AN: The timeline of the Pokémon games isn't particularly established, but I know some people are bound to get held up over this so FYI, in this universe X and Y's events happened shortly after the Champion Red fight in Gold/Silver (really HG/SS though since they're more recent).

Also, Pokémon's names (except nicknames of course) will not be capitalized due to them being the animals of that world - like how we don't capitalize lion or cat.

So here it is: my first story, first chapter. Any and all feedback and corrections are welcome, and I hope you enjoy!

"You're sure you got extra clothes? ...You know, to wear? Like that hat of yours - you did wash it, right?"

"...You'll "smell it later" anyways..."

"Oh, ha ha. Got enough Poképuffs?

"..."

"Potions, Full Restores, Full Heals, Revives - toothbrushes, paste, bathroom stuff…"

"..."

"Snacks - for us and the 'mon - Ultra Balls, a jacket or two…"

"...Blue…"

"Flashlights - what?"

"...There are shops there…"

"...Right, right, I get it. Just tryin' to do this right, you know? You didn't come down from that perch of yours to have to live off of scraps again."

"...You packed your new shades…"

"Hey, Solgaleo shines on Kalos too -"

"It's mid-October…and there were no shops on Mount Silver..."

In fact, that had been a symptom of the reason for Red's self-imposed exile there.

For the last three years and six months - minus the time he had spent acclimating to civil life again - he had lived at the peak of Mount Silver, training, surviving and generally enjoying life with his team for sole company. He had much preferred it to what he knew would have awaited him had he stayed as the youngest Champion in the Pokémon League's history: swarms of journalists and paparazzi, numerous conferences, mountains of paperwork, countless social events - the mere thought made him grimace with discomfort. Less than a week after defeating Blue and the Elite Four, Red had found the perfect place to escape such a life: the most dangerous place on the Indigo Plateau, fit for only the most powerful of trainers, Mount Silver.

The first two and a half years had been just what he had wanted. He trained relentlessly every day, pushing his pokémon to and past their limits while he himself matured and hardened, letting the blizzards erode away what he didn't need. It had been exactly what he had been hoping, and yet there was something missing.

On the seventh month of the second year, things began to change. Red began to notice that his training was giving increasingly diminishing returns; his team was lively as ever, stronger than ever, and yet he was missing something. A pit had formed in his very being, one that he didn't know how to fill - didn't really even know was there - until that fateful day when a mere child had climbed up Mount Silver and faced him.

They were both down to their last.

In front of him stood his charizard, his starter Pokémon, the one he had been through the most with, the one who had stuck with him through more battles than any other, its tail an inferno blazing with determination.

Facing him was the boy. Ethan. He looked so young to Red, even though he was likely the same age he was when he defeated Blue. His typhlosion stood alert before him, the back of its neck aflame with the same passion as Red's charizard. From where he stood, Red could see its eyes. They were determined, of course, but Red had seen the eyes of enough pokémon across enough battles of varying importance to see more than that. He saw... youth, almost...innocence.

He imagined he and his pokémon had worn a similar look on the eleventh floor of Silph Co. the night he had lost to Giovanni, the night he had let him get away a second time.

Red would wonder later if Ethan knew then that he had lost.

He tapped his left foot on the cold stone of the mountain, almost imperceptibly. His charizard turned its head towards him equally as discreetly, and Red nodded.

Noticing this last movement, Ethan's eyes widened. With a speed fitting of a trainer of his caliber, he reacted, and the battle began.

"Rock slide!"

"..."

Ethan's typhlosion roared and began ripping chunks out of the ground at its feet just as Red's charizard beat its leathery wings and blasted straight up into the sky. It blazed a wide arc through the blizzard, and, with a reptilian screech as fire began freely pouring out of its mouth, it folded its wings and rocketed towards its opponent - with the hail at its back.

