Hello there!

And here is the long awaited second chapter! To be fair I did warn you that it could be a long wait. But, in between shifts I have been working diligently on this story and have finally written it to where I like it enough to update. So, I hope you enjoy it.

I also want to give a big thank you to everyone who has put this story and myself as an author under their favorites and alerts. Thank you as well to the guest who left me a very kind review. It put a major smile on my face and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the first one.

And who else is super excited by all the Pokémon Sun and Moon info that has come out so far? The game play trailers look fantastic and I have already seen a couple of pokémon that I cannot wait to try on my team.

Disclaimer is in Chapter 1.

Thanks for reading!


Chapter 2

Green is currently stuck in the Viridian Forest.

And, no, she is not lost!

No, really!

Ok, she might be turned around a bit, but it was through no fault of her own! Green refused to leave until she managed to catch every single kind of pokémon that resides in the Viridian Forest that has not been recorded in her pokédex yet. Even though Green was very interested in taking up the gym leader challenge, she would not forget her mission for Professor Oak. Which meant the dreaded bird pokémon or, in this case, a Pidgey. While she could also catch a Pidgeotto here in the Viridian Forest, Green knew that Pidgeotto is an evolution of Pidgey. She figured that out with her knowledge on evolution which she read up on at the Viridian City Library.

And her two childhood friends complained and teased her about all the time she spends at libraries!

Well, the laugh's on them as soon as they realize the same as her and then realize they wasted time and effort catching the two bird pokémon when they only need one!

Serves them right!

If only Green wasn't wasting as much, if not more, of her own time in the attempts to catch a Pidgey…

UGH!

Why did she have to be so weak?!

Why did they have to be so intimidating?!

Green's only silver-lining to this fiasco is that she is getting to spend some quality time and training with the pokémon she has in her party. She had so much fun getting to know her pokémon; their personalities, their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses…just…everything she could. And when she observed her bug pokémon evolve into their cocoon forms and then their final forms, Green was in awe.

While Green's other pokémon did not evolve, they did learn new moves as they trained and battled other trainers hidden in the Viridian Forest. Some of these attacks were astonishing and had Green's mind racing with how they would work in a battle strategy. Case in point would be Tiny the Butterfree learning sleep powder. Maybe if they used sleep powder on the next wild Pidgey they came across, then just maybe Green could last long enough to capture it. Surely, a Pidgey's intimidation factor would be cut in half when it was sleeping defenselessly. If this plan worked then Green would be eternally grateful to her butterfly pokémon.

Green was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the bushes next to her start to rustle. She gripped Tiny's pokéball in her hand and squared her shoulders in order to put up a strong front as she turned to face the wild pokémon that just approached her.

Although…

It looked nothing like the one she expected it to be or any of the pokémon she has seen so far.

~8~

"Red, is that really you?! You look sorta different, but I don't know why. Do I look any different to you? But, anyways, how have you been? Where have you been? Where are you now? How many pokémon have you caught? Find any super cool ones? What about cute ones? I know I have! Oh! Did you start the gym leader challenge?! How far along are you? Were you-" Green's ramblings were cut off by the sound of her best friend's laughing protests.

"Calm down, Green. No need to bombard me with questions." Red said in between chuckles through the computer phone. Green huffed in reply as well gave a small pout at her best friend's nonchalance.

"But, Red! I haven't seen you since Viridian City and that feels like forever ago! … I miss you. So much." The young girl shyly admitted at the end accompanied with a small blush filling her cheeks with color which turned her pout into a rather adorable and innocent expression.

Now, Green wasn't blushing because she had some secret crush on Red.

No!

Like, seriously?!

EW!

Green was acting this way because she was embarrassed by how much she missed Red while he seemed perfectly fine without her. Green missed her best friend. A lot. But, she missed a lot of things.

She missed being with her mom.

She missed talking to and hanging out with both Red and Blue.

She missed visiting Professor Oak and his lab assistants.

Green is just plain homesick.

Don't get her wrong, she loves that she is accomplishing her dreams of traveling as well as getting to meet and befriend new pokémon and people. Those experiences were everything Green expected and more! She wouldn't trade it for anything.

But…

That didn't discount the fact that she missed the people she loves the most in the world. Some of the homesickness is counteracted by Green calling her mother and Professor Oak whenever she gets the chance on the computer phone at a Pokémon Center. However, due to Red and Blue travelling like Green, it was hard to get in contact with them. Case in point, this is the first time she has seen and spoken to Red since their time on Route 2.

Green wasn't even going to think about the last time she saw Blue or the fact that if she could speak with him in this exact moment she would be running in the opposite direction.

She still has yet to deal with the fallout from when she yelled at him…

Yeah…

Green was going to avoid Blue for as long as possible no matter how much she might miss him.

But the fact remains that Red should be just as excited to see and talk to her as she is for him!

"I miss you too, Green." Red broke through Green's indignant thoughts.

"I was thinking we should meet up soon, that way I can answer all of your questions and I can get a signature Green-hug. So, why don't you tell me where you are at and we can figure out a good middle point for our meet-up." Red continued once Green returned eye-contact that was lost when Green looked away in her embarrassment. This had Green beaming.

"That is excellent! I'm at Cinnabar Island!" Green answered much to Red's surprise.

"Cinnabar Island?! Woah…" Red exclaimed as he pulled out his town map to see how far it was from his current location.

"Yeah, it's a kinda complicated story." Green chuckled sheepishly as well as scratched her cheek with her finger.

"I bet." Red laughed with her as he continued to look over his town map.

"How about we meet up at Lavender Town?" Red followed up once he deemed a suitable location which forced Green to look at her own town map.

"Hmm, sounds doable but it might take me a little bit longer to get there." Green mused aloud as she mapped out the different routes she can utilize to get there as soon as possible. She really did want to hang out with Red and catch up.

"What date do you think you will get there by?" Red asked. Once Green did some mental math and replied, Red promised he would be at the Lavender Town Pokémon Center by then before he quickly signed off. The conversation was shorter than Green had hoped it to be, but she was going to focus instead on when she will see Red next.

She had a boat ticket to purchase!

~8~

"Well, well, well, look at what we have here. I'm surprised you didn't drop the pokéfood bag as soon as you saw the Pidgey on the label." A snide but familiar voice rang out to Green as she stood in the middle of the pokéfood aisle at the Fuchsia City PokéMart. Green immediately stiffened as she slowly turned her head towards her other childhood friend with wide eyes.

"What? Does just the image petrify you? You are pathetic." Blue continued after he got no response but Green's stunned and scared expression.

And so it begins.

Green was expecting it. She really was. She could probably even figure out exactly what Blue was going to say to hurt her the most. But, even with all that knowing, it still didn't stop Green from feeling the exact pain that Blue intended. That burning zing straight to her heart at hearing such cruel things from the mouth of one of the people she loves the most in the world.

It would be at these moments that Green would start to doubt why Blue should be considered on that list of loved ones. Anyone else would and, maybe, they would have stopped being Blue's friend, dropping him from their list immediately. But not Green. No. She just took it because while Blue could be incredibly cruel, he could also be incredibly sweet. And it was that sweetness that kept Green locked in. It was that sweetness that reminded Green of the other sweet moments she had with Blue, of the best friend she used to trust and love growing up as much as she did Red.

