Written awhile ago for one of pokeprompts' fic contests. Don't expect much from me for awhile, but I remembered I had this so I figured I'd post it. Enjoy!
I.
"I heard your dreams came true."
Red didn't turn right away at the sound of Leaf's voice. He was wandering around Victory Road. He needed space. Time to think.
He didn't expect for her to show up.
He slowly turned to face the girl that had always been his undoing. Her face was unreadable in the dim light of the caverns, and her words were careful.
"What are you going to do now?"
And that was really the heart of it. What was he going to do? What was there to do?
So Red gave a noncommittal shrug, avoiding her eyes.
Leaf forced a smile and stepped closer to him, into a ray of light coming from a crack in the rock. She took his hand.
"Well, Red, you can do anything you want now! Stay and challenge trainers, write a book, teach…" she paused. "…go to other regions," she said, trailing off and pulling back.
Red just watched her face.
Leaf smiled again, but it still didn't reach her eyes.
"You know I can't beat you, Red. And all I've ever wanted is to be Champion."
Red saw a fire flare up in her eyes, but it quickly died down, replaced by a sadness and resignation.
"So I'm going to Hoenn to try my luck. Maybe when I see you next, we'll be on equal footing!" This time her smile was genuine, and she turned to go, but paused and turned back.
"Oh, and Red?"
He nodded in acknowledgement.
"Just because your dreams came true…well, that doesn't mean you can't have new ones," she said softly. Red smiled, and Leaf drew him into a hug.
"I'm going to miss you," she whispered."Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
And Red hugged her harder.
II.
"I heard your dreams came true."
Ethan was leaning back against the white picket fence surrounding New Bark Town and chewing on a piece of grass while Lyra was sitting in the grass playing with her Meganium's baby Chikorita.
"Where have you been?" she said with a smirk.
"Around," he said, looking her in the eye, his face mock-serious. But then he leaned back into the fence.
"Y'know, sometimes it feels like you're gonna leave me, all this, behind." He gestured to the town.
Lyra looked up. "Why would you think that?" she asked.
"Well, you're Champion and all now." Ethan shrugged.
"You loser," she said, smiling. "All this-you-" she added, a mischevious glint in her eyes, "are my inspiration. How could I ever leave it behind?"
And Ethan smiled, mollified, and Lyra caught the slight pink tinge to his cheeks.
III.
"I heard your dreams came true."
Wally whispered to the TV showing the girl with the entire sea in her eyes and the stars in her smile.
"So you made it. You're champion now." I wanted that too, he thought. But he had yet another relapse, so he came back home, ashamed, and now he was on bed-rest. He was here, in his tiny dingy house, and she was on top of the world. It was stupid to think he ever could have done that, been that… but he still dreamed.
If there was one good thing about bed-rest, it was the time he got for dreaming.
But he had to admit, if it wasn't him who found his dream, he was glad it was her. Though it meant she probably would never even remember his name, with all the important people she'd be meeting, at least she would be happy. That's all he'd ever wanted, really.
And he knew, deep down in his soul, that that wildly beautiful girl was meant to shine, even as he wasted away in the dark. Even though it meant she'd never come back to be the light of his world.
So Wally turned off the TV and rolled onto his side, closing his eyes. But as he slipped into sleep, he could still see her smile and he wished he'd see it in person, just one more time.
IV.
"I heard your dreams came true."
Dawn was looking at him from across the table, blue eyes bright, waiting for a response. Lucas shook himself and started to make up some lie about how, yes, it's all he's ever wanted to be Champion, but he just couldn't lie. Not this time. Not to Dawn.
"No, they didn't," he said firmly.
Dawn blinked, unsure of how to respond. Lucas could feel the eyes of everyone in the restaurant on him- as Champion he got a lot of attention- but he just had to finally say what he felt or it would xplode and then he wouldn't be a very good Champion either, would he?
"My dreams didn't come true because all I wanted… all I ever wanted," he said, choking on his words, "was to be Rowan's assistant, there. I wanted to become the professor someday; I wanted to make new discoveries, to stay there- with you," he said. "But then Team Galactic showed up, and I couldn't just let them win, so…"
Dawn's mouth was in an O of surprise. Lucas lowered his voice a bit and took one of her hands.
"All I wanted was to stay there with you."
Dawn started to stand up, flustered and trying to make an excuse to leave, but Lucas stood up too.
"Wait."
And Dawn stopped.
Now the whole restaurant was watching them, but Lucas didn't care.
Dawn watched him with wide eyes as he tucked a loose strand of her cobalt hair behind her ear.
"I've always loved your hair," he said.
He started leaning towards her, and about an inch away from her face murmured "Is this ok?"
And Dawn kissed him, twining her arms around his neck. He kissed back, pulling her closer as the restaurant cheered.
When they finally broke apart, Dawn was blushing bright pink and Lucas was a little red himself. But Dawn just smiled a coquettish smile and asked him "So, Lucas, have your dreams come true?"
And all he could do was smile and pull her close.
V.
"I heard your dreams came true."
N whispered this to himself in disbelief. Yes, he had heard, but he had never…he had always thought…
But the scene in front of him proved White didn't wait for him.
She was older, but still beautiful, her wavy hair back in a bun and her eyes as bright as always. And she was playing with two children in the park, one with brown eyes and one with blue, but both with their mother's brown hair.
N was rendered speechless at seeing his old rival- his old friend after so long, and still so beautiful, but her with children… no, that was unfathomable.
So he chose to ignore the fact that she may have indeed left him behind until a man with brown hair like hers and even darker eyes came up behind her and enveloped her in a hug. She giggled and looked up at him. The love in her eyes hit N hard and he doubled over, hearing the children cry "Daddy, Daddy!"
N teared up. If he had known that this would happen, would he ever have left? On the flight over, he had prepared himself for this possibility, but he never thought…
He stood up and turned to go, to leave the woman who confused him and now hurt him so much, just by being happy, forever, but White looked over and for just a moment, wide blue eyes met hurt ones. The world slid off its axis, but then White shook herself and turned back to her husband. That wasn't... him. She was seeing things. After all, she had been seeing him everywhere since he left.
So N turned his back, choking out a command to Zekrom once he was far enough away.
"Fly me anywhere but here and say goodbye. There's no reason to come back anymore."