Chapter 52

There wasn't much time to talk about what had transpired after Red had left. Steven had to get back to battling. I had a feeling he had used a lot of his battle time talking to Red, so his breaks were cut short and he wasn't able to see me. It'd been three hours since he had returned to the stadium and he still hadn't stopped by to see me. So I sat alone in the Pokemon center, drinking a cup of hot chocolate. I was actually staring at it more than drinking it. I had never felt so empty before.

Brendan was Red. And Red had told me he loved me. If I was anything besides empty, I was confused. I touched my lips. He had just barely kissed me when Steven had hit him. Steven was probably more crushed than the last time it happened. I had to let him know it didn't mean anything was going to come between us.

I'm not like those girls that get emotionally torn between two men. I had a feeling Red had a crush on me ever since we first kissed near Rustboro. What I didn't expect was when he confessed his love and kissed me. It hurt to see him get punched by Steven, and likewise hurt that he had been lying to me this whole while, but my heart was set with Steven. I knew that. It was an easy decision.

The hot chocolate tasted bitter to me every time I took a sip. Maybe I was imagining it, or Nurse Joy had brewed me a bad cup. I drank it anyways.

Red was the ultimate pokemon trainer. It was easy to figure that after he beat the elite four and his own rival that he felt empty inside. That's why he had followed me and Steven for so long. But wherever he had gone, was he going to come back? I hoped he did. I wasn't afraid to confess that. He was my friend. I hoped he still considered me his.

"Mew?" I looked to my left.

"Flannery?" I asked. I was right: the Lavaridge gym leader was standing by my table. She was wearing a cute hat with cat ears on it. Other than that, her attire was unchanged. I guessed she was effected by the cold breeze that had been blowing through town all day as well. She looked down at me, eyes concerned.

"You haven't moved from here in a while, have you?" she asked.

"Oh. Um, no. I haven't. Nothing else to do, really." I looked back at my hot chocolate. She didn't say anything. Instead, she sat down across from me and took off her hat. She worked at making sure her hair was perfect before leaning forward with her elbows on the table. She observed my expression while I idly stirred my drink.

"You don't look too happy." I sighed softly at her words.

"Yeah. Don't feel too good." The gym leader looked around. The pokecenter was empty. The crowd that had come to watch me battle Norman had gone home. I doubt Steven would've let them watch his match if I couldn't.

"Where's Brendan?" My heart throbbed at the very name. She saw my expression change. "Where is he, hun?" I stopped stirring and folded my hands under the table.

"He left," I answered quietly. "He had to go… go do something." Flannery took a moment to think.

"He didn't really let you know where he was going or why, then."

"Yeah."

"Well, that sucks." Her words managed to make me smile faintly.

"Yeah, I guess it does."

"Did he tell you he loved ya?" Now she had my full and utmost attention. She blinked in surprise. "What? Was it not that obvious?"

"No. No, it was obvious to me, but I didn't think others could tell," I admitted. "He's not the type that likes to show his emotions." Flannery chuckled.

"I think he showed his happy emotions a lot, to be honest," she said. "But someone who smiles and laughs that much has to have an equally dark and sad side." I nodded. She was right. "So how did he do it? Did he give you flowers or something?"

"No. He told me then kissed me." Now Flannery looked surprised. "Then he left. You can't really do that and be on good terms with Steven, you know." She was still surprised. "What?"

"You say it like it wasn't a big deal," she explained. "Like it didn't mean anything to you."

"It meant that he really liked me, I know that now," I whispered. "But I already know I like Steven."

"You're that sure?" Flannery said, blinking her eyes. "Jeez, girl. You and that silver-haired dreamboat are going to get quite a ways in life. You really got your head on straight. If a boy went and did that to me, man, I'd kiss him back. Just for the hell of it. You don't get much thrill in life like that around here." Right. She didn't quite the whole story. Every day of my life was a never ending thrill. I was sick of it. Maybe that was why it didn't seem to surprise me that much. "So you're so sure about you and Steven that he kissed you and you still knew that he wasn't the one?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Must've crushed him," she said softly. I put my hands around the cup of coffee and squeezed gently. "Is that why he left?" I shrugged.

"I think it's because I told him that he wasn't sure who he really was." Flannery rubbed the back of her neck.

"Wow," she breathed. "Sounds like you told him everything he needed to know right then and there. And he must've took off to find himself."

"Do you think that's where he went?" I asked. "Because I have no idea where he went."

"Probably back home," she guessed. "Home is where the heart is, after all."

"You're probably right." I sighed.

"How did Steven take the whole kissing thing when you told him?"

"Oh, I didn't tell him," I explained. "He saw and punched him." Flannery twitched. "He actually punched him twice. I had to stop him. Brendan wasn't really going to fight back."

"I… didn't expect Steven to do something like that." She fixed a stray lock of hair that had fallen in front of her face. "Last time he did something like that, someone cursed his mother. Called her a foul name of some sort. He punched him in the jaw, broke it, and the guy ended up losing five teeth."

"His mom?" I asked.

"What, you've never heard of his mother?" I shook my head. Again, Flannery looked around, this time to make sure no one was listening. "Look, I'm a new gym leader, so the others decided to fill me in on the story. You know Mr. Stone, right? Him and his wife were the leading producers of weaponry and transportation in the Great Pokemon War." I blinked in surprise. "Yeah, I know, right? Talk about a secret history. Everyone wondered how the Stones got so much money to start a company like Devon, so that sorta explains it."

"Did his mother die out on the field?" I whispered, leaning in close.

