some of those stories made their way into her fantasies, which she would sometimes whisper in his ear just to get him riled up. Even so, they never discussed the implications of those stories and she couldn't shake the memory of how very nervous he had seemed.

"I'm… I think that I might be… bisexual…"

It had been said with startling timidity and she had to bring it up.

"Hey, babe?" Anna asked after a few moments. Gary opened his eyes to peer up at her and she had to smile at how adorably tired he looked. "We've never really talked about it… You said months ago that you thought you might be bi, then you played around with Tracey a bit, and then we started dating and you never did anything with a guy since then, as far as I know."

"Yeah?" Gary asked, not sure where she was going with this.

"Well, you seemed really unsure about it then and the stuff with Tracey never really went anywhere. You were pretty worked up when you realized that you and Andrew had dated but not so much now." She shrugged her shoulders and cocked her head curiously. "I guess I'm just wondering where you stand on it these days."

He was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking over his response. "I'm definitely bisexual," he said slowly, though without truly hesitating at all. "I think I was dealing with so much else at the time… I don't know, I just didn't really think a lot about it because there was so much else on my mind. When I moved back home I missed Andrew a lot; he knew what I was going through, he was my best friend, he was my boyfriend. Moving back was a huge change and all of a sudden I didn't have that support. I guess I kind of used Tracey to kind of take his place." Gary shrugged lightly as he gazed across the room, not really looking at anything in particular.

Still watching him curiously, Anna nodded and seemed to be thinking over what he had said. "You've gotten more comfortable with it, right?" she finally asked. "You and Andrew tell me and Rachael so many stories about it these days; I don't really get the impression that you have any problems with it."

"After a while it just kind of sank in; I don't really know how, exactly, but it did. It just… became a part of me, I guess. Telling you and Rachael so many stories actually did help quite a bit, though."

"How so?"

Gary paused slightly before answering. "Well, the stories would stay in my head for a while after telling them or hearing Andrew tell them. Honestly, it turned me on – and it wasn't just the memory of doing it, it was the thought of doing it, period, you know?"

Anna looked a bit confused so he elaborated, sitting up and meeting her eyes more directly.

"It wasn't just like looking back and saying, 'yeah, it was nice when it happened.' It's more like, 'it was nice then, and I would totally do it again.' It made me realize that it wasn't just a past-tense sort of thing or a phase or anything like that: I'm actually attracted to, and turned on by, guys just as much as I am girls," he explained.

Anna watched him for a minute, paying close attention to his eyes as she searched for signs of uncertainty. When she found none, she smiled. "I'm happy for you." This time Gary gave her a curious look and she laughed a little. "I'm happy that you're comfortable with another side of yourself. Especially since you didn't agonize over it! That's a big deal for you!"

She paused as a long-held fantasy came to mind and she felt a rush a heat in the pit of her stomach. Grinning, she let her eyes rake up and down his naked form. The blanket was pooled in his lap and she was sorely tempted to tug it away.

Gary noticed the way she was staring at him and laughed. "It's that fantasy again, isn't it?" Anna blushed and bit her lip, nodding her head and eliciting another laugh from her boyfriend. "You know, the fact that it turns you on so much actually means a lot to me… It's one thing for me to accept it, but knowing that the person I love is not only okay with it, but actually likes that part of me is kind of a big deal."

Anna's smile faded and she suddenly appeared more serious than she had all morning. "I love you," she began determinedly. "Part of loving someone is accepting every part of who they are. Even if it wasn't for my little guy-on-guy kink, I love and trust you – this shouldn't change that and, if it did, I would be a pretty shitty girlfriend."

Even though she wasn't saying anything particularly groundbreaking, Gary couldn't help but feel touched. He had felt amazingly happy and full of love at the concert and even more so when they finally went to sleep in the early hours of the morning, but he found that was a fraction of how he felt now. Everything that happened between them only made him feel more complete and more sure.

As he was about to reply there was a loud and obnoxious knock on the door followed by Andrew's voice. "Come on, lazy! We've gotta train before we leave – get out of bed!" He sounded surprisingly awake and energetic for how early it was.

Ignoring Andrew for a moment, Gary reached out to gently pull Anna towards him and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

"Words can't even say how much I love you right now," he murmured against her lips. He felt her smile as she pressed a quick kiss to his lips before pulling away just enough to nuzzle his cheek lovingly.

"Maybe you'll have a chance to show me while we're in Sinnoh," she teased.

