Alone With Me
Yellow stared at the poster longingly, her golden gaze captivated by the single sheet of paper. The girl, though sweltering in her fluffy winter coat, felt like standing forever in front of the shop window, if only to fantasize about the contents it contained.
On the sheet was a plethora of little stands and food carts, complete with crowds of people and Pokemon and a bold title of Pallet Town Pokemon Festival. Though, even though the the main focus was on the festival itself, Yellow couldn't help but stare at the spotlight couple that took up the festival's ideal appeal. It was of a boy and a girl laughing loudly, seeming to have the times of their lives as they frolicked around in modest late winter clothing. Yellow almost wished she could take the place of the girl so that she, too, could enjoy the sweet scent of festival and so that she, too, could enjoy the relaxed mood the teens were showing.
I really wish I could go, the blonde girl thought in yearning. But I really I don't want to go to a festival all alone. That wouldn't be any fun. She paused to ponder who, out of everyone she knew, would be best to ask. I guess I could try Blue, Green, Silver, Crystal, Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald. Red too. Plus, there's all those Sinho - or is it Sinnoh? - Dexholders to ask. Though I don't think they'd be willing to go with a total stranger.
"…Kid…Kid…Hey, kid!"
Yellow looked up to see an old man glaring down upon her. "U-Um, what do you want?" she asked in a surprised stutter, caught off-guard by his sudden appearance.
"You've been standin' in front of mah shop for three hours, kid," he growled with crossed arms. "Weirdin' out all mah customers is what you've been doin'. If you fancy that poster so much, ya might as well take it for ya'self."
She looked up at the man and took a swift glance around her, noticing with astonishment that people were stariing at her with narrowed eyes. They were all whispering loudly, but the blonde Dexholder could only catch snippets of their conversations. She heard some say things like "that girl's been staring for hours now", or "she's been making googly-eyes at that poster all day" or even things like "she must be so desperate if she thinks she's going to find a boyfriend there". Yellow had no idea what provoked the last comment but she began to feel very self-conscious in front of the crowd).
"No thanks," she declared boldly to the old man. "I'm…I'm not interested in that poster!"
The old man regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "Well…alright, if ya say so. Just get away from mah shop, kid!"
"Okay, okay, I've got it." she sighed. "I'll go right now."
Without another word, the girl turned around on her the heels of her shoes and drifted into the crowd, the image of the poster still fresh in her mind. Even if she had denied any curiosity in the poster, there was no kidding herself in the fact that she wanted to go. Ignoring the weirded-out gazes she received, the blonde made her way to the main road of Pallet Town. Letting her gaze sweep the streets, she could almost bring about the scenes of her imagination into fruition. Already, she could smell the takoyaki and hotdogs that would litter the shops, the smell easily compromised with the night sky and a shower of lantern lights and star shine. I wish January first would come already, she thought with a quick puff of breath. Only two more days…I might as well ask.
Tucking her hands into her jean pockets, the blonde girl began in the direction of her house, listing off all the names she needed to ask. I just hope I won't have to attend the festival alone. Everyone can't possibly be busy…right?
Yellow, having returned to her house, reclined upon her sofa and took out her cell phone. Messing with the device, she tried to remember Blue's instructions about handling the device. The square pod felt awkward in her hands and the feel of finger pads against glass was strangely uncomfortable for her. Still, it took her less than a minute to punch in Blue's number and the girl felt pretty proud of herself when the phone began to dial.
"Chi, chii, chiii," the phone vibrated in her hands with several dots streaking across a gray screen.
"Yes?" a voice asked in exasperation.
Yellow nearly threw her phone at the ceiling as soon as Blue's voice popped up. "B-Blue!" she stuttered, unable to process anything other than the other's name.
"Who is this, and what do you want?" her senior demanded from the other end. " Do you need a ransom? Sorry, but I can't do that now. And if this is another one of my fanboys, please just go away. I don't want to hear another word from your mouths about how much you 'love me'."
"N-No, of course not!" Yellow blurted into the phone's screen, feeling embarrassed. "Blue, it's me, Yellow!"
"Oh. Hello, Yellow, what do you want from me?"
"Um, well, I was just wondering if you or Green are free two days from now? You know, for the Pallet Town Festival that's coming up?"
Someone coughed in the background. Blue gave a long sigh into her phone. "That sounds lovely but I'm afraid that neither I nor Green can make it. We're rather busy now and I don't think either one of us will be able to go. I'm sorry if this causes any complications, but neither of us can make it."
"No, no, I don't mind! I just wanted to ask if you were free, that's all. But, if you have other things I understand that too."
"Good, I'm glad. Now if you'll excuse us..."
Us? Yellow wanted to question but she found that her chance was lost as her phone lost connection with Blue, signaling the end of the conversation. Yellow pressed the exit button of her screen and hesitantly began to wonder if she should call Red.
Like with Blue's, she had his number memorized and it would be easy to ring him up next. However, as her fingers hovered over the glass screen, the blonde Dexholder hesitated. Shaking her head, she quickly turned away to look at a piece of paper with numbers scribbled all over it. Those barely decipherable numbers made out the phone 'address' of the other Dexholders, ranging from the Kanto ones to the Sinnoh ones. Her finger found Red's before it quickly slid down to Crystal's number.
"Five, five, five, eight, one, nine, two…," the girl listed under her breath, "…and then finally, zero, three! There!"
