That was three years ago.

Red swirled his drink with his finger and looked lazily out the window. The bar stunk of cigarettes and weed. He turned his attention back to his glass, and then downed its contents in a single gulp. The cold liquid burned as it made its way to his stomach and settled. He cleared his throat and coughed a little. He wasn't sure what he was doing there. Actually, no. He did know why he was there. It was because he let Green get to him. Green had actually taunted him about a topic he was extremely sensitive about. So he'd come to the bar to try to force himself to forget his insecurity regarding the issue and prove Green wrong. He wasn't even a drinker; he'd choked down the first two glasses and had to coerce his gag reflex not to betray him during the third. And while the alcohol made his mind a bit hazy and induced a warm pleasant feeling throughout his body, it did nothing to make him forget the matter at hand. In fact, if anything, it amplified his shame surrounding it. Red went over the conversation he'd had with Green earlier that week bitterly.

Flashback

"Dammit!" Green yelled in frustration as his Wartortle gave a strangled cry and lay on its back, knocked out. He gritted his teeth and returned his pokemon, regarding Red with suspicion. Red returned his oddish and looked at Green, expressionless. Green narrowed his eyes and closed the gap between himself and his neighbor.

"Since when have you ever been better than me at anything?" Red remained stone-faced at the remark but inside he was high-fiving himself. Green looked him over skeptically.

"Well, this was only a fluke anyways," Green shrugged. "I'm not at my best today. Kind of tired really. Since I earned four badges already and all." His cocky grin spread across his face. He draped his arm around Red's shoulders and Red tensed a little. Green had never been this affectionate with him even on his best day. The contact felt strange but not unpleasant and Red found himself lowering his emotional walls a little. He always had to keep his guard up when dealing with Green; ever since he knew him, Green would say the most cruel things to him. As he grew older, Red began to suspect that Green wasn't aware of the impact his harsh words had on others. Green would insult him in the worst way and then interact with him the next day as though nothing had happened; like a reset button of some sort had been pushed. The trait waned as they got older due to, Red assumed, maturity but Red remained wary. Green's yo-yo attitude had confused him greatly at one point; he'd then decided to resolve the issue by ignoring Green when he was being a dick. Now the unbalanced scale of emotion called Green had his arm around his shoulders and he didn't know what to make of it.

"Let's go to the Pokemart." Green urged. "We'll grab something to eat there." Red agreed and the two headed to the Pokemart. After a few minutes of picking out food, they made their way to the counter. Green laid down three hamburgers and a large soda on the counter and began searching his back pockets for his money. Red found his movements as he fumbled for his wallet oddly fascinating. Green had rather long fingers and the motion of his hands as they perused his backside accentuated their length and gracefulness. He was interrupted from his slight awe when a soft female voice spoke up at the side of him.

"Wow! All of that for you?" Red instinctively turned to the owner's voice. The rather pretty brunette had her brown eyes locked on Green. She had a generous bust that threatened to win the fight against her tight white shirt and her dangerously short blue skirt flattered her long legs that were adorned with loose white leg warmers. Green gave her a not so subtle vertical scan.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Green grinned. "I need all the nutrition I can get?"

"Oh?" She placed her hands behind her back. "And why is that?" Red noticed that she'd leaned in a little closer to Green.

"Because I'm a Pokémon Trainer." Green beamed and proudly opened his badge case to show her its contents. Red sidestepped around them, placed his items on the counter, paid for them and made his exit. He stood outside the Pokemart for about 5 minutes before Green emerged with the young lady. With flushed cheeks, she waved goodbye and headed on her way. Green returned the wave and nudged Red's side with his elbow.

"Cute, eh?" he grinned and pulled out a piece of paper out of his pocket, waving it in Red's face. "Check it out. I got her number. One of many, of course." He smirked. Red forced a smile. He didn't like where the conversation was heading and mentally crossed his fingers that Green would bring up something else to brag about.

