Red.
Red sighs, watching Pika pull Green's Pidgeot out of the sky with a quick Thunderbolt. The old bird is enveloped in a yellow haze of electricity, shrieking before it faints and falls to the floor.
Green's face registers shock as he forgets Pidgeot lying on the floor and shouts at Red. "NO! You beat my best! After all that wor—"
Red tunes him out. Green used to be a strong rival, but now – he's pathetic. Not even the rest of the Elite Four were a problem. Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, even Lance, they're getting weaker too.
Or is he getting stronger?
The huge electronic doors open and the professor hobbles into the room, faked enthusiasm on his face. He congratulates Red on his victory – like it was anything special, now – and gives Green the stink-eye for not trusting his pokémon. A carbon copy of the act from the other seven times Red had beat the Elite Four.
The professor turns his eyes back to Red, grinning in pride. It's almost like Red is his grandson, not Green. He nearly dotes more on him than his own mother does.
Scratch that – Professor Oak does care for him more than his own mother does. Oak had given him his first pokémon, the pokédex, and all the HMs and special items he'd ever need. No matter how much Green tries to impress his grandfather, Red is obviously the favored champion. And, if he's being honest with himself, he hates it.
It's depressing, how mundane his life has become, Red muses as he carefully sets his pokémon into the cradles in the Hall of Fame. It was a wonderful journey, but it'd seemed to outgrown him.
A blink of the eye, and he finds himself in Pallet Town, in a dusty room he can barely recognize as his own. An outdated NES sits near the TV, and Red feels a pang as he realizes exactly how long it's been since he started his journey.
He walks down the staircase slowly, callused finger trailing on the railing. His mother is sitting in front of the TV, enthralled in her soap opera. He wonders if she even knows he's there.
The front door opens, and then slams as Red leaves home for the last time. He walks up the familiar routes past the League Gates, then straight past and into an ancient path that he slowly picks out from the undergrowth and dust. A mountain looms ahead, one that he's always looked at, but never considered it for more than a few seconds.
Those tanned fingers absentmindedly brush an old, moldered sign that might read "Mount Silver," if one cared enough to look at it.
At this point in his life, it could be as much home as anything else is.
Gold.
Gold stands out in a crowd, to be sure. He always has – huge ultraball colored hat, baggy shorts, and a cocky demeanor that seems to draw attention to him wherever he goes. He is the Kanto-Johto champion, after all, and he might as well look it.
Well, he's not just the champ, anymore. He's also defeated every gym in both regions, has approval from the Dragon Den's master, and has every trophy from that new Battle Frontier. The newspapers have practically renamed him "Champion."
And his ego is big enough to wear that title, if only it were true.
When he visits Pallet Town, there is a house right next to Green's. Upon going in, he finds only an old woman staring into her TV, who looks so hopeful when hearing the door open, only to let her face fall when she sees Gold. The boy – no, The Kanto-Johto Champion, there we are – goes up to her, and she only mutters a little something about "Red."
And Gold leaves the house, confused, and leaves to go to the Oak Lab, and then Cinnabar Isle. At the ruined island, he finds the elusive leader, Green, who says something about "Red," too – except he says it through clenched teeth. Gold does more digging around, and eventually gathers that Red was once a little boy from Pallet who went out to start a pokémon journey. Apparently, he's the Kanto-Johto Champion. Lance is nothing but a temp, really. And that means that if Red remains undefeated, Gold is not the champ.
And once he figured that, he hasn't had sleep in nights.
As the unnaturally warm summers of Johto start to creep in, Gold finds himself in Blackthorn City, wandering through the Ice Path. His birthday is coming soon, and he knows exactly what he wants, but he's not going to say it.
Time passes in the Ice Path, and the not-champion decides to swing by the Dragon's Den. He hasn't been there since his test, and it might do him good to get Red out of his head by training in there.
And surprise of surprises, Silver's there, Feraligator out of its pokeball for once. The red head huffs at Gold for a bit, but then Clair and Lance walk in, and somehow, Silver gets himself and Gold into a double battle with the dragon tamers. Silver's pokémon beat Clair's but go down to Lance's, and soon it's just Gold and Lance again, the two hot-headed trainers watching from the sidelines.
