Hello Everyone!
I know! I know! I'm 3 months late of the usual deadline when it comes to updates for this story, but like I mentioned in the last chapter, I took a break to write a small side project (which took me a lot longer to write than I initially planned btw!) and it really held up this story. But, it's done now and if you haven't read it yet and you're interested, it's on my profile.
That being said, I'm back and I hope you enjoy chapter 9!
Chapter 9: The Winds of Change
About a week had passed since the events that took place at the Dubonney Café and during that time, Red found himself constantly racking his brain, trying to think of some way he could assist his anonymous online friend with her problems.
No….he could no longer refer to her as "anonymous". She was Leaf Green, the owner of the Sunflora Daycare Centre and unfortunately, lead competition to his Pokemon Centre.
Due to that fact, he decided that instead of trying to help her directly; it would be best to help her indirectly and avoid any potential fallout that could arise because of his true identity.
So in the end, his plan was simple: Red would secretly help Leaf pay off all the expenses she had at her daycare and maybe…..just maybe if she ever found out he was the one who helped her, she would finally see him for who he truly was.
That was his hope at least. An almost childish plan to be sure, but it was the only way Red could think of telling her how he felt without actually "telling her".
As such, Red presently found himself standing in front of the giant iron doors of the local Pokebank ready to put his plan into action.
"Well! Here we are Pikachu!" he happily exclaimed while glancing over at the small yellow pokemon perched on his shoulder. "You ready to do this?!"
Ecstatic, Pikachu happily raised its fist in the air. "Pika!" it cheered as they entered the bank.
It was time, they were gonna do it and nothing could stop them from fulfilling their plan…..or so they thought.
No sooner did they walk inside and Red's "flawless plan" suddenly took a turn for the worse.
"What do you mean you won't take my money?!" he angrily yelled at one of the bank tellers.
Despite his yelling, the clerk stood his ground, completely unfazed. "I'm sorry sir, but those are the rules!" he sternly argued back.
"What rules?!"
"The rules that Ms. Green agreed to when she took ownership of this daycare." the clerk explained as he shoved a piece of paper in front of Red's face, "Rules that state that she personally must accept all of the daycare's responsibilities; no outside assistance allowed!"
Red snatched the paper for himself and looked it over. There was no denying that Leaf signed this document and gritted his teeth knowing there was nothing he could do about it.
"Oh, and if you ARE going to see Ms. Green, can you please remind her that she's once again late on her payments and her daycare will be confiscated if she doesn't pay us soon!"
Red glanced up from the paper. He had no idea just how bad things were for Leaf and began wondering if she had even bothered reading any of these forms before she signed them. "Alright….how much does she owe you?" he asked, hoping there was some other way around this.
The clerk then took out a calculator and started rapidly tapping away on it. "For all of her late payments on the daycare….50 000 pokedollars." he stated causing a small smile to form on Red's face.
"Okay! I'll see to it that she raises that!"
"However…..add to that: interest, medical charges, etc.….and it comes out to around 800 000 pokedollars."
"800 000 pokedollars?!"
That was a lot of money even for him and Red could feel his heart sink as he muttered under his breath. "She'll never be able to make that…"
Despite Red's attempt to remain quiet, his voice must have been loud enough for the clerk to hear him because a devious smirk suddenly formed on his face. "She will when she sells her daycare!" he smugly replied.
More upset than ever, Red was about to give this guy a piece of his mind when he noticed a sudden flash of light out of the corner of his eye. "PIIIIKKKKAAAA!" he could hear his yellow partner growl and upon looking over, saw that Pikachu had sparks flying from its cheeks, ready to attack.
"Easy Pikachu….." he said, raising his hand in an attempt to calm it down. "We'll just have to find another way….that's all..."
"Good! I'm glad we got that figured out!" the clerk sarcastically cheered causing Red to glare at him, "Is there anything else I can help you with sir?"
Red didn't even grace him with a response. He just turned and walked out the door, frustrated at what just occurred.
All that planning over the past week and it all amounted to nothing.
As the two exited the bank, Pikachu remained perched atop Red's shoulder, still growling as they began walking down the street.
"I know….I didn't like that banker either." he agreed, trying his best to calm his partner down, "The question is…..what do we do now?"
Continuing their walk down the streets of Saffron, Red and Pikachu smiled as they found themselves passing through familiar territory.
"Hey! Check it out Pikachu!" Red exclaimed, pointing at his Pokemon Centre as they walked by, "Look at all the customers we have today!"
However, no sooner did he say that and Red stopped dead in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder as he did. It was true; customers were practically lined up out the door at his Pokemon Centre….and that only made him ponder.
"I wonder how…she is doing?"
Curious, Red continued to walk further down the block to the very place he once called his competition; the Sunflora Daycare Centre.
It had been a while since he had last been here and compared to back then, the atmosphere was definitely a lot…quieter now. Very few people were walking at this end of the street and even less were stopping for even a passing glance at the daycare.
As they approached, Pikachu suddenly jumped off Red's shoulder and ran over the front door.
"Hey Pikachu!" he cried out as he quickly ran after the tiny pokemon and upon catching up to it, paused as he looked through the window.
Inside, the daycare was completely empty; no customers or pokemon or….anyone for that matter in sight…..save for one person. Standing at the front counter was the girl who had been the focal point of all his thoughts this past week: Leaf Green.
He watched as she just stood there with a sad look on her face…..waiting….waiting for customers that she probably knew in her heart weren't going to be coming.
"Leaf…." Red whispered and as he continued to stare at her, a strange tingly feeling began to form in his stomach.
This was the first time he'd actually seen her since "that" night and even though she had forgiven his online persona, her messaging had grown noticeably less frequent since that day. It had gotten to the point that Red hadn't even heard from her at all the past few days and it was clear that the daycare probably had something to do with it.
Completely lost in thought, Red was brought back to reality by Pikachu tugging on his pants. "Pika….Pi…." it muttered pointing up at the door.
Red glanced over at the door in question and instinctively found himself grabbing the doorknob. He didn't care what her reaction would be; if Leaf's bank wasn't going to take his money, he would just run in there and give it to her himself.