Although…

While Green was waiting for Blue's next verbal blow, a thought had struck her.

A thought she never had before.

A thought she might have never had before if she hadn't gone on this journey.

"Blue, stop. Just, stop." Green stated after she found her voice and held her hand up for the universal gesture for stop.

"Why? Can't stand to hear the truth? Well, you are going to listen whether you like it or not." Blue retorted with crossed arms but the young girl shook her head.

"No, I don't. Especially not when it is simply going to be you lashing out and trying to hurt me. I get it. My fear is laughable, I over react, and it is not helpful in my quest to complete the pokédex at all. I still struggle with it." Green cut him off before he could go any further. Unfortunately, Blue did not want to be silenced either.

"O-o-Oh! You know all of this, huh? So, what? Are you going to tell me next that you are working on it? That you are making great strides but all you need is my unwavering support to get you over that final hurdle? And then I'm just supposed to drop it, give you a hug, and tell you how proud I am of the epiphany you had and that I have always and will always support you no matter how ridiculous you act?" Blue sneered.

"I would never expect that from you, Blue. Red, yes. But, not you. Although, I would love for that to happen." Green admitted honestly which caused Blue to sneer even more at the mention of Red. Before Blue could respond to that, Green spoke up once more.

"I was going to tell you that the one thing I shouldn't struggle with is my friendships. I shouldn't have shouted at you. I know that. And I am really sorry for doing so. But, I shouldn't also have to be afraid of you either. So, if you are going to just stand there and belittle me, go out of your way to make me feel more terrible than I already do for what I said to you, then I can walk away. I do get that option. I don't have to stand here and take it." Green tried to explain as patiently as possible. Even though she was trying to be mature about this and trying to word everything carefully to not anger Blue any further, Green was still equally affected by this as Blue is. With every mean look he gave her and with the cruel tone he took on as he delivered his insults to her, Green felt it hit their mark. And, with each hit, Green felt her proverbial hackles rising, making her want to either fling her own insults at him or to run away. Neither option would work well in this situation.

"Or I can just follow you and continue telling you exactly what I think and feel about you." Blue countered, clearly not giving in an inch.

Why did he have to be so stubborn?!

Well, Green was not going to be the one to back down either. Not like she usually did.

"Then, that is your choice. But, I don't want to fight and I don't want to get hurt. I just want to run up to you and give you a hug. I want to ask you how have you been so far since I last saw you. Have you caught any new and interesting pokémon? Meet any interesting people? I just want to spend time with one of the people I love the most in the world and be happy. Since that is not going to happen, then I am going to leave and head to Lavender Town where I know I will meet up with someone who will give me just that." Green stated, leaving Blue once more in shock based on the wide-eyed look he was giving her.

The young girl knew exactly why her childhood friend was reacting in such a way and that is because of how honest and sincere she was being with him. That is the thought that crossed Green's mind when Blue first started talking to her. Ever since the subtle dynamic change in their friendship when they hit puberty years ago, Green had not been as honest with Blue as she was with Red. She always held back in fear of his harsh reactions and the possibility that he would stop being friends with her like he did with Red. It was one of the main reasons why she took Blue's insults and rage whenever she did get on his bad side. If she simply held out and let him get it out of his system, then he would go back to being her friend. In her mind, since she seemed to hurt him so badly, then he should get the chance to hurt her back and even the score so to speak.

Two wrongs don't make a right. That's what she should have remembered and embraced.

But, it was only after traveling, meeting new people and pokémon, and making new experiences, that Green learned this lesson. She also just now realized how she no longer fully trusted Blue which added to her previous timidity and the unhealthy twist to their friendship. She had gained the trust of her pokémon when she was honest and sincere with them. It all started when Gaia the Bulbasaur, now an Ivysaur, reassured Green that she wanted to be her starter pokémon after learning about her fear of bird pokémon. After that, Green felt so close to the bulb pokémon and that trust strengthened with each new obstacle they faced together. That trust was extended to Green's other pokémon as well.

And, now, Green hoped to experience that same trust, that same close bond, with Blue.

She never realized that she lost it so long ago, but she wanted it back.

However, that won't happen unless she is honest with Blue and Blue is willing to meet her halfway. She just did her part. She could only hope that Blue would do his.

When Blue didn't respond, Green gave him a hesitant but hopeful smile before she picked out the bag of pokéfood she needed and headed to the register.

Blue still did not call out to her or try to catch up to her as she left the PokéMart and then made her way out of Fuchsia City. With each step, Green's heart sank a little bit deeper and the depressing thought that she finally lost Blue as a friend rang a little louder in her head.

But, Green wouldn't be herself if she still didn't hold out a little sliver of hope buried in her heart that things might be different when she met up with Blue again…

Whenever that may be.

~8~

Green had finally made it to Lavender Town after a long and grueling trek through Routes 15, 14, 13, and 12. After stepping across the town border, Green almost wished she was back on those routes. If Green was forced to choose one word to describe Lavender Town it is…

Bleak.

Not at all a place that Green would like to revisit once she was done hanging out with Red. She was definitely going to choose the next place for their meet up.

As Green walked into the Pokémon Center, she started to smile as she spotted Red. He was currently talking to what appeared to be a couple. It was simply a man and a woman, but since they were standing next to one another it meant they were romantically together in Green's teenaged mind. Plus, they just looked so cute together! As she walked towards them, Green could finally hear what they were talking about.

"That's the Pokémon Tower?" Red asked as the trio, now quartet when Green silently stepped up to join them, looked out the window to spot the looming tower surrounded by fog and overcast clouds.

"Yes. The Tower is used for services. The memorials that are held for pokémon." The woman answered.

"In fact, lots of people come from great distances to pay their respects." The man added.

"So, then the ghosts you were talking about earlier is a pokémon?" Red continued to question and Green's smile widened a bit at the turn of the subject. So, that's why Red was talking to them. Red had always been scared of ghosts and a little twitchy whenever one was mentioned.

"Mhm. Seems like it. But, it's really just a rumor." The man stated with a nod of his head in the beginning.

"So, then do you actually believe in ghosts?" The woman asked, interested and amused by Red's questions. She clearly understood why Red was asking them and, conveniently, left an irresistible opening for Green as she moved to stand behind the unsuspecting Red.

"No, no, I don't think they exist…Not sure, though." Red exclaimed with a tight smile and a dismissive wave. The woman simply laughed as she made eye contact with the mischievous teen girl behind the boy.

"Maybe not, I guess that hand that rests on your shoulder isn't real then either, huh?" The woman stated and Green knew this was her moment as she placed her hand on Red's shoulder quickly. As soon as she made contact, Red yelped and twirled around as he jumped at least a foot into the air. As his wild eyes came to rest on Green, the brunette girl was laughing uncontrollably, doubled over and hugging her sides.

"GREEN!" Red shouted in embarrassment and little bit of anger. It is quite hypocritical of her to take advantage of his major fear when she wouldn't take it to kindly if he did the same. Green and Blue shared similar humor in that regard, even though he didn't think Green realized that. But, Red would admit that, with Green, it was merely teasing and not at all mean-spirited.

"I want to say story, but I can't. That was too good. Right? C'mon? Am I right?" Green replied after she got some control over herself back, but still laughing. The last part was directed to the two other members of their group but, when Red and Green looked over, the couple were gone. Completely gone. There was literally no trace of them. Green's laughter abruptly stopped when she noticed this alongside Red.

