Me: So excited! Big festival tomorrow in town! Gonna get me a crazy hat!
Gardevoir: Hooraa! A whole day away from you!
Me: *sarcastic* Don't miss me too much.
Gardevoir: I won't!
Me: Well then! I guess I'll just have to get you a matching hat while I'm gone.
Gardevoir: Oh no, I'm not wearing one of those stupid furry things on my head!
Me: Too late! I can see it now...
Gardevoir: Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon.
Chapter Four: Red
"So you've been gone since Red was six?"
Yellow reached out as I handed her a cup of tea. She was sitting on the couch in my living room. Amber was in an armchair next to her, staring faintly at the picture of Yellow and me from the mall I had hung up on the wall. I gave him a cup, too, before settling beside Yellow with my own.
The boy took a sip of his tea. "Yeah, it's a long story."
"We've got all night," she said firmly, determined not to leave until she knew every detail. She'd never met him, and it had been a long time since I had last seen him, but I still remembered how stubborn he could be.
He gave her a look and glanced to me. I nodded my head. Heck yeah I wanted to hear where my brother had been for the past ten years!
He huffed at us and opened his mouth to speak. "Fine. I'll start from the real beginning since you don't know the first reason I was out of Red's life," he directed at her. "We were the best brothers ever, playing kickball and doing everything together. It was a rare sight to see us fighting with each other."
Amber looked at me again, his eyes asking me if I wanted to tell this part of the story since it was the only one I knew. I continued on for him. "Mom and Dad, however, were a different story." I could feel the memories coming back as I was thrown into a whirlwind of reminiscence. Those countless days in the backyard, trips to the beach where we would splash each other in the tide. Then came the ones of my parents, always arguing and fighting when they thought Amber and I were upstairs asleep, but we were actually listening to them from the stairway.
"They didn't get along too well." I averted my eyes down as Yellow tried to look at me. "Constantly bickering and throwing things around the house. One day, it became too much for them both." I closed my eyes as I remembered that night.
They had fought in front of us for the first time, their yelling reaching a new limit that my brother and I had never heard before. It ended in a glass shattering fight that destroyed Mom's antique crystal statue that was the last thing she had of her own mother. That had been the final straw, and she told him to go away and leave us alone. He wouldn't at first because he said we were his sons, too, but after more screaming, he had exited the house with a revengeful face.
She had cleaned up the glass, telling us it would be okay, but a week later, he'd come back with a paper that was shoved in Mom's face. She kept telling him that it didn't matter, that he couldn't do it. Dad had yelled at her that he could and strode over to where I was watching with Amber. He'd been closest to our dad, and without another word to our mom, he was told to go upstairs and pack some clothes.
Mom had tried to stop him, but Dad had stopped her until his son was done. He kissed me on the head, regret filling his eyes as he told Amber to come and opened the door. I'd stared at Amber who was torn with confusion on what he should do. He looked to me with hopelessness before Dad had come back and pulled him gently out the door. I started to run after them, but Mom held me back, saying that she wasn't going to lose both her boys to that man.
Finally I had broken free and rushed out the door to find that they were long gone. I looked to the sky with overflowing tears in my eyes. Somehow even at only six, I had known that Amber wasn't coming back.
That was the last time I had ever seen my brother—until tonight.
"Dad left," I murmured, my eyes stinging from the memory. "He took Amber with him and never came back."
I rubbed at my face and sat back up, my part of story-telling complete. Yellow was leaning forward with her mouth hanging slightly open as she took in this information.
Putting down his cup of tea, Amber cleared his throat. "It was hard for me that day, too, you know," he told me. "Dad kept saying that it would be fine, that we were going on a vacation to see the world. I had asked why you guys weren't coming, but he never answered me.
"We traveled around a bit before settling in Fushia City. He enrolled me at school, got himself a job, tried to pretend like he hadn't just ripped me away from the rest of my family." His breath hitched. "I never spoke about you and Mom because he would always get mad and stalk off. You have no idea how much I missed you guys, how much I longed to go back home and be with you. But being six and not able to read maps yet, I had no way of getting back home."