"Chi, chii," once again, her phone made its specialized sound as it called for the recipient.
A loud voice poured through. "Gold, stop bothering me! I don't care if you've won the Numel Prize or not, I don't want to hear a single damned word from your mouth! Just leave me alone already!"
"It's not Gold," the girl said with a slight frown. "This's Yellow, Crys."
"Oh, Yellow?" a slight pause. "Ah, sorry! I t-thought this was Gold. He's been calling me nonstop a-and I just don't want to see him now s-so…sorry!"
"Is this a bad time for you?"
"No, no, not at..not at all…" there was another, longer pause. "I've got to go."
The sound of retreating footsteps soon echoed from Crystal's end. "A-Ah, Crys!" the girl called into the phone, unsure of what was happening on her friend's end. "Are you there? Hello? Hello?"
Something like ragged breathing followed her words. "Yellow?" That's Gold's voice, Yellow recognized with confusion."Look, whatever you were calling Crys about, I'm sorry. But we can't do anything right now. She certainly doesn't want to and I have to catch up to her. Look, I'll try calling you back if I can, okay?"
More footsteps and Yellow tried calling out his name. This time, there was no response from either girl or boy. The girl frowned, ending the call and tried again with Gold's number. Still no response. The girl glowered. I guess that means they're busy too. The girl slid her finger down to the next name on the list. Maybe I should call Silver? A flash of icy gray eyes shined in her mind, and the girl shuddered. I'm not sure if that's a good idea. But what about Ruby?
Having gotten the hang of her phone, she tapped in the numbers and waited to receive an answer. It was only half a minute later when the phone picked up. "Uh, hi, is this Yellow?"
"That's me!" finally, someone who actually knows it's me.
"Do you need something?" Ruby asked.
"Uh, I was wondering if you were free for January 1st? For the Pallet Town Festival?"
"…I wish," he sighed. "I have a…a bet going on. If I drop out now, I'll have to…no, I don't want to think about that!"
"Um...?"
"Anyways, I wish I could come. It'd be lovely to stare at all the beautiful yukatas people wear, I'm sure the designs are very fashionable. However, a bet is a bet and I can't possibly back down now!"
"Sure?"
"Well, maybe I'll go next year, okay?"
Yellow opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the boy.
"Gotta go now, but, have fun at the festival for me!"
Just like with Blue and Crys, the phone rang for a now-dead call. The blonde girl frowned. Is everyone always this busy? she wondered. I mean, I can understand if Green and Blue are working on some big science project and Crystal and Gold are doing, well, whatever, but I thought at least one of them would be free.
She took in a deep breath and dialed Emerald. No response. She tried Silver, thinking it'd be polite to at least give him a call. No response. The blonde girl tried her Sinnoh Dexholders but they gave no response either, Diamond and Platinum's phones telling her that they were supposedly out of reach while Pearl's just rang endlessly. Yellow frowned as she placed her phone on the coffee table. Seriously, why is everyone either busy or unreachable? Out of eleven other Dexholders, not a single person has had the time to go. Either everyone's avoiding me or somehow the odds are all stacked up against me. Yellow closed her eyes. I personally bet for the latter.
Opening her eyes again, she scanned the sheet of phone numbers only to quickly realize she'd 'forgotten' one of her companions. Red. Briefly, Yellow wondered why she'd avoided his name. It's not that big of a deal if I call him up, right? the girl hesitantly lifted her hand above the touch screen. So…why did I miss his name? She began to tap in the numbers for his name, ignoring the embarrassed cry inside her mind that shrieked for her to stop.
"Three, two, three, eight, four…"
Yellow paused as her long string of characters came to an end. Her fingers hovered over the call button awaiting her brain's signal to press down. However, before the girl could even register a controlled movement, she forced the device onto the table and looked away. Her face quickly began to heat up and she felt her palms sweating. I can do this, I can do this, she told herself, though she didn't know why she needed to encourage herself to do such a simple task. After all, she was just making a simple phone call.
She tried again, one hand floating close to the screen's surface while the other held a firm grip onto the device. With a quick inhalation of air, she forced herself to press down.
"Chi, chii, chi, chii, ch-"
"Hello? Who is this?"
Yellow's face went red as she heard her senior's voice filter through. "R-Red," she greeted as calmly as she could. "This's Yellow."
"…Ah, Yellow," Red chuckled on his end, though Yellow could mostly pick up on static. "Sorry, it's kind of hard to hear you from Mt. Silver. The reception's really bad here."
"They have cellphone reception at Mt. Silver?"
"Well yes and no. You see, Green made a phone tower for me. He was apparently so tired of climbing up and…the mountain that he gave me…phone and created a makeshift tower just so he could talk…me. It was a thoughtful gift, I suppose. Anyways, what did…want to talk about?"
She smiled anxiously. "Um, there's a festival in Pallet Town and I was wondering if you could, you know, come and visit it with me?"
"A festival? Ah…haven't been to one in awhile. Might be a nice change in…Pika's always on my head for forcing him to train day in and day….But, I'm sure I can make it! What time does the festival start?"
"Two days from now."
"Perfect. I was already…about coming down on the first. Can't stay up here much longer or I'll become…snowman, y'know?"
Yellow laughed. "Yeah, imagine that. Red, the greatest hero Kanto has ever had, turned into a snowman popsicle just one month upon his return to Mt. Silver!"
She heard Red chuckle again from his end. "That'd be the worst death e..r."
