(A/N [July 2, 2013]: This chapter was by far the one that gave me the most trouble. More than five pages of unwanted text removed from the original and fixing the words that each character said. There was just so much stuff to edit that I ended up staying up for the night. And even still, I don't like it. Maybe it's just the self-critic in me, but I feel that nobody likes the first set of chapters. There's many reasons I can probably point out, but it's like 8:33 PM over here and I've been up for five hours now, and I have to go to sleep again soon.
Goddamn, I hate all-nighters.)
Chapter 3: A Little Talk About Bravery
Red hummed a quiet tune as he plucked another Oran Berry from the bush it was on. He carefully placed the berry on top of the already large pile that his left arm carried over his chest. Turning his head, he saw Pika using his electricity to zap another berry from atop a tree. Walking over to the slightly singed berry, the Pikachu grabbed it with its mouth and ran to where a small pouch was. The Pikachu then dropped it in and grabbed the bag with his mouth, proceeding to another bush filled with berries.
Red wasn't sure what he was more happy about; spending a night with Yellow camping in the Viridian Forest, or seeing Pika collecting so many berries for Chuchu. The two Pikachus were so close to each other, they were practically inseparable. Yellow would definitely agree with me on that.
Upon mentioning her name, his mind raced back to the question he had earlier. If he did tell her how he truly felt about her, would things still be the same between them? Would they end up together as a couple? And what if things don't turn out so well? Would they still be friends then, or would their friendship be ruined?
I shouldn't be thinking of these things, because I already know the answer to them. He thought to himself. Yellow's the kind of person who would always be there for her friends and forgive others. She's not the kind of person to hold any kind of grudges to anyone, not even to her enemies. She's way too honest and nice to do such a thing. Even if I do tell her, and things don't turn out so well, we'd still be best friends. We've been through a lot together, so I don't see any reason why our friendship should be broken if I confess to her how I feel.
But… His mind trailed off once more as he remembered something. I still don't understand why she risked her life to save mine years ago. Did Blue tell her to do it because I was a friend? Or did she do it because she was worried about me? And even after telling me her secret, why does she continue to wear that hat? It doesn't make any sense. I can't help but feel that Yellow is keeping something from me, something that she wouldn't tell me if it would involve hurting me.
He shook his head roughly to drive away these thoughts and clenched his free hand into a fist. No! I shouldn't be thinking of these things! Yellow is a good friend; one of the greatest friends that I've ever had! If I keep thinking of her like this, then what kind of a friend am I?
He was soon broken out of his train of thought as he heard something approaching him. He looked behind him just as Pika returned by his side, aware of what was happening. It sounded like footsteps, and judging by how fast the noises were, something was quickly approaching them . Just before he could give out a command to Pika, the owner of the footsteps quickly came into view… and turned out to be none other than Yellow's Dodrio!
Surprised by this, Red quickly spoke to the three headed bird, "Dody? What are you doing here? Did something happen?"
"Dodriiio!" Dody responded as he began motioning one of his heads to where he came from. Red followed its gaze and realized that the path the Dodrio took to get to him and Pika… was the same path that led back to the campsite. Which could only mean…
"Yellow…" he said faintly before looking back at the Dodrio. "Dody, are you saying that something happened to Yellow and she told you to come find us?" Red asked.
The Dodrio nodded with all three of its heads.
"Then we have to get back!" Red discarded his supply of berries and hopped onto the Dodrio's back. Pika soon followed and climbed up as well, the pouch of berries still clenched between his teeth. Looking up into the sky, Red spotted out his Aerodactyl and shouted, "Aero! Lead us back to the campsite! And hurry!"
"RAAAAAWWWWRRRRRRRRR!" The Aerodactyl responded as it circled one last time above their heads and flew back to the campsite. Red held onto the bridles that were wrapped around the Dodrio's beaks tightly as it raced after the Aerodactyl.
Their destination underway, Red continued to have the same thought as to what could have happened to Yellow if she needed him this badly. He hoped that Yellow was okay. Otherwise, the person responsible for harming her would be in serious trouble.
Yellow was not, in any way, okay.
She continued to stare at the strange boy, the anxiety already consuming the rest of her senses. How did this person, this thing, or whatever it was supposed to be, know what her name was? She had never met this person before, let alone even heard of him, and yet he said her name as if he knew her from somewhere. There was no way he could know!
The boy's eyes were still trained onto her, the surprise and wonder evident in them. That sight made Yellow push back a gulp as she tried to think up an explanation as to how he could have known her. But to her misfortune, there was nothing that she could think of, nothing that could help explain the situation.
"How… How do you know my name?" she asked, not bothering to hide her fear.
The boy seemed to have noticed her by now and looked at her confused. "What?"
"My name. How do you know my name?" she repeated, this time a bit slower.
"Your name?" She saw that he was struggling to speak to her, something that worried her even more. "I-I didn't know that was your name."
He was lying. It was obvious. She found herself shouting at him. "But you did! You said 'Yellow' a few seconds ago and…"
"Please, don't shout." The boy said as he brought both his hands up to his ears. "My ears are still sore after nearly drowning."
Just before Yellow could say anything else to the strange boy, she saw him trying to stand up on his feet. He almost lost his balance a few times before he managed to get into a kneeling position. Now Yellow was shocked. Was he really trying to stand up after what he went through? After he nearly died?! She moved just as the boy began to stumble to the ground, dropping everything that was in her arms. Had Yellow not stopped his fall by then, he would have surely injured himself a lot more than he already was.
"Careful." she said quietly, "You're still injured from what happened."
"I'm alright." The boy said as he tried to stand up again, only to begin coughing once more and collapsed as a result. Yellow was unprepared for the sudden action and lost her grip, making the boy land on his side and cough. After a few seconds went by, the boy stopped his coughing and gazed up into the sky, making low growling noises. "I. Hate. Water. More than anything."
