Hi, hi! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the previous one!

Note: In the previous chapter (Painting in Red), Red obtained Running Shoes which weren't available in the games until Pokémon Emerald/Ruby/Sapphire/Leaf Green/Fire Red, onwards but I liked the whole idea of his mother sending him a letter because I wanted to show Red's relationship with his mother on a side note so I'm keeping that there. Enjoy the rest of the series!

Red clapped his hands against each other, with a big smile on his face. He stared out at the trainers he tossed onto a large pile, metaphorically.

A young girl returned her Pokémon with a huff and passed over a wad of cash.

"Thanks miss!"

Red placed the green paper into his wallet, which was almost fit to burst causing an eruption of laughter.

"Can you believe how much we've got?" – His Pikachu responded with a chorus of sound, which matched his tone of laughter. Red took that as a good sign.

The dark-haired boy made his way to Pokécenter positioned outside the mountainous caves, healed himself up and stared up at a middle-aged balding man.

"Hey, laddie... I just got a deal of a lifetime for you... I'll let you have a secret Pokémon – Magikarp – for just 500 quid. We have a deal?"

Red raised an eyebrow. He had never heard of a Magikarp but this old man was sort of freaking him out.

"No... I'm um, good, thanks."

"No? You say no. I'm only doing this as a favour to you!" he exclaimed and sighed, shaking his head.

Red shrugged, and started leaving only to enter Mt. Moon.

Exploring Mt. Moon was an experience for Red.

"Wow, this is so cool!" beamed Red, as he directed his Pikachu around and challenging the stray trainers to win money.

Red checked his Pokédex to look over his Pikachu's stats.

"Nearly level 25... That's good!"

Red picked up the electric mouse with pride, and inspected the lower floors of Mt. Moon, sliding carefully down the ladders.

"Wonder where this goes...?"

"Hey, who the hell are you?"

A man, with dark hair cloaked in black trousers, a black hat, and a black shirt tucked into a belt with a giant red 'R' on the front of it stormed up cracking his leather whip to the young trainer who panicked, mainly out of shock, as he grabbed his hat and scrambled to his feet.

"W-Who are you?" Red questioned more confused, to why a grown-man would dress so ridiculously, than scared.

"We, Team Rocket, are Pokémon gangsters! We strike fear with our strength, so fight me kid then gimme all your belongings!"

"Pikachu, go! Use thundershock!" was the first order, but as the Pikachu attempted to shock the small hedgehog ground type, the Sandshrew shrugged it off.

"Damn, I forgot about ground's immunity..."

Red thought carefully, and grinned at the Pikachu, snapping his finger towards it and formulated a plan without words.

The Pikachu ran towards the Sandshrew, then in a circle that created a cloud of dirt before charging at the small ground type with vicious speed, knocking it out cold after darting at it from all directions.

Pikachu then body slammed, tail first, into a Rattata that the grunt released knocking it out immediately without any effort.

"Well done, Pikachu!"

A Zubat was the final Pokémon, and Red grinned knowingly raising one hand slowly pointing to the cave's roof.

"Thundershock, full power!"

Bringing down the pointing finger fast, pointing at the Zubat and the so-called gangster, Pikachu electrocuted the both of them knocking out the trainer and Zubat.

"Well, that was easy..."

Red took a small amount of money from the out cold Team Rocket grunt and went back up to the main floor of the cave.

"I need to find a way out and to find out what is going on..."

Red was concerned about the grunts; he'd spotted three so far and even heard from other trainers about their activity within the cave. Red decided he'd get out of the cave quickly, very quick while managing to explore every crook and cranny.

He came across lots of rare objects, such as HP Up's and Star Pieces – even a few new TMs, which would fill his wallet a little for when he went against the Gym Leader of Cerulean City.

Red continuously swept aside the trainers, putting them back into the position of loser, as his talent grew and grew like the expanding space.

"Blue... how are you doing? I wonder about you sometimes."

Red tackled down another grunt, blocking the way to the near exit but before he could leave, he needed answers.

"What are you doing, what on Earth is Team Rocket?"

The grunt laughed, it was blood curdling with insanity, and made Red shiver a little in fear.

"We, Team Rocket, are a criminal organisation that takes useless trainer's Pokémon to put them to better use, so we can further our boss' plan."

"Your boss?"

"Indeed, little boy – but you don't need to worry about him!"

Before Red could get any more answers, the grunt escaped, rushing past the trainer with the speed of the cowardly. No shocker there, he thought. He next ran into one final trainer, demanding a battle after he misunderstood that Red wasn't trying to take any of the fossils. The good thing out of the battle though was hitting level 26 with Pikachu and getting a new move, Thunderbolt.

"Humph, fine... but just choose one fossil!"