A wave of excitement began to overtake his mind as he began to fantasize about how she would respond to his kindness. For the first time since they met, Red would get to see that beautiful smile of hers again. Finally, she would understand who he truly was and how he felt about her.
The smile on Red's face was growing by the second as he then envisioned sweeping her off her feet. No longer would they be restricted by PC's and false personas; they could be together.
Truly…they could be…together.
At least….that was the scenario Red wanted to believe would happen, but as he began to turn the doorknob, the true reality of the situation began to crash down on him, dashing whatever sense of fantasy he had.
Truth be told, if Red really did walk into that daycare right now and presented her with a sum of money, he figured Leaf would probably just scoff at his sudden change in heart and tell him to. "Take his money and shove it!" After all, he was the reason why she was in this state right now and even if she did accept his money, it wouldn't solve the fact that the daycare wasn't seeing enough customers to keep her going.
While things might be good for a bit, it wouldn't be long before her funds would run dry and they would be back to square one again.
What would happen then? Would Red continue to give her money? He had his own business and employees to worry about. He couldn't afford to run his Pokemon Centre and keep Leaf in business at the same, it was impossible.
"Impossible….." he muttered, biting his lip as he let go of the doorknob and slowly backed away.
Confused, Pikachu jumped on his shoulder. "Pika….Pi?" it asked as Red tipped his hat over his eyes and turned around. Even if he didn't want to admit it, there was no plan Red could think of that wouldn't end in failure.
"She's….in the hands of fate now Pikachu…." he cryptically whispered to his yellow partner, "There's….nothing we can do to change that…"
With that, he began to slowly walk down the road with his head hung low. He had failed her…..and he had no one to blame but himself.
As time passed, things continued to look bleak for the Sunflora Daycare Centre. No matter how hard she tried, Leaf just couldn't keep up with the daycare's expenses and while the odd customer would show up from time to time, the amount she made off them was nowhere near sufficient.
With funds dropping and expenses continuing to pile up one after another…..a decision needed to be made and it needed to be made soon. So, it came to be that on a warm winters day, Leaf reluctantly called for both Cynthia and Lyra to come to the daycare to discuss…..their future.
"…..and that's where we stand right now….." she finished explaining to her friends and watched as they both lowered their heads in response.
No matter how obvious it was that the daycare was struggling, the news was not easy for either of the girls to take.
"Things…aren't looking too good…..huh Leaf?" Lyra sighed as Leaf nodded in response.
Cynthia sighed as well. Since nobody wanted to ask the question that was on all of their minds right now, she decided to take on the responsibility herself.
"So….what's your plan Leaf?"
Leaf's eyes darted between her two friends. This was the reason why she'd called them here in the first place, but no matter how prepared she was, it was still hard for her to say. "I've decided…." she paused, struggling to speak the words that were about to come out of her mouth, "I've decided to…fold…"
With that, a long silence followed. Between the bank constantly hassling them for money and little to no customers coming in, it was clear that the daycare wasn't going to survive much longer.
Never the less, hearing Leaf; the person who had fought so hard to keep the daycare intact admit defeat, was a hard pill to swallow and after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Leaf finally spoke up.
"I….I know…..it wasn't an easy decision for me to make….." she attempted to explain the best she could, "….and….I know it's going to be hard, especially for you Lyra."
Lyra bit her lip as Leaf walked over to her. "You've been helping me here ever since my mother passed away and….I wanted it to last forever….." she admitted as she placed both of her hands on her friend's shoulders, "Lyra…..if….if there's anything I can do help you find another job, believe me, I will!"
Seeing the genuine concern in Leaf's eyes, Lyra did her best to force the best smile she could for her. "It's okay Leaf…..even if I didn't want to admit it….I….I knew this would happen eventually." she reassured her brunette haired friend, "I've been actually looking into some other jobs lately and might have a few lined up."
Leaf stared at her friend in shock. A few months ago, Lyra would have lost her mind if she told her this, but it seemed like now she'd accepted it.
"D-don't worry! I'll….I'll be okay I promise!"
Still in shock, Leaf gave her a reassuring nod and walked over to the older blond haired trainer standing in another corner of the daycare. "What about you Cynthia? What will you do now?"
Cynthia stared at her brunette haired friend before giving her a hollow chuckle. "Oh…I'm already retired Leaf…." she admitted while shrugging slightly, "I guess….this means I can fully enjoy it now…."
Just like with Lyra, Leaf gave the elderly trainer a quick nod before lowering her head and walking away.
"Leaf!" Cynthia called out causing her to quickly turn around, "Never mind about us….what will you do now?"
"M-me?" Leaf stammered in response, "Oh…w-well…I…uh…I have some money saved up so that'll keep me going for a little while at least."
Cynthia watched with concern as she nervously began to play with her hair. Whatever her plan was, Leaf clearly wasn't sure of it.
"A-and….umm….Blue's been wanting to move away from here for so long so….I'll probably be going with him…"
"WHAT?!" Lyra immediately yelled out, "You can't just leave us Leaf!"
Not knowing how to respond, Leaf simply lowered head. Even if it wasn't what she wanted, it was the only option she had left.
"Lyra it's her decision and you have to respect that," Cynthia noted as Lyra lowered her head as well.
"But…you're my best friend…" she whimpered, "I…I… don't want you to go…."
Leaf watched Lyra's eyes began to gloss over and felt absolutely horrible. "I'm sorry Lyra…." she whispered to her pigtailed friend, "I know….I've failed you….both of you."
"No Leaf….you did everything you could and I don't regret standing by you for a second!" Cynthia quickly chimed in as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Through it all, you were the beautiful star that guided us…..right to the end."
"Thank you, Cynthia." Leaf muttered before glancing away, "But you know as well as I do…..no matter how bright a star shines….. they all burn out eventually….."
Once again, silence enveloped the room when suddenly, despite trying so hard to hold it in, a stray tear escaped from Leaf's eye. "I'm….sorry….I'm so sorry….." she pleaded as more began to fall down her cheeks.