She looked at him once more just as he turned his head to return her gaze. She could feel her fear disappearing from inside her. So far, this person has not shown any hostility towards her or any of her Pokémon. He even sounded… kind for some odd reason. While she was grateful for that, there was still something about him that bothered her greatly. Mainly on how he was able to make that light appear.
Remembering the towels that she had in her arms, Yellow moved to where she dropped them and picked one up. She shook it to remove the dirt and grass that was on it, then reached out and gingerly placed it on his hand. "Here," she began meekly. "I figured you might need this after, well, you know…"
The boy happily accepted the towel and began to wipe it around his head. Yellow watched in shock as the boy grabbed one of his antennas and wrapped the towel around it. Trying her best to not sound disturbed, she asked, "Are you sure that you're okay?"
"Well…" The boy began as he moved the towel to his left arm, "Aside from being wet and a little shaken that I nearly drowned, I'm perfectly fine. Thanks for your concern." After he finished cleaning the rest of his body, he placed the towel over his shoulder and held out his hand to her. "I don't think we properly introduced ourselves. I'm Logan. Logan Stone."
Yellow, still a bit nervous about him, slowly placed her hand on his and gently shook it. "I'm Yellow. But you already knew that."
"Yellow? That's quite an unusual name." He began to shift his legs around until they crossed over one another and continued, "And I don't think that it's your full name, either."
"Huh?"
"Well, I told you both my first and last name, so it should be fair for you to say yours as well. It isn't really a proper greeting unless you do so."
Yellow could not believe it. Why would he want to know her full name? Was he being sincere and wanted to know her full name because she saved his life? Or was he going to use her as leverage for whatever twisted ideas that he has within his mind?
As if reading her own thoughts, Logan said, "I'm not going to use you for some sort of conspiracy plot. I just want to know the name of the girl who saved my life."
Now she was scared. She has every right to be because there was no way that he could have known what she was thinking. Was he some kind of psychic? No way could he have made such a lucky guess. She felt like going out to find Red right now and let him know what was happening.
…Then again, he was being nice to her. And he hasn't done anything wrong to her to convince her otherwise. Maybe she should tell him. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him in the eyes and said, "My name is Yellow Caballero."
"Yellow Caballero," Logan repeated. "Quite a fitting name, I should say so."
She was surprised by the tone he gave out when he said her name. Like he knew about it from the start.
She was about to open her mouth once more to speak before she saw him holding out the towel in front of him and his other hand beside it. Before she knew it, she began to feel a wave of intense heat coming from nowhere. Even her Pokémon took notice of the strange change in temperature and hurriedly ran towards her. It was making her feel even more exhausted than she was before. Worried that it could probably be a Fire Pokémon on the loose, she turned to look at Logan to warn him… before she found out where the heat was really coming from.
It wasn't a Pokémon that was doing it. It was Logan. The heat wave was coming out of his hand and was wrapping around the towel. Yellow watched as steam started to appear from it where the water was absorbed and rose up into the air. After a few moments, the heat soon vanished and Logan handed the towel to her.
"Thanks for the towel, Yellow." he said before placing it back in her hand.
The moment he did, Yellow could feel the hard, metallic structure of his right arm. It was as cold as ice, too, which was surprising considering that he just created a heat wave with it. "How did you do that?" she asked, not bothering to hide her shock.
"The same way I made the light underwater for you to find me." he replied as though it was a daily thing.
"You did?" She soon shook her head again as she looked back at him with confused eyes. "But how did you do that? How could you have made that light and that heat wave? No one can do that except for a Pokémon!"
"Except that I am neither a Pokémon nor a human." he stated flatly before silently adding, "Or… at least I was human…"
Yellow could now see the sadness return to his eyes as he said that. What did he mean by 'was'? Did that mean that this terrifying appearance of his was not his real one? She was about to ask him what he meant before she heard a low grumbling noise. She looked around for the source of the noise before they rested upon Logan, whose hand was over his stomach.
Slightly embarrassed, Logan let out a small chuckle. "Guess I forgot to eat something before I left."
Yellow couldn't help but laugh as she grabbed the bag of sandwiches and pulled one of them out. "Here. It's not much, but it's the least I can do for you."
He looked at her quizzically and pointed at her, "Are you sure you don't want it? You look like you're a little short on food, and I don't want to take any of it away from you."
"I'm fine with it." She smiled as she placed the sandwich in his hand, "Besides, I'm not really that hungry at the moment."
Not wanting to be rude, Logan accepted the sandwich and began nibbling on it. He knew that she was lying. He could hear her stomach growling even louder than his. Yet for some reason, she was more concerned about his well-being. He looked back at the girl just in time to see her grabbing her bag with her free hand and making her way back to where the rest of her clothes were. Her Pokémon followed after her as she placed the small bag on the ground and reached for one of the three larger ones beside her. Logan decided to follow and approached the small campsite, standing just a few feet away from the small girl. He saw her pulling out another black shirt and blue jeans from inside of the bag's contents. She stood up and turned around.
The moment she did and saw Logan standing right in front of her, she let out a small eep. She heard him approaching her because of his greaves. But the way he stood there, with his eyes glowing in the middle of the night, and his jet black skin camouflaging his appearance, it was enough to scare her senseless. Seeing her reaction, Logan let out a small sigh.
It was quite often that this kind of thing happened. He would try to move somewhere, and even though he would make a lot of noise depending on what he was standing on, people would still get spooked when they see him. He couldn't really help it. It was one of those things that was beyond his control.
Regaining herself after the small spook, Yellow shyly looked up at him and said, "Um… I don't wish to be rude or anything… but you see… uh… I don't have a tent set up, and I have to… um… you know…"
Logan swallowed the piece of the now half-eaten sandwich before he finished for her, "You want to change out of your soaked clothes so that you can put on some fresh ones, and need me to look the other way, right?"
