Nobody was in Saffron City to pick him up from the airport. He hadn't wanted Daisy to miss work, and Gramps was out of the question.
"Almost makes me miss Sycamore," he muttered as he released Aerodactyl. "Almost."
Aerodactyl landed on the League's front steps a few hours later. Blue strolled through the doors, waving off the attendants and flashing a smile to some of the challengers. Nurse Joy pointed to the League's offices without asking why he was there. Good. Lance was expecting him.
Blue walked to the end of the hall and slammed the door open.
"What part of ASAP do you not understand?" Lance asked without looking up from his paperwork.
Blue pulled the blinds open, flooding the room with light. He fiddled with the string until Lance set his pen aside with a sigh.
"Welcome back, Blue."
"I'm out by July," he said, still staring out the window. Eevee had escaped her ball and was pawing at Lance's collection of trophies. She knocked one off, but Lance caught it without flinching.
"I thought we agreed on August," Lance huffed. He straightened his suit jacket and pinched at the bridge of his nose. "I don't have anyone to fill in. The trainer you chose to fill in for you is off that entire month."
"Guess nobody's getting an Earth Badge in July! I'm sure the league would appreciate the break."
"Summer's the busiest time for gyms." Lance leaned against the edge of his desk, arms crossed over his chest.
Blue watched him from the corner of his eye. When he first started as a gym leader, Lance would've exploded the second he messed with the blinds. The years really had mellowed him. Either that or a degree made Blue lose his touch. Definitely the former.
"Alright, I'll stay until August," he started. He swiveled on his heel and mimicked Lance's pose. "But only if I decide gym hours. AND I'm permitted to leave the city as I please."
Lance seemed to expect that. He gave a terse nod and sat back in his chair.
"I'll allow it. I suppose it won't be much different than how you ran the place a few years ago." He stopped to look Blue dead in the eye. "But you ought to read your email more often. If you're really so keen to leave, it might be wise to pursue other opportunities. There's one you might like."
At that, Lance began scribbling on the page in front of him. Blue took that as his cue to leave and started toward the exit.
"Congratulations, by the way." He smiled in that same way he did to all the kids who challenged him to a pokemon battle. "Whether you notice it or not, you've come a long way since we first met."
"...Thanks," Blue replied with a shrug.
Blue's boxes from Kalos sat outside the Viridian gym. He shipped most of them over a week ago, but Rattatas had made them their new home. Apparently, nobody had gotten the hint to drag them inside. He shooed them off and yelled at some of the trainers in the gym to get outside and help drag the boxes in, but his return caused them to erupt in a chaos that would last well into the night.
The gym was...running smoothly. It had been every time he'd visited on breaks, but it felt different this time around. He always had Kalos to return to then. Now he just had…Lance's 'opportunities,' whatever that meant. He didn't know how to feel about it yet, and jetlag certainly wasn't helping.
Amidst the chaos, he was able to catch some tidbits of League gossip. Red was apparently still on the mountain (he knew that), Kanto was considering allowing mega evolution in League battles (interesting), and a couple of Rocket grunts were causing trouble, but some young kids had it handled (again?). Nothing too shocking. All too normal, like he hadn't been gone for literal years. Things continued like always.
After one too many snarky comments, they forced Blue to get some rest. He flicked the lights on in his old apartment above the gym and frowned at the unfamiliar decor and how clean the place was. It definitely hadn't stayed - wasn't currently? - empty. Whoever had been staying there wasn't in at the moment, thankfully. He knew Lance would be too cheap to put him up in a hotel, and he sure as hell wasn't going to stay in Pallet. He set his bag by the front door and looked out the kitchen window. The small-city feel of Viridian felt empty after the chaos of Lumiose City, but Blue found himself just as lost here. Eevee ignored his introspection, sniffed at the furniture, and wandered off to find her old bed knowing full well it wouldn't be there. Blue followed her into his old room and collapsed into his bed after a shower and change of clothes, but sleep refused him.
He dug out his pokégear, thought that he desperately needed to charge it, then finally opened Lance's email.
