Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure
Part 3: A New Beginning
I carried the basket carefully, happy to give Red the gift that was inside. In the basket, which looked like a picnic basket, four Pokémon eggs were nestled in blankets to keep warm. The whole morning I was figuring out how to breed Pokémon. I've heard that breeding only worked with female and male Pokémon, which really isn't much of a surprise. Though, I also heard that certain kinds of Pokémon are compatible with other kinds, which means that they could only breed with that certain species. I was able to discover something on my own for trying to breed Pokémon, and that was that the two Pokémon you breed, the egg will hatch into the same species the female is. It took a while, and a few eggs, to discover that.
But, anyway, that really isn't the point right now. After a lot of waiting, I finally got the eggs I wanted to give Red. With any luck, they'll hatch when I'm with him. It was noon now, and I thought that maybe Red was home having lunch. I had to rush back to Pallet Town so I wouldn't miss him. I could give him the eggs at the League, but it felt like I was interrupting his job or something. There was one last thing I had to do first before giving Red the eggs and that was—
"Leaf! I want Blastoise back already," yelled an all-too-familiar voice. Speak of the devil… Blue walked over to me, looking impatient to get his Pokémon back.
"Yeah, yeah, I have him right here," I said, turning and taking out Blastoise's pokéball for Blue.
Blue took the pokéball from me and handed me another one, which was Rain's pokéball. It took a lot of persistency to get Blue to let me borrow his Blastoise, but I had to let him borrow Rain in exchange.
"So, what, exactly, did you need Blastoise for again," asked Blue, his eyes glancing at the basket in my hand. "All you told me was that it was for an experiment."
"I was breeding him with a Ditto," I gladly replied. "I wanted to give Red some Pokémon eggs to hatch, so I bred your Blastoise, Flare, and Rain."
It wasn't in that order. My first successful Lapras egg took a long time to get, and then I bred my Charizard, and finally borrowed Blastoise to breed.
"You used my Blastoise just to get an egg for Red," asked Blue, his voice containing disbelief. "And you're going to give him all those eggs?"
"Jealous," I asked with a smirk.
"Why should I be jealous of him?"
Actually, there are some very good reasons for Blue to be jealous of Red, but I wasn't going to tell him. It wouldn't be right. I carefully set the basket down and kneeled to open it up. I took out the light brown egg that was in the basket, and held it out for Blue to take.
"Here, you can have this one," I said, smiling lightly at him. "I was going to keep it for myself, but I think you should take it. I can breed another one later."
"I'm not a charity case," he said, scowling at me.
"Just take it."
"I don't want it!"
I held the egg close to me, covering my eyes with my left hand.
"How can you be so mean," I asked sadly, sniffing a little. "I only want to give you a present!"
"I'm not falling for that shit again," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It still makes you a big jerk!"
"Stop faking, Leaf," he said with annoyance, pulling my hand from my face by grabbing my wrist. I looked up at him with watery eyes, which surprised him. He stared for a moment before sighing, letting go of my wrist and extending his hand to take the egg.
"All right, fine," he sighed reluctantly. "I'll take the damn egg."
"Great! Here you go," I said with sudden happiness, giving him the Pokémon egg.
"You really were faking, weren't you," he asked with irritation.
"You can call it that or great acting," I explained playfully, picking up the basket. "Take care of that egg, okay? I have to get going now, so I'll see you later. Oh, and happy birthday!"
"My birthday already passed."
"I know that. I never forgot your birthday."
Blue looked a little surprised but smiled, pulling my hat down over my eyes. Really, why does he keep doing that? It's like a habit now.
"I'll see you around," he said when I fixed my hat. I nodded and continued on to Red's house. I knocked on the door to his house and waited patiently for either Red or Hazel to answer it. Red was the one who opened the door, looking pleased to see me.
"Hey, Red," I began, holding out the basket for him. "I brought some Pokémon eggs for you so we can hatch them."
Red began to get a fever—Er, I mean, he started blushing at what I said.
"Thank you," he said, accepting the basket from me. "Leaf, can I talk with you in private?"
