An Unexpected Match
Part III
The wooden floor at Red's house was getting worn down.
'Gah this is so stupid…why is Yellow making me call him? She's the one that needs help! But I told her I would do it…' A girl paced back and forth while her finger hovered over her pokégear. 'Just do it. Everything is fine, everything is normal. Just push it! It's only over the phone, I can't even see his face. Just do it Blue.' A click later and Blue's pokégear was calling Green's. She started pacing faster than ever. 'Damn it why did I push it?'
There was a click. "Blue?" A muffled voice asked at the other end.
"Hey Green! Um…it's Blue."
"Right...?" Green said sounding slightly confused. "What's up?"
"I was wondering if you were free right now."
"Now?"
"Yeah."
"Well I don't have anything planned for today besides the engagement party."
"Right so the party! Listen I'm helping Red and Yellow set up and we're a bit overwhelmed. Could you—I mean would you come and help? It's just that there's so much to do, the decorations have to be put up, and the food has to be made—oh shoot we have to make the cakes and—"
"Blue, I'll be there."
"Thanks Green. Oh come to Red's house."
"Okay see you in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" Blue repeated but Green had already hung up.
"So Green is coming in ten." Blue walked back into the kitchen to join her friends.
"Showing off again." Red said as he chopped apples on his kitchen counter.
"I don't know if flying in on Charizard counts as showing off." Said Blue as she grabbed a knife and joined him.
"You do the same on Aerodactyl Red." Yellow pointed out.
"But I just do it so much more…suavely."
"Suave? You?" Blue chortled.
"Why do you question my suaveness? Do you think Green is more suave than me Blue?" Red winked at her.
"Yes I do—well I—I—"
Suddenly later they heard a thump and a roar outside and Blue dropped her knife with a clatter.
"Blue could let Green in?" Yellow asked with a smile in her voice.
"Sure." Blue hastily wiped her hands on a towel and practically ran out of the kitchen, and was too distracted to hear Red and Yellow's snickering behind her.
'We're pretending that night never happened right? Right?' She thought as she felt the cold brass doorknob in her hand. She stayed this way until a sharp knock threw her out of her reverie. Immediately she opened the door and Green stood there wearing a simple navy t-shirt. Blue felt her chest clench unwillingly when they made eye contact.
"Hi Green!" Blue said with such a false cheery voice it made herself cringe as she opened the door wider to let him in.
"Hey." He looked away from her and walked in, shuffling out of his shoes and into slippers.
"Thanks for coming."
"No problem."
"Um—um Red and Yellow are in the kitchen." Blue said and hurriedly walked back towards the kitchen and Green trailed after her.
"Hey Green! You got here rather quickly." Red laughed.
"Yeah…didn't you guys need help?"
"Well you could have taken your time getting here you know. I never pegged you as the rescuing the damsel in distress type."
"I'm not. Yellow has you after all."
"I'm not talking about Yellow—"
Blue clapped her hands together. "Ah Green would you like to help me chop these apples?"
"Actually Green could you and Blue go to the market and grab these things?" Yellow handed Green a list. "We don't have enough eggs and are missing some fruit for the cake."
"Sure." Green pocketed the scrap of paper.
"Wait don't you guys need my help?" Blue looked back and forth between Red and Yellow.
"Nah we've got this covered. Green isn't strong enough to carry all those things by himself." Red assured her.
Green rolled his eyes. "Come on Blue." He said and left the kitchen.
"You guys!" Blue hissed. "What are you doing?"
"Playing matchmaker." Yellow flashed Blue her sunny smile.
She could only gap at that small innocent, yet terribly devious girl. "Y—you—"
"You should get going! Don't want to make Green wait!" Red sang.
Blue glared at her friends and left the kitchen in a huff.
Green was honestly a bit concerned when Blue called him earlier. They hadn't seen each other for a month since his…"confession" (she practically forced it out of him), and he was sure things were going to be awkward. He thought he would see her only at the engagement party, with her avoiding him all night, but being together with her all day would be an interesting experience to say the least. Now they were walking to the market in such heavy silence that her restrained breathing and tense shoulders were apparent. Green smiled wryly at himself and decided to put Blue out of her misery.
"So...when are you going to give me back my jacket?"
Startled, it took her awhile to process his question. "Oh my god I totally forgot about that!"
Green sighed. "You are so scatterbrained."
"Hey! I've been busy at the lab and helping Yellow plan this party!"
