The First Farewells

In a small house in Pallet Town, there lived a boy. The boy now paced his room anxiously. Eleven years of age and he had dropped out of school to pursue his ambition – to become a Pokemon Master; but now, he found himself full of concern for his mother: the person whose child would soon leave.
Finally, he descended from his room with his things in his backpack. His mother sat at the table, looking gloomy. She did not restrain him or hinder his departure: loath was she to deny him what he believed to be his destiny.

The boy walked to a house not far from his; a house whose inhabitants he knew well. He knocked on the door and immediately it opened. Standing at the doorway was a young girl of eleven winters, wearing a short miniskirt, a blue tank top and a white hat. She received the boy kindly,
"Red!" said Leaf, "I see that you're ready. Shall we go?"
The boy smiled and nodded, mouthing "yes" to her – one of his traits that made people, incognizant of his reticent nature, form the false notion that he was mute.

The two children, Leaf and Red, had many things in common and had been friends for as long as they could remember. Leaf, too, had ambitions to be the best, though never as intense as her companion did. Now they entered the laboratory, looking for Professor Oak. There, they found him not, but instead there was the Professor's grandson, Gary. Gary had been Red's rival since they were toddlers, and their friendship suffered when each took an unhealthy interest in Pokemon training.

"What, it's only you two?" he sighed, "Gramps isn't around!"
Offended by Gary's inhospitality, Leaf and Red left the building and decided to go on a stroll. Their walk was interrupted by Professor Oak as they ventured too close to the long grasses.

The professor led them back to his lab, where they were bidden to take for themselves their starter Pokemon. Red, intrigued by fire, chose Charmander; Leaf, living up to her name, chose Bulbasaur; Gary, left with one Pokemon to choose from, chose Squirtle. The three were satisfied with their decisions, as Gary had planned to take the Squirtle in the first place.

As Red and Leaf were leaving, Gary challenged them to a Pokemon battle. Red, refusing to have his pride humbled by his rival, accepted the challenge instantly despite it being his first time. After a short duel, Red's Charmander emerged victorious, forcing Gary to shame, cursing and accrediting his failure to his poor choice of Pokemon. This trivial victory would fuel Red's burning desire to win in all of his battles since.

"You did great for your first time," said Leaf, "I wish I could win my first battle soon."
Her wish did not take long to fulfill: after wandering in Viridian Forest, the two stumbled across a cocky bug catcher, eager to humiliate the dreams of two eleven-year-olds and to take their money. After a swift victory, the two realized that they would fare better together than alone.
"We should work as a team!" exclaimed Leaf excitedly, "We'll earn badges even quicker that way!"

And so they travelled forth, and earned themselves seven badges at an astonishingly fast rate. It was at the last gym that their first parting occurred.

"No!" yelled Leaf, looking at her now-unconscious Pokemon, and her last.
"It would seem, girl, that you are no match for me this time!" said Giovanni as he cast a deriding glance towards the girl who had humiliated him twice prior. His smug smile would soon fade when Red's Pokemon team proved superior to his. Giovanni then bestowed Red the Earth Badge; thus, the once inseparable pair was now sundered, for Leaf had not the authority to challenge the Elite Four.

"So this is where I leave you," said Leaf at Route 22 to Indigo Plateau, "Kick their asses, cutie."
Red blushed, nodded, and threaded the path to the Plateau, where his destiny lies.

Leaf could only cheer as her friend battled the Four and the Champion. And when he finally defeated them, she shed tears of joy; her closest friend had finally achieved his dreams.

Four years after his victory, it seemed that Red's desire to become the absolute best had subsided, until a dream came to him.

On a sunny day in Pallet Town sat two teenagers under a tree: a slender girl wearing blue tank tops and a boy in a red jacket. They sat in the shades provided by the tree, all worn out by their earlier deeds.
"Catching all these new Pokemon really tires me," said Leaf; her Pokedex had extended greatly compared to the one she had four years ago. "Does it tire you?"
Red does not reply, but merely looked at her and smiled. Leaf could see black lines under the red eyes – evidently, he had not slept for long. So she tucked his head under her chin and on her breasts, and she beckoned him to sleep; thus, he slept.

