Deep Freeze
He had never been one to notice the cold, be he wading through snow outside Pallet Town or trekking the icy Seafoam Islands. Yet it is far colder here, on this mountain that never stops snowing. Day in and day out, his breath fogs before him and a steady chill digs into his bones, burrowing beneath his skin.
Native
His steps echo through the mountain's rocky chambers, sending a few Goldbats flying. By now the Pokemon have started ignoring him; on the rare chance one does want to fight he quickly finishes them off. Predator, prey, he's both and neither, just like everything else that calls the mountain home.
Snow Blind
Sometimes he looks to the east. It is hard to make out, the snow covering his vision and turning the world white. Still, he squints and leans closer, as if by trying hard enough he'll see a familiar speck in the distance.
Echo
Espion nudges her nose against him. Red scratches behind her ears, listening to her purr. The sound fills the mountain and rings through his ears long after she has gone silent.
Quiet
They used to laugh at him, raising their fingers and pointing at him, taunting him for hours on end. For the most part, he blocked their words, at least as much as a child could; his mother made sure to remind him that despite his difference (a word she always used), he was just fine. Red had spoken with his hands, forming the words that his throat could not; here, though, even those are unneeded, the mountain truly silent.
Message
Sometimes he pulls a piece of paper from his backpack and begins to scribble down words, yet only gets as far as "Dear Mom". There is so much, and yet so very little, to say after that; his words are endlessly erased and crossed out, and his cold fingers shake until finally they turn stiff.
There's no post office here, anyway, he reminds himself as he stuffs the paper, pens, and pencils back into his backpack.
Daddy Dearest
The man hangs in his mind, all freshly pressed suit and cold smile. Giovanni's eyes looked a lot like Red's, matching color and shape, and he had a similar nose. But the picture of the woman on his desk, all bright eyes and familiar warm smile, was enough to put the puzzle pieces together in Red's mind.
Competitive Edge
Maybe, he thinks, looking down into the distance, today will be the day that he'll come back.
Red can still see Green, with his cocky smile and blue eyes that didn't match his name. Maybe he will finally come, for one more rematch, one more chance to try and prove himself.
Solitary
Not even hikers come up this mountain. It is too cold, too steep, and the Pokemon inside too strong for most any normal person to face; his rival and father weren't weak, not by any means.
But Red thinks, they still aren't here, are they?
Colors
They were never close - she too solitary and self reliant, and he too distant. Still, she always had smiled at him and showed him her drawings, the two dreaming of adventures in the great wide world beyond Pallet Town. He thinks of her more often than not; it is hard not to when his skin is as blue as her name (and as cold and gripping as her eyes).
Rest
His Snorlax is warm, like a giant, heated bed. The two lay together, fighting the cold and chasing after dreams.
Somehow, both still wake up.
Shake
It takes all his energy (and his Espion and Charizard's encouragement) to get off the ground. The stone floor is cold and hard, all rough edges and piercing spikes. By the time he is back at his feet, the blood has stopped running but his tears have not.
Duo
His heart skips a beat when he sees another person. He does not know her, not in the slightest, with her blue pigtails and heated eyes and warm, mountain-ready clothes.
It is only the stiffness in his legs that keeps him from running forward and waving to her.
Ache
Other than wild Pokemon, he has not battled in ages. That was part of his old life, when he was an anomaly.
The girl jumps excitedly in the air, not having won yet but close to it; the fire inside Red died under the mountain's cold, and the heat of a champion grew in another.
Run
He had never been one to run from a fight, though he had never been one to lose one either. With newfound strength and the help of his Pokemon, his feet move steadily forward, until the mountain is long past them.
Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, he reminds himself.
Illuminated by Starlight
When he gets home, the sky is black, save for a few sprinkling of stars. His legs ache and his Pokemon look exhausted.
Don't worry, Red thinks, we're home now.