"Um… yes." she timidly said.
"You know I can use my powers and dry you so you won't have to change. With your permission, of course." he explained.
Yellow thought about it. While it did seem like a better idea, she reminded herself that the heat could cause her clothes to shrink. Plus, the heat was unbearable to withstand, as she realized that she almost fainted from it. She was already exhausted after everything that's happened so far, so she decided against the notion. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't want you to overstrain yourself. You're already in a lot of pain, and I don't want to make your condition worse than it already is."
"What if I set up the tent for you?" he asked as he pointed towards the camping gear, "I can have it set up so you won't have to change out in the open."
"You'd do that… for me?"
"Of course." He took one last bite out of the sandwich before he moved to where the bags were.
He reached for one of them and pulled out four wooden stakes, some rope and a long piece of tarp. He then took a few steps away from the bags and Yellow, looking around for a perfect spot to set the tent up.
The process took a couple of minutes or so, with some trial and error on Logan's part, but was eventually able to get the tent up and standing and placed a few sleeping bags inside, some books and a lantern. He stepped out after lighting the lantern and walked over to her.
"There you go. One tent built for two." He raised a hand up to his chin as he realized what he said, "At least I think it is. Did you come here with someone by any chance?"
Remembering Red, she felt her entire face flush into a deep red. "Um… yes. But he left some time ago to go find some more food after I've forgotten to bring some." She picked up her tunic and belt from the ground as Logan did the same for her hat and boots. The two began making their way to the tent as Logan continued listening to Yellow, "Dody left a few minutes ago to go find him when I pulled you out, so they should be back right about…"
She let out another eep and frantically turned to face Logan. "Oh no! They'll be back soon! This isn't good! I can't let him see me like this!" She grabbed her hat and boots from his arms in one swift motion. "I'm so sorry! But I really need to change right now! I don't want Red to see me like this! I'm really sorry, Logan!" Then, before he knew it, she ran inside of the tent and zipped up the door.
Logan stood in the clearing, his eyes wide open in astonishment at the little display Yellow just made. Shaking his head slightly to focus, he slowly walked up to the tent and sat beside it. He could hear Yellow moving around in a hurry as he saw her silhouette from the light that was inside. He saw her silhouette removing her shirt and used one of the towels she brought with her to wipe her face and hair. Turning his gaze away, he looked back up into the night sky before speaking, "So Yellow… if you don't mind me asking, how come you and your friend are all the way out here in the middle of a forest?"
"Most of the time I come here to the Viridian Forest to camp with my Pokémon. When I was getting ready to leave, Red came by and asked if he could join me. I thought that it would be a great opportunity for us to spend some time together, since we rarely get the chance to do so, so I said yes."
Logan held back a smile as he continued on the conversation, "And I take it everything's been going well so far?"
From inside the tent, Yellow stopped what she was doing and held the towel against her bare chest. "What do you mean?"
"You sounded very happy when you answered my question, and if I were to guess, you showed him something that he enjoyed."
There was silence for a bit before he heard a response, "I did. It was amazing. I don't think I've ever seen him that happy before."
His ears picked up on the audible tone that was in her voice. It sounded close to… affection. Love, perhaps? A slight smile appeared on his face as soon as his mind clicked. "Sounds like you and this Red guy are more than 'just friends'."
Upon saying that, Yellow soon burst out of the tent, her hands keeping the towel over her bare chest. Her hair was untied, so he was able to see it reached down just below her waist. A massive blush was on her face as well, making her look about as red as a tomato. "Wha…! W-W-Why would you ever think that? I mean, we may be close, but we're just friends! Even if I feel my body burning up every time I'm near him, or that keep having dreams about the two of us kissing and cuddling and sleeping together, that doesn't prove that I love him or anything!"
A sudden silence filled the clearing as the two stared at each other. The blush on her face grew bigger as she soon realized what she had just said, as well as taking notice of her lack of clothing. Embarrassed, she pulled the towel closer to her and ran back inside the tent. She sat there in the light of the lantern, trying her best to calm her heart over that embarrassing situation. When she felt her heart slowing down a bit, she walked back to the door and zipped it open enough for her to poke her head out.
"Um… what happened just now… Could you… um… maybe…" she stammered, the blush still making her face beet red.
Logan let out a slight chuckle and lifted his hand up to interrupt her. "Your secrets safe with me."
Smiling, Yellow retreated back into the tent and continued where she left off. She wrapped the towel around her chest and reached out for a brush that was lying on the ground beside her foot.
Logan meanwhile was inspecting each and every bag that was beside him, taking note of the contents that were in each one. When his eyes landed on Yellow's bag, he saw a large pad of paper with a box of crayons and a pencil beside it. Curious, he grabbed the book and carefully pulled it out before setting the cover in front of him. On it was a large title that said 'SKETCH' and another on the bottom right hand corner that said 'Yellow'. As he flipped it around to inspect the back, he called out, "Hey Yellow. Do you have an interest in drawing?"
"Yes. In fact it's one of my main hobbies. That, as well as fishing. Why do you ask?" she asked as she put on a fresh shirt in place of her old one.
Logan turned the sketchbook until he was looking at the front cover again. ""If it's alright with you, can I take a look at some of your drawings?"
Yellow stopped what she was doing and let out a small gasp. "W-W-Why would you want to do that?"
She sounded so nervous. "Just curious. And like you said, drawing is one of your hobbies, so you must put a lot of effort into your sketches." he explained.
"Y-Yes… But…"
"I promise I'll only take a peek at a few of them."
Yellow thought hard for a moment. She didn't really want to show her drawings to someone she just met. It would be too embarrassing. Well, not as much as earlier, but even so. But… couldn't help but notice the kindness that was in his voice. Maybe he was just curious about her work.
