So, I decided to write a story about Red and Green. Whenever I write stuff like this, I'm usually very inspired by music, so I guess to best enjoy this, I would suggest listening to "Kurt Vonnegut" by Born Ruffians (where the title comes from!) and "Run Off the Road" by Ola Podrida. Thanks for reading, and any constructive criticism is always appreciated!
The best way to start this story is to say it's all very tenuous. A town built to be a piece of art created by the fine brushstrokes of two very ambitious, very headstrong, very stubborn boys turns into a mess of lines chasing lines down and around until it's nothing short of a pathetic piece of post-modern art. One boy, going by the name of Green met his friend Red as his Grandfather, famous Professor Oak, tugged the slightly nervous boy out to go meet the other. "Green, this is Red, our new neighbor. Why don't you go show him around Pallet Town, since he just moved here?" Oak asked, giving a slightly impatient tap to Green's shoulder, who bristled at being pushed to do something maybe he didn't want to do. But this kid, with his peculiar red eyes and impassive face was really his only choice at friendship in this small town outside of hanging out with his gross sister, which was totally lame (all she wanted to do was throw tea parties and hold intellectual conversations while Green wanted to play cops and robbers and tag) so he gave the kid a big grin. "Hi, I'm Green! Do you like hide and seek?" Red seemed to brighten a hair at the mention of something more familiar, and nodded. Grabbing for his hand, Green lead Red off to go play. Oak gave a small smile as Red's mother emerged from the house. "It looks like those two are going to get along just fine," he said, earning a nod in response from the soft-eyed mother. And drawing themselves off the easel and into the fire, a story began that ravels and unravels the twine knotting two very ambitious, very headstrong, very stubborn boys.
The first time Green goes up Mt. Silver, it's what some may consider an act of fate. Following his short reign as champion, he attempted to pick up the pieces of his broken pride by resigning himself to the vacant Viridian City gym where he spent his time designing puzzles to infuriate and confuse both his minions (or Ace Trainers, but he preferred minions) and the challengers who'd come in and inevitably lose. It wasn't his dream – he had lost sight of whatever he viewed as a dream a long time ago – but it was a substantial way to live and he was content. Or he would be if he just knew where in the world Red was.
The dust was settling around the battlefield as Green called back his Pidgeot, fainted on the ground.
"What?! How could this happen, I only got to be champion for five minutes, this isn't fair! There's gotta be some rule prohibiting this or something!" He could practically feel the venom leaping from his tongue, green eyes narrowed at his self-proclaimed rival who was patting his Pikachu on the head. Red returned his attention to Green, and gave a small nod acknowledging the well-fought battle. How dare he simply nod at him. Did he not realize he just beat the CHAMPION? His own RIVAL? Did any of this mean anything to him? Green crossed his arms and turned his head away as his Grandfather hobbled up the stairs, congratulating Red on his victory and criticizing Green for his lack of appreciation for both his friend and Pokémon. The scene before him seemed to become more and more surreal with each passing moment - Lance congratulating Red and preparing to take him into the induction room, his Grandfather beaming with pride (a face he couldn't recall seeing aimed towards him), all the lights and noises seemed too bright like he was undergoing sensory overload and he was almost ready to leave before Red grabbed him by the wrist.
"Thank you," he said, red eyes practically burning into him until he felt uncomfortable holding the gaze anymore and felt himself blush a tiny bit for unknown reasons. Upon looking up, he could see Red giving him one of those rare smiles he usually reserved for when his Pokémon had won a particularly tough battle or when the sun was setting just right out over the horizon and he was able to reflect on the fact he was living out his dream right then right in that moment. Of course, Green only stumbled upon Red in that moment once, but it was something inexplicable he couldn't quite forget. And seeing that bliss directed at him made him forget who he was, what he was doing, why he was there if only for a moment before his stomach stopped doing backflips. He pushed the hand offered to him away, wanting to escape this moment, this feeling of vulnerability that was eating him alive. Red's face dropped for a split second, and returned to its impassive stare as Green grunted and pushed his way past the incoming press and escaped. This ends the story of the last time Green sees Red.
