As Yellow took in a deep breath of fresh air on a clear, crisp morning in Viridian Forest, she also took a moment to appreciate the beauty of nature. A great many years had passed since she had battled Lance for the fate of the entire world, and since then the world had also been in danger from the Mask of Ice, Giovanni of Team Rocket, and Archie of Team Aqua; all threats that Yellow had taken part in helping to defeat. Although the people of all the different regions continued their day-to-day lives as they always had, Yellow had always had a special connection to nature, and understood better than anyone what a gift it was to be able to enjoy the world in all its beauty, especially since it had come so close to destruction so many times.

Yellow smiled softly as she sketched in her notepad, while Chuchu nibbled at her hat on the top of her head. Yellow was a child born to the Viridian Forest, which was both a gift and a curse. Although she had miraculous powers to heal Pokémon and read their thoughts, she had been alone all her life. The people of Viridian City had been kind to her and helped raise her into the young woman she was today, but growing up without a family had made her very shy. Where Yellow herself had come from was a mystery, even to her - Lance, who also had powers from the Viridian Forest, had family from Blackthorn, but as far as Yellow knew, she was born to the forest itself, surviving thanks to her ability to commune with the wild Pokémon there.

Yellow's life had been changed forever when Red, the champion of the Kanto League and the hero of the world at large, saved her from a rampaging wild Dratini. Red caught her a Rattata, her first Pokémon, and taught her that her kindness and compassion towards all things were the key to becoming a truly strong person. When Red himself was in danger, Yellow embarked on a quest to rescue him, defeating Lance in the process. Later, during the battle against the Mask of Ice, Yellow revealed her true gender to Red and everyone else present (having been previously disguising herself as a boy). Since then, Red and Yellow had become close friends, coming to visit each other and hang out, often with Blue and Green (Pallet Town and Viridian City were right next to each other, after all). And although everybody except Red knew it, Yellow had been harboring secret feelings for Kanto's hero since he first saved her back when she was a little girl. Now, despite being sixteen years old and having become a hero in her own right, Yellow still held a childish concern that Red wouldn't notice her, or would only see her as a friend. Yellow sighed as she reflected on her feelings. Even if she was never brave enough to confess to the boy she loved, Red's friendship still meant the world to her, and even having him think of her as an equal made Yellow happy and content.

Suddenly, Chuchu began tugging at Yellow's straw hat, apparently trying to get her attention. Yellow looked up and felt her heart skip a beat. It was Red! As Chuchu ran over to greet Red's Pikachu (a Pokémon Yellow herself had cared for in the past), Yellow scrambled to figure out what to do.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Red called out, while Chuchu tried to get his attention.

Yellow tried to find her voice as her face began to turn bright red. Chuchu jumped up on Red's hat, causing him to reel back a little as Red laughed and nuzzled her cheek.

"Hi, Chuchu! Have you seen Yellow around? I've been looking for her!"

Chuchu let out a soft "Chuchu!" and pointed towards the tree Yellow was sitting under using her front paw. Yellow pulled her straw hat over her face to try and cover up her blush, while Chuchu tried to reach for Pika's Poké Ball on Red's belt.

"Ah! There you are, Yellow!" Red said, waving to Yellow happily. "Green said I could find you here, and I've been looking all over for you!"

Yellow pouted from behind her hat. As happy as she was to see Red again, he'd taken her by surprise, right while she was thinking about him. Darn Green. That girl always knew how to get under people's skin.

"Is everything all right?" Red asked, concerned. "You look a little flushed."

"N-n-no, everything's fine. You just took me by surprise, that's all." That statement was true enough. Yellow's heart was beating about a mile per minute.

Chuchu had finally found Pika's Poké Ball, and pressed the small button to cause Pika to come flying out. Pika was as thrilled to see Chuchu as she was to see him, and the two electric mouse Pokémon began to nuzzle each other's cheeks affectionately as their trainers talked. This display of affection was not unnoticed by Yellow, and her face began to grow even redder as Red laughed playfully.

"I guess Pika and Chuchu are glad to see each other! What have you been up to lately, Yellow? It's been a while since we last talked." Red stated, beaming.

Yellow finally managed to calm down, and caught her breath again. Now that the initial surprise was over, Yellow was really happy to see Red again, too. His smile made her feel better about herself, and she felt relaxed and warm again. Having Red with her, outside amongst nature on such a beautiful day, made Yellow feel right at home.

"Is it OK if I sit down? I don't want to bother you if you're drawing." Red said smoothly. Yellow took a moment to stare into Red's eyes, highlighted by his raven hair. It took a moment for her to stop staring and answer his question.

"Oh! S-sure!" said Yellow. Although Red was oblivious as usual, Yellow was secretly really glad to have him here with her. Pika and Chuchu started chasing each other in the grass, laughing as one of them caught up with the other and pounced. Yellow watched the two and began to smile softly, as she quite literally saw the sparks fly.

Red laid down on the grass, and Chuchu and Pika jumped up on his chest. Ratty and Kitty played behind them (Yellow always liked to leave her Pokémon out of their Poké Balls, as she didn't like the thought of them being lonely and cooped up for long).

"Ah… it's a really pretty day, isn't it? Viridian Forest seems so serene…" Red said, as he smiled and pet Pika on the top of his head. He jerked back a tiny bit as he felt a small electric shock come between the two Pikachu, and then laughed as he began to pet Pika's head even harder. Yellow was more focused on Red's smile than on the two Pikachu. That warm smile… that smile could make her feel at home anywhere, not even just in Viridian Forest. The tranquil atmosphere, and having Red here by her side, made Yellow silently wish for this moment to last forever.