While Gold's battling Lance again, he feels a sense of fury. After all, if stupid Lance hadn't agreed to take Red's rightful place on Indigo Plateau, Gold would be champ, right now. This anger seems to translate into some sort of battling strength, and Gold and Silver are winners.
Instead of staying around and teasing Silver, though, Gold runs out of the dim cave as soon as the dragon masters have left. His rival looks confused, but doesn't call after him, wondering if he'll ever see him again.
Silver will ponder that question forever, but the answer will always be "no." Gold sinks into some sort of emotion, halfway between apathy and insanity, and can't think of anything but Red and Red only. He's tasted victory, but it looks like a taste is all he'll ever have.
Because Red is the strongest trainer ever, and he may not even exist at all.
May.
May is crouched at the bottom of the Cave of Origin, watching the brilliant blue pond hidden so deep underground. One hand reaches absentmindedly to take Kyogre's pokéball from her belt, stroking the familiar purple orb.
Her callused fist grips the master ball as the word "orb" floats through her head. Orbs mean Latias, and that's not what she wants to be thinking about. Not now.
She seems to be frozen, staring out at the unnatural blue of the basement cave. Latias is a nightmare. May knows that she looks like an idiot, running about Hoenn, looking for an animal that no one ever sees. From every town and island, she'd scoured the region looking for the little red-and-white pokémon.
Sometimes, someone like Wally would take her aside and ask why she kept looking for Latias.
"He's not worth it," Wally says, emerald eyes filled with concern. "Don't kill yourself over a pokémon, May."
May's face is stony as she adjusts her cap, and her lips only move a bit before she walks out the door.
"What did you say, May?"
"…Latias is female."
It took her ten years to grow up and get her trainer's license. It took one more to become champion. It took another two years to tread water looking for Latias, and that lead her to today. Even Birch told her that she was wasting time.
"Be a champ, May," the old professor says, when she returns on a rare visit to show him the Pokédex.
Her deep blue eyes remain stoic, and she only holds the 'dex out further.
"You do realize what I'm saying?"
"…Yes."
The man tilts his head. "Then why don't you do it?" When she doesn't reply, he points a finger. "Champion is an important title. You keep the gym leaders in line, you make sure the region is peaceful – they pegged you for champ material ever since you went up and at 'em at Team Aqua!"
"Just check the pokédex, please."
"May –" Birch pauses, his face filled with some mixed emotion. "We're worried about you. You're out there for months at a time, and no one knows where you are."
At that point, she simply walked out of the lab. The next morning, Birch found a small pink device carefully placed on the steps.
She hasn't been to Littleroot since.
Carefully looking at her tinted reflection in the mysterious pond, she whispers a quiet vow to herself.
She hasn't been to Littleroot since.
And she never will.
Lucas.
Lucas keeps himself busy these days, training his favorite pokémon, catching new ones, trying to build up enough courage to ask Dawn on a date, and even deigning to enter a few contests. He'll keep himself busy. He won't drive himself crazy. He knows he'll never be like Gold from Johto – gone crazy and ran away. He knows that he won't.
But his fears aren't assuaged as easily when he considers living the life that Cynthia leads. Standing in a quiet room all day, waiting on a challenger that will never come, that's how she lives now. Lucas can remember all the other times that she'd be out there in the field, researching the myths of Sinnoh and helping him with the Galactic issue.
And now she just waits in that little room.
Lucas knows that her fate is his fault. If he accepted the title of Active Champion – he'd be in that room and Cynthia would be free to travel Sinnoh again. She might even explore the other regions that he was too scared to.
That guilt hurts. He has a choice – to roam Sinnoh, free and happy, or to let Cynthia free.
That choice haunts him wherever he goes. He thinks about it while he trains. While he waters berry sprouts for the fifth time that day. While he puts bows and sparkles on Infernape to enter a super contest.
One time, a day comes to where he magically forgets the choice. On that day, he decides to challenge the Elite Four again.
He talks with Aaron, Bertha, Flint, and Lucian, his decision completely forgotten. But as soon as Lucian opens the doors to Cynthia, it all comes back to him.