Attention Former Champion Blue!
That had his attention. No more Gym Leader Blue, huh?
The Pokemon World Tournament in Unova is hosting their biannual Champions Tournament August 20th-27th, and we want YOU to compete! RSVP with Clay or contact Lance to claim your spot now! The competing champions will not be revealed until August 1st on social media, so you have until then to confirm.
"You have any plans in August, girl?" Blue asked Eevee. She cocked her head and lifted an ear as she squeaked a reply. "Me neither. But if they want a champion, who am I to deprive them of one?"
He looked at the clock. 1 AM. He had enough self-preservation to not wake Lance with a text about reading an email three weeks after the fact. It could wait. He should wait. Leaf's voice echoed in his mind, saying something about thinking things through, but it's not like he had any better plans.
Might as well. He sent the message.
The next couple weeks passed in a blur. Despite his threats, he ended up handling the gym for most of that time. Word had gotten out about his official departure, so a ton of people wanted to get their badges before he left. Most of those people were bright-eyed kids too young to remember the news cycle from when he and Red became champions, so they only saw cool, suave-gym-leader Blue. The teens and adults saw asshole-kid-champion Blue and looked insulted that he was still there. Most of the badges he handed out went to the kids.
Daisy dropped by when she could and even challenged him to a pokémon battle despite having sneaked past all the other trainers (she lost). It helped distract Blue from the fact that Professor Oak hadn't even bothered to call yet.
Blue eventually called Leaf, who threatened him for not calling sooner. She immediately asked if he'd seen Red, and Blue vowed to wait even longer to call next time.
He ran into those kids who'd beaten Team Rocket in mid-June. He'd heard from Misty that the resemblance they shared with Red and him was uncanny, and something unpleasant settled at the pit of his stomach. When a little girl with a Pikachu and and little boy with an Eevee bumped into him when he was running errands in Saffron City, he recognized them immediately and invited them to challenge Viridian.
Elaine and Trace. Childhood friends who raced around the region on good terms. Put up a good fight, too. Maybe one of them could take over the gym when they were older.
Blue smirked as they left the gym wearing Earth badges. He tried not to think about what it would've felt like to do the same with Red.
A few weeks later, when Leaf crashed into the gym apartment yelling about some kid ruining her Mewtwo research, he had a feeling he knew exactly who did it. He wished he could high five her for pissing Leaf off so badly.
Blue groaned when his pokégear fell from the nightstand, just out of reach. 9:30. The gym didn't officially open until 10, but he might as well get on with it. Only a week left before he was catching a flight to Unova. He could be responsible and open the gym on time for that long. Or maybe he couldn't. His pokégear buzzed with 3 new messages and a voicemail, all from Lance.
"I didn't bother reading your messages," Blue mumbled into the receiver as soon as Lance picked up. He sagged against the kitchen counter, a mug of too bitter coffee in hand. "Whaddya need?"
"Have you heard the news?"
"Some people don't wake up at 4 AM."
"I'll take that as a no. You remember a trainer named Elaine? She beat the four of us and her friend Trace not an hour after he did the same."
"I'm not consoling some kid who lost the championship. Just because - "
"This was last week. We wanted to crown her as the new champion then, but she refused to accept the title until she beat the 'real champion,' as she put it." There was some mumbling on the end of the line. Blue couldn't understand a word of it and shared a shrug with Eevee.
"Good luck with that! I'd like to see her try to climb that mountain."
"She did it."
"What? She beat Red?! How?" Blue paused. "What does this have to do with me?"
"It's protocol to contact all gym leaders once someone has beaten the Elite Four and previous Champion. I also wanted to meet with you about the upcoming tournament."
"Whatever."
"Today, if possible. I have news."
"Of course you do. Smell ya." Blue hung up before Lance could remember any more news. Guess he wasn't opening the gym on time after all.
The journey to Victory Road took a bit longer than usual with all the press trying to get to the new champion. A few tried to pull Blue to the side, but he waved them off or blew kisses to the cameras. Most ignored him, though. It didn't sting too much.
