Chapter 1

Red sat up against the wall of the cave. He breathed in and out slowly - watching the cold puff of air forming a light before his eyes. The air was frigid and freezing on top of Mt. Silver, but it helped numb the pain which boiled deep down Red's soul. He tried his best to forget the life he previously lived, so he ran away. He wanted to forget about his humiliating defeat to Lance, the current Pokemon League Champion. He desired nothing more than to forget about the pain he felt down to his bones as he bore witness to his single mom trying to make ends meet. He wanted to erase the desires he was feeling which was brought upon from falling in love with his "rival" Green.

Green, Red mused. He moved his head lazily to the side to stare at his beloved Pikachu sleeping on the cave floor next to him. Red reached out a gloved hand to caress his Pikachu's red cheek as memories of battles with Green flooded his heavy mind. Red didn't know when or how he fell in love with Green, but he did. He wanted nothing more than to escape to a sanctuary from such a disturbing revelation. Red knew that kind of love was wrong and looked down upon, so he fled far away from society - where opinions could not touch him. He climbed up to the peak of Mt. Silver in an attempt to leave his feelings behind him away and to ignore the nagging the truth.

Even after reaching the highest peak of the mountain, all Red found himself thinking about was Green. The isolation only made the realization of humans needing company even worse for Red. Red felt Pikachu stir under his touch, so he pulled back his hand. Poor Pikachu, he thought. I never intended to drag my helpless Pokemon into my own troubles.

As if reading his mind, the yellow Pokemon awoke and nudged Red's arm comfortingly. Red looked down and smiled at his friend. Pikachu looked up at Red with a big smile on its face. "Pika!" it said happily as it rubbed its body like a cat on Red's arm.

Red picked up the Pokemon and placed it on his lap. He knew Pikachu would follow him to the ends of the earth if it could, but he never wanted to drag it along all the way to the freezing temperatures of Mt. Silver. "Pikachu…" he whispered as he hugged the creature close to his shivering body.

Pikachu cuddled as close to Red's slim frame as much as it could. "Pika," the Pokemon said sadly, trying its best to warm up its master with what little body heat it had.

Red closed his eyes and hugged his knees close to his body with Pikachu in his arms. Thoughts of Green came rushing to him once again. Green's cocky smile and teasing comments relayed in Red's mind in a steady stream of memories. Red felt his heart beat rapidly as the image of Green dominated his thoughts. His long legs and arms, never ceased to move as gracefully as the most elegant type of Pokemon. Green's eyes, suitable to his name, were piercing and beautiful, especially under the sunlight. Red recalled how much he loved to watch Green move as he battled with his equally beautiful Pokemon or how his brown and spiky hair would sway freely in the wind as he battled whatever opponent put in front of him, with such passion, it brought tears to Red's expressive eyes.

"Green…" Red said, softly as Pikachu looked up at its master sadly. Red didn't know whether what he was doing was right or wrong or what he was feeling was right or wrong. Everything had suddenly become so jumbled in his life. Red always knew what he wanted - he wanted to be a Pokemon League Champion, but now, he didn't even have that dream to his name anymore. The title was taken from him and it tore his heart out to know he was no longer worthy of the title. Secluding himself up in Mt. Silver seemed like the best solution to all of Red's problems. It would give him the opportunity to train, to become better, and take the title once again away from Lance. Coming here also meant space between him and Green - it gave him a chance to think about his bizarre feelings for him before he stepped out of line.

Red shivered not from the cold, but the thought of ever telling Green the truth about his feelings. It just didn't seem plausible, after all, Green only saw him as a rival - another stepping stone in his competitive world. Red knew Green would never see him as anything more than an obstacle.

Pikachu continued to look up at Red as he pondered in his own world. Pikachu knew something was wrong with its master and felt responsible for his sadness. It knew it let Red down for not being strong enough to beat Lance and a tear fell down its red cheek.

Red felt something wet hit his arm and looked down to see his Pikachu crying - crying for him. Red stared at his Pikachu shedding tears and felt his heart break for the helpless creature. He swiped a hand gently across its wet cheek and kissed its head lovingly. "I know what you're thinking, Pikachu," Red whispered. "It's not your fault," he said firmly as he rocked his Pikachu in his arms comfortingly.

Pikachu smiled up at Red's face and licked Red's hand lovingly. Red smiled and patted Pikachu's head. They both closed their eyes, enjoying each other's company as they listened to the whistling of the wind outside their cave. Red opened up his eyes back up again slowly to see Pikachu asleep in his arms - breathing in and out steadily.

Red moved his red vest over Pikachu's body to give it some warmth while it slept. Red shifted himself in an attempt to get as comfortable as he could on the rocky cave floor and yawned softly. He thought about Green and how much he missed him dearly and slowly shut his eyes. As he thought about his longtime rival and friend, Red dozed off into a peaceful sleep.