Red didn't even want one, but he wasn't going to cross this nutter, especially with a bag that heavy – it'd knock him out instantly!

He traced the patterns on them both, from his observation skills, he realized the one known as a Dome Fossil resembled a shell from something that seemed like a hardy bug whilst the Helix Fossil resembled a snail's shell.

"No being greedy!"

Red shrugged, and placed the Dome Fossil in his bag, not really bothered by it as he watched the nerd snatch the Helix Fossil.

"Then, this fossil is mine!"

Red shook hands with the super nerd who kept glancing at the bulging fossil in his bag in hopes of stealing it; Red just ran towards the exit but stopped by two figures.

"Stop right there!"

A man with pale blue hair and a woman with dark red hair stopped him, their Pokémon blocking his exit on all sides.

"That fossil belongs to Team Rocket!" – "Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

Pikachu, though exhausted, stumbled forward and charged up electricity in its pouches before the battle as an Ekans and a Koffing was sent out.

Ekans leered at the electric mouse while Koffing coated the battlefield in black smog.

"Pikachu, light up the cave and use Thundershock!"

Pikachu followed orders and shocked the Ekans into fainting, before quick attacking to get close to the poisonous orbs and slamming the Koffing into a wall.

The two team rocket grunts glared at each other and sent out their Meowth.

Pikachu stumbled forward, charging up again as sparks flew. The electric mouse didn't expect the feline Pokémon to be see fast and was greeted with vicious claws.

"Pikachu, dodge!"

Pikachu took a few scratches, before managing to duck and run away.

"Now, Thunderbolt!"

Letting off a large explosive amount of electricity, hitting the foe's Meowth critically enough to knock it out completely in one hit.

"We did it...!"

Red quickly picked up the tired Pokémon in his arms, and smirked at the Team Rocket members who returned their final Pokémon.

"A brat beat us?" they stared back in horror before scattering away rambling some nonsense Red couldn't make out.

"Let's get out of here, Pikachu..."

Red stumbled out onto Route 4, he started heading out from the grass into Cerulean.

Wandering into a girl's house in hopes of been the trainer to take care of the rare grass-type, Bulbasaur, he cuddled the Pikachu close to his chest much to the electric mouse's dismay.

"Hey, um, I heard you were taking care of a Bulbasaur, and I wanted to know if maybe I could... help?"

The girl smiled and petted the Bulbasaur to her right.

"Of course! You don't mind washing the little fella with me, do you?"

Red shook his head and helped care for the Bulbasaur to the near ends of the night.

The girl offered Red a bed for the night, and gratefully, the dark-haired trainer took it out of exhaustion and lack of energy after chasing his Pikachu and the Bulbasaur around all day.

"Oh, and if it's not much trouble... Bulbasaur really likes you and Pikachu so maybe you could take care of him permanently. On your journey, of course?"

Red grinned and nodded before drifting into a deep sleep.

After training and healing his new team, thanking the nurse he rushed out with his two Pokémon – Ivysaur (who evolved after frustratingly lengthy training) at level 25 and his Pikachu, at level 26 – to defeat the Gym Leader, known as Misty. He studied carefully her strategies such as healing, confusing and full-on offensive attacks. He entered, his voice echoing.

"Misty, I challenge you!"

In the distance, a blur of orange-brown hair could be seen swaying slightly as a girly laugh could be heard through the gym, which was also a public swimming bath. The gym trainers also laughed, ridiculing the trainer once again; Red frowned, and stroked his Pikachu stepping forward only to pause staring at the grey-stone statue that stood tall on either side of him like guards preventing entrance.

Winning Trainers:

Blue.

He gulped, Blue was here?

No, he'd have moved on.

What if he hadn't?

'Focus on your goal, Red!'

"Our goal... His goal."

"No, my goal now – he has his own dreams now, he's on his own journey, we aren't kids anymore!"

Red wrestled with his conscious as he allowed his Pikachu to electrocute and rid him of the trouble of ordering the little yellow mouse into battle.

"Hi, you're a new face!" the red-head greeted.

He snapped out of it when Misty clicked her fingers in front of her, frowning.

"So, what is your approach when you catch and train Pokémon?"

"Well..."

Cut off, again.

"Well, my policy is an all-out offensive with water-type Pokémon! So are you ready, sweetie?"

Winking, she sent out her Staryu and it span like a Frisbee – hitting the Pikachu straight in the face knocking him back.

"Pikachu?" – The electric mouse shook it off, angry about the little bruise on his face – "You okay? Okay, use thundershock!"

The Pikachu ran towards the Staryu as it span towards the small mouse, and jumped onto it, gripping tightly as it electrocuted the centre of the Staryu. "Mega Kick!" the Pikachu jumped, kicking the centre again into the floor causing a small crater upon the heavy impact with a 'crash'.