"No. That's the crazy thing. She died when Steven was born." My heart shattered. "He's never really forgiven himself for it. Mr. Stone tells him it's not his fault, that his mom was frail from the war, but he never got over it. Whenever Mr. Stone got a girlfriend, Steven would disappear. When he became the champion, his dad decided it was best to stop trying. I guess that's why he never confessed to having a girlfriend over the TV like he did with you." She grabbed my hands and held them tightly. "You're the only woman he'll allow in his life. Don't you realize how special you are now?" She paused. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." I didn't say it, but I thought about crying for a second or two. "So he broke a guys' jaw and several of his teeth because he talked bad about his mom?"

"Yeah. It's a sensitive subject. I just know it cuz the other leaders did." She smiled. "I gotta hand it to you, Mew. You are really one hell of a woman. You know how to live life the right way. No cheating, all honesty, and a lot of awesome pokemon battling!" Her words warmed my heart.

"Thanks, Flannery," I said. We paused. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"I actually wanted to see your battle in person," she said, embarrassed, "but missed it entirely. It was replaying on the news, though. So we're cool there. I just figured since I was already on the way, I'd stop by and say hi." I smiled faintly.

"Thanks. It's great to see you."

"So what are you going to do now?" she asked. I looked down at the cup in my hands. It would make sense to start my way up to Fortree city after Steven finished with the challengers. Yet I found the thought of leaving here hard. "You want to stay here until Brendan comes back, huh?" She nailed it right on the head.

"Yeah," I admitted. She looked at me with understanding eyes.

"Hun, Brendan will come back. And when he does, he will find you. If you wait here, nothing will get accomplished. You need to get to Fortree and get your badge. You need to keep going. I'm sure it's what he would want." I didn't say anything at first. I really wanted to stay here, but she was right. If I didn't leave, nothing would get done. I met her eyes and nodded.

"Steven and I will leave tomorrow," I declared.

"Good," Flannery said. "You're a pretty tough gal, Mew. I'm glad to call you my friend."

"Likewise." I smiled. Likewise indeed.

Night had fallen when the dinner with my parents had come to an end. We had talked about my journey (I had to make a lot of it up so they didn't figure out about the part about being Mewthree), and in return they told me about how things were coming with them. Dad had said before, but he hadn't been beaten by anyone until me and was sure to keep it up to prove himself worthy of that promotion Steven promised. Mom told me she had left my room how I left it, except that she vacuumed and made the bed. She said she had unpacked everything as well and handed me a bag of new clothes and other items to take with me on my journey. I gave her the rather dirty clothes I had in my bag in exchange for them.

"We're proud of you, Mew," Mom said as Dad took the biggest, sloppiest bite out of his dessert. "Be sure to call us from time to time. We worry about you. I'd much rather hear updates about your journey from you rather than on the news." Dad nodded, wiping whipped cream from his chin.

"I can do that," I promised. Mom took my hands in her and smiled warmly. Dad swallowed his dessert whole and took a hand for himself, patting it gently. My parents were, and still are, my everything. They raised me even though I didn't become a trainer till much later. They let me live with them when all my friends were out on my own. And more importantly, they loved me more than anything else. I couldn't ask for anything better.

How was Red able to live with himself when his Dad died? How did Steven get along without a mother? I didn't know, I just knew for sure that I was the lucky one. And like Red had said: this world is a beautiful place. There's a lot to be worked on but a lot worth fighting for. I decided then and there that I was to protect it with every life I had. I wouldn't go crazy when little things went wrong anymore. I'd be strong and I'd keep going.

That's what really matters.

"Well," Dad said as soon as we had finished our huddle in silence. "Your mother and I are going to bed. Wake us up when you get ready to leave tomorrow, alright? We want to be able to see you off."

"I can do that." They released my hands and stood up. I did the same, hugging them tightly at the same time. "Love you guys," I reminded.

"We love you, too." They reminded in unison. Then we parted. They went towards their room, waving goodbye over their shoulders. As soon as they were inside and the door was shut behind them, I sat back down at the table. I was about to take what was left of Dad's dessert when someone wrapped their arms around me. I was about to look back, but Steven held me in place.

"Don't move," he whispered. "I want to talk."

"O-ok."

"Do you still want to be with me?" The question took me by surprise.

"Yes, I do. I don't know why you-" I started. He cut me off quickly.

"Did you ever have a feeling that Red liked you?"

"Yes." He paused, thinking.

"Did that kiss of his mean anything to you?" I paused.

"No."

"How are you so sure?" he asked.

"Because yours are the only ones that mean anything to me." He let me go. I turned to him. His face was forcefully controlled like it had been when we had first met. I stood up and hugged him. It took him a short while, but he returned the gesture. "Stop being like this, Steven. We're still just fine."

"I know that," he admitted, playing with my hair. "To be honest, I think I'm more upset that he left." I pulled away in surprise. "Don't look at me like that. It was hard enough to come to the conclusion myself."

"You already miss him?" I asked. His face tightened: a sign that it was true. "I thought you hated him."

"I did," he conceded. "But when you told him all that… those things about who he really was when he hid behind a mask…" He paused. "It was true. He really wants to be a happy-go-lucky idiot. He just didn't want to believe it. Maybe that's why he left." Steven met my eyes. "He's going to find himself, wherever he went."

"And he'll come back," I promised. "Just being honest here: you probably shouldn't have punched him." The champion sighed.

"Yeah. Probably shouldn't have." He grinned slightly. "First instinct, I guess."

"Did you beat all the challengers?" I asked, changing the subject. He bobbed his head once. "You don't get a lot of tough pokemon trainers, do you?"

"Not anymore. When I started out, it was a lot harder to beat challengers. Now it's easier because I've battled so many." He looked out the window. I did the same. It was getting late and the cold wind was blowing stronger through the town. "Tomorrow we start our way to Fortree. Skarmory will be up to give us a bit of a start there." He put his forehead against mine. "For now, let's get some sleep?"

"Sleep it is."

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To Be Continued…