"So irresponsible…I got sick this past month because I didn't have it."
She looked at him suspiciously. "You only have one jacket?"
Green shrugged but his face didn't change.
"Augh! I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not!"
Green just gave her a smirk.
"Yay we're finally here!" Blue cheered as the both of them surveyed the sprawling mass of colorful food stands. Customers were haggling, owners were weighing, and children were running around amok. "Let's go find the fruit first." Blue turned to the left.
"Wait," Green grabbed her wrist, "do you know where the stand is?"
"Um…ehehe…" Blue laughed sheepishly.
"Pesky girl…" Green sighed. "Follow me."
Blue had no choice but to let him pull her to the right direction.
"Mangos?" Green repeated dubiously. "At this time of the year?"
"They're imported from the Orange Islands. And it's pretty warm here already." Taking one in her hand, Blue pressed the green skin gently and smiled. "Ma'am we'll take this one."
"Here you go." She held out the bag to Green after taking it from the lady in charge of the stand.
Five 'here you go's later, Green was weighed down by at least twenty pounds of groceries. Blue took the list Yellow gave Green and checked it over.
"Well I think that's it!"
"Thank god." He sighed in relief.
"Sure you don't want to give me any?"
"You gave them all to me!"
Blue wagged her finger at him. "Temporarily! Now I'm offering to take half."
He eyed her small hands clutching the scrap of paper. "I'm fine." He sighed and started walking back.
"Wait hold up!"
"Hey you guys are back!"
"Damn it Red, couldn't carry this yourself huh?" Green as he deposited their purchases onto the counter, not taking any care to be gentle.
"No one asked you to carry all of that yourself. That's why Blue went with you."
"I offered several times on the way back," Blue said with exasperation, "but he wouldn't let me take any."
"Hmm…I wonder why." Yellow smiled.
"His ego I'm sure." Blue bit out.
After putting the last apple slices into a giant bowl, Red wiped his hands with a towel. "Well Green since you're so strong, would you come with me to help move the tables outside at Professor Oak's lab?"
Green rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure."
"We'll be back!" Red waved and the two of them left Blue and Yellow to finish up the food preparations.
"So let's start on the cakes now!" Said Yellow after glancing at the time on the oven.
"Alright…" Blue pulled out carton upon carton of eggs from the bags that Green labored to carry back. "What do we do first?"
"So I'll take care of the eggs, can you start cutting the fruit?"
"Mmkay."
Blue ran the knife Red was using under some water. She was about to pierce the skin of the mango when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Blue said after looking at the gooey mess that Yellow had on her hands.
'It feels like I've accomplished nothing all day but shop.' Blue thought wryly before opening the door.
"Is Green here?" The girl from Green's gym stood on the porch with a white bag grasped in her hand.
"Well hi." As the image of this girl brought waves of unpleasant memories back to her, Blue started to feel uncomfortable. "Green is setting up at the lab."
"And where would that be?" Ida tapped her foot impatiently.
"Um let me take you there...I'm going to be right back Yellow!" Blue yelled behind her before walking out onto the porch and closing the door with a click. When she turned around Ida was nose to nose with her.
"You're the girl that came looking for Green a few weeks ago aren't you?"
"Yeah that was me." This girl was seriously invading her personal bubble.
"I guess you were telling the truth." Ida frowned. "Hmph I guess there are other girls that need him for something other than an autograph."
Blue gave her a half-hearted laugh in reply and backed away, breathing in her own precious air. "Anyways…follow me."
Blue could only hear the scraping of the dirt path underneath their shoes as she led Ida to Professor Oak's lab. She eyed the girl walking stiffly next to her curiously. Ida was still in her red and black gym uniform with her ebony black hair pulled back in a tight bun. She had a serious aura about her—completely opposite of her own. Even after two encounters with this person Blue still hadn't seen her smile. Now that she thought about it this girl and Green were very similar… Combine that with her animosity towards his fan girls and her dedication to him you would get…
"Sorry for being so forward but you like Green don't you?" Blue asked, finally breaking their silence.
Ida's eyes narrowed at her. "Yeah? So what?"
"Nothing." Blue shrugged, trying to seem casual. "It's just…I was wondering why…"
After fifteen minutes of walking, they finally passed through the gates of Professor Oak's lab and headed towards the grassy area where the engagement party was to be held.
"They should be setting up the tables…oh there they are! Green! Red!"
