Nothing new in Viridian City
Kris was a mess.
Running through the Diglett's cave and Viridian forest at one go never was one of her smartest ideas, but hey, what wouldn't you do just to get faster to the town where your idol lived? Of course, she had to stop before the hike to Pallet, because her Pokémon were on the brink of collapsing, she herself coming not too far behind. So there she was, slumped in a corner of the Viridian Pokécenter dozing off while the nurse took care of her partners.
And then some bitch dropped her bag on her lap.
"Hey," she said and Kris glared at her under half-closed lids. "You're and aide, right? From Johto?"
Her voice was annoying, the kind of voice which said that she thought she was all-powerful and liked to tell others what to do. In the same time though, she did sound determined and even kind, on some level she'd rather not show. There was so much a voice could tell about a person.
"Where'd you hear that?" Kris asked, abandoning the hope of catching some sleep before her pokémon were healed. Instead she sat up more straight and took a good look at the woman hovering above her.
She looked like her voice sounded, smug. But she was incredibly pretty with a small nose and wide green-blue eyes and hair that seemed to crown her and then cascade down like chestnut colored waterfalls.
She smirked. "The nurse told me. So?"
Kris nodded slowly, still keeping a straight face. "Yeah, I'm on the route to Pallet to meet Professor Oak."
"Good, good… then you need to come with me." The woman offered her a hand. Kris stood up, but didn't take it—she didn't need help from this stuck-up stranger. She even picked up the woman's purse as she stood.
"Why?"
"Because," she said still smirking in a way Kris didn't consider weirdly charming, "there's a younger Mr. Professor Oak and he really needs you to set him straight."
All things considered, Kris never should've played along.
-x-
The "younger Mr. Professor" turned out to be no professor at all, not an aide either, but Professor Oak's grandson, and the woman's—Leaf's—lover, or something. She said it was complicated, Kris swore it wasn't as complicated as some people she knew of.
"If what you know doesn't include probably already dead ex-rivals-slash-best friends—it isn't," Leaf commented on her doubts. Kris didn't ask.
Green Oak was the gym leader of Viridian City. He was handsome and arrogant like Leaf and it made Kris wonder how these similar people had found each other and how they could bear each other. She got an answer to that when they started snapping at each other, Leaf always a step ahead of him—apparently they could not.
"Oak, sit your ass down on the chair and listen for one damn time!" Leaf dragged the man back when he tried to escape to the back of his gym. Currently, they were in the battle quarters, which was an odd setting for their argument. The other gym trainers were throwing some curious looks their way, but from the way they continued to mind their own business after that Kris guessed it was somewhat of a common sight. Grumbling under his breath, Green stomped back and sat on one of the chairs usually reserved for watchers.
"The fuck you want woman?" he asked, refusing to look at Leaf or Kris. Actually so far, he'd only ignored the blue-black haired strange lady in his gym. Not very customer friendly, decided Kris.
"You see her," Leaf said pointing rather rudely at Kris. "She's an aide of professor Elm's. E-L-M, since I have to spell it out for you. There are other professors, there are other regions, and other things to do with your life than have your lousy ass stuck here."
"Fuck you," Green retorted, but it sounded lame. He also finally glanced at Kris, almost scared. "I don't need your advice. I can do what I want with my life."
"Goddamn you're a baby!" Leaf threw her hands up in exasperation. Then she turned around on her heels very sharply. "I'm getting some coffee. Kris!"
The brown haired woman already acted as if they were friends, which was new to Kris. She wasn't used to making friends easily, it was too bothersome and she tended not to do it. In truth she rather preferred the company of pokémon.
"Yes?"
"Talk some sense to him, please." It was an honest to God plea. She sounded irritated but her eyes looked desperate, like she'd done everything in her power already. Like she didn't want to revert to asking help, but she had no choice anymore. It made something in Kris shift.
Leaf left to the back, leaving her alone with the pouting man. Now that Kris looked at him, Green Oak seemed really childish, and almost small and fearful as he was crouched on the chair. Everything with him wasn't as it first seemed to be.
"Are… are you interested in studying pokémon?" she asked. She wasn't usually one for small talk, and definitely not with people like this obnoxious gym leader, but somehow it felt natural at the moment.
He was quiet for a while after it.
"Evolution mechanics…" he nearly choked out. It seemed like he wasn't about to continue, but as Kris was opening her mouth he started talking, fast, as if he needed to get it out before he could decide against it. "Always had an interested in evolving 'mons, what made them stronger and what enforced their development. When I was young I kept pushing them to evolve quickly, but with time I've understood there's so much more to it, than just tough training. It's… fascinating."
He stared ahead, like he wasn't seeing the gym at all, but something far greater. He looked good, that was undeniable, but in that moment Kris could see him as the young man with a passion he was, instead of the cocky, idolized trainer. She smiled a bit.
"I'd think it would be easy for you to get a degree," she said and he snorted. "But I guess… you don't want to work with your grandfather?"