Gary grinned. "I like that idea," he said, standing and heading over to his dresser to retrieve some fresh clothing. He remembered one of his ideas from the afternoon before and turned back to face his girlfriend as he pulled on a pair of boxers. "Maybe we could stay in a hotel for a few days up there: just the two of us, no interruptions… Could be nice," he added suggestively.

"That sounds nice," Anna agreed, nodding as she climbed to her feet. "I was going to go over to Mom's and hang out with Rach while you're out training. Maybe Mom knows a place."

Nodding his approval, Gary headed towards the bathroom to finish getting ready. Anna followed and they spent only a few more minutes discussing their plans before he headed downstairs for what would likely be the last training session in Pallet before the competition.

As he headed down the stairs to grab some breakfast before catching up with Chelsea, Ash, and Andrew it suddenly hit him that the competition was only in about two weeks. At one point, this realization would have likely caused him a great deal of anxiety, but right now all he could do was grin. He was no longer a lost twelve-year-old who took losses far too seriously: he could handle this. It would be the last step in recovering from the years of cutting, it would be returning to the place of his worst loss and coming full circle as he returned to his days as a competitive trainer. It would be returning to the place where he and Anna shared their first true kiss, and perhaps it would be the place where they took their relationship further.

This was going to be fun.

… … …

May was in the process of looking over a small stack of papers at the kitchen table when her brother surprised her with an incredibly cheerful greeting. She glanced up as he entered the room and headed directly to the large bowl of fruit on the counter near the refrigerator.

"You slept in this morning," she observed quietly, returning her attention to the papers in front of her as she checked each one.

"Didn't notice that I was gone last night, did you?" Gary replied lightly, shooting her a grin as he picked an orange from the bowl. Grabbing a clean plate from the dish drain, he made his way over to the table, dropping a piece of black fabric on top of May's hands and papers as he did so.

Confused, May set down her papers and picked it up. She smiled when she saw that it was a new shirt, but frowned when she noticed that the shirt had tour dates on the back – it clearly came from a concert. She looked back up at Gary and glanced him over, taking in his appearance. He looked tired and his hair fell about his shoulders in messy tendrils, as it did only when he had fallen asleep with it still wet from the shower. The shirt he wore was similar to the one she held in her hands.

"You went to a Kamelot concert?" she asked, realization dawning on her.

Gary nodded, grinning, as he took his time peeling the orange he had picked for his breakfast. "I had forgotten they were playing. It was a last minute date night," he explained, popping a segment of fruit into his mouth.

"Did you have a good time?" May asked mildly, setting the shirt down with a smile as she once more looked back at her papers. Gary gave another nod, a faint smile seeming permanently attached to his face as he focused on his food. "You seem happy."

His mouth full of food, Gary simply smiled across the table at her. He looked curiously at the papers in her hands and swallowed his mouthful. "What are those papers?"

A small crossed May's face as she set them down and pushed them across the table to him. "College applications," she said quietly. She blushed slightly as a grin curved her brother's lips. "I'm applying to the pokemon grooming program at Pastoria's community college."

"That's awesome, May," Gary said, sounding so genuinely happy for her that her heart swelled. It felt wonderful to have her little brother's support. Something occurred to him and Gary's smile faded slightly as his expression turned thoughtful. "You said applications, plural," he noted, a hint of suspicion creeping into his voice. "That's only one application… What else are you up to?"

Carefully separating her stack of papers into a two smaller ones, May's smile turned a bit nervous. "I know there's not really a lot of jobs in it, but… I'm applying to the humanities program in Hearthome."

Gary was quiet for a moment as he pulled one of the stacks closer to him. "That's in the same department as the program Anna applied for," he noted quietly, recognizing the papers as the same ones Anna had sent in only a week earlier. The only difference between the applications, he noticed, was the program code and the fact that Anna had also sent in a portfolio of written work.

"Yeah… With Anna applying to the journalism program and you working so hard with training and music… I kind of feel like taking the risk with something I'm really interested in, you know?"

"Grooming and humanities are two very different things, May. With your grades from high school, you're bound to be accepted into them. Why are you applying for both?"

May gave a small shrug of her shoulders and smiled again. "I like them both," she said simply. "When we were in Sinnoh and I was annoyed at you for joining the two bands, Alex pointed out that you didn't have to worry about not succeeding in them and that you could always go back to school or back into science if you wanted to. I've been thinking about that off and on since then and figured I'm young enough, I could do both if I wanted to. The grooming program is only a year long – I can do that and then start on a humanities degree while working as a groomer. It's too late to be accepted into Hearthome for the fall semester this year, anyway."

