Hello all. Those of you who are fans of my original Burnleafshipping fic will probably be glad to see this new story I'm releasing. You see, it's become apparent to me that I just can't stop writing. So I now intend to continue this hobby of mine. This story will be approximately the same length as "In This Moment." It is an all new story completely separate from my past story, and I'm very excited about writing it.

Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed my work over the past several years, and I hope that we will all enjoy this new journey together!

When the seasons change, it's not only the weather that shifts. It's the air, the energy, and the feelings of people that shift as well. With each new season comes a new vigor, a new excitement, and new hope for all that is to come. It's a quarterly revival of the human spirit naturally built into the world's ecosystems. Not all beings react the same way to these shifts in the atmosphere. Some await the change of seasons with baited breath, bursting with an eagerness for something - anything - different to happen in their lives. Others resist it, merely finding something to complain about with each shift. And others take it in stride, looking forward to what each new season brings while enjoying the solidarity that they do have in their lives. No matter which kind of person you are, it matters not. The seasons will always change and shift regardless of whether you look forward to it or not. Nature is unyielding, and so is the human spirit. Time stops for no one. Some people are painfully aware of this, while others are glad of it. The seasons are shifting here in Saffron City. And I, for one, feel like something in me is about to change as well.

"Red, your dinner is ready!" a voice called up the stairs.

"I'll be down in a few minutes, Mom!" another voice replied.

That voice belonged to one Red Ketchum. A young man of 19 years, he spent most evenings inside his apartment which he shared with his mother. His mother was not one to dote on him. If he wanted to move out on his own she would not hold him back, and if he wanted to do things that adults do she wouldn't treat him like he was still a child. She had the "cool mom" vibe down pat and that was a huge part of why he decided to stay with her. Aside form that, he was currently attending a four-year university and saw no reason to commit financial suicide unless he absolutely had to.

"Damn, I lost…" He let out a sigh of exasperation and threw his gaming controller onto the bed. He'd really been getting into this online game that everyone was playing, but he just couldn't match up with other top players. This was what he did most nights after school. He'd come home and play video games or watch tv. If mom was home she'd cook him dinner and if she was working he'd just grab fast food like any other college student.

After putting his computer to sleep, he went downstairs to find his mom waiting for him at the table. While she was a cool mom, as previously stated, she did have a tendency to pry into his life. She was intrusive, but understanding. He knew he could tell her anything, and anything he didn't want to tell her she would find out anyway. Right now she had that look on her face like she was about to start prying, and he felt a twinge of discomfort as he sat down at the table.

Red was glad to see that she'd brought home some food from work. His mom was the proud owner of a successful four star restaurant, and the food was to die for. Tonight she had brought home a personal favorite of his: beef au jus with stuffed mushrooms.

"How was your day?" she asked him as they began to dig in.

"Same as always. Class was boring."

"Maybe tomorrow will be better," she said optimistically. She was always a positive energy type of person.

"Well yeah, mom, tomorrow is Saturday," Red joked.

"I guess you're right. Do you have any plans?"

"No," Red answered. It was pretty rare for him to go out. He really only had one friend at school and that friend was –

"You should call Blue and see if he's doing anything this weekend," his mom suggested, "You only get to enjoy college life once you know. Go to some parties and get drunk or something. I won't mind."

"Mom, you're the only mother on the planet who would encourage such a thing," Red laughed. His mom really was a "cool mom," but on the flip side she was just like every other mom. She wanted to know how things were going, and he had to keep her informed. She also had ideas about what he should be doing, even if she wasn't going to force him to do anything other than take out the trash.

"I think you're wrong about that," she disagreed, "Most of us parents remember what it was like to be your age, and we try to say that we don't want you kids to make the same mistakes we did when really we know that making mistakes is what shapes you into better people."

"I appreciate you feeling that way, Mom, I really do, it's just…"

"I know, I know. You have no interest in big gatherings like that. Maybe I'm just salty because you're so responsible at an age where I was… not." Red's mom looked to the side sheepishly as she thought about "the good ol' days." Red could only imagine the trouble she'd gotten into.

