Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.

Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.

Chapter Fifty-Six: Arrival of the Rivals!

Ah, Fuchsia City. One of the more traditional Kantonian settlements, steeped in history and mystique. There was not a skyscraper to be seen, yet the buildings the city homed were clustered together, but not claustrophobic. Adults trudged along the pavement, some donning kimonos, children played in the streets with Pokémon, running about with Eevee and Vulpix and Poliwag, and wild Pidgey, Spearow, and Pidgeotto slept on rooftops and telephone wires, basking in the baking sun.

"Didn't think I'd be back here so soon," Kiiroshi said, sliding off Sergio and patting him on the nose.

"Sorry about that," Red said, falling clumsily off the Tauros. "You didn't have to give me a lift."

"No worries," Kiiroshi said, waving away his apology. "You gave me an awesome battle. Besides, I can take a bit of time with my Badges now; not far to go now."

Sergio disappeared into his Great Ball with a grateful moo, and Red, Kiiroshi, and Pikachu began to explore Fuchsia, the former gushing as he took in this new settlement.

"Man, these buildings are so old," he said, almost breathing in the years these structures had seen and experienced, wooden creations elevated slightly off the ground, most of their curved roofs tiled. When he closed his eyes, it was as if he could see and hear everything that took place here throughout the centuries, so vivid he forgot which era he was in, so graphic it was eerie.

"There's a bunch of places to explore here," Kiiroshi said. "You've obviously got the Gym and the Safari Zone, but there's also the Fuchsia Zoo and the beach, which is really Route Nineteen, but so close to the city it counts as both."

"Wow," Red said, gazing at a Fearow overhead. "I don't know what to do first."

"How about we go to the beach?" Kiiroshi recommended. "We can let our Pokémon out and enjoy the sun and the sea. I mean, we're going to go our separate ways later, aren't we? Might as well relax, right? Who knows, might loosen you up for the Gym Leader."

"Sounds like a plan," Red said, his smile hiding the slight sadness he felt that his new friend and he were not going to be travelling together any longer.

The trek to the beach was only half an hour, and there Red was greeted by the wind blowing sand that prickled his face and stung his eyes, bringing back memories of the times he would go to the beach in Pallet Town, first with his mother and then with Leaf and Blue by themselves as they got older, discussing what sort of places were beyond the horizon apart from the island of Cinnabar, and trying to catch sight of as many Pokémon as they could, running away from them when they aggravated them too much (which was horrid when those Pokémon happened to be Krabby who seemed to have of a fondness for chasing a certain jet black-haired young man over his peers). It is strange how memories can be sad and happy at the same time, isn't it, yet we can't experience them ever again, no matter how exactly we try to make them the same as they were before. Red had heard of both a Time and Time Travel Pokémon and would not mind coming across them at some point in the future. Well, he did catch a Mythical after all, so maybe he had a chance of encountering them one day.

Red plopped himself on the sand, watching the ocean glisten, listening to the waves and cries of the wild Pokémon, Kiiroshi next to him, their trousers rolled up, their socks and trainers set next to their rucksacks. The beach was empty apart from a couple of people having a Pokémon battle a little ways away, which worked well for them and their Pokémon, who took their own time to enjoy this precious tranquillity: Pikachu, Clefairy, Lo, and William splashed each other in the sea, the former more competitive than the others, although Red would say he was glad the mouse was at least playing with the trio; Charmeleon and Furea were chatting whilst eyeing the water in distaste; Cubone sat with them, studying Charmeleon, mimicking the way he sat and his gestures; Beedrill and Ella perched themselves by the rucksacks, watching the ocean like their Trainers, although Ella kept glancing at Cubone and unconsciously rubbing the back of her head; and Sergio snored loudly, lost in a sleep he richly deserved.

Oh, and there were the two other Pokémon under Kiiroshi's ownership, one being a tall, wingless, shaggy, brown-feathered bird with three heads set on three skinny but long necks, and a black crest on each of said heads, and an insectoid creature with large red pincers, disturbing eyes which held no pupils, with a large, spotted mushroom that hid most of its body. Kiiroshi introduced them as Ellén the Dodrio and Migi the Parasect. Ellén's heads argued amongst themselves while Migi stared blankly at a rock, motionless, not even responding when a Staryu was washed ashore and nudged it.

"It's nice, isn't it, Red?" Kiiroshi said.

"It is," Red agreed, taking a deep breath of fresh ocean air.

Kiiroshi shut her eyes. "Just living in the moment. When you consider how hectic the world is, it seems amazing that there are places like this, where you can take it slow and be drawn to its beauty, you know, just forgetting all the bad stuff that happens around us, even if only for a little while."

"You're right," Red said. "Yeah, this feels nice."

"Especially when I'm with my Pokémon," Kiiroshi said. She turned to Red, her eyes half-open, her even, white teeth showing in a smile. "And my new friends too. Which I still find weird."

"Weird? Why?"

"Well, we're competing against each other, aren't we?" Kiiroshi shook her head, her black-streaked blonde fringe dancing across her face. "Most people don't want to be friends with a competitor, no matter how friendly they become. It's that 'oh, friendship will get in the way and make me weak' sort of thing. Believe me, I've lost a few friends that way."

"I'll still be your friend regardless," Red said, his attention caught by the battle taking place in the distance. "Battling's super fun, but it's more fun to make friends. I mean, you whooped me in Cyan, but I had a heck of a lot of fun with you during the tournament and after."

Kiiroshi's eyes shone as though she knew how to use Flash. "That's… that's great to hear, Red." She leaned in closer to him. "Honestly, I'm glad I met you."

Straining his eyes, Red swore he knew one of the battlers. "I'm glad I met you too, Kiiroshi. Because that Gyarados would've eaten me otherwise!"

Kiiroshi leaned closer still, then paused. "Um, Red?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you staring at?"

"Those Trainers battling." Red stood and picked up his rucksack, shoes, and socks. "One of them looks familiar. Let's go check it out. Maybe I'm wrong, but at least we'll get to see a battle. That's something, right?"

"Oh, um," Kiiroshi said, fumbling over her words before clearing her throat and saying, "Yeah, sounds fun. Hey, maybe they're collecting Badges too!"

As it turns out, both battlers were indeed collecting Badges. And Red was wrong: he did not know one of them. He knew both of them.

One was the crazy shorts boy, Ben.

The other was Blue.

Neither of them noticed Red, Kiiroshi nor any of their Pokémon, attention completely taken by their battle, which involved them pitting a Vaporeon against a Jolteon. Furea barked something to her fellow Eeveelutions, but, like their Trainers, neither of them responded.

Jolteon faltered as Vaporeon soaked him with a Water Gun.

"Looks like I'll bring this back!" Ben said. "Then I'll take down your Wartortle too and win this! Shorts triumphs over everything!"

Blue scoffed. "So you say," he said, giving Ben a condescending look, his Meowth standing next to him doing the same. "But I think I'm done testing out Jolteon. Now, use Pin Missile."

Jolteon barked, its spiky fur glowing green as it launched a barrage of pins at Vaporeon, who could not blast them away with Water Gun quickly enough, wincing as it bore the brunt of the hail of needles.

"Whoa," Kiiroshi said, impressed. "Vaporeon's still hanging on."

Indeed, it was, but not for much longer, its reprieve only lasting another few seconds as Jolteon sped forward, mouth agape, filled with electricity, and sunk its fangs into Vaporeon. Vaporeon whimpered and toppled over.

"Darn it!" Ben groaned, falling onto his behind. "I couldn't take out either of your Pokémon. How can someone who doesn't wear shorts be so strong?"

"I told you, it's because I'm an Oak," Blue said smugly. "You never stood a chance, shorts or not. You should've given up after Wartortle dominated your Raticate." He shrugged. "I would commend you for the battle, but it wasn't much of one. A bit of a waste of time if there wasn't money at stake. Speaking of…" He held out his hand.

Grumbling, Ben handed Blue over his winnings before finally noticing that the beach was suddenly a little more crowded than it was a few minutes ago. "How long have you guys been standing there?" he asked Red and Kiiroshi.

"About a minute," Red said, grimacing. "Shocked it took you this long to notice."

Blue swivelled around, a mischievous little smirk coming to his lips as he took in the familiar face. "Well, well, well, it's Reddy!"

"It's Red," Red said through gritted teeth.

Blue ignored him. "I thought you gave up on your journey, thought you ran home to mummy after the Pokémon Tower stuff. Guess I was wrong. A pity, but now you'll have to deal with failing to get all Badges instead of just giving up, right, Reddy?" He chuckled.

Red scowled. "Still just a jerk like always, huh? And I thought battling zombie Rockets would've made you nicer."

"'Zombie Rockets'?" Kiiroshi muttered.

"The Pokémon Tower thing I mentioned."

"Oh."

Pikachu and Meowth caught each other's eye and nodded curtly.

"So, Reddy, how far have you come along?" Blue asked. "Got any more Badges since last time we met?"

"Obviously," Red said pompously. "Got my Rainbow Badge."

"And what else?"

"I… uh… um…" Red faltered. "I got… only that one. But I… um, I took part in a tournament!"

Blue raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? Did you win it?"

"I… got to the final."

"So, you didn't win?" Blue said, sounding gleeful. "What, did you lose to some nobody? I thought you were aiming for the Indigo League?"

Red's Pokémon scowled at Blue, even growling. Well, except Cubone, who hid behind Charmeleon.

"Oh, are you calling me a nobody?" Kiiroshi piped up, her smile strained.

Blue looked up, as though seeing her for the first time. "Wait. You defeated Reddy?"

"It was a very tough battle," Kiiroshi said, "but, yeah, I won."

Blue peered at her curiously and then at the Pokémon. "I reckon half of these guys are yours, right? Impressive. Are you collecting Badges too?"

"That's right," Kiiroshi replied. "And we're going to win the entire Indigo League."

Blue's eyes gleamed. "So, you have the potential to be a tough rival if you won a tournament. Well, better than Reddy and Shorts Boy here."

"I'm Ben, not Shorts Boy, you leg-hiding heathen!" Ben shouted, the Revive in his hand dissipating as its essence roused Vaporeon. "You just got lucky in our battle by besting me in almost every single way and… wait, what was my point again?"

"Maybe you should get back to tending to your Vaporeon," Red said as kindly as he could.

Ben stared blankly at him. "Who are you again?"

Red slumped his shoulders and groaned.

Blue snorted. "Well, Blondie, if you're half as good as me, you might be fun to battle against if we meet at the Pokémon League."

Kiiroshi pursed her lips. "The name's Kiiroshi."

"I would ask for a battle, Blondie," Blue continued, "but my Pokémon need their rest, right, guys?"

Jolteon yapped; Meowth bowed his head sleepily.

"You won't even battle me, then?" Red said.

"Nah," Blue said, waving him away. "If you would've shown up before Shorts Boy, then we probably could have. Oh, I see you caught a Cubone. It's the same one from Lavender, isn't it? Meh, doesn't matter. Besides, I need to leave Fuchsia as soon as possible; the other Badges aren't going to collect themselves after all." He flashed a grin at Red. "I've got to put more ground between us, make it look all the more unassailable for you."

"'Unassailable'?" Red repeated, unimpressed. "Kind of a big word. Did you read a dictionary and want to use it?"

"Maybe." Blue rolled his eyes. "So what? Anyway," he raised his hand and saluted the trio and their Pokémon, "I'm off. Smell ya la –"

Something brown and white and fluffy zipped across the beach and barrelled into Red's chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"What?" Red said, wincing, catching the thing before it dropped to the ground. His eyes widened, and he smiled. "Eevee? Whoa, what are you doing here?"

"An Eevee?" Kiiroshi said.

"No way, is that…" Blue muttered.

"It's her!" Ben hollered. "It's Leaf! Yes, get in!"

Lo and behold, it was, the third Pallet Trainer running awkwardly across the soft, sinking sand. But she was not alone (of course) with two figures keeping pace beside her.

"Hey, Leaf!" Red said, setting Eevee on the sand and waving to her. "Hey!"

Eevee nudged Pikachu, who gave her a quick pat on the head. Eevee trilled. The rest of Red's team called towards Leaf, jumping around excitedly, and even Cubone's face lit up as he recognised the girl from the Tower.

Leaf stumbled to a halt and beamed. "Red!" she said, hugging him. "I had a feeling you would be here by now if you managed to take down the Snorlax on your side. And how are you all doing?" she asked his Pokémon, who responded in an animated cacophony. "Amazing! Anyway, Snorlax. Went well, then?"

"Yeah!" Red said, shaking his fists up and down like an excited toddler. "It was super cool, and I even used her in a tournament. Super powerful! How about you?"

"Caught him in a Great Ball," Leaf said. "But haven't used him in battle. Probably won't to be honest. I don't think he'll care too much though and…" Leaf trailed off, suddenly realising that there was more than just Red and his Pokémon around. "Oh, Blue! What are you doing here?"

"Just had a battle," Blue said. "Not much of one."

Ben pouted.