"Sure! Can we do it at the beach? I feel like sitting on the sand for a bit."
"That's fine."
He stepped out and closed the door, and we began to walk toward the beach, which only took about two or three minutes. When we arrived, Red set the basket on the sand and sat down, and I sat to his left, stretching my legs out in front of me. I don't know why but there was something about this that made me feel a little nervous. My stomach felt kind of weird, but in a good way, not out of sickness. Why was I feeling this now?
"So, what'd you want to talk about," I asked, looking at him curiously.
"I'm starting to regret becoming Champion," he said flatly, looking at the sea.
"What? Why?"
"The battles aren't what I expected," he explained, his gaze settling on the sand instead. "I'm not getting a real challenge out of it. But, that's not the main reason, though."
"So, what's the main reason?"
"You and Blue are getting really close now, aren't you," he suddenly asked, catching me off-guard.
"We are trying to fix things between us, and I'm really glad that it's been going smoothly."
"But, yesterday, he was…"
"Are you talking about when he got really close to me? I don't really know what was up with that, but I think Blue was just acting weird."
"You're nothing more than friends?"
"Well, yeah, unless he wants to be best friends again."
"Leaf," he began, his gaze now resting on me while he put his hand on mine, which was resting on the sand. "I like you. I really like you. It's been horrible lately that I haven't been seeing you much. That's why I don't want to be the Champion anymore."
"Thank you, Red. That's really nice of you," I said, smiling at him. "I like you, too."
"Y-You do," he asked, another blush on his face and a spark of excitement in his dark brown eyes.
"Yeah, I can't ask for a better friend. I mean, if I didn't like you, we wouldn't be friends in the first place, right?"
At that, Red's face seemed to fall a little as if he was disappointed. Did I say something wrong?
"I… I like being friends with you, too," he said, a small smile on his lips. To me, that smile looked kind of forced, and his voice sounded like he was in pain.
"Red, are you okay," I asked with concern.
"I'm fine," he replied, looking back at the sea.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"About being Champion, we can still see each other. It's not like we're separated forever. Besides, I think Blue will be pissed off about you not wanting to be Champion."
"I suppose you're right about that. Leaf, I have to get going soon. I'll see you later."
"Okay, see you around!"
Red got up, picking up the basket, and walked back to his house. I stayed at the beach a little longer, wondering why Red looked so disheartened at what I said earlier. It hurt to see him like that. So, why did it hurt him and me? It was because he was my friend and it's never a pleasant thing to see your friends sad or hurt, right? But, why was he blushing before? Why does he do that whenever he's around me? To get an understanding of everything, I need to first understand blushing. I'm sure that when I find out the reasons behind it, I'll understand Red better.
I stood up, feeling determined about solving this new puzzle. I made my way over to Blue's house, knowing that he would be the best person to talk to about this. He did know that the "fevers" were actually just Red, or me, blushing. As I walked over to Blue's, I saw Professor Oak leave the lab, looking quite excited to see me.
"Ah, Leaf! Good timing," he said, walking over to me. "I've been looking for you all morning."
"You have," I asked, stopping to talk to the professor.
"Yes, because Red told me earlier that you've caught a legendary Pokémon. Is this true?"
I took out my Pokédex from my bag and looked through the pages to find Articuno's information. I showed Oak the page, and his face lit up with astonishment.
"Leaf, do you know what this means," he asked, excitement in his voice.
"That my visit to Blue's house is going to be on hold?"
"Well, I suppose, but that's not entirely what I had in mind. This means that the other legendary birds might exist. I have a favor to ask of you, Leaf. Can you go and try to find the remaining legendary birds? It will help my research tremendously."
"Um, sure. I can kill some time for science."
"Thank you! Please, head straight to my lab once you're done!"
Professor Oak walked back to his lab, leaving me alone. Talking to Blue about Red is going to have to wait. It's not like I had to talk to him ASAP. I have a lot of time to figure things out. I took out my Town Map, wondering where in Kanto the legendary birds may be hiding. Let's see… What are the places I haven't checked yet? I looked at all the routes on the map, remembering how they looked like when I was crossing through them. When I looked at Route 10 on the map, I remembered there was river running through there. That river might flow down to some place I haven't seen yet.