The real story of the last time Green sees Red is less than ideal. Age is something neither of them learned how to escape, despite withholding their youth-like vigor for life well into their senior years. Green awakens one morning, feeling a bit colder than usual but blames it on old age like he blames the coffee tasting staler and his inability to hear Red's quiet comments 98% of the time. Red is sitting in the rocking chair by the window, faced towards the early morning light stretching and rolling over the Viridian City skyline. Green touches his hand, only to feel its lack of warmth. Then he touches his heart, only to be greeted with the silence emanating from Red that had become familiar but was now alien and terrifying. Realization creeps in and Green calls the paramedics and knows this is the real goodbye. This ends the story of the last time Green sees Red.
Until death beckons and brings them together, because there is no Red without Green and no Green without Red and seeing is not believing and seeing is fleeting and temporary.
Green tries his best not to think about Red. It's been three years, two months, and 11 days since the event at the Indigo Plateau and if Red hadn't bothered to show his face by now, the odds of it happening anytime soon were slim to none. He remembers the press flashing cameras in his face as he exited the Indigo Plateau "How does it feel to be upstaged so quickly? Do you know Red, what's he like? Is he really as silent and ruthless as he's shown to be?" FLASH! FLASH! It was all burnt into his retinas along with the shouting implanted into his mind as he tried to shut them out and work his way back to Pallet Town as swiftly as possible. The following day, news spread that the mysterious, Team Rocket vanquishing, Red boy declined the position as champion and hadn't been seen since. Green would like to say he had simply brushed off the news as tabloid gossip and that Red was able to follow his own destiny or whatever, but in reality he'd instantly called Professor Oak, asking him whether he knew anything about Red's whereabouts. Oak had said something vague and hung up before Green could ask much more. Quickly following that, the press grew silent and distracted by Misty's new fling and whether Sabrina was going to move out to Sinnoh or not, leaving Red's disappearance a mystery best left for the footnotes in a history text. And they always said wounds healed over time, but this one didn't. It persisted, it refused to stop gnawing as the lack of news (something often misstated as "good news") felt like bad news and where could a kid go for three years, two years, one year, one month, one day. But it was impossible to exist constantly in fear and doubt over the whereabouts of a kid who, for all he knew, didn't even like him very much by the end. So he doesn't think about Red for his own good. This plan goes rather successfully, save for the moments where it comes up in casual conversation or he meets with Grandpa or Daisy or really anyone from Pallet Town who remembers Green as Red's other half and vice versa. But on this rather forgettable Tuesday, he decides to head back to his hometown for old times' sake. Maybe have some tea with Daisy or chat with Gramps about the research incoming from Hoenn relating climate to the evolution of Pokemon in the region - anything outside of the normalcy of defeating the sporadic challenger in his gym. Upon arriving home, Professor Oak greeted him, surprise evident in the way his eye widened before softening in a calm smile.
"Come in, come in! I think Daisy has a pot of tea on now if you'd like some, Green," he said, attempting to bridge the gap that had grown since Green took residency in Viridian City permanently. "So, what brings you to Pallet Town once again?" Oak asked, ushering for Green to sit at the table who did so, albeit reluctantly. The longer he spent around his Grandfather, the more uncomfortable he grew despite the efforts being made on the other side. Maybe he would have to give something up too. Maybe he wasn't ready to do that. He cleared his throat,
"I wanted to hear about your research in Hoenn, I heard that was coming along. Finding any good way to strengthen Pokémon through climate change yet?" he said, trying to at least be civil or inquisitive or something outside of this lack of comfort he felt. Oak gave a small hum,
"Yes, yes, we've come to a conclusion that Pokémon, while at their strongest in their natural habitats, get some of their best training when pushed to their limits, something that can be achieved through training in harsh conditions. For that, I'd try going to Mt. Silver, I can have the guards let you through if you're interested."
"Mt. Silver, hm? Sure, I'll grant you access, you are the champion after all, Red," Oak finished, eyes warming in fondness at the man in front of him. Red tugged at his cap in acknowledgement and was out the door of the lab before Oak could even say goodbye.