"Maybe I'll see if Blue wants to hang out this weekend after all," he told her, "but if he's got parties on the radar, I think I'd rather just hang out here."

"I understand, Red. And I'm sorry for pushing you to be social. I just worry because… ever since your father passed away, you seem to be afraid of getting close to other people. I know these things take time to heal, and I want you to find your own answer as to what's best for you, but I know from personal experience that life is more fulfilling and rich when you can share it with people you love."

"I know, Mom. Thanks for looking out for me. I'll make friends when I'm ready, I promise."

"Okay, sweetie. I'll always love you no matter what, and I want you to be true to yourself no matter what. Always know that." With that, she rose from the table and picked up the dirty dishes. "I have an early day tomorrow, so I'm going to bed after I clear the dishes."

"I'll wash them in the morning if you leave them in the sink," he promised. His mother gave him an appreciative smile and dropped her dishes into the sink before heading to her bedroom.

Red sighed as he finished his own meal. His mother meant well, and he honestly didn't feel annoyed when she pushed him to be more social. He knew it was something that he would eventually have to do. At the same time, he knew that she didn't fully understand how he felt.

Red's mom was an energetic, extroverted person who had always lived a life full of relationships and adventures. All his life she'd told him about how she'd taken a year off school when she was younger to simply travel the world and meet people. She had friends everywhere. When she came back she worked as a bartender while studying business at the university, then she opened her own restaurant.

However, being the owner of a business didn't suit her outgoing personality. There was too much paperwork and time spent alone in an office. That's where his father came in. He'd been a more reserved person, though he still enjoyed an active social life thanks to his mom. When they got married, his dad took over the business and financial side of the restaurant and mom worked as the hostess, walking around talking to the customers and making sure they were all having a great experience. She was often found working behind the bar quite often as well since she'd loved it so much during her college days. Red could still remember his father chastising his mom for having too many drinks on the job. No doubt she was a handful for his father, but the customers adored her and that was what made their business successful.

Now that his dad was gone, she had to go back to handling the business herself. She did promote one of her employees to be the manager of the restaurant, but as the owner she still had a lot of menial tasks to see to each day, taking her away from the hostess role she loved to do the most. Red could see that her life was less enjoyable without his father around, but because she had so many friends, she was never lonely. He was thankful for that.

After placing his own dishes in the sink, Red returned to his room and tried to knock out some of his weekend homework. As he completed the work, his mind kept wandering to what his mother had said. It was nothing new. His father had passed on two years ago at the end of high school. It had hit him and his mother so hard, but it seemed to hit him harder for some reason. He spent the last few months of high school being a bit of a social outcast. His friends at the time had tried to be supportive but he'd cut them all off in his grief. He'd figured it didn't matter since high school was almost over for them anyway.

His mother could see through him though. He was afraid of getting close to people. After all, he knew the pain that comes with loving someone. In spite of everything though, one friend had stuck by his side against his wishes, and that was Blue Oak. The guy was a nut. He was super smart but had a cocky attitude about it. They'd known each other since middle school and he was even going to the same university as Red. College is the place for people like Blue to thrive, so he became popular really quickly. He'd made tons of friends within the first month of class.

Red on the other hand had made zero. Some people tried to talk to him, especially at the beginning of first year, but he was still shut off from the world with grief. Now that the second semester had started, everyone already had their friend groups. It was fine with him though. He was content to be alone.

"I'll change one day, when I'm ready" he always told himself, but as more and more time passed, he began to wonder.

"Oh, right. I should text blue about this weekend," he said out loud as he pulled his pokegear out of his pocket. He shot his friend a quick text and went back to studying. He didn't get very far, as Blue replied to him almost immediately.

Big party on the main avenue tomorrow night. No way I'm gonna miss it. You should come. My friends are really cool and you'd like them if you give them a chance! But if you don't wanna how about we grab dinner on Sunday? My hangover should be gone by then.

"He should really know better," Red chuckled to himself.