Steeling itself for the incoming attack, the typhlosion waited until its enemy was in range and initiated its Rock Slide attack. However, as soon as it faced the quasi-dragon, it was pelted with hail - not your average tiny ice shards, either, but almost tennis ball-sized chunks as were all too common on Mount Silver. While the Fire-type's natural heat was enough to mostly melt the hail before it hit, it then had to deal with a slushy sleet splattering against its front. Roaring in defiance, the Volcano pokémonbegan to lob its rocks, two at a time, towards the incoming charizard. None of them hit, the Flame pokémon weaving and dodging as it built up more and more fire around its jaws - all the while barreling towards its foe.

Ethan knew he was in a bad spot. Rock Slide was already a fairly inaccurate attack, but with the hail and charizards' natural speed… he assumed that the incoming attack was a Flare Blitz, which normally wouldn't worry him: it was a Fire-type attack, and therefore a good part of the flame-based damage would be nullified by his typhlosion's resistance to extreme heat. On the other hand, that charizard was definitely leagues above any other he had fought - even Lance's.

Then again, Flare Blitz was a physical attack. The closer the charizard would get, the easier it would be to hit - if his typhlosion could retaliate fast enough after the attack was done. Yes...he just needed to wait for the optimal moment.

Then something happened. Before the Flame pokémon got within five meters of its target, its wings reopened and it stopped in its tracks, the fire in its maw seeming to stop altogether - until it spewed forth in a huge, five-pronged blast, engulfing the typhlosion entirely.

A massive plume of smoke and steam erupted. Ethan threw his arms up to protect his face, having been pushed back by the sheer force of the blast, before looking back up to check on his starter. A light fog now lay on the battlefield, through which Ethan could see the imposing figure of his typhlosion shaking the blow off. It seemed to have been singed by the Fire Blast, its normally smooth fur sticking out in places and...smoking? Surely that was just the fog. Surely not even this charizard could burn another Fire-type…

It was then that he realized that the charizard was gone.

Then he heard it, its cocoon of fire vaporizing the vapors around it as it tore through the fog. Before Ethan could get a word out, tell his typhlosion to do something, anything, the Flare Blitz hit.

Red had won the battle. Ethan was incredible, that was certain; he had become the youngest Champion of both Johto and Kanto in a matter of weeks and defeated the reformed Team Rocket. Had their places been swapped, perhaps Ethan would have been waiting for him on Mount Silver. Unfortunately for him, Red had had three more years, and experience outranks everything.

Still, Red owed Ethan. It was that battle that had made him realize what was missing in his life. He had been training relentlessly, both his pokémon and himself, but all of that was for naught if he had nothing to strive for. The highs would mean nothing without lows, the training would become less effective with no R&R. That was why, after escorting Ethan down to the pokémon center at the foot of Mount Silver, he had made his decision.

Viridian City Gym. The last time he had seen the building, it looked old, almost run down. It had also been the secret headquarters of Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni, the Kanto Pokémon League's eighth Gym Leader.

Now the place looked oddly... modern. Neon light spewed from its doors, as well as...techno music? Blue had certainly changed the mood of the place.

The sliding doors opened and Red stepped in. Almost instantly, to the point where Red flinched, the gym aide rushed to his side.

"Hey there, champ in the making! The Gym Leader here is a guy who battled the old - champion... three… "

He seemed to falter as he looked into Red's eyes. He stepped back, looked at his hat, then his jacket, then back at his eyes, and he froze as a look of realization spread across his face.

"He's... in the back room, s-sir."

Red simply nodded and strolled on towards the back of the Gym. He opened the door to what he assumed was Blue's office, and stepped in.

"What is it, Jim? A challenger, this late at -"

Red cleared his throat, cutting him off.

Blue's head flew up, his eyes wide with surprise. He stayed that way for a few seconds, and then his look of bewilderment turned into a grin.

"So...what, did the kid kick your butt so hard you need to hide two continents over? Or did you just finally figure out what's good for you?"

"...Second, I guess…"

"Ah, you know I'm teasing. So! A voyage, as they say, to Kalos with your best bud Blue…. We need to get you some new clothes first."

"...fine…"

AN: So there it is. Chapter two will be up soon (yes, they actually do get to Kalos in that one)! Again, reviews and criticism are welcome. Smell ya later!