I released Breeze from his pokéball and had him fly me to the Pokémon Center on Route 10. Once there, I looked around to confirm that there was a river here. There definitely was, and I had Rain help me follow it. We reached the end of the river, a large building standing on its own. As I returned Rain to his pokéball, I noticed that the some of the building's windows were broken. A sign out front read, "Power Plant." I can't say I've heard of the power plant before. From the look of it, it's probably abandoned. Well, that reason alone makes it worthwhile to check it out. I went inside the large metallic building, hoping I'd find something interesting in here.
Inside, the beige tiles on the floor looked worn out and cracked, and there was some glass lying around, most likely from the windows. I walked through the halls, seeing broken machines and finding some items that were left behind. There were mostly Magnemite and Voltorb around here, probably attracted to the electricity around here. But, there wasn't anything on, so I don't see what could possibly keep them here. I found my way through the maze-like halls, checking out the empty rooms of any items I can salvage. Eventually, I turned around a corner and entered another room, face-to-face with a large yellow bird that screeched at me. Its wings looked spiky, and it had a long beak. Wait, this couldn't be Zapdos, could it? Then again, from what I've read about the legendary birds, this is definitely Zapdos. I sent out Terra, knowing that her Ground-type will give her immunity to Zapdos' electric attacks.
I had Terra use Cut to weaken Zapdos a bit. It attacked with a weak electric shock, which was Thunder Wave. Though Terra wasn't affected by it. As I ordered Terra to use Cut again, Zapdos evaded it easily. Terra tried again, but Zapdos evaded that attack as well, almost like it knew the attack was going to happen. After a lot of hits-and-misses, Terra was able to severely weaken Zapdos. I switched out Terra and sent out Static to weaken it further by using Thunder Wave. However, Zapdos attacked with a Thunder Wave of its own, paralyzing Static. Though, Static was able to hit it with his Thunder Wave, also paralyzing Zapdos. I then began to throw pokéballs at it to try to capture it. Of course, like Articuno before it, Zapdos was no pushover to get caught easily. I started with the Ultra Balls, hoping that one of them will catch Zapdos. I had about twenty-four of those, so one of them has to work, right? However, as Zapdos broke free of every one I threw at it, I began to doubt that. I was down to my last Ultra Ball, knowing that if this one didn't catch it, I'd have to resort to Great Balls and regular pokéballs.
I threw the last Ultra Ball at Zapdos, its body drawn in to the ball. I stared intently at the ball as it shook back and forth. An audible click was heard, and I knew that I had finally caught Zapdos. I sighed, picking up the ball from the floor and putting it in my bag. I went out the nearby exit, ending up at the side of the power plant. That's two legendary birds down and only one more to go. I still had to catch the bird of fire, the legendary Moltres. I pulled out my map again, trying to figure out where Moltres will be hiding. That's when I realized that there was a pattern going on with the bird Pokémon. Articuno was in the Seafoam Islands, the coldest place in Kanto, and Zapdos was in the abandoned power plant, a building that once generated a lot of electricity.
So, where in Kanto can one find a great source of heat? A volcano, but the only volcano in Kanto is what makes up Cinnabar Island, and that volcano has been inactive for about a century. I then looked at the maps of the Sevii Islands, already guessing that the volcano I had to check wasn't in Kanto. Mt. Ember is a volcano, and I'm pretty sure that I didn't thoroughly explore it. I put away my map and had Breeze fly me to Fuchsia City to heal up my Pokémon and stock up on Ultra Balls. I was sure that Vermilion didn't sell them, so it was best to shop in Fuchsia. After my short shopping errand was done, Breeze flew me to Vermilion, where I boarded the ferry to One Island.
I made my way to the tall volcano until I reached the base. I went down the opposite path of where the cave that lead to the ruby was, Flare pushing the large boulders out of the way and Dream smashing to the weaker boulders. I found a cave further up, the inside very warm, almost like the Ember Spa a little further away. I followed the long path through the cave until I was back outside again, now at a higher part of the volcano. I climbed up until I reached the highest part of the volcano, having Flare push the boulders in the way to check the area out thoroughly. After pushing a boulder out of the way, I heard a loud cry nearby.
