@EmeraldSky

Gary stopped admiring his luscious false beard in the mirror and turned to greet the new arrival. "Hohoho, if it isn't Ashy-boy!" he said in a low booming voice. Gary's old childhood friend was dressed in red finery complete with a cape and a feathered hat. The jaunty tune that he had been playing on his flute had been light-hearted and breezy, but when combined with the evidently well-thought-out ensemble that Ash was wearing it seemed to transport Gary away to a different time and place. Well, that was until his old instincts flared up again. While it was true that his rival had had much more time and practice getting a costume together, Gary was still more than a little embarassed by how he thought his own get-up looked now: ill-fitting and not matching, like a mosaic instead of a single design. He scratched his false beard thoughtfully and glanced back at the closet. Maybe there was something he missed?

And then it struck him, he was Gary Oak! He could look good in just about anything! And besides, he hadn't pestered Ash in what seemed like forever! "It's good to see you again, Ash! Hope you weren't planning on grabbing too much glory tonight, now that I'm here!"