"It would be," she agreed.
Silence swiftly ensued as their joke came to an end.
"…so, what time should I come?"
"Eh?"
"What…should I come? You know, to the festival?"
"Oh, uh, at noon."
"Gotcha," he said. "Then how about we meet…at Pallet Town's gate. Twelve o'clock. You can…Chuchu if you want."
"I'll do that," she smiled. "I'm sure she's looking forward to seeing Pika again."
"Bye."
"Goodbye."
Without need for hesitation, Yellow pushed the 'end call' button. When the screen turned to gray, she swiftly exited onto her desktop and pressed the power button. A quick vibration went through her hands before the phone turned off, leaving her to place it upon the coffee table. Kicking back with a sigh, the girl closed her eyes to think for a bit.
So…me and Red, huh? I thought for sure the other Dexholders would be up and willing to go. She frowned. What are the odds that only Red was available to go with me…Her eyes flew open at the realization. Wait a second. I'm going to a festival with Red. Alone. WIth no one else accompanying us. The blonde girl shot a nervous glance at her list of phone numbers, eyes lingering upon the name of her senior. Isn't this technically a…a date!?
Rapidly, Yellow's face began to heat up at the implications she had just placed down upon herself. No, that's not possible, she reassured herself. It's just the luck of the draw that only Red, of all people, would be available for an event such as this. Just because we're going out alone doesn't mean it has to be a date. Just an outing between two people…no harm in that…right?
The day of the festival arrived quicker than Yellow had expected. Within a span of only three days, the festival had swept the streets of Pallet Town. Although many booths and stands had made their way prematurely into the marketplace (a recent addition to Pallet Town in order to help boost up the area's economy), the girl could tell that excitement was eagerly building between the locals. Friends, family, and even couples had already gathered a day earlier in an attempt to survey all of the attractions, pointing out their ideal places to visit before the event even started.
Now, as the festival officially opened its (metaphorical) doors, tourists swamped the marketplace for a chance at lucky charms and delectable foods. They were everywhere, filtering in through Pallet Town at a chance to enjoy themselves. Many arrived in bundles, friends gathering into groups for shopping while families were dragged from station to station,
Yellow was among the horde of trainers, sitting at the wooden gate post which allowed for the entrance of customers. She was fidgeting, her head peeking out among the endless sea of heads as if to desperately make eye contact with the boy she wanted to see. Where's Red? she stood at the tip of her toes to overcome her issue of height, teetering around in order to gain a better view. She checked her watch, sliding up the sleeve of her attire. Twelve thirty. Nearly thirty minutes late.
From beside her, Chuchu made a disapproving noise. The blonde girl glanced at the Pikachu with a guilty smile. "Sorry, I guess I'm being a little unreasonable. Red's coming all the way back from Mt. Silver. Of course he wouldn't be here on time."
Chuchu sighed, lifting her head to the sky as if to survey their surroundings. The little mouse sure acted calm but Yellow could sense that, underneath the stoic mask, she was just as excited to see Pika as Yellow was for Red.
Suddenly, the electric mouse's ears perked. With a few sniffs, the Pokemon eagerly leaped from shoulder to shoulder before climbing atop of Yellow's head. She gave a tiny squeak, rubbing her paws in Yellow's hair to try and point something out. Scowling, the girl glanced up to see a gray figure in the sky. Instantly, she understood. But how am I going to get his attention?
Luckily, Chuchu had a solution for her. Without paying any heed to its partner, the Pikachu sent brilliant sparks of electricity out into the air, creating as much light as a firework. And, whether intentional or not, curious heads turned to survey the girl and her Pikachu. Some gave her disapproving glares while others found amusement in the action, their faces portraying wonder as to why such a young girl would be attending a festival all alone. Yellow blushed under all their attention, sending her Pokemon a frown. Chuchu ignored her, black eyes glued to the sky. The girl reluctantly followed it…
Only to find an Aerodactyl in her face.
"W-What the-!" the girl yelped, falling back onto her bum. She glanced up to see Red leaning upon his Aerodactyl with an apologetic grin.
"Uh, hi there?" he chuckled, sliding off the gray dinosaur. "Sorry about the sudden surprise, I think Aero's really desperate to see humans again. Other humans," the boy Dexholder quickly corrected.
"What about Green and Gold? Aren't they 'other humans'?"
The black-haired boy shook his head. "Nah, they haven't come up to visit me all month. Green has his work to do and Gold…well, I'm not sure what Gold's up to. That boy is a ticking time bomb for all I know."
"That's for sure," she giggled, flashing him a sincere smile. "No one knows what Gold's capable of."
From behind Red, a yellow head similar to Chuchu's popped up from behind Red's back to carefully survey the area. Twitching thin ears, the creature proceeded to clumsily dash around Aero's back, eventually making its way to the top of the pterodactyl's head. Resting itself between the fossil Pokemon's horns, the mouse rubbed its eyes and rested its weary gaze upon Yellow's shoulders. "Pika?"
Chuchu made a clicking sound with her teeth, wagging her tail in an adorable fashion. "Pikachu?"
"Pika!" with wide eyes, Chuchu's male counterpart jumped from Aero's head to Yellow's other shoulder. The two chattered before swiftly giving their individual owners pleading glances.
Red stared at Yellow in confusion. "Uh, what's he asking for?"
"He wants to, uh," she paused, trying to interpret the two's feelings. "It seems both of them want our permission to go out and have a little date of their own."