Unable to watch any longer, Lyra lunged forward and tightly embraced her friend. "It's okay Leaf…..I'm….I'm going to miss it too…" she said as she began to sob uncontrollably as well.
Seeing the state her two friends were in, Cynthia didn't know how to proceed. Normally, whenever they got into a situation like this she would always be their voice of reason. This was the first time she was at a loss of what to do.
"Girls….I…..I…"
With no words left to say and tears now streaming down her eyes too, Cynthia quickly embraced her two friends as well and for the next few minutes, the three of them just stood there hugging and crying in each others arms. No matter how hard they fought, no matter how hard they tried to make a difference, the result…..wouldn't change.
The daycare had to close…..
As such, the next few days were filled with many tears being shed by both the daycare's employees and customers alike. While some came to take advantage of the special deals Leaf had on, most just came to share their sentiments. Many had been coming to the daycare for decades and some even offered to personally tear down Red's Pokemon Centre if it meant keeping The Sunflora Daycare Centre in business.
It definitely a sombre mood for all involved…..except for Leaf that was.
It was strange, throughout the whole ordeal, she was somehow able to maintain a constant smile no matter how many tears were shed in front of her. Maybe it was because she had so much going on right now that she didn't have time to let the fact that her daycare was closing sink in and for the first few days, life went on as usual.
It wasn't until the days and weeks passed by and the shelf's became more and more barren that it was becoming increasingly evident that…..the end was drawing near.
Before long, the day of closing was upon them and despite Lyra and Cynthia wanting to be there with her, Leaf felt this was something she had to do alone.
It wasn't like there was very much to go to anyway. Most of the items that had made the Sunflora Daycare Centre what it was were now either sold or in storage and the only things left were a few boxes of stuff that didn't manage to sell.
As quick as she could, Leaf ran around the daycare gathering any loose belongings of hers and placing them in the boxes as well before stopping and looking around. What was once a bright and cheery environment was now an empty shell of its former self and it broke Leaf's heart to see it in such a state.
With her feet feeling like they weighed a ton, Leaf slowly began to take one last walk around: looking at the empty shelf's that once contained her medicines, sliding her hand over the railing of a pen that used to house all the sick pokemon she treated before finally making her way back to the front of the daycare.
"How….." she thought as she slowly scanned the area one last time, "How did I let it come to this?"
As she stood there staring at the empty space, memories suddenly began to flow into Leaf's mind.
"Careful Leaf!" she recalled her mother saying to her as she tended to her first pokemon, "You have to be gentle!"
"I know! I know!" her younger self apologized, "Sorry Eevee…. please try to relax….we only want to help you…."
Despite Leaf's attempts, the tiny pokemon wouldn't calm down and faced with no other alternative, Leaf's mother decided to step in.
"Here, give it to me."
Without hesitation, Leaf passed the frightened pokemon over to her mother who began to slowly stroke its fur. "It's okay….you can trust us….." she whispered as she offered the tiny pokemon a berry.
Like magic, the Eevee instantly calmed down and Leaf watched in awe as her mother turned to her and said, "Remember honey you can't be too hasty when it comes to treating pokemon. You have to treat them the way you'd want to be treated."
"I know bu-"
"I need you to learn this because I'm not always going to be around to show you." her mother added as Leaf shyly looked down at her feet.
"Do...you really think I'll be able to run it one day?" she asked and watched as her mother gave her the biggest smile she'd ever seen.
"Of course I do!" she happily reassured her daughter "Because...I believe in you…..."
Leaf slowly wiped her eyes as the memory faded from her mind. Even though the legacy her mother had left her was gone, Leaf made a promise to not cry over it. Selling the daycare was the only choice she had and no matter how hard it was, she had to keep strong through it all.
With a heavy heart, Leaf turned and exited the daycare. For the final time, she took the keys from her pocket and locked the door to the place she loved, knowing that after today she would never be coming back to it ever again.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you…." she muttered as she took a step back and stared longingly at her former place of employment. It looked so dark and soulless, gutted of everything that made it special and knowing how the city of Saffron worked, Leaf figured it wouldn't be long before the daycare was turned into something commercial like a Pokemart or Department store.
Regardless of what it became, one thing was for sure: It would never be as special as it once was.
Continuing to stare at the empty daycare, Leaf was suddenly brought back to reality by the loud buzzing of her phone and upon pulling it out of her pocket, saw that Blue had messaged her.
"My place! We need to talk!" the message stated and Leaf bit her lip knowing what he probably wanted to talk about.
Ever since they had gotten together, Blue had constantly hounded her to get rid of the daycare and move somewhere else together. Normally, Leaf would have quickly dismissed the idea, but now that the daycare was gone, the idea of moving seemed like the only logical step left for her…...even if she wasn't too thrilled about it.
Knowing she was going to have to eventually discuss this with Blue anyway, Leaf quickly texted back an "Okay." to him and slowly began to make her way towards his apartment, all the while wondering what the future would have in store for her.
It didn't take long for Leaf to reach the apartment and as she stood there staring at the hulking structure, Leaf couldn't help but feel almost….intimidated by it. Unlike her quaint little apartment, this one had an air of superiority to it. Giving off a proud/powerful vibe that perfectly reflected the man who dwelled here and as Leaf made her way inside, she could feel her stomach begin to churn.
It was strange, for the life of her; Leaf couldn't understand why she was feeling so nervous right now. Blue was her boyfriend after all, but after all of the dealings with the daycare, Leaf found herself talking to Blue less and less, to the point that it almost felt….foreign going to see him right now.
Regardless of her emotions, Leaf straightened up as she walked down the hall towards his room. Even though losing her daycare had hurt her, she couldn't show that weakness in front of Blue of all people.
Upon reaching his door, Leaf took a deep breath before giving it 3 stern knocks to show that she meant business.
A brief silence followed before a distinct voice yelled out. "Who is it?!"
"It's me Blue!" Leaf happily announced, trying her best to mask her emotions. "I'm here….as you requested."
