Blue didn't sleep a wink that night.
What exactly happened in the woods? And how could he explain what happened to Red? If he wasn't even sure what was going on in the first place, there was no way he could tell others about it.
He tossed and turned, staring at the clock as its hands slowly, but inevitably, moved towards morning. He grabbed his blanket and hid beneath it, and hated himself for acting like a little kid. Still, he couldn't help it: he wasn't ready to owe up for last night.
As time kept passing, The foreboding silence creeping upon the house surprised him. He heard Daisy pottering downstairs, and the front was opened twice, but there was no yelling, no crying, and no-one slammed the door to Blue's room open to tell him Red had gone missing and asking him if he had any knowledge why.
When the first rays of morning sun peeked from the horizon, he fell into a fretful reverie, dreaming full of horrible monsters and Red's large eyes staring at him accusingly.
Eventually, Daisy's voice rung from downstairs, mercifully dispelling the visions of horrors haunting him for the moment. "Blue! Breakfast is ready!"
Blue shuddered despite his grogginess. Time to face the music.
And yet, Daisy's voice sounded perfectly normal. Maybe she didn't know about Red's disappearance yet. It would be even worse to be there when Red's mother first relayed the news.
Blue slid out of bed, slowly enough for Daisy to repeat her call, and stumbled down the stairs, his stomach sinking further down on every step. In the kitchen, Daisy awaited her with a kind smile and a cup of tea.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said as Blue sat down, avoiding her eyes. "Orange juice?"
Before Blue could respond, she poured him a glassful to go with his toast and egg, humming cheerfully.
"Grandfather took his breakfast to the lab again." She lifted her own slice of toast and sunk her teeth in it.
Blue nodded carefully as he stared at his food. He hadn't eaten since dinner last night, but his stomach was in such knots he doubted he could get anything down.
After a while, Daisy leaned over him. "What's wrong, Blue? Are you ill?" She placed her hand tentatively on his forehead.
Blue quickly shook it off. "I'm fine."
Daisy frowned and sat back down. "Eat your breakfast, then. We're having lunch late tonight, and I don't want to find you in the doorway complaining about how hungry you are in two hours."
Blue nodded solemnly and forced his breakfast into himself as quickly as possible. It tasted like cardboard.
"Thanks for the food," he muttered and left the table. He could feel Daisy's eyes on his back, but fortunately she didn't say anything.
Blue bit his lip. The breakfast had been a disaster: he'd have to at least pretend everything was normal until the bombshell dropped, else everyone's suspicions would immediately lie on him. And what had he done? Made Daisy think he was sick.
He considered his options. He quickly discarded running away: it was tempting, but he had nowhere to go without a pokémon. Besides, it felt...cowardly. That left him with two alternatives; either hang around Pallet Town and delay the moment, or stay in his room, waiting.
In the end, he climbed up the stairs to his room. He needed to get dressed before any real decisions, anyway. As he pulled his shirt on, he spotted a familiar face from the window: Red's mother, placing clothes to dry outside.
Blue blinked. Red's mother acted as normally as ever. How was that even possible? Hadn't she noticed her only son gone missing?
And then he spotted another familiar figure: a boy his age leaning against the wall, a brand new baseball cap on his head...
Blue approached Red carefully, unconvinced the boy in front of him wasn't actually a ghost or some other apparition. He looked real enough, true, his hands in his pockets, his listless gaze on the ground.
"Hey, Red?" Blue said, focusing to keep his voice steady.
Red didn't respond. His expression was that of a statue, rigid and silent.
"Red," Blue repeated. "Can you hear me?"
Slowly, Red raised his gaze from the ground. His face was blank and impassive, his gaze dull and unfocused. It was as if he was looking right through Blue.
"Red?" Blue said once more. A shiver ran down his spine. He had been a fool to think everything would be alright, or that the wide awake nightmare of the night before had been a dream after all. Or perhaps it had been? Perhaps his fear had gotten the better of him, and Red merely felt tired.
Slowly, Red raised his head further, gazing at the clouds. He closed his eyes and let out a resounding, weary sigh.
Blue stared at him, frozen, heart palpitating. Either Red was purposefully ignoring him, or he genuinely couldn't tell Blue was there.
