Please note that this is a Red x Green (OriginalShipping / NamelessShipping) AU story. There may be OOC-ness present to fit the story. Rating will be going up soon. If this is not to your liking, please hit the 'back' button of your browser now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any brand name items or songs mentioned in this story.
Interstate 405, the San Diego Freeway.
Also known as just the 405 (four-oh-five) or the 405 freeway by Los Angelenos when referring to the most congested freeway within the Greater Los Angeles region. For the majority of its path, the seamless strip of concrete and asphalt divided by a barrier hugs the California soil near the Pacific coastline from Interstate 5 in Mission Hills in the San Fernando Valley to Interstate 5 once again in Irvine in Southern Orange County. The freeway is definitely an important lifeline, as it connects one part of the Southland to the other.
However, a very notable link the 405 freeway serves is from the affluent and glitzy Los Angeles Westside to the sprawling suburbia bowl of the San Fernando Valley over the Santa Monica Mountains via a crawl through the Sepulveda Pass, 1,130 feet above sea level. One can enjoy a break from the concrete jungle that sprawls Southern California and enjoy a few minutes (or hours, depending on traffic) of unspoiled nature.
With most commuters heading southbound through the pass to the job centers of the Westside and Downtown Los Angeles in the morning hours and heading back home to the Valley and beyond during the evening rush hour, this stretch of concrete is infamous for being extremely congested, even outside of normal commute hours.
And that's what Red must face five times a week and twice a day as he sat down and listened to some tunes on his iPod with his over-the-ear red and black Beats headphones, watching the freeway whizz by him instead of being on it as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (commonly called Metro) Bus Line number 734 used the adjacent side street, Sepulveda Boulevard, instead of the congested freeway. However, the side street can just be as crowded as the freeway as well.
His crimson orbs, being protected by the so-called emo-style glasses that hugged his face, drearily gazed at the unspoiled landscape on the side of the road that was a rarity within the city of Los Angeles. This was actually part of the daily task he must endure as he has to wake up at about 5:15am to get ready and leave his apartment by 6am in Sherman Oaks, located in the southern end of the San Fernando Valley at the corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Greenleaf Street. The time when he left was crucial, as his bus stop was a few blocks away adjacent to the Sherman Oaks Galleria mall on Sepulveda and Ventura Boulevards, requiring additional walking.
Why must the brunette catch the bus so early in the morning?
So that he can go to school just like any other teenager in California.
However, the school that he attends, Indigo-Palisades Preparatory High School, where he is a senior, is located in the luxurious and high class Pacific Palisades neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles on Sunset Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road, which is clear cut on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains that separated the Westside and the Valley. Thus, a trip through the Sepulveda Pass is necessary five times a week.
And exactly why is the raven haired teen attending a school that is nearly an hour away by bus from Sherman Oaks to Pacific Palisades if there are plenty of other high schools near his residence?
That can be answered by the full scholarship that he was awarded since he started attending the institution since the seventh grade on a full ride, exempted from the high tuition fee the academy demanded, along with high entrance scores, to attend the prestigious school where the majority of graduates go onto higher educational opportunities at universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Notre Dame, and of course, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles).
Better head towards the exit.
Red stood up from his seat and made his way towards the rear exit doors as the bus crossed under the 405 freeway and the iconic Angeleno Hotel building came into view on their left. He wanted to be the first to exit the bus as he had to perform the Metro Shuffle or power walk from the bus stop they were approaching to the next one on Sunset for the number 2 bus, nearly half a block from each other, as the time of transfer was extremely limited.
"Church Lane – Sunset Boulevard. Transfer is available to the number 2 bus," the automated male's voice from the bus' PA system announced as the bus pulled over on the side of Church Lane, across the street from the Angeleno Hotel.
As soon as the doors opened, Red immediately got off the bus and began the dash to the next bus stop. The cool and unusually chilly morning air that doused the L.A. area caressed his pale skin, causing the scarlet-eyed boy to involuntarily shiver and scrunch his face.
Wonder why they don't make these stops closer to each other?
Red was finally able to turn on the corner of Sunset Boulevard, seeing that the number two Metro bus had already stopped and passengers were already getting on board. Pulling out his TAP card, the teen made it safely to the end of the line and was able to board the bus before it left without him.
That should take care of the morning exercise…
Tapping the card on the TAP target, Red proceeded to find the nearest empty window seat at the rear of the bus to have some space between him and the other passengers on board. Luckily, the westbound buses going towards Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway were not as crowded versus the eastbound buses headed towards Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles.
Getting himself comfortable on the seat, the crimson-eyed teen took off his red and black Hurley backpack from his shoulders and placed it on the empty seat next to him before adjusting the volume of his iPod to drown out the surrounding noises, his cherry orbs looking out towards the rugged landscape of homes, trees, and hills that the winding road of Sunset went through in this part of town. The current song playing was also one of his more recent favorites he took a liking to.
"We go hideaway in daylight. We go undercover, wait out the sun; got a secret side in plain sight. Where the streets are empty, that's where we run."
Normally, Red did not talk very much out loud, especially when he had nothing to say and would rather play out all his thoughts in his mind. However, when it came to a song that he liked, he's able to sing out loud, albeit very softly to the point where any person next to him would still have difficulty comprehending what he was saying.
"Everyday people do everyday things, but I can't be one of them. I know you hear me now. We are a different kind, we can do anything," Red rested his elbow on the window ledge, letting the side of his head rest on his hand as he continued to watch the overgrown landscape of the Palisades whiz on by. He slightly bobbed his head up and down a bit to the electronic dance rhythm of the tunes that blared from his Beats headphones.
"We could be heroes. We could be heroes, me and you. We could be heroes. We could be heroes, me and you. We could be."
"Temescal Canyon Road – Sunset Boulevard," Red got up from his seat as soon as the stop was announced. Stepping back out into the cool morning air, the raven-haired dude visually noticed he was already surrounded by other fellow students dressed in the same suit and tie school uniform he was wearing. Luckily, his headphones and jams were cancelling out the noises that would absolutely confirm he was indeed facing another day of school.
Let's just get this day started already…
After crossing the street on Sunset, it only took a few seconds before Red passed by the fancy electronic sign he's seen countless times that made the school identifiable:
Indigo-Palisades Preparatory High School: Home of the Mighty Sea Dragons - 15519 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90272.
Indeed, I'm here…
Red took a deep breath and nodded an acknowledgement towards the sign before continuing the trek onto campus. He was about to take a step forward past the entrance gate until—
"Dude, Red! Nice earphones!"
Red became startled when he felt his Beats headphones being pulled away from his ears as an arrogant and cocky sounding voice from another boy seeped into his ears. He turned around and immediately identified the other teen with brown spiky hair and green colored eyes in front of him, causing his scarlet orbs to squint in irritation.
Green Oak…
The one called Green Oak continued to hold Red's earphones hostage, complete with a smug smile painted on his face.
"Such a nice day we're having today, eh brah?"
"Heroes (We Could Be)" by Alesso ft. Tove Lo is the song featured in this chapter.