Yellow's thoughts were interrupted once again as Red sat up and bent over to see what Yellow was doing.

"I'm really sorry for butting in, but is it OK if I see what you're drawing?" Red's face was very close to Yellow's, and once again she forgot that she was being asked a question, instead starting to turn bright red once more.

"No no no, i-it's fine!" Yellow said, as Red looked over at her sketchpad.

"Hey, that's us!" Red said loudly, as Yellow's face turned brighter than ever. She had completely forgotten that she had been drawing herself with Red, lying underneath this very tree, before he had even shown up.

As Yellow's heart almost stopped out of sheer embarrassment, Red pulled Yellow in for a hug, which caught her completely by surprise.

"That's so sweet of you! I'm so honored that you were thinking about me!" Red exclaimed. Yellow's heart started beating a mile a minute once again as she felt her face being buried in Red's chest, turning about the same color as Red's jacket.

Realizing that he might be making Yellow uncomfortable, Red let go, turning away awkwardly. Although Yellow didn't see it, this time it was Red's turn to blush uncomfortably, as he smiled to himself nervously. Pika and Chuchu were starting to cuddle close together once again.

"Hey… Yellow?" Red asked hesitantly. "Do you remember when we first met? Right here in this forest?"

Yellow turned to him, surprised. "Of course I do! You introduced me to Ratty and told me about what it meant to be a Pokémon trainer, and encouraged me to always be brave. I… I never got the chance to tell you… those words meant a lot to me. They're what inspired me to come rescue you, when you were captured by the Elite Four. If it weren't for you, I never would've been brave enough to save the day… you…"

...You mean the world to me. Yellow thought to herself, as she nervously turned away, too. While the two teenagers awkwardly looked around and blushed, Pika and Chuchu began to roll around in the grass again, although their trainers didn't notice.

"...When we saw each other again, I didn't know it was you at first. Even when you revealed to all of us that you were a girl during the battle with the Mask of Ice, it still took me a long time to figure it out. You've become a fantastic trainer. I'm really proud of you!" Red said, beaming.

"...Thank you!" Yellow exclaimed, surprised. She was shocked to hear the boy she'd admired for so long commending her. She felt herself give a soft smile, as she fixed her hair and turned back towards him.

"I'm really honored to have you as a friend." said Red, grinning at her once more. Although Yellow still didn't notice, Red was blushing slightly, too.

As a Friend…

Yellow began to feel a strange mix of emotions come over her. She was flattered and thrilled that Red thought of her so highly. But there was also a sense of disappointment, too…

Yellow looked down and noticed that Red's hand was placed over hers, something which Red was just beginning to realize, too. As Red realized what was happening, he pulled away quickly, and stuttered as he tried to speak. There was a long, awkward pause.

"Y-you know, Yellow…" Red finally started. "T-there's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

Yellow was stunned. Was this going where she thought it was going?

"...I… I think I… kinda… sorta… well, I might not have been saying… everything… when I said I thought of you as my friend…"

Yellow's heart was beating even faster than before, and the faces of both young trainers had turned redder than Red's name.

"...I… I understand if you don't feel the same…" Red continued. "I just… I wanted to get it off my chest. I… I'm really happy even to just be friends with you… I just…"

Yellow was too stunned to speak, as her mind began to process what she was hearing. The hero of Kanto? The boy she'd held feelings for for so long… thought of her as more than a friend?

"Red, I…" Yellow began. Suddenly, she looked up at Pika and Chuchu, who had started to softly kiss. Yellow felt as if more blood was rushing to her face than her heart had ever pumped in her lifetime.

Once again, there was a long pause. Finally, Yellow found the courage to speak.

"...It's Ok, Red. I… I feel the same way."

Now it was Red's turn to be stunned. Was he hearing what he thought he was hearing?

"Yellow… are you…"

"Yes, you oblivious dolt! I love you!" Yellow's hands shot over her mouth as she realized what she had just said. Pika and Chuchu continued their kiss long and passionately.

Another long pause filled the air, as both Red and Yellow realized what was happening. Yellow's heart began to soar.

"Does this mean that we're… boyfriend-girlfriend?" Red asked nervously, finally breaking the silence.

"I…" Yellow started. Her heart was elated, and her brain was too happy to even start thinking. Ratty tried to chase Kitty, as the Butterfree began to playfully fly as high as it could.

Finally, the two trainers looked over at their Pokémon, and saw what they were doing. Yellow began to play with her fingers nervously.

"...Red? Do you want to -"

Yellow's sentence was cut off as Red pulled Yellow in to her first kiss. Both trainers were lost in a sea of delight, as Yellow closed her eyes and drifted off into bliss. For a moment, nothing else mattered, a long moment that seemed to be an eternity. Finally, Red pulled away from the kiss, opening his eyes to stare into Yellow's. Both trainers felt happier than they had ever been in their lives.

"That was… long overdue. Sorry for being such a big dolt." Red said, as he grinned once more. Yellow started to grin, too. She couldn't get over how silly she had been. Both trainers started to giggle, as they leaned back against the tree.

Pika and Chuchu ended their kiss and began to cuddle around each other, laying down for a long nap. The two trainers smiled happily as Yellow mustered the courage to put her arms around Red, peaceful and content, while Kitty lighted on Yellow's head and Ratty joined the couple in their rest. Under the beautiful Viridian Forest canopy, time seemed to stand still.

"Yellow… I love you too."

And the two trainers sat under the tree for hours, as the beautiful day in the Viridian Forest began to turn into night. All their other thoughts and fears and joys could wait until morning. For now, it was enough just to be in each others' arms.