"O-K, that was creepy." Green was the first one to break the silence and snap Red out of his stupefied trance.

"Red?" The nurse called out before Red could even think of a reply other than a nod of his head in agreement with Green's assessment of what just transpired.

"Ye-Yeah." Red said to the nurse once he reached the front desk as he quickly took his pokéballs back. Green followed behind him, back to being amused at Red's reactions.

"I want to thank you for waiting. You'll be glad to know that your pokémon are completely fighting fit. We hope to see you again soon." The nurse stated, unfazed by Red's poorly concealed anxiety.

"O-Ok, thank you." Red replied.

"And, uh, are you by any chance going to the Pokémon Tower?" The nurse asked.

"Yeah. Since we came all this way, I figured we would check it out." Red answered, sounding more like himself. His answer, however, had Green groaning to herself. Unlike her, Red didn't mind facing his fears head on. While she may not be particularly scared of ghosts, (she did believe in them because, come on, there are ghost type pokémon so why can't there be actual ghosts?) that didn't mean she wanted to take a look around a creepy tower that is reputed to be a graveyard basically.

Who would?

Her best friend apparently.

And, of course, he was going to drag Green along with him based on the use of "we".

And, of course, Green was going to go along because that is what best friends do for each other. They suck up their negative feelings and put aside to do stuff their best friend wanted to do. Especially, when they didn't want to do it alone which is exactly what Red was implying when he said "we".

"Then, before you go to the Pokémon Tower, I strongly recommend you visit the Pokémon House." The nurse suggested as she smiled at the two best friends.

"Wait, Pokémon House?" Red questioned, but before the nurse could answer, Green stepped in front of Red to stand before the nurse.

"Before we do that, could you please heal my pokémon? Then we can get a head start on learning about this Pokémon House." Green stated as she brought out her six pokéballs and placed them on the empty tray that Red's pokéballs once rested on.

"Of course, please wait a moment." The nurse replied understandably and immediately went to check out Green's pokémon.

~8~

"She said to go here before going to the Pokémon Tower. I wonder why we need to do that." Red asked as he looked at the house they were standing across the street from.

"Maybe if you were a little bit more patient she would have answered that question after she returned my pokémon to me." Green replied with an exasperated sigh.

Because they had to wait for Green's pokémon to be healed, Red became impatient. So impatient that, as soon as Green's pokémon were finished up, he grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the Pokémon Center in his haste to get to this Pokémon House. So, the nurse never got the chance to explain to them what this Pokémon House was and why she recommended them to go their first before they visited the Pokémon Tower.

But, hey, at least Green finally got her chance to sit down and talk to Red about their perspective journeys while they waited for her pokémon to be healed.

At Green's reply on their current situation, Red simply stuck his tongue out at her before walking over to the house and through the entrance. Green barked out a short laugh as she followed, an amused smile stuck on her face as she looked around the main foyer in interest.

"Anyone here?" Red called out when it was obvious that no one was going to come out to greet them or for them to stop and talk to.

"Yes?" A feminine voice responded from the other side of the door. The young girl with cute pigtails was revealed as the door swung open. Before she quickly walked over to the duo, she shut the door behind her.

"Hello there, my friend and I were directed to the Pokémon House and we were wondering exactly what this place is." Green spoke up first.

"Oh, so you mean that no one told you? This place is where abandoned or orphaned pokémon are taken care of." The girl answered and Green's humorous statement about Red's impatience died on her lips at the second half of the girl's statement. Green's smile also faded away as her expression grew more somber.

"Abandoned pokémon?" Red questioned in disbelief, something Green completely empathized. She couldn't even imagine why anyone wanted to abandon their pokémon, let alone go through with it. The thought of her possibly abandoning her own pokémon never even crossed her mind.

Pokémon were just...

Everything about them was just…

Indescribable in the best possible way.

Green always thought so about pokémon, even the dreaded bird pokémon, and it had been reinforced ever since she started her quest to complete the pokédex.

"I'll show you. This way please." The girl stated as she took both Red and Green to the back of the house. The backroom contained small cubicles, some that contained pokémon and some that were empty or being cleaned out for an occupant. But the girl walked past the cubicles, Red and Green trailing behind her as they took in everything around them.

"I had no idea there were so many abandoned pokémon." Green choked out after a few moments of silence and taking in the place. Her eyes were stinging with unshed tears for all of these pokémon and the pain they must have felt at being abandoned by their beloved trainers. By the people they put their trust and faith into.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

"You should talk to the founder of the Pokémon House. His name is Mr. Fuji. He says that lots of people around the world think of pokémon as nothing more than tools or even some kind of accessories." The girl explained as they stopped. At first she sounded happy as she talked about this Mr. Fuji. And why wouldn't she? A man who would create such a place as the Pokémon House seemed like a wonderful person to know. Understandably, the girl sounded sad as she repeated Mr. Fuji's words.

"Did you know that this house actually used to be Mr. Fuji's own home? He remodeled it like this so that it would have facilities just for the pokémon." The girl continued and perked up once more before falling silent to let the two friends look around some more.

"This Mr. Fuji sure sounds like a really kind person." Red stated and brought a smile back to the girl's face.

"Mhm. I would love to meet this Mr. Fuji. He sounds absolutely amazing." Green added her own thoughts as she nodded her head in agreement with Red.

"You're both right, he is. That's the reason why a lot of people in town started helping out Mr. Fuji as volunteers here at the house. As a matter of fact, I'm one of them. My name is Reina." The girl finally introduced herself with a bright smile.

"My name is Red. Hey there." Red replied.

"And I'm Green. Nice to meet you." The other teenager stated. Reina nodded her head in a small sign of greeting before she gestured to them that they were going to continue with the tour of the Pokémon House. As they looked around, they wound up back again in the backroom.

"All the pokémon seem very happy." Red exclaimed as he looked at Reina and then walked to the nearest cubicle. Green sighed in relief under her breath as she took in the same thing as Red did. These pokémon needed a safe and happy environment after being abandoned. They deserved it. However, Red's gasp of shock forced Green's wandering eye back to him and to the cubicle he was looking into. She gave her own surprised gasp when her eyes landed on the same sight as his did.

Sitting there, in a darkened corner, facing forward with haunted eyes was a growling baby Cubone.

"What's with this one?" Red asked, neither teen could tear their eyes away from the disturbing sight in front of them. Reina stepped between the two friends at Cubone's cubicle.

"It's a baby Cubone. It's only friendly to Mr. Fuji. But, it's very nervous around anyone else." Reina explained.

"Why's that?" Green couldn't help but ask. She had this pit in her stomach that told her it wasn't going to be a good reason, but she had to know. Her curiosity demanded it.

"Because of Team Rocket." Reina stated, the name ringing bells for only one teen.

"Wait, Team Rocket?" Red asked for clarification while Green remained confused as to what the big deal was. She never heard of this Team Rocket.

"One day, Cubone was being chased by Team Rocket close to town. Because of Team Rocket, Cubone lost its mother, Marowak. Ever since that day, Cubone hasn't opened up to anyone expect Mr. Fuji." Reina explained, a small frown on her face as Cubone continued to growl in agitation at their stares.

"I can't believe Team Rocket. What a horrible thing to do." Red nearly snarled, hand clutched on the door angrily.

