The first time Green talks to him, he might as well have been talking to a wall.
The strange boy's eyes flick up to him expectantly- like he expected Green to start making fun of him. He doesn't want to admit it, but this kid's eyes are really intense. Intimidating. Stop a Gyarados dead in its tracks, flat out scary. But Green would never admit that.
Not only does he have intense eyes, he has a flat, unamused face on. Always. Can he change his expression? With eyes like those, Green thinks, he wouldn't need to. But Green refuses to be afraid. No one dared talk to this kid, but an older kid named Tunnel offered $5 to anyone who could talk to "that annoying freak" (whom everyone knew Tunnel was scared of, but so was everybody else, so no one mentioned that). Green, always up for a challenge and prestige, agreed to try.
The other kids tried to look casual, like they absolutely were not waiting in anticipation to see what the antisocial kid would do to Green. Unfortunately, they were failing miserably, and by the time Green made it over to the kid, they had given up trying to be discreet and were staring at them.
So he had no choice but to look directly at this creepy, disturbing boy.
"I, uh… We, ah, I see you here all the time." Green begins awkwardly, trying not to fidget. "But you never come over. What's your name?"
The kid looks unimpressed. However, after a moment of deep thought, he points to his hat.
"Uh… I don't get it."
His face doesn't change at all, but he radiates anger. He grabs a magazine and points to a Pokeball on the cover.
"Pokeball? Pokemon? I still don't get it."
The kid breathes an irritated sigh, but there's no sound to it. It's like someone put him on mute and forgot to turn it back up. More than a little disturbing, Green found.
Looking around, he points to the slide. In the back of his mind, Green realizes he hears the other kids muttering something, but can't make out what. "Slide? Play?"
The kid shakes his head, and Green can't help but feel how exasperated the poor kid felt. Suddenly, the kid has an idea and perks up, reaching into his bag and pulling out a bag of candy. The kid digs for a moment, and the murmuring in the background becomes louder. The boy hands Green a handful of red candies.
"Candy? Sweet?" Green asks, more than a little frustrated by his inability to understand. "I really don't understand."
The boy sighs again and stands up. He turns to walk away, stops, thinks better of it, and turns back to give Green an unenthusiastic wave before leaving for good. Green feels frozen, like the rest of the world melted away, and he stares at his hand. He doesn't even realize people are talking to him until Tunnel punches his arm.
"Oy! Green, say something. Oh, my god guys, I think that kid broke Green! We're gonna get in so much trouble!"
"Shut up!" Green suddenly snaps. "There's nothing wrong with that kid, he's just… quiet."
An uncomfortable silence falls over the group. That is, until one of the younger kids pipes up "Hey, you gonna eat all that?"
Green can't seem to form words, so he takes one piece and hands the rest of it to one of the girls to distribute among them. He sits on the slide, staring at the candy in his hand. It starts to get dark before he realizes he needs to go home, his mom is probably already freaking out. He pops the candy in his mouth as he leaves. However, something makes him stop and turn back toward the slide.
The slide was red.
The candy was red.
That hat was mostly red.
The top of a Pokeball is red.
The kid was Red.
Somehow, that knowledge made the kid less mysterious. It had a name. And Green knew he wasn't afraid of that kid anymore. That thought was surprising, but not as much as he felt it should have been.
That was the first time in his short life his world was turned upside down.
It was humiliating, he decided.
"Come with me, Red. I'll enter your data into the Hall of Fame."
It was humiliating how Gramps wouldn't even look at him anymore. It was always like this, Red was the apple of Gramps' eye. Green could rot. Gramps even had the audacity to rub mountains of salt in his wounds by telling him he hadn't loved his Pokemon enough. Green, be quiet, Green, calm down, Green, behave yourself, Green, act more like Red…
What made it even more humiliating? The look Red sent him as Gramps led him toward the Hall of Fame- it wasn't quite a look of pity- regret? Sadness? Red's face never really changed from its permanent poker position, but having been friends- having known him for so long, Green learned to read his moods.
It wasn't fair. He'd always- always- been better than Red. Even when they were kids, he knew he was better. He never liked Red- no, never- he just, he just hung out with the poor kid out of pity. No one else would, they all thought he was creepy, he never said much, Red just… kinda stared at you. So this kid never talked to anyone, he just stood at the edge of the park and stared at the other kids having fun. Green, being the kind, thoughtful, benevolent child he was, took pity on this poor kid and pretended (yes, pretended) to be his friend. He never cared about Red, never, never.
It was 6 months before Red said so much as a word to him. "Trainer."
Green hadn't actually expected an answer from Red when he asked what he wanted to be. "What."
Red got a mix between irritated and exasperated expression. "I. Want to be. A Trainer."
"Like, Pokemon Trainer?"
"No." Red picked up a toy Charmander, "Toy trainer. Much harder."
Green knew he was staring uncomprehendingly, but he really couldn't comprehend it.
Red smiled. "Kidding."
"Dude. I didn't know you could talk."
"Nobody talks to me."
"I do!"
"No. You talk at me. Not the same thing."
"How isn't it?"
Red shrugs. He doesn't say anything else. The entire time, Red acts normal (for, y'know, Red), but Green's brain is working overtime. Green had known Red for a while, but somehow the idea of him talking didn't seem to fit.