I could see his eyes were misting over as he went on. "The years went by, and I saw you become the champion Red. I had to watch the TV secretly so Dad wouldn't know, and it just felt so good to see you again. After I saw you beat the Indigo League, I wanted to become strong like you, but Dad never let me have any Pokemon; I think he thought I would train them to be tough enough for me to leave him."
My fists clenched. I couldn't believe my father would do that; Amber had always loved Pokemon, and to take that away from him…I was furious. Surprisingly though, I did feel a bit of understanding from deep within me; Dad had just lost his wife and child so I didn't blame him for being afraid that his last son might leave him all alone.
"Then came that day when I was eleven," Amber whispered. I looked at him with sympathy, knowing exactly what he was talking about. It had been all over the news and the first time I had heard about him since he left. "Dad was going to take me to the Safari Zone to look at the Pokemon since he felt bad about not letting me have any. But we never made it there."
His voice broke, and Yellow placed her hand over his. He didn't seem to notice as he choked out, "Some guys from an alley jumped us. It was pretty bad. I was bleeding a lot, but when I heard that gunshot, I couldn't feel anything. The guys started freaking out when the sirens started getting closer, and they ran off, leaving me and my dad. I passed out just as Officer Jenny and the crew arrived with an ambulance.
"I woke up at the Pokemon Center covered in bandages from head to toe. Immediately jumping out of bed, I ran into Nurse Joy on my way to find him, and she forced me back into my room. I was frantic, my eyes spilling over as I asked about my dad. I had wanted her to smile. I had wanted her to say he was fine, and I could see him in a while, but of course she didn't. And just by that, I knew."
I shook my head as I recalled the news articles about that incident that everyone had said was such a shock since it had happened in the friendly city of Fushia. I also remembered that that had meant Amber would be coming home so I had headed for Pallet Town to greet him. When I got there, the only thing I had found was my mother alone and another story about how the Fushia victim's child was now missing. Investigations had gone out to see if the muggers had kidnapped him, but when caught, they confessed that they hadn't. The final conclusion was that Amber had run away.
He refused to stop even as his voice was starting to crack badly. "It was then that I was determined to be like you, Red. I was going to get strong so that no one could hurt me or the people I cared about ever again. I escaped from the hospital before they could decide to send me back to Mom; I couldn't become powerful by staying at home. I ran into the nearby forest where I met my first partner, Ki."
He took out a red and white Pokeball and pressed the button, his face beginning to clear up but remaining somber. A bright red light flashed before a small Pokemon appeared. Just like me, one of his team was a Pikachu, although his had dark yellow almost orange fur that seemed to sparkle. My mind reeled in surprise. He hadn't caught just any Pikachu-Ki was a shiny one!
"With Ki, I managed to make it to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and recently Unova where I found a new Pokemon each time. One for every region I went to."
Pulling out his other Pokeballs, Yellow and I looked at them to find four other Pokemon, each originating from a different region. Ki was obviously the one from Kanto. Inside the first ball was a bold-looking Houndoom that Amber had apparently acquired in Johto. From Hoenn was a Salamance that stared out at us from its confinement with a solemn expression that matched its trainer's. The third Pokeball held a Froslass, the creature taking a calm nap that contrasted with the depressed atmosphere. Lastly, a Semipour from Unova was sitting in its ball; with its fingers beneath its chin and a smile on its face, I got the impression that it was scheming.
I gave a low whistle. "You have a nice team there, Amber."
Grateful for the change in subject, he smiled faintly. "Yeah, these guys pretty much found me just as I much as I found them."
I wondered what he meant by that. While my mind pondered the thought, Amber said proudly, "I've been training with them for the past five years." I came back to focus seeing his face darken slightly. I wondered what that meant, too.
Yellow took her hand back to pick up her tea. Taking a sip, she asked, "So why have you come back all of a sudden?"
Amber turned to look out at the rising moon. He was about to reply when my clock went off to announce the hour. Seeing the time, I nudged Yellow with my elbow.
"I need to take you home; it's starting to get late."
"But—" she started before Amber cut her off.
"Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere," he reassured her.