An eyebrow quirked up in amusement at the words "a little date of their own" but he didn't press the girl's odd choice of words. Instead he turned his gaze from Pika to Yellow. "Well, I'm alright with it if you're alright with it."
"Sure," she shrugged, giving Chuchu a nod. "You two can roam around as much as you like. However, I expect you both to meet up with us around seven."
"And don't cause any trouble for us," Red added. He returned Aero to its Pokeball. "I don't want to go on a wild goose chase for a pair of electric mice terrorizing the festival, alright?"
Both Pokemon gave mock salutions to their owners, noses twitching in both surprise and glee. Without asking for anything more, the pair fled, soon disappearing into a crowd of sandals, boots, and bare feet. Yellow watched them go with a smile, only pulling her gaze to Red when she was sure they weren't causing any disruptions among the crowd. The boy regarded her with a light-hearted grin.
"I like that yukata," he said abruptly.
It took her a second to register his words. She blushed, gazing down at the garment she was dressed up in. Though it was certainly similar to that of a kimono, carrying the same navy blue fabric, cherry-red flowers, and a silky pink ribbon wrapped around the waist, there was a noticeable paper thin-ness to it that filtered out heat. It wasn't exactly ideal for January, making her feel more cold than warm, but it was an outfit she cherished greatly nonetheless. "Thanks, it was a gift from my uncle."
"Your uncle has good tastes then because it looks quite cute on you," the boy began to scratch at his cheek with one hand while his other was deposited into the pocket of his regular red-and-white jacket.
Her eyes widened at the compliment. "T-Thanks."
Both boy and girl sat in complete silence, drowning out the babbling sounds of tourists out of complete embarrassment for the other. Needless to say, it was a bit awkward, and Yellow was unsure of what to say next to break them from their daze.
"So…," Red began with a slight tug on his hat. "Do you know when the other's are coming?"
The girl looked up at him, startled. "T-The others?"
He gave her a weird look. "Yeah. Aren't our juniors and seniors coming with us?"
"Well, er, about that. They're…they're not coming."
"Not coming?"
Yellow waved her hands dismissively as if to ward off any misleading thoughts he might have. "I called them all, I really did, but it seems that everyone is too busy for a festival."
"What about Blue?" he inquired, knowing the girl was always one for festivals.
"She's apparently doing something with Green. Or at least, I think she's at his house or something. She sounded pretty stressed out so I think both of them were pulling an all-nighter over a project or something."
"Then how about Crystal? Or Gold? Or Silver?"
"Ah, well, I got into contact with both Gold and Crystal. I think those two are having a squabble or something because Crystal ran off moments before I could even ask. Gold soon answered the phone after she left and went after her I guess? As for Silver, I don't know. I was unable to contact him."
"How about the Hoenn Dexholders?"
"Off on another bet, apparently. Emerald was also as unreachable as Silver was."
"Did you try our Sinho - uh, Sinnoh - Dexholders?"
"Practically the same response. No one answered me, although I think my phone said that Diamond and Platinum were out of reach."
Red rubbed his chin. "That's unbelievable," he huffed. "I can't believe I was the only one available to come. I mean, what are the odds?"
"I couldn't believe it either," she admitted. "But it seems like everyone's schedules are all too hectic for a short vacation."
"Too bad," the black-haired Dexholder whispered. "I would've liked for everyone to come along with us. The more the merrier, right?"
The blonde girl raised an eyebrow, pondering over whether he the comment was made to hint towards displeasure of her presence or a longing for a chance see the other Dexholders. She wanted to ask, but found herself dreading the answer he might give. Yellow closed her mouth and gazed at the wooden gate that lead people into festival grounds. She ignored the awkward silence that followed for a few heartbeats.
Red, having apparently sensed Yellow's reluctance to reply, swiftly changed the subject with confusion echoing in his voice. "So, what's the first thing you wanted to do?
She snapped to attention. "What? The first thing I want to do…?" the blonde girl frowned for a moment before brightening up. "Well, I wanted to try a hand at Goldeen scooping! I've heard from Blue that it's a really fun game!"
"Eh? You're into that type of thing?" he looked at her in surprise.
"Of course!" she beamed before beginning in the direction of the ticket booth. Red followed behind her, a relieved smile on his face. "It's supposed to be a more complicated version of fishing! Well, not exactly complicated, but more..old-fasioned, I guess? I mean, what more could I ask for?"
"Food?"
She laughed. "Well, there's always that too."
They both approached the booth without any interruptions, the long lines of tourists already having been rapidly diminished between the time of its opening and the time of Red's arrival. Now, only one or two pairs would be seen with flushed faces, frustrated that they had been too late to avoid the inevitable crowding of the marketplace plaza. As they approached the booth for tickets, Yellow pulled out a small Pikachu-themed wallet to pay the fee, but quickly found herself beat by Red. The boy had already handed the attendant the preferred amount of money, grinning as he requested two passes for a price of two thousand yen*.
Yellow watched him with a scowl, stubbornly clutching at the money in her wallet. "I could pay for the fee myself, you know."
Red shook his head, waving a hand. "Nah, leave this to me. It feels wrong to force a girl to pay when I can clearly do it myself."
"Well, if you insist…" He's as stubborn as always, she thought with annoyance, ignoring the jittery feel in her stomach as he grinned at her.