She pushed back a worried gulp before she finally replied. "Alright. But… only a peek, okay?"
"You have my word, Yellow."
And just like that, he did exactly as he promised Yellow, by opening her sketchbook and skimming through the pages. He looked at the page he was on for a solid second, making a quick mental note of what was there, before moving on to the next. Most of them were sketches of Pokémon and people, and though they were well drawn, he also noticed how old they were, almost five years or so. There were some words on the pages as well, but he ignored them.
It wasn't until he got to the more recent drawings that he took a better look at them. The drawings so far were far more detailed than the old ones, showing patches of fur, ruffled feathers, even a couple of humans with strands of hair instead of the outline. He made an effort to skim through the drawings and move on to the next one, but he couldn't help but feel amazed at such outstanding work.
The girl's a phenomenal artist. Much better than half the people I've met. He looked back at the tent and saw that Yellow was still brushing her hair, which soon brought another thought into mind. She really takes great care with her hair. Maybe she's doing it to impress this 'Red'. Remembering the words that she said earlier, he stifled back a chuckle as he recalled that she had just admitted how her true feelings about her friend. I should probably keep it a secret then. I don't think she'll want me to embarrass her in front of her 'boyfriend'.
The moment he flipped over to the next page, he raised a non-existent eyebrow. Maybe I went a little too far. He thought as he stared intently at the drawings.
Indeed he did, for on both pages were several sketches of Yellow and what Logan assumed was Red. The drawings depicted them sleeping side by side underneath the shade of a tree, lying on the grass with her pointing at something at the sky for him to see. There was even one of them nuzzling their noses together.
But there was one drawing in particular that caught his attention. And it was by far the most detailed out of all of them. The drawing was of both Yellow and Red, both wearing a dress and a suit, kissing in front of an altar. And from the looks of it, it was obvious that they were enjoying it.
So that answers my question. He thought as he closed the book and set it back in the girl's bag. Red must have made quite an impression on her if she's been drawing the both of them doing those kinds of things. But, from the way they're drawn, it seems like she's secluding herself into drawing the things that she secretly desires to do with Red. His eyes wandered off to the lake as he cupped a hand beneath his chin, his mind already deep in thought. Maybe I'm over thinking it, but… is it possible that Yellow is afraid of telling Red the truth?
He soon heard the tent door beginning to unzip and looked over to see Yellow stepping out, this time wearing all of her clothes. He was now able to take a good look at her. Other than the orange tunic with its green rims over her black shirt, the bottom portion of her blue jeans tucked inside of her purple boots, and the belt-pouch strapped around her waist, she looked almost exactly like she did when he first saw him. Well, except for the straw hat, which upon closer examination he could see that the ponytail was tucked inside of it. With the hat on, she could pass for a young boy. Would have worked, if he hadn't already known she was a girl.
He felt a slight sense of curiosity about the topic and pointed at the hat, "If you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing that hat if it means hiding your hair? Are you worried about people finding out that that you're a girl?"
Upon instinct, Yellow brought her hands up and waved them. "No, no, no! It's not like that! A lot of people already know that I'm a girl and…"
"Well if that's the case, then why do you still wear it? It doesn't really suit you, to be honest."
Seeing no point in continuing with this argument, Yellow sat down onto the grass beside him and brought her knees closer to her body. She removed the hat and held it in front, fumbling its edges as Logan waited for a response.
"I'm… not so sure… if I should tell you." she said quietly, "I mean… I don't want to be rude or anything, and I really think that you're a nice guy and all. But the thing is… I just… I really…"
Logan knew what she was saying and nodded. "I understand. You don't wish to tell me since I'm somebody you hardly even know, and you think that I might tell a lot of people about it."
"Um… yes."
"Just to let you know, Yellow, I'm not the kind of person to do such a thing. I keep all of my friend's secrets to myself and never tell anyone else unless I deem it to be important." He looked at her small form and saw her eyes peeking at him over the edge of her hat. "I just want to let you know that, if there is anything you want to let out of your chest, or if you ever need anybody to talk to; then I would be more than happy to listen."
Yellow thought about it. He really was a nice person, otherwise he wouldn't be treating her so kindly. But what he said before, about keeping his friend's secrets to himself; did that mean that he saw her as a friend? It would make sense for him to think of me like that since saved him, but I think there's another reason why he would consider me as one. Holding back her fear, she silently prayed to whoever was up there beyond the sky to not let her say what she was about to tell Logan before she faced him, "Before I tell you, do you promise to not tell anybody about what I'm about to tell you, or laugh at me? Even if my friends force you to tell them, or bribe you, promise me that you won't tell them anything?"
Logan placed a hand on top of her head and gently ruffled her hair, something that he often did to others to let him know he understood. "Promise."
Grateful, she inhaled deeply for a few seconds before breathing it all out. She looked back at the lake with sadden eyes and began, "The truth is… when Blue met me three years ago, she told me that Red was captured by the Elite Four. I wanted to help him, and she let me, but she also told me that I had to wear this in order to keep my identity a secret. She said that if they found out who I was, then they would try to find some way to make sure that I didn't save Red."
"In other words," Logan said as he grasped onto what she was saying, "Any place that you cared about, or any friends and family that you had, they would use them as a way to make sure you abandoned your mission. Like hostages."
"Yes."
"But that was years ago. It doesn't explain why you're still wearing it. Maybe there's another reason why."
"…No." she admitted. "There is another, but it's just… I don't… I don't want to say it."
This was starting to catch Logan's attention, but he said in a polite manner, "You don't need to tell me about it if you don't want to. It's up to you to decide whether you wish to say it or not."
She looked back at him and gazed at his eyes. The sadness and pain that were once in them were now replaced with pure concern. Concern for her. She mentally smiled at herself. He really is a nice person.