It was the second time his life had been turned upside down.
Green was jolted out of his reverie by the grand doors of the Hall of Fame booming open (seriously, why did they need to boom? It's just being opened). Green tried to call to Gramps and Red, but his voice wouldn't work. Instead, he was consumed by anger when Gramps pat Red's head, saying something about how proud he was, how he knew Red would do it, he could feel it-
So, Green doesn't get anything for beating Red to it?
It was an accident. Really. They hadn't meant to let all the Ratatta go. But boys will be boys…
So all they had to do was catch them before Gramps got back from visiting Daisy. Red even managed to convince a Pikachu to help him and convinced an Eevee to help Green. Sure, the Pokemon Tackled and Bit and Scratched, but they eventually managed to catch them all.
So they thought.
"You boys had fun, it looks like." Says Gramps, cleaning the many, many scratches and bite marks on them.
"Oh yeah!" ,said Green, "Er… I, I decided to play with a Ratatta, and I learned a lot! Like you need to gently press on a Pokemon's back a little to get it to calm down, and don't sneak up on it unless you want it to bite, and-"
"That's all well and good, Green, but haven't I told you not to play with the Pokemon without permission?"
"I-I-" Green peeks at Red out of the corner of his eye. He looks like he's staring above the Professor's head. "W-well…"
Red looks down at the Pikachu on the table. Green barely saw Red's lips move. Pikachu, thundershock.
The Professor's eyes widened as he ducked under the table. The room lit up in bright yellow light, and the Ratatta convulsed before it fell from the bookshelf and landed on the floor, paralyzed.
"Green!" , Professor Oak said, "I thought you said you put it away!"
"I… I thought I did!"
"Well, apparently not." ,Oak said angrily. Then he turned to Red and smiled. "Thank you, Red. I'm surprised, you handled that well." Red nodded warily. "And I'm rather amazed that Pikachu listened to you. That one never listens to me! It always shocks me. In fact, you want to be a trainer, right? Tell you what, you can keep it. You still have to wait before you actually leave Pallet Town, though…"
"Uh… Gramps! Can I keep Eevee?"
"Hm? Well…"
"Thanks Gramps!" Green yelled as he ran out of the room.
There was no point in watching his Grandpa fawn over his best friend.
Or rival.
It was the third time his world was turned upside down.
He was really starting to hate that feeling.
Green feels a hand grip his arm, trying to lead him out of the room. His vision blurs, and he runs blindly towards Red and Professor Oak, intent on... something. He hadn't gotten that far. For a moment, he vaguely thinks he's going to punch one of them, but instead he skids to a halt and gently (oh so gently) puts his hands on Red's shoulders. "Red... can we... chat?"
Red looks at him like he knew this was coming. He gestures the guards to leave them be. When Oak tries to stay, Red waves his hand dissmisively. Red and Green stare at each other expressionlessly, Green unwilling to reveal anything before he was ready. They wait a few long moments before they even consider speaking.
Green sighs heavily. "...are you trying to ruin my life?"
Red cocks his head slightly, but that's the only thing he does.
"I'm serious! Can't I just have something for me? Green? No? Of course not! Red gets everything! Red can have whatever he wants handed to him! Red doesn't need to talk to other people, he's ABOVE that, isn't he? Red doesn't have to worry about what other people think of him, he doesn't have to try to live up to anyone's expectations, you have no idea! You take everything away from me! You took away the Pokemon I wanted! You took away my dignity! You took away everything I've ever worked for! You took away my Grandpa! And now, when I get this" Green gestures around the room, "when I get fucking THIS, you have to take that from me, too! I hate you, Red! You took away my fucking LIFE!"
Red looks at him like he wants to cry- and it's the first time he's ever seen that look on Red's face.
He thinks he hears Red calling after him, but despite the fact Red hasn't said anything to him in years, he keeps on running.
It was the fourth time his life is turned upside down.
He's given up, by now.
The week before the two of them became Pokemon Trainers, Green graciously visits Red's house. Why? He wasn't sure. One last look at his not-friends face before he leaves him in the dust? Probably. Not because Red is the only person left who will so much as tolerate Green's presence (since everyone else has gotten absolutely sick of his better-than-thou attitude), not at all. Absolutely. Not.
"Hey Red, guess what?"
Red stares pointedly.
"When I become Champion" he states dramatically, sweeping his arm into the air, "I might mention you as someone... important. But don't get too full of yourself, no one cares about you!"
Red just looks at him like he's an idiot and doesn't believe him. This was often the way their "conversations" went lately. Green says something stupid, Red looks at him like he hates him, someone gets fed up and leaves. But today... today, Green just wants to hear Red say something. Just to remind him they were once friends (just not anymore).
Green tries not to be disappointed when Red says nothing. "Whatever, I've got better things to do than sit with you. After all, who wants to be stuck with you? Who wants to be like you, always behind me?" Green laughs, but there's really nothing in it. "Smell you later!"
It was the second of three times in Red's life that has been turned upside down.
Green leaves so fast, he doesn't hear Red almost whisper, "I don't know anyone who'd want to be like me." He looks out the window, watching Green leave. "I just want to be like you."