Dazed Haze

Muffled noises resounded in the room, as Brendan's fists hit the white punching bag without stopping. Steven sat at his seat quietly, reading one of the books he had taken from Brendan's library, and then occasionally looking at the Champion venting his anger on the punching bag. This has continued from nearly an hour. The proclamation letter must have ticked him off very, very badly.

Steven would never have thought that the teenager would have another room adjacent to the office, where more gym equipment could be found, along with a boxing ring, and the punching bag.

"Hahhh!" Brendan shouted, as his fist landed a heavy blow on the bag. He stopped, panting, as sweat dripped down his naked torso. Steven felt himself froze, when he saw Brendan's expression.

It was a silent kind of fury visible in his blue eyes, a kind of profound intelligence that could be seen from his frown. He was thinking.

His friend's expression suddenly soften, as his tense muscles suddenly released all the tension, almost as if he noticed something invisible to Steven. He let out a long breath, and let his arms hang by his sides. After a long while, he finally removed the gloves, and flicked away his perspiration. He then strode over to Steven, who handed the boy his towel. Brendan muttered a lethargic "thanks," and proceeded to wiped himself clean.

"She's here," he uttered while wiping his face, his voice muffled as a result.

"You mean...?" Steven said.

"Haruka," he said, as he smiled. That was quite a contrast from his previous fearsome expression.

"Oh, right," Steven said as he pressed his right fist down on his left palm. "You can sense her when she's near."

"Yup."

Brendan then went to grab his water bottle, and started chugging down big gulps. Gasping after drinking his fill, he took his towel that was draped over his shoulder and wiped himself once again.

"Do you want to go back to the office and wait? I need some time to clean up."

"Sure," Steven replied candidly, and soon after, he had migrated back to his guest seat in the office, with Kyoka swiftly bringing him some snacks. The Secretary was efficient, as always.

Nibbling one of the Lava Cookies, Steven went back to reading the book.

"Da Vinci's Confession?" a familiar feminine voice called out. Steven looked up, and calmly smiled.

"Long time no see, May," he answered.

"Hi, Daigo." The female teenager before him waved her hands, a big goofy grin on her face. Her brown hair was tied up at the top, adorned with a pastel blue ribbon, while her long fringe hanged down from the side. She wore a marine blue dress, her hands decorated with fabric accessories. Clearly, she had just came down from her job as a Pokémon Coordinator. Steven was not all that surprised at how much she has grown, considering that she was all over billboards in the cities he passed by while on the way to Ever Grande. Being the hottest celebrity in Hoenn, it was difficult for Steven to not know how she looked like the past two years.

"You know this book?"

"No, not really. I've seen Brendan reading it a couple of times. He can't stop gushing over how good it is."

"It is a good book, I must admit." Steven nodded his head.

"Oh, Haruka, you're here!" Brendan entered the room, all washed up, with a clean shirt and jeans on him. And he was wearing his beanie, looking rather fresh, as if all trace of his fury from before was washed away.

"Yūki!" May exclaimed, as her green eyes sparkled in delight as she skipped towards the Champion. She then stood there, erect, her fingers interlocked behind her back, as she stared at Brendan happily.

Until her boyfriend suddenly gave her a peck on the cheek.

She blushed furiously, while a pinkish hue colored Brendan's face. "You look pretty," he finally said.

"W-What, I mean... T-Thanks," she said, her voice fading in volume. She was still not used to compliments and affectionate actions from Brendan, even after years of dating.

"Excuse me, Lovers?" Steven's voice broke out. "Tone down the cheesy things for now, shall we?" The man then bit into another Lava Cookie, an amused expression on his face.

Both of them blushed even harder, as Brendan looked away, rubbing his tomato red neck in a sheepish manner, while May hurriedly hid her face with her hands.

The phone on the office desk rang out, disrupting the awkward silence, and Brendan let out a sigh of relief, thankful for the timely interruption that can save him from further embarrassment.

He walked over, picking the call up.

"Hello, Brendan Yūki here."

"Hello, Brendan. Lance her," the voice from the other side of the speaker spoke.

"Lance?"

Steven and May both turned to look at Brendan, surprise written over their faces.

"Is there anything you need?" Brendan replied.

"It's about Red."

Sensing something was wrong, he clenched his fist.

"Did something happened to him?"

"He's The Fool."

"Yes, I'm aware. Green told me."

"But that's not the point."

"What is it?"

"He managed to mega-evolve Charizard. Without a Key stone and a Mega Stone."

"What...!? The Flame Plate?" Brendan gasped, before he glanced over to Steven, who then reached out for the briefcase. Steven rummaged through the briefcase and looked up, shaking his head, indicating that the Flame Plate was indeed not in their possession.