Looking back at the lake, she took another deep breath before speaking once more, "Alright. Th-thing is… the reason why Blue told me to wear this hat… was because… I…" Logan leaned in closer as Yellow started to mumble the rest of it. "Was because I was too young… too young…" He moved his head until it was a few inches away from the girl's. He was now having a hard time hearing Yellow as she buried her face in her knees.
Then, almost unexpectedly, her head reared right up and she shouted out at the top of her lungs, temporarily disorienting Logan. "I was too young to use my feminism as a weapon!"
Stunned that she shouted out the truth, Yellow quickly turned around to look at Logan, who was staring at her with wide open eyes.
Then, just as she feared, he opened his mouth and laughed.
She felt her tears rolling down her cheeks as Logan began to laugh hysterically, his hand clutching to his stomach as pain began to build up. She stared at him and, without any warning, punched him in the arm. The action stunned the both of them, Yellow mostly because she had never done such a violent thing before, until she shook her head. She stared at him intently, her pain very clear in her eyes. "You promised me that you wouldn't laugh!" she shouted at him.
Logan stared back at her with a calm expression and said, "I think you're misunderstanding, Yellow. I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at the person who told you such a ridiculous thing."
"Huh?!"
"Let me explain," he began, "Feminism can't be used as a weapon. Never has been, never will. You can't 'weaponize' your looks when all it is is just wooing people to do whatever you want them to do. To me, people who do that kind of thing are either too full of themselves or just enjoy having tons of people lusting for them."
He turned his head towards Yellow and stared at her straight in the eyes. She could see how sharp they were, how they carried such a serious and frightening gaze. "You, on the other hand, are not the kind of person to do such a thing." She felt something build up in her chest as he continued, "To me, you seem like the kind of girl who cares less about looking beautiful for others and only care about being with close friends and family. You look like a sweet and honest girl who enjoys every moment with her friends and family. I'll even admit, you look pretty cute." He could see a faint blush appearing on her face upon saying that. "Now Yellow, do you really want to throw away all that just to follow a stupid lie your friend said? Even when you already have everything you have right now?"
Her shoulders slumped as she took in every word of what the boy in front of her said. She didn't want to admit it, but he was telling the truth. If she went and used her looks as a weapon, then she would be just like Blue. Even if she is a good friend, she didn't want to be just like her. She didn't want people to see her as someone she wasn't as, or as some kind of… trophy girl. She wanted people to know her for who she already is. If she did try to be someone different, there was a chance that she might do something wrong and end up losing all of her friends. She didn't want that to happen. She didn't want to lose all of her amazing friends, especially Red.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Logan speaking again, "You know, I think there's another reason why you still wear that hat." She noticed the slight pause he made as though he was trying to build up dramatic tension before he finally spoke, "You wear that hat because it makes you feel brave, correct?"
She looked at him in shock. "What do you-"
"You know exactly what I mean. You think that the hat is what's making you feel braver; that every decision you've made so far were because of that hat." He averted his gaze from her and looked back at the lake. "Let me tell you a little something about bravery. Bravery isn't something that's measured based on what you wear, or what you say to others, or from the actions that you perform. Maybe not true on the actions part, but let's not get carried away." He lifted his robotic hand and looked down at his palm. "Bravery is what exists within the heart. Every choice that we make, every action we perform, are all because of what are heart is telling us. It's what makes us decide the harsh questions and choices that we're given, especially during dark times. Many would say that it's just instincts, but there's more to it than that. People think that they can't do something because they aren't brave enough to do it, but the truth is that everyone is brave, even when they don't know it. The problem is people fail to see it with their own eyes. They fail to notice that the thing that they've been searching for so long has been with them since the day they were born. You wear that hat because you feel like you don't possess the kind of bravery that your friends have."
Yellow was too stunned to say anything. Again he was right, which only now made her heart ache. She always secretly wished to be as brave as her friends, to be as brave as Red, and that was the reason why she kept her hat. Even after everyone found out about her real gender, she still continued wearing it because it made her feel… secured. It made her feel like she was different, almost braver than she was before. But after hearing Logan talk about his perspective on bravery, she started having second thoughts.
As if noticing her trouble, Logan spoke once more, "A hat is nothing special. It's just what it is. A hat. Even if you haven't worn it, the decisions you've made were what made you feel brave because they were made from the heart. If you did refuse to wear the hat your friend tried to give you, but still went ahead to search for Red, would it have made any difference? Would you still be treated the same way like before? Or would people treat you differently and understand, or be confused, as to why you would want to put your life in danger to find?" He took a slight pause and took a deep breath, feeling his throat a little dry from speaking so much, "I understand why you would be conflicted with this kind of thing, since it was Him that showed it to you on the day he saved you. The day you two first met, correct?"
She stared at him, mouth agape. "How… How did you…"
"Know?" When he saw her nodding her head, he smirked, "Let's just say I'm good at understanding people." Before she could say anything, he placed his hand on the girl's head and patted her. "You're lucky to have him as a friend. And after everything that I've seen in the past few minutes, I know that you want to be more than just friends with him."
He removed his hand from the girl's head and kept his gaze trained onto hers. "You have dreams where you spend time with him and experience the joys and wonders that the world has to offer to the both of you. He's the only person whose always in thoughts every time you try to think of one of your friends, the only one capable of filling that lonely feeling within your heart. You want him to be the one who will always be by your side to the very end. Am I correct so far?"
All he got as a response from her was a silent nod. "My advice to you, Yellow; don't give up hope." He continued. "Even if there are people or obstacles who try to stop you or ruin your chances of being with him, never ever give up. If you do, you'll never be truly happy with anything. A friend of mine once did that a long time ago, and he lost someone he secretly loved ever since. Hasn't been himself since then." he growled inwardly before realizing he was getting sidetracked, "My point being is that if you give yourself a little more faith than you do now and tell him the truth, then you'll never feel empty again."