"What about you?" No such luck. Red almost cringed at the question. Green didn't seem to be teasing, and for that Red was grateful. He still pretended not to hear the question, though.

"Huh?" Red asked. The "Huh" tactic usually did work when it came to Green; he was an impatient sort that disliked repeating himself. The response "huh" also gave the impression of being spaced out, another one of Green's pet peeves. A person who was spaced out while the great Green was talking wasn't worth speaking to so at best he'd give an annoyed "Never mind" or shake his head with scorn and walk off, at worst.

"What about you? Do you get any girls?" It wasn't very effective. Red felt his shoulders slump against his will. To Red's chagrin, Green noticed. An uncomfortable silence made its debut and Red shifted uneasily. He instinctively braced himself for biting words, relentless teasing and mocking laughter. To his surprise, there was none. Red gave a cautious glance at Green and saw he was looking at him intently.

"You don't, do you?" He concluded. Red remained silent for a bit then spoke.

"I'm concentrating on battling, so I don't really concern myself with that sort of thing." Red said somewhat defensively. Green continued to study him and Red avoided his gaze. He'd really wanted to steer clear of the topic because he knew he was different. Red had a general apathy towards women. Very rarely they would arouse interest. Of course, he knew an attractive female when he saw one but they just didn't induce the wolf-whistling, uncontrollable drooling reaction that was characteristic for men his age. He acknowledged that he was utterly picky when it came to the opposite sex. So to avoid the annoying question "What is wrong with you, man?" he tended to circumvent the issue altogether.

"What is wrong with you, man?" Green enquired with a cock of his eyebrow. Red performed a mental facepalm and sighed inwardly.

"Nothing, Green. It's just not on my agenda right now."

"But that doesn't mean you can't have fun sometimes! All work and no play make dull Red even duller." Red rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to go through this but Green persisted.

"Is it because you can't get a girl?" Red looked at him. Green was being totally serious. His concern both confused and embarrassed him. Green placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Red winced.

"I can hook you up, man. I know a lot of chicks." That's it. Humiliation and discomfort was one thing but being pitied was something Red would not tolerate under any circumstances. Before he could filter his words, he blurted out,

"I can hook up whenever I want!" and immediately regretted what he had uttered; it was the same as proposing a challenge to Green. Green's concerned expression transformed into one of mild amusement and he huffed. Here it comes.

"Fine, then. You know my number. At the end of this week, you should no longer be a boy, but a man." Here we go. Red made a feeble attempt to back out of the bet he was coerced into.

"What happens if I don't want to go along with your stupid game? I'm kinda busy, you know. Filling out the Pokedex and all that." Green turned serious.

"I will lose the shred of respect I have for you, Red. I didn't think you were this pathetic. I thought that you would've been getting some action. Less than me, but still." Green shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away, slightly flustered. "You're a decent looking guy so this revelation…I'm surprised, is all." Red regarded Green in disbelief. Green had respect for him? It was miniscule but still. When had Green ever had any respect for anyone other than his grandfather? His candid confession caused a bit of pride to bubble in his chest. Green didn't see him as pathetic as Red thought that he did. This new knowledge made him feel kind of happy and he didn't quite know why. Suddenly not rising up to Green's challenge seemed unacceptable; he wanted Green's approval. He feigned exasperation and sighed.

"Fine, whatever." Red took his leave, heading for the nearest Inn. He kicked himself for once again getting sucked into one of Green's whims.

