'what r u doing?' Green texts while Red is on the boat. 'where r u going?'
'Sinnoh', Red says. 'I'm on a boat'.
'sounds fun.' Green says. Red stares at the screen and waits, expecting some snarky comment or random joke.
Nothing.
With a sigh, he turns his Pokegear off and sets it on the table with a thud. Pikachu, curled up on Red's pillow, looks up with a worried squeak.
Fine, Red signs. Pikachu stretches, yawns, and then climbs up onto Red's lap. He pets it absently.
Green hasn't been talking much to him, for some reason, and it worries him. Even when they hated each other, Green was always talking. Mainly insulting Red, but still.
Stranger than Green's silence was why he was so worried. When he'd become champion and Green disappeared for two years, Red hadn't been too concerned. But now, his former-rival-turned-friend occupied half his thoughts.
How did he really feel about Green? Were they friends or not?
The talk Red had had with the Elites a week ago came back to mind suddenly. Any two adults could marry, even guys. It was rather confusing and not something he liked to think about. Pikachu, sensing his turmoil, climbs up onto his shoulder and nuzzles Red's cheek gently, squeaking gently when he scritches PIkachu's ears gently.
He reaches over and checks his Pokegear again, despite knowing full-well that there isn't going to be any new messages. Just as he thought, nothing.
Red sighs and shuts the Pokegear again, then lies down on the bed. Pikachu climbs up onto his chest and nuzzles into his neck reassuringly. The gentle rocking of the boat lulls him into an uneasy sleep.
"Chuu."
Red shifts, trying to shake off the haze of sleep. Something soft tickles his cheek and then Pikachu taps Red's nose gently.
He yawns widely, stretching, and then sits up. Pikachu jumps onto his shoulder and pushes Red's bangs out of his eyes with a chubby paw.
The screen of the Pokegear reads 3:52 PM. His heart falls when he sees, No new messages.
Setting the device down (a bit roughly), Red slides off the bed and heads outside his cabin. Lance is walking down the hallway towards him, Ryu curled around his neck like a scaly blue scarf.
"Oh! You're awake," he says when he sees Red. "We're almost at Canalave City. Do you have everything ready?"
Red shakes his head, scritching Pikachu's ears gently when it pokes his cheek. I'll go pack, he signs.
Lance nods. "You do that," he says. "I will be on the deck. Meet me there when you're done."
Red nods and heads back into his cabin. Most of his stuff is packed except for a few articles of clothing and a bag of Pokefood. He quickly shoves the Pokefood and clothing into his pack, then zips it up and slings it over his shoulder.
Most of his Pokemon are in their Pokeballs, but he knows Venusaur is on the boat deck and Lapras is swimming out in the ocean. Red clips the two empty balls and the four Pokeballs containing his Pokemon onto his belt, then heads out onto the deck.
Venusaur is happily sleeping on the deck, flower wide open and basking in the sunlight. Lapras swims next to the boat, humming softly. Red waves to Lapras, who beams upon seeing him, then moves to crouch beside Venusaur, gently shaking it awake.
Venusaur looks up grouchily, rumbling unhappily until it sees who woke it. With what sounds like a semi-purr, the Grass-type pushes itself up and nudges Red's chest roughly. Pikachu makes an unhappy sound at the sudden jolt. Red gives Venusaur's head an affectionate rub, then recalls it with a tap of its Pokeball.
Lapras, he notes, is floating near the front of the ship watching him and Red heads towards it. Pikachu greets Lapras happily with a chirp and Lapras hums in reply, craning its head towards Red. He gives in and rubs Lapras's head as well, then recalls the Water-type.
"You ready?" someone says from behind him. Red starts slightly, turning around. Lance is standing there, arms crossed.
Yes, he signs. Lance dips his head in a nod.
"Good," he says. "The boat will land at Canalave in a few minutes and then we can fly to the Harbour Inn. Are you hungry?"
Red shakes his head and Lance nods. "Alright."
"Attention, passengers," a mechanical voice says suddenly. "We will be arriving in Canalave City soon. Please go onto the deck."
Red heads towards the rail of the boat and looks out at the horizon. Canalave City looms up ahead, teeming with life. His heart pounds and Pikachu nuzzles him reassuringly.