Sorry not interested in the party but Sunday is cool. Let me know where you want to go. My treat.

That was that. Tomorrow he'd be alone, but Sunday he would get in some quality time with his only friend. The idea of partying weirded Red out. A bunch of people getting drunk and doing crazy shit didn't appeal to him at all. At least he knew he wasn't alone in having that opinion. The people at school seemed to be half and half on the issue. Lots of people loved partying and lots of people hated it. Nothing unusual about that.

To Red, it just seemed like an unrealistic way to make friends. If he wanted to make friends, then it would have to be in a way that was more conductive to making meaningful connections with people. He'd always gone back and forth about joining a club at school or something like that, but it was just too unnerving for him. There really weren't any clubs that captured his interest. He felt like if he joined a club where everyone was passionate about the subject except for him, he would just end up feeling even more isolated.

Red rubbed his face with his hands. All this stressing about things he didn't need to change right away was making him anxious. He had three and a half years of school left to complete. There was plenty of time left, and no need to rush. He could go at his own pace. Maybe if he made a goal to just meet one new person, it would be enough to kickstart his re-integration into a social life. That sounded good. He decided then and there that he would do it. By the end of his freshman year, he would make one new acquaintance. They didn't have to become a close friend, but it just had to be one simple social connection. That sounded do-able.

For now though, he was just going to enjoy spending some time with the one friend he did have. For once, he was actually looking forward to hanging out with Blue.

"I've never actually been to this restaurant before, Red, but it has great reviews online so it must be pretty good."

"Sounds good to me. It's a bar and grill, right? You know I can't resist a good burger and fries."

"You still love that junk, don't you?"

"Says the guy with a freezer full of pizza rolls and Hot Pockets," Red teased.

"You got me," Blue conceded, "So anyway, a lot of the reviews mentioned that the waitresses at this place are super hot. God, I hope we get one that's a real ten out of ten. We can leave her a big tip and see if she'll give us her number."

"Hey, I know I said it's my treat but if you decide you want to tip the waitress extra that's on you!"Red warned him.

"Yeah, whatever. Virgin…" Blue muttered under his breath.

Red rolled his eyes. He knew Blue was only kidding but sometimes it seriously annoyed him when he said stuff like that. They continued walking along the sidewalk. IT had snowed the day before, so the streets were lined with piles of slush. It wasn't too terribly cold out, so everything was starting to melt slowly.

Red looked around at the buildings. He wasn't too familiar with this area of the city. It was a bit far from his home and from the university campus. It wasn't like it was the "bad side" of town or anything, but it was definitely a dingier atmosphere than the districts he was used to.

Blue seemed perfectly at home here. Red was sure that he frequented this area often with his friends from college. It was an area full of bars and clubs and such.

They arrived at the restaurant shortly and went on in. It didn't seem to be crowded, but they had purposefully arrived earlier than the normal dinner time to avoid the rush. A cute girl escorted them to their seats and handed them each a menu.

"Please enjoy!" she said cheerily and then walked off. Red took a moment to observe the atmosphere. The place wasn't really themed or anything. The décor was actually somewhat bland, but the place smelled amazing. He could smell the scent of grilled meat and deep fried side dishes and it made him salivate. In spite of his earlier disinterest, he couldn't help but notice that Blue was right about the waitresses. They were all beauties and wore tight t-shirts and jeans.

"We hit the jackpot, Red! This place has great eye-candy without the embarrassment of going somewhere like Hoothoot's!"

"What can I get you to drink?" a voice asked, causing them both to jump in surprise. A young girl had come to wait their table without them noticing. She had long brunette hair and deep brown eyes. She was a real looker and Red felt his face getting hot. He prayed to God she hadn't heard Blue's comment about Hoothoot's.

"I'll have a Margarita," Blue stated coolly. Red wanted to slap him. What was with that fake, suave voice he was putting on?

"I'll have iced tea," he deadpanned.

"Do you want lemon with that?" the girl asked.

"Yes, please."