"Sounds reasonable," Gary replied, nodding. "But why humanities? I thought you had looked into a few anthropology programs?"

"I decided it was a little more up my alley and, you know, Anna mentioned that she might like to minor in humanities. Maybe we'd have some classes together."

Gary smiled at this. Though Anna and May usually got along well, they weren't the closest in their group of friends and May had always had reservations about Anna and the mischief she got up to with Gary. The idea of the two women having classes together at the same university seemed to show some growth on May's part, as though her reservations had waned. With this in mind, Gary felt comfortable broaching a topic that he had tried bringing up to May once, on Valentine's Day, only to be snapped at.

"Speaking of Anna," he began slowly as May gathered up her papers. "Things are really serious, May… I want to marry her."

The papers suddenly slipped from May's hands, scattering across the table, a few fluttering to the floor, as she stared at her brother. "You what?" She sounded shocked but not angry in the slightest and Gary took this as a good sign.

"You heard me," Gary retorted, unable to prevent the grin that spread across his face. "May, she's been my best friend forever and I know we haven't even been dating a year but… It just feels right."

May stammered for a moment, visibly floundering for a response before closing her eyes and releasing a small sigh. "Are you sure about this?" she finally asked softly, opening her eyes and meeting Gary's gaze.

"Absolutely," Gary replied steadily. He held May's gaze a little longer as he continued. "The thing is, Anna isn't the only woman in my life who is important to me. I can't ask her to marry me if it would hurt or somehow bother you."

Realizing what he was getting at, May sighed again and stood. "Gary, you have driven me absolutely insane my entire life," she said, walking around the table to stand in front of him. "But you've always been there when I needed it and you have always been the sweetest, most caring little brother I could ever ask for. How could I possibly deny you this?"

Knowing him as well as she did, she fully anticipated the sudden hug that followed her question but the strength that Gary squeezed her with caught her off guard. Smiling to herself, she returned the hug by squeezing her brother as hard as she possibly could, drawing a laugh from him as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

The back door to the kitchen flung open suddenly, revealing a rather annoyed Andrew standing on the back porch. "Are we battling or not?" he demanded irritably, eliciting another laugh from Gary as he pulled away from May.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Gary replied, waving a hand dismissively. The door closed loudly behind Andrew as he headed back to the field where they normally trained, causing Gary to laugh yet again. "God, I love annoying him." He looked down at May with a grin and ducked his head to kiss her cheek once more. "Thank you, May."

May shot him a grin. "I like you asking for my approval," she giggled.

Heading towards the hallway so that he could get his pokemon from the lab, Gary smirked faintly. "If you like voicing your approval so much, then why don't you help me pick a ring while we're in Sinnoh this week?"

"That soon?" May exclaimed, her grin turning to another expression of shock as he retreated from the room, his laughter echoing down the hallway after him. May stooped to gather up the papers that were on the floor and set about reorganizing them with a shake of her head. "That boy's going to be the death of me."

… … …

Gary grinned from his position across the battlefield as he returned his worn out persian to its pokeball. Andrew, in an attempt to get even with Gary for taking so long to join their morning training session, had come up with a challenge for their battle: three-on-three, single-type pokemon only. It limited their options, especially for Andrew, considering the vast majority of his pokemon were dual-types. This also meant that Andrew couldn't use his main powerhouses like his lapras, gyarados, charizard, or vileplume.

Even so, the blonde teen put up an impressive fight – his meganium had made surprisingly quick work of Gary's high-level marowak and even nearly took out his persian through the use of Petal Dance, which left the feline thoroughly confused. In the end, Gary had withdrawn Persian and sent out his ninetails to finish the job. He hadn't wanted to rely on a type advantage; though Ash had definitely taught him years earlier that type advantages didn't spell an easy win, he knew a type advantage usually made a win easier, especially against a weakened opponent.

He wanted the challenge of an uneven match but Andrew's use of Petal Dance to confuse the hell out of his pokemon quickly grew annoying: Meganium had to go, so Ninetails had to use her advantage as a fire-type. Andrew's ditto gave Gary the challenge he wanted and the resulting battle was a thrilling one that went on for quite some time with no end in sight until it finally ended in a draw.