"The Flame Plate isn't found yet, how is it possible?" Brendan replied.

"I don't think he has come into contact with it yet. From what I saw, it seemed to manifest due to his emotions at that time. Charizard's Mega Evolved form was unstable during the battles against Whitney and Jasmine as well," Lance answered. "And I noticed something strange about his tattoo. It's not a Roman numeral, but a null sign."

Brendan went quiet.

"Right now he's unconscious, and feverish. The unexpected power must have drained him out. Do you know anything about this?"

Brendan paused as he tried to think. He took off his beanie, his hand squeezing it into a bunch.

"... No."

"..."

"Relay Red's situation to Green Oak, Hibiki Ethan, and Lyra Elm," Brendan finally said, exasperated.

"Ethan and Lyra... Are they...?" began Lance.

"Yes, they are part of the Major Arcana."

May gasped, looking surprised, before she gazed at Steven, who gave her the confirmation with a nod.

"Do you and May Haruka want to come over as soon as possible?" Lance asked. "I know it is a little early, considering your flight date with the rest of the Hoenn trainers is just two days later."

"It's alright, we will fly over using our Pokemon."

"So, when's the earliest you two can arrive?"

"We can only leave at evening. So probably, at dawn tomorrow."

"Good. I'll fetch the two of you at Route 34, north of Goldenrod. I'll make the proper arrangements and register both of you in the Foreign Visitor Registry as well."

"Thank you."

"One more thing. I have Morty with me right now."

"Morty of the Matsuba bloodline? The Ecruteak City Gym Leader?"

"Yes, would you like to talk to him now?"

"... No. I need the rest present before we can discuss things."

"Alright. Good talk."

"Thanks for informing."

"Glad to be of assistance. Thank you too, Brendan Yūki."

"See you later."

"See you, goodbye."

Hearing the beep that signaled the end of the call, Brendan put down the receiver, letting a tired sigh. His hand ruffled his own hair in frustration, his body and mind tired from both the workout and the emotional stress from the letter from before. And now there's this.

Activation of a card's power without the aid of a plate was unheard of.

The null sign.

The sudden emergence of new cards.

The enigmatic enemy that had transcended through generations of the Major Arcana.

The one who hold the answers to some of his questions, Morty Matsuba.

He knew he expected all these to happen. He had been preparing for them. Just... not all at once.

"Steven, May. Can you... leave me alone for a bit? Please," he suddenly said.

Both Steven and May exchanged glances, with May motioning him to leave and let her stay with the Champion. Steven Stone stood up without a sound, pushing the chair in, grabbed another Lava Cookie and headed for the door. The room went dangerously quiet all of a sudden, with the Champion and the Pokémon Coordinator left within its four walls. May then noticed the sunflower on the windowsill, its vase replaced, the distorted metal clip on his desk. All these little details, and she knew something was wrong with Brendan. She got closer to him, close enough that she could smell his cologne. She placed her hands on his, before she softly called his name.

"Yūki."

His head turned to his right, eyes coming into contact with May's green ones.

"Calm down," her voice said softly.

Brendan then realized he was trembling. Why was he trembling? He didn't know why, but it was a kind of primordial fear that was fighting with a faux bravado inside himself.

"Haruka..." he whispered, as he found his uncontrollable trembling worsening when he spoke her name.

"Shhh." She pulled him into a hug, patting his hair gently. She felt rather lost, considering that it had been a long time since she had seen him looking so distraught, and confused.

"Why do I…," he breathed heavily. "Always remember that nightmare?"

"I won't die that easily, Yūki."

"But..." He sighed, his arms finally relaxing, the trembling lessening. He gently moved her arms, breaking away from the embrace, before he uttered a thanks.

"Don't worry so much. I can protect myself well enough, for your information." She pointed out, a confident grin on her face. "I did managed to fight on par with the Champion of Hoenn, after all."

Brendan let out a chuckle. "Alright, alright," he said, smiling. He then realized his trembling stopped, and he knew that this was none other than the work of his girlfriend.

"I love you," he said endearingly. May felt the heat on her face, before she pouted a little, rather irritated at her heart for fluttering in such a way.

"We aren't Number VI for nothing, you know?" she said.

"Yeah, I know," Brendan replied, before he affectionately ran his hand down her long fringe, kissing her on the lips as he did so.

And on the desk, the metal clip morphed into a shape vaguely similar to that of a heart.

Red.

It's that voice again.

A vast flower field spread out before him, the various colors dotting the landscape. He looked around, as he searched for someone. He ran around frantically, trying to find the origin of that voice.