Green seems to have finally engaged himself into the conversation, "Isn't that near the Indigo Plateau?"
"Yes, and it has very strong Pokémon and rugged conditions, so don't go without your best team," Oak says, warning evident in his voice.
"Please, I'm sure any team I'd take would be able to handle it. Just give me access Gramps," he says, shoulders slumping a little. Oak sighs before relenting and making a quick phone call to the Indigo Plateau guard keepers. Once finishing, he grabbed Green by the shoulder and pulled him into a small hug. "You should really visit more often, Green." Green nearly pushed him off, but caught himself. He wasn't a bratty little kid. He didn't like his Grandfather much but he wasn't going to be rude about it. Making a slight hum, he half-nodded and was out the door with not even a goodbye.
Red felt his body tighten under the heavy barrage of snow and sleet hitting him as he powered up to the top of the mountain. Away, away, away, it was the constant echo in his head that drove him out of the league and here, a place he'd once read about long ago in a book about the history of Kanto and Johto that Green had lent him. The place had always stuck in his head during his travels as a potential place to visit, but he'd never gotten around to it until that moment. The moment he'd decided the role of champion of Kanto was not his, not what he wanted. From the constant press attention to the expectant looks and that look Green had given him before walking out of the league, it was all things he'd wanted so badly to escape. So he called Oak. He told him of his plans and he'd ran away to be greeted by the blankets of white upon white he would absorb himself in and the life he'd spend with only his Pokémon at his side. It was all he'd wanted.
Gramps was right, Green had to admit, trekking his way through the quickly-collecting snow. The wind was howling and his faithful Eevee was shivering as she walked step in step with him up the incline that was only growing more steep with each passing moment. They'd been ambushed by random Ursarings, Golbats, and even Sneasals and Misdreavuses occasionally showed themselves before challenging his team. While they weren't exactly difficult, he found his energy dropping in between the random battles and the climbing. Where he was climbing to exactly was a mystery. While he had initially come in order to train his Pokémon, he'd found himself ignoring that part of the trip in favor of simply exploring the mountain and trying to figure out what exactly may be hiding inside of it, what mysteries it contained. He'd like to think the curiosity came from his time as Pokémon trainer, when everything sprawled out before him was a mystery waiting to be unraveled. One final cave lay before him, and then the summit. His mind ran through all the possible outcomes, a legendary Pokémon perhaps? A secret, perfect training spot? A breeding ground for exotic wild Pokémon? The possibilities were endless, and while they weren't likely at all, he still felt that childlike wonder in him resurface. When he finally scaled the summit, thinking he heard the siren calls of exotic Pokémon and the alluring unknown, what he really heard was the silence of snow falling around Red. Red.
What he really heard was a broken bird making out like it's a dove. Red, oh Red this idea he'd fabricated in his head, a god living among the stars huddled around the sun and moon. Now he existed alone, physical, on the top of a mountain that was best left for the fantasies Green had made in his head. Red how his eyes were darker, his frame thinner, his clothes hung loosely, how he was just as much a ghost as Green had made him in his head. And Green was scared of ghosts. So he ran.
The second time Green goes up Mt. Silver, it's no longer fate. Red was alive, Red was close, Red was real again. Green couldn't figure out what possessed him to run away like he did, he'd like to contribute it to not wanting to disturb Red from whatever he was doing, but he knew that was a lie. But he climbed that snowy face once more, telling Bonita, his head at the gym, that he was taking a week off for personal hike up this time seemed longer, perhaps because it had a purpose. Like the child waiting in the car ride for his teeth to be pulled at the dentist, it seemed time was bending its form to make this as long and painful before he'd have to face what was troubling him. "I could turn around," he thought to himself but Green never backed down from a challenge and this was looking like the ultimate test of his abilities. Upon reaching the top once more, he found himself alone. Maybe he'd imagined Red last time, maybe it was all some kind of cruel prank his tired brain played on himself, maybe… But before his thoughts could continue spiraling out of control, he saw Red emerge from the cave behind the summit. Seeing the man again, all bones and jutting lines, Green wanted to scream at him. He wanted to punch him, bite him, kick him, teach him all those violent things meant for animals, something Red had seemed to turn into while out of his sight. Instead, he stood stock still as though a deer caught in the headlights. To someone who never knew Red, it would seem as though Red hadn't even actually acknowledged Green's presence on the mountain, but for a split second his eyebrows raised and his eyes seemed to glint in recognition. He didn't say a word though, and took his Charizard further out along the summit, completely bypassing Green, before motioning for the dragon to dive. And before Green could even attempt to stop him, Red jumped. Charizard followed, and like two divers perfectly trained for the Olympics, they were coordinated and falling and flying simultaneously. Green watched in silent awe as Red trusted fully in his Pokemon, his Pokemon returning the favor and the two meeting in the air before being pulled back up to the summit. Green, stunned into silence, merely watched as Red dismounted the Charizard and they returned to the cave to presumably continue training.