Three days since their meeting and Red could not push his uneasiness out of his mind. During the day, he fumbled to find his meticulously organized items on his person. Training spiked in difficulty, he would often mess up commands; sometimes even calling moves that his pokemon were incapable of. Red knew he was in trouble when his Charmeleon gave him a sideways, rather annoyed glance the moment he commanded it to use Bubble at a target. Pokemon battles were no better. Any strategic maneuvers he'd mentally rehearsed countless times fled his mind the moment he tossed the pokeball into the air. He'd lost $3000 in trainer battles and vowed that he would not participate anymore until he had sorted himself out. Not only was the confident jeering from his opponent debasing, his pokemon often suffered because of his temporary incompetence. The guilt of the harm he invited to them due to his lack of focus weighed heavily on his conscience and he cursed himself for being so weak. His frustration overwhelmed and confused him. Since when was a thumbs up from the obnoxious next door neighbor so imperative? Red would've have laughed if his emotions didn't frazzle his conscious decisions and consistently rob him of sleep. Disturbingly, Red chose to disregard the epiphany that made its appearance while having breakfast at the Inn that morning. He could do one of two things: Ignore the bet and move on with his life (It wasn't as though he'd given his word to take the "Rite of Manhood", anyway) or lie about having a steamy romp in the sheets with a perky A-cupped redhead and end the whole thing right there (Green didn't know what type of woman appealed to him, so the fib would be easy to pull off. Hell, he didn't even know).

The first option would be seen as an obvious cop out. Even though Green and Red's friendship had a rather strange dynamic, there was an unspoken agreement; they were rivals. Always competing, always trying to be better than or at the very least equal to the other. Anytime a challenge presented itself, they understood that they had some sort of duty to try to best the other at it. Simply ignoring his blatant dare was dishonorable and therefore, out of the question. The second option would be to lie which was arguably even worse. Green and Red basically had the same goal so they were bound to meet up again eventually. Red was a horrible liar and had an inclination to speak the truth. He often found himself butting heads with others because of his brutal honesty. Green knew him all his life and thus knew all of his awkward mannerisms when he attempted to be dishonest ("You could never be my partner in crime, Red. You're hopeless!"). Also, lying about success in a conquest was not only pitiful but would bring ignominy upon his reputation, at least when it came to Green. His pride wouldn't allow either of the two options and Red felt like kicking himself. He glanced at his wrist watch. 8:27 pm. He deliberated a bit and decided to go out. After taking a shower, he put on a pair of jeans, his sneakers and a burgundy shirt. Over the shirt, he wore a black jacket. He slapped some cologne on his neck, put on his hat and took a good look at himself in the mirror. With a slight blush, he realized that Green was right; he wasn't a bad looking guy. After studying his attire a bit, he decided to omit the hat since it didn't suit the style. With one last glimpse into the mirror and a deep breath he set off to make well on Green's challenge.

Present day

Red sighed and looked around the bar again. As expected, there weren't any women that held his attention. There were some cute ones scattered here and there, but none that he felt like sleeping with. He swirled his fourth glass with his finger, concentrating on the ripples at the surface of his drink.

"That looks like fun. Mind if I join?" Red whipped his head to the questioner and came face to face with cleavage. She was leaning on the table, resting on both of her hands. Whether the action was intentional or not, it was certainly welcome. He trailed his gaze to the woman's face. She was a ginger, her orange locks cascaded a little past her slightly freckled shoulders. Her turquoise eyes, embellished by her long lashes, twinkled with curiosity and a hint of mischief. Her lips were cotton candy pink, glossy and inviting. She wore a yellow off the shoulder, long sleeved crop tops that graced her flat, toned stomach. Her navel ring, glinted in the dim light, its jewel snugly embedded in her belly button. Her short jeans pants hugged her hips and Red noticed she had a tattoo of a Psyduck on her upper left thigh as she took a seat opposite to him. Red smiled as he recognized her face; Cerulean City gym leader Kasumi a.k.a Misty. She clasped her hands on the table.

"I'd think after you won one of my badges you'd look happier. I'm not the easiest gym leader, you know." Red forced a chuckle. His stomach was doing flip-flops by the second; he didn't know the first thing about flirting.

"I was just in lost in thought," he said softly. Misty raised a copper eyebrow.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Nothing." His forehead almost stung with the force of his mental facepalm. Misty gave him a skeptical look. Great. Now she thinks I'm odd. He was relieved when she gave a soft laugh.

"You're rather private aren't you?"