Misty returned her Pokémon, kissed the second pokéball and released her Starmie. "Go, Starmie, use Water Pulse!"

It weakened the electric mouse badly, making it stumble and confused. Red ran over and grabbed it before it fell into the water of the pool and sent out his Ivysaur.

"Go, Ivysaur – use sleep powder!"

The bud-flower Pokémon was hit with multiple attacks of flying stars before been able to produce the little particles which carried on the air eventually reached the Starmie, and put it to sleep.

"Now, vine whip!"

Ivysaur slammed its two whips into the purple star Pokémon's pink-red jewel causing it to crack, waking up the Starmie only for it to be greeted with another vine wrapping round its top spike and released it straight into the back wall as Misty dodged.

"Oops... sorry."

Misty scoffed, returning her Pokémon.

"Here, you can have the Cascade Badge to show you beat me – take this too."

Misty handed, nicely, a TM of Water Pulse and Red smiled, thanking her abruptly before heading out before the night ended towards a place known as the Golden Bridge.

Red walked slowly towards the famous bridge until stopped by a familiar face causing Red's to flush a faint pink all the way from his toes to the tips of his ears.

"Yo, Red!" Blue yelled, blocking Red's way to the bridge as he ran fingers through his brown-orange hair. Red subconsciously fiddled with his own brown-black hair under his hat.

"You're still struggling along back here?"

His cocky, arrogant laugh made Red shiver.

"I'm doing great! I caught a bunch of strong and smart Pokémon."

Red just nodded meekly.

"Here, let me show you."

Blue smirked, his eyes catching contact with Red's as he sends out his Spearow, its feather mane short and aggressive.

"Spearow... Use gust." He clicked his fingers, and the bird Pokémon flapped its wings faster and faster, creating a small tornado of wind sending it towards the electric mouse that jumped from Red's head.

The Pikachu was caught in the tornado, been sliced and cut at.

"Pikachu! Get to the centre of it, and use Thundershock!"

Pikachu struggled, squirmed its way into the centre before electrocuting the tornado, and made it into a tornado of pure electric energy, spinning it anti-clockwise towards the bird knocking it out with a critical hit to its chest.

Blue grinded his teeth, chewing on his cheek but sending out his newly caught Sandshrew, which was instantly knocked out with a heavy Slam attack.

Blue repeated his irritated sounds, and sent out his level fifteen Rattata that snarled at Ivysaur.

Ivysaur used Poison-Powder to poison the purple rat Pokémon as the Rattata tackled, getting close up to the grass-type that way.

"Use vine whip!"

The bud Pokémon wrapped its vines around the small rat and cut of its air supply to the point of passing out before releasing it.

Blue glared as he sent out his starter, the level seventeen Eevee. Red returned his tired partner and sent out his Pikachu to fight off against Blue's starter. Starter versus Starter.

It was an easy win, with a Quick Attack followed by a Thunderbolt but Red refused to celebrate the victory so openly this time.

"Not against Blue."

"Blue, I..."

"Take it easy!" he snapped, tears welling in his eyes. "You won already..."

He rubbed his eyes aggressively, turning away as he did before struggling to gain his cocky attitude again.

"Hey... guess what? I'm further ahead of you anyway, I met Bill, this famous pokémaniac showed me these rare Pokémon and added more to my pages so yeah – you should thank him, since he's the inventor of the PC system and we both know you've used it."

Blue pushed past him violently, and stopped turning back and grabbing Red's wrist pulling him forward as Red turned with him, in a faulty almost-synchronized motion.

"Here..."

Their faces so close to one another.

Red's breathing increased.

Blue's breathing slowed.

Red felt his cheeks heat up even though he could see Blue's eyes harden, and stare back cold.

Red's heart pounded against his chest, making him feel wheezy.

Blue just remained calm and cold.

Cold, cold Blue like the waters of Cerulean.

"I feel sorry for you..."

Red's eyes lit up.

"I mean it; you're always plodding behind me..."

Red's heart sunk.

"Stupid competitive Blue."

"So here's a little gift, seen as you're obviously missing me."

Pushing into his hand, Blue had given him a picture of himself, signed too.

"I don't give a hoot about others or about you but I just thought I'd be nice this one last time."

"Don't leave."

"Smell ya' later!"

"Not again..."

"Don't leave me alone, Blue."

Red stared after him, clutching the photograph in his hands as he watched his rival leave his line of sight.

That was when he knew how he felt about his rival, all the confusing times, all of the angry times, the sad times and the happy times.

The heartbeat, the breathing, the redness that covered his body from head to toe, the dizziness in the presence of Blue.

"Blue... I love you..."

"Please... love me too...?"

Hope you enjoyed this chapter; I'm starting the third one again now!

The voice is back too, yes I'm including it in because I do think Red is a little insane.