In Red's sleep, a dream came to him – a foreboding, as it were. In the dream, he saw a soaring hawk circling lofty peaks of snow and ice. The hawk rose above the clouds, basking in the sun before diving back down to the peaks. A snowstorm brewed, yet the bird still flew, unaffected by the frost, for the hawk had faced far too many winters to yield. The bird flew on, squawking harsh cries in challenge.

Suddenly, its cries were answered: a challenger had come to confront the ace. The challenger and the hawk fought long and hard, but there could only be one victor. The hawk flapped its huge wings, and the storm did worsen and the cold was unbearable, but the challenger was not harmed. By fate or chance, the challenger triumphed and the hawk, with its wings broken, died.

Red woke up in Leaf's arms. He stood and walked to the edge of the shade provided by the tree. Leaf stirred and opened half an eye. He described to her his dream, and he could see in her face the horror of realization he had when Giovanni had defeated her – the fear of separation. Red continued and told Leaf his plans for the future; a future which Leaf wished to have no part in.

"I'm going to challenge the Elite Four a second time," said Red, "You sure you're not coming?"
Leaf shook her head; she had matured from the child eager prove herself as a trainer. Thus, Red made his way back through Victory Road to the place where he had asserted his might nearly half a decade ago, and like the last time, he did so alone. Once again, the Indigo League proved to be no match for him, the Master of the Kanto Region. But for Red, that was not enough, for he aspires to be more: to be the undefeatable, the greatest Pokemon Trainer in the world.

Having already earned all sixteen badges, Red announced to the public that he would train alone on Mt. Silver, and await a worthy challenger that would either defeat him or cement his status as the world's greatest Pokemon Trainer. And he would depart soon.

Within two months after his second victory, he packed his things ready to leave. Red looked up at the overcast sky, hoping that it would not rain. Then he made his first step out of his house and walked down the streets, watched by many eyes. He made his way to the edge of the town where he could fly. As he summoned his Charizard, he heard a voice calling out to him. By chance or by will of a higher purpose, it rained.
"Red!" yelled Leaf, trying to catch up with up and running out of breath doing so, "Please, don't go."

Red turned around to face his friend, "I have to. This is my dream, my destiny."
Leaf was exasperated and tears felled from her eyes, "You're already the best in Kanto, and you've earned all eight badges from Johto; what more could you want?"
Red did not answer; he turned his sight from Leaf's face: he hated seeing her cry. Red pulled Leaf in a tight embrace, whispering into her ear "I'll write to you every day if you're willing to receive."

"I am," answered Leaf, and before she could say more, Red released his embrace and mounted his Pokemon, taking the last step and the heaviest. With a flap of its huge wings, the dragon-like Pokemon took flight and soon went out of view. Leaf was stunned. The wind blew her white hat off and it flew in the raging storm.

As stoic as his exterior may suggest, Red was gravely wounded. He had left a living dream – a happy life complemented by friends he knew well – for a farfetched one: to become the ultimate Pokemon Master. Red saw something flying towards him. He reached a hand and grabbed it; it was Leaf's hat. Looking back, he saw Leaf standing as still as a statue. All the happy times they had together flashed before his eyes. Red felt his face wet, and not of the rain. Warm drops liquid were rolling down his cheeks, a liquid he had known but had forgotten – tears. Red held tight to his Charizard, trusting to his strength and the Pokemon's skill that he would not be blown off by the stormy winds. Behind him, faintly above the roaring winds, he heard Leaf shouting to him. Little that he know, for all the sins he would commit, he would beg her forgiveness, and none would she be able to give.

"Promise me you'll come back!" yelled Leaf in vain, recovering from her bewilderment. Soon, Red was lost from view.
"Promise me you'll come back for me," she whispered in sobs. Leaf knew that she would not see Red for years to come; thus started their second farewell.

I had fun in writing this, and I welcome any kind of criticism except hateful slurs. Please review.