The girl scribbled down their drink order and told them she'd be back in a few minutes to take their food order. With that she walked away and Red found himself breathing a sigh of relief.

"Red, did you see?" Blue asked excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah, she's hot."

"No! Not that!"

"Okay, fine! I noticed her boobs are big so what?" Red whispered angrily.

"I'm talking about her name! Her nametag said 'Leaf' on it! She has a weird name just like us!"

"Wouldn't it be more impressive if her name was Green then?" Red asked, not really seeing Blue's point.

"It's a sign! She and I are destined to be a good match for each other! Unless you want to take a shot at her because if that's the case I'll totally cheer you on, bro."

"I'm really not interested," Red told him, "Let's figure out our order before she gets back."

They spent a couple minutes looking over the menu, and their waitress returned quickly with their drinks.

"Are we ready to order?" she asked.

"Yes," Blue answered, "We want the wing sampler to start with, and then I'll have the half rib rack with spicy barbeque sauce and fries."

"I'll have the single bacon cheeseburger with fries," Red told her.

"Will that be all for you?" she asked them.

"Yes please," Red answered.

"There's one more thing I'd like," Blue interrupted.

"No problem. What else can I get you?" Leaf asked, readying her pad and pencil.

"Your number," Blue answered cheekily, giving her the weirdest grin Red had ever seen on his friend's face.

"Sorry, we're all sold out of that, tonight," Leaf promptly informed him. With that, she turned and walked away as quickly as she could.

"Rejected!" Red said a little too gleefully, "She didn't even miss a beat!"

"I can't believe she turned me down!" Blue said in disbelief.

"You can't tell me that has ever seriously worked for you."

"It has! I swear!"

"A girl like her probably hears lines like that all day long," Red pointed out, "And she's probably going to spit in your food."

"Whatever," Blue said nonchalantly, trying to play off his failure, "I've got at least five girls from school who like to see me on the reg."

"Sounds complicated."

"It is. But it's worth it. Someday you'll understand. Trust me, Red, the second you know the touch of a woman, you'll be plagued with an addiction for the rest of your life."

"Uh-huh. Let's quit the girl talk now that you've crashed and burned, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Blue agreed. They spent the rest of their time catching up, complaining about school work and comparing their current sets of professors. At some point l, Leaf brought them the wing sampler, and Red could swear that she purposefully slammed the tray down on the table. After that she brought them their meals and the two of them gorged themselves on the greasy food.

"That was some of the best barbeque I've ever had," Blue commented as he licked the sauce off of his fingers.

"The fries here are perfect," Red agreed, "We'll have to eat here again."

"I'm gonna bring my other friends here sometime too. Maybe one of them will have better luck with the girls than me."

"Yeah right," Red joked. He went to reach for his tea, and to his horror he miscalculated the distance and knocked the glass right over.

"Shit," he said, quickly setting the glass upright. Luckily he had drank most of the tea, so only a little had spilled on the table.

"Guess I'm not the only clumsy one here today," Blue teased. He grabbed some napkins and tossed them at Red, and he gladly took them and began wiping up the mess. No way would he leave it like that for the poor waitress to clean up. Blue had given her enough bad patronage today.

After wiping the table Red picked up his plate and wiped it as well since he had spilled the tea all over it. It was all over the bottom, so he turned it over to wipe it off and let it dry.

"I've got your bill here," Leaf said as she returned to their table. She seemed to stare at the table for a moment as she spoke, and Red hoped she couldn't tell that he'd made a mess.

"You can come with me to the back," she informed him.

"I… wha?" Red asked in confusion.

"That door there," she explained, pointing towards a door away from the kitchen but clearly marked "Staff Only."

Red had no idea what was going on, but he did as she said. He didn't want to risk causing some sort of scene.

"I'll be right back, Blue," he promised as the girl lead him away.

"Okay…" Blue answered, looking equally as confused. Red shrugged his shoulders at him and followed the waitress.

Once Red was out of sight and through the door, Blue stared into space for a moment before slamming his fist down onto the table.