"No way in hell," Green shook his head, smiling bitterly. "We never got along that well… Besides, working on his fame would be pathetic. I want to be recognized for my own skills, my own strength…"
"You're not doing too well, y'know," Leaf cut through entering the room, holding two cups of coffee. "They remember you as the boy who lost his championship title to… and then took the part as a gym leader. You're in his shadow as long as you stay here."
She offered the other cup to Green and he took it silently, but avoided her worrying eyes. Kris got the other cup, and he sipped the drink thinking about what she'd heard.
"If you'd just get out of here, travel a little an—"
"Leaf," he ground out, voice strained. "I can't. Stop."
Leaf's shoulders slumped. She looked hopeless for a passing second, before turning to Kris, and trying a smile.
"I should get you back," she said and Kris nodded. When they were out of the gym, Leaf started talking again.
"Sorry for dragging you here, this really has nothing to do with you… I just thought—"
"You thought I could help, I know," Kris said, "nothing wrong with that. I just don't know how much I could do. When it's not about motivation, there's not much I can help with."
"Yeah…" Leaf bit her lip. "You probably know 'bout Red. He was the champion of indigo plateau, but he's been missing for three years now."
Kris didn't say anything.
"He was Green's… actually no, he was my friend. They never got along, or rather; Green didn't get along with him." She paused and drew in a shaky breath, she seemed very different from the smug looking girl she'd been just an hour before. "Anyway, Green lost to him. That was hard enough, but as soon as he realized what a dick he'd been before, Red goes missing. Green is the ghost he left behind."
Offhandedly Leaf added:
"I think he loved him."
Kris understood.
-x-
When she was leaving, Leaf dropped a small piece of paper on her palm.
"Say hi to Delia," she said and winked.
Meganium now fully healed and out of its pokéball by Kris' side looked dubious. Kris gave a small smile.
"I think I will."
-x-
Route 1 was an easy downhill slope and uneventful like nothing else. The scenery was beautiful, though, she could see the roofs of Pallet Town below. From there opened the sea, blue and shimmering, and in the far distance the volcano of Cinnabar Island let out smoke.
She met Professor Oak the same evening, passing on her regards from Elm and then moving on with some serious discussion about the direction of her own studies. Oak was, like she remembered, a charismatic and intelligent man with the enthusiasm of a child. Kris rather liked him, honestly, but she couldn't stop thinking about Green and how he seemed to dislike the very idea of working with this man so much, that he'd rather do anything else. She asked the professor about Green, she had to. He wondered about it for a second and then told her that he wished Green would get over his stubbornness. He also advised Kris that Daisy, Green's sister lived in Pallet and could accommodate her for the night. Keeping it in mind she bid the professor farewell and left.
While taking a short walk through the harbor she caught a glimpse of a familiar shade of red. Silver had a Crobat with him, which somehow made Kris fill with warmth. He was sitting on a bench that overlooked the bay and his hair glowed more than ever in the setting sun. She slipped on the bench next to him. They sat in silence, though she knew that Silver had noticed her—he always did.
"I met Gold at Mt. Moon," he said after many minutes had passed. "He said he's looking for the champion."
"I assume he said a lot of other things too," Kris said with a smile, Silver snorted. It felt good—knowing that she was the only one who could make him laugh. Gold was the only one who could make Silver change, in any way, but she was always the one that brought a smile to his face. She'd never judged him bad.
"It's hard for him to shut up," Silver mused. After a while he added quietly. "He said I should come along."
"Are you going to?" she asked.
"No."
He shifted away and Kris wanted to sigh. Instead she got up, realizing that she would have no place to stay the night if she didn't get going. Silver mumbled something, but she couldn't catch it.
"What?"
"Gold said he knows where he is."
She stopped breathing.
"Did he tell you?"
The boy didn't reply. This time she did sigh.
"God Silver…" she said. "I know you're going there, wherever it is, and I'll hear it from Gold. You could at least make it easier for me by telling."
"I'll check it before him, but I'm heading to Blackthorn after it." The boy got up too, throwing her a vary glance before smiling ever so slightly and breaking her heart a bit. "See you."
"Yeah…" she whispered and watched him get on the Crobat's back and fly off into the sunset.
She really hoped Silver would be alright.
-x-
Daisy Oak was a sweet woman, who apparently loved baking more than anything and held a massage parlor for living. They chatted about the way of life, pokémon, the latest news, but nothing about family. She mentioned Green once and there was a sense of longing in her expression then—Kris guessed she missed her brother, missed seeing him happy. She slept on Daisy's couch, rather than in Green's old room, saying that she didn't want to mess things. That was partly true; she slept on the couch, because she wasn't sure if she could resist her curiosity to search for anything connected to Red. She swore she never been a gossip, but over the course of one day she developed a near insane interest to the drama going on between these Pallet trainers.
She figured she should call Lyra—hearing her bubbly voice was always enough to calm her and force her into being rational again.
The next morning she left well rested, and before leaving the town completely, visited Daisy's next-door neighbor. Delia appeared to be a pale black-haired middle-aged woman, who wasn't as overly friendly, as she was fair. She told her that Leaf had sent her regards, and then, wondering if she should, she told her that one of her friends was looking for Red.
She almost laughed, telling her that so had many others before Gold. When she turned to leave though, she called out:
"Do… Do you believe your friend can do it?"