Green was simply speechless. Even if she wanted to say something, she would have had to remove the hand covering her mouth. Green's cheeks took on a splotchy red color and she didn't even care as a few tears leaked out from her eyes.

How could anyone be so cruel as to permanently take away a baby's mother?!

How could they even take away something as precious as a pokémon's life?

Team Rocket must be the most terrible people on the earth!

There wasn't even a word that Green could think of that could properly describe the likes of Team Rocket after what she just heard.

Green wasn't sure when it happened, but the hand across her mouth slipped away and fell to her side. Red had grabbed her free hand with his and pulled her a step in closer to himself to comfort her as they moved back to the front of the Pokémon House with Reina in the lead. Green was only half-way back to the present as they walked into the main foyer that seemed to be filled with volunteers now instead of the ghost town that greeted the teens when they first entered.

"I want to thank you for showing us around here. It all makes sense now. I get why the nurse at the Pokémon Center told me to come here before going to the Pokémon Tower." Red said, finally breaking the silence that descended upon the small trio. Green gave Reina a watery smile and nod of her head to show that she too was grateful even though she still couldn't speak around her clogged throat.

"Mr. Fuji is not just kind, you know. He knows everything there is about pokémon and teaches us all kinds of things." Reina stated with a kind smile. She clearly didn't want either of the two friends to leave so soon. She succeeded in getting one's attention as Green perked up a bit at the thought of meeting someone with all that knowledge.

Just imagine all the questions he could answer!

All the fascinating stories he could share!

Plus, spending more time with these abandon pokémon and putting smiles on their faces?

Where can Green sign up to volunteer here?!

"Right now, I'm working on helping to complete the pokédex. So, is Green. We would really love the chance to meet him if we could and if he could spare the time. Uh, which one of these guys is Mr. Fuji?" Red explained, apparently also very interested in learning from Mr. Fuji as Green was. Both childhood friends let their eyes roam over the foyer in their search, so they missed the smile fade and drop completely from Reina's face.

"Well…that's just it." Reina vaguely replied with a depressed aura surrounding her as Red and Green returned their gazes to her.

"Huh, what's wrong?" Red asked on their behalf, wanting to know what has made this friendly and nice girl become so sad. However, before she could respond, some man burst through the entrance door to the Pokémon House.

"Everyone! I found out where Mr. Fuji is." The man exclaimed. His words had everyone getting up and moving to surround him, eager but with an air of concern over what he may say next.

"Where?! Where is he?! Tell us!" A woman with a purple bob questioned.

"He's in the Pokémon Tower." The man stated.

"Pokémon Tower?!" All the volunteers exclaimed.

"That's right. Someone saw Mr. Fuji heading that way yesterday. Then he saw him go into the Pokémon Tower." The man explained.

"Why would he go there?" Another male volunteer questioned aloud.

"Team Rocket. That's the only reason. He must've gone there to convince Team Rocket to leave the Pokémon Tower. But, then he was captured." The woman with a purple bob reasoned.

"I'm afraid those kinds of people won't listen to anyone else." The male volunteer stated, clearly disheartened by the whole situation.

"Excuse me, the Pokémon Tower…What happened there?" Red questioned, once again speaking for the two Pallet Town teens who had no idea what was going on and why everyone was acting the way they were.

"Who are you?" The male volunteer asked, although he did flick his over Green to include her in the question as well.

"My name's Green and this is my best friend, Red. We're on a journey and we were hoping to possibly talk with Mr. Fuji." Green finally spoke up for the first time since she learned about Cubone's past. She was still pretty quiet and subdued, but she was grateful that her voice wasn't croaky or shaky.

"One day, Team Rocket showed up and made the top floor of the Pokémon Tower their base." The male volunteer began to explain.

"It was completely out of the blue with no warning. They came by truck before we knew it. Worse of all, they chased away the people who came to visit the Pokémon Tower. Since that day not a single person has been able to go inside the Pokémon Tower." Reina finished.

"I don't get it! Why are they so cruel?!" Green cried out in dismay and frustration. Red simply nodded in agreement with Green's outrage and clenched his fist.

"On top of that, a ghost appears. It's the truth, believe me. I saw it clearly with my own eyes. The other night, I snuck into the Tower when Team Rocket wasn't looking. And that's when… It was unbelievably scary!" Another female volunteer spoke up, she cut off from further description of the ghost as if she was too frightened to even revisit the memory. Green felt Red stiffen next to her with this new fact.

"I see…" Red said hesitantly, sweat starting to form. Green simply gave her best friend a soothing smile and patted the hand intertwined with her own in order to comfort him.

"If people can't come to visit the Pokémon Tower, this town is finished." The male volunteer stated solemnly.

"Hey! Let's all go together and rescue Mr. Fuji!" Reina exclaimed as she determinedly looked at all the volunteers for their immediate support.

"Look, there's no way we can battle against Team Rocket." The male volunteer replied in alarm with his hands raised in the air as if to ask Reina to slow down.

"Some people challenged them to battles but they're really strong for a bunch of petty thugs." The female volunteer with the purple bob added.

"And there's a ghost there! I can't go in that place again!" The blonde-haired female volunteer cried out as she hugged herself for comfort.

"Then what are we supposed to do?! Mr. Fuji went to Team Rocket's base to protect all of us. Are you saying we should just abandon him?!" Reina shouted, confused and outraged by their reactions.

"No, we're not abandoning him." The purple-haired female volunteer replied quickly.

"I'm sure Team Rocket will eventually let Mr. Fuji go. We'll just have to wait and see. That's all we can do." The man who told them new in the first place tried to explain. Clearly wanting to justify themselves in the eyes of Reina.

"I can't believe you would act like this?!" Reina yelled at them, not placated at all. All the adults looked guilty but, from their expressions, they weren't going to change their minds.

It was equally as shocking and dismaying to Green as it was to Reina to see adults acting this way. Adults were supposed to be the responsible ones. The ones who will always stand up and do the right thing because that is what they preach to their children. And, yet, here a group of them stand, too frozen by their fear to help save a friend. At least they were strangers to Green. She could only imagine how much more distressing this was to Reina who knew all of these adults personally and worked with them daily at the Pokémon House.

"I'll go!" Red exclaimed and broke the tension filled silence that had fallen briefly. He also released Green's hand to step forward. He received surprised gasps from everyone as their eyes landed on him. Even Green jumped a little, although she shouldn't have. Red simply just smirked in determination as he met their stunned gazes.

"You? But that's not possible. You're just a child. Even the adults here didn't have the strength to beat Team Rocket." The purple-haired female volunteer tried to dissuade Red.

"That's right! It's a waste of time! Even if you go there, nothing's gonna change." The male volunteer added.

"Well, I'm pretty confident about my skills in pokémon battles!" Red stated and showed off the 3 badges he had earned so far and pinned proudly on the inside of his jacket collar.

"Ah…He's got 3 badges?" The purple-haired female murmured softly while everyone but Green gasped in surprise once more.

"Ok, now we see why you're so confident. But, are you really sure that that's going to be enough?" The man questioned, still a bit skeptical.

"Yes, it is." Green said resolutely as she walked to stand beside Red and grabbed his hand to show her support.

