"Are you serious?!" Blue roared.
Leaf flinched at her eternal rival's commotion. His voice was so loud that it might as well be their ride to the Johto region.
"Yes, I'm serious," Leaf retorted, "Do you really expect me to just leave the region in the blink of an eye without saying a word to my mother? She hasn't even seen me in years!" Leaf rose her hand in her last exclamation.
"Well that's your fault for not keeping in touch in the first place! The ship leaves in twelve minutes, Leaf. Twelve minutes!" Blue stressed the last part by pointing at the S.S. Aqua in front of them. They had just arrived to the shores of Vermilion City.
Leaf's face contorted into a scowl as guilt pulled at her heart strings. She already felt horrible enough for her lack of contact and can't imagine herself feeling much better once she inevitably leaves her mother again. She masked these thoughts with anger.
"You have no right to override my decisions, so either wait here or don't! I'm going to be on the loading dock in twelve minutes and I'll do whatever I want until then!" She huffed and stomped toward the café that she once remembered to be nothing but a mere construction sight.
Heads turned to the two during their heated argument, but the attention quickly transformed into a very small, flabbergasted paparazzi upon the realization that two elite trainers were in their presence. Most attempted to swarm Leaf, but some turned to Blue after seeing how the Kanto Champion ignored efforts of dialogue and adoration.
He politely asked to be left alone, fuming on the fact pressing matter of Team Rocket and the thought of the girl's inconsideration to anything and anyone but herself.
Leaf's mouth quietly trembled. She had pictured this scenario in her head a few times and knew what she wanted to say, but was unable to figure out how to start once her mouth opened.
Her mother shot up from the table she was waiting at and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace upon sight. It flooded the two with intense emotion as their familiarity with each other's scents kicked in. The café was painted with warm colors and was touched with dim lighting that was easy on the eyes. It was also a quiet and mellow atmosphere. The perfect place for this moment without any interruption.
The two were frozen solid for a few minutes, but then Leaf's body began to give into the weight that was pressing on her shoulders and pulling down from her stomach. Her composure broke and she didn't care.
"I-I'm so sorry Mom. I'm s-s-s-so sorry I didn't s-say anything. And I'm sorry for texting you and m-making you come all the way out here out of nowhere." Hot tears soaked into the older woman's blouse.
"It's okay sweetheart, it's okay. Shh." She could detect the strain in her mother's voice. "I was already on a work trip anyway. It was fate. And you're here now. We're both here together."
Leaf hugged her mother even tighter, overwhelmed by the instantaneous forgiveness she knew she didn't deserve. She felt her mother's palm press firmly into her shoulder blade as it glided back and forth in consolation.
Leaf pulled away, rubbing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"About that…I'm going to Johto. Right now, actually. With Blue." She reluctantly added.
Her mother sat down, picking up the coffee she had ordered. Her daughter followed suit and sat in the opposing seat.
"I know that, dear. Professor Oak has been speaking to me about what's been going on. He told me about his plans to send you two there. I knew that if he had a chance of finding you with his Fearow you would go."
Leaf looked deeply into her mother's eyes. They seemed worn. Her face had aged a bit with the addition of wrinkles she had not seen before. Her hair was also tied up in a messy bun and her fingernails were stubbed and uneven in length. Despite the fortunate Leaf had obtained and offered years ago, her mother insisted on making a living her own way. And it was evident that she had been working hard.
"I...the trip…" Leaf grunted in annoyance. She felt forced into this topic and changed it whimsically. "I didn't plan to stay on Mt. Silver for so long. I just hated all the attention I was getting and I felt like I had nothing else to reach for. I hated being 'the best' and I didn't feel like I accomplished anything satisfying enough to come home. And I didn't have any WiFi all the way up there so I didn't talk to anyone. I didn't even leave the mountain, I would always send my pokemon to get groceries and stuff because I was keeping myself busy and trying to clear my head."
Her mother patiently titled her head slightly downward and waited a moment before responding. Her presumptions about Leaf had been right – she sought out solitude after feeling bombarded since she didn't know how else to cope - and she wanted to make sure that her distressed daughter has the space to pour her heart out.
"I understand, Leaf. I knew the pressure was hard on you, and I while I missed you, I didn't take any of it personally. You are grown woman now and you are very independent and vivacious. I have full confidence in your abilities and I will always be here if you ever need me."
Leaf reached for her mother's hand across the table and gave it a squeeze. "I just never fit the picture for being any sort of public figure." Leaf continued, "I like doing things for me, not for the spotlight. And as soon as I got it I felt like I wasn't allowed to make any mistakes anymore. I was a wallflower before my journey started and then suddenly everyone wanted to be my friend once I reached the end in a blink of an eye…because of what I was, not who I was. I hated it. And I feel so incomplete."