Biting her tongue in indecision, she finally nodded, letting go of her unanswered question. Standing up, she walked over to the last chair where Pika and Chuchu had fallen asleep. She picked up her Pokemon, careful not to wake either one.
I began to walk her to the door before I turned to Amber who was right behind us with Ki standing on his shoulder. "You can stay here if you like; I'll be back after I take Yellow home."
"No, that's okay. I already checked into the Pokemon Center earlier. Room 2A." He flashed us a cardkey with a smile. "I'll just head over there now." I pulled him in for a quick brotherly hug, still not quite convinced that my brother was really there. Stepping back, Amber smiled at Yellow who warmly returned it before heading out the door towards the Center, throwing a good-bye to us over his shoulder.
Yellow and I were about to follow suit when I felt a weight on my shoulder. Turning, I saw that her random drowsiness had kicked in, and she was softly breathing, Chuchu slipping from her slack arms and rolling down the skirt of her dress. I grabbed her before she fell to the floor, not sure whether I should take her home or let her stay here.
I saw Chuchu grumble and groggily go back to Pika on the chair, snuggling close and obviously not going anywhere anytime soon. I sighed slightly, looking down at Yellow's serene face as she continued to sleep. I couldn't help myself from smiling at her. How does she do that to me?
Gently picking her up, I ascended the stairs to my room where I was going to let Yellow rest; I could deal with the couch for one night. Setting her down, I was about to wrap the blanket around her when I realized that she was clutching my black shirt I had changed into when we got back. I tried to pry her fingers from it, but the girl had a firm hold that showed no signs of slackening. I saw her face scrunch up slightly and gave up.
Moving her across the bed, I climbed in with her, pulling the cover over us both. I could feel my face turn red as her hold tightened, and she pulled herself closer. Content, her face became peaceful again, and she returned to her quiet slumber.
She's so cute at times like this. I sighed. I wasn't even questioning my feelings anymore. I knew I had fallen for Yellow, but I wasn't sure if she felt the same. I didn't want to confess myself to her if she didn't return my feelings. But what if she did? I would be the happiest person in the world if that were true, but how would I ever know?
I shook the pestering thoughts from my head; I was too tired right now to think this through. Shuffling around to make myself comfortable, I found my arm around her as I finally got settled. I smiled down at her and heard both of us breathe softly as I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up the next morning to Yellow rustling beside me. Blinking against the sunlight streaming in through the window, I blearily looked down at the silently breathing girl. She had moved around in the middle of the night, her back against me and our legs just barely intertwined. It was too early for me to even think about blushing so I just tightened my arm slightly around her and went back to sleep.
The quiet was broken, though, when I heard the doorbell ring downstairs. Giving a small groan, I detangled myself from Yellow, careful not to wake her, and headed to see who was here. My feet thumped against the hardwood floor as I trudged to the front of the house, a small yawn escaping from my lips as I turned the handle.
The door swung open to reveal Ruby standing with the new girl from Unova. What was her name, again? Oh yeah, White. She was fidgeting anxiously, a paper folio in her delicate hands.
"See," Ruby gestured to my half-asleep form that was leaning against the door frame. "He's here; you can stop fretting."
"Okay, okay," she exhaled loudly. Her blue-grey eyes looked at me anxiously. "Do you know where Yellow is? I tried to find her at her house, but she wasn't there. Ruby said if anyone knew where she was, it'd be you. So have you seen her?"
I scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, she's—"
"Right here," came a soft voice from behind me. I turned around to see Yellow rubbing her eyes, the girl walking up to where I stood with Ruby and White. Her dress was ruffled, and her golden mane was caught up in a messy frizz.
Glancing from my disheveled shirt and hair to her tousled appearance in my house, White looked at me in surprise. My eyes widened in shock as I realized what she was thinking. I held up my hands and shook my head. "No, it's not—"
"What did you do?!" Ruby practically shrieked as he took in Yellow's rumpled gown. "You can't put wrinkles in this material! It ruins the whole thing!"
He immediately rushed inside and grabbed her wrist, making way for the stairs. "You have to change right now. If I don't get those wrinkles out soon, it will be a diaster!"