"And, if by some miracle it wasn't, he has me. I, too, have 3 badges which is like sending in someone with 6 badges, dontchya think?" Green added with her own confident smirk as she raised her free hand to show off the charm bracelet she kept her own badges pinned on. This earned her another round of surprised gasps and murmurs as Red smiled proudly at Green and squeezed her hand.

Green was equally proud of Red. Both for him bravely going to confront both a ghost and Team Rocket to save a complete stranger, but also for his accomplishment of getting 3 badges. Apparently, earning 3 badges was quite a feat since most who attempt the gym leader challenge only won 1 or 2 before they hit a wall and call it quits.

Green couldn't really understand why.

Once you learn the basics of battling as well as typing, it was a breeze. The only real challenging part was how much more powerful the gym leader gets with each badge since they use higher and higher levelled pokémon with each badge you acquire. But, if you train your pokémon right and use your head, it was manageable. That and taking advantage of catching a variety of pokémon as well as reading the gym sign before heading in since it tells the typing of the gym you are about to face.

Green had an easy time against Brock after Gaia had learned leech seed and vine whip. After her battle, Brock mentioned Diglett's Cave that she had missed on Route 2, so Green naturally went there to catch one for her pokédex. What she didn't realize is that, after catching the spunky mole pokémon whom she named Terro, the cave would lead her straight to Vermillion City. While Gaia, who had evolved into an Ivysaur during their time in Diglett's Cave, worked pretty well against Lt. Surge's electric pokémon, the real MVP was Terro the Diglett with his move, Magnitude. Green had an excellent time in Vermillion City after her gym battle. She finally learned how to fish and used this new skill to catch a variety of water type pokémon. She also ended up joining the Pokémon Fan Club! It was amazing meeting and talking to people who loved pokémon just about as much as she did. There she also won a raffle for a free ticket to Cinnabar Island. Upon learning that Blaine the gym leader was a fire-type specialist, Green automatically knew she had to use the water-type pokémon she just caught as well as Terro and his ground type attacks. It just seemed so straight forward to Green, but it just goes to show that not everyone thought the same way as she did.

However, there was no doubt in Green's mind that Red was going to do just as well as she was at the gym leader challenge with his own type of strategies and it was gratifying to know that she was right.

Which is why she had no doubt whatsoever that together they would be able to at least save Mr. Fuji from Team Rocket, if not kick Team Rocket out of the Pokémon Tower completely.

"We can't let Team Rocket get away with this. And to Cubone too. We're gonna succeed in this, you'll see!" Red stated in finality and determination with Green nodding her head in agreement, both of their eyes showing their resolution more clearly than their words or badges ever could.

However, nobody saw Blue eavesdropping from a half-opened door and then close it quietly behind him to continue to not alert them to his presence.

"Now, I see. That's what's going on. So, if I go to the Pokémon Tower and get rid of Team Rocket before Red does, I'll be the hero in Green's eyes." Blue said to himself as he walked out of the Pokémon House with chuckle at the end of his verbal musings.

~8~

Green didn't realize how the time flew by, but she and Red didn't make it to the Pokémon Tower until it was night time. Which didn't help the spooky factor at all. Literally, as the two best friends looked up at the Tower, Green couldn't help but feel as if they were about to step into one of those terrible horror movies Blue likes so much.

She almost wished Blue was here. He would have loved this: entering a spooky tower, beat up some bad guys, and be the hero. He would have been super critical to the point of being insulting every time someone brought up the ghost. But, he still would have loved this.

Although, just thinking of Blue sent a small pang through Green's heart as she remembered exactly why he wasn't here.

"I said I would go, but, now that I'm here, it's more scary than I thought." Red stated as he too looked up at the Pokémon Tower and brought Green out of her thoughts about Blue.

"Hey, Red, believe me when I say that you can do this!" Green exclaimed as she turned slightly and grabbed his one hand with both of hers.

"You know how terrified I am of bird pokémon and how I react whenever I am around them. But, you. Well, you are almost as bad with ghosts and, yet, here you are. This was your idea to confront Team Rocket and the ghost without any hesitation! And I know that you can step right into there and keep your promise!" Green stated to reassure Red.

"Yeah and I can especially do it with you by my side!" Red replied and Green smiled brightly at him as she nodded her head in agreement.

She didn't verbally reply because, really? That was just obvious.

So, she didn't comment when Red turned away, but kept ahold of her hand, and straightened himself out before proceeding to walk towards the entrance of the Pokémon Tower.

~8~

If there is anything to be said about Red and Green, they came prepared on their quest to complete the pokédex. That's right. They each had packed a flashlight just in case they had to walk into creepy towers that housed the remains of deceased pokémon but apparently had no use for proper lighting for those who break in at the dead of night.

C'mon, they could at least have windows to let in the moonlight!

"There's a certain chill in here." Red commented and brought Green out of her internal criticisms about the design of the Pokémon Tower.

"Mhm. But, seriously though, they could really redecorate this place to create a nicer atmosphere for those who wished to come and pay their respects to their deceased pokémon."
Green openly criticized and managed to get Red to crack a smile. However, before he could comment, he saw a shadowy figure coming towards him which caused him to gasp aloud. At hearing his gasp, Green turned to look in the same direction as him in time to see the figure step directly into the beam of light to reveal a woman with dark hair in her face and pale clothing.

"You two really don't have to worry. I'm not a ghost." The scary woman stated, amused by the two teens.

"Please don't scare me like that." Red replied weakly, hand over his chest as he released his breath. Green rubbed his back in comfort as she too released her breath.

"I came here because I wanted to see my Nidoran. You care about your pokémon too, right? Did you come to pay your respects?" The scary woman asked after explaining herself.

"Aren't you afraid?" Red questioned back instead of answering her questions because as, a resident of Lavender Town, she obviously knew about Team Rocket's takeover and every other adult they had met so far seemed scared of Team Rocket. But, the scary woman just shrugged.

"Of course not. It seems like the ghost only appears farther up. It must hold a grudge against Team Rocket." The scary woman replied.

"Oh…you two were referring to the ghost." Green stated aloud. The scary woman gave her a confused look while Red didn't seem to hear Green's response.

"You said that it's farther up?" Red almost squeaked out, just barely able to keep the tremor out of his voice.

~8~

Up on the 5th level, Blue was walking around with his own flashlight.

"I can't believe they think there's a ghost in here. I mean, just the fact that Team Rocket took over this place, anyone with brains at all would realize they make up the story just to scare people away. Even Green should have figured this out. Eh, she's too busy thinking about Red and his silly fear of ghosts. Really? We are way too old to believe in ghosts. But, that's alright, I can be the mature one and show everyone just how stupid Red is." Blue commented aloud his exact thoughts on the situation at hand as he moved towards the staircase which would lead to the next floor up in this tower.

It was a habit of his that he had yet to realize he had.

"The genius, Blue, will finally reveal Team Rocket's sneaky tricks and then kick them out of here for good. Soon, my name will hold a special place in history of Lavender Town and Green will remember just how awesome I am to be around." Blue stated before he starts to climb the staircase.

~8~

"Is Team Rocket even up here anyways?" Blue asked aloud on the next level, turning his head side to side and seeing no signs of life.

"Everybody talks about ghosts in this place but there's nothing here." Blue continued to talk to himself. However, he stopped with a gasp when he spotted something up ahead.

"What is that?" Blue asked.