Then he saw him.

A man, black-haired with a sturdy frame, stood back-facing him in the midst of the flower field. He slowly turned over, and Red could only stand still, as he made eye-contact with eyes of the same color as himself.

Eyes of a deep crimson.

He thought he was looking at himself. An older version of himself. But he knew otherwise.

I'm sorry.

Red's eyes widened, as the man turned back, walking off into the distance. The young boy reached his hand out, his legs, as if having a conscience of their own, started moving. He thought he should stop the man, grab him, call him.

But the man only drifted further, his lonely figure unreachable. Red panted, his legs hurting, but he does not stop.

Until a sea of fire broke out the next second, engulfing the man, who did not stop walking.

"No..." Red muttered, until he felt a strange sensation on his hand. He looked down, only to see himself wielding a ball of fire. He gasped, and looked up, just to see the man gradually disappearing.

"No!" The boy said again, his voice desperate.

"No!" He screamed as he felt his whole body being eaten up by the flames.

"Dad!"

His breath was suddenly cut off, when his eyes flashed open. His breath came in loud spurts, as he heaved out heavily, feeling his body wet with cold sweat. He shuddered, as he struggled to remember what had happened. The pain on his tattoo. The spontaneous Mega-Evolution of Charizard.

"Red!"

His vision went from blur to clear, and right above him, Green was there, his face looking relieved. Ethan then went into his field of vision, his eyes looking surprised, before he turned over and called out, "Hey, he's awake!"

He shifted his head to the side, just to see that he was in the waiting room of the Goldenrod Gym. Lance, and the other Gym Leaders were leaving their seats, wanting to check up on him. He sat up, and motioned them to not come so close to him. Lance and the Gym Leaders exchanged glances, before they decided to give the boy some breathing space. Meanwhile, Red gave an anxious glance at his palm, wondering if a ball of fire will suddenly appear. He could still feel a chill running down his spine, as he remembered the dream that felt so real that it was almost haunting.

But he saw his father.

"Red, do you know where you are now?" Lance asked, and the trainer shifted his attention back to the Dragon Master.

"... Goldenrod Gym."

"What date is it?" Whitney asked again.

"... 29th."

"How are you feeling?" Morty piped in.

"... Alright, I guess..."

"Do you know who I am?" asked Green.

"Gary Sue."

"Oh, wow, how direct. Trying to be funny, huh," Green said as he smirked. "He's totally fine, as you can all see."

Chuck let out a rumbling laugh, before he gazed at Red. "Jokes are fine, Red. But do know that you were just out for six hours."

Red gulped. Six hours?

"Geez. Stop making us worry so much," Green said as he let out a long sigh. "Not like I'm that worried about you in the first place."

"He was screaming your name the moment he entered the Gym," Ethan interjected with a mischievous grin, before he started mimicking Green's tone. "Red! Red! Red!"

"You gigantic idiot! Shut your trap!" Green swerved his head, glaring at the golden-eyed boy.

"Oh, don't be shy," Ethan teased, the boy feeling rather victorious that he is able to make Green look so flustered. This was the first time he managed to pick on one of Green's weakness, and the taste of it felt other-worldly and amazing.

Until Lyra punched him at the side, causing the boy to roll over. He glared daggers at the girl, but could only mumble incoherent complaints as he sat down on one of the cushions against the wall. Red only stared, and observed his surroundings, just to see the Gym Leaders, along with Lance and a too-high Mitch who was currently stoning in one corner, since it was the first time he got so close to so many celebrities all at once. And oddly, there was a boy, wearing a clown wig and sunglasses standing in another corner of the room?

"Hi, Red," the brown-haired girl greeted, while Red himself gave her an awkward hello in return.

"... Who is that over there?" he inquired, as he pointed at the boy with the clown wig curiously. The boy flinched visibly, as he nervously shifted his sunglasses and leaned in closer to the wall, as if trying to blend in with the wall but to no avail. The clown wig was just too amusing to look at.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Lyra admitted. "Ethan and Oak-san told me he was a friend of a sort. He does have some weird tastes in fashion, I must say."

The boy with the clown wig looked visibly irritated, perhaps insulted, but said nothing in response.

"But he does remind me of someone," Lyra suddenly said, and the boy was now frozen, his face a stark white. She continued to study the boy, before she vaguely lost interest and started talking to Ethan. Lance on the other hand, said that he had to make a call, while Jasmine went out to buy dinner for everyone, with Whitney tagging along to help her carry the food. Meanwhile, a dizzy Mitch swung out of the waiting room, deciding that he should go back to reality and check up on the Gym. There were still some things left to clean up after those fearsome battles.

