IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:
I am truly sorry for taking so long to update. It really is inexcusable. But...school, loss of interest, and no working computer really crippled me for a long time. Luckily, I just recently got a new laptop (AND I FREAKING LOVE IT) and after putting in 200+ hours into my Y game, I have suddenly found a lot more interest in this story again. The 5th generation of Pokemon really bored me, and I partially blame them for my lack of interest. Playing Y was like going back to my first Pokemon game again, and I truly fell in love with the franchise again.
Oh yeah...
HOENN CONFIRMED
The announcement of Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby have me SO excited! My Ruby and Sapphire games back on my GBA have a dry internal battery because I played them so much, and same with my Emerald and my all-time favorite Pokemon game, Gold. Thanks to Pokemon Y, the announcement of the 3rd Gen remakes, and a newfound interest once more, I'm back baby! I'm really looking forward to seeing where Red and company go, and who this new Ruby girl is.
Once more, I am truly sorry for taking so long. I will try SO much harder not to take as long as I did for this chapter.
Please Favorite and show your friends. And please, leave a Review. I love it when you guys review and tell me what you're thinking about this story. It's what really keeps me going. Reviews are something I truly adore, even if it is criticism or you're threatening my life for taking so long.
Sorry. Here's an extra long chapter to make up for it! ;)
-Robo
Red's POV
Current team:
Pika the Pikachu
Vee the Espeon
Char the Charizard
Saur the Venasaur
Blasty the Blastoise
Lax the Snorlax
You'd be surprised to hear that it wasn't Lax's snores that woke me up. My team and I have gotten so used to the snores that at this point, it doesn't bother us. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't wake up the entire town of Pallet. No, what woke me up, was something softly tickling my nose.
I let out an irritated grunt and swiped the area in front of my nose, figuring it was just Pika and Vee trying to wake me up. Those two are quite a force to be reckoned with when they're hungry, and I cannot begin to tell you how many scars I have from them scratching and biting me for food. But once I swiped, and didn't hear one of them mewl in annoyance, I figured something was up.
I blearily opened one eye, and saw a pair of bright green eyes meeting my gaze. A curtain of long brown hair hung around us, cutting out most of the sunlight. All I could see was the two green eyes staring at me. My second eye opened, I shot up from my laying down position, and all drowsiness from before was quickly forgotten. Who was this?! Why didn't my team warn me of an intruder?! Who climbed up my mountain?!
And then it hit me when the owner of the pair of green eyes giggled.
I groaned, threw my arm over my eyes, and l lay back down.
"Leaf."
Giggle.
I lay there in silence for a moment, waiting for her to say something. Suddenly, the tickling feeling was back. I shifted my arm so one of my eyes could peer beyond it. Leaf was leaning over me and my team, looking at me with a weird look on her face.
"Leaf?"
"You look so young when you sleep. Like you don't have a worry in the world…."
I lowered my arm and shifted onto my elbows. She was acting weird…
"What?"
Suddenly, her eyes widened, as if she just realized what she had said, and quickly she gave me a wide grin.
"I said that today's the big day! Your homecoming! You get to see mommy dearest for the first time in like, what, 3 years? Big day today! Get up you lazy bum!"
And then, she was gone. Her bright green eyes disappeared, and her long brown hair that once served as a curtain flew away behind her. Without it, the sun blasted full blast onto my face, and I winced. Bright. I rubbed my eyes, and looked up in time to see Leaf's long hair fly behind her as she left the clearing my team and I had slept in. I groaned, and sat up. Vee and Pika mewled in complaint as they slowly fell off of my lap. I chuckled, and reached down to scratch them behind their ears.
"C'mon. Up."
I got up, and stretched. I heard my team wake up behind me, and do their respective stretches. I walked towards the exit of the clearing, and turned around to watch my team. Lax was still laying on the ground, giving a few pitiful moans when Char and Saur began to roll him over to get him up. They couldn't do it, and eventually Blasty came over to help them. They got Lax onto his side, but he wouldn't budge from there.
"Lax! Lax snore!" he grumbled, opening one eye to glare over his back at the three trying to roll him over.
Saur gave a low grumble, Blasty crossed his arms in an annoyed fashion, and Char gave a growl. Pika and Vee watched from my feet, and would occasionally give something that sounded like a snicker. I looked down at them and chuckled. I knew those three needed help, so I gently nudged Pika with my shoe. He looked up at me, and his ears drooped back. I nodded my head at my squabbling team, and Pika gave a sigh. He turned to Vee, gave a soft "Pika.." and began to go help his team mates in their quest to wake up Lax. Vee gave a small sigh and worked her way over there too.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pika squeaked up at Lax, who only gave a grunt.
Pika, turned and looked at me, and I nodded. He turned back around, and gave off a Thunderbolt. It flew towards Lax, and hit him in the small of the back. He gave a strangled cry, and finally collapsed on his stomach with a humongous THUD. The ground shook, and several Pidgeys flew out of the trees and away with a startled squawk.