Then Andrew had surprised him by sending out an arbok, eliciting a harsh scold from Chelsea. Startled but a bit amused by the choice in pokemon, Gary sent Persian back into battle and fought against the poison-type without holding back. It was intense and the frequent sight of the purple cobra's long fangs made him cringe slightly but Gary emerged victorious and he couldn't help but feel happiness flood through him once more. This really was a great day.

Gary waited until Andrew reached him before heading back towards the lab. Andrew greeted him with a high five, laughing.

"That was awesome!" he crowed happily, playfully musing Gary's hair.

"You're excited for someone who just got their ass beat," Gary observed amusedly.

"I almost beat you," Andrew pointed out. "Meganium could have taken you out if you hadn't pulled out a fire-type."

"How was your date?" Gary changed the subject, shooting him a grin.

"It was nice, except we couldn't figure out how to work the star chart... So we came back home early," he finished with a grin and shot Gary a wink.

Gary laughed, certain he had an idea of what must have happened when Tracey and Andrew returned. "You're supposed to hold the chart up," he explained.

"Above your head?"

"Yep."

"Huh," Andrew ran a hand through his hair with a small laugh. "Didn't think of that... So what happened to you last night? You disappeared."

Gary glanced over at him with a small smirk. He knew Andrew would be jealous. "Did you notice the shirt?" he asked, tugging on the collar of his t-shirt.

Andrew stopped walking, his smile disappearing. "You went to a concert?" he asked incredulously. "Chelsea said you were copying me and being a romantic sap!"

"Who said I wasn't?"

Andrew laughed. "Yeah, romance at a metal show. Whatever you say!"

"It's true. Until Kamelot came on, at least, and then we had fun when we got back, of course."

"In the garage, apparently," Andrew quipped, smirking widely. "Chelsea found a very nice, sexy bra on the hood of your car this morning and I doubt it was yours."

Laughing, Gary nodded. "Garage, bathroom, bedroom... Lots of fun."

He stopped talking as they reached the lab, noticing that they, Chelsea, and Ash were not the only ones outside. The professor was waiting just outside the door, watching them as they approached the lab with a small smile on his face. Andrew was still talking, starting to ask about how Anna's bra had ended up in the garage, still oblivious to the professor's presence.

"Shut up, Andrew," Gary muttered, digging an elbow into the blonde's ribs. "Hey, Grandpa."

"That was quite the battle," Professor Oak commented. "Ditto and Ninetails were especially impressive."

"I hate battling your ditto," Gary told Andrew, yanking on a tendril of messy blonde hair and drawing another laugh from him.

"Ditto? Not Arbok? I sent him out just for you, you know!"

The professor chuckled at Gary eye roll and shook his head in amusement. "Was that the last battle before you leave?"

The two teens nodded. Andrew announced that he and Tracey would be leaving for Pastoria with Chelsea and Shawn in tow after lunch while Gary admitted that he still needed to pack up. They likely wouldn't reach Pastoria until the evening, when they would either end up hanging out with friends or meeting up with Alex for dinner. They weren't in a particular rush as they would be able to sleep in before Charlotte and Ty's late afternoon wedding the next day.

The professor took their battle-worn pokemon from them for healing while Andrew went off to bug Shawn and Chelsea. Gary, meanwhile, headed to the pokemon storage room to look over his pokemon collection one last time before getting ready to leave. He was vaguely aware of his grandfather following him in the direction of the room but didn't pay much attention. Ash was already in the storage room peering over a spreadsheet on the computer, likely reviewing the stats and levels of his pokemon. The dark-haired teen glanced over and greeted Gary as he entered the room, even though he had been outside for the entire battle.

"How was your date?" the trainer asked distractedly.

Gary stopped in front of the shelves that held his pokemon collection, which was sorted by type. "Perfect," he replied nonchalantly. "How was training last night?"

"Eventful," Ash replied, turning away from the computer to face Gary. "I caught an ursaring."

Gary paused, his hand hovering in the air before the shelf of his psychic-types. "Seriously?" He looked back towards his grandfather, who was standing in the doorway.

The old man nodded his head in confirmation. "It looks like there is a fair-sized population along Route Twenty-Two. There have been trainer sightings for years but it's always been passed off as an odd, rogue pokemon. We're starting to get evidence of ursarings actually living and breeding in western Kanto. Ash caught a very powerful male last night. Very impressive pokemon."

