Her Mistake

Chp 3 Broken Strings

Ring ring... Ring ring...

Tossing the book on his bed, he went over to answer the call. A small smile graced his face when he recognized the familiar figure on the screen.

"Well, well," He greeted, "If it isn't our Ashy-boy. Don't you look pretty with your new makeup? What brand is it?"

"Haha. Very funny, Gary." Ash scowled. His injuries had not yet healed. The ones on his face didn't cool either. If he had to get scars, why couldn't it be something that looked cool instead of dark swellings and purple bruises? "At least wear a shirt before answering the phone."

Gary blinked, looked down and then smiled. "Never took you for the shy type, Ashy-boy." He glanced up with half-lidded eyes and smirked. "What? Am I too pretty for you now? Are you going to blush?"

He laughed at the stupefied look on his rival's face. "Don't worry, Ash-boy. I won't tell anyone if you do."

"Just get some clothes on, Gary," Ash muttered in exasperation. "I need to talk with you."

"Sure, sure." Gary chuckled and turned to find some clothes. "Why don't you tell me how you got the new make-up?"

"That's the thing," Ash muttered with a frown. "I don't remember much about this one. The only thing I remember is running from a group of bird type Pokemon and stumbling into the nest of bee-drills."

"Why am I not surprised?" Gary sighed and began dressing out of sight. "You sure you don't have a concussion or two? The memories should come back soon enough."

"I know," Ash answered. "But it's been a week now and I still don't remember anything. I-I think something is wrong with my memories."

"Hmm?" Gary sat in front of the screen and winced when he noticed the extent of injuries his rival had sustained. "That looks bad."

Ash snorted. "Trust me, it hurts worse."

"I see," Gary shook his head. "After your adventures, I would think you can handle yourself. Was there a psychic pokemon nearby? There aren't many pokemon that can mess with memories. Even then, most of their effects are temporary."

"I can't say." Ash slouched back in his seat. "I didn't see anything. At least I am sure I didn't."

"That's not much information to go on," Gary muttered. "Are you certain something is going on?"

"I don't know," Ash gestured with his good hand. "I just have a gut feeling. Even with only Pikachu with me, I have been able to deal with hordes of beedrills and bird type pokemon in the past. No. There must have been something else there."

"I see," Gary nodded and wrote on his notepad, "Why don't you focus on recuperating for now? I will try and see what I can find."

"Thanks, I owe you one," Ash sighed in relief.

"Don't worry about it," Gary smiled. "Anyways, I have to go now. I have a date soon and I want to get things ready."

"Misty's there?" Ash leaned forward eagerly.

"Don't you know?" Gary frowned. "We broke up a while ago."

"What? Why?"

"You know how it is," Gary shrugged. "She is busy with her gym duties. I have my own studies to focus on. We thought it would be best to break up. No one likes to spend festivals alone while everyone else has a date anyway. Not everyone can handle a long-distance relationship like you."

"I see," Ash grimaced.

"Speaking of," Gary began with a suggestive smile, "How did Miss Yvonne take your surprise? I bet she was all over you. Where is she anyway? I would have thought she would have been at your side berating you for your latest stunt."