Inside the entrance, reporters were chatting into cameras as a stage was being set up for a press conference. Blue and Eevee strolled through the side doors and into the backroom. Inside, Lorelei was prepping Elaine on what was acceptable to say to the cameras; something they clearly started after Blue's disastrous interview nearly a decade ago. He cringed when he remembered Gramps' disapproving frown after he's finished. He double checked the room for any sign of the professor just to be sure, but luckily he hadn't made an appearance yet. All the more reason to find Lance and get whatever the hell this meeting was about over with.
Lance directed some reporters from his position in the back of the room, near an unused office space. He was clearly trying to push them away.
"You couldn't handle this over the phone?" Blue approached the group with a disinterested tone. Eevee sniffed at the air from his shoulder and snubbed her nose.
Lance gave a final look at the reporters, who finally got a hint and left the room. He massaged his temples before turning to Blue.
"Are you alright with leaving the gym in your trainers' hands until the interim leader steps in?"
"Sure."
"Great. As you know, I was supposed to head to Unova tomorrow to help with tournament preparations." Did he know that? He really couldn't remember. "But I cannot leave during this media circus, and I...should really help Elaine adjust for a bit."
Blue quirked his eyebrows but said nothing. Lance was finally getting his chance at a do-over, huh. Better not let this one disappear to a remote mountain for eight years.
"Would you like to take my place? The flight, that is. I'll be taking yours next week, if you're fine with it."
"So you're saying that I can leave Viridian early? And have a free extra week of Unovan vacation?" Lance nodded. Blue tapped on his chin in mock thought. Or maybe a little bit of thought; he wasn't took sure about being kicked out earlier than the date he himself had set but a vacation was nice. "Deal. But you owe me."
"I don't. Now, if you'll follow me, Blue, there's one more thing you should know." Lance pushed open the door behind him and waiting for Blue to follow. He shut the door behind them and beckoned him to sit on one of the couches.
At first, Blue was distracted by the old school poster of Lance on the opposite wall. He remembered the same one hanging on his bedroom door, back when he and Red played pretend trainers. It didn't hit him that someone else was in the room with them until Lance coughed into his fist.
Then he noticed Eevee sniffing noses with a Pikachu.
A part of Blue wanted to walk right back out the door and straight onto that plane with a one-way ticket to Unova, and another part of him just wanted to yell. He let out a strangled grunt instead.
Red didn't look as shocked to see him. He just gave a lopsided smile and small wave before going back to staring at Lance.
"Red's going with you to Unova. Play nice, don't start a fight on the plane, and don't cause any international scandals."
Blue's mouth hung open as he glared at the side of Red's head. His hair had grown longer since winter and he was wearing a jacket Leaf had brought up to him, but otherwise he still looked exactly as he remembered. Only he was sitting on a couch under fluorescent lights instead of standing in knee-deep snow.
"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Blue made to punch Red in the arm, but a stern sigh from Lance stopped him halfway.
"He can tell you all about it later. For now, if you don't want to be mauled by the press, Red, go back to Viridian with Blue. And Blue, I'll email the flight details to you. Please actually read them."
At that, Lance strolled out of the room like he hadn't just dropped the entire world on Blue's shoulders. Blue watched the space where he stood with enough force to paralyze a grown man, but a tap on his shoulder sent his glare to fall on Red.
"We should get going, yeah?" Red signed. Phrasing a command as a question to not make him any angrier, he realized. He wasn't going to let him win.
"Aerodactyl is not flying your ass to Viridian. Find your own way back," Green huffed. He pulled out a pokéball and burst through the outside door, Red offering no rebuttal. He didn't look back to see if Red was even behind him; he tried to focus on the specks of houses below but found himself clenching his fists and grinding his teeth.
He wasn't even sure why he was so mad. He just knew he was pissed that Red was off that goddamn mountain for some reason. Whatever.
a small child climbed up a mountain, challenged Red for the title of True Champion (That Isn't Lance), and proceeded to kick his butt. all to teach him humility or something
updates should be posted every few days! thanks for reading!