Pika and the others gave victorious cries while Lax gave a defeated grumble from his new position. I just chuckled, and pulled off their Pokeballs from my belt. I returned everyone but Pika and Vee, and turned to walk away. I could smell the fire and whatever my friends were cooking, and I moved towards it. Vee and Pika quickly caught up, and Pika took his usual place on my right shoulder. Vee rubbed up against my left leg, and let out a purr. I smiled, and reached down to scratch her behind the ears.
I broke through into the clearing my friends had slept in, and was met with the smell of cooking food. I felt my stomach grumble, and hoped no one had heard it. Ethan, Lyra, and Leaf were sitting around the fire, and all of their stuff had been packed up. They were eating what looked to be bacon, and my stomach gave another grumble. This time, I think they heard it. They all three looked up at me, and then at each other, and then bursted into laughter.
"Jeez, Red." Lyra said in-between deep laughs. "For a second there, I thought you were a Snorlax! I've never heard a human with that loud of a stomach!"
I didn't say anything as I moved over to sit next to Leaf. I plopped down on the log she was sitting on, and stole a piece of bacon. Luckily, she didn't notice because she was laughing so much, so I stole two more and quickly handed them to Pika and Vee. They gave me big grins, and quickly dug into their bacon. I gave a small smile as I quickly inhaled my piece of bacon.
The three of them eventually calmed down, and Lyra quickly got to make me some bacon. She gave me 5 more pieces, and I another two to Pika and Vee. I nibbled on my three pieces as Ethan cleared his throat.
"So Leaf," he began. "What's the plan for today?"
Leaf reached down to her plate, realized she didn't have any more bacon, and stared at it in confusion for a second. Then she turned and glared at me, and swiped my last piece. I just chuckled as she shoved it in her mouth. She turned back to me and gave me a bacon filled grin.
"Attractive." Was all I said.
Her eyes widened a bit, and she quickly turned away from me to look at Ethan.
"Well," she spluttered, then coughed. I quickly hit her gently on the back to help her. She muttered something that sounded like a thanks, then began again. "Well, today is Red's homecoming, so we're definitely going to his house! I bet Red's mom will be happy to see him again!"
"What about the paparazzi?" Lyra asked, looking up from putting away her cooking supplies. "I mean, won't they jump us? We're bringing home the Lost Champion Red, after all."
I opened my mouth to say something about my new title, but Ethan beat me to the punch.
"What if I distracted them?"
We all turned to look at him, and he flushed. He ducked his head a little, and mumbled, "Well, I am Johto's Champion, so, I mean, that counts for something, right?"
"Excellent!" Leaf squealed, clapping her hands together. "While you two distract the mob-"
"Woah, wait!" Ethan cut in. "Us two? I was the one who offered, so who else is coming with me?"
Leaf raised one eyebrow. "Well, Lyra of course. Duh. Most of Johto and Kanto see you as a couple, anyways. If you two start walking around and act like you're on a date, you could totally draw the crowd away!"
Silence fell over the camp as Ethan and Lyra slowly began to turn red.
"One flaw." I said, shattering the silence and trying to save the two younger trainers. "Date? In Pallet? Not much to do here. Guess that won't work."
Leaf turned to me, and gave me a Cheshire Meowth grin. "Oh Red, Red, Red. You've been gone for too long, my friend! They've added a lot while you've been gone! A few new restaurants, oh, and you even have your own museum! A whole museum dedicated to you and your travels! How about that?! Blue and I even have our own wings to the building! Its sweeeeeeet!"
"So a date at my….museum?"
"YES!" Leaf shouted, jumping up and down.
Eyes forward, Red. Focus. On. Something. Not. Leaf.
I looked down at Pika, hoping he would serve as a distraction. "How romantic."
"Erm," Ethan muttered. "Do we not get a say in this?"
"So its decided then! Ethan and Lyra will be going on a date while I sneak Red back to his house!"
"I'm regretting all of this…." Ethan sighed, looking down.
I gave him a sympathetic look.
Leaf and I watched as the reporters quickly gave chase to Ethan and Lyra. Their shouts of questions echoed throughout Pallet, and I briefly wondered how the residents of Pallet thought of the reporters constantly swamping their small town. I felt bad, seeing as they were constantly here for me. I caused the residents of Pallet to have to deal with this nuisance. All of this quickly left my mind, however, when Leaf grabbed my hand and began to drag me very quickly through the streets. Her hands were soft…
"-and I think Blue will be happy too! Even if he is a big grump, he has a soft spot for you!" I heard Leaf say. She must have been talking while I was lost in thought. Pika gave a small squeak of agreement with Leaf, and Vee gave a purr as she rubbed up against Leaf's leg.