The attendant sighed loudly at the two, blushing. She took Red's money and exchanged it for two white tickets with the image of an angry Voltorb printed on the front. "Young love," she murmured. "Such a beautiful thing, especially when the boy is willing to stake out his money for the one he adores!"
Both Red and Yellow regarded her with weird looks (though the latter blushed in response, embarrassed by the implications the comment held). Red frowned at the lady, his gaze observing her inquiringly as he handed Yellow a ticket. "I think you're mistaken," the boy said. "We're just friends."
For some reason, Yellow's heart sank. The booth attendant gave her a pitying look before glancing at Red. "Well, if you insist," she said. "Anyways, have fun and enjoy your stroll!"
"Thanks," Red responded apathetically, causing the other girl to smile nervously as she slowly turned to address the next customer. He ignored her and turned to the blonde girl beside him, tugging on her yukata so he could guide her through the gates. Once they were through the entryway, the boy turned to her with a puzzled gaze. "So, uh, where do we find the Goldeen scooping station?"
Yellow, having realized that they were without a clue as to where anything was placed inside the gates, glanced around for a possible employee to ask. However, before she could spot any official worker, she found her answer within a strategically placed dispenser. On it, a small but bright sign stating Festival Maps hung, blue slips of paper beckoning to her like a beacon to a ship. Yellow tugged at his jacket and pointed in the direction of the machine. Red scowled upon seeing it, pulling out one hundred yen**.
"It seems even maps aren't free now a days," the boy grumbled, depositing his yen in the machine's cash slot. The object beeped in response to his complaint, obliviously spitting out a blue map.
"I didn't think you were the type to complain about money," she giggled.
The boy's lips pulled up in a sheepish grin. "Well, to be honest, my funds have been running out. No one comes to battle me anymore so I'm pretty much low on cash."
"If you're so low on cash, why bother to pay for the tickets? Or the map, for that matter?"
He grabbed the map and unfolded it, remaining silent to her question as he scanned the paper's contents. Yellow felt a slight stab of irritation at his actions, but swiftly washed it off as she remembered she had done the same thing minutes earlier. She rubbed her neck and tried a change in topic. "Do you see where the station is?"
"Um, what? Oh, uh, sure, it's right here."
Yellow leaned towards the map, acutely aware of the way he scooted to the side while sticking the map out farther from his body and closer to her. She studied the paper eagerly before her eyes landed upon a tan little square labeled Goldeen scooping. With wide eyes, she traced the map until she could make out a forged path between their current point and the path to their destination. "We can take this route," she said, tracing her proposed path with a finger.
Red's eyes trailed after it. As soon as her finger reached the end, he gave a slight nod to signify his approval. Turning to her, the boy beamed and took one of her hands in his. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
He began to drag her in the course she had set-up for them, his attitude taking a more relaxed and cheerier turn. Yellow felt grateful that his silence had worn off so quickly, not knowing how to react to a more quiet and wary Red.
"Damn it! I swear to Mewtwo, these fish are going to be the end of me!"
Yellow giggled as Red lost yet another Goldeen to the flimsy nets the booth provided. The goldfish Pokemon gave him taunting looks, forcing the boy to grit his teeth and ask for another chance at the game. From all around him, flocks of kids, teens, and adults expressed their amusement in snickers, helping to boost the black-haired boy's frustration. With another net in hand, the boy carefully slipped the device into the water and placed the net under a Goldeen. The fish gave him a cocky glance, swimming mockingly in circles as he lifted the object up.
The paper ripped.
"Oh for crying out loud!" the boy snapped, glaring down upon the fish with a scowl. "Just get in the damned bowl!"
The fish stuck its tongue out at Red, ignoring the boy's cursings as it swam around with the rest of its brethren. A young lady sniggered at him as she brought up her own Goldeen into a plastic bowl. Yellow shot the girl a glare but the other women simply ignored it and asked an attendant for a bag to place the fish in.
"Another round please!" Red called, swiftly handing cash to one of the employees running the booth.
I thought he said he was low on cash, Yellow scowled as the attendant happily took Red's money in exchange for another scoop. She glanced down at her own broken scoop; her seventh try since the beginning of their arrival. Unlike Red, who was attempting his nineteenth try, Yellow had given up on the game. In contrast to fishing, the game was actually exceptionally challenging to anyone not adept in handling paper-thin scoops. The girl Dexholder knew this quite well seeing how her previous attempts had ended up with her empty-handed. And, from her calculations, it wasn't likely that she was going to catch a Goldeen anytime soon. Her shaky hands and limited skill in balancing the Goldeen's weight were ultimately what kept her from winning a single fish.
"I'm almost there, almost there, almost there!"
Yellow glanced at Red. The boy was deeply immersed in his game, shifting his scoop tactfully in the water so as to coax one of the younger Goldeen into a corner. He smirked, tensing his arms as he prepared to deal the final move. With a thrust of his hand, the Goldeen was sent flying up into the air and...into the bowl that Red held in his hands.
A few cheers went up from the surrounding crowd, some congratulating the boy for his quick work while others commented rather loudly on how long it took him to finally achieve the goal. The boy paid them no heed, instead turning his attention to an employee for a bag. The worker quickly complied, shoving the fish into a plastic bag. Red thanked the man and turned to Yellow with a smug look on his face. "Look, I finally got one!"
The girl leaned forward to observe the fish. "It's pretty cute," she commented with a small smile, turning the boy. "It definitely reminds me of you."