"Well," Leaf said, walking over and giving him a hug too. "Nice to see you. And I heard that you acted the hero at Pokémon Tower," she whispered into his ear.

Blue blushed, grumbled, and glared at Red.

"Hey, hey, Leaf!" Ben shouted, moving around like a Primeape on caffeine. "Remember me? I mean, of course you do! You're part of the shorts community after all!"

"Oh, er, hi Ben," Leaf said with as much gusto as she could manage. "Er, yeah, we battled twice. But I'm not wearing…" She stared down at her bare legs. "Oh."

"Glad to see you again, shorts buddy," Ben said, clapping her on the shoulder.

Leaf looked past Red's shoulder, sighting Kiiroshi. "Hello there," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Leaf."

Kiiroshi smiled as she took Leaf's hand. "Kiiroshi," she said. "And the Pokémon that aren't Red's are mine. Except the Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Meowth."

"Wow," Leaf said, brimming with excitement as her Pokédex recorded the Pokémon it did not have on it yet, speaking with a guttural tone that did not chill her as it once did. "A Dodrio too? I just caught one myself yesterday!"

"Ah," Kiiroshi said, nodding. "You're the capturer, right? Red speaks highly of you."

"Red speaks about me?" Leaf asked, eyeing him intriguingly, the essence of heat growing in her cheeks. Or it might have been her imagination.

"Yep," Kiiroshi said. She then added to Blue: "He's talked about you too. Can't say the things he's said about either of you are wrong."

Blue rolled his eyes.

"Well, Red," Leaf said, giggling, "I'm glad that you – hey, where'd you go?"

Red did not go too far, no more than a few feet because what – or rather who – got his interest were Leaf's two companions. He stood before them, a Gengar-like grin on his face, his hand held up in greeting: "Hey, how's it going? I'm Red, and it's nice to meet you. Erm… who are you guys anyway?"

"Oh, these two are my news friends," Leaf said, running between them and dragging them forward.

"Oh, right," Falkner said, appearing a tad embarrassed. "My name is Falkner, and I'm going to compete in the Indigo League. And I'm the future Violet City Gym Leader."

"Say what?" Red, Kiiroshi, and Ben said together.

Blue raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Janine bowed to the foursome. "I'm also competing. My name is Janine, and I'm the daughter of Koga, the Fuchsia City Gym Leader. Nice to meet you."

"Say what?" Red, Kiiroshi, and Ben said together.

Blue lowered his eyebrow and smirked. He glanced around, taking in the people surrounding him. "Okay, then," he said. "It looks like we're all rivals, then." He flicked away a lock of hair from his face with a swagger. "I guess knowing who some of the competitors are makes it a lot more interesting. If you can get all the Badges, that is."

A silence fell upon the Trainers as the Badge collectors all stared at each other. Ignoring Blue's jibe, what he said was indeed true: everyone here, bar Leaf, were vying for the same goal, against each other.

"Wow!" Red squealed, jumping up and down, Clefairy toddling forward and joining him. "Man, this whole thing feels way, WAY more real now we're all together, meeting like this!"

"That's true," Falkner said. "On this journey so far, I've only come across Janine as another League rival. It never felt like there was something vast over the horizon, merely an elaborate hike with some battles."

"I agree," Janine said, trying to nod solemnly like a wise sage. "This journey, to me, has felt like it was a 'me' thing, that I'm the only one competing, that there's been no one pushing me. Apart from my father, of course, but he's not competing." Her attempted levelheadedness vanished, replaced by a childlike wonder. "It's makes Butterfree flutter in my tummy like mad!"

"It's why I've been trying to battle other competitors," Kiiroshi said. "Get my mindset one hundred percent into it."

Red's eyes hovered over these Trainers, seeing them in a light that dazzled and spurred him on. "And there's going to be more of us around. Maybe I'll get a few battles with the likes of you and them? I mean, my battle against Kiiroshi was as tough and exciting as a Gym one to me. Either way," he slammed his fist into his palm, "I'll take on and take down anyone that comes my way. The Indigo League isn't going to know what hit it."

"Ah, that bravado," Falkner said airily. He glanced at Janine. "Reminds me of someone I know. Now, who was it…"

"Oh, ha-ha," Janine said. "But – wait, Red, right? – I like the way you speak. And I'll match that passion with my own when I've qualified for the League, just you all wait and see. All of you here will see the results my training here and in Hoenn have produced."

