Pokémon fan-fiction. The song of Ice and Fire.
Chapter 1. The runaway
It's publicly acknowledged that the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time is Red from Pallet town. He is the youngest trainer to enter the Hall of Champion and attain one of the most prestige title a trainer could possibly get, a Champion of a major league. And for ten straight years as the Champion and leader of the Indigo League, Red managed to accomplish something that nobody and no Champion of any major league get close to accomplish, remain undefeated as a Champion.
At first, he was hailed as a new hero of the league. He was the golden boy, the poster boy of Indigo League. He was their representative to enter the League of Champions for two seasons and brought back the greatest trophy that any Pokémon trainer to ever accomplish, a ring of a Champion, the proof that they are the Champion of Champions. He brought glory to the Indigo League by defeating all the representatives of other major leagues.
But soon, there was rumors that Red's entire existence did more damage to the league than anyone could possibly imagine. He destroyed the League by winning and winning and winning. While the league benefit from his merchandise, they suffer a backlash somewhere else.
During Red's first four years as the Champion of the Indigo League, everyone hailed him as the new hero for breaking the previous Indigo Champion Lance's winning streak. However, people immediately jumped on a wagon during Red's fifth year as the League Champion that predicted his defeat. They wanted to see him be defeated. The media placed their bet on the younger challengers who were more ambitious and hungry for victory than Red. They also love to place their bet on Green, Red's longest rival and a member of the Indigo League Elite Four to usurp Red. But, as hungry and ambitious as those younger challengers were, they were no match for the greatest Champion. And Green, a great fighter and trainer he was, as great as he was, to shake Red's throne of invincibility to the very core and came so close to winning, but he too, was defeated.
It was Green's battle with Red in his fifth year as the league Champion that really sold the ticket to the hype train that was Red's defeat. The media wanted Green to succeed and they casted him in such light that people wanted Green to succeed. But Red remained strong and kept winning. By the time Green met Red in the final during Red's seventh year as the league champion, it was a trilogy for the pair. Three times they fought in the final, three times Red came out on top. And in the next season after that, Green officially retired from the Elite Four to be a Pokémon researcher. It was then that everyone knew Red would not be defeated in years to come.
During his ninth season, the media realized their error and tried to recast Red as everyone's favorite hero once again. But it would not work. Aside from Red's most loyal fans, everyone wanted to see him failed and defeated or at least contested. But the person came closest to ever do that was no more, the only person who had the ability to do that was Green and he retired. Nobody was interested in watching the Indigo league anymore. People knew Red would come out on top. They knew Red would keep winning. They knew the result and all of Red's match ever since became the most boring thing they have ever watched. They kept trashing the league that the entire league was watered and became weak.
And at the dawn of Red's tenth season as the league champion, he made an announcement that he would retire at the end of the season. He told everyone that he had no more drive for victory and he wanted to see his own defeat. He sent a very clear message to everyone who watched that press conference that this would be the last chance for anyone to challenge him, to defeat him and to tell the world that they themselves are the greatest of all time and not Red. Many of Red's fans believed that he was pressure to say that and he was forced to retire by the league themselves but until this very day, it remained a conspiracy theory.
With that press conference, the league apparently became interesting again. People wanted to watch Red's every battle. They wanted to see him fail each and every time he entered the stadium. They rooted for anyone fighting against him. They longed for an upset. They cheered for the underdog. And until the very end, the final match, the people who rode on the hate train that predict Red's defeat, none of them have ever realized that it would be the last time they would see the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time at a pro scene.
Red retired in the next season just like he said he would in the press conference. His fans cried and cried they did. They knew that he would retire and they have prepared to face it, and still they cried. He married to Lorelei, a fellow member of the Indigo Elite Four. They married and retired from the league and the pro-scene. There was a rumor that they bought an island in the Orange region and lived there since, isolated themselves from the media and members of the league.
And only after three full season after Red's retirement, people would start to admit that they missed him. Only after his retirement, people really started to appreciate him. His entire career was a trail blazer and people missed his fiery approach to battle. They missed the highlights he brought. They missed the image of him and his Pokémon team stood proudly at the podium with the golden trophy in their hands. They missed him so very badly and he was no more, Red was no more, no longer would he fight another battle for the league, no longer would he appear on a TV screen, fighting another new Pokémon battle. There were talks from members of the league regarding their attempts to convince Red to come out of his retirement though Lorelei but even after fifteen years, nobody has ever seen Red appeared on the arena of any Major league again. He disappeared and disappeared for good.