He wasn't sure which option was worse.
"Hey, Red..." He reached out and touched Red's shoulder.
Red froze mid-sigh, as if a current of electricity ran through his body. He fixed a sharp and ferocious gaze on Blue.
Blue hesitated, but stood his ground. He wasn't about to be cowered by Red of all people, no matter the events of last night. "Hear me now?"
Red ignored his words, grabbed Blue's wrist, and gently, but irresistibly removed Blue's hand from his person. That done, he glared again, his eyes narrowed, the flame in his eyes intensified.
"What's your problem?" Blue snapped, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. He had a good idea what the problem was, after all. The inexplicable events of the previous night, even if Red had escaped unharmed, must have still been fresh on his mind. Maybe something bad had happened after all? Maybe Red blamed Blue for luring him out in the first place? Or perhaps he felt Blue had abandoned him despite his best efforts to stop him.
After a moment, the intensity of Red's gaze dissipated, and a flash of puzzlement appeared in them. He rolled his eyes and walked away, passing right next to Blue and wandering off towards the woods.
Blue stared after him, at a complete loss as to what to do next.
"Are you all right, Blue? Did you two have a fight?"
Red's mother looked at him, an empty clothes basket under one hand.
"I guess," Blue muttered. "He won't talk to me for some reason."
Red's mother sighed. "I'll talk to him once he gets back."
"That's okay, I'm sure we'll figure it out." Now that the worst pangs of his conscience had faded away, he once again dreaded punishment for the night before. Even so, questions burned in his mind. "Did he say anything about me in the morning?"
Red's mother tilted her head. "He hardly said anything, now that you mention it. And he kept yawning and rubbing his eyes at the breakfast table. He might just be cross because he stayed up too late last night playing games without my permission. Don't take his behaviour too personally."
"Okay." Blue avoided her eyes.
"I'm baking a pie this afternoon. Why don't you come over, and ask your family over, too? Perhaps Red will be more awake by then."
"Okay, thanks." Blue waved at Red's mother as she returned inside, then sauntered off in the opposite direction Red had vanished into. What should he do now? Should he just ignore anything weird had happened? He'd need to talk to Red at some point, that much was for certain, provided he would listen.
Right now, if he didn't wish to confess, he could only wait. Maybe Red really would be more receptive in the afternoon.
He wasn't. Nor would he give Blue the time of day the following morning, either, nor the day after that.
No matter how many times Blue approached him, no matter what he said, not even the one time Blue would rather forget when he had all but begged him to say something, anything, had he spoken to him. Sometimes, he'd stare at Blue for a moment, intently and without blinking, but right after he'd sigh and leave once more. For the most part, he remained cooped up inside, playing games, and those few times Blue caught him wondering outside, he seemed to do nothing but walk around aimlessly, staring at trees.
Months later, Blue sat aimlessly on the fence as red leaves cascaded down from the trees around Pallet Town. The last rays of sun had just vanished under the sea of deep blue sky, and he shivered slightly without his jacket. A whole season had passed, and not once had Red uttered a single word at him.
The weirdest thing, however, was that no-one else seemed to notice anything. Oh, they realised Red and Blue were no longer on speaking terms. They even commented on what a shame it was, the two of them had been like a ray of sunlight together, but in the end they simply took it as a sign of differing interests. Red's mother would sigh and Daisy would encourage Blue to reach out for Red one more time.
Still, only Blue seemed to notice Red had fundamentally changed. It wasn't just how quiet he was, although that certainly was a part of it. The look in his eyes, the way he carried himself, it was all different from the overly enthusiastic and sometimes a little pathetic kid Blue had known. It was as if Red had matured ten years in one night, and the look of thinly veiled hidden knowledge certainly corroborated with that.
And yet, as no-one else said anything, Blue kept his mouth shut. What should have been said? He didn't know what had happened, not really, and voicing his suspicions without concrete evidence would get him nowhere.
Sometimes, now, he thought the whole nightly incident really had been a dream; that Red behaved exactly as he always had, Blue simply hadn't seen this side of his personality before. Maybe it was Blue who had changed? Maybe, just maybe, everything was normal after all, and whatever was ailing Red was normal as well.
Either way, he was sick of it.