"And you'll see what we can do," Kiiroshi said, her Pokémon (minus Migi who was now staring unblinkingly out at the ocean) crying out in support.

"All this talk," Blue drawled, "but it means nothing. Do you all honestly think you've got a chance when an Oak is competing too? I mean, don't get me wrong, you'll make it interesting, but how much fun will it be knowing the best you can get is second place?"

All but Falkner scowled at him, and Red said, "You talk big, as always, but I'm not going to make it easy for you. None of us are," he brandished his arm towards his Pokémon, "and we'll match you every step of the way. Besides," he smiled cheekily, "even if you won the main tournament, do you think the Elite Four would be any easier?"

"I've studied them," Blue said. "And I'll keep studying them. Even the Elite Four won't stand in my way. Everyone will see me as the strongest. Believe it, Reddy."

Blue let the words sink in, hoping to see the uncertainty and discouragement melt into their faces. But what he got were visages that told him the opposite, that he would have to train even harder than he already was and avoid any pitfalls his rivals would have planned for him.

"Okay, uh," Leaf said, biting her bottom lip, "that was a little dramatic. Um, Ben, would you like to say anything to the class?"

Ben's eyes narrowed and his face darkened. "This creeps me out. We're the only ones wearing shorts, Leaf!"

"Oh, come on…"

o~o~o~o~o

Soon after, the seven Trainers decided to go their separate ways: Falkner took off on his Pidgeot after complimenting Kiiroshi's Ellén, bidding Leaf a fond farewell, and warning Janine that he would battle even harder the next time; Janine disappeared, like a ninja would you have it; Kiiroshi said her own goodbyes, giving Red a big hug, and taking off on Sergio; and Ben and his Vaporeon were kidnapped by a passing Fearow.

All that was left was Red, Blue, and Leaf (boy, wouldn't it have been more fitting if Leaf's surname was her first name instead?).

Red returned his Pokémon to their Poké Balls except Charmeleon (and Pikachu, but that should not have needed to have been stated, right?), and out of theirs came Wartortle and Venusaur.

"What!" Blue exclaimed, circling the sleeping plant-toad-dinosaur thing. "You evolved him all the way? I mean, Bulbasaur are known to get to the Venusaur stage sooner than the other Kanto Starters, but I thought he'd be stuck as an Ivysaur for ages."

Charmeleon whispered to Wartortle as they gave each other a handshake, inclining his head at the resting Venusaur. Wartortle frowned as he took in everything the fire lizard told him about Venusaur's current condition.

Blue whistled. "Got to admit, that's impressed me. Looks like it's a race between Wartortle and Charmeleon to see who gets to their final evolution first." He paused and pondered. "Hmm, hey, Leaf, I need a favour from you."

Leaf raised her eyebrows. "You need a favour? The great Blue Oak? Why?"

"Yeah, why?" Red said. "Is this a prank?"

"Not a prank," Blue said. "I just need Leaf to trade with me. I have a Pokémon that only evolves through trading." He grinned. "What do you say, Leaf? You probably have a Pokémon or two that evolves the same way. One step closer to completing your Pokédex, eh?"

There was no reason for Leaf to disagree was there?

Accepting Blue's proposition after less than a moment's hesitation, the trio trekked to the Fuchsia Pokémon Centre and entered a room dubbed the Cable Club, where two tubes either side of a computer screen sucked in Poké Balls belonging to Leaf and Blue.

"Trade complete," said a robotic voice.

"Whoa, so this is trading?" Red breathed. "Cool."

"And we do it again," Blue said, instigating the trade once again.

A few seconds later, Leaf had her Haunter back, which her Pokédex told her was now a 'gENgAr'.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Blue said with a wink. "Now, I'm out of here."

"You're going just like that?" Leaf said incredulously. "Don't you want to talk about this? I've never traded a Pokémon with anyone before, much less have one evolve from it. This is exciting!"

"Nah," Blue said, clipping the Poké Ball to his belt. "Did what I came here to do. Besides, I already got the Badge, so Fuchsia is useless to me now.

"You're not even spending an extra night here?" Red asked. "You're just going to rush off?"

"Exactly." Blue saluted his former friends. "Smell ya later."

With no further fanfare, Blue was gone, quickly, so quickly Leaf had to let Gengar out of his Great Ball to make sure her trade with Blue was not a fever dream.

Well, at least she had Red with her again, even if it would only be for a little while.

Thus ended another eventful day in the world of Pokémon.

What would tomorrow bring?