Gary cursed softly, almost disappointed that he hadn't gone with Ash. "That's awesome, Ash," he said, returning the pokeballs of his three unused pokemon in their proper places on the shelves before him. He set about rearranging the pokeballs, placing his strongest and most often used pokemon in one section. "You're getting close to being a gym leader."

"You know, Gary," Professor Oak spoke up as Gary picked up a few pokeballs from his water pokemon shelves. "You're not far off from the requirements to be a gym leader either. It might be something to think about."

Gary laughed softly, shaking his head as he added the pokeballs in the new section. "I don't know, Grandpa," he replied lightly. In truth, the thought had come up a few times, fleeting, but still there. His heart hadn't been in training when he stopped after the Silver Conference in Johto but he was certainly enjoying it now. He turned his attention to the shelves of ground and rock types, running his hand across the rows as he considered the pokemon there.

His grandfather was quiet for a moment, observing the faint smile and the way Gary ran his fingers over the pokeballs. The boy seemed hesitant to leave, as though he wanted to continue training. It was something the professor had first noticed a few weeks prior and had seen increasingly more often since then.

"Gary, if I may… Why did you stop training?"

Quiet fell in the small room as Gary thought over his response. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ash watching on curiously. "It was the right thing to do at the time," Gary finally replied slowly, leaning against the shelf and crossing his arms casually. "But, honestly, I've asked myself that same question quite a few times lately."

"You've always been a really good trainer," Ash spoke up suddenly. "We disagree on some things, but you're really good with strategy and you know how to work with high-level pokemon. You've always been that way; so why was it right to leave training?"

Gary smiled at the compliments before frowning thoughtfully at the question. "Maybe I just needed a break back then; a different view point or something. I took it way too seriously. Every drop of energy I had went into training and I let every loss get to me. I couldn't see a loss as anything other than a failure. They weren't learning opportunities any more, they were just another reason to hurt myself. It wasn't healthy."

"Were you planning on going back to training?" Ash asked, eyeing him curiously.

"I don't know," Gary replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I think the idea was there somewhere but it really wasn't something I consciously considered doing. It took some convincing to get me on board for this, remember?"

Ash nodded. "What about now?" he asked. "Professor Oak's right, you're close to meeting the gym leader requirements. You might actually be a little closer than me."

"I don't think I'd ever be a traveling trainer again, there are too many other things that I want to do right now… But, I don't know; I like training now. If I could find a way to keep training in Sinnoh without traveling much, I think I would do it."

A curious expression crossed the professor's face at Gary's words. "In Sinnoh?" he asked, smiling. "Are you planning on being there for more than a week and a half?"

Gary shrugged again, unable to force down the grin that appeared. He was so happy these last two days, it was hard not to smile. "Anna applied to the university in Hearthome last week. We were actually talking a little bit last night about maybe moving to Pastoria or one of the towns between Hearthome and Pastoria," he explained.

This clearly surprised both the professor and Ash, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by. Suddenly Andrew poked his head in the room. "This isn't the first time that's come up, you know," he pointed out.

"No, it's not," Gary agreed. "But between joining two bands there and Anna possibly going to school there, it makes sense."

"And are there any plans to follow this idea of moving to Sinnoh with Anna?" the professor asked mildly, though a gleam in his eye showed that he suspected something.

This time Gary forced his grin down in favor of a smirk. "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

… … …

Author's Note:

The Gary/Anna lemon was actually not meant to be as steamy as it was (not that I'm complaining!)… I did however want to touch back on Gary's bisexuality in the story. I mean, his relationship with Andrew is something that comes up fairly often but it's always a past tense thing. A bisexual doesn't just turn straight when they're in a relationship with the opposite sex. I think Gary has naturally grown more comfortable with the fact that he dated Andrew (at least that's what I've tried showing), but I wanted to show a bit more of him growing into and accepting his sexuality.

Back towards the beginning of the story he admitted to Anna that he thought he might be bi and then he fooled around a bit with Tracey before ending up in a monogamous relationship with Anna. Everything dealing with his sexuality since then has been past tense, which really bothered me when I realized that. I didn't want to leave it as though it had all been a curious, experimental phase that he went through before realizing that he was straight or some nonsense like that. I also didn't want to subject him to the bi-erasure that most bisexuals go through when they are in a relationship and are suddenly labeled as either gay or straight (being a bi woman married to a man, I've experienced these issues). I wanted to show that it's still a part of him that he is aware of and has grown to accept and be comfortable with.

I would love some feedback on how you think the whole bi story arc has ended up over the course of the story!