Miss Step

Wait (10)

AN: I don't know if I'm going to make people upset in this chapter, but we'll see. This isn't the last chapter. I promise. This isn't even near the last chapter. I have two ending paths in mind and I'm not sure on which one to choose. I guess we'll figure that out soon.... As promised, you didn't have to read last chapter to know what's going on is this chapter. You just have to know that the Prof. and Gary got into a fight again. This time, it takes more of a toll on Gary.
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Their legs didn't stop moving until they were far away from the lab. Trees and bushes swarmed pass them, their ankles turned red by all the sharp bushes gathered around their legs.  Ash didn't recognize the forest around them. The dirt seemed darker and it was weirdly quiet.

'I've explored the woods all around the town, so where are we?" Ash couldn't help but examine his surroundings. Strangely, he couldn't even find a Pokémon to hint at where they were.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a soft thud. He turned his head to see Gary sitting in the dirt, head in his hands.

"Gary, it's alrig-"

"No. It's not. It's not alright." A sob ripped from his throat and his shoulders shook from the cries. Ash tried to comfort the boy, but his attempts at rubbing his back or kissing his forehead seemed futile. He felt as if he was trying to comfort stone.

Gary shoulders off Ash and stands up. "Ash, go home," His tone shakes Ash and he feels as if his friend was just replaced by a robot. A heartless one at that. Ash jumped up and extended his arm out towards Gary's wrist.

"Gary please. I lo," Tears started to flow from Ash as well.

"Ash. Go." His wrist fell away from the boy's hand.

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Ash's Mom slowly drank from here glass of water. The glass in her hand shook when she heard the side door slam.

"Ash, is that you hunny?" The glass clicked against the glass table, but the water stayed in its container. The house stayed silent, except for the muffled ticking from the clock in the kitchen.

The last sight of Ash his mother got that night of him was of his shoe as he was ascending the stairs. She returned to the living room and shut off the television. She stared at the still sleeping Pikachu and the upstairs rooms.

"Pikachu..." Her soft whispers whisked away the silence of the room.     She let her head fall and her lips brushed against Pikachu's fur.

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The sun shot through the cracks of the lazily drawn curtain, rays of light dusting across Ash's desk and bed. His puffy eyes fluttered, then finally opened. The bed springs croaked as he positioned himself upright in his bed. 

The pounding in his head caused his eyes clench back and his hand to hold his forehead. Floorboards squeaked under his feet when he made his way towards the door. Soft murmuring interrupted his thoughts of retrieving medicine. His knees lowered and his bottom hit the top stair. He strained his ears to listen.

"'M sure he'll come home soon." Ash heard the voice his mom uses when she's trying to comfort somebody.

"I know, but what if he doesn't. Mary.... I don't know how to tell her" His voiced audible quivered. His feet stomped on each floorboard and his nostrils flared. He bounded to the kitchen.

Oak leaned against a counter, arms crossed, and Ash noticed that the clothing the Professor was wearing was the same as the clothes he had been wearing yesterday. The bags under his eyes gave a very sunken look to the old man. Ash would've walked over and comforted the grandfather figure in his life. He would've told him it's okay. He would've told him that he volunteers to go and look for Gary. That's what a part of Ash wanted to do, but what he actually did was quite the opposite.

"So now you're worried." Ash crossed his arms and shot a glare at the man across from him.

"Ash, I don't think," His mother cut her own sentence off, deciding this was not her place.

"Ash, please. I don't want to fight." Ash's look softened when he noticed Oak fidgeting. His eyes studied the Professor.

'He's the reason Gary's gone,' Ash lowered his head, as if to say that he surrendered his end of the fight. He couldn't hold Oak responsible for Gary's actions. He was practically an adult now. That still didn't lift the sinking of Ash's heart.

"Well, the first step is to try Officer Jenny." Ash's Mom tried to dispel the tension in the air.

"I've already tried. They were unable to do anything because of the fact that Gary is an adult. She said we can file for a missing person report after 48 hours." Oak, visibly distraught, held his wrist, rubbing gingerly at the rough skin.

'Gary will come back. He's going to knock on my door at 2 in the morning, like the fight he had with his Grandfather years past, holding up his copy of MagiKart. He's going to pull that puppy dog face, puffing out his bottom lip and shifting his eyebrows to that perfect position. I'll put my finger up to my lips, smiling and move to the side to let the other boy in. He's not missing and he'll be back. I'll be waking up to his banging on our front door.'

Although Ash couldn't sleep that night. He was exhausted, he should've fell asleep easier due to the hours of walking around, his eyes darting and begging to just see a glimpse of his childhood friend. But here he was. Straining his eyes to see the hands of the wall clock.

'The knock is coming soon.' Was the only words that surfaced in his head as he watched the hour hand slip from 1 to 2. His eyelids felt heavy and his body twisted and turned in his bed sheets, in futile attempts to wake up his brain.

The next time his eyelids opened was when the rays from the sun slithered through the curtain and struck his face. Ash awoke with a start and his heart dropped.

'7:29'

No knock.  No Gary.