"If she's trying to ask him out privately… I'll kick his loner ass into next year!" He saltily took a sip of his drink and gritted his teeth, "He's not even interested in dating and he still one-upped me somehow! What kind of world are we living in?"

Behind the door, Red looked around curiously as Leaf lead him into a room that looked like an old accounting office. This was probably where the manager did the books or whatever. Was she going to make him pay for the tablecloth he'd spilled tea on or something? Why didn't she just say so?

"Listen, I'm really sorry," he began to apologize as she closed the door behind them. What was she doing?

"Don't apologize, honey, it's part of the job. Just enjoy it," she told him. What on earth was she talking about?

Before he could wonder any further, this total stranger of a girl dropped to her knees and started fumbling around his crotch for the zipper on his pants.

"Wait, I , what?" Red said as he took a step back away from her. He felt his back hit against the wall and he began to panic. There was only one reason this girl would be getting down on her knees in front of him and his mind wasn't even able to process how this was happening.

"Don't worry, we won't get caught," she assured him as she scooted her knees closer to him. Her hands reached up to mess with his pants again, "Give me the fifty dollars and I'll get started."

"Hold on, I… I don't know what you're talking about," Red tried to tell her.

"You gave me the signal," she said, looking up at him, "Don't tell me you've had a change of heart? Is it the price? I can lower it to forty dollars if it makes a difference."

"Lady, I don't even know what the heck is happening right now!" he yelled. He didn't mean to shout at her, but he was just so confused and freaked out right now and she didn't seem to be listening to him.

"What the fuck is going on?" a voice shouted from outside the room. A middle-aged, rough looking woman came barging in and she looked like steam was about to come out of her ears.

"Everything is fine, Mindy! I'm just taking care of this customer!" Leaf assured her. She didn't even move to get off her knees, and Red just stared dumbly at the scene before him.

"Why is this young man yelling? The other customers are going to hear him!"

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I don't quite understand what's going on," Red tried to explain.

"You brought back this kid without him giving the signal?" the woman questioned Leaf.

"No! He turned his plate upside down when he was done eating, I swear!" Leaf explained desperately.

Turned his plate upside down? Oh right. The tea. He'd left his plate upside down to wipe it off.

"I did turn my plate upside down, but… why did that… lead to this?" he asked, trying to hide his embarrassment at the situation.

"It's the signal. When a customer turns their plate over, it means they want a 'special dessert' from their waitress, you get it?" the middle aged woman asked.

Oh shit. What had he done?

"We make a lot of good money by doing it, and it's supposed to be hush-hush, so don't go running your mouth, okay, kid?" she demanded. Red just nodded his head and kept quiet. This chick was totally terrifying.

"He followed me back here and everything, I thought he knew what he was getting into!" Leaf said angrily.

"Shut up, you! You should've checked to make sure before you got down to business. A dumb bitch like you is going to get us found out and then nobody here will have a job! Is that what you want?"

"No, I –"

"You can turn in your t-shirt right now and get the hell out of my restaurant. You're fired!"

"But please, I –"

"Take that shirt off right now!"

The girl looked utterly distressed and humiliated, but she did as the woman said. She removed her t-shirt with the company logo on it and handed it to the woman, leaving her in nothing but a bra from the waist up. Red averted his gaze, feeling awkward and horribly guilty.

"Now get the hell out of here!"

"But I don't have another shirt –"

"I DON"T CARE!"

With that, the girl took off running out the door and turned down the hallway. Red chased after her immediately. He followed her out a back door and was able to finally catch up to her.

"Hey! Wait, please!" he called out to her. She stopped and turned towards him, then punched him in the chest.

"What the hell, man! Who the fuck turns their plate upside down after eating? This is all your fault!"

"Hold on, please let me talk to you, and please… take my sweatshirt," he begged her. He removed the hoodie he'd been wearing and gave it to her. He still had a t-shirt on underneath so he was fine. Giving her his hoodie was the least he could do. She took it without complaining and he averted his gaze while she put it on.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea. You see, I spilled my drink on the table and I turned the plate over to wipe it off. I had no idea that was some kind of signal for you guys, he explained.