She could hardly believe it. Everything that he's said up to now has been true. Her sense of bravery, her feelings for Red, all of it was true. Which soon brought up the one question that she had been meaning to ask Logan in the first place…
"Who are you, Logan?"
She saw his smile faltering away, and replaced with a sad look. He looked away until he was staring at the lake again. Even though he was not looking at her, she could see that his eyes once again carried the same expression when she first looked at them… and she was now regretting herself for even asking him that question. "Forgive me, but I'd rather not talk about it. It's… personal."
Yellow could see the way Logan's eyes glowed in the night. She knew that something was troubling him. She recalled seeing the same kind of look earlier, and like before, it made her heart ache. If this was what Logan was feeling, then she felt terrible for him. How could he feel this much pain and still continue to move on? If she felt like this, then she would already be in her room and cry in her pillow for weeks on end. Just a mere glance at his sadden eyes was enough to send her to the verge of tears. What could have possible happened to him that would make him feel like this, and refuse to talk about it?
She was about to apologize to him for asking him that question before a loud shout interrupted her, catching both hers and Logan's attention.
"YELLOOOOWW!"
She looked over Logan from where she sat to where the shout originated from. She could faintly make out a shadow coming through the line of trees. The shadow drew closer and she could distinctively see the three similarly shaped heads of one of them approaching the clearing. Bursting out from behind the bushes, she soon realized that the shadow with the three heads was none other than her Dody. She thought for a moment. She sent Dody to go find Red when she saw Logan in the lake. But if he was here, then that means–
Her thoughts were proven right as a boy with red clothing and raven coloured hair jumped off the Dodrio and ran to where she was, his Pikachu by his side. There was no mistaking it. His red eyes, his trademark hat and clothes, his Pikachu… it was definitely him. She found herself standing up from where she was and running towards him. "Red!" she happily cried out as she took another step towards him.
Time began to slow down the moment she took that step. The world around her moved at an agonizingly slow pace. She no longer saw the night sky and the millions of stars, she no longer saw the patchy tree tops that surrounded them, all she saw in her line of sight were Red's legs, the grass, and her own two feet. She felt Red's strong arms wrap around her body and pull her in. She could not tell what was happening, but she felt one of his arms trailing along her back and the other one around her arm. She felt herself lying on the field as her back was resting upon his leg. Her hat flew off of her head from Red's movement and landed beside them, letting her ponytail flow down along her side. She tried to move her own legs, but they would not respond. She tried lifting her arms, but they would not obey. All she could move was her head, which she turned slightly to look at Red, whose once fiery red eyes were now clouded with concern.
"Yellow! Are you okay?" he asked, his uneasiness evident in his voice.
Yellow began to turn red when she realized that her face was inches away from Red's. "I-I'm fine, Red! Don't worry!" she responded rather hesitantly, trying her best to remain calm despite her position. "I'm just a little tired, that's all!"
No sooner had she said that did she let out a loud sneeze, then shivered intensely. She saw Red moving his free hand up to her forehead, which intensified her blush even more. "You're freezing cold." he exclaimed in shock, "What happened?"
Yellow fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke. "W-Well… when you left earlier to go find some food, I was going to set up the tent… and then, um… the lake started t-to light up… and… uh…" She couldn't say anything to him. She was stammering too much to even make sense. She felt so embarrassed.
She was so caught up on trying to talk to Red that she failed to notice Logan kneeling beside her and Red, or notice him talking until she heard his voice. "What she's trying to say is that she saw something happening to the lake, saw me drowning, and upon instinct dived down with her Pokémon to come help me." He could see that both of them were staring at him, surprised that he approached them with such silence. He decided to break it and gave them both a warm smile. "If it wasn't for Yellow, I wouldn't be alive at the moment."
Yellow gave him a silent nod while Red was beaming happily. He stared back at the girl in his arms and gave her a wide grin. "You saved him? That's awesome, Yellow!"
"T-Thank you." she said silently. She soon remembered Logan, whose gaze was fixated on the two trainers. "Red, this is Logan. Logan… this is Red."
Logan bowed his head slightly. "Nice to meet you, Red."
"Same here." Red replied. "I wish I could give you a proper greeting, but my hands are kind of full at the moment."
Logan looked back at Yellow and saw her face getting redder by the second. A young girl in the arms of her secret love, and she could do nothing but blush. He could not help but smile at the sight. "I see." He remembered what happened earlier and focused his attention back on the girl. "Yellow, what happened earlier? Why did you fall?"
"I have a limit when it comes to using my powers. I was already exhausted after I used them to find you in the lake, and that dive nearly drained me of whatever amount of strength that was left in my body." she explained.
"In other words; you collapsed from exhaustion." Logan finished, to which she soon nodded. "I'd be tired too if I did something like that."
"But that's still awesome that you saved someone, Yellow! I know you did it a couple times before, but it's still pretty amazing!" Red spoke out, his grin making her heart pound against her ribcage.
Yellow said nothing. Instead, she was trying her best to keep her eyes open, which were already starting to close as a result of her loss of energy. Red saw this and spoke, "Maybe you should rest for a while. You have been busy for a bit."
"N… No. I'm okay. Really." she grumbled, trying to keep her eyes from closing. Red knew that she was lying. She was already starting to fall asleep in his arms.
He lifted her head gently and waited until he could see her amber coloured eyes. "Can you still stand?" he asked, though he knew that was probably a stupid thing to say.
"I-I think so." She placed one hand on Red's shoulder and slowly began to lift herself up. Her legs were shaking all along as she tried to stand upright. Red kept her balanced by keeping his hand on her back while the other was around her small waist, in case if she were to fall.