We quickly made progress through the streets, and before I knew it, we were in front of my house. I slipped my hand out of Leaf's, and she paused on my front porch. I slowly backed up, and took my old home in. It looked exactly the same when I left it 5 years ago to begin my journey, and exactly the same as when I left it 3 years ago for my isolation and training. I guess some things never change. The red roof was at its normal triangular shape, and the old wood door still had a few random notches on it from when Blue and I aggravated some wild Spearows, and they followed us all the way to my door. I still have a few scars on the back of my neck from them pecking and scratching at us. Pika rubbed his cheek against my right one, and I felt some static from his electric pouches. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, and he nodded forward, giving me a small smile. Something brushed past my left leg against my jeans, and I looked down to Vee. She gave me a small mewl, and quickly dashed back up to Leaf and gracefully sat down at her feet. I raised my eyes to Leaf's bright green ones, and she gave me a small smile. I had to tell myself to ignore my increasing heartbeat.
"You ready?" she asked softly. I nodded. She walked back to me, grabbed my hand, and led me up to the door. She raised her hand not holding mine, and gave a soft knock.
"I swear to Arceus!" a familiar voice yelled from inside, and my heart seemed to stop. That voice…
The door flew open, and my mom stood in the doorway, looking how she always looked. Besides, of course, her brandishing the frying pan like it was a deadly weapon and the furious look on her face. My heart nearly stopped again. Her face…I could see her aging and getting older. Her messy black hair was pulled back in a bun, and she was wearing her usual red dress with white apron. With another start, I realized that I had to look down on her now to meet her gaze.
"Oh…" she whispered, dropping her frying pan with a loud crash. "Oh…my sweet Arceus…Red?"
I opened my mouth, but couldn't figure out how to work my voice. I eventually managed to croak out "Mom". Suddenly, with a strangled cry, she flung herself at me, almost knocking me off of the front porch. Luckily, I was still holding Leaf's hand, and she hung onto me so I wouldn't fall. I wrapped my available arm around my mom, and held her as she cried into my shoulder. I realized with a start that I was crying too, my vision blurring as I looked at Leaf to see a few tears of her own running down her face.
"You're home…" my mom whispered hoarsely into my shoulder after crying for a few minutes.
"Yeah. I'm home…" I whispered back.
She suddenly untangled herself from me, and smiled up at me. She raised both of her hands and cupped my face.
"Look at you," she cooed. "All grown up. Even taller than your mom now! And is that a faint stubble I feel?!" she rubbed at my cheeks.
"Mom…" I muttered.
"And your voice! So much deeper! You definitely are all grown up! So handsome! I bet you'll have the women all over you! Not only are you the greatest Pokemon trainer, but you're also so handsome!" she shot a look over her shoulder at Leaf. "Prepare for competition, dear. You may have to fight for this one!"
Mom gave a small laugh and lowered her hands away from my face. I felt my face heat up, and didn't want to look at Leaf. What did Mom mean by that? Competition? Fight for me? Mom gently patted my cheek and laughed a bit more, before turning to walk back inside. "Come on dears, lets get inside before those nasty reporters see you and go into a frenzy."
Leaf spluttered something that sounded faintly like an ok, and quickly scrambled inside. I followed fast behind, holding the door open long enough for Vee to gracefully leap inside. I turned around from the door, and looked around. Everything was the same. Mom's old table was sitting in the middle of the room, with the TV on with some movie playing. Leaf was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the table, hands on her knees while she looked at the table as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. I looked to my left and saw Mom busy at work in the kitchen.
"Mom, we just had breakfeast…"
She turned and glared at me. "Red, you will eat whatever I make you, understand?"
I swallowed, and made my way over to the table. I sat next to Leaf, and she gave a small squeak. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, and saw her quickly look to the TV. Pika hopped onto the table and sat down in front of me. Vee hopped up into my lap, and quickly curled up. I absentmindedly petted her as I watched TV. An intense battle raged on between a man by the name of Gray and a woman by the name of Karen. Gray's Tyranitar quickly got rid of Karnen's Umbreon, and won the battle. Gray seems like he would be a formidable opponent….hopefully I would be able to face him in battle one day. Seems like it would be a fun fight….
The clatter of the plate being placed in front of me shattered me from my thoughts. Pika gave a squeal of delight before digging in.
Mom laughed. "For a master trainer, you don't seem to feed your Pokemon very well."
"I feed him..." I mutter. "I think he just likes your cooking better than mine…"
Mom gives a small laugh and sits down in the seat across from me.
"So," she begins. "I believe we have some catching up to do."
Once again I would like to apologize for taking so long. I'm going to try and make sure that doesn't happen again. It would be greatly appreciated if you left a review telling me what you would like to see in this story, or what you thought of it. Hell, I'll even take some criticism on it! Just please review!
Thanks for reading!
-Robo