"A little."

"Huh." Misty suddenly raised her hand into the air and a waiter hurriedly made his way to their table. "I'd like a shot of Tequila, please." Red decided it would be best if he stayed slightly buzzed; potvaliency would definitely come in handy. Misty looked pleased.

"So you're a drinker?" She enquired, gulping the shot down. Red shrugged.

"I try." Red thanked his Dutch courage for his smooth answer. She smiled at him.

After a couple of drinks, a familiar warm, heavy but pleasant feeling coursed through his body. Misty's lips moved and it sounded like a string of incoherent sounds. Shit. I overdid it.

"What?" He asked, somewhat annoyed. She frowned.

"I said let's go somewhere quiet." He nodded and they both got up, Red leaving some money to cover the bill. On the way out, he hurriedly stepped in front of Misty and held the door open for her. His chivalry was rewarded with a strange glance and a chuckle but instead of feeling self-conscious, in his slightly inebriated state, he got annoyed. So I see you're one of those chicks that prefer guys who treat you like shit. His harsh thoughts towards the redhead surprised him somewhat; being mean was a novel concept but he was too intoxicated to care. His eyes lowered to her backside and her swinging gait as she made her way to the street. She turned to him suddenly and he stopped in his tracks. Red could tell from her slightly knit eyebrows that she'd caught his lewd gaze. He smiled at her. She returned his smile and leaned in a little.

"So where are we going now?" She asked. Red shrugged playfully.

"I don't know. I came outside because you wanted to be somewhere quiet." She laughed and shoved him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him sharply, causing her to off balance and fall into his chest. With a swift motion, he placed his hand on the small of her back and with the other, he cupped her chin, tilted it upwards and planted his lips against hers. She squeaked a little in protest but didn't pull away. Red's heart thundered with pride and excitement. Suck on that, Green! Her lips were warm, soft and very moist; Red had a little difficulty getting some traction for the impromptu kiss. Girls and their obsession with lip gloss. The slippery texture wasn't off putting; it added to the feeling in fact and Red released her chin and trailed his hand above the other that had her lower back hostage. She draped her arms around his neck and sighed a little, pressing herself into him. The sensation of her soft breasts flattening against his ribcage threatened to overwhelm and his hand roamed to her ass where he gave it gentle but firm squeeze. She pulled away suddenly and placed her hand over her month avoiding his gaze. Nice job, idiot. You ruined the mood. Before he could berate himself further, he noticed the pink tinge that was spreading across her face. So Cerulean's tough tomboy gym leader can actually feel self-conscious. Cute. He pulled her close to him, leaned down and spoke softly into her ear.

"Let's go somewhere even quieter." Her face was buried in the crook of his neck but she answered in the affirmative; he felt her nod. After a ten minute walk in near silence and holding hands they reached the inn. He handed her the keys to his room and she gave him a puzzled look.

"I need to pick up something at the mart. I'll be back." She nodded. Although Red was new to the sleeping around scene, he knew of its consequences. He was never a fan of having his own kids. After a 5 minute walk, he made it to the Pokemart and started searching through the aisles frantically.

"Good evening. May I help you?" An elderly voice quivered politely behind him. He turned around. Oh fuck. An old woman smiled at him, waiting for his reply. You can't be serious.

"I…um…I was just looking." Her face twisted into a smile, wrinkles adorning her cheeks and the corners of her eyes; the laugh lines carved into her face were as deep as the embarrassment growing within Red's chest.

"Seems as though you were looking for something specific," the old lady pried. Red felt his face heat up. Granny dearest held her gaze and her eyes twinkled. Red swallowed.

"I was looking for Ramen noodles!" Red blurted out. Her smiled faded but senior citizen's eyes still twinkled. She reached a hand out beside Red's right shoulder. Red's eyes widened when he saw the object in her hand. A cup of Ramen noodles.