She managed to get herself up to her feet as Red slowly stood up to keep her still. Her legs started to wobble as she found it more and more difficult to keep herself upright. Just as she thought that she finally stood up, she fell once again. Red reacted quickly and caught her before she fell, her head resting against the crook of his neck. Red let out a small chuckle before he spoke, "I guess that means you're still tired." He heard nothing, but felt the small girl's head move slightly on his shoulder. "I'll carry you back to the tent. How's that sound?"
"Ok… ay." she silently replied. She heard the lulling sounds of sleep speaking against her eyes as she felt her eyes growing heavy.
Red proceeded to lift his friend up and placing one arm across her back and the other one underneath both her legs, holding her up bridal style. Just as he was about to stand up with the precious cargo in his arms, he noticed Yellow's hat lying beside them. Smiling, he gently lowered Yellow unto the ground and used the hand that he used to lift her legs to grab her hat. He then placed it on top of her chest, to which she gingerly grabbed the edges and held it up to her face. Her eyes were half visible as she stared back at Red, her breathing rapid as she saw his smile. God, how much she loved that smile. It always made her heart jump.
"We should probably head back to the tent. It's already getting late." He got up to his knees as he looked back at the shadowy boy. "If you want, you can come join us, Logan. No sense in sleeping out here, right?"
There was no response. Red turned around to see what was wrong and saw that Logan wasn't looking at either of them. His gaze was fixated on the trees that were on the left side of the lake. Yellow noticed the silence too and stared at Logan. This actually bothered her somewhat. Earlier, he spoke freely to her as if he was talking to an old friend. Now, he just stood there, silent as the forest itself, staring off with a cautious look on his face.
"What's wrong, Logan?" she asked.
Again, he didn't answer. She wasn't sure what was wrong with him. He wasn't this quiet since she met him. Why was he now? She looked closer at his eyes, which proved to be difficult since there were still some traces of sleep left in her. The way his eyes were… they no longer held that calm look to them. They now carried a fierce glare, like they were burning with rage. Why? What was he angry about? She was about to ask again before he held up his hand to silence her. His gaze never left the spot he was looking at as he did this.
"Stay here." he said sharply. His voice carried so much authority; it was actually scary now that Yellow thought about it. Just what was it that got him so rallied up?
Regardless, she and Red stayed where they were, their eyes trained onto Logan. He got up from where he was and slowly walked towards the trees. As he did, the thoughts continued to go through Yellow's mind. What was it exactly that was making Logan act like this? Was there someone nearby who was going to attack them? Was it a wild Pokémon that was causing all this trouble? And even so, would Logan actually attack it? Would he harm an innocent Pokémon all for her and Red's safety? Even though that was a stupid thing to ask herself, the way Logan carried that fierce look was enough to prove her wrong.
He stopped in his tracks until he was at least a dozen feet away from where he once was. He stood perfectly still, unmoving like a statue and his head held high. His eyes were closed, as if he was trying to determine where exactly in the trees was the human or Pokémon that was bothering him. Closing her own eyes, Yellow concentrated and tried to listen to the sounds of the forest, the wind, the cries of Pokémon, anything that would help prevent Logan from attacking whatever defenceless Pokémon was approaching them.
To her surprise, there was nothing. Not a single cry from any Pokémon, nor the sound of the wind blowing past her or through the leaves of the trees. She couldn't even hear the graceful sounds of the lake crashing into shore. All she heard was her breathing and her heart beating against her chest. She was starting to panic. When has the Viridian Forest ever become so quiet? Even in the middle of the night, she always heard the forest speaking to her and the distant sounds of the wild Pokémon.
She took another deep breath. As she did, she saw her breath forming in front of her. Confused, she breathed in once more and let it out. Sure enough, it did the same thing like the first one did. Red saw this too and drew out his own breath. Just like Yellow's, he could clearly see his own breath. They got their answer as they felt the air around them drop to icy cold temperatures. The frozen air stung against their faces. Yellow felt her fear getting worse. Why is it so cold? She thought to herself. Winter isn't for about another few more months from now. What was going on?
Before she could even ask, she heard something. It was faint, and seemed to echo. It sounded like it was right beside her, but at the same time so far away. She listened carefully to the sound as it began to become clearer.
-…ill… Co…sssum… Da…nesss… Ha…d…-
By now Red could hear the sounds too, along with their Pokémon. They began moving towards their trainers quickly as the sounds drew closer, and started making sense.
-Hea…rtsss… Consssu…me…-
-Ki…ill…-
-Dar…nessssss…-
Yellow could easily tell that she did not like what those voices were saying. She shook her head, breaking free from her concentration in the process. Surprisingly, the voices did not go away. They were much closer now, and Yellow could clearly hear the words that they spoke out. It made her heart cringe as she distinctively listened to each and every word that was uttered.
-Heartsss… Consssume…-
-Kill…-
-Darknessssss… Hatred…-
-Kill… Humansss… Mussst…-
The voices drew closer and closer, filling Yellow's heart with fear. What is happening? What is it that was speaking all these things? It couldn't be Team Rocket. They defeated them a long time ago. She felt Red pull her closer to him, obviously hearing the voices as well. She expected herself to feel safe in his arms, like she always did before. But now it was different. Now, she was scared and hiding herself in the closest thing nearby, which in this case, is Red. The chorus of twisted voices continued to speak, filling Yellow's mind with their words until they were the only thing that she could think of. She placed both her hands on her ears, hoping that that would prevent herself from hearing the voices.
It did nothing. She could still hear the voices as clear as day. She soon realized with horror that she wasn't hearing them through her ears, but in her mind. The voices were speaking in her mind. And she could clearly hear the malice and dread in the voices.
