Ambition

Green sat under a tree and looked up in the direction of Mt. Silver. He crossed his arms and frowned irritably, something he seemed to be doing quite a lot.

He was waiting for someone to come back from the top of the mountain, hoping they'd be able to bring him any news concerning Red. Sitting and doing nothing made him agitated and he found it hard not to jump up and run to the top of the mountain himself, but that would defeat the purpose of the process he was using to gain information.

After an hour or two, a young trainer with a big white marshmallow of a hat came skipping down the road, humming a tune and smiling at the Feraligatr that lumbered along behind her.

'Kotone!' Green called, pulling himself to his feet and walking forwards eagerly. 'How is he?'

The young prodigy smiled knowingly. 'Hasty, hasty, Leader Green.' She teased, waggling her finger at him. 'You know the price for information.'

'What are you talking about?' He asked in exasperation.

'I just wanted to sound like a secret agent.' She sighed. 'But anyway, he's doing okay. Still not wearing a jacket or anything but I guess he'll be fine. So long as he has that Charizard to keep him warm.'

Green sighed in relief. 'That's good then.'

'Why don't you just go check on him yourself if you get so worried.' Kotone questioned. 'I'm sure he'd appreciate it.'

'No, absolutely not.' He shook his head. 'If I do that, he wins. I shouldn't have to worry about my rival. He should be smart enough to wear a jacket in the snow. Or at least a scarf.'

'Why are you so obsessed with winning anyway?' She asked. 'It's not like it matters much anymore. You're both happy with where you ended up, right?'

He nodded. 'Yeah but... I guess it's just hard to let go of old habits.' He shuffled his feet. 'Maybe I should go see Red. After all, I haven't battled him in a while.'

'Well, I'm not sure a battle is the greatest motivation, but it's a start.' Kotone sighed.

'You're starting to sound like him a little.' Green laughed. 'One day you'll start doing that silent thing he does.'

She smiled. 'Nah, that won't happen. I could never say anything profound in one sentence.'

He swept his fringe out of his eyes casually and sighed. 'Well, if I'm gonna go see Red, I may as well do it now.'

'Don't get caught out after dark – that's when it goes from freezing to just plain freeze.' Kotone smiled and began to walk away.

Green shook his head. 'That's the lamest joke I've heard all day.'

'Then I must be doing my job.' She turned just enough to grin at him. 'See you later!'

He waved before setting off on his own little journey. Getting through Mt. Silver was like a walk in the park for a trainer as skilled as Green.

Eventually he reached the top and came face to face with his rival, who remained silent and completely still. Neither wanted to be the first to greet the other, neither wanted to be the one to acknowledge that they both knew what had to happen next.

It seemed ambition would get in the way of what would have been another happy reunion.