No sooner did she say that and the door flung open revealing her spikey haired boyfriend standing there with his arms crossed. "…..you're late," he muttered while pointing to his watch.
Leaf turned away in shame. "I know….I'm sorry….." she quickly apologized, "I've…..had a lot on my mind….."
She then looked up to see Blue shaking his head at her, "Whatever…." he simply said as he turned around and walked back inside.
Quickly following suit, Leaf followed Blue into his apartment and quickly noticed that it seemed…..emptier than usual. Pictures that once lined the walls were strangely absent and certain pieces of furniture were missing as well. Despite her curiosity, Leaf decided to keep her mouth shut as they entered the dining room.
"Maybe Blue's renovating?" she thought as they both took a seat across from one another.
A few seconds of silence followed and Leaf found herself anxiously shifting in her seat as she waited to find out what Blue wanted to talk about.
"So….are you going to tell me what's been going on lately?" he sternly asked as Leaf nervously glanced away.
"W-what are you talking abo-"
"Don't play dumb with me!" Blue quickly snapped back, "What's this I hear about you wasting all your money trying to salvage that stupid daycare of yours?!"
Leaf could feel her body start to shake, this was the exact reason why she never told Blue about any of her past ideas; he would have told her they were nothing but a waste of time.
Still, despite not being very good at yelling, Leaf wasn't about to back down from what she believed in. "It wasn't a waste Blue!" she proudly proclaimed with her head held high, "I loved that daycare and everything I did these past few months, I did because I sincerely believed I could save it!"
"…..and just look where that line of thinking got you!"
Leaf sighed as those words hit her like a ton of bricks. "Yeah….I know….and you were right when you said it was a hopeless effort…." she admitted as she closed her eyes and clutched her hand over her heart, "But I still don't regret what I did for a second!"
Blue's stern expression didn't change as Leaf continued her speech. "Yes I made a few mistakes, but I've learned from them and my resolve now is stronger than ever!" she exclaimed, forcing the best smile she could, "Just think, with the daycare gone the possibilities are endless for us! I could open another daycare in another region and we'll-"
Leaf's rant was cut off as she heard a distinct chuckle come from Blue's mouth. "YOU'RE going to run another daycare?" he mused as he shook his head.
A look of pure confusion formed on Leaf's face, "Yes! Of course, I am!" she stated, wondering what else he expected her to do.
No sooner did she say that and Blue loudly slammed his fist on the table. "Leaf that's a damn lie and you know it!" he exclaimed, causing her to jump, "You know damn well after this whole fiasco you don't have enough money to own another daycare and even if you did…..you'd probably screw it up again anyway!"
A loud screeching sound then enveloped Leaf's ears as Blue suddenly stood up from his chair. "….and don't you dare think to include me in this little delusional fantasy you have!" he stated as he began walking over to her, "Since the day we first met I've always told you that daycare was worthless and every time I did, I was the wrong one! I was the bad guy for stating the obvious!"
Before Leaf had a chance to respond, Blue suddenly got right up in her face and began flailing his arms wildly. "Oh! But now that everything's gone to hell it's all: Oh! Save me Blue! Give me the money I need and take me away so that everything will be sunshine and rainbows again!" he jokingly acted out before staring her dead in the eye and stating, "Leaf do you have any idea how many promotions I've given up? How many days I've wasted working a second rate job in this stupid city? All because my stupid girlfriend wouldn't let a worthless piece of her past go?!"
"B-Blu-"
"NO YOU CLEARLY DON'T!" he yelled. "You don't even give a damn about my life and I am so sick and tired of waiting for you!"
In that moment, Leaf froze. She could feel her heart start to beat faster as a fear began to set in "W-what….what are you talking about?!" she panicked, desperately trying to calm him down, "Blue the daycare's gone! We can go wherever we want! Nothing's holding us back anymore!"
She then watched as Blue turned away and muttered under his breath. "Oh…..believe me Leaf, there's something holding me back right now…..not in work, but in life…." he stated as he looked down on her, "…..and I'm staring right at her."
"B-blue!"
"Ever since we've been together that's all you've ever been good for and I'm done with you holding me back!" he stated, his voice growing louder with each word he said, "I'm done with this city! I'm done with this sham of a relationship and I AM SURE AS HELL DONE WITH SAVING YOUR SORRY ASS!"
"B-blue….please…" Leaf whimpered, her whole body completely shaking in fear, "Please don't do this to me….not tonight….."
I'm leaving this city Leaf! Tomorrow I'm moving on with my life and you can just stay here and rot for all I care!" he exclaimed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key she had given him, "A worthless failure like you wasn't worth my time back then and you're definitely not worth my time now!"
Leaf could feel the cold chill of the key as it was placed in her hand. It felt like it weighed a ton and as she stood there staring at it, Leaf felt like she was going to throw up right on the spot. It was gone….every plan she had...was gone and upon looking up, Leaf saw the cold, relentless eyes of her former boyfriend staring down at her.
Tightly clutching the key in her hand, Leaf fought to hold back tears. After everything he had just said to her, she wasn't about to let Blue have the satisfaction of seeing her cry…so she ran. Ran out the door, ran down the hallway, ran down the stairwell and even after she left the building, Leaf just kept on running.
"Hey! Watch it!" she heard people scream as she unintentionally bumped into them on the street, but Leaf didn't care. Right now, her mind was such a mess that she didn't even know where she was going; she just kept running and running until….she could run no more.
Finally coming to a stop, Leaf leaned up against the side of a building, clutching her chest as she panted heavily.
"Why….." she wondered as she tried to catch her breath, "Why is this happening to me?!"
Slowly, she lifted her head and scanned the area, trying figure out where exactly she was and while the area seemed unfamiliar at first, something caught her eye.
"Hey, that's…"
Not too far ahead was brightly lit building with a giant pokeball rotating on top of it. A building she knew….all too well.
"It's the…..Pokemon….Centre….."
Then, like her feet were on autopilot, Leaf found herself slowly making way towards the place that she once called her competition. Whether it was due to curiosity or just the fact that she had nowhere else to go, Leaf couldn't help but feel...drawn to it.