Green turned around and looked at the unexpected visitors with curiousity. After saying unheard words to Red he ran up to them.
"Ida what are you doing here?"
"You forgot your clothes for tonight." She said shyly and handed the bag she was carrying to Green. Blue gapped at her.
Green looked at her for a split second with a questioning look until it dawned on him. "Ah thanks for bringing them by."
'Clothes? Seriously? She could have just left them with me back at Red's house…' Blue rolled her eyes.
"You're welcome. Well then I'll see you tomorrow. "
"Ah do you want me to show you the way back?"
She waved her hands furiously. "No I remember. This nosy girl showed me the way."
Quickly as she came, Ida disappeared in a flash before Blue could be offended by the "nosy girl" comment.
"Nosy girl...she got that right." Green chuckled. "What did you say to her?"
Blue chose to ignore his question. Instead she crossed her arms and looked at Green pointedly. "I don't get it."
"What?"
"The allure."
"To what?"
"Never mind." She shook her head.
Without warning Red ran up to them with a harried look on his face. "Hey guys listen, Yellow's parents just got here and I have to pick up my mom from Saffron City so that she can make it back in time. Can you both go back to my house and finish up the cakes?"
Green blinked at him. "Are you sure?"
"Is baking too hard for you?" Blue teased.
"No. It's the thought of you near an oven that scares me." He shot back.
"Great—Green keep an eye on Blue, and Blue you go bake." Red quickly let his Aerodactyl out of its pokéball. "Thanks for your help, see guys tonight!" He yelled before flying away into the setting sun.
"Oh yeah…so suave."
"I'm done beating the eggs."
"Great give me a minute." Blue mumbled.
"Why are you doing that?" Green looked over her shoulder.
"You mean sifting?"
"Yeah what's the point?"
"We want this cake to be light so we can't have large clumps of flour in it, therefore we want to—Green, are you even listening to me?" Blue huffed.
"Mm." Then he suddenly flicked flour onto her cheek. "Good luck with that."
"Y—You!"
Blue reveled in the airy lightness of the cake as she cut slices that revealed its layers. Spirals of mango whipped cream ran throughout the spongy cake. Blue glanced at the time on the oven.
"Oh shoot it's this late already! Green I'm going to go change; people are going to be getting to the lab soon." She hurriedly pulled her apron up over her head. "Can you wrap this last cake? I'll be ready in fifteen minutes!"
Blue grabbed her dress that she had flung over the couch in the living room. After pulling the layers of chiffon over her head and running a brush through her hair in the bathroom—not even bothering to look in the mirror—Blue stumbled back out.
"Green? Where are you?" She yelled after looking at an empty kitchen.
"Out here with the cakes!" He called from just outside the door.
Hastily she grabbed her shoes, closed and locked the door. Blue walked out onto Red's porch and nearly fell over. Standing a few feet away from her, in a dark pair of slacks and a crisp charcoal shirt, was Green.
'I hate to say this and be one of them but…he's obviously good looking.' Ida's words echoed in her head.
"Y—You…when did you change?" She looked dumbly at him.
"You're not the only one who needed to change. Women just take so much longer." Green said as he rolled up his sleeves.
"Where did you change?"
"Red's room." He replied while looking at Blue trying to put on her black heels.
"Well? Doesn't the air up here smell nicer?" Green asked after she straightened up and smoothed down her navy dress.
She laughed in disbelief at his attempt at a joke. "Quiet, I'm almost as tall as you now."
"Here you go." He shoved the box of cakes at her.
Blue breathed a sigh of relief. "We pulled it off."
"We did, didn't we?" Green said with satisfaction.
They looked at the warm lights strung from tree to tree, lighting up the darkness. Family and friends ate and drank while Red and Yellow went from table to table chatting merrily.
"Thanks for all your help by the way." She smiled at him.
"Don't mention it." He didn't quite meet her eyes.
"What?"
He continued to stare at the side of her face. "You…still have flour on your cheek." Green said in an odd tone.
"Ack…" Blue turned away and furiously rubbed at her skin, "is it gone?"
"No…it's the other one."
"Did I get it?"
"No."
"For god's sake Green you're not helping!"
Then, from out of nowhere, Blue felt his calloused thumb brush gently over her smooth skin.
'A lot of people might not know this but he does have a soft side.'
"A-ah um got it?" Blue stammered.