There it was. The legendary Moltres right before my eyes. Its body was bold yellow while its crest, wings, and tail were ablaze with a bright red. It extended its fiery wings, crying out at me threateningly. I sent out Rain to battle against the fire bird Pokémon. I had Rain start off with Psychic, but Moltres endured it very well. Another Psychic weakened it further as it strengthened its defenses. I decided to have Rain use Surf, which Moltres successfully endured. I switched out Rain and sent out Static to paralyze Moltres to make it easier to capture. Moltres was increasing its speed, but Static was able to hit it with Thunder Wave. With Moltres paralyzed, I switched Pokémon again, sending Flare out instead. He should be able to withstand Moltres' fire attacks if it happened to break out of the Ultra Balls I was about to use.
After buying twenty-six Ultra Balls, I was more than ready to try to catch Moltres. However, to my surprise, it was caught on the sixth Ultra Ball I used. Why was the last legendary bird slightly easier to catch compared to the first two? I decided not to think about it too much, heading down the path I followed to get here. Breeze flew me back to the Pokémon Center of One Island, and I boarded the ferry right away to get back to Vermilion City. Once I was back in Kanto, I had Breeze fly me back to Pallet Town. Back home, I ran to Oak's lab, barging through the doors and startling the aides there.
"There! I caught them," I said, taking out my Pokédex. "Now can I go see Blue? I need to talk to him."
"Very impressive, Leaf," said Professor Oak, taking my Pokédex from me. "But, I'm afraid there's one more favor I have to ask."
"What is it?"
"By Cerulean City, there's a cave that's said to hold very strong Pokémon. I'd like you to go see it and tell me of the Pokémon in it," explained the professor, looking at the newly added pages of my Pokédex.
"Shouldn't Blue or Red be the one to do that? Since they're still trainers and all."
"I suppose, but you are going to be my future assistant, aren't you? Therefore, I'm going to need you to help me with my research and that involves exploring the cave by Cerulean for me."
"Okay. I'll go check out the cave for you."
"Excellent! I do hope you find a rare Pokémon in the cave to show me."
He handed me my Pokédex back, which I put away in my bag. I headed outside, Breeze flying me to Cerulean City. The first thing I did there was to ask around about the cave. A few people told me that I could get to it by going down the river on Route 24. They also told me I probably wouldn't be able to get in because a man was guarding the entrance to keep trainers out of it. I did as they said, finding the cave on the outskirts of Cerulean. Though, I didn't see anyone guarding the entrance of the cave. I took advantage of the moment and entered the cave. It was a little cool in here, giving an eerie chill that made shivers run down my spine.
I walked a little bit before reaching the water's edge. Rain helped me cross the water to the other side, a small area with a ladder. I climbed up the ladder, ending up in an area that seemed like a maze. Unfortunately, the path I was on didn't lead anywhere except to a Full Restore that was conveniently on the ground. I went back and had Rain take me further into the cave. I found another ladder nearby and climbed it, arriving at the same maze floor. But that path lead to many dead ends. I headed back to the first floor, climbing another ladder that wasn't too far away from the previous one. Again, that was a dead end. After climbing another ladder on the first floor and finding one that was in the middle of the cave, I was back on the maze floor. This time, the path I was on looked like it'd take me deeper in the cave.
It took a little figuring out, but I finally made it to the bottom floor. At least, I think it's the bottom floor. I walked through the last of the cave, wondering what could be here besides the strong Pokémon I've already encountered. I reached another pond cave, Rain helping me cross to a small patch of land nearby. I wasn't so sure, but I thought I saw something over there. When I made it to the small island, a tall white Pokémon stood there, staring angrily at me. It looked cat-like, standing upright as its purple tail swished from side to side. I quickly tossed a pokéball—not sure whose was it—and sent out Terra out of fear. The other Pokémon's eyes began to glow white, the small rocks around it rising from the ground.