Despite being late, Red's Pokemon Centre was still bustling with activity. Customers were constantly walking in and out as Leaf stood in front of the building, staring at it in awe.
"Wow….he…was even open later than me…." she harshly chastised herself, "It's no wonder why I failed….."
After watching what must have been the 50th customer walk through the sliding glass doors of the centre, Leaf couldn't help but feel curious. What was so special about this place? What made it better than her daycare? These were the questions that encompassed her mind she took a step forward. Soon, one step lead to another, then another and another until she was close enough that the glass doors slid open in front of her.
"I can't believe I'm…..doing this…." Leaf thought to herself as she took a step inside. She needed to see it for herself….she NEEDED to know what this place had that she didn't.
Upon entering, Leaf's eyes were met with a huge circular foyer that branched off in every direction possible. It was strange, even though she had been competing with this place for a while, Leaf had never actually seen what it looked like inside and was subtly impressed by it.
On top of the desk where people left their pokemon to be healed, the centre also had its own pokemart, café, trade depot, and even its own clothing store.
More than that, Leaf noticed something as she looked around. Whether they were getting their pokemon healed, buying items or just simply talking to one another, everyone appeared to have a smile on their face. They were happy, and Leaf couldn't for the life of her figure out why.
"Excuse me miss?" a voice suddenly called out and Leaf quickly looked over to see one of the centre's employees standing next to her, "Welcome to Red and Co's Super Pokemon Centre! Is there something I can help you find?"
"Uhh…no…I'm….I'm fine….." she stammered, still in shock at where she was right now.
"Oh okay!" he kindly replied before handing her a flyer, "Just letting you know we're having a special this week on all potions if you're interested."
Not wanting to seem rude, Leaf politely took one of his flyers. "T-thank you," she said as he turned around to help another customer.
Continuing her walk through the main foyer, Leaf suddenly spotted a bunch of signs that pointed off to specific areas of the Pokemon Centre. Pretty much anything you could ever want was at a certain part of it, but there was one sign in particular that really caught her attention.
"Pokemon Daycare This Way"
Leaf took a minute to read the sign to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"Pokemon…daycare?"
More curious than ever, Leaf followed the sign's direction until she found herself in a more homey section of the centre with walls all flush with warm, happy colours.
Upon entering the area, the first thing Leaf took notice of, aside from the huge desk that people were leaving their pokemon at, was a huge play pen off to the side where a bunch of recovering pokemon were happily playing with one another.
Staring at the scene before her, Leaf couldn't help but reminisce. She always loved it when pokemon would stay overnight at her daycare and it had felt like such a long time since that was the case.
Continuing her observation, a slight smile formed on Leaf's mouth as she watched all the pokemon perk up when a Nurse Joy brought them some food and waited until she left before slowly making her way over to them.
"Hi there…." Leaf whispered as she knelt down beside the pen.
Like clockwork, all the pokemon looked up and curiously began walking over to her.
In turn, Leaf stuck her hand through the bars of the pen as far as she could towards them. "It's okay…." she reassured them, recalling her mother's words, "You can trust me….."
While all the pokemon still appeared cautious, one curious young Growlithe began to slowly make its way forward. It paused just shy of Leaf's hand before gently touching its head against her skin, which she began to scratch in return.
"There…how does that feel?"
"Growl!" it happily replied and all too soon, all the pokemon came running over to her.
It was strange, although Leaf was smiling the entire time she was petting them, her eyes told a completely different story.
Perhaps it was due to their animalistic intuition, but the pokemon quickly began to notice how sad she was as well and what started as Leaf comforting them, soon turned into the pokemon attempting to comfort her instead.
Before long, Leaf felt the vines of a young Bulbasaur wrap around her hand and struggling to fight back tears, she took her other hand and placed it on top, holding it tight as she did. This was the reason Leaf loved her job so much. Making pokemon happy was all she ever wanted to do and now….
"Excuse me nurse?" she heard someone call out and upon turning around, saw a young trainer with an Eevee talking to one of the Nurse Joy's. "My Eevee's been having trouble keeping its food down lately. Do you have anything that would be easy on its stomach?"
"Of course!" The Nurse Joy happily replied as she began typing away on her PC. "Can you just give me a minute and I'll look it up for you."
"Chilan berries..." Leaf suddenly spoke up without even thinking, "The texture's easy on their stomach and normal types really like them!"
The Nurse Joy stared at Leaf in awe. She couldn't believe how fast she was able to answer such a question. "Oh, thank you very much miss!" she graciously stated before turning her attention back to the customer, "I think we have a few in the back, just give me a second!"
"W-wait!" Leaf frantically yelled out as she sprang up to her feet and ran over to the counter, "Actually if you mix some Oran berries with it, it'll add some flavor that Eevee will really enjoy!"
"O-okay…." The customer replied, visibly a little shaken at Leaf's sudden outburst.
Noticing all the odd looks she was getting, Leaf covered her mouth and looked away, embarrassed at her actions. "I-I'm sorry!" she apologized as tears began to slowly fall down her eyes, "I-it's j-just… that…they…..really…really…..lov….."
Then it all hit her. The fact that her daycare was gone forever, the fact that she may never see her friends again, the fact that Blue had broken up with her and was never coming back, it all crashed down on her at once.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Leaf fell to her knees and began sobbing so loudly that it caused the Nurse Joy to quickly jump over the counter and run over to her side in a panic.
"Miss? Miss?! What's wrong?!" she asked while placing a hand on Leaf's shoulder to try to comfort her.
"I…I…screwed it up! I-I screwed it all up!" Leaf choked as tears streamed from her eyes, "I'm an idiot! I-I ruined everything! It's….my fault w-why my daycare's…"
"Oh my goodness….can I get some tissues over here please!" the nurse yelled to one of her assistants as she bent down to Leaf's level, "Miss….it's okay….everything's going to be alright…please calm down….."
"N-no….no it's not going to be alright….." she tried her best to say, "It's….it's…gone…it's all gone!"