A slight pause as both took in her words.
"W-What?" Red stuttered, his face becoming almost as crimson as his namesake.
"Um, well, er!" Yellow waved her hands, feeling her face flush at the implications she had just given. "You know, because, it seems so happy swimming in circles like that!"
One of the kids from among the crowd gave her a disapproving look. "The fish isn't swimming in circles, miss," he said matter-of-factly. "Nor is it happy."
The blonde girl looked at the bag and confirmed that the boy was, indeed, right. The fish wasn't really doing much of anything, merely hovering in the water as it gave Yellow a withering look. Her face flushed harder and she found herself speechless as the crowd began to push the two together.
"Kiss!" one of the kids pleaded.
Red and Yellow shot him looks of embarrassment.
"You guys should totally date," a girl coaxed from beside them, tugging on the arm of her not-so-happy boyfriend. "You'd make a sweet couple."
"N-No way! We're just friends! Amigos! Yujins! Amis!" the boy exaggerated, slipping into different languages as if to prove his point. Yellow was surprised the boy knew a bit of language besides the normal Kantonian one.
The girl smiled slyly, turning her gaze from Yellow to Red. "Oh, I'm not sure you know what you're talking about…"
Both of the Dexholders gave each other confused looks before quickly realizing who they were looking at. Yellow glanced away, nervously scrunching her hands into her yukata. Some of the crowd regarded her with weird looks. She ignored them, instead taking Red's wrist and pushing through the crowd. She could sense some resistance to her grip and the girl questioned whether the other Dexholder just was reluctant to come with her or whether he was just sensitive to her touch.
"W-Where are we g-going?" Red stuttered loudly and Yellow could pinpoint both confusion and shock in his voice.
"To the food court, of course!" she answered, knowing full well that it was merely a convenient excuse to retreat from the prying eyes of the crowd behind them. "I'm hungry!"
Minutes later, and they found themselves quickly seated in the Pallet Town Festival's food court, surrounded by a huge variety of options. There were restaurants like Mew-way, McDonphan's, Pangoro Express, etc, placed into the area, but the one stand that caught both of Red's and Yellow's attention was a quaint little kiosk called Gym Leader Surprise. In it, three men were viciously serving up orders from a huge flock of people, somehow managing to carry out every command with thoughtful elegance and perfect synchronization. Some swooned over the trio, while others watched in awe, drool practically dripping down from their mouths as the scent of food intoxicated them. Yellow noted with extreme interest that they all seemed color-coded, each handed respective themes of blue, green, and red.
"Wow, they're amazing," Red breathed, sucking in saliva as his mouth began to water. "I wonder who they are?"
"Maybe they're gym leaders?" Yellow suggested. "I mean, that is their name after all. Gym Leader Surprise."
He gave her a doubtful look. "I've never seen those three before," he protested. "Plus, they look too identical to run three different gyms. Color-coding aside, its possible that they could all be siblings. Right?"
A third voice answered for him. "That we are, fair man!"
With a shriek of surprise, Yellow looked up to see one of the three men from the stand suddenly staring down upon them. This one was the one with the theme of blue, his hair brushed down in such a way that it was made to almost resemble a mop.
Red studied the man with disbelief. "What are you, a ninja?"
The man studied Red with a smirk. "Excuse the interruptions fair sir, but I just happened to overhear you and couldn't help but participating in this conversation. My name is Cress and," he gestured towards the other two men who remained in the booth. "those are my brothers, Cilan and Chili. And, yes, all three of us co-operate a single gym."
"You mean you all…run a single gym? How is that even possible, I thought there could only be one gym leader!"
Cress clucked his tongue. "Well, back in Unova, the system allowed for us, as triplets, to take a twist on the aspect of gym battles. We were granted partnership to run a gym, but only one of us was capable of battling at a time, depending on which of us held the best type advantage over a challenging trainer."
Red's eyes widened. "That sounds…cool! Hey, is it okay if I come over to battle you sometime? I think it'd be pretty fun!"
"Well, as much as I'd like a battle, I'd have to decline that," Cress said politely, though the older man did seem amused by Red's quick proposition.
"Why?"
"Because, as of now, our gym is being used by a movie studio. That's why we're here, actually, because our gym is closed down and my brother, Cilan, wanted to pursue his cooking skills some more. Of course, we'll move back in once White is finished on her end."
White? Yellow thought with a slight narrowing of her eyes. That's an odd name.
Red seemed to take no heed of the strange name. "I'd like to try it out! Do you have a business card or something I could use to contact you with?"
The man dug into his butler-like outfit and pulled out a white card with the image of a blue monkey on it. Cress handed it to Red and the boy eagerly took it off his hands with a grin. Reading the slip, he seemed to find the results contenting and sent the man a grin. "Thanks, I'll make sure to come over as soon as the gym reopens!"
"That'd be excellent," Cress smiled. "And, as a favor for doing so, let me treat you and your friend here with a meal."
Yellow glanced up at him. "Are you sure that's okay to do? I mean, you do have a pretty big line to handle."
"Nah, my brothers are chief experts in cooking so I'm sure they can handle themselves. As for me, I feel it'd be impolite to interrupt someone's conversations without proper courtesy in return."
"Well, if you say so…"
Cress retrieved two menus and handed one to her and then one to Red. He took out a notepad and pencil. "So, with that out of the way, what will your order be, miss?"