This was obviously not a Pokémon to take lightly. Such a Pokémon probably shouldn't even be battled against. Wait… The Master Ball! I'm sure that'll help out against this Pokémon. I dug through my bag and took out the purple pokéball, throwing it at the cat-like Pokémon before it attacked. It was drawn into the ball, which shook a couple of times before clicking. I cautiously walked over to the pokéball on the floor, picking it up and placing it in my bag. I took out my Pokédex to see just what that Pokémon was. After a little searching, it turned out to be Mewtwo.
Hold on! That notebook in that burnt mansion on Cinnabar… This was the Pokémon it was talking about? I looked at the information, which read, "A Pokémon whose genetic code was repeatedly recombined for research. It turned vicious as a result." Mewtwo was a research experiment? I began to wonder if I should show Professor Oak what I caught here. Part of me didn't want to tell him because I think this is something that should be kept quiet, yet, at the same time, another part of me wanted to learn more about this mysterious Pokémon.
I found my way out of the cave, heading back home to Pallet. When I got there, I went to Oak's lab to tell him what I found. However, after quietly explaining my findings, I told him to keep this secret until we can figure out how to learn more about Mewtwo without making a scene. Oak told me that he'll try to come up with a way, and that I should keep Mewtwo's existence secret. After that, I went to Viridian City to store all the Pokémon I've caught into the PC, safely tucked away from other eyes.
"Yo," I said, holding my hand up to greet Blue.
"What the hell are you doing in my room," he shouted. Yep, I was in this guy's room, sitting on his bed while reading a book. One of his books, actually.
"Jeez, I was hoping for a politer greeting than that," I said, closing up the book. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Couldn't you stay downstairs with Daisy? Away from my stuff?"
"Why? You have any dirty magazines stashed away somewhere?"
"No, I don't have anything like that!"
"Hey, it's okay. It's perfectly normal for a guy your age to have dirty magazines. I wonder if Red has any, too."
"I don't have any!"
"Really," I asked with a smirk. I got up from his bed and walked over to my bag that was on his computer chair. I looked through it and took out the Itemfinder.
"Let's see if you don't have any," I said, turning on the Itemfinder.
"What is that," asked Blue, pointing at the machine in my hands.
"An Itemfinder. It's supposed to find hidden things," I replied, pushing the button that begins the detection of any hidden items. It began to beep repeatedly, and I couldn't stop the smirk on my face.
"Under the mattress, right," I asked, quickly putting the Itemfinder away and running to Blue's bed. "Typical hiding place!"
Right when I started to lift the mattress, Blue grabbed my arms from behind.
"Don't look under there," he said in a low voice.
"Oh? So you do have dirty magazines," I asked, looking over my shoulder at him.
"Don't say anything about this to Daisy, and especially Gramps!"
"I promise I won't, but…"
"But?"
"But you have to come with me to the Ember Spa."
"What? Why should I go there with you?"
"I want to talk about Red with you."
"Screw that. I ain't going."
"Is that how you really feel," I asked playfully before taking a deep breath. "Hey, Daisy!"
"All right, all right! I'll go with you to the stupid spa! Just shut up!"
"Thank you, Blue," I said, chuckling. He let go of my arms, and I jumped onto his bed.
"Man, I forgot how comfy your bed was," I said, lying down. "Remember how we would have sleepovers?"
"Yeah," he said, his eyes looking to the side.
"Can we do that again? I want to sleep with you in your bed."
"Please don't say that," he said, bringing a hand to his forehead.
"Say what? Sleep with you in your bed?"
"Yes, that!"
"What's wrong with that? We're just sleeping together in the same bed."
"We can't be doing that anymore because we're too old already! If you're going to sleep over, bring a sleeping bag or something," he explained, his irritation obvious.
"Says who," I asked, sitting up and putting my hands on my hips.
"Says puberty! You're a teenage girl now, and having you sleep in my bed with me is going to give the wrong idea to lots of people. Besides, Gramps and Daisy would kill me if you did that."
"Oh," I said, understanding what he was saying. "Then you might not like the idea of coming with me to the spa."
"Why?"