The dark mass shifted a bit before it suddenly jumped towards Blue screaming, "GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!"

Blue was absolutely terrified and ran away screaming, dropping his flashlight along the way. His screams echoed throughout the tower.

Red and Green were just about to walk up a staircase when they first heard screaming which made Green stop on the first step and Red stop right behind her. Usually, it would be the other way around. But…there was a potential ghost up there and Green wasn't dragging her feet like Red was. When Green raised her flashlight, she saw Blue barreling down the staircase, screaming at the top of his lungs as he ran straight into Green. Green nearly toppled backwards with Blue, if it wasn't for Red who held her up from behind.

"Uh, Blue?! What are you doing here?" Red asked, really confused and he wasn't the only one. Green was practically stunned speechless.

What was he doing here?

Did he know that she and Red were here in Lavender Town as well?

If so, why didn't he try to meet up with them?

"I – I saw a g-g-ghost!" Blue exclaimed and further surprised Green.

Shouldn't the world be ending when Blue admitted that ghosts were real?

Before either Red or Green could respond, a bluish black blob flew down the stairs, yelling at them, "GET OUT! IT'S NOT SAFE HERE!"

All three teens gasped and stumbled away from it. Blue went further by keeping a tight hold on Green and moved the two of them behind Red as if to create a barrier between them and the ghost.

"What – Does that mean ghosts really do exist?" Red cried out in disbelief. While he was always scared at the idea of ghosts, Red was comforted by the fact that they weren't real.

"Come on, let's run away!" Blue exclaimed, his grip on Green tightened in preparation of dragging her with him. He knew that Green would fight him if Red didn't follow and he wasn't going to leave Green behind with a ghost.

Who knew what that thing could do to her?

"No, you run if you want to." Red stated causing both Blue and Green to turn their heads to look at their childhood friend in surprise. Blue was the only one to gasp.

"I can't." Red continued as he struggled slightly to grab a pokéball from the pocket in his backpack. Still trying to get over the shock of seeing the ghost.

"I can't run away." Red said as he ran forward to face the ghost head on. Both Blue and Green were stunned to see Red's reactions to the ghost. Both expected Red to act like Green whenever she sees a bird pokémon: fear, screaming, and running away.

Actually, just like how apparently both Green and Blue react when scared.

It seems like Red was a good deal braver than Green and Blue ever were.

"Go! Charmeleon! Ha!" Red called out as he threw the pokéball to bring out his starter.

As Red faced down the dark mass, Blue removed his hold from Green in order to grab her hand with his own. He then tried to sneak past Red and the ghost, moving towards the staircase to the upper levels. However, he was stopped by Green who pulled on their intertwined hands.

"What are you doing?" Green asked him. She was not going to miss this outstanding feat of Red facing down a ghost. This was inspiring! And a little irritating because it just reminded Green of how weak she herself is. Either way, she wasn't going to leave Red.

"While Red is busy dealing with the ghost, we can deal with Team Rocket. You know, divide and conquer." Blue explained when really he thought Team Rocket was less scary than a ghost. How in the world do you fight a ghost? Only an idiot like Red would choose that option.

Green just stared at Blue for a moment.

Why didn't she think of that?

She knew Blue would be great at this.

"Oh. Shouldn't we tell Red?" Green replied.

"Nah, we shouldn't distract him. He will need all of his concentration to defeat that ghost." Blue answered quickly.

Who cares about Red and his ghost dilemma?

The only way Blue can save face for his earlier freak out and to still be a hero is to take down Team Rocket. Plus, he wouldn't have to stay in the presence of an actual ghost anymore (which still sort of scared him even though its attention is on Red) and have a chance to show off in front of Green.

"Yeah, you're right." Green nodded in agreement. It was probably taking everything in Red to even be in the same room as a ghost, let alone battle it. She wouldn't want someone to distract her whenever she had to face a bird pokémon.

Blue gave her his signature smirk before pulling her along by the hand towards the upper staircase. However, they only made it half way up when a bright beam of light blinded the two teens, forcing them to raise their free arms to cover their faces.

"Hey, you two love birds! Whatta you doin' here?" A man called out to them. When the light was removed from their eyes, the teens could finally make out what they assumed to be a Team Rocket Grunt (based on the red R on the front of his shirt) standing on the steps above them.

"Ha! A human opponent? I can handle this one, Green. Wartortle!" Blue stated as he released her hand and held it up to block Green from interfering and used the other to throw his starter's pokéball.

Green just sighed but couldn't really do anything since it wouldn't be fair to double team a single opponent.

It was the Grunt's Golbat versus Blue's Wartortle and, well, Blue was easily the better trainer than the Grunt. Green wouldn't have been surprised if the Golbat was going to faint when Wartortle's next attack landed. However, because both Blue and Green were too absorbed in the battle, they didn't notice the Grunt reach behind his back and covertly pull out a pokéball.

"Golbat use supersonic to distract the Wartortle and Raticate use bite on that punk!" The Grunt ordered as he called out his second pokémon.

"NO!" Green shouted.

Everything happened so fast.

It is super clichéd but, it really was all a blur.

One moment Green was right behind Blue, the next she was rolling and bumping down the stairs until she landed at the base of the stairwell. She hurt at certain points throughout her body but it hurt the most on her wrist.

"Green!" Blue exclaimed as he straightened himself out from the wall he was just pushed into by the brunette girl herself.

How could she just push him out of the way and take that bite for him?!

When Green responded to his call for her with a whimper of pain, the sound tore straight through Blue as if he was the one who was hit with the Raticate's bite. And what did Blue do when he felt any sort of pain? He lashed out and he had his target right in sight.

"Wartortle, you know what to do!" Blue ordered, his voice darkened menacingly. The turtle pokémon was as angered by the Grunt's tactics as his trainer was and immediately launched its attack on the Grunt and his two pokémon. The Team Rocket trio did not stand a chance against the unleashed fury of Wartortle and Blue. During the attack, some weird headset fell out from the Grunt's bag and Blue caught in time as it bounced down the stairs.

"The Silph Scope!" The Grunt exclaimed, more like groaned, beaten up and laying down on the staircase next to his fainted pokémon.

"What is this?" Blue demanded as he and Wartortle loomed above the Grunt.

"It's supposed to-be able to-identify-unidentifiable-ghost-type-pokémon." The Grunt wheezed out through his pain.

"Huh…that's useful." Blue stated as he turned and ran down the staircase, sufficiently satisfied with the damage he dealt on the Grunt and his pokémon.

"No matter what attack I try, it doesn't work. What do I do now?" Blue overheard Red exclaim to himself.

"Red!" Blue shouted, effectively grabbing the aforementioned teen's attention.

"Use this!" Blue continued and then tossed the device to Red.

"What is this?" Red asked, confused as to what Blue had given him.

"You'll know when you use it." Blue explained vaguely, already have turned his attention to the still crumpled teen girl on the ground. However, Red didn't see Green as he placed the Silph Scope over his head and turned towards the ghost.

"Marowak!" Red exclaimed in surprise as Blue knelt down next to Green.

"Are you ok? Where are you hurt?" Blue asked gently as he brushed Green's hair out of her face to get a good look at her.

"Mainly it's just my wrist, but I'm still a bit disorientated from the fall." Green explained as she tried to move to sit up, Blue helping her. She was surprised by how gentle he was being with her. It was if he was afraid he would break her or hurt her further.