Her wails echoed through the walls of the Pokemon Centre's daycare and it wasn't long before they reached the ears of a familiar red-capped individual walking a floor above it.
Curious, Red stopped, wondering what all the commotion was about, while his yellow-capped assistant continued walking forward; completely oblivious to what was going on.
"So this guy's like: I'll give you 15 pokedollars for it and I'm like: Come on! 15 pokedollars doesn't even buy me a pair of shoes!" Ethan proceeded to prattle on before noticing that Red was no longer walking beside him.
"Red?" he asked and upon turning around saw that his boss was staring over the railing, still as a statue.
"Hey Red!" he called out as he quickly ran up beside him, curious as to what had his boss so….captivated. "Hey! If you're going to stare at hot chicks from up here at least invite me too!"
Red didn't even acknowledge Ethan's joke, his eyes were fixated on what was happening below them.
"…Ethan…look…"
More curious than ever, Ethan leaned over the banister as well and what he saw caused his eyes to widen just as much as Red's.
Directly below them was a girl sobbing uncontrollably with about 10 or so Nurse Joys trying their best to calm her down and it didn't take Ethan long to figure out who it was.
"T-that's…."
He froze, there was no doubt that it was indeed the owner of the Sunflora Daycare Centre herself and upon remembering the events that occurred between this girl and his boss in the past, Ethan hesitated to even say her name to him.
"Is it true that her daycare…closed today?"
Still refusing to peel his eyes away from the sight before him, Red gave his yellow-capped assistant a quick nod.
How could he have let this happen? This was the same girl that was so happy and energetic when they first met, the girl he happily talked to online every day and admired more than anything in the world. Now here she was, in complete and utter despair….all because of him.
"Oh….Leaf….." he unintentionally muttered out loud, "What have I done to you…."
Despite his best attempts to remain quiet, Ethan heard every word Red just said and quickly glanced over to see him standing there with his eyes glossed over and his lip quivering widely. For Ethan, what started as minor speculation was now blatantly clear to him: This was no simple internet fling Red had with this girl; he really did care about her.
"Hey…..d-do you…..want to go talk to her?" he asked and watched as Red closed his eyes for a few seconds to gather his thoughts.
"…...no." he finally responded.
"N-no?"
Red's breathing intensified as he began rapidly shaking his head. "No! I have to get going! I-I promised Yellow I'd meet her for dinner tonight and…." he trailed off as his eyes glanced over the railing once more, "…and I-I'm already late as is…."
"But Red she's your-"
"I know who she is Ethan!" he quickly snapped back before stressfully running his hand through his hair, "But she and I live in two completely separate worlds! W-we can't…"
Completely distraught and at loss of words, Red quickly turned his back on his yellow-capped friend. "…I have to go now! Okay?! Good-bye!" he sternly declared.
Ethan sighed as he watched him walk away before finally asking the question he had been suspicious of for a while now. "You're in love with her…." he flat out exclaimed, "Aren't you?"
His words must have hit their mark because no sooner did he say that and Red stopped dead in his tracks.
"It's funny….when you first told me about your online relationship with this girl, I…really didn't think anything of it." he admitted, turning away as he did, "But…ever since you've found out who she was…..you've changed…"
Despite the truthfulness of his words, Red still refused to answer and the more silent he kept, the more Ethan began to piece things together. "It bothers you…..doesn't it?" he inquired, watching Red lower his head as he did, "Everything that's been happening to her….you feel responsible and it's tearing you apart…."
Now it was clear that Ethan's words were having an effect. Red's entire body was practically shaking as he ran in front of him and pointed to the sobbing brunette haired girl a floor below them. "Red…she's right there! If you really love her that much….then just go be with her!" he practically yelled at him, "For god sakes! If there's anytime she needs you most; it's now!"
That said, Ethan struggled to catch his breath, even he was surprised just how passionate he had just got and finally, with his head hung low, Red muttered a response back. "….you think I don't know that…." he asked, his voice growing louder with every word he said, "You think I like seeing her cry, not 5 feet away from me and not be able to do anything about it?!"
That said, Red turned and sighed as he looked over the railing once again. "Ethan I want to! But if I go down there, right now and tell her the truth…what do you think she's going to say to me?!" he stated before quickly answering his own question, "She's going to say: You selfish bastard! You knew all this time and you just sat and watched it happen?!"
"….and you know what? She's right! I brought her to this state!" he exclaimed, pointing at himself as he did, "I'm the reason her daycare went under and I'm the reason why she's down there crying her eyes out right now! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"
"Red…."
"Ethan…..I don't deserve to even look at her right now; let alone...love her….."
With tears rolling down his eyes, Red shook his head and turned away. "Look….I really gotta go….okay?"
"Red… can you just…answer me one question…." Ethan said as he watched his boss walk away, "Do you…..really love her?"
Red lowered his head and sighed deeply. "That's…..a question I can't….truly give you an answer to right now Ethan….." he cryptically stated as he tipped his hat over his eyes, "Sorry…."
With that, Red walked away. However, even though he was in a rush to get home, he found himself walking much slower than usual down the streets of Saffron. Right now his mind was a complete mess and deep down he knew that he couldn't keep going on like this.
Sooner or later, he was going to have to make a choice…..
"Okay buddy eat up!" he told his electrical partner as he placed a bowl of food on the ground, "I'll be home in a little while."
Pikachu watched as Red then stormed out of the kitchen, struggling to put his coat as he did. However, just as he was making his way down the hall, Red stopped as he passed by the computer room and lowered his head.
Despite trying his best to think otherwise, the image of Leaf crying was practically burned into his mind and even though he was nowhere near the Pokemon Centre right now, he could still hear her wails of sorrow echoing throughout his head.
It truly was tearing him apart and noticing that something was wrong; Pikachu ran over and tugged his pants out of concern. "Pika?" it asked, wondering what was wrong.
Then, without warning, Red suddenly turned and walked right into the computer room, hastily turning his PC on as he did.
"I can't…just stand here and do nothing!" he stated as he logged into his e-mail account, "I need to at least say SOMETHING to comfort her!"