"You mean this, sonny?" She looked at him intently, her smile returning. She placed it in his hands and tottered to the cashier counter. Behind the cashier counter. Smiling at him. Red swallowed, picked up two more packs of Ramen (shrimp flavored) and slowly made his way to the counter, careful not to make any eye contact. He placed his items on the counter and dug into his pockets for money. He heard the old woman's voice in his right ear.

"Is there anything else you need?" She asked softly. "Any items behind me, perhaps?" Red's pores rose. The woman was leaning over the counter, speaking into his ear. He involuntarily looked past her and saw what he was looking for. Condoms. He had to ask the aged weirdo for condoms. A thought hit him. She knew. Hence the reason for her behavior. This wrinkly bitch. Red absolutely hated being toyed with; he preferred straightforwardness.

"Which one would you like, sweetheart?" Red resisted the urge to curse. Before he could glare, she turned around, grabbed a few, laid them across the counter and pointed to one.

"This one has an assortment of fruit flavours like strawberry, banana, etc." This isn't happening. He took a step away from her and looked around. The few customers in the store were now looking in their direction. Grandma was now pointing at another packet.

"This one heats up. And this one tastes sweet."

"Oh my gosh! Look at his face!" A hushed voice choked out followed by uncontrollable giggles. The customers now had their eyes locked on him, snickering in amusement. This. Is. Not. Happening. Sweet Grandma, however, was oblivious to the attention she was calling to herself and by extension Red; she seemed to be proud of her knowledge of contraceptives. She pointed to yet another pack.

"This one is extra durable for those rough nights! You look quite energetic so maybe-" Red slammed his money on the table, picked up a pack of condoms (he didn't see which) and bolted out the door, leaving the old crone with her mouth agape in shock.

"Sonnny, wait! You forgot your change!" He heard her call after him.

"Keep it!" He yelled over his shoulder.

Red took a deep breath and entered his room. Misty was lying on his be in a white lacy bra and a matching thong. He swallowed and surveyed her body. Subtle muscles embellished her back, her thighs and calves were toned and firm. His gaze stopped on her rear. She didn't have a plump butt nor was it flat but it was round, well-shaped. A nice butt. Though Red was impressed with her body, he wasn't surprised; it was well known that Misty held athleticism in high esteem. To see her jogging on mornings and doing open water swimming while training her pokemon was a common sight. As he continued to admire her ass, he noticed with beguilement that she had another tattoo, a Tentacruel, on her lower back. This chick really likes water types. Red chuckled. She turned over on her back and looked at him, her navel ring, wedged snugly in her flat stomach, glinted in the light as though it was inviting him.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing. You look nice." Real smooth, loser. She smiled.

"Really? Come over here and tell me how nice I look." He made his way over to the bed and kneeled on it. Misty got on her knees, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in for a needy kiss. Hmm. She's aggressive. Red pushed his tongue past her lips, and she complied, moaning as she did so, her tongue wrapping around his; she tasted of the tequila shots they'd had earlier, coupled with the faint sourness of lime. His hands travelled to her ass and gave it a good squeeze. She gasped, and planted her lips against his neck; her hands grasped the hem of his shirt and gave it an upward yank. Red obeyed the tug and raised his arms, allowing it to slide over his head. He reached and captured Misty's lips again into another hot kiss, reaching behind her to unhook her bra. Try to unhook her bra. As he fumbled with the offensive article of clothing, he felt her laugh softly into his mouth then undid the bra herself.

"Thanks," he mumbled against her lips. Another soft chuckle. His hands wasted no time in reaching in front to fondle her breasts. They were soft yet firm, a little less than a handful. He looked at them as he squeezed, observing how the warm flesh molded between his fingers. He cupped them and jiggled them a bit, earning a soft laugh. He pressed his lips against her right breast in a chaste kiss then parted his mouth sucking against the soft skin, resulting in a gasp, a whimper, a fistful of his brown hair being grabbed and gently yanked, a hiss. He ceased his suction and admired his mark on her; a blemish, in bright red relief, his symbol of ownership. He pushed her gently on her back; she relieved herself of her thong as he did so. She doesn't waste time. He undid his pants, taking out the box of condoms and tearing it open with his teeth. While he opened the packet, Misty reached for the remnants of the box thrown haphazardly on the bed.