She smiled at her, truly, like she only did when it was about her most precious friend.
"I'm certain he can."
She nodded.
"Well then…" Delia muttered, a weak smile forming on her lips. "I'll be waiting."
After she was out of Pallet, she dug up her pokégear and dialed a familiar number. It rang twice, before a childish, cutesy voice answered.
"Oh my gosh, Kris! You never call! What's up?"
"Hi Lyra," she almost laughed. "I was just in Pallet. Met the professor and some other, uh, interesting people."
"I'm listening…"
So they talked, for the time it took her to climb back to Viridian she was on the phone. They both agreed that Green should pass the gym to someone else and that it was important someone found Red. Lyra thought that Professor Oak was a dick; she always was a bit rash with forming her opinions. Kris didn't agree. It was more about family matter than someone being unfair to the other, and she could relate to that—after all, it had been some time since she had seen her father, and even more time since her father had seen her. While speaking about Silver (and Gold too, since one could not be discussed without mentioning the other) she absentmindedly dug her pocket, and was surprised to find a piece of paper. It was a phone number, she realized, Leaf's phone number.
"Lyra," she said, cutting through the girl's rambling. An idea was quickly forming in her head. "Where were you, in Celadon?"
"Uh, yeah, last I checked."
"You should come to Viridian. I'll call Gold too, I think…" She paused. "I think it'll be good to meet up after all this time."
The girl on the line squealed happily.
"Totally, Krissie, I'll get on the route right away!"
They ended the conversation after that. Kris sent a message to Gold, because she knew it would be enough. She never had to explain "why" to him, because he would always come if she asked, no matter what. Gold was a friend like that. Instead he checked the new number from the little paper, saving it to the pokégear memory, before dialing it. Leaf picked up after three seconds.
"Why, hello little aide! Didn't expect for you to call this soon," the woman's voice was… irritating as it had been when she'd first opened her mouth. Kris cringed slightly.
"You knew it was me?" she asked, because she sure as hell hadn't given her number to the woman.
"I'm brilliant like that." Leaf snickered. "Anyway, are you back in town? Let's go out clubbing, Green won't leave his miserable hole of an apartment."
Kris was going to protest and say she was still underage, but something made her reconsider. Chances were it wouldn't matter; Leaf seemed like the kind of woman who knew everyone and whom everyone knew.
"Sure," she said instead. "I'll be by the pokécenter in about ten minutes."
"See you there," Leaf chided and cut off.
It would be a long night for Kris.
-x-
Because it was only late afternoon when Kris arrives in front of the Viridian pokécenter Leaf dragged her out shopping at first and then to her apartment for a bite. She was honestly surprised to find the woman's apartment very clean and orderly, as well as nicely decorated with stylish furniture. Then again, she had already guessed from their afternoon in the shops that Leaf was the kind of girl who looked more at the brand than at the price tag, so it figured her apartment would be filled with expensive stuff. What explained the orderliness though… well, if the apartment could've told stories about its owner, it would have spoken about loneliness. Leaf was rarely home, it seemed, always up for traveling as the various items from all around the world hinted.
"Life shouldn't be boring, y'know?" she said over the tortillas they ate on her balcony. "It should be about making your dreams come true, an adventure." She gazed out into the city where the streetlights were slowly blinking to life and lighting up the darkening night. As an after though she added: "Green can't see it."
Kris didn't comment. She could wholly believe that Leaf's life was the adventure she spoke of. On the other hand her emotional life seemed pretty unstable, from what one could conclude about her inviting practically a stranger first to help a friend and then into her home. Kris considered her own mind a lot more balanced, but then again she had already accepted Leaf's invitation, twice, and it hadn't even felt odd. There was something about the woman that drew attention to her, and made people unable to refuse her. Charisma, Kris would've called it, if she would've had to defend herself. Since she didn't, she called it curiosity on her own part.
-x-
Out in Viridian's nightlife it turned out her assumption about nobody asking Leaf questions was right, when the bouncer on their first bar of choice welcomed them in with a wide smile. He might've even said a word or two to Leaf, but Kris didn't hear them from the loud bass beat filling her head as soon as the doors opened.
She had drank alcohol only two times before, one of them being her mother's second wedding where she'd been given champagne just a few times too many and she'd ended up vomiting in the kitchen sink. It wasn't a nice memory, but it wasn't like her second time had been much better. That was exactly why despite Leaf's offers she opted for buying one single drink and nursing it all through out the first hour. Leaf drank four of them, without seeming more than slightly buzzed and Kris wondered how much the woman must've drunk in her life.
It proved to be a more fun experience than she had initially thought. After some time Leaf managed to coerce her into buying more drinks and they talked about meaningless things, the clothes people were wearing, the music and the chances of a really desperate looking guy getting lucky that night. When the guy got a red cocktail splashed on his face by an offended looking blonde Kris laughed more than she ever remembered doing.