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It was peaceful morning like every day, Lorelei rode the wave with her Lapras to return home after finish her morning shopping. Her family stayed on a private island they own. The island was quite a distance from the nearest town and had no public transport to travel in between. However, it was just the way Lorelei and her husband wanted it to be. It was calm and peaceful, a great place to leave their past fame and glory behind. It was warm and cozy place to settle down to enjoy and experience what life could offer them beyond fame and glory, beyond the rush of adrenalin and away from battle. It was a perfect place for them to live.
Lorelei hummed her favorite song as she felt the cool ocean wind brushed her cheek. Her Lapras, it joined her and hummed along. Lorelei smiled and caress her Pokémon. It was that moment, her phone rang. Lorelei picked up her phone, "What is it dear? I'm on my way home."
"Lo, this is bad, very bad, very bad, very bad,"
Lorelei's husband panicked voice went through her phone. She has never heard his voice nearly as disoriented and panic in their years of living together.
"Calm down, dear. What's going on?"
'Alice, our daughter, she ran away from home. What should I do now?"
"What?"
This time, even Lorelei freaked out.
"What should I do now? Alice, she left a piece of paper and told us that she wants to be a Pokémon master and therefore going on an adventurer."
"Oh god," Lorelei felt like she had an anemia, "Alice, my stupid daughter."
"Lo, what should I do now? Tell me what should I do now?"
Her husband's panicked voice was not that of a greatest Pokémon Champion but that of a father whose daughter ran away from home. Lorelei could feel his anxiety and panic began to infect her as well through the phone. But no, she was Lorelei the Ice Warrior of the Elite Four. Composure, calm and serenity was her greatest ally.
"Calm yourself Red. Have you contact the police yet?" she asked.
"Yes, police, how could I forget about that? I will be right back, Lo,"
"Hang on Red…" Lorelei tried to call her husband to give him more instruction but the call was cut off. She immediately sprung to action, "Lapras, full speed ahead," she commanded her Pokémon to pick up its speed.
"Hurry, I have to return home soon before Red would make another stupid decision," Lorelei told herself.
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The first thing Lorelei did when she returned home was looking for her husband and he was nowhere to be found. She was extremely worried when she could not find Pikachu and Mewtwo around, or any of her husband's Pokémon.
Lorelei immediately picked her phone and called her husband, "Red, where are you?"
"Lo, it's great that you call me,"
"Red, where are you? Return home, now."
"Lo, I have already think it through. The police is useless. They cannot do anything right whether it stopping Team Rocket, Team Aqua or Team Magma. They cannot do anything right. I had to fight and stop Team Rocket by myself and this time I will bring Alice back by myself."
"Red, return home, right now."
"Lo, don't worry. I can take care of myself. Also, I had Mewtwo using his psychometry power to track down Alice. I will find her soon. I cannot allow her to be out there in this dangerous world where all sort of criminals roam free and the police is useless."
"Red, you are dramatizing it. Return home now, please. You must remain calm and leave this to the police."
"Lo, how could you be so impassive? Alice is our daughter and she has just run away from home. Who know what could happen to her out there with criminals like Team Rocket around?"
"Red, return home now. I'm sure nothing would happen to her even if she run into team Rocket,"
"Lo, how could you be so cold and heartless? She is our daughter, ours."
"I told you that she would be fine even if she ran into team Rocket, didn't I? You trained her yourself since she was only four, and team Rocket, they are a bunch of idiots. They suck at Pokémon battle and don't know how to use any kind of weapon. Alice should be fine."
"But…"
"No but or anything else, Red, it takes a Pokémon trainer of an Elite Four level to fight evenly with Alice. She will be fine. You, on the other hand, have to return home immediately. I'm more worried about you than Alice."
"…I think you are probably correct Lo…"
Finally, Lorelei could sigh a sigh of relieve. But then, she heard
"But I cannot leave my daughter out there Lo. Who know what could go wrong? What if she involve in an accident? What if she has to face against a Pokémon stronger than Mewtwo? No, Mewtwo, I'm not dissing at you or anything. Don't do that to me. It's just hypothetically speaking, hypothetical."
"Red, return home right now, I beg you. Also, there is no Pokémon out there in this world that could rival your Mewtwo. You are making me very worried,"
"Lo, that I cannot do. You can't change my mind on this subject. Just stay home, I will being Alice back,"
"Red…" Lorelei tried to yell into the phone but the call was cut off. She immediately tried to dial her husband again and it didn't work. He turned off his phone, "My stupid husband," she screamed.
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Author note: This chapter is dedicated to you, Alice. Happy birthday. You was talking about shipping Red x Lorelei the day before so here it is.