He approaches the tall woman, hands shaking, and they proceed to battle. Lucas wins, of course, but then it's time.
"Let's put your pokémon in the Hall of Fame," she says, a weak smile crossing her face and Lucas can only nod.
They walk up the hall, Cynthia's boots making strong sounds against the immaculate floor.
"Place your pokémon here and they will be recorded for posterity," she whispers, pointing to the familiar cradles. He does, and the blonde turns to walk back to her room.
Lucas, mind grinding gears fiercely, suddenly shouts down the hall.
"Stop!" he cries, and runs back to her.
"I'll be the reigning champion," he says. "I'll stay in the room. You can go - free."
Cynthia's eyes widen. "Lucas, are…are you sure?"
The boy closes his eyes, knowing that he's just condemned himself to that room, the very one he's feared. With the most self-strength he's ever used, he whispers one word. "Yes."
Cynthia crouches down, meeting the boy eye-to-eye. His eyes are the brightest blue she'd ever seen. They reflect the old rock of Stone Pillar, reveal the glowing skin of Dialga, and lit with an emotion she can't describe. "Thank you," she finally whispers. "And good luck."
White.
Samurott sits to her right, Zebstrika to the left, and Braviary hovers directly above. Audino peeks over her shoulder, while Whimsicott is in her arms. Reshiram stands behind the whole scene, white wings spread and sleek head held high, almost as if it's blessing the girl that caught it.
That's the only photo that White has from her journey. There are a few people that asked to take pictures with her, but that's the only one she has. It's a little torn at the edges, but that's only fitting.
Her team is undefeatable. She hasn't used a potion in a month, not even against Cynthia or Morimoto. It's so easy to battle now, her team reigning supreme. She knows that not even the legendary Red from Kanto could beat her now.
She has set foot on every inch of Unova, and loved every minute of it. But that bothers her.
What happens after it's all been done?
So she stands at the top of the Celestial Tower, feeling the cold wind whisper at her before it blows away. The photo in her hand flutters, straining to let itself loose.
The six pokéballs at her belt – the six pokémon in the photograph – pulse a little, sensing the strong emotion their trainer feels. They're not sure what's wrong with her, but they're smart enough to tell that it's not a good feeling.
White rests a hand on them then, calming the creatures.
"I'm fine," she murmurs.
She goes back to staring out over the mist, and, with a quick stab at her heart, pictures Alder in the very place she is. Except he had a reason to be there – his first pokémon lays somewhere below in the castle, resting in peace, while he struggled to move on in his life.
She briefly ponders why she's there, though. She has no dead pokémon to mourn. But she always rings the bell anyways, for the souls of the other's beloved creatures. Maybe it's true that it'll sooth the souls of the passed away. Maybe that's good karma…
If only her journey hadn't been so short. She heard that most of the other champions took years to finish their travels. Some of the professors from other regions spent decades studying pokémon, and they'd been busy the whole time. The "record" she's set seems like a gyp now.
She could be like Bianca and help Juniper with her studies, but why waste time like that? She could wait in a dark cave and challenge people, like Cheren, but that's only crushing a potential champion's dreams. And she could be like her idol, Red, but…she doesn't want to hide away. She can't just throw everything away like Red did.
It'll seem like she's caught in limbo forever.
- Up, select, B –
A/N: How was it? It took a little of imagination, especially with May's section, to finish this. It's been a while since I've played some of these…so if there are any mistakes, tell me.
Anywho, do review. :3 I'd love to hear what you thought of it. Good, bad, awful? Maybe throw a few tips my way?
Quicko-Edit: I was discussing names with another person, and they told me a little about the Green/Blue thing. Apparently, Green is the original name for Red's rival, as well as the most accepted. ^^ I changed it to avoid confusion.
And about that last phrase, for those who are a bit confused – may I quote the manual from Pokémon Black and White?
"If you would like to completely delete your saved game, press Up on the [direction pad], Select, and B simultaneously at the title screen. Once you have deleted your saved game, it can't be recovered. All pokémon and items will also be lost"…