They left the first club sometime after one in the morning and headed for a nearby karaoke bar, which Leaf promised was amazing. Kris had never been that good of a singer, but with the alcohol in her system and the other woman's twinkling eyes and mischievous smiles, singing in front of strangers didn't seem like a bad idea at all. Especially so when it turned out Leaf was even worse at singing than she was. By the third song, people where yelling at them to get off the stage. Leaf just kept on singing, having the balls to even curtsy and blow raspberries into the crowd afterwards, as she thanked them for being a wonderful audience. Kris couldn't contain her giggling fit at that.
Once they were outside, walking towards Leaf's apartment to sleep, Leaf tugged her close by the waist and she couldn't find it in her to protest. It was nice, actually, being close to the woman who smelled of sweet fruits mixed with something smoky—and of course of alcohol.
"Have you ever been to Hoenn?" Leaf asked grinning. Her voice was a little slurred, but she seemed to have no problem with forming coherent sentences unlike Kris, who just shook her head. It left her slightly dizzy. "You should… visit, I mean. It's an amazing country. Tropical climate, beaches longer than the eye can see… and the night life!" she whistled and Kris had to giggle. She was turning into one of those stupid drunks and made a mental note of never letting herself near alcohol again. She forgot the thought in four seconds. "Those people really know how to party."
The rest of the way was spent in comfortable silence that was only broken by Leaf's occasional humming. Once inside, the woman bossed her into the guest room, bringing her a spare night gown and a glass of water a minute later. Kris drank the whole glass under Leaf's watch and when she was done, the woman smiled.
"Now you won't be feeling as bad in the morning, I promise," she said. Kris only nodded gratefully. "I'll leave you to change then…"
Leaf took a step back before, like an idea had just struck her, she leaned back in. The kiss was slow and sweet and tasted foul as far as Kris could tell from her surprise. When they broke off Leaf grinned, as if nothing was out of line. Kris just stared, dumbfounded.
"Sweet dreams," the woman said, leaning in once more for a final peck on her lips, and left.
Kris wondered what had happened to the life she had used to know.
-x-
In the morning, even though Leaf had promised otherwise, Kris felt horrible. There was a splitting pain in her skull that made her groan in agony and regret that she'd ever listened to the other woman about 'loosening up'. It was over ten as the clock on the nightstand said and Kris was pondering the merits of suffocating herself with a pillow, when the apartment's owner burst into the room sporting a far too cheerful expression. It seemed like she was completely free of any pain and it seemed so unfair that Kris had to throw the pillow at her. So much for that method of suicide.
"Rise and shine, little aide," Leaf announced with a sing-song voice as she ducked the pillow, like the clever bastard she was. "I brought you painkillers."
Kris proceeded to climb into a sitting position before taking the offered pills with a sour look. She was glad for the offered remedy, but it was Leaf's fault in the first place that she was in this condition—Kris refused to believe otherwise—so she could at least act a little grumpy. Except it wasn't really in her nature to hold grudges or put the blame on others. Besides, judging by the delicious scent that reached her nose as she was swallowing the painkillers, Leaf had made breakfast. Nobody could stay mad at the person who made them breakfast when they were in pain.
They ate on the balcony again, because Leaf didn't have a table in the kitchen, just stools by the counter. She said she preferred watching the view as she ate and Kris admitted that it truly was nice, eating while the sunbeams danced on the roofs and Pidgeys made cooing sounds in the trees.
"You going to stick around or what?" Leaf asked her when they were both done eating their scrambled eggs and sipping coffee.
"If you'll have me," she said and paused. She really should tell her about Gold. "Some of my friends are coming to town in a few days. One of them is the current league champion, even though he refused the title. He…" she wasn't sure how to continue. It seemed like a cruel thing to get her hopes up if it turned out Gold wasn't right. But she trusted Gold, and if the boy thought he knew where Red was, enough to tell Silver, then he probably was right. "He might know where Red is."
Leaf swallowed slowly. "You think he would be able to… think he's strong enough to beat Red?"
Because of course in the end it would come down to that.
"I wouldn't know…" Kris said, and watched Leaf's face fall. "But you'll be able to see for yourself. He's probably going to challenge Green."
That seemed to cheer Leaf up a bit. "Well, that's definitely something worth waiting for, right?"
Kris smiled.
After breakfast Kris did the dishes, because she was already being a burden. Leaf told her that she wasn't going to stop her is she wanted to do chores and stuck around in the kitchen, chattering to her while she cleansed the plates. They both got dressed after that, Kris wanting to head out to the park with her pokémon who had been stuck in their balls since the previous night. Leaf's own pokémon, as she told, were mostly released. She only had her Wigglytuff and a foreign pokémon from Hoenn, a Swablu, left.
"Bud's with Red, if he really still is somewhere out there alive." Leaf grinned, but there was bitterness behind the expression. "And if he isn't, if something's happened to my darling Venusaur, I'm never going to forgive that guy."
Kris could totally understand how she felt.
They ended up spending nearly the whole day out. Kris ran some laps with her Espeon while Leaf watched. Kris' Togekiss made fast friends with Leaf's Swablu and the were happily flying in the air as the women sat on the grass eating ice cream and supervising the other pokémon that were playing together. It was peaceful and nice and Kris realized somewhat surprised that this was what she wished her life would always be—living with pokémon, no hurry and having somebody by her side who understood and shared the love for the amazing creatures. When Leaf grinned at her and leaned in to kiss away the bit of ice cream from her lips, Kris felt her heart skip a beat.