"Retardant?" She questioned. He looked at her and shrugged. He didn't even know what that meant. Like hell if he cared; he'd just grabbed one of the boxes off the counter because the damn old crone had been humiliating him; it could've been Miltank flavoured and he'd still be nonchalant. Once it prevented children and urinating lava, anything was fine with him. Misty got on her hands and knees and pulled down his pants. He turned around and sat on the bed briefly, peeling his pants and underwear off then resumed his kneeling position. He almost fell backwards from pleasure when Misty took him into her mouth. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt; he'd delivered himself from pent up horniness many times before, it was only natural he'd touch himself. This was on a totally different level. The moisture and heat combination was almost too much to handle and he struggled to keep himself under control. He closed his eyes briefly and moaned then turned his attention back to Misty, her redhead bobbing back and forth along his shaft, making wet obscene noises as she worked. His head was swimming now and he struggled to maintain his bearings; Misty oblivious to his plight, kept slurping away. He took a hand and gently pushed her on her shoulder, her cue to stop. She released him, looked up and smiled mischievously. This woman will be the death of me. She took the condom from his hand (he hadn't realized he was still holding it), and placed it over her mouth. Holding his erection, she put her mouth onto his weeping tip, bringing her lips towards his base, the condom smoothly unfurling. With a soft pop, she removed her mouth, rolling the rest of the condom down. She then lay down and spread her legs. Red thanked Arceus for alcohol; by now he would've been freaking out.

Red crawled to her, pulled her to him by her thighs and inserted himself. Another wave of pleasure overcame him. He propped himself on his hands, his torso hovering over Misty. She blushed a little and moved her hips, grasping his forearms. He'd been worried for nothing; the act came natural to him, and soon his hesitant thrusting quickened in tandem with the volume of her moans. The sharp increase in arousal made him get a little rough with her; his hands dug into her thighs as he jammed his hips into her pelvis, the sound of sweat soaked skin slapping together filled the air. She started gasping, then screaming. Red slowed down a bit, and his heart rate escalated in panic. He looked at her; her eyes, the color of the city's namesake from which she hailed, were shut tight. Her face glistened in the dim light of the room and her red hair framed it, matted against her forehead and spilled onto the pillow like a fiery halo. Panting heavily, her mouth formed words, but she was so out of breath they were soundless. Red leaned into her a bit.

"What?" He asked. She responded by bucking her hips. Oh. She was enjoying it. Red reassumed his position and gleefully hammered away at the beauty underneath him, her shrill cries punctuating each of his enthusiastic pelvic thrusts. He winced and mouthed "Ow" when she buried her nails into his back, scraping its surface and possibly tearing away some of his skin. With a loud shout, Misty's back arched and her body tensed, her legs clamping shut around Red, effectively pinning him between them. Her eventual relaxation signaled the end of her climax; Red followed soon after with a strangled grunt and a few lazy jerks of his hips. He rolled to the side, out of breath. Misty giggled, gave him a chaste peck on the lips and snuggled into his side, draping her arm over his midsection. Red felt her breathing slow to an even pace; she'd fallen asleep. He fixed his eyes to the ceiling and smiled, feeling his ego boost. He soon came to the realization that his proposed lie had come true; he'd had a hot romp with a perky A-cupped redhead. Red chuckled to himself and drifted off to sleep.

Red opened his eyes slowly and regarded the ceiling, gradually becoming aware of his surroundings. Although he was an early riser (usually), it took him a couple minutes to fully become awake. He soon discovered that his lady for the night had disappeared, leaving the lingering scent of perfume on the sheets. He felt extremely pleased with himself. Red got up, showered and dressed. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and, to him, it seemed as though he'd grown a few centimeters taller.