Warmth
He is late for dinner and well up past his bedtime. His mother rushed around the kitchen, fretting over him and his Pokemom; it used to be annoying, listening to her fuss, but now it only brings a smile to her face.
Red raises his spoon to his lips; he was late for dinner, yes, but not late enough that his food got cold.
Murmur
When he wakes up, the world is a blur of sterile white walls and beeping machines. Sounds slowly flood his ears - "Medical miracle", "Can't believe he survived", "Did you know of where he was"?
Yet it is the sound of his sobbing friends, a blur of their namesake colors in his foggy eyes, that stay in his ears the longest.
Confrontation
"What were you thinking?" Blue and Green both repeat the words, one after the other.
His hands are weak, with only enough strength to type into a machine that inputs words and outputs robotic speech (a gift from the hospital), yet even then he cannot think of anything to tell them.
Distance
When he closes his eyes, he is surrounded by grey rocks and knee deep in white snow. The frost sets into his bones, picking up where it left off and restarting on what the hospital removed.
Even when he wakes up, his blankets feel colder than before he went to sleep.
Stuffed
The whole town probably bought out the entire hospital gift shop. Stuffed Pokemon, from Daisy and Green, to small plushes from some other neighbors, to giant gifts from an anonymous gift giver, fill his room. For the most part, his Pokemon play with the toys, the Charmander plush, however, remains on his bed, the gift tag reading "Blue" never removed.
Infamy
He much prefers his friends and neighbors to the reporters. They're so cold and direct, caring more about his past life as the Kanto champion to whatever happened after. More often than not, Blue has to send out her Blastoise to keep them from ripping Red apart and looking for answers to their interview questions from whatever is left of him.
Two-Way
"I really did miss you," Green says one night, his eyes on a painting of flowers that the hospital hung in Red's room. At his feet sleeps his Eevee, and in his hand he cradles one of the toys Daisy sent to Red in a care basket a few weeks later.
"Me too," comes the robotic reply of Red's machine.
Heat
The hospital may have been heated, but it was nothing compared to the bright warmth of the sun. Red had forgotten how warm it was in his time inside, all those weeks spent under a nurse's watchful eyes and a doctor's machines.
Yet nothing is quite as warm as the feeling of Green's lips against his own.
Kin
"I hope you're ready for dinner, kids."
"Of course," Blue says, while Red and Green nod.
With Professor Oak and Daisy there as well, there are 4 extra chairs set around the dinner table; by the end of the week, none have been folded up and put back in the closet for storage.
Fight
His eyes widen and his Charizard turns back towards him, a grin spread on its face.
"Beat me again," Green mutters, "and even when I thought you'd be rusty."
"Don't feel bad," Blue replies, holding her Pokeball up, "because I'm fighting Red next and I won't be nearly as easy on him."
New
"Blastoise and I think you should have this," Blue says, handing the egg to him.
Red's eyes widen, and had his hands not been full then he would have signed something.
"Hey, no need to worry," she says, "because I have an egg of my own."
Crack
Blue's egg had hatched first, revealing a healthy and tiny Squirtle. Still, Red cannot help but bite his lip when he sees the egg crack. There are a million things that could go wrong - yet the Squirtle's wide, bright eyes on him let's him know for once things went right.
Father and Son
"You know," Blue says, petting his Squirtle's head, "with that little Squirtle around, you can't go trekking to dangerous mountains. This little guy needs someone to take care of him."
Red nods - if he ever wants to see the Pokemon grow strong then he'll have to see to it himself that it gets raised well.
Favorite
It was always easy for his mother to say who her favorite son was, but with seven Pokemon around the house she has a harder time putting it to words. But if judging by the time she spends cuddling with and petting Espion, it's not hard to guess.
Though, Red has to admit, Espion will have to work harder if she wants to keep her title, lest the little Squirtle steal it from her.
Stay
"So are you ever just gonna leave out of the blue and go somewhere completely unprepared, dangerous, and alone again?" Green asks.
Red shakes his head; for once, he has a lot of reasons to stay.