It wasn't until a few days later that the topic of Ash's crush was spoken of again. Ash initiated it this time, hoping the Pokémon Researcher could somehow help him with a not-so-terrible-but-still-horrible situation. The ravenette was feeling almost doubtful. Would Gary feel the same way for Ash, seeing as they were often together? Gary and himself were hanging out once more in their beautiful hometown of Pallet, just the two of them, lying on top of a grassy hill that they both knew so well.

"Hey, Gary."

The older boy responded with a "hmm", looking over at Ash who had his head resting on top of his arms and his hazel orbs gazing upon the azure summer sky.

The hazel-eyed boy turned to him, smiling, that hidden tint of scarlet emerging from his face once again. The ravenette seemed to blush quite a lot lately, Gary noticed, especially when the younger boy had his eyes on him even for the quickest of moments.

"I want to ask you something. For some advice, actually." Ash mumbled, fidgetting with the grass while his smile faltered into that of a thin and serious line.

"What is it?"

A suspended pause rode the air before the ravenette continued once more. "I was just wondering... what you would do if you had a feeling the person you like has no whatsoever feelings for you."

It was an odd question. The Pikachu Trainer normally never talked about his personal feelings. But Gary had a gist of what he was talking about. After all, the boy was smart, and Ash was his best friend. He wouldn't be caught dead without the ability to answer such a question.

"If I had a feeling? Well, surely I'd wait and see if this person I liked would give me some form of clue that they liked me. I'd be able to tell if they liked hanging around with me or if they simply tried hard to get close to me. If not, then I'd still try to figure out discreetly by asking indirect questions."

"I see. If only I could do that. I really want to let them know."

Gary grinned at him. "You can. I'm sure this person you like would like you back just the same. I have no doubt they'd care for you anyway, at the very least."

It was a little difficult for the emerald-eyed boy to admit those words. But they were true, as Ash was an all-year-round likeable person. He still hadn't figured out who this mysterious crush of Ash was. He had forgotten. Was it Misty? Or May? Maybe even Dawn or Iris. This person must have spent so much time with the Pikachu Trainer for him to develop a crush on them. Ash was a dense person. The boy wouldn't know whether or not a girl liked him if he had to die thinking. It was thankful enough that the hazel-eyed boy even knew what the word "crush" meant.

"How would you know? Do you know who it is?" Ash asked, his voice tone thick with confusion. Gary was so very wrong. He wouldn't like him back the way Ash liked him at all. The Pokémon Researcher didn't even know.

"I have a feeling. Exactly like what you said." Gary smirked almost mockingly. He let one of his hands ghost over the ravenette's, who in return blushed profusely and froze up for a moment before relaxing again.

They held hands during that sunny afternoon. Ash worked up all his courage to squeeze back at his best friend's hand, which was warm, comforting and it made him feel fuzzy all over. If only he could really tell Gary what he was feeling. If only it was actually acceptable for him to love the boy lying right next to him, and actually be courageous enough to tell him everything that was on his mind. A question would have to do for now. A question of advice.

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A.N. Second part! :) I've yet to recheck for errors, so I'm sorry if I have some...