He spotted Red shuffling nearby, bare arms on goosebumps from the cold breeze, gaze as dull as a zombie's. Blue slid down from the fence and made a beeline for him, like a gyarados aiming for its prey.
"Red!" he shouted from the distance. Red's eyes flashed in recognition, and he paused, hands in pockets.
Blue reached him, puffed his chest out and gave Red his most acrimonious glare.
"Okay, bub, here's the deal," he growled, poking Red in the chest. "I'm sick of you acting all high and mighty, like I'm a dirt stain on your shirt or whatever. If you've got something to say, say it now. What's the point in holding a grudge for so long, anyway? Just say it. Are you seriously going to pretend I don't exist for the rest of your life?"
Red stared down at the finger poking his chest, like he didn't fully comprehend why it was there. He said nothing.
Blue's eye twitched. He had expected as much, but it still pissed him off.
"I'll ask you one more time. I've told you I'm sorry so many times I don't even know what I'm apologising for anymore. Can't you say something? Anything? Don't you care at all?"
No response.
Something snapped within Blue. He had been patient with Red, far more patient than he deserved. He didn't have to take this crap.
"Fine, be an asshole. I've given you way too chances already." He turned away. "I felt sorry for you before, but not anymore. Mark my words, I'm going to beat the pokémon league and become the best champion ever. I'll enjoy rubbing your face in the mud once you come challenge me. Let's see how high and mighty you act once I'm the best and you're still a loser running at my heels."
Predictably, Red said nothing. However, when Blue looked over his shoulder, he caught Red nodding, barely noticeably, but still more clearly than anything he had done since that night. And was it just Blue, or had a faint smile briefly crossed Red's face?
Before he could verify it, Red walked away, like nothing had happened.
Blue clenched his fists. So be it.
He looked up. The first stars of the night greeted him with their cold light. He raised his hand on his chest.
"I swear that I will be the champion. I swear I'll make Red speak again, that I'll wipe that arrogant look off his face. I swear I will be the greatest pokémon master of all time, no matter what. I'll never rest, never give up, not until it's all over."
Then, feeling proud but also a little foolish, he returned home where Daisy was already expecting him.
The following seasons passed without incident. Red still wouldn't speak to him, but he no longer cared.
Finally, the fateful day arrived. He ate his breakfast, packed his backpack and left it by the door to wait for him, then stood waiting in Gramps' laboratory, shaking with anticipation. The three pokéballs were already there; the sleek red and white orbs automatically drew his gaze. He could already feel his fingers curling around the smooth surface of one of them and his voice calling out the name of his new partner, the future cornerstone of his winning team.
After minutes that felt like hours Gramps walked in, with Red at his heels. The former smiled faintly; the latter had his eyes firmly fixed in front of him, his face impassive. Blue stuck up his chin and remained silent.
He let Red pick first, like they had agreed long ago, claiming he was the more patient of the two. It was a lie, he was all but shaking with excitement, but Red and Gramps didn't have to know that.
Red eyed the balls one by one, before finally taking one in his hand. Blue swallowed a sharp breath. Chamander. That meant he should take squirtle. He smiled inwardly: while he would have been happy with any choice, he had held a secret preference towards squirtle deep in his heart.
"I'll take this one, then," he said as he walked to the table with long strides, oozing with confidence both faked and genuine, and claimed his prize. He kept his back turned and smiled at the pokéball in his hand, itching to call out the creature it held.
"Better than yours, Red." He turned his head and saw Red walking towards the door, ignoring him. "Do you disagree? Or are you just scared of facing me?"
Red paused.
"That's right, I'm calling you out, you loser," Blue continued, a taunting smile on his lips. "We should try battling our pokémon now! Or would you rather keep running away?"
Red very slowly turned, his head held low. Then, he extended his arm forward, holding the pokéball towards Blue. He raised his chin. His eyes gleamed.
"That's more like it." Blue looked on as Red called his charmander out, then followed his lead and unleashed the creature he had been bestowed with. He couldn't hold back his smile when Squirtle materialised in front of him and let out its cry. His pokémon. His. He would take it to the top.
"Oh, for Pete's sake," Gramps muttered. Blue couldn't care less.
"Squirtle, use Tackle!" he yelled.