"Yup." He affirmed quietly.
"Thanks." Unwillingly, she felt a blush flare across her face.
There was a long stretch of silence while Blue willed her pounding heart to slow down.
"How could you miss a streak of white across your face while you were getting dressed?"
"Hey!" She growled. "If someone hadn't flicked flour onto—"
"What are you guys doing hiding in the corner?" Red and Yellow walked up to the pair.
"We're not. It's an open field how can there be a corner?" Blue snapped.
"Whoa, whoa…" Red raised his hands in surrender, "wasn't being literal."
"Yellow you look beautiful!" Blue's mood immediately changed as she gushed over her friend in a chocolate-colored satin dress.
"Thanks Blue." She blushed prettily. "You do too! We wanted to thank you guys so much for helping us."
"My biggest rival and my protégé getting married…" Green sighed in mock defeat as Blue snorted next to him. "How could I not help?"
'He might seem apathetic but he's really kind and caring.'
"Well Green? Aren't you going to tell me I look handsome?" Red elbowed his friend.
Green only shook his head.
"Hey what are you guys doing? Come have some cake with me." A cheeky Gold called out.
Blue groaned as they walked over to their friend. "I have been smelling those cakes for hours, I don't think I can eat a single slice."
"I doubt you can restrain yourself."
Blue bumped his shoulder with hers. "Don't push your luck."
"Hey guys," Gold grinned, "congrats Red, Yellow!"
"Thanks Gold! How have you been?" Yellow asked.
"Awesome. The daycare center's doing really well!"
"How's Crystal?" Blue gave him a secretive smile, glancing over at the girl in question who was talking with Sapphire.
"Head over heels." He winked as he handed all of them a piece of cake. "We're thinking about traveling for a bit together…maybe around Hoenn?"
"Oh? That's sounds fun." Green cut into his slice of cake neatly.
Gold nodded. "Yup! Say Green when are you leaving for Hoenn? We should meet up!"
Blue's fork slipped from her fingers and tumbled onto the grass.
Green gave Blue a quick sideways glance before answering Gold's question. "…Most likely next week."
Gold whistled. "You don't stay for long do you? Too bad…Crys and I were gonna leave next month. Eh we'll probably see each other anyways though."
"You're leaving?"
"Don't look so shocked Blue! Green always goes off on his adventures for months! He doesn't even need to be at his gym anyways."
"Your Pokémon are freakishly well trained Green." Red told him.
Green ignored him. "I should be back around December." He told Blue, but she avoided his gaze.
"Wh—Why should I care when you get back?" Blue said stiffly as she retrieved her utensil from the ground. Not really looking for an answer she quickly turned her back to them. "Um I'm going to get another fork, talk to you later Gold."
"Later Blue!"
'He's leaving.' Blue repeated over and over to herself. 'He's leaving.' She picked up a new fork from the pile on the cloth covered table. 'What's it got to do with me? That's he's leaving… And why should I care when he's coming back?' She stabbed her cake.
"Thinking about someone?"
Blue jumped when Yellow suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "I—no, I'm looking for a fork."
"You have one in your hand."
"Well yes, I was looking for one, now I got one. Now I'm eating the cake I made."
"With Green."
Blue just bit her lip.
"He went that way." Yellow gestured in the direction of the lake where the water Pokémon dwelt. "You should go talk to him."
"But the party—"
"Would be even better if my two friends weren't dancing around each other." She took Blue's hands into hers. "I know you said that the both of you were just friends…but who is he to you now? Is he just Green, your childhood friend? Or is he something more?"
"He's…I—."
"It's not like you to be unsure about these things Blue."
Blue awkwardly walked for a while until she gave up and took off her heels. The night was quiet since all the Pokémon had been returned to their pokéballs. Eventually she could hear flowing water and the see reflection of the moon. He was sitting near the bank with his elbow propped up on one knee.
"Oh hey Blue."
"Hey…what are you doing all the way out here?"
He shrugged. "I just wanted to be alone for a bit."
She sighed and plopped down next to him. "It's quite hectic back there."
He just nodded and they sat in thoughtful silence while staring at the inky black water.
"You're leaving." She plucked the grass in front of her.
"I'll be back."
"For two weeks right? And then you'll just disappear again?" She asked with bitterness lacing her voice.
"Most likely. There's really no point in staying in Kanto."
Blue laughed. "You're the Viridian gym leader Green! What do you mean there's no point in staying?"