"Is anything wrong, Red?" Lance asks, brows furrowed. Ryu chirps softly. "You look a little pale."
Fine, Red signs. After a hesitant moment, he adds, Nervous.
"Don't be," Lance says. "They're very kind. And it's only five people."
Pikachu huffs softly and jabs Lance in the arm with one electrified paw. Ryu, curled around Lance's neck, looks up and glares.
Thanks, Red signs, pulling Pikachu off his shoulder. Lance's attempt at comfort wasn't very good, but it was the thought that counted.
"Now arriving at: Canalave City," the mechanical voice booms. "Please line up at the exit."
"Let's go," Lance says, leading Red to the exit. The line starts shuffling forwards, bit by bit as the ramp lowers, and then the crowd spills out onto the pier of Canalave City.
The city is teeming with people: some biking, some walking, some jogging. A flock of Wingull soar overhead, letting out ear-piercing cries. A pair of boats are docked next to theirs and several men are unloading various cargo. The air smells of fish and salt. It's a little overwhelming to Red. Even Celadon City was never this busy.
"It's rather crowded, I know," Lance says. "People from all around the world visit Canalave City."
Red nods, still looking around. He spots a woman feeding several Wingull by the ocean, a person jogging with some odd lavender Pokemon, a child petting a Growlithe. Pokemon cries clash with the steady crash of waves against the pier, mixed with the rumble of people talking and the occasional horn. It's so… different.
"Well, let's get going," Lance says. "They'll be expecting us." He throws out a Pokeball and Dragonite materializes with a curious hum, looking around.
"Fly, Dragonite," Lance says, climbing on Dragonite's back. Red makes to release Charizard but Lance holds up a hand.
"We're flying together," he says. "To attract less attention."
A crowd is already forming around Lance and Dragonite and Red quickly climbs on behind Lance. Pikachu glares at the gossiping people, cheeks sparking.
Dragonite huffs softly, then jumps up into the air and flies off. Red quickly grabs onto Lance and Pikachu clings onto his arm. Ryu chirps excitedly, tail flicking about and accidentally hitting Pikachu in the face.
They land behind the Harbour Inn on a strip of grass and Lance slides off of Dragonite's back and then reaches up to help Red down.
Thanks, Red signs. Lance nods, and then recalls Dragonite.
"Don't be nervous," he says. "They're very kind."
Right. The meeting. Red takes a deep breath, petting Pikachu absently, and squares his shoulders.
The Harbour Inn is brightly lit, with paintings decorating the walls. Jazzy music plays from a pair of speakers in the corner. It smells of salt and something else Red can't quite decipher.
"We're upstairs," Lance says, heading towards the lady behind the counter. Red trails behind him, still trying to figure out what that odd smell is.
"Hello, how can I help you?" the lady says, staring up at Lance. "Do you want to reserve a room?"
"I'm with the people in 2D," Lance says, digging some papers out of his pocket and presenting them to the lady.
"Oh, I see," the lady says. "Let me just verify your reservation quickly… done. You are free to go up, sir."
"Thank you," Lance says, taking the papers back. "Have a nice day."
"Have a nice day!" the lady says, waving.
Red follows Lance up the stairs and to a room labeled 2D. The faint sound of laughter drifts out into the hallway. Pikachu nuzzles Red's cheek comfortingly as Lance pushes open the door and they walk in.
The room looks comfortable, with several people sitting on couches and armchairs. As soon as they step inside, a lady with silver-blue hair looks up and points, laughing.
"Hey, look! It's Dragon Zubatman in the flesh!"
Dragon… Zubatman?
Dragon Zubatman? Red signs, tilting his head at Lance. Lance exhales tiredly.
"It's because of the cape," he says.
"And?" some guy with blue hair says, tilting his head.
"And the drama," Lance says resignedly. "The cape. And the drama."
"There you go!" the silver-blue haired lady from before says, laughing. Everyone laughs as well and Red feels himself relax a little.
"Sorry, Lance," a woman with a white dress and wings says, still smiling. "Anyways, who's the one with you?"
"This," Lance says, "is Red. He's the current Kanto champion."
Red waves hesitantly, hoping he doesn't look too awkward.
"Current Kanto champion, huh," silver-blue hair says, smirking. "You training to be Dragon Zubatman as well?"