Red didn't want to see Green. Not that he was still mad at Green, but Green merely served as a reminder of everything he had to give up to live on this mountain. And it was a lot easier to look out over the horizon and pretend it was all as small and distant as it appeared up here. Of course, he could join the real world again, but he didn't want to. Everyone there would simply hound him into talking about his training regimen, where he went, why he went, how he was a prodigy, how he beat Team Rocket almost singlehandedly, and he didn't WANT that. He wanted to train and become better. And he couldn't think of a single place better to accomplish that then Mt. Silver. So he stayed.
Green, curiosity getting the better of him, followed Red into the cave where he found a warm fireplace set up, along with Red and his Pokémon getting some food to cook. The air was surprisingly dry and smelled of food, Pokémon, and something inexplicable - almost like home. Throughout the cave, he could see precious gems peeking out and in the corner there appeared something that almost resembled a bed. Near that was a collection of food that he assumed Red either somehow secretly collected down in Viridian (that thought made him bristle, Red bothering to come back to his town and not even say "hi" or anything) or his mother or someone else sent up. Allowing his gaze to drift further, he could see a pile of clothes along with some towels hopefully for the shower that hopefully existed (it didn't.) Watching Red live in this magical place he'd made for himself made Green crack. If Red could just be his own person and live out his life like the first 11 years hadn't even HAPPENED, why couldn't Green?
"Why are you here?" Green finally asked, and in that moment, the cannons loaded, the guns locked, the swords unsheathed. Red seemed to stiffen slightly at being addressed and the silence broken. A couple of the Pokémon perked up and sent him glances before returning to their food. There was no cause for alarm yet. In reply, Red shrugged and let his eyes drift back towards the plate in front of him.
"Are none of us back in the real world good enough to be in your presence? Is it that you don't even care?!" Green felt himself starting to shake. Where had these questions even come from? He didn't think he was mad at Red, but seeing him in his own mystical wonderland apart from everything that had ever been real between them - it made him ill.
"Care about what?" Red whispered, soft like it had melted from the surrounding snow.
"Care about what?! Oh, I don't know, everything you left behind? It was like you became champion and you just left! Not a word of goodbye to anyone, no one knew where you were! You're so selfish, you're so stupid; do you know how worried everyone was? I thought you were dead!" Green finished, inhaling a bit, hands jittering at his side. Red's expression was unreadable, hat tugged down and eyes fixed towards the floor.
"I did say goodbye," Red replied. It all came back to Green in that moment. The "thank you", the small smile, the way Green brushed it off as nothing more than Red trying to rub it in. "I didn't want the life of a champion – I didn't like everyone's expectations and treating me like some sort of God."
"So there was nothing worth staying home over? Nothing down there is worth coming home for?" Green asks, still unsure where these words are coming from, but the second they become real, he realizes they've always been real. Looking over at Red, he can see he's shaking as well, normally impassive face conflicted.
"So, none of it ever meant anything to you?"
"…"
"I'm sorry," Green whispers, choking on something that had apparently become lodged in his throat during this whole ideal. Oh shit - he was crying. Turning around, so as not to embarrass himself with his clearly unwanted presence, he left the cave, sniffles and sobs escaping despite his attempts to stop them. Red shudders. It's the only time he can remember ever hearing Green say he was sorry.