"The Ember Spa is a mixed bath, which means both men and women bathe together. You don't have a problem with us being naked in towels while in a hot spring, do you?"
Blue suddenly turned around, his back facing me. I quietly got up from his bed and craned my head over to look at his face.
"Hey, you're doing that blushing thing you told me about," I said, giggling.
"Shut up."
"It's not a big deal, Blue. We use to take baths together when we were babies."
"Stupid! That was when we were babies! That doesn't count now!"
"Stop being a girl and come with me already! We're wasting a lot of time arguing over this. Besides, you don't want me to tell Oak and Daisy about your dirty little secret now, do you?"
"You do realize that blackmailing me will come back to you in the future, right?"
"What," I asked, my eyes widening at the thought of bad karma. "Agh, then never mind! I won't say anything and you don't have to come with me. I'll go by myself then."
"No, I'll go with you. I won't like it, but I remember having you play things you didn't really like back then so we'll be even now."
"Thanks, Blue," I said, hugging him. "You're a great friend! That's why I missed you so much!"
"Let's go to that stupid spa already," he said with a sigh. I pulled away from him and nodded, and we walked out of his house to get to Vermilion City. We rode the ferry there to get to One Island, where the Ember Spa was. Blue seemed to get more nervous the closer we got the island, which I thought was a little funny. He can be really complicated sometimes. He's so confident and yet insecure at the same time. I remember when we were ten, Red, Blue, and I were having lunch under a tree at school, and this kid from some other class walked up to us. He looked pretty pissed off about something and started yelling at Blue for using his grandfather's fame to make himself look better when he really wasn't. He even went on to say that he was just living in Professor Oak's shadow and wouldn't surpass Oak in any way.
I stood up and told that kid to take back what he said. To me, Blue was already a great person and the same goes for Red. I didn't really care that he was related to a famous Pokémon researcher because Blue wasn't just "Professor Oak's grandson." He was one of my best friends, and I sure as hell wasn't his friend for being Oak's grandson. No, I was his friend for being himself around me. As his friend, I wasn't going to let some stranger say things about him when he didn't know the whole truth.
Blue told me to sit down and to not worry about what that kid said. I protested, but he shot a look at me that said he had everything under control. I sat down and saw a calm look in his eyes. At first, I was kind of shocked that he wasn't going to defend himself or his pride. Then, a condescending smirk appeared on his mouth as his brown eyes showed superiority.
"He's just jealous that he won't achieve much, unlike me," he said with a smug tone. "Gramps is a well-known researcher and Daisy is a great Pokémon coordinator. Wouldn't that mean that there are great expectations for me? Of course because it's in my blood, something he doesn't have, and I'll be sure to reach those expectations. After all, he's given me more motivation because now I want to prove him wrong."
I just watched as Blue stared down the frustrated kid, daring him to say something else so he can cut him down to size. One of the things Blue was good at was whenever you insulted him, he'd turn it around and make you look like the flawed one, which he evidently still does since whenever I or Red defeated him in a Pokémon battle, he'd still insult us. It was like he was never at fault, that he was perfect, and everyone else was beneath him. But that's what it looked like. There were times when insults would get to him a few hours later after they were delivered and countered. He would start sulking until I convinced him he wasn't whatever the insult was.
In a way, Blue hasn't changed much from the boy I knew five years ago, personality-wise. As confident as he is now, he's still insecure inside. I could easily damage his ego if I wanted to, but I didn't and won't. Even when things were bad between us, when we were no longer friends, I didn't hurt his pride. Although, I probably did a little when I won all those Pokémon battles we had. But, all the battles were something that had to be done for him to see me as a friend again. Yes, there were times when it didn't look like we'd be able to be friends during our adventure through Kanto, but that rivalry has changed into a friendship.
He's overbearing, arrogant, conceited, a jerk, and a bit too emotional, but… He was also kind (in his own way), fun, adventurous, and had a self-confidence that I can never have. It was that and all the great memories I had with him that made me want to be friends again. It made me wonder, though. Did he ever think of fixing our broken friendship before? Did he even want to before that night I talked to him on the beach? He did say that he missed me so he probably did. He probably didn't know how to forgive me, or even apologize.