"You don't have to let anyone in that you don't want to, and you still have people who have loved and cared about you since the beginning. They know who Leaf Green really is."
Leaf nodded, not sure of what to say next.
"But," her mother continued, "This is going to be a whole new beginning for you. And I think it's going to serve you well. Trust me sweetie – it's not the endpoint that really counts. It just gets all the glory. The journey is what matters most and it's where all the blood, sweat, and tears go. How could you become something without going through the molding process first?" Her mother's famous grin appeared. "And you're still a young chipper with a big story waiting to unfold. One region isn't going to be enough for all that."
"Thank you Mom. I don't know what I would do without you."
And the young champion meant it, too. She felt herself to be less on edge since some of her pent up emotions were relieved.
After her father's death, it would make sense for her mother to hit a bump on the road. But her resilience nature has never failed – she always kept her cool, always knew what to say, always adopted a healthy perspective when faced with any obstacle. She was a true role model. Someone deserving of fame.
A loud buzzer went off. The two startled ladies turned their heads to Leaf's phone, identifying it as the source of the buzzing.
"It looks like you need to get going."
Leaf stood up and hugged her mother once more. The two stood breathed it in for a moment before silently letting it go.
"I promise I'm going to call you every once in a while. I'm really sorry I have to get going like this."
"Don't apologize, dear. Just keep doing you and press onward. I love you."
"I love you too."
Blue heard footsteps approaching from behind. The sun had managed to descend into the waters in the time that Leaf was gone. He was attempting to admire the beauty of the sunset to calm down, but as soon as the girl returned, he felt himself boiling up again. It had been eighteen minutes. The ship didn't leave yet since he resorted to wooing the staff with his Gym Leader status and pleaded them to wait a little longer, but it was still too close for comfort and he hated stalling so many people by abusing the power of his title.
He whipped around, prepared to bark at the outspoken girl, but tensed up at the sight of her face. Her composure was slightly slumped and her eyes were at her feet, appearing glassy. Her nose was bright red.
It was evident that she had been crying and the talk must have been hard one way or another.
"Ah-…Let's getting going."
Leaf nodded her head and followed closely behind Blue as they entered the ship.
The pair received a room that had a bed on either side and plenty of storage space for their luggage. It was more than enough for the two trainers, who were already accustomed to travelling light and efficiently.
Blue didn't pay much mind to Leaf's whereabouts for the following two hours. He imagined she wandered out to a private area on the deck to think – a tendency that he honestly expected her to keep up after her sudden and long disappearance. He occupied himself by keeping up with news reports about Team Rocket and was texting his sister about how things were going at the Viridian Gym. She teased him for being a worried workaholic checking in so early, then processed to wager bets on how many trainers would earn the badge while he was gone. He chuckled at her energy and could see her excitement to battle.
The suite door clicked and got pushed open by a now tranquil Leaf. Her hat was off, already placed on the nightstand next to her bed. She was holding her Espeon in arms and it was purring affectionately. Its eyes wandered to Blue and it leaped toward the familiar face to say hello.
"We need to talk to Professor Elm soon." Blue extended his hand to stroke the Pokemon he once remembered as a small, weak Eevee. "He knows we're on our way, but he'll probably want to brief us before we get to Johto."
Leaf flopped on her bed. "Tomorrow."
Blue fixed his gaze on the girl in front of him. She was leaning on her side so she faced him, but loose strands of her hair completely mopped over her face. She looked exhausted. How could she be so drained? He picked up the Espeon, who had become a little overbearing by demanding too much attention with all the rubbing, and took it to its trainer. He came to his knees and propped Espeon on the bed, resting his arms on the edge. The pokemon curled up against the girl and prepared to nap. Leaf opened her droopy eyes.
"I don't know why you've been acting so emotional and depressed since you've came back, but you really need to get it out of your system now. We're going to have to be able to cooperate if we want to get anything done effectively in Johto."
Oddly enough, Leaf didn't feel too provoked by what Blue had said. She was spent and he did have a point, even if his execution wasn't anywhere near her mother's level.
"Okay." She muttered, an crackled octave down from her usual tone of voice.
Blue grunted, a concerned look washing up on his face. He extended his hand again, and for a moment, Leaf assumed he was going to pet her Espeon again. Instead, he gently whisked away the strands of her hair blocking her face. Upon noticing her acceptance of this behavior, he dug his nails in slightly and pulled the last layer of hair behind her ear. He felt himself lingering for a split second as he was attempting to read her blank face. Her eyes closed again. He wanted to say something to fill the silence, but couldn't come up with anything.
So he got up and walked back over to his side of the room, making sure to be quiet enough to let the girl fall into a deep slumber.