This wasn't the only time Green was sorry. Green was sorry when he and Red were small and he lost Red during a rather long game of hide and seek. The boy had been hidden in the closest in Red's mom's room the whole time and had stayed there patiently, waiting for Green to find him. And when Green did, after 2 hours where the sun had set and dinner had convened, Red sat there, sniffling with his eyes burning bright red and knees pressed to his chest in a sort-of fetal position. Green gasps, and Red bursts into full blown sobs. "Stop crying! I'm sorry, okay? You won, though!" Green says, trying to string together any sort of sentence that could magically stop the sobs that were coming from his best friend. Red lets out a little hiccup, rubbing at his eyes before giving a tiny smile. "I… won?" He said, smile turning into something of a grin. "Yes you did, now stop rubbing it in!" Green said, faux-anger masking the relief he felt at seeing Red smile again. Clutching his hand, he pulls Red out from the closest, and doesn't let go until he goes home for the night.
The third time Green goes up Mt. Silver, he doesn't know why. Perhaps because the weeks following him storming out of the cave were some of the most internally traumatic weeks (his trainers almost couldn't recognize him when he returned to the gym in the middle of training a full week earlier than expected), perhaps because he wanted closure (closure from what, he wasn't sure, as he had said everything and Red clearly responded). He didn't know, and it frustrated him, the way he seemed incapable of simply getting away from Red. Every time he made an exit, he found himself still chasing the other boy in circles. Hating himself every moment he gets further and further up the face of the cliff, he finally reaches the summit. And Red's gone.
Red always knew he loved Green. When they were kids running around and making messes and not cleaning them up and laughing and fighting, he loved him. And when they grew older, making messes and not cleaning them up, running and fighting, but Green was pushing harder and crueler, he still loved him as stupid as a choice that may be. But there lied the problem. It was never a choice to love Green, it was simply part of himself. Green was a challenge, Green was loud, Green was stubborn and rude and made Red want to fight – he was everything Red was and wasn't. Defeating Green in the championships had been a moment of pride followed by pain, seeing that look of pure mirth swallow Green's usually bright and cocky grin. Maybe Green really did hate him. And with that, the title of champion was tainted - every flash of the camera, every new blurb about the silent champion, every person staring at him with awe and admiration, all of it was wrong. So Red ran away. Maybe if he ran far enough, fast enough, long enough, maybe, just maybe, Green would catch him.
He checked the cave, he searched the summit, he looked for prints in the freshly fallen snow. He screamed, he shouted, he filled the silence Red had abandoned. It was intimidating, the way the white obscured everything around him but he could also see the appeal. The way everything was dwarfed, the impenetrable expanse of frigid air – he could see Red here. But he could also see Red at home, smile present as he sipped cocoa in Green's apartment, listening as Green complained about the cold. He could see Red coming home.
Green never knew he loved Red. Red persisted as some sort of obstacle on his road to becoming the best and he couldn't escape him. He couldn't overcome him, he was merely there and, over time, he found himself liking that more than disliking that. Having this obstacle removed threw off his world until it felt like it was spinning on a broken axis. And then, only then when he tried to fix it, when he finally scaled the wall one last time to try and fix what he'd broken and reconcile did he realize why it all mattered so much. He loved Red. So he had to go catch him.
Filled with a new vigor to find Red, the trip down the mountain seemed much quicker than the trip up. He tried to ignore the possibility that something bad had actually happened to Red. Or the thought that Red left the mountain to get away from Green. Or that Red would never even want to see Green again, no matter where he was. Those were the types of thoughts that would lead him back to his gym, holed up and rude to everyone, and no one wanted to deal with a bitchy Green. Arriving at the bottom of the mountain, he called upon Pidgeot to fly him to Pallet Town, the most reasonable place for Red to have returned to after getting off the mountain. And if he wasn't there, his mother would at least probably have some idea where he ran off to this time. Bursting into Red's house, Red's mom was sitting in the kitchen, serene smile in place as she sipped at her cup of coffee and read the morning paper.
