"No dreams, no visions, no delicious fantasies, no castles in the air, with which, as the old song so truly says, 'hearts are broken, heads are turned'." – William Osler

So begins the actual story...

Enjoy.

"Red?" Leaf asked, once the fire by their campfire went out on its own.

"Hm?" was his half-awake response.

"Have you ever had a dream that continued the next night?"

He turned over in his half consciousness. "Probably," was the slurred response. "Go to sleep, Leaf," he said later. "We have to get to Pewter City by tomorrow."

Leaf shifted to a more comfortable sleeping position. She held her eyes open for a while but later forced herself back to sleep.

It was about a week and she didn't have one trace of dream. That was actually sort of normal for her, but ever since she had gotten a dream about Touya and his Snivy and his world, she had always somewhat looked forward to going to sleep and dreaming.

Her mother complemented that Leaf was getting more and more responsible now, for going to sleep on her own accord.

Except Leaf woke up every morning after that to be disappointed that she hadn't dreamed. And each day began to feel incomplete to some extent. It was great that Red and Leaf hung out so much, best friends forever, and she was overexcited to finally move out of Pallet Town to get her first badge with Red by her side.

But something was missing.

She had tried to talk herself out of the fact that it was just a dream, but her eyes were always searching for a person that looked like Touya or a Pokémon that even slightly resembled the Snivy she remembered.

Tonight, she would attempt to recall those memories back, and tonight, she would dream of Nuvema Town. The last she saw of Touya was when they were off to train…

dayandnight

But she woke up without a dream to remember.

Leaf and Red finally got to Pewter City and found out where the gym was. Red and Leaf were both glad they made it this far and decided to train a bit more before entering the gym, but while training, Red noticed Leaf's spaciness from afar.

Leaf's Charmander was slowly fainting because of another Bug Poison Pokémon, and after encountering a Pidgey, her Charmander was about to faint. Leaf only had a half-fainted Caterpie she had caught from before and that wouldn't fare well against the Bird Pokémon.

Red threw an empty Pokeball at the Pidgey Leaf was fighting to distract the Pidgey. By the time the Pidgey escaped from the ball, Red had fled his own battle and got his Squirtle to take the enemy Pidgey down. He decided to capture it too, since he had already wasted a Pokeball on it, and added a new Pokémon to his party.

Leaf returned her Charmander and looked down.

Red was angered at first. "Leaf, you almost whited out!" But after seeing her unchallenging and unfazed gaze, he asked, "Are you okay, Leaf?"

"Yeah, yeah," Leaf said, blinking. "Let's just go to the Pokémon Center to rest a bit."

This they did and while waiting for Red's party to heal, Red sat down by Leaf on a bench just outside the Center.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I know you better than that."

Leaf shook her head, "You wouldn't want to hear."

Red's facial expression seemed to doubt that. "I'll listen to anything."

"No," Leaf said. "Just don't worry about it."

He pursued. "Tell me."

Leaf stared off at the city around her.

Red breathed in and suppressed a sigh. He walked back into the Pokémon Center and attempted to ask Leaf again.

"No, let's just go back to training."

"Not before you let me know what you're thinking."

"We're wasting time."

"I can wait forever," he said, and his eyes met hers.

Leaf broke the eye contact first, folding her hands together and looking at her feet.

"It's nothing big. Or important. I'm just not dreaming anymore, that's all."

Red thought a moment, and Leaf knew that he wasn't pleased to hear the whole dream thing come up again.

"I know that you feel your dream was real. And I'll let you enjoy that when you sleep. But don't let…one world prevent you from enjoying another." He continued, "I'll listen to your adventures and stories from your dreams but don't forget about the one you're living."

Leaf was silent for a long moment, but then agreed.

"Alright," she said. "I'm going to forget about all that. It's just my imagination." She got up. "Let's go train for another round and then get our first badge."

And they did get the Boulder Badge.

As well as the Cascade Badge.

And later the Thunder Badge.

By now, her Charmander had become a Charmeleon.

When she exited the Celadon City gym with a Rainbow Badge in her hands, they embraced victoriously.

"We'll be together to the very end, sou dayo ne?" Red said.

"Yes," she replied.

But that night she had a dream.

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