"I see," she said quietly. He couldn't help but notice just how distressed she looked.

"Please… let me pay you for the uh… special dessert," he offered awkwardly. He pulled out his wallet and grabbed a fifty. He grabbed the two twenties he had in there as well, "Take this ninety dollars. I know it isn't nearly enough to make up for what's happened, but I –"

"I need this job," the girl said weakly, "I—my mom doesn't work and I… we…"

"You… you need money bad, don't you?" he asked. She nodded pitifully as tears welled up in her eyes.

Red couldn't believe it. Overwhelming guilt washed over him as he stood there and watched her cry. The one thing he didn't want to be to anyone in this life was a burden. And yet in a single night, he had ruined this girl's life.

"Listen, I don't know you, but… I feel horrible about what happened. You lost your job because of me, and you probably hate me right now, but please… let me help you. Let me help you make ends meet until you find another job! I want to take responsibility!"

"Do you even have enough money to do that?" she asked as she wiped her eyes, "You're just a poor student from the university, right? Besides, what my boss said was true. I was supposed to make sure you wanted that blowjob before I took you to the back. It's my own damn fault I got fired."

"It doesn't matter. I've decided that I'm going to help you. I have five hundred dollars in the bank. It's all yours. And furthermore, I'm going to help you find a new job."

Leaf stared up at him in awe. He knew he had just shocked her. She looked so small and weak, standing there in his sweatshirt that was way too big for her.

"Why would you do something like that?" she asked.

"Because it's the right thing to do. If you feel like it's wrong, then you can pay me back some of the money once you're working again. But not all of it. We both made a mistake tonight, so let me share in some of the consequences they've caused."

Red watched as the girl seemed to regain her senses. A lot had just happened in the past twenty minutes and he guessed that she was finally beginning to wrap her brain around all of it.

"You're out of your mind," she said. She took the ninety dollars we was still holding out in his hand, "I don't need your help. This will be plenty to get by on until I find a new job." Leaf stuffed the money into the pocket of the sweatshirt he'd given to her and she began booking it out of the alleyway.

"Wait! You can't just walk off and turn down help like that!" Red insisted, chasing after her once again.

"I can turn down anything I damn well please!" she argued, changing directions to try and shake him.

"Then why were you working at a restaurant that made you prostitute yourself?!"

That seemed to strike a nerve with her. She turned around and faced him, leaving no more than a few inches of space between them.

"Because I'm good at it," she hissed, "I chose to work there, and I was making fast cash for doing it. Nobody forces me to do anything, got it?"

"Okay, I'm sorry," Red apologized, "but if you won't accept any more money from me… then at least… let me help you find a job."

"…. Fine. If it makes you feel better then I accept," she agreed begrudgingly.

"Thank you. I promise to make things right. You have my word."

"Whatever. I'm going to be starting my job hunt first thing in the morning. What time do you get out of your classes tomorrow, preppy?"

"Preppy? Look, I might go to the University, but I'm not stuck up or anything like that. My friend in there who tried to get your number might be like that but not me." Red spaced out for a second at the mention of his friend.

"Oh shit! I left Blue all alone in there! I get out of school at 3:30. Meet me on campus in front of the student center!" he told her as he ran off to go find his friend.

The girl watched him leave. She never replied as to whether she would meet him or not tomorrow, but Red just had to trust that she needed his help bad enough to do it. Hopefully she wouldn't just forget about it and decide to figure things out by herself.

"There you are!" a menacing voice announced. Red found Blue standing in front of the restaurant, eyeing him with a mixed look of rage and jealousy, "Someone has a lot of explaining to do!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Red apologized. Now he'd ruined two people's day. God, this had really turned out to be one hellish dinner date. He wondered briefly if all of this happening was fate or just a coincidence. Only time would tell. And even though he still felt awful about the situation he'd created… he had to admit that he was curious to know more about the beautiful girl only known to him as "Leaf."