"But I don't have any—"
"Red! I'm borrowing some clothes!" Ruby shouted from upstairs where he was rummaging through my dresser.
"Uh," I muttered before turning to White who was still on the porch outside. I cast a hand behind me. "Come in."
Following her into the living room, I watched her set down the folder and put her hands together on her knees as she sat down. I plopped down on the couch, still trying to wake up as she started talking.
"I don't know if Yellow has told you yet, but Pika and Chuchu have the makings of fantastic actors," White told me, excitedly waving her hands in the air. I shook my head. I didn't know Pika could act. Smiling at my buddy's hidden talent, I focused again as White went into professional mode. "Now I've managed to get you a shot in the commercial the BW Agency is supporting in Viridian City. It's a simple ad that's focusing on the nature of Viridian to promote tourism.
"There is some paperwork that you and Yellow have to sign to give the BW Agency permission to become your manager should you decide that you want to continue in the acting business." She picked up the manila folder and took out a quarter-inch thick packet that I identified as a big long contract.
Retrieving the paper, I rubbed my head as I squinted to read the tiny writing. "Are you trying to con me with a hidden agreement I can't find and wouldn't like since I'm still half asleep?" I scoffed teasingly, knowing how easy that would be in my partially-dead state.
White's shook her head indignantly. "The BW Agency focuses on trust and honesty; we believe in a fair deal for the actors and actresses so that they willingly continue to do business with us. Here, I'll go over it with you."
She started pointing out each section, explaining every detail so I knew what I was dealing with. We were about halfway through when Ruby came running downstairs and shot for the door with Yellow's dress streaming behind him, screaming about being late for the battle and how Sapphire was going to literally kill him.
I could hear Yellow sigh as she came down, too. She entered the room in a pair of my dark baggy shorts I never wore and one of my black shirts fitted to her size. Seeing me look at her, she blushed. "Sorry. Ruby just started grabbing stuff and ripping and sewing and forced me into the bathroom to change before he left."
"No, it's fine," I reassured her. "I never wore those anyway. You can keep them."
"T-thanks," she stuttered before settling down on the floor by White's chair, face still pink. "So what's this?" She pointed towards the packet we had been going over.
"This is the contract for you and Red to sign before Pika and Chuchu start acting," White explained again. "It just allows the BW Agency to become your manager if you all decide that you want to keep going down this path."
Yellow took the packet and began reading it, asking White about certain sections and what they entitled. I just leaned my head against the couch arm, noticing this observational side of Yellow. It wasn't too surprising, though, when you thought about it. She was out in the forest watching and taking note of everything on her patrols so often that she had probably developed an eye for detail.
After a good twenty minutes of combing through the folio, Yellow was satisfied and decided to sign. Joining her, I grabbed one of White's offered pens and scribbled my name and initials on the necessary lines beside Yellow's wavy signatures. Man, I had to work on my handwriting. Mine was like chicken scratch compared to her graceful letters.
Putting the signed contract back into its folder, White began to gather her things. "I know it's short notice, but the commercial shoot is today at two o'clock in Viridian City at the edge of the forest. There'll be cameras and crews; you can't miss it. Make sure you clean up before you come," she said gesturing at our morning appearances. "I'll see you guys there!"
Then she waved good-bye and headed out the door to get to Viridian City early. I got up from my slouched position and set out to wake up Pika and Chuchu who were still somehow asleep in the chair from last night. Nudging the two back to consciousness, I turned to Yellow who was still sitting on the floor and held out a hand.
"I'm going to take a shower," I told her, pulling her slight frame up from the ground. "You can eat some breakfast; there should still be some cereal in the cupboard." I grinned slightly. "Sorry I don't have a lot; I'm not much of a grocery shopper."
She laughed softly as I went upstairs to grab some clothes before heading to the bathroom. I stepped under the running water, the steam in the air helping my brain wake up. I just let it run over me as my brother entered my mind for the first time that day. I still couldn't believe he was back. He had been gone for so long that I had just told myself that I would never see him again then, POOF! He randomly shows up. And on the Reunion of all nights. I had to agree with Yellow; why now?