Red shakes his head, feeling a small smile creep across his face. The silver-blue haired lady reminds him of Green, somehow.
"Aw, you're not? Shame on you, Lance," she says, to the laughter of everyone but Lance and Red in the room.
"Anyways," Lance says, dragging out the 'A', "just introduce yourselves."
"Fi-ine," silver-blue hair says. "I'm Karen, Johto champion. Not officially, of course, but our current champion just kind of ditched so I get the spot. Nice to meet you!"
"My name is Diantha," the white wings lady says, smiling serenely. "I'm the Kalos champion. It's very nice to meet you."
"I'm Alder, the Unova champion. Come and sit down, you're very welcome here," a man with red hair says, smiling gently. His voice is… soothing. Something about the way he speaks makes Red feel more relaxed. Lance sits down on an empty couch, setting his bag next to it, and Red does the same.
"My name is Cynthia," a blonde lady says. "I'm the Sinnohan champion and I hope you enjoy your stay here!"
"My name is Steven," the last one says lightly. "I'm from Hoenn. Pleasure to meet you."
Red waves again, feeling a little less awkward this time. Pikachu, perched atop his shoulder waves as well, earning several laughs and smiles.
"Do you not talk?" Karen says suddenly, studying Red with sharp eyes. The nervousness from before comes back with a vengeance and Red shifts uneasily. Pikachu's cheeks spark.
"Karen!" Diantha scolds. "That's very rude. Do not say that to someone!" Turning to Red, she smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry about that."
"Red is… mute," Lance says. "He communicates using sign language. I'm here to translate."
"Ah, so that's why you weren't speaking!" Karen says. "Thought it was because you didn't like us."
It's a joke, Red tells himself, but he can't help but feel more uneasy.
"Ignore Karen," Cynthia says reassuringly. "None of us thought that, don't worry."
"You'll be perfectly at home here, Red," Alder says and Red relaxes a bit.
"Anyhow," Steven says, speaking up from where he's sitting in a corner, "we should probably get to work."
"Can we not delay it?" Diantha says pleadingly, accompanied by sounds of agreement and nods.
"I wish," Steven says, smiling gently, "but unfortunately we cannot."
Red taps Lance's shoulder and signs, work?
"Paperwork," Lance says, after a moment. "Steven always tries to get us to do it on the first day, just to get over with it. Most of the time, he succeeds."
Red exhales, closing his eyes for a moment. Even here, paperwork.
"We should probably get to work, though," Cynthia says tiredly. A collective sigh ripples through the group of people as everyone grabs a stack of paper. Lance snags one and divides it in two, passing one half to Red.
"Does anyone have a spare pen?" he asks. Steven produces one from out of nowhere and tosses it across the room to Lance.
"Can I have a pen as well, Steven?" Karen says, grinning.
"No," Steven says dryly, but he passes her a pen anyway. Red blinks, privately wondering where all the pens came from.
"He has magic powers," Alder whispers to Red, as if sensing his question. Red presses his lips together, stifling a laugh.
"He probably does," Karen says, leaning over Alder and grinning conspiratorially. "I swear he has powers of teleportation or something. We were in Johto once and I spotted him standing on top of the Tohjo falls, like some sort of madman. There's no way he scaled an actual waterfall, right?"
"He probably did," Alder says, and they both laugh. Red smiles. Pikachu squeaks happily.
"And, he smiles!" Karen cheers, grinning. Everyone looks towards Red and he immediately stops smiling. "Aw, don't stop."
"Karen," Cynthia and Diantha scold, giving her identical glares.
Karen raises her hands in surrender and backs off. "Sorry, sorry. Jeez, guys. You don't have to be so mad."
"He doesn't look very comfortable," Steven points out mildly. "Remember when I first met you?"
"Don't be too over-the-top with him, got it," Karen says. "Sorry, kiddo. I'll try to tone it down a little."
Red nods, lacing his fingers together. The room slowly eases back into a comfortable mood, everyone talking and laughing as they work.
"You know," Alder says suddenly, "you can sign more."
Red stares, surprised. Pikachu squeaks curiously.
"We may not be able to understand it," Alder says, "but that doesn't matter. There is no shame in disability."
Red fidgets, pressing his hands together. Thank you, he signs hesitantly.
Alder smiles. "There we go," he says, smiling gently. Red smiles back.