"It's true being at the gym gives me the opportunity of meeting new challengers, but—" he paused.
"But?" She pressed.
"But there are some annoyances." Green said darkly.
"Hm?"
"I'd be lucky if I met one decent trainer a month. Mostly it's just those annoying girls."
Blue sighed. "Just face them Green, why are you scared of girls for?"
"All they do is take pictures and squeal…and they talk at me, not to me."
"That must be horrible." She patted him on the shoulder.
"You finally understand."
"'No I don't."
Green ignored her and continued. "They waste our time. Although Ida does a good job at screening them so it's not that bad. She handles things while I'm away."
"Green…you know I think Ida would be happy if you actually stayed at the gym longer." Blue felt her chest clench.
"Why's that?"
Blue sighed. "She likes you genius."
"Oh? Does she?" Green was silent for a while as he considered this new information. "Honestly I've never thought about her in that way." He said frankly. "I have never felt that way towards another girl…the way I feel about you."
"O—oh I see." Blue stammered and was surprised to find her heart swelling with happiness.
"Sorry." He said suddenly and stood up. "I forgot…I'm going to go back to the party."
"Wait—" but Green had already walked off. Blue buried her face in her knees. Why was this happening? Why did her face feel hot against her skin? Why was she acting like this? Freaking out over the fact that he was leaving as if nine months was forever…thinking that he was good looking, feeling jealous, feeling flattered like she was some lovesick fool… She couldn't be so idiotic that she would fall for her friend, who confessed to her a month ago, and whom she had been avoiding for a month…Blue's eyes widened. Oh crap. Blue quickly got up on her feet and started running.
He hadn't gotten that far ahead. She reached out and grabbed his arm. "Green, wait!" He looked back at her, bewildered.
"I get it now." She said to his back.
"Get what?"
"Why you can't tell me why you like me."
Green didn't say anything in reply to that.
Blue took a deep breath. "It just sneaks up on you doesn't it? These feelings… And when you realize they're there you also notice how they've been here all along. Except you can't remember back to when it happened, how it happened, or why it happened…"
"What are you saying?" He asked quietly.
"It's just…I realized that it wouldn't be a bad thing…if I fell for you." She said.
She felt him turn around and looked up at him but Green looked at her with an unreadable expression.
"You like me." He stated.
"Yes…well maybe…I kind of just realized it ten seconds ago…" She trailed off and they fell into awkward silence.
"Ms. Matchmaker I have this problem."
"Er what is it Mr. Oak?" Blue asked tentatively.
"You see I'm in love with this girl," he paused as if in thought, "but she's so oblivious. Even though she practically confessed to me she's still in denial, which is strange since she's so observant of other people's business."
"Well Mr. Oak I can already tell that you're going to have a lot of trouble convincing her that you lo—like her." Blue said feeling irritated but slightly embarrassed.
"Hm? Then what should I do?"
"I guess…if words haven't been enough you should show her."
"How?" He pressed closer to her.
"I—I think you know how." Blue started panicking after realizing that she had totally given him the wrong advice.
"I think the naïve heroine wants the hero to kiss her at the end of the story."
"What?" She squeaked. Blue really hoped the darkness hid the furious blush she felt flare up across her face—again. He was close enough to where Blue could see her reflection in his green eyes. "You the hero?" She laughed nervously. "Now I agree that I'm the heroine but—"
Blue almost had a heart attack when she felt his mouth on hers. Time seemed to stand still until he started to brush his lips over hers. Her eyes drifted shut and she felt herself being pulled into his arms and into a hazy stupor. It felt right she realized as she consciously kissed him back. It felt like she belonged here, she belonged here with him. Like a puzzle, everything just suddenly fell into place easily. They finally broke apart and Blue quickly looked down.
"Sorry conflict of interest—I'm afraid I can't accept your case." She said breathlessly, staring at her thumb trace one of the buttons on his shirt, unable to look him in the eye.
"As I thought…useless." He gently kissed her cheek.
"You're so mean." She whispered, burying her face into his chest.
"You're the one that caused me agony for a month." His lips moved to her neck.
"Nngh…you obviously don't need my help to get a girl."
"As you recall, I never asked for your help."
Blue pushed away from him a bit. "If I had never interfered I would have never realized my feelings for you." She winced. "This match was just a little…unexpected."
Green laughed quietly. "You're right about that." And he claimed her lips again.