As Red began to think about the type of message he wanted to write, he was welcomed to his account but something that completely caught him off-guard.
*You have 1 new message*
"What?" Red thought as he stared at the prompt, "Did she just send this to me?"
It had been days since he had last heard from Leaf and felt a sense of relief as he saw her reply. However, as he began to move the mouse, Red's stomach began to churn inside-out. If she did JUST write this to him…..what manner of words was she going to say?
Well….Red was about to find out.
From: Luckygirl
Sorry for not keeping in contact recently…there's been a lot going on in my life right or at least there was…
Question, do you think change is a good thing?
I only ask because it's something I've always been told throughout my life and yet I've never really believed it. Personally, I think change is nothing more than something you don't want to happen, happening and there's nothing you can do about it.
I only say this because…..the daycare I owned….closed today. I know we swore to secrecy with each other but…I once owned a daycare. It was the greatest place in the world and soon it'll probably be turned into nothing more than another common Pokemart.
Soon it'll be nothing more than a distant memory, victim, to the unstoppable force that is change.
All of a sudden, Red could pinpoint the exact moment where Leaf's writing turned from her usual style of messaging into pure, raw emotion.
I know….I should just accept it. I should just accept that what happened has happened and there's nothing I can do to change that…..but I can't!
Everything I've loved! Everything I've worked so hard to build is gone in the blink of an eye and it's never coming back!
The truth is…..I'm heartbroken. A part of me has died…..my mother's legacy has died and there's nothing anyone can say or do to fix it!
As bad as that was for Red to read, it was what was written after that really made it hard for him.
Look, I know this is going to sound like I'm typing without thinking but….. would you like to try meeting again?
I know what happened last time and whether you say yes or no, just PLEASE be honest with me! Cause I feel so lost right now! I have no idea where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do and you're the only thing that's keeping me going right now…
Please….help me...
No sooner did Red finish reading what was written and he buried his face in his head, sighing heavily as he did. It was clear what needed to be done and Red wasn't proud of what he was going to have to do in order to do it.
Tired, he raised his head up and saw his electrical partner staring at him with concern.
"Pika?" it said as Red gave it a smile to reassure that everything was okay.
"I'm sorry for making you worry Pikachu," he said as he slowly petted its head. "I've just had a lot on my mind…."
Letting Red know that everything was okay the tiny pokemon patted his hand as he struggled to say what he wanted to say next. "L-look….tomorrow…things…might be a little different in our life." he explained, turning away as he did, "I just….hope you don't hate me for it….."
Embarrassed, Red closed his eyes waiting for Pikachu's disapproving response but much to his surprise, he instead felt a small tap on the side of his face.
A quick glance to his side and Red saw Pikachu standing on his shoulder with a smile on his face. "Pika! Pika!" it said, letting him know that it understood his dilemma.
"Thanks…." Red said as he wiped his eyes and stood up. "Okay! I'll be back in a bit!"
With that, Red put on his coat and walked out the door. Even though he was still uncertain as to how the events of tonight were going to play out, Red still proceeded to make his way towards the restaurant.
This was something he had to do.
After walking a few blocks, Red spotted Yellow waiting for him outside the restaurant. She was wearing a long dress the same colour as her namesake and looking…..somewhat lost in thought right now.
"H-Hi Red!" she stammered as he came walking up to her.
"Hey! Sorry, I'm late!" he quickly apologized to her, "Were you waiting here long?"
Much to Red's surprise, Yellow shook her head. "Umm….no….I actually just got here not too long ago myself…."
"Oh….I see…." he muttered in response, nervously glancing away as he did.
Despite trying his best not to show it, Red was doing a horrible job hiding his feelings right now and Yellow was quick to catch on. "Is….something wrong?" she asked as he nervously scratched his head, unsure if he should just flat out tell her right now or not.
"I just….." Red trailed off, no matter how much he wanted to get it off his chest, he just couldn't muster the courage to tell her right now, "I-I'll tell you later okay."
"Okay…."
Red was confused. Even though HE had an excuse for his nervous actions, he wasn't sure why Yellow was acting so….out of place.
When they had originally made these plans, she seemed to be quite excited about them going out. Not only that, but he had been talking to her for almost 10 minutes now and not a single mention of any pokemon activist stuff from her.
"Umm…are YOU okay?" he wondered as she shyly turned away from him, "You look….kinda pale."
Red watched as Yellow's eyes began darting from side to side "W-well…there's….something I need to talk to you about too." she admitted while rubbing her arm.
"Oh? Well, we can talk now if you want?"
Yellow quickly shook her head. "N-no!" she stammered as she turned towards the restaurant. "Let's just go in and eat okay?"
On that awkward note, the two made their way into the restaurant and Red could feel his stomach churning inside-out as they sat down. He knew what he had to do, but how? How was he going to break this to her?
As the night carried on, the two just sat in silence as that sense of awkwardness continued to loom in the air. On top of his own nervousness, Red still couldn't get over how unusually quiet Yellow was being right now. Normally, he'd be bored to death by now from her raving about all the great pokemon activist stuff she'd been doing at work, but that wasn't the case at all.
"I wonder…what she wants to talk to me about?" he thought as a plate of food was placed in front in of him, "Maybe…she knows what I'm going to say to her already?"
"Food's good huh…." Yellow finally spoke up for the first time since they entered the restaurant.
"Yeah…." Red muttered as he placed a piece of food in his mouth, "Sure is…."
Red watched as she twirled her fork around before finally dropping it on her plate, "Red…there's….something I need to tell you…"
"Oh boy….here we go….." he thought as she stared intensely at him. "You were saying that before. What's on your mind?"
Clearly nervous about something, Yellow turned away from him and began playing with her hair. "I….umm….oh how do I say this?" she stammered as she continued twirling her hair with her finger.
Not knowing how long this would take, Red placed another piece of food in his mouth when she suddenly looked over at him and exclaimed. "R-red…I think…..we should…..s-split up…."
With his eyes as wide as they could go, Red nearly choked to death as he heard those words come out of her mouth.