"Ok, I am going to pick you up and get you to the hospital straight away." Blue stated as he then shifted to place his arm around her back and then under her knees.

"What?! No! What about Red and the rest of Team Rocket?" Green protested and weakly tried to push Blue away with her good, non-injured hand.

"If Red knew about your injuries, he would agree with me. If it will make you feel better, I will return and help Red. But, you are going to the hospital right now no matter what." Blue replied, completely serious. Green bit her lip but nodded her head in understanding before she slipped her good arm around Blue's neck and gently cradled her injured wrist against herself.

Blue gave an audible sigh of relief at her compliance and picked her up easily. He walked fast towards the lower staircase and quickly bypassed the running and crying Cubone followed by Reina in hot pursuit. Reina slowed down a bit and opened her mouth at the sight of Blue carrying Green, but Blue kept speed walking and she couldn't let the distressed Cubone out of her sight, so she closed her mouth and sped up to keep up with Cubone.

Green shifted a bit to look over Blue's shoulder and couldn't help but wonder what Cubone and Reina were doing here.

~8~

By the time Blue and Green made it to the hospital, had Green get checked out by a doctor, and Blue learned of the doctor's diagnosis so he could leave Green in the safety of the Lavender Town Hospital, Red had helped Marowak's spirit find peace, defeated the rest of the remaining Team Rocket Grunts, and saved Mr. Fuji. Of course, as soon as Red spied Blue's return and had Blue explain where Green was, Red bolted to the hospital to see Green for himself. Blue, Reina, Cubone, and Mr. Fuji followed after with Mr. Fuji getting his own checkup to make sure there was no complications from his time spent in captivity by Team Rocket.

Red was extremely apologetic for not even noticing Green's injury and subsequent disappearance until after everything had died down, while Mr. Fuji and Reina were apologetic that the young girl had gotten injured in the efforts to save Mr. Fuji. But, Green just waved them off. Green knew that there was the potential of injury when she agreed to face down both a ghost and a nefarious organization of the likes of Team Rocket. Green also knew that Red could be incredibly single-minded. Actually, all three childhood friends from Pallet Town could be extremely single-minded. So, she wasn't upset by Red's obliviousness to her situation and simply thanked Blue for helping her to the hospital.

Blue's concern and care for her well-being just fanned Green's very faint hope that their friendship was not over like she assumed after their separation in Fuchsia City. You didn't feel and act the way Blue did unless you cared a great deal about the person, right?

Of course, Blue blasted Green's gratefulness out of proportion by puffing out his chest and making a snide comment to Red about being Green's hero. Naturally, this had Red indignantly responding back. It soon grew out of control and the two boys had to be escorted out of the hospital by some nurses since they were disturbing the other patients while Green had to remain over night at the hospital to monitor the concussion she received from falling down the stairs.

Mr. Fuji, Reina, and Cubone remained in order to further express their apologies for the situation Green found herself in. Green's only response to their concern was her own happiness that Red was successful overall in helping both Mr. Fuji and Cubone. When Mr. Fuji brought up that she was partially responsible and that he still wasn't sure how to thank the three teens, Green asked if he wouldn't mind allowing her to volunteer at the Pokémon House for a little while as she properly recovers. Mr. Fuji and Reina were a bit surprised by her request, it was quite unusual for someone to basically ask for more work as a reward. Especially when the person was injured and not even out of the hospital yet. But, Green explained that she wanted to have the chance to get to know Mr. Fuji and learn from him as well as to help take care the orphaned and abandoned pokémon who found sanctuary at the Pokémon House. All she wanted to do was help them find peace and bring some happiness in their lives like Red inadvertently had done for Cubone. With a response like that, Mr. Fuji couldn't help but agree to Green's request and Reina was excited to have the time to become Green's friend.

Which is the reason why the next morning Green found herself at the Pokémon House sitting in Cubone's cubicle with Reina standing before her, Mr. Fuji and Red calmly standing outside watching the two girls interact with Cubone.

"When I hold Cubone like this, it's just so warm." Reina couldn't help but sound happy and giddy as she cuddled Cubone close. Cubone was also loving the attention based on the happy cries it emits.

"My turn!" Green childishly exclaimed and held out her arms, wanting to experience the same thing Reina was. Red couldn't help but smile as he watched his best friend coo and giggle at Cubone once it was placed in her lap since she would not be able to properly carry it with one arm. Even though Red himself was discovering just how wonderful pokémon were with each day, Green had always been interested and loved pokémon even before they left on their quest to complete the pokédex. So, it was always something else whenever he got to see Green interact with pokémon and see the pure joy and love on her face.

"Thanks to you and your friends, everything here in our town has returned to normal and, as you can see, Cubone has finally opened up to being with people." Mr. Fuji stated to Red.

"Well, I just…" Red started but trailed off since he was tad embarrassed by all the thanks and attention he was receiving. He was getting more of it than Green was since he was the one to complete the mission singlehandedly.

"Green told me that you three are working on a project. The Pokédex." Mr. Fuji continued, although amused by Red's embarrassment.

"That's right. We're helping Professor Oak in completing it." Red confirmed proudly.

"I see, so you three and Oak, huh? Unfortunately, I fear your quest, individually, to complete the pokédex may fail without love for pokémon. The same kind of love your friend, Green, has. But, I do believe I have something that may assist you. To help you complete that quest." Mr. Fuji explained as he then walked away from Cubone's cubicle. Red gasped, took a quick glance at a rather oblivious Green since her whole attention was on Cubone, before he moved to follow after Mr. Fuji.

What exactly did he have that could help Red love pokémon just as much as Green did?

~8~

It was a little while later, after Red had received two mysterious stones and a pokéflute from Mr. Fuji, that the young man decided it was time to leave Lavender Town before it got dark again. He has had his filled of ghosts for a while. Red straddled his bike as he stood outside the Pokémon House with some volunteers, Reina, Mr. Fuji, Cubone, and Green who were there to see him off.

"Ok, everybody, thanks again for everything! Stay well!" Red exclaimed in farewell, although he directed the last part to Green as he locked eyes with her.

"We promise to take good care of Green as she stays here. However, if you find yourself in trouble, feel free to come see me." Mr. Fuji vowed to Red.

"And come back again, ok?" Reina added as she held Cubone in her arms.

"And don't forget to stay in contact. Hopefully next time we meet up, neither of us will wind up in the hospital." Green finished with a cheeky grin, still making light of her situation. Red simply returned her smile with one of his own and a head nod before he took off on his bike.

He didn't get very far out of Lavender Town before he stopped again.

"Hey! Red!" Blue's voice sounded from above a tree, forcing Red to stop beneath said tree and to look up at his rival.

"Where's Green?" Blue asked in concern. He thought Red wouldn't part with Green so soon after her injury. The only reason why Blue had yet to visit her that day was because he was working on his Get-Well present for her.

"She's staying at the Pokémon House until she fully recovers and I need to get back to our quest to complete the pokédex." Red explained and Blue nodded his head in understanding. There was a beat of silence between the two, but Blue broke it before Red decided to head out again.

"I guess you owe me one." Blue said without preamble.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Red asked, genuinely confused as to what Blue was getting at.

"Thanks to me getting the Silph Scope, you were able to unveil the true identity of the ghost." Blue replied smugly.