She studied the booklet before quickly deciding on an easy choice. "I'll have the chocolate milkshake, red bean soup and some fruit salad, if you don't mind."
"Mmm-hmm. Now, how about you, boy?"
"I'll take a Tauros hamburger and some french fries please. Ah, and I'll take a milkshake as well."
"Coming right up!"
The adult slid off into the crowd, weaving his way through them and back to the stall. One of his brother's shouted at him, but the passive look and words that slipped through Cress's mouth seemed to calm him down. The other sibling gave a sigh and turned to the crowd with a demand to wait their turns.
"It seems like they're running everyone out of business," Red noticed thoughtfully. "The food must be really good if everyone's so eager to push in line like that."
Yellow leaned against the table, pulling back from her wooden chair. "Well, I guess Cress did mention something about his brother's being experts. Perhaps they cooked a lot in their gym?"
"Mm, I suppose so," Red's stomach gave a long growl. "But it doesn't matter to me as long I get food!"
"Were you starving yourself up there on Mt. Silver?" she teased.
He laughed. "It's not like they have a convenience store! I have to hoard months worth of frozen food just to satisfy my stomach!"
"And where do you manage to get all of that from?"
"It's basically all from Gold, Blue, and Green. Those three constantly pester me about my eating habits yet they practically shove frozen dinners down my throat!"
Yellow found herself nodding. "Yeah, I still remember that one time Blue forced me up Mt. Silver with a bag of those frozen dinners. She was so insistent on me bringing it up there that she wouldn't let me back down until I delivered them. Though, I wonder why she didn't just do it herself…"
"That girl always seems to have ulterior motives," the crimson-eyed boy sighed. "I swear that, at one point in time, she was trying to get me and you to get closer."
Her eyes widened. "She…was?"
"Yep. Remember that one time I accidentally spilt coffee on you? You know, at Green's house?"
The girl found herself briefly remembering the time when the Kanto Dexholders had all gathered for a sleepover (much to Green's disgust). During a certain span of events, Red and Yellow had somehow managed to accidentally collide in Green's living room at the same time due to Red tripping over a seemingly invisible object. The collision had ended up in warm coffee spilled all over her quickly followed up by an infinite amount of apologies from the boy as Blue conveniently showed up with a dress in hand.
"Yeah, and what about it?'
"Well, that was entirely Blue's fault. Turns out, she tripped me just so I could 'together' with you'."
"R-Really!?" Yellow spluttered.
Red rubbed the back of his head and looked away, cheeks blushing. "Yeah, it was really humiliating, to be honest. I'm still sorry for that, by the way."
"For tripping?"
"No, for spilling my coffee all over you. I honestly hadn't meant to do any of that!" the boy raised his voice an octave higher than usual. Yellow noticed that he was a bit closer to her than usual.
Her cheeks flushed. "D-Don't worry about it. I'm over the whole experience, anyways."
He opened his mouth but she swiftly cut him off.
"Don't apologize, you've done enough of that already," she said sternly.
Red frowned but he didn't bother to push the issue, instead leaning back to lapse into silence. The girl across from him didn't pursue any further conversation, her eyes trained on the cherrywood table that sat in front of them. Her gaze quietly observed it's polished surface, noting the occasional nicks and scratch marks that raked into the wood, undoubtedly those of Pokemon.
And, speaking of Pokemon…
"How long are you going to hold onto that fish?"
The boy stared at her in confusion before realizing what she meant. His eyes slid down to the plastic bag that sat forgotten upon the table. He poked the bag with a finger. The Goldeen inside gave him a scathing look. "To be honest, I was thinking of giving it to you."
"To me?"
He nodded. "You like fish right?" she responded with a nod of her own. "Well, then it figures that this Goldeen would be better off with you! You know, as repayment for bringing me along!"
Yellow stared at him in confusion. "But…don't you want it? It took you a long time to get it and I'd feel bad if all that effort went to waste."
"No, I wanted that fish for you. That's why I worked so hard to get it. Think of it as my treat."
The girl blushed, suddenly becoming flustered under his serious gaze. "You don't have to go so far…"
"I insist."
He pushed the bag towards her. "For you."
Yellow reached out to grab it, her hands cupping around the bag as she dragged it in front of her. The plastic felt cool under her hands, and she wondered whether or not the fish inside was happy with its cramped and chilled conditions. She took a look at it, but the fish's gaze reflected nothing but bitter loathing towards her. "Thank you," she whispered.
"You're wel-"
"Yo! How are you guys doing?"
Both Dexholders jumped as a red-haired boy jumped into view, swiftly placing down trays onto their tables. Yellow watched him with shock as he slid her order in front of her, forcing her to quickly move her Goldeen away from harm. Red merely sat by and watched his plate as it was placed in front of him. "Uh, can I ask who you are?"
The man gave them a cheery grin. "Name's Chili and I'm the bro of Cress," he hovered over Red. "And…I heard you wanted to challenge us!"
Red popped a french fry in his mouth. "Yep, and I'm eager to see what kind of challenge you have! I've never ever seen three gym leaders taking over a single gym before. Plus, aren't you the ones who've recently started the…er…triple battle trend?"
Chili looked at him in surprise. "I wasn't aware that anyone in Kanto knew about that."
"Well, I didn't really learn it from anyone in Kanto. It was from a friend of mine who lives in Johto. He often travels about from Daycare Center to Daycare Center so it seems he knows a bit more of the other region's than I do."
"Ah, I suppose that means he's visited Unova's Daycare Center. It does make sense, I suppose, since our gym is quite close to the facility."
"Maybe you've seen him than? His name is Gold."
Yellow felt the fish prod the bag where her hands met plastic. She glanced down to see the Goldeen looking up eagerly, perhaps in reaction to the boy's name. Perhaps this's one of Gold's breeding Pokemon…? She thought, a bit entertained to see the fish look happy for once.
The red-haired man in front of them sighed, shaking his head. "Sadly, I haven't heard of him. Most trainers are long gone from our gym by the time they pass by the daycare."
"Too bad."
Chili slid his gave from Red to Yellow. With a sly look, he slid the final order down onto the table. "It's not all bad, I mean, look at this!" he signaled to the large milkshake placed in front of them. Two straws peeked out from underneath the frozen brown liquid. "Here's a chocolate milkshake for both you and your girlfriend to enjoy!"
Both boy and girl spluttered at his statement, noticing with great disappointment that the milkshakes they had ordered had somehow had been combined into an item normally seen in romance movies. Yellow stared at the man. "Um, excuse me but…we ordered two separate milkshakes not one."
"About that…," the red-haired man rubbed his chin and gave them an apologetic look. "This's the only container we have left for milkshakes. Normally, we'd have more in stock, but with all the unexpected orders we've had, we're running a bit short. I hope you two don't mind, but this's the only option we could give you."
"I suppose we can deal with it, right?" Red looked over at the blonde Dexholder for confirmation.
She nodded. "It's alright. A bit awkward, but alright."
"Then I'll happily leave you be! Just call me over when you want a bill!"
Without another word, Chili rushed back to his stall. Red and Yellow watched him go before turning to their food with nervous smiles. Red took a bite from his hamburger, chewing down. The blonde girl sipped from her soup, occasionally taking a bite from her salad. The taste was surprisingly tasteful, and the ingredients chosen to use were extremely fresh appealing to her taste buds in a way that was almost like heaven.
"Mmm, this's really good!" the red-eyed Dexholder exclaimed. "These gym leaders really know what they're doing!"
"Agreed."
They continued eating, enjoying the savory tastes of their meals as they dined. Both ate their meals while avoiding the other's eyes, taking in the aroma of food as distraction from the other.
Suddenly, the longing for a drink grew in her throat. The constant intake of soup did satisfy it but overall, the thirst lingered. Yellow eyed the milkshake, wishing for a sip. Ignoring the boy in front of her, she leaned forward to take a straw in her lips and sip. Chocolate goodness overwhelmed the girl, the liquid dancing upon her tongue as she drank in the milkshake's contents. She savored the taste, enjoying the pleasure it gave her.
Glancing up at Red, she noticed the boy staring at the milkshake with a hungry gaze. In front of him, out of his single hamburger and multitude of fries, was only a small amount of potato sticks, obviously hinting towards Red's need for a drink. However, upon catching the blonde girl's gaze, he looked away guiltily, as if the idea of drinking at the same time as she was was unappealing.
Yellow felt a stab of annoyance, but stubbornly clung to the straw as she drank, the sound of slurping growing louder. Red shot another glance at the milkshake, his eyes showing both hunger and restraint. Finally, as if his throat weighed more than his pride, the boy reluctantly leaned in to take a quick sip of his own.
And, of course, it was at this exact moment that someone decided to bump into them both.
Without time for reaction, both boy and girl lost their grip on their straws and found their lips soon forced upon the other. They stayed that way for a second.
Yellow's face reddened immensely and she threw herself back in order to break free of the kiss they had just shared (though, to be fair, it was only quick lip-to-lip contact). Red mimicked her actions, looking away in humiliation to find the ones who had forced them into the awkward position.
"Chu, chu, chu!"
With surprise, both trainers found their eyes landing upon a pair of yellow mice. The pair of Pikachu were sitting just out of reach from their table, perched upon the ground. Their snickering brought Yellow to be more flustered than before, and she tried to soundlessly scold Chuchu with a glare. Her Pikachu shot her an amused grin as if to say we only helped you, don't be mad at us for your lack of a relationship.
Yellow almost felt like strangling the mouse.
Red seemed to have read her mind, and he glared at the mouse with both disapproval and…joy? The blonde girl was sure she had just misread his emotions, and she instead turned her attention to her own Pokemon. Pika and Chuchu scurried further back, giving each other a high-five. So worth it.
Needless to say, both rats would soon be punished for what they had done. However, even though their actions had caused Yellow a lot of trouble, she couldn't help but smile. Her fingers went up to touch her lips, skin rubbing against skin as she remembered the warm contact Red's lips had made with hers.
Perhaps going to the festival alone with Red wasn't such a bad idea after all.
*two thousand yen = approximately twenty US dollars.
**Likewise, one hundred yen is about one US dollar.
I'm finally finished with this, woot, woot! I'm not a big fan of Specialshipping, and I'm pretty sure I at least made Yellow a little bit OOC, but I'm glad to have written this. The one-shot's not exactly original as I'm sure there are many stories where these two kiss (accidental or not) but nonetheless, I'm glad to have finished it! It was especially fun during the phone-call bit where I got to hook up this one-shot with hints of the other one-shots I'm going to write out (like with the conversations between Yellow and Blue as well as between her, Crystal and Gold).
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this. It's probably not the best one-shot of these two but I gave it a shot.