"Green, what a lovely surprise! What brings you to Pallet Town?" She asked, eyes filled with caramel-textured warmth.
"Have you seen Red?" Green replied ignoring the typical ice-breaker type question he had just been posed.
"He's never gone too far," A wry smile draped across her face. Green wasn't amused. What did that even mean?
"Is he here?" Green asked, feeling frustration welling up inside him.
"No. I'm sure you can find him though."
And with that, he waved her a quick farewell and was gone about as fast as he arrived. If he wasn't in Pallet Town or Mt. Silver, where could he be?
The night following Green forgetting Red in a closet, Red found himself troubled and unable to sleep. Being a sneaky and silent child, he snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, grass tickling his toes as he nervously ran over to Green's house. Green lived on the second floor of the house, but Red had climbed the tree next to the house before as a means of reaching his best friend. Feeling the bark dig into his palms as he finally scaled the tree, he reached the top, heart pounding and hands clammy. Tap, tap, tap, went his finger on the window leading into Green's room. He could faintly hear some scuffling and muttered curses come through before he saw Green emerge in front of the window, eyes widening as he recognized Red's shadow sitting in the treetop.
"What are you doing up there?! Just come in my room!" Green whispered, ferocity still present in each accented syllable. Wordlessly obliging, Red swung himself in through the open window, using Green's hands as support.
"So… Care to explain why you're here at like midnight?" Green said, anger ebbing off into amusement. Red always did whatever he wanted anyways.
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come over here," He replied, ghost of a smile lingering on his lips as he took in Green's bemused expression.
"I see… Well, I was just sleeping so I'm going to go back to doing that. You can join me or you can lurk around my house like a Zubat, I don't really care." With that, Green tucked himself back under his covers, but didn't immediately shut his eyes, deciding to feign sleep to watch Red. He stood in the center of the room a moment, seeming to absorb the surroundings before deciding that maybe it would be a good idea to get some sleep, silently squeezing himself into Green's bed, trying to be as quiet as possible since Green was most certainly asleep. Red looked at him for a moment before shutting his bright eye, nesting his head into the back of Green's neck.
Red was home.
Dejected by his lack of insight onto where Red could be hiding now, Green returned to his gym to check in on his assistants and grab some paper work before heading home for the night. The sky had grown dark and was painted a deep blue-grey as the clouds rolled in. A light dousing of rain descended from the heavens, causing Green to grumble as he pulled his jacket up over his head. The whole town of Viridian seemed to be eerily quiet as he walked in, footsteps making tiny explosions in the puddles already forming. Why was this day even happening? He wanted to kick himself for not getting to Red sooner, not finding him, not hunting him down and apologizing and setting things back to better, because it appeared that he was too late. That's what he got with Red always being one step ahead, even when he thought he was ahead. He was drenched and wanted to curl up with some hot chocolate and just forget, just this once, please. Upon reaching the door of the gym, though, he found a person huddled below the shingles to hide from the cold.
"You know, the door to the gym is open," Green said, shaking hands from the cold trying to grasp the door.
"I know, but you weren't there so I thought I'd wait," the boy replied, standing up and adjusting his hat, a small smile peeking out from the shadows. "I'm really tired of waiting, though."
"Red, what are-why-I'm so sorry for everything, for being an asshole to you, for yelling at you at Mt. Silver, for everything," Green stammered, words falling over more words. Being around Red seemed to have a tendency to make him lose control over his ability to form coherent thoughts.
"I don't forgive you, but I'm not mad at you either."
"I love you."
"I know."
"Do you love me?"
"Always."
Red and Green weren't perfect, they'd never tried to be perfect. Green was much too loud, arrogant, ad could be an asshole when he wanted. Red was far too quiet, blunt to the point of intimidating, and could be rather cold. But there was no Red without Green and no Green without Red, they found out. One always chasing the other up, down, around, and through the webs of time and space until they were tired and asleep against one another. It was all a game they'd been playing all along but now it was time to end. It was time to declare the winners and losers and settle in for the peace that had never existed. Because they had arrived to the house which was warm with the scent of home and they were both so tired it was time to sleep. Goodnight.