She could hardly believe they had only met two days before.
-x-
A few more days passed before Kris finally received a message from Gold, saying that he had just arrived at the Viridian pokécenter, followed shortly by a call from Lyra, saying that she was nearly there. Kris told the girl to meet them at the pokécenter and headed there. Leaf didn't tag along, saying that she was going to meet Green.
"See you soon, sweet-cheeks," Leaf said with a kiss to her cheek. They had fallen into a strange routine of kisses and pet names during their few days together and it never failed to bring a smile to Kris' face.
"You too," she said and headed down the road to meet her friends.
-x-
Gold, it turned out, had grown a lot since the last time they had met at the Indigo plateau a bit over three months before. His grin reached from his ear to the other when he noticed Kris enter the pokécenter lobby and the hug she received was almost bone crushing. It was just like he had always been, affectionate and an awesome friend, nothing in the world could change that about him. Kris felt such a sense of relief wash over him as they hugged that it almost made her knees give out. Not that it would've mattered if they did, because Gold seemed perfectly capable holding both their weights with his newfound tallness, not to mention the muscles he had developed during his journey through the two continents.
"It's so good to see you, Kris," the boy exclaimed taking a step back to have a proper look at her without letting go of her shoulders. "I mean, really, wow… You're like a woman already. Turning heads, I bet." She laughed, she couldn't help it, and he smiled sheepishly.
"You," Kris jabbed her finger at his chest, "are freakishly tall! How is it even physically possible? Have you been eating steroids or something?"
It was Gold's turn to laugh, loud and honest like always. It felt great being around him again, Kris decided. For her, Gold had always represented the good things about being home, and that's how she felt now too.
"So," Gold began, leading her by the shoulders to sit, "what brings you to Viridian? I mean, I was already on my way here when I got your message, but last I heard you were supposed to meet professor Oak?"
"I did, already," Kris answered. "It was enlightening, and I actually got offered a job by him once I'm finished with my field work for Elm." She paused as Gold congratulated her, promising to treat her to a meal to celebrate. When she continued, it was with a more serious tone. "I also met his grandson."
She explained the thing, the conversation trailing here and there as Gold attempted to fill her in with his own knowledge on the thing. Once they had both told each other what they knew, they fell silent, contemplating it all. Red was a legend, everybody knew him, but neither had ever suspected that they'd be the ones solving his mystery. As Gold said, it felt unreal. Gold often felt unreal about the things he did, like beating the champion or ruining team rocket's plans for good. He really didn't realize how talented he was—it always took him by surprise. And that, was the main reason Kris believed that if anybody could find and beat Red in a pokémon battle, it was Gold.
"I don't know," he said sheepishly. "I just wanna see how good he is, y'know, see what he's made of. They say he's good, the greatest trainer that's ever been… how could I not want to battle him?"
It was such a typical thing for him to say that Kris had to smile. "I don't," she said. "But I know somebody who wants to, even if he doesn't admit it."
Gold's face fell. He knew who she was talking about.
"I asked him to come," he said, casting his eyes down. "He was pretty clear with his answer."
Kris huffed. Sometimes he couldn't understand how Gold was so dense. "It's because he doesn't want to be there to see you win while he loses. He doesn't want you to see him lose. He wants to be somebody who you can consider your equal."
"He is!" The boy threw his hands up in frustration, and yes, Kris could completely understand his exasperated tone. She often felt that way too, when talking to Silver, she just didn't let it show. She tried to understand, even when others didn't—even when Gold tried and failed. "He always is! Always was, even though he was an ass in the beginning…"
Kris let out a laugh. "You were an ass, too, when you first met him… I know, I was there. You're equals in every way, hmm?"
He burst out laughing and she joined him. They always joked around like this, and she felt that Silver would probably be offended if he knew. She couldn't help it, Gold just wasn't that serious and she too often had to be—it was great to just laugh with someone for a while.
"Yeah," Gold said after his laugh had subdued. He had a strange, fond expression on his face, like he was looking at something she couldn't see. "Yeah, we really are. I wish I could make him see that."
Kris suddenly remembered Leaf's words from the day they'd met: "I think he loved him."
She nodded to Gold, sadness behind her smile. She understood those words all too well, because she could see the same thing happening before her own eyes.
-x-
They went out for lunch right after Lyra arrived, running to hug them both with her Azumarill following close behind. Like he had promised, Gold treated them the food and they ate and laughed together, listening to each other's stories from along their travels. Midway through their lunch, Leaf called asking what was taking so long. Kris told her they'd be there soon enough so she shouldn't let Green escape like she'd told her he had a habit of doing. After the phone call ended, Kris was faced with two pairs of questioning eyes.
"Who was that?" Lyra asked with a teasing tone. She was grinning like an Aipom, and Kris didn't like it one bit.
"It was, uh… Leaf, I've been staying in her apartment the couple of nights I've been here. She's the one that got me mixed up in this whole Red mess," she explained. Lyra's eyes widened.