"Hey, is that the place," I heard Blue say. I looked around, trying to find out where we were. We were already on the small island where the hot springs were. Huh, I don't remember sending out Rain to get across the sea. I must have been seriously daydreaming. I saw the entrance to the Ember Spa close and nodded to Blue's question.
"Were you spacing out again," asked Blue, smirking lightly.
"Yeah, I was," I replied, noticing that his smirk wasn't leaving. "And, no, I wasn't staring at you this time!"
"I wasn't going to ask that, but I guess you have a bit of a guilty conscience to say it."
"I really wasn't staring at you!"
"Sure you weren't," he said sarcastically. "It's not like you can resist a good-looking guy like me, anyway."
I rolled my eyes, sighing. I wasn't going to let him ruin my mood. We entered the cave to the spa, steam surrounding us the further we went in. The old man in the kimono from last time was standing by the stairs to the upper level of the hot springs.
"Ah, it's you," he said to me, smiling. "I remember you! Did you come here to do another cannonball?"
"No," I said with a laugh. "I'm here with my friend Blue. Is there room for us to get in the hot spring?"
"Of course! My attendant up ahead will take care of your things and give you your towels. Please, enjoy your bath."
Blue and I walked ahead, and he already seemed uncomfortable, especially when we walked past the spring. The attendant, a woman, gave us some fresh towels and directed us to the changing stalls. I got changed out of my clothes, stuffing them in my bag along with my hat, and wrapped the towel around my body. I stepped out of the stall and gave the attendant my bag, Blue stepping out a moment after with his towel around his waist. He didn't look at me as he gave the attendant his clothes, which were surprisingly folded neatly.
"You know how to fold clothes," I asked, looking up at him. "I hang most of my clothes in my closet and fold the smaller things."
"Yeah, I know how to fold clothes. I like to keep my clothes in drawers," he replied, still not making eye contact.
"I remember that. Why not have Daisy fold them, though?"
"Because it's weird to have your older sister fold your underwear, that's why."
"But, didn't she do it before?"
"She did, but that's when I was younger. It's different now."
I shrugged and walked ahead to the hot spring. I was considering doing a cannonball again, but… Aw, screw it. I'm jumping in again!
"Cannonball," I yelled, running to the water and jumping in. The water was hot, but it was cozy. I stuck my head above the surface, securing my towel, and began to relax from the water's comfortable warmth. The few people that were there were giving me annoyed looks, and Blue had his hand on his forehead.
"Blue! Come in already! The water is great," I called out, waving him over. From the corner of my eye, I saw the people in the bath glancing at Blue. He stood there for a moment and then stepped into the water, walking past me and sitting by the corner. I followed him, sitting beside him.
"See? It's not so bad here," I told him, leaning back a little against the rock wall.
"Sometimes I wonder why I hang around with you," said Blue, finally looking at me.
"Are you talking about the cannonball? You should have done it, too! It was a lot of fun!"
He sighed, looking away and staring at the water.
"You said you wanted to talk about Red," he began, also leaning back. "What about him?"
"I'll get to that in a sec', but I want to find out something first. Blue, why do people blush," I asked, looking at him expectantly.
"I'm really surprised that you don't know that," he said with disbelief. "But, if you really want to know, it's usually because they're embarrassed."
"Wait, so Red is embarrassed to be seen with me? And you too? Because you guys both blushed around me a few times before."
"That's because you say stupid things that mean entirely different things to me! Do you even hear yourself talk?"
"Of course I do! I don't find anything wrong with what I say!"
"See? This is what I meant by you being smart and yet stupid at the same time! Jeez, how you've functioned in society so far is a miracle!"
"Shut up! And we're not talking about you, we're talking about Red! So, what are his reasons for blushing around me?"
"Idiot, it's because he likes you."
"I know he likes me! What does that have to do with blushing?"
Blue looked at me with surprise as if not entirely believing what I was saying.
"Leaf, are you serious," he asked. I stared intently at him, making it obvious that I was damn serious about this. Blue sighed again, rubbing his forehead with his hand a bit.