"Hm," I hummed to myself. He had his reasons, and after all he's been through, I had no right to question him about what he did. I was just happy he was back. Ten years, I thought. Last night I had noticed that even though it looked like he hadn't changed that much, his golden-orange eyes seemed to carry a new light of sorrow.
My mind still on the evening before, my confusing thoughts about Yellow returned. I really had to do something about that. I wanted to tell her how I felt, but just the thought of doing it made me nervous. I had to find a way to shake off my anxiety or else I'd never be able to let her know. But how was I going to do that?
Shaking my head, I finished off my shower, stepping back out a good twenty minutes later. Oops. Pulling on my usual vest and jeans combo, I tried to take care of my wild hair but of course, the thing had a mind of its own. Sighing angrily at my black spikes, I gave up and grabbed my hat before heading downstairs. As I positioned it on my head correctly, I walked into the kitchen to find an elaborate breakfast of eggs, potatoes, pancakes, and more set out on the island, Yellow putting an bare plate next to the others.
"This looks great!" I cried out, Yellow jumping as she heard my loud voice. She turned around with a gasp and a hand at her heart.
"Red! You scared me!"
"Sorry," I said, walking over to where she was standing. I placed a hand on her arm. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Her face immediately flushed at my touch, and she pulled away gently to pour a glass of orange juice. "I-I'm fine. I decided to make something to eat while you were upstairs. You have more food in here than you realized."
I thought for a second before concluding, "Mom." I was about to grab the empty plate before asking, "Aren't you going to eat?"
"I already did." She was washing a dirty dish in the sink, her hands covered in soap.
"Okay, then." I started piling food on my plate and settled down on a stool by the island. Digging right in, I was amazed. "Wow! You can really cook!"
"No, not really," she mumbled with rosy cheeks. "I just warmed a lot of this up on the stove."
I knew she was lying. I had tried to cook sunny-side up eggs and hash browns once but ended up with burnt yellows and greasy grits—using a stove is not as easy as it looks. She was just trying to be modest. It was something she always did. That was one of the things I loved about her; she wasn't manipulative like Blue (Boy, do I have some stories concerning that girl) or solemn like Crystal (I have to agree with Gold—sometimes she was just too serious) or crazy like Sapphire (Thank goodness for that. One wild child was enough). She was the sweet, honest and open girl in our group, and that's why I liked her so much.
I was suddenly struck with the urge to tell her. Strangely, I wasn't feeling nervous like usual, and who knew if I'd ever get this chance again?
Looking up from my food, I coughed a little. "Yellow?"
She set the rinsed plate on the counter to dry, wiping off her hands on a towel. When she turned to me, her long free hair caught the warm sunlight coming in from the window above the sink, creating a soft golden halo around her deep-green eyes. I gulped involuntarily. Somehow, in a black T-shirt and shorts, she looked more beautiful than she had last night in her shimmering emerald dress.
"Yes?"
Anxiety crashed down on me faster than the beat of a Ninjask's wings. Before I could stop myself, the stuttering began. "Uh, I-I," I swallowed again. "I…really like—" I panicked, looking down and seeing my plate. "These pancakes! You have a gift, Yellow!"
I saw her frown slightly as she turned back to the other dishes. "Oh. Thank you." I watched her finish washing as I ate up my breakfast, each bite chewed with self-aimed frustration. My jaw was aching by the time she hung up the towel and put the last spoon in the drawer.
Clapping her hands, she sighed. "Well, I best be getting home. We need to get ready before the commercial shooting." Yellow strode slowly into the other room where she picked up Chuchu who was running around the house with Pika. "I'll see you there." And with that she walked out the door, shutting it gently behind her.
With her gone, I let out my pent up anger, slamming the counter-top with my fist. Pika, upon hearing the loud noise, came over to me, clearly trying to ask why I was so mad.
I gave an unenthusiastic laugh. "What's wrong with me, Pika?"
He just stood on the island in confusion as I rounded up the leftover dishes and claimed Yellow's job as my own.
Me: hehe
Gardevoir: What?
Me: Oh, nothing. Just trying to decide which color hat to get you tomorrow.
Gardevoir: Ugh!