Squirtle obeyed, ramming head first into Red's charmander, sending it flying back. Triumphant, Squirtle jumped back to its initial position, waving its arms. Blue looked up and grinned at Red, waiting for him to act.
Red's expression remained unchanged. Rather than yelling out his command, he waved his hand. Despite the vagueness, Charmander appeared to have understood, as it rushed over to tackle squirtle at once Blue couldn't help but be impressed despite himself. Red had only just received his first pokémon, and already it understood him without words?
Charmander head-butted squirtle rigorously. Squirtle stumbled and fell, and when it got back on its feet it looked at Blue with uncertain eyes. He nodded at it encouragingly and could have sworn he received a tiny nod back.
"Squirtle, use Tackle again!" he said. Squirtle was weak, and his options were limited; but he knew the same was true for Red and his charmander. If he went with a full-on assault from the very beginning, he would win. He knew he would.
And so it continued turn after turn, both of pokémon slamming into one another time after time, gaining new bruises, their breathing growing more ragged. After several more tackles, both were badly injured, but to Blue's glee, charmander was barely staying on its feet, whereas squirtle, although tired and battered, still had more stamina remaining. Barely more, but it no longer mattered; one more turn and he and it would win.
It was Red's turn, but he was yet to issue a command. Then, to Blue's surprise, he removed his backpack and stuck his hand into its biggest pocket. Less than a moment later, he pulled it out a purple spray bottle.
Blue's nostrils flared in shock. A potion?! Where the heck had Red gotten it from?
Ignoring Blue's silent outrage, Red squirted the contents of the bottle on the barely conscious charmander. A great transformation took place in front of Blue's eyes. Charmander, crouching down, its eyes glazed, sprung upright, a new lustre in its gaze, practically gleaming with good health. Blue threw a panicked look at Squirtle, breathing shallowly, now by comparison completely exhausted. And unlike Red, Blue had no potions prepared.
He had lost.
He yelled out the one last command, knowing full well that it was futile, but having no other choice. Then Red's charmander struck again, and Squirtle fell on the floor, unconscious.
Gritting his teeth, he called Squirtle back into its ball and shot a sour glare at Red. Red seemed unconcerned. In fact, he met his victory with the same bland expression he had met claiming his pokémon and Blue's challenge, showing neither joy or annoyance. This only made Blue more aggravated. He shelled out the money he owed for losing and rushed home.
"Welcome back, Blue," Daisy said happily. She handed Blue his backpack and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I packed some fresh water for your pokémon and pecha jam sandwiches for you."
Blue looked away. "Thanks."
"Which pokémon did you choose? Can you show me?"
"Squirtle. And I can't."
"Oh." After a momentary pause, Daisy patted his head. "Don't worry about it, Blue. I'm sure you'll do well."
"'Course I will," Blue said petulantly. "I'm going now."
Daisy gave him one last pat on the head. "Take care."
Blue sneaked out, looking right and left to make sure Red was gone, then scurried back in the lab.
"Gramps!"
"What is it, Blue?" Gramps looked up from the strange device he was holding. "It's good that you returned. I forgot to give you and Red your Pokédexes."
Blue shook his head and strode to the back of the lab. "Where's the rejuvenation machine?"
"Under the green sheet. Just pop it in there."
Blue tore the sheet away and tossed it on the ground, then gingerly placed squirtle's pokéball in one of the six slots. As the machine worked its magic, he turned his attention towards Gramps, his arms folded.
"Don't give me that look, young man. It was a fair match."
"Fair match my foot," Blue spat. His mind burned with righteous indignation. "If I had a potion too I would have won for sure."
Gramps sighed. "Very well then."
Blue tossed his head haughtily and grabbed his newly recovered Squirtle, shoving the pokéball deep into his pocket. He walked away with his head held high, only pausing to take the Pokédex his gramps held out for him. At the entrance, he stopped.
"The next time you see me, I'm going to be the champion."
He left before Gramps could respond, walking towards Route 1 with furious steps, mind aflame. He was going to make good of his promise, whether Gramps had taken it as a promise or not. He would show them all.
He would be the champion.
He would win.
A/N: Special thanks to thechinskyguy for being an awesome beta reader.