"Kris! You're going out with a girl and you didn't tell me?" Kris felt her mouth fall open.
"What? No, it's not like that…" she trailed off and blushed. "Not… exactly like that…"
Lyra gasped and Gold just said he was happy for Kris before escaping to the bathroom, the coward he was. Kris was bombarded with questions from the other girl, about how the heck did it happen and what was she like, and the worst part was when she didn't even have the answers. It really wasn't like they were going out or anything, they just lived under they same roof and talked and cared for pokémon together and kissed each other good night and good morning and… okay yeah, that did sound awfully like going out. But neither of them had asked the other how they felt, Kris hadn't even asked herself how she felt, expect for that one revelation in the park, when she realized that she could live like that.
Lyra seemed dissatisfied with her lack of answers, though and kept asking for the juicy details while Kris grew more and more anxious. Gold came back to save her by reminding that they should head for the gym, and she couldn't blame him for running away after that. On the way to Green's gym Lyra chatted to Kris about how life must've been different when you were dating and how she'd had a brief fling with a guy in Vermilion, but it had ended too fast for her liking. In all truth Kris wasn't really paying attention to the story.
She was puzzled by her own situation with Leaf. Were they dating? She hadn't thought about what was the difference between dating and just… whatever it was that they were doing with the woman. And there was the fact that Kris had been fairly sure that Green and Leaf were, if not dating then at least sharing the bed. The impression had been caused by something that Leaf had said when they'd met, but now that she thought about it she couldn't remember what it had been. On the night they'd gone drinking it had felt natural when she'd leaned against her and though she had been surprised by the kiss, it hadn't felt wrong or even strange. It was like she had been expecting it, unbeknownst to even herself.
For all it was worth, she decided that it was best not to worry about their relationship or put any labels onto it just yet. It wouldn't do any good to assume things—she'd take them as they came, she wasn't in any hurry. They'd only just met and she'd thought of Leaf as a stuck-up bitch in the beginning, like her mind often tried to remind her. There was no reason for anyone to think they were dating. Maybe she did this with everybody?
The thought made her grimace and she forced her brain to shut up.
-x-
"You should know that I expect great things of you," was the first thing Leaf said when they arrived at the gym. She smiled at Kris, short and sweet. "Kris has made me root for you, so you better live up to those expectations, yeah?"
Gold grinned in that strangely alluring way of his. He wasn't over-confident by any means, most of the time he didn't even know how much he could do, but he trusted his pokémons and that made them strong. "I'll try."
Leaf seemed pleased by the answer as she turned to lead them inside. There were gym trainers on sight, only Green, who was apparently training his Eevee. The little fox was fast, faster than any Eevee Kris had ever seen and she was quite proud of her own Espeon, especially trained for speed and agility. It seemed funny that the man who had told her he was interested in pokémon evolution would leave a pokémon such as Eevee unevolved. He must have his reasons though, because it certainly seemed that the creature would've been capable of evolving into Espeon or Umbreon if the way it hopped into Green's arms and rubbed its head against the man's chest was anything to go by.
"Hey, Oak," Leaf called out trying to sound strong, but her voice was missing its usual bite. Kris could tell she was nervous—she wanted for this to work, wanted to give Green hope. Kris reached for Leaf's hand gripping it reassuringly. Gold stepped forward just as Green turned around to face them.
"The gym's closed," Green said, annoyed, and eyed Gold calculatingly, like trying to tell what he was made of. The Eevee in his arms purred, whisking its tail in happiness as Green idly scratched its ears. "You can come back tomorrow, kid."
"I'm already here," Gold countered. "It would be the same to face me now… unless you need time to prepare, of course. I totally understand."
It was a good move from Gold, like Kris realized the second Green's eyes flashed competitively. The gym leader let down the Eevee who seemed confused, but adjusted pretty quickly by taking a stance next to its trainer. Then he grinned, really grinned in a way that told that he was getting pumped up for the battle. From what Leaf had told Kris she knew that Green rarely got excited by battles anymore—that's why he left the gym so often, causing trouble to the trainers coming to challenge him as well as the other trainers who worked at the gym.
"A funny guy, huh?" Green asked, still grinning and snatched a pokéball from his belt with a practiced move. "Okay, let's see what you got then. Three on three, no items—the usual rules, you know them."
"Great." Gold smiled as well, calling out his Typhlosion as Green sent out a Machamp. Leaf lead Kris and Lyra reached to the aisle reserved for spectators just in time and suddenly the battle was on.
Like the few times before when Kris had seen Gold battling against an equally talented opponent, she was amazed. It was like something had been lit on fire inside the boy, the heat of the battle radiating from him and his trusted first pokémon. By Gold's command Typhlosion got the first strike, a flaming punch aimed at the hip. Kris was impressed. Not many would've thought of that, but it was one of Machamp's weak spots—if you managed to get the pokémon lose its balance by throwing it off position, it would be easy to beat. Green though was having none of that, obviously having prepared for similar plans. The gym leader ordered the Machamp to make a grab at Typhlosion, who barely managed to evade because of Gold's yell of warning.
