end.

"Ash, Ash, stay still, I’m coming!"

"Gary? Is that you?" Ash looked around frantically. "Gary, I’m scared!" Surrounding the little boy with scruffy black hair there were red eyes and strange noises. The boy had already stilled, looking out for his friend. Gary carefully made his way through the bushes, fending off the little bug Pokemon.

"Ash, it’s me." Gary revealed himself from the tree and enveloped the scared boy in his arms, "I’ve got you." He comforted Ash.

"Can we just get out of here?" Ash whimpered, closing his eyes. Gary held onto him and guided him out. When they reached the small town they called home - Pallet Town - Ash pulled from Gary’s grip and threw down his hat.

"How dare you leave me to the Pokemon! You didn’t even come until I started crying! You’re so mean, I hate you!" Ash screamed at the other boy. He rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, smearing mud all over his cheek. Gary knew he really wasn’t mad and so attempted to reach out and rub the mud off of the kid.

"Come on Ashy-boy, I know you’re not that mad…" Gary tried one of his large goofy grins that normally made Ash laugh but not this time. Instead the male just slapped away Gary’s hand and furrowed his brows deeper.

"Stop it, Gary! I hate you!" Ash exclaimed, turning on his heel to storm home and tell his mother just exactly what Gary Oak had done today. Enough was enough, every time Gary found a way to persuade Ash to come with him on an adventure he’d do something like this and expect Ash to like it. Well, Gary had done this one too many times now, their friendship - if you could call it that - was over.

Gary couldn’t believe it, his only friend was walking away from him. He couldn’t let Ash go like this, Ash and him were best friends for ever, that’s what they’d promised under the tree in his Grandpa’s garden. Tears threatened to fall as he watched his friend scare off a Rattata in his rage. “Ashy…” He called out. “Ashy!” Before the boy was gone Gary kicked into a run and tackled the younger in a hug. “Ashy don’t go~ I want to play!”

Ash’s eyes widened and he got a face full of dirt again. “Hey! Gary I told you to get lost, I hate you!” Ash growled, rolling around so he was on top. Gary looked up at him with round eyes and his power lip jutted out. Ash huffed at Gary’s attempt to be cute and grabbed a handful of grass and stuffed it in the male’s face. While Gary was startled at the sudden attack, Ash jumped up to run.

"Ugh, hey Ash, you jerk!" Gary yelled, spitting out the grass as he quickly pulled Ash back down. The younger whimpered but began hitting Gary with weak fists as the older fawn-haired boy grabbed fistfuls of his hair. Both boys were screaming profanities at each other, childish ones like ‘You’re fat’ and ‘Oh yeah? Well you’re stupid!’ Etc.

The only time they stopped hurting each other was after they were pulled apart by their mothers and forced to make up, but of course both boys were stubborn and none of their apologies were sincere…

And so began the rivalry between Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak.