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It really irks Gary to see people pretending to be something they clearly aren’t. Playing up things for attention and such. It’s ironic, considering his own past behavior, but perhaps that’s why it bothers him so very much.
The way people pretended to share someone’s hurt, pretended to be that person’s soulmate, isn’t an exception to his feelings on it all. Firstly, it’s all stupid. It’s something kids would do...little, itty-bitty kids with little, itty-bitty kid crushes. Secondly, it’s like folks forget that it isn’t really all about pain. It’s about other sorts of sensations, too.
So he really, really doesn’t like it when Ash’s Kalosian friend - Serena - starts lying about shared pain between them.
Ash is showing off a scar he got when he was traveling Hoenn? Oh, Serena remembers feeling that! Ash talks about how he broke his thumb when he was five? Serena definitely remembers crying to her mother about a similar sensation around that time. Ash got a paper cut just now? Oh, well, it hurts Serena now!
It’s really dumb. Mostly because Gary’s the one who’s felt all of Ash’s ridiculous injuries.
He remembers being on Saida when Ash got that scar - about jerking his entire arm away from the Pokemon he was trying to work on and hissing, thinking it had lashed out. He was actually THERE when Ash accidentally slammed a rock down on his own thumb and broke it; Gary can particularly remember the alarmed and foreign looks his grandfather and Ash’s mother had shared while both toddlers screamed in the ER. And that paper-cut wasn’t even Ash’s: it was Gary who got it, and Ash had brushed it off as a sliver he hadn’t been able to see. Oh yes...Gary’s known for quite some time about his soulmate. Enough time to know that Serena was full of it.
She’s nattering on and on on Professor Oak’s couch now, dressed up as pretty as she can be for the holiday party and practically cuddling into Ash’s side. Ash is clearly not prepared to hear her blathering on like this - the trainer is smiling politely, but he hasn’t said a word and is trying his best not to touch her further. Around them, Ash’s friends are either egging her on or snickering at Ash’s misfortune. And here Gary sits in his favorite armchair, sprawled over the arms of it sideways and watching the train-wreck in progress. His grandfather catches his eye, and the relatives share an unimpressed stare that Gary breaks first. He’s biding his time for his grandfather’s sake, out of interest of keeping things civil. Sam Oak knows just as well as his grandson does whose soulmate Ash is, and though he seems to sympathize with Gary he also doesn’t want the nice party he’s throwing to become uncomfortable.
It’s when Serena starts up again that Gary decides he has had enough.
“--and it was like we were sharing it!” She gushes, speaking of course about Ash’s infamous encounter with a flock of Spearow at the beginning of his travels. Her eyes are sparkling, and Gary feels one of his lower lids twitch dangerously. The girl leans on Ash’s shoulder, causing him to cringe/smile. “I’ll always be here to share your pain.”
CLACK.
Heads turn as Gary forcefully sets his mug down harder than necessary. He leans back, looking like some sort of evil villain in his chair, and stares down Serena.
She finally frowns. “...What?”
“You’re full of it.”
Gary’s words are met first with silence, and then the sound of coughs that turn into snickers. It appears that a few of Ash’s other friends have caught onto Serena’s game of make-believe, and they sound as if they’re eager to hear what Gary has to say about it all. The blond, herself, looks floored. “Excuse me?” She breathes, tensing up. Beside her, Ash glances between her and Gary warily.
“You.” Gary repeats, trying to sound as bored and petty as possible, “Are. Full. Of. It.”
“Why would you say something like that?!” The blond girl begins to blush, brows furrowing.
“Because you’re clearly lying, and anybody here can tell. For example.” Gary gestures flippantly with one of his hands, setting his cheek in the palm of his other one. “It isn’t just pain that’s shared by soulmates. Sensations like heat, cold, extreme emotions...those are all things you can feel, too. Didn’t hear you mention any of that.”
“I was just talking about ones HE mentioned!” Serena retorts, her hands balling up into fists in her lap.
Gary holds up a finger, effectively telling her to shush. “Didn’t hear Ash mention feeling any of YOUR pain, either.” His eyes, as well as those of everyone else, traveled over to a thoroughly embarrassed Ash Ketchum. “Got anything to add, Ashy-Boy?”
“I don’t.” Ash says, at once, looking eager to get out of the situation he’s been placed in. Serena immediately whips toward him, betrayal on her face, and Ash holds up his hands. “I’m sorry, I...I’ve traveled with you...I never shared any of your pain or anything.”
“You just don’t remember--”
“THIRDLY.” Gary booms, silencing Serena once more. He waits until she’s glaring sourly at him before continuing on quietly. “Thirdly...I’M the one who’s been sharing Ash’s pain, along with anything else he’s ever felt. I always have been. So quit trying to lie, because that’s not your soulmate, fool.” And, for added emphasis, he gives his own arm a rough pinch.
Of course, Ash hisses, gripping at his own arm and pouting.
The room is quiet. Gary ponders, in the moment of blissful stunned silence, if he’s ever told anyone here about who his soulmate is. He wonders if Ash has ever really thought about it.
Then the room erupts, and Gary realizes he doesn’t quite care. Serena looks absolutely devastated and enraged all at once; she mimics a fish, gaping at first Ash, then Gary...rinse and repeat. Ash’s friends are in various stages of shock and hilarity. Misty is just dying , slumping along the wall with her chest heaving with uncontrollable laughter. Poor Professor Oak looks so tired; Gary throws him what he hopes is an apologetic enough look.
Ash, in the meantime, seems to have finally processed what Gary’s demonstrated. He’s staring over at his former rival with shock and awe all over his face. Gary bites his lip absently, attempting to hide a smile, and is amused when Ash begins chewing on his own. “If it helps,” He finally calls, “I know exactly what being electrocuted on a daily basis feels like, now.”
Around the same time Ash grins, warmth blossoms in Gary’s chest. For once, he can’t tell if it’s Ash or him feeling it. He really doesn’t care.