"Ha! Which one of us said, 'Hey, Red, let's get outta here! Come on, let's runaway!'" Red mocked with a smug smirk of his own. He was never going to let Blue live that down.

"Your ears were playing tricks on you!" Blue spluttered out defensively.

"I don't think so! I actually heard it loud and clear!" Red chuckled as he then got back on his bike and pedaled away, not caring that Blue was still shouting at him.

"I NEVER SAID SUCH A THING! YOU HEAR ME?! I DID NOT SAY THAT!"

~8~

Blue leaned against the doorframe as he watched Green play tag outside with a small group of pokémon. She probably shouldn't be playing this game, just in case she accidently hit her wrist and hurt it even more. But, Blue couldn't find it in him to interrupt the game.

He could probably wax on poetically about how terrible it would be to ruin the picture of a happy and carefree Green surrounded by equally joyful pokémon. How pretty the whole situation made Green because there is nothing as pretty as a truly delighted Green. Which was all true.

And terribly sappy which Blue isn't, so he wasn't going to say that. Especially, aloud.

But, sappiness aside, the real reason why Blue couldn't bring himself to call out to her was because he was nervous.

Not that he would ever admit that aloud either.

What is happening to him? He was never nervous before.

But, why did Green have to be so beautiful and why did their friendship have to be so strained at the moment?

Everything was so much easier before she looked at him with those big, warm brown eyes that sincerely told him that he was someone she loved, that she wanted to hug and spend time with. Which made his heart beat double time and made the PokéMart they were standing in the middle of seem a dozen degrees hotter than before. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her even if he wanted to try, although that was the furthest thought from his mind at the moment. Then those captivating eyes went further as they displayed the sorrow and pain she felt when she brought up the fact that he was hurting her. When they displayed those emotions, his heart stopped and hardened before falling into his stomach like a lead balloon, making him feel sick and in pain as well. Which was shocking because he has never felt that way before whenever he insulted Green and noticed them hit their mark. Then again, he never saw the magnitude of the pain and sorrow she felt during those times like he did then. Blue didn't have time to recover as Green left with her parting statement about leaving the state of their friendship up to him before she walked away, those blasted warm brown eyes pleading with him until their gaze was broken.

It was safe to say that Blue struggled with his feelings towards Green afterwards.

Who gave her the right to say all of those things to him and make him seem like the bad guy when he was simply giving her a taste of her own medicine?

Who gave her the right to make him feel like the bad guy?

Who gave her the right to make such an ultimatum about their friendship?

Why was he friends with her again?

However, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Blue's tumultuous and negative feelings towards Green halted to a screeching stop. It would be expected that was when Blue realized and listed all of the amazing reasons why Green was his friend. His best friend. But, that would be wrong. Those unforgiving thoughts and feelings were washed away with the realization that Green was more than just Blue's best friend. So much more. Because just at the thought of him no longer being friends with Green, no longer being able to talk to her, no longer being able to be in her presence, Blue felt even angrier and nauseas. That previous feeling of his heart turning into a lead balloon and relocating to his stomach intensified to the point of being unbearable. He didn't know how or when this happened, but Green held a much bigger part in Blue's world then he initially thought.

He could not write her off like he did with Red. It was just not possible.

And, at this point, he kind of wished it were because how was he going to fix this situation between them? And how could he get her to feel the same as him because clearly she doesn't if she is willing to walk away in Fuchsia City.

It was just not fair that he felt this way and she didn't.

And she obviously cannot know either or else it will be the end for Blue.

UGH!

He blames Green and those despicably captivating brown eyes of hers for the situation he found himself in currently.

"Blue?" The aforementioned girl gasped in surprise and brought him out of his thoughts to see her standing in the middle of the small meadow, the pokémon she was playing with surrounding her and staring at him in puzzlement.

"What are you doing here? I thought you left already." Green continued and was that hope Blue heard in her voice?

What exactly is she hoping for?

"Yeah, well, I was finding your Get-Well present. So, how about we return these pokémon, so I can give it to you in private." Blue explained sounding like his usual cocky self. Unlike Green, Blue knew how to hide his emotions and act like everything was normal. Blue also knew exactly what to say to grab Green's attention unequivocally.

"Ok!" Green exclaimed enthusiastically and giddily. There is nothing that brought out Green's inner child more than the mention of presents. Quicker than Blue would have liked, because he was still trying to figure out exactly what to say to Green once he gave her his present, the two childhood friends found themselves alone after returning the pokémon to the Reina and the other volunteers at the Pokémon House. Green was looking up at Blue in excitement and curiosity that had Blue feeling like he was sinking into her eyes, nearly forgetting what they were doing again.

"Blue?" Green called out.

"Oh, sorry. I just…Here." Blue stumbled a bit when he got caught staring so obviously by the girl in question. He covered his embarrassment by shoving a pokéball into her hands. If Green wasn't excited before, then she was practically thrilled now as she took in the red and white orb in her hand. She raised it, just about to throw it to reveal the pokémon inside when Blue grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Wait! It's a Pidgeotto." Blue explained quickly and Green nearly dropped the pokéball as she gaped at Blue.

"Why would you give me a Pidgeotto?!" She squeaked in surprise and anxiety.

"Because you need it to complete the pokédex. If you can't catch one, or any other bird type pokémon, then I will catch it for you." Blue stated roughly and Green's mouthed dropped.

"You – What?" Green spluttered.

"Do I really have to repeat myself?" Blue said through gritted teeth. This was not the reaction he was hoping for from her. It made him think this whole thing was a mistake and he definitely did not like being wrong.

But, in the next moment, all of Blue's irritation was wiped away as he felt Green's arms wrap around him and he inhaled her floral scent. As he breathed out, Blue would deny it was a sigh of relief, he returned her embrace wholeheartedly. Blue would also deny that he hadn't been wanting to hug Green ever since their talk in Fuchsia City. He didn't realize how long it had been since they last hugged but it was before they even left on their pokémon journey and he missed the feeling. Perhaps it was because of the anticipation and because of how long it had been since they last hugged, but this one seemed better than any hug before to Blue. He didn't want to let go, even as Green pulled away. So, she was forced to lean back but not leave the embrace she initiated.

"Thank you. You didn't have to and I really do appreciate it." Green replied with a brilliant smile that started to pull one from Blue. However, that small smile froze when he saw Green lean in and then felt something soft lightly press against his cheek.

Did she really just kiss him?

It was on the cheek but, still….

Did she really just kiss him?

"Do you have time to hang around for a little while? We need to catch up." Green asked with a light blush staining her cheeks and an embarrassed smile tugging on her lips. Blue nodded dumbly, still focused on the feeling on his cheek from her kiss. It didn't help that Green's shy smile reverted back to its original brilliant smile as she pulled away from Blue, but still held his hand in her non-injured one, and then tugged him to a bench.

Blue could barely keep up with her fast-paced chatting as she told him everything she has seen and experienced since they had first set foot from Pallet Town. Blue barely even acknowledged that she had caught a Pikachu on Route 2 which she has nicknamed Sparky and has been using to catch bird pokémon, rendering his gift to her useless. Perhaps at any other time he would have been irritated by this information, at his perfect gift being ruined. However, this wasn't that moment. He was too preoccupied by something else, by one question.

Did she really just kiss him?