"Okay, let's back up a bit," he said, looking back at me. "People blush because they're embarrassed. Embarrassments usually come from humiliation. That humiliation can range from falling in front of people to doing something stupid. It also shows up when you have feelings for someone and are afraid to do something stupid in front of them or tell them what you feel for them."
"But if Red told me that he likes me, why would he blush? He didn't do anything dumb."
"Leaf, you care about your Pokémon and mom, right?"
"Of course! I'd never stop caring for them."
"Why do you care about them?"
"Because they're my friends and family."
"It doesn't matter if they're your friends or family. Why would you care about them?"
By now, Blue was staring very intently at me, one of the few moments I've seen him so serious. I thought about what he was asking for a moment before answering.
"Because I… I love them," I replied slowly, unsure if that was the correct answer.
"Do you care about Red?"
"I…"
I stopped and gasped, covering my mouth with both hands. No… I couldn't… There was no way I'd feel that way for a friend! Especially Red!
"Why? How," I asked, grabbing Blue's arm in alarm. "No, wait… This love is the friendly one, right? The one you feel for your friends and family?"
"I don't think Red feels that way about you," he said, shrugging my hands off.
"Are you saying he loves me the way my mom and dad used to?"
"Yep, but now the question is do you feel the same way for him."
I thought it over, exploring what it was that I felt for him. Red and I… We've been through so much together. He's been with me to the end, always by my side except for recently. And I want him to stay there. I liked having him with me, exploring, talking, or just hanging out. He helped change me to a better person, and I know I changed him, too, even a little. My right hand rested on my chest, my face feeling a little warm and it wasn't from the water.
"Looks like you like him, too," said Blue, a small smile on his lips. "I had a feeling that you two had a thing for each other."
My mind suddenly reeled back to my talk with Red earlier on the beach. How could I have been so stupid? It didn't seem wrong to me at the time, but now it's entirely different since I finally understand everything. No wonder Red seemed very hurt by what I said.
"I have to tell him tomorrow," I said, standing up. "No, I should tell him right now."
I glanced over at Blue and hugged him, startling him.
"Thanks, Blue! For everything," I said happily.
"Yeah, whatever. Can you stop hugging me? It's kind of awkward to have a naked girl hug me," he said with uneasiness.
"Why is it awkward," I asked, pulling away from him. "Don't you look at naked girls in your magazines?"
"There's a huge difference between a girl on paper and a girl in real life."
"But, I'm your friend. It shouldn't be awkward."
"A friend who also happens to be a girl. Jeez, you're not going to let me live it down, are you?"
"Nope! It'll be our dirty little secret! Now, let's get out and head back home. I need to tell Red that I love him ASAP."
"Okay. The sooner you're in clothes, the sooner we can get out of this place."
Blue and I got out of the water and retrieved our things from the attendant. After we got changed in the stalls, we went back to the dock of One Island, heading back to Vermilion City in fifteen minutes. When we were back home in Pallet Town, I went by Red's house to see if he was there. Hazel, Red's mom, said he hadn't returned home yet and was probably still at the Pokémon League. I went on my own to the League to talk to him, but Lance told me that Red had left about an hour ago to train the newly hatched Pokémon he received from me. I guess I'll just wait for him in Pallet. As I stared out my window to look at the sea, I couldn't help but smile. Things were going so well lately, and tomorrow could only get better. After all, if Red stays out late training, which he'll most likely do, I'll have to tell him my feelings tomorrow. I suddenly felt impatient for tomorrow to arrive.
A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter is so late! Vacation has really thrown off my writing time, mainly because I've been busy with walking around and seeing places. Anyway, time for another cliffhanger. Oh, I'm such a cruel writer for making you all wait and have the chapter end like this. Ahaha, I like how Blue is kind of awkward around Leaf. He's like "Oh, shit. My childhood best friend is a girl." I think it wouldn't be so awkward for him if they had remained friends from the beginning. He may be flirty but even he's a little inexperienced with an oblivious girl who says and does things that any other girl would have thought twice about.
