The One With Apathetic Eyes

Chapter One

In all honesty, Ash or really Satoshi, had never really cared deeply for another person other then his father, he was never given the chance to with anyone else. He just made sure to hide it well. He would always hide it, that is until his mother Delia had started hitting him around his fourth birthday after that he couldn't bring himself to care what others thought of him even if he naively still tried to earn her affection.

He remembered the most impactful beating clearly, it was practically his Christmas present, as it revealed a great many things to him. It had been just a few weeks before the beginning of a new year, almost seven months after his tenth birthday (not that he celebrated).

That day Gary and him were out by the seaside fly fishing, hoping to get in some activity before it started to get to cold as winter set in. He didn't exactly know the odds of it happening (because they didn't actually know how to fish), but their fishing rods (he borrowed one from the Oak House) managed to get caught of the same old Pokéball which appeared to have lost its ability to enlarge itself. The two had fought over it, him just following his friend's example, until the capsule split cleanly in two separating the red top and white bottom.

That one-sided fight was the start of everything; followed by Gary angrily declaring that he didn't want to be friends with a loser, something that despite hearing a lot stung him a bit coming from him, before he stormed off with his half of the ball, the red top. Ash had listened absently to his turned over yells that he better be prepared in the future because from then on they were rivals. Rivals as to what he didn't know til later when he'd realized Gary had been talking about their Pokémon Journey. He couldn't be blamed either after all they wouldn't be going until a few months after he turned eleven in late May, which was nearly five months and a few weeks away.

On his way home as it got dark, of course after he dropped off the borrowed fishing rods with the Professor, he contemplated as to why Gary had acted the way he did. Ash never had a great understanding towards kids, as other then Gary all the other kids had started avoiding him around the same time they were old enough to form their own opinion. While he was sure it had something to do with the rumors his mother spread, he never cared enough about righting them.

Instead he'd observe Gary every moment they spent together trying to piece together how someone his age should act, in hopes of pleasing his mother and being left alone. Gary was extremely expressive so it helped, but he also learned that not many kids liked Gary because he was an arrogant, bossy brat (yet they still hung out with said brat); And while the other adults were annoyed, he was the Pokémon Professor's grandson and thus the Pride of Pallet Town.

He never reached a conclusion either. All he could think of was the odd sensation of annoyance he felt toward the boys declaration. Gary seemed to have forgotten that he was the one who insisted on being friends with him. In the beginning Ash had stated clearly after being annoyed with the boy's bossy attitude that he didn't want friends and he wasn't interested. He didn't appreciate how the boy had forced himself in and then suddenly forced himself out. A small part of him felt hurt and even a little angry but those feelings dulled quickly like everything else these past few years and he gave up on figuring out why.

He'd given up on asking questions like why toward anything really, no longer questioning the terrible events that built up his life a long time ago around when he realized his mother never loved him and never would, everything just being an act.

Despite him not figuring out the reason as to why Gary had ended their friendship, Ash quickly discovered the consequences of it. He had forgotten the fact that news and gossip traveled quickly in the small town and it was as he closed and locked the front door of his home that suffered for it.