Our Alternate Ending | | A Pokemon Adventure

Chapter 35- Our Nostalgia (Part 1)

I was about to respond but was cut short by one of the girls, who cleared her throat with a loud emphasis, capturing mine and Gary's attention. His eyes flickered over to the pair. Hungry for more explanation, he drank in their presence, vision raking over each carefully. Instinctively, I inched closer to Serena, feeling strangely uncomfortable by the way Gary studied her. It was a gut wrenching emotion that tugged at my conscience, governing my actions like a puppet on strings. His look wasn't lustful or hungry, not in the slightest, I just didn't like it.

"Ash, care to explain the current situation?" Elaina spoke up, drawing Gary's gaze to her. My old rival grinned at the question, eager to introduce himself.

"Pardon my manners. Hello, I'm the one and only, Gary Oak." He held out a hand for her to shake. The golden haired girl stared at the gesture, perplexed. After a slight hesitation, she took his grasp in her significantly smaller hand.

"Nice to meet you." Elaina said slowly, as if choosing her words with precaution. A response to Gary would definitely challenge her impulsive state of mind. "Your majesty." She decided on sarcasm, by the sound of it.

"And your name?" The mahogany haired boy questioned, curiosity carving small creases into his forehead.

"Elaina." Gary dwelled on it for a few seconds. However, within too short a moment, he became disinterested and averted his attention to Serena and I. As if it were possible, the vast grin across his lips widened upon the sight of us, inched into each others personal space.

"And yours?" He questioned, gaze fixated on Serena with a teasing edge crawling beneath his skin.

"I'm Serena. It's a pleasure to meet you, but, how exactly do you and Ash know each other?" The honey blonde countered, giving Gary a questioning look that he clearly disapproved of.

"That's a long story. However, to put it short, we're neighbors in Pallet Town. Old rivals, really." He responded with a shrug, expression briefly becoming genuine as he remembered our rivalry days.

"Really? What a coincidence. Ash never told me." Serena stated, giving me provocative look and gently nudging my side. A sheepishness secreted from my body in lengthy waves, easily reaching Gary who grinned at my uneasiness.

"That's a shame. Is there anything els you haven't told her, Ash?" He teased, mischief laced through every breathing word.

"No." I said with too much haste. It was rushed and abrupt. And I wasn't sure if it was true or not. "Why don't we get going to the hotel, like we said we would."

"Well, if it gets us out of this situation, then yes please." Elaina intervened, noticing that the gradual rise in tension had just about bubbled over a healthy level.

"I'll come with you!" Gary exclaimed, almost causing me to curse under the hem of my upper lip.

"So Gary, are you going to be watching the master class performance tomorrow?" Serena pondered as we began walking towards our destination. Gary happily engaged in conversation, leaving Elaina and I a few paces behind.

"Old rivals, huh?" She raised a blonde eyebrow while watching the backs of the pair with an equality of focus.

"Yep." I answered, popping the 'p' and allowing a sigh to swallow the last of the syllable.

"Seems more like two little boys who didn't get the same sized slices of cake at a birthday party to me." The new trainer blamed.

"Nice analogy but I'm really not in the mood." I said bitterly, making her jerk slightly. She muttered something under her breath that drifted away with the wind, not making contact with my eardrums.