-Heartsss… Consssume… Fresssh…-
-Kill… Humansss… Mussst…-
-Darknessssss… Hatred… Power…-
-Kill… Humansss… Mussst…-
Just when she thought she was about to shout out to the voices to stop talking, Logan's own voice pierced through into her mind, driving away all of the evil voices that were plaguing her thoughts. "Call back your Pokémon into their Pokéballs. Right now." The way he said it didn't sound like a statement or a question. It was more like an order.
Not wanting to argue, Red and Yellow unstrapped a few Pokéballs and called back their Pokémon. When they were finished, they looked back at Logan.
The voices were far away now. It was like they were scared of something. Something powerful. She could barely hear the twisted words now and instead heard nothing but the silence of the forest
She should be feeling safe while in Red's arms. She should be happy that the voices were gone. So why was she still afraid?
In the midst of her fear, Yellow darted her head to every spot of the clearing, checking for anything that was out of the ordinary. Red followed suite and looked behind them, above, anywhere that would most likely hide an enemy waiting to ambush. He looked back at Logan, his back still turned on them, frozen in place as he slowly looked around, surveying the area.
Then, just as they thought things were beginning to return to normal, they heard it. A terrifying scream that sent chills running down their spines, threatening to shatter their minds. The sound it made was unbearable, and would forever haunt their souls.
-KIIILLLLLLLL!-
Red was the first to see it. On the other side of the clearing, just a few meters away from him and Yellow, a mass of dark aura began to form. It grew and grew until it was more than a feet taller than him if he was standing at full height. The mass soon opened up like a tear, and stepping out of the darkness, howling in the night in blood-lusted fury… was a monstrous creature.
Its skin was as black as Logan's, but it had a much darker tone to it. Its eyes were shaded crimson, like the colour of blood. It barred its wicked sharp teeth inside of its mouth, saliva oozing out of it. Its rear legs were bent and crooked, implying that it was capable of performing long jumps. All four of its paws possessed three long, silver claws. Its ivy blue mane covered its entire neck as it flared up in response to another one of the creature's roars, revealing its large, red, toothy maw. As it roared, Red could faintly see a glowing red symbol that covered its chest. He wasn't sure what it was or what it meant, but he knew that it wasn't good. Its tail flicked behind it as it completely ignored the two trainers that were near it and sped straight towards Logan.
He knew right away that it wasn't a Pokémon. The way it looked, the way its eyes gleamed for the sight of blood, the way it spoke to them; it was anything but a Pokémon. It was an actual, raging monster.
Red knew what was about to happen as the creature ran towards Logan, claws open and ready to sink into its prey. "WATCH OUT!" he called out.
He was already beaten to the punch, as Logan had turned around and faced the creature the moment it was upon him. His arms flew forward just as the creature pounced and caught it by the jaw. His robotic hand held onto the creatures upper jaw, his fingers slightly inside its mouth, while his other hand held the lower jaw. The creature struggled for a few moments to break free from the boy's grasp before he twisted his hands.
A loud, sickening sound rang out, forcing Yellow to keep herself from puking. The creature's head was twisted to the side, its neck horribly disfigured, before it slumped to the ground. There was reason to see if it was still alive. It was clearly dead. I lasted for about eight seconds since it first appeared.
Logan stayed where he was, glaring daggers at the creature as something began to happen to it. The body of the creature shifted before it proceeded to dissolve away. They all watched as its body broke down into shadowy mists before there was nothing left of its existence. He flexed his fingers on his hands, hearing the knuckles cracking and the gears shifting as he balled them into fists before they slackened.
They didn't have enough time to speak their thoughts as another terrifying roar, this one louder than the last one, came out of nowhere. Another roar responded to it, somewhere farther away from the first, followed up by another. Soon, a chorus of twisted roars began to call out, echoing within and all around the Viridian Forest. Yellow turned her head to see where the sounds were coming from, but saw nothing. Nothing but trees and bushes. They could be anywhere.
"They're coming." Logan said, his voice cold and distant at the same time.
Yellow's eyes widen in shock. Whose coming?
She didn't need to wait for an answer. All around them, along the sides of the clearing, dozens of crimson coloured eyes flared up in the shadows of the forest, all glaring at the people in front of them. Yellow did her best to not scream as the owners of those eyes stepped out of the darkness of the forest and into the light in the clearing.
More shadows. Dozens of them. All of their eyes screaming and lusting for blood.
Some of the ones that she saw were identical to the one that Logan killed, their blue manes flaring up as they roared. The ones she didn't recognize, though, were enough to make her wish that she never saw them. Like the shadowy beasts, these ones had jet-black skin and red eyes, but unlike the beasts, these were more humanoid. Their skeletal frames possessed multiple spikes along their spines and back. Their long arms ended with five digit claws and their legs were like pillars, long and circular, and flat at the very bottom. Their serrated jaws opened up and revealed to the young trainers their red maws. The same glowing symbol that was on the beasts were on them as well, in-between their ribcages. One of them opened up its mouth and let loose a hollow scream, one that surely could have resembled a dying person.
Yellow looked away as she covered her ears with both of her hands, preventing herself from hearing anymore of that horrible screeching. She felt Red pull her closer to him protectively as the shadows twisted words began to ring in their minds once more, their malice demanding for fear.
-Heartsss… Consssume… Fresssh…-
-Kill… Humansss… Mussst…-
-Darknessssss… Hatred… Power…-
-Kill… Humansss… Mussst…-
-Dessstroy…-
Through the roars and telepathic messages, Red looked at Logan as the shadowy creatures began to circle around him, his eyes demanding for an answer. "What are these things?" he shouted.
Logan didn't look back when Red called out. The shadows began to move closer to him, their eyes glowing with hatred. Yet he heard Red's question regardless, and answered with one, single word. A word that was enough to send shivers crawling along Red's spine.
"Endless."