The match went on for a while with both trainers trying to make advances and neither succeeding. Then, while Typhlosion was trying to counterstrike an attack Machamp managed to grab its leg and it seemed like Green had gained the upper hand in the battle. The gym trainer grinned, ordering the fighting-type to make a throw. Kris glanced at Gold and was surprised to find the boy looking pleased. The reason for his expression was revealed when just as Machamp was about to leash its attack Gold yelled an order and Typhlosion flared out its flames, blue from the heat. There was no way for Machamp to avoid it at such close proximity and it got hit full force. When the smoke settled, Typhlosion was still standing, but Machamp was not.
Green clapped his hands slowly, the smile on his lips never faltering. He called back the defeated fighting-type, changing for a new ball from his belt.
"Impressive," the gym leader called out. "But you're not prepared for this. We'll smash you."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Gold replied, Typhlosion taking its place behind him. The pokémon had fought its battle, but Gold never called the pokémon back into their balls until after the battle. He wanted them to see ho the others fought.
Both trainers sent out their second pokémons and the battle resumed. The second match was one to be fought in air, as it turned out both trainers had chosen a flying-type, Gold his Noctowl and Green a Pidgeot. This time it seemed that Green's Pidgeot took the lead with speed, making lunges for the other bird faster than Kris could even see. Gold could though and he carefully yelled out directions for his Noctowl and managed to get the bird out unscathed from every attack.
When Gold decided it was enough for playtime and leashed out an attack of his own it was ruthlessly fast. He ordered the Noctowl to make a last moment evasion of the Pidgeot's self-injuring move and then to use Hypnosis. The bird was still trying to turn its course when Noctowl's attack hit it, making it fall down asleep. Gold glanced at Green who called back the sleeping bird. He himself had prompted the no items-rule and there was no reason to continue the fight with Pidgeot sleeping.
The last pokémon Green sent forward was his Eevee. By Kris' side Leaf flinched.
"He's made a rule of never using Eevee in a gym match," the woman muttered surprised. "He said she was too strong for any opponent."
The women shared a look that made Kris smile. This was working out just fine.
"Maybe it was me who was unprepared… I should've taken that offer," Green said, mostly to himself as he brushed Eevee's fur before snapping his fingers.
The tiny fox was on the move before Gold had even called out his final pokémon, the Ambipom that Kris remembered him catching before reaching Goldenrod City. Finally it seemed like Green was outmatching Gold, his Eevee just was that great. Of course, he could've declared Gold the winner even without the third match, but it was symbolic. Green wanted to see if there was finally someone who could beat his Eevee, finally someone who would be capable of challenging him.
It took Gold a few minutes to regain his composure, but after that he was back in the game full force shouting orders in a flurry of words and movements. Ambipom was really probably one of his best pokémon, one that moved in perfect sync with Gold's voice, landing a hit here, evading one there. Eevee and him were equally matched, Kris realized after a while into the battle.
Green was smiling.
-x-
The battle ended in Gold's victory. Green called Eevee back when it seemed that she was about to topple over with exhaustion. Gold's Ambipom was not too far behind though and as soon as Gold raised it into his arms laughing it fell asleep. Gold seemed content with carrying the victorious pokémon around, even when it was a lot heavier than it looked. Green and Gold fell into agitated conversation after the battle, both taunting the other for their mistakes and then laughing it off because in truth they were both happy for the battle. Kris and Leaf shared a look of relief.
After the two trainers had visited the pokécenter Leaf invited everyone over for the evening, because her apartment was apparently bigger than Green's. Green did suggest they all go out for a beer, because the match with Gold had reawakened his need to enjoy life—a fact that seemed to amuse Leaf infinitely. She wouldn't shut up about how he had been so miserable up until now, always refusing her offers, and now he was willing to drag three under-aged kids drinking. He kept bickering at her until she started laughing so hard she couldn't stop. It was no wonder that the people they passed by on their way to Leaf's apartment kept throwing them fearful looks.
A laughing woman, with her arm draped around another woman's waist, an annoyed man fuming silently, another tall man who still looked a bit like a boy and a girl who kept talking to the boy, not caring if he listened to her or not, and finally an Azumarill, running in their trail. If Kris had been the one seeing this group, she would've quickly turned into the opposite direction.
They made salad at Leaf's apartment and ate it in the living room, even though Leaf kept worrying for her clean white couch and armchairs. Green actually promised to pay for their cleaning if something happened, which was only fair seeing as he was the only one using dressing, but it surprised the woman into being silent. Their conversation turned quickly to Gold's journey and his victories, Green listening especially keenly.
"So, what are you gonna do now that you've won eight badges in both Johto and Kanto?" the gym leader asked pointing his fork at the boy. Leaf eyed the fork warily, watching for any drops. "It sounds like you've done everything there is to do."
"Not everything," Gold replied, reminding Kris that Green didn't yet know about Gold's plan to find Red. Obviously the gym leader wished for somebody to do so, but Kris didn't know how he would react to it when he heard of Gold's plan. "Once I'm through with being a trainer I'm probably going to compete in the pokéathlon… but there are still things I wanna do before that."
"Like what?"
Kris coughed. Gold threw her a questioning look before answering. "I wanna find Red."