"P-pardon?!"
As fast as she could, Yellow began shaking her head and apologizing profusely. "I know! I know! I'm sorry! It's just I'm…." she trailed off, before finally finding the words she wanted to say, "I'm not….in love with you anymore…."
She then quickly closed her eyes, wincing as she fully expected Red to start yelling at her, but what she heard instead caught her completely by surprise.
"Pftt! PFFT!" she heard him humorously snort and upon looking over at him, saw that he was bent over the table laughing hysterically.
Yellow didn't know what to make of what was happening in front of her and just sat there, staring at Red with a look of complete shock on her face, "D-did I say something funny?" she asked, concerned that she had just broken him.
Finally composing himself, Red began waving his hands to let her know that everything was okay. "No! No! it's just….me neither!" he happily admitted causing a smile to form on Yellow's face as well.
"R-really?!"
"Yeah!"
"B-but I thought we were-"
"I know right?!"
Completely shocked and overcome with happiness, Yellow began laughing uncontrollably as well causing everyone in the entire restaurant to stare at them like they were completely insane.
"Phew! Oh boy! Wow…" Red sighed; wiping tears from his eyes as he once again regained his composure.
"So tell me, what brought this on? Is there…..someone else?" he asked and upon seeing her face turn a tint of crimson, confirmed his suspicions, "There is! Isn't there!"
"M-maybe!" she stammered, still shocked at well he was taking this.
Just then Red recalled the events that occurred a little while ago between them and quickly pieced everything together. "Wait! Don't tell me it's that green-haired guy from the TV?" he asked and slapped his head as he saw her face turn even redder, "Oh my god it is….."
"S-sorry Red! He just….understands me better…." Yellow shyly admitted to him as Red rubbed his chin with intrigue.
"I see…." he muttered to himself, "So? Have you arranged to get together?" he asked as Yellow shook her head in response.
"N-not yet!" she stammered before finally asking the question that she had been curious about for a while now. "W-what about you? Do you…..have somebody else?"
Red glanced down at the floor. While he couldn't deny that fact; said person didn't even know who he was yet or if his feelings would even be reciprocated or not.
"There is….someone….but I'll be honest with you Yellow, I'm not entirely sure about it yet…." he admitted to her, "But she's definitely out there and I….hope she can understand how I feel one day…."
Still unsure, Red bit his lip as he continued to think about his situation before looking up at Yellow and smiling. "Hey, before we go our separate ways, do you mind if we have one last meal together?" he asked as Yellow smiled nodded in response.
"I can do that!" she happily replied.
With that, the two resumed their night together and for the first time in a long time, Red found Yellow really easy to talk to. Perhaps it was only because all the chains that had been weighing them down before were now gone, but they were truly having a great time together.
Before long, the night passed and both Red and Yellow found themselves standing outside the restaurant for what would be their final goodbye.
"Well….I guess this is it…." Yellow sighed as Red nodded in response.
"Yeah….."
"H-hey Red! Before I go can you promise me something?" she asked as Red chuckled from her eagerness.
"Sure what is it?"
"W-will you promise me that you'll take what I've taught you during our time together into consideration?"
Red sighed, rolling his eyes as he did. "I'm not quitting pokemon battling if that's what you're trying to get at Yellow!" he exclaimed before turning away and admitting, "But….things like what pokemon food is best for Pikachu, I will definitely remember."
"…a-and you promise you'll still read my articles?"
"They come out every month right?"
"Yep! You got it!" she happily replied while clasping her hands together.
For the next few seconds, Red and Yellow just stood in silence, feeling the cold chill of the winds blowing against their faces. They both knew that this night was coming to an end, but didn't know exactly how to end it.
"So….I guess this is goodbye then?" Yellow finally spoke up as Red slowly nodded in response.
"Yeah….good luck out there."
"Thanks, I hope everything works out for you and that person you were talking to me about."
"Yeah….you too." he said as Yellow turned and smiled at him.
He then watched as she reached into her pocket and walked over to him "Goodbye Red." she whispered as she placed a small metal object in his hand.
Looking down, Red sighed as he saw that it was his key he had given to her when they first met. "Goodbye Yellow." he whispered back as he watched her walk away.
As Yellow's figured disappeared into the distance, Red took a deep breath "Well….that's that…." he thought as he placed his spare key in his pocket and began walking down the road.
Truth be told, despite feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Red was still unsure of his next move. It wasn't like he could just walk up to Leaf and tell her how felt. After all, she was still unaware of his true identity and her reaction to said revelation was the biggest concern of all.
"If I don't play my cards right this could all come crashing down on me…." Red thought as he sat down on a nearby bench to collect his thoughts. If only there was someone with experience that could give him some advice on what to do.
Just then Red perked up. "Experience…." he muttered as he pulled his phone out from his pocket and began dialing a number. "I know just the person!"
A few minutes of silence followed before Red spoke up "Hi it's Red." he greeted to the person on the other end, "I'm doing really good thank you….I was wondering, is Lance home right now? There's something I need to talk to him about."
Suddenly, Red's face lit up. "He is? Great! I'm heading there right now!" he happily stated as he hung up the phone and placed it back in his pocket.
With a new destination in mind, Red began to make his way to Lance's mansion. If there was someone who could give him the advice he needed, the dragon master was definitely the one and he smiled knowing that things were finally looking up.
"The winds of change are blowing, urging me to flow. It's time to start this journey and finally, let it all go. The path may be uncertain and I will have to walk it so. But my heart will find my way to you, no matter where the winds may blow."
There we go everyone, chapter 8 is done!
Once again I apologize for the wait and I promise that from here on out, this story is the only thing I'm going to be focusing on. We're riding this train (or should I say SHIP) right to the end!
Also, I just want you guys to know that this'll probably be the last of the REALLY long chapters (I'm talking 10 000+ words) from here on out for….reasons you'll see in the next chapter!
But…..then again who knows ;)
Other than that, I just want to thank everybody for their patience and as always your feedback is much appreciated! Honestly, I love reading your feedback! You guys are the best!
Until next time...Ciao!