It was simple, the way he said it. Everything was simple for Gold—except dealing with Silver, Kris noted drily in her mind. Green seemed to consider it.
"And what makes you think you can?" he asked. There was an edge in his voice, barely contained. He wanted to give Gold a chance, Kris could tell, but he was bitter. "There have been others before you."
"You sound like Delia again…" Leaf muttered. Green scowled at her.
Gold grinned sheepishly. "Well… I've looked into where people have searched for him. The big search right when he disappeared at Victory road, the Sevii islands, Johto's caverns… It seemed like all of these, except the first one, are pretty far fetched. What would he do in some cave half way cross the world when there's a perfect place for training and living right by the Indigo Plateau—one, they didn't search because they thought it would be impossible for anyone to live there?"
Realization dawned on Green's face but it was Leaf who first opened her mouth.
"Mount Silver?" She breathed out. "You think he's at mount Silver? All these years and he's been right before our eyes, that place is only two hours from here flying!" She raised her voice as she spoke. Kris pressed her hand to Leaf's shoulder to calm her down. Her breathing was slightly erratic, but she nodded for Gold to continue.
"I'm not sure yet and it's not like he's there, waiting at the pokécenter," he said, "but that's the point, really. Only a handful of people are even allowed there, the area is nothing if not restricted. You have to face the weather and the harsh environment if you want to reach the top. Nobody has been there in decades. It's the perfect place, if…"
"…you're waiting for a challenger," Green finished. There was a distant look in his eyes. "I was right all along."
"What?" Leaf shrieked jumping up fro her seat. "You knew? Why didn't you tell me? You? You're the one who's… you've been waiting all these years and now you tell me you had an idea of his… oh my god, Green oh…" Kris had to hold her back to prevent her from clawing his face. She was sobbing by the end, going limp in her arms, just letting Kris hold her. "I could've gone there… I could've brought him back to us…"
Green looked sad, but surprisingly firm. "It couldn't be you, Leaf, and you know that. It had to be somebody else."
After the conversation it dawned on Kris that she had no idea what kind of a trainer Leaf was. Was she strong? Had she been strong in her youth, before she had released her pokémon? She knew they had left on the journey at the same time, Green, Leaf and Red, but she had no idea how well she had faired. There was so much to learn about the woman and she realized with a sudden burning need that she wanted to learn it all.
With those thoughts in her mind Kris said goodnight to the guys who were going back to the pokécenter to pick up their pokémon and then to Green's apartment for the night. Lyra offered to sleep on the couch, but Kris told her to take the guest room where she had been sleeping for the previous nights. After everyone had left the living room Kris went back to find Leaf there, staring out of the window. Even in the darkness of the night Mount Silver was visible in the far horizon with its white, snow covered peak.
"Hey," she said softly. The woman turned slightly to offer her a weak smile. "You okay?"
"I don't know," Leaf said and Kris felt like it was the most honest thing she'd said in their time together. They were both like that, Green and Leaf, putting up a show in front of others to not let them know how small they felt inside. Kris knew it because he knew Silver. He hated weakness because he felt weak. He didn't realize that there was nobody there to mock him for his weakness, because everyone was weak when they were alone.
"Come to bed," Kris said and offered the woman her hand. She smiled like there was something funny in the situation, but she didn't quite know how to laugh.
"Are you propositioning me?" she asked. "I didn't know you had it in you."
Kris just led her through the apartment into her bedroom. They laid awake for a long time, cuddled close under the covers and sharing the warmth of each other. Again Kris thought of how short of a time a few days was, but then she let the thought pass. It seemed to be long enough to make a connection from one heart to another and she wasn't about to complain.
-x-
The next morning Gold visited, telling that he was off to Mount Silver. Lyra left as well, saying that she was heading back to New Bark Town for a while. Kris watched them off with a smile that dropped when Leaf came behind her and asked if she was going to leave too. She knew she should, she had work to do, but it felt almost painful thinking about leaving the woman behind. Except… there was the job offer from professor Oak.
"I could work in Pallet Town," she said quietly. She wasn't sure if Leaf even wanted her to stay. "I have to finish my degree first, but after that professor Oak has promised me a job. I could come back and…"
"You should move in with me," Leaf said quickly, and as an afterthought added, "If you want to, that is."
"Yeah," Kris whispered turning around. "I want to."
For once her life seemed clear. She was going to leave the next day to Johto. It shouldn't take her more than two months at most to finish up with the field work and after that she could call Oak, accept the job as his aide and take the bullet train back to Kanto. She could buy that bicycle she always should've and cycle up and down Route 1 to work every morning and evening.
And live with Leaf.
She looked up into the woman's eyes, blue-green and hopeful. Living with her… yes, it was a good thought. Even if they had known each other for a time that could be counted in hours, even if all went wrong in the future, it still felt right for now. She was still young, turning eighteen in a few months and her future looked bright. She could take her chances with this woman.
They met each other for a kiss half-way and nothing was new in Viridian City.
-x-
END
If there's even a single person out there who likes this pairing, hello to you! I'm happy to meet you, thanks for reading, leave a note if you liked the story. :)