"... Are we still battling?" Red asked.

"What!?" The remaining people around him exclaimed in unison.

"You do know that you just fainted for some unknown reasons and was unconscious for six hours straight, right?" Chuck scolded.

"You need to learn when to relax," Morty said, eyes half-lidded lazily. "Just take a break for the rest of the day, kid."

"Me, me! I don't mind! Battle me!" Ethan said as he enthusiastically raised his arms, jumping around in glee.

"Shut up, Ethan," Lyra said as she covered the boy's mouth, until she realized that the clown boy was now right beside her, his left arm raised up, clearly wanting to engage in a battle with Red.

"Hey, don't join in for Arceus' sake! We don't even know your name!" she shouted at the boy, who flinched, and reluctantly put his hand down and shuffled back to his little dark corner. Meanwhile, Morty, Lyra and Chuck started tackling the hyperactive Ethan, who was desperately trying to get to Red and ask him for a battle.

"Battling is all you can think, huh," Green's neutral voice spoke, before he leaned in closer and said softly, "By the way, I made sure that your mum doesn't know about this."

Red looked at his friend, and quickly whispered a barely audible thank you to him. Green merely waved him away, as he continued to view the hilarious spectacle of the struggling Ethan being body slammed by Chuck.

"Stay still!"

"No! Fight me, Red!" the boy screamed as he flailed his hands around. Both Red and Green let out a snort, before both boys started laughing together.

Perhaps it isn't that bad to separate myself from battles occasionally, thought the red-eyed teen.

It was night.

After eating a sumptuous dinner consisting of pizza and spaghetti, Chuck and Jasmine had left for their own Gyms, Mitch and Whitney closing the Gym for the night and get an early night's rest. The clown boy had excused himself, seemingly disappearing without anyone noticing. Meanwhile, Lyra, Green, Ethan, Morty and himself were told by Lance to stay the same posh hotel Red had rested in the previous night. Lance has kindly booked the rooms for them, and offered to pay for their night's stay, but each of them insisted to pay for their own rooms. Currently, the rooming arrangements were as such:

Red rooming with Green. Ethan rooming with Morty. While Lance and Lyra were staying in single rooms.

Lance did not really tell them why they had to stay; he only mentioned that there were two people that wished to meet them tomorrow early in the morning, before he disappeared off to Arceus knows where. Ethan and Lyra seemed rather hyped about going around the largest city in Johto, and had rushed off to shop around, with Ethan not forgetting to put on a pair of sunglasses and a surgical mask to hide a large part of his face. Morty only yawned, and closed his hotel door, wanting to get an early night's out. Red thought that it was rather odd, considering that Morty was a Ghost Type Trainer, and there was this perception that trainers that deal with Ghost Types are able to stay awake for long hours. Maybe it did not apply that much to the carefree Morty.

As for Green and Red, both agreed to take a walk through the city, before moving to Route 34 to have a nice talk, for old times' sake.

The streets in the Goldenrod City was bustling as ever, as the two trainers walked side-by-side down the pavements. Considering the crowd as compared to the morning, Red initially wanted to wear his cloak, but Green scrunched his nose in disgust, commenting on his friend's poor sense of fashion and practicality, before he slapped on a pair of sunglasses on his friend and removed his cap. Adding his plain top and pants, the boy was virtually impossible to recognize. Red himself felt rather dumb, considering he could have all along used this disguise instead of a freaking black cloak that made him look like some sort of terrorist. Meanwhile, Green used Red's cap to cover his spiky hair, and only after much force of pushing the cap down, did his hair finally flattened down. Pikachu, on the other hand, starting squeaking, clearly mocking the Green's appearance.

"... That cap doesn't suit you at all," Red lightly commented with an amused expression.

"Shut up! I know," Green said irritably, before he let out a huff.

No one really paid any heed to them. Everyone else was far too busy, or engrossed in their devices, to cast them a second glance. Red noticed that everything felt more tense than usual. There's this ambiguity lingering in the air, and he thought he saw more worried faces than the night day before. He slowly picked up the little words between people's conversation, and bit by bit, he understood what had swept Goldenrod into a frenzy.

The War against Deoxys.

It was no wonder, actually. When a place has experienced peace for decades, a slight disturbance could send everything into chaos. The rowdiness both him and Lance noticed in the morning was just the beginning. And even now, he knew somewhere in everyone's minds, fear was eating them up. Slowly but surely.

And he will be a part of the tripartite alliance between Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. He will be fighting at the front lines.

It sounded frightening. This was war they were talking about.

"Don't pay too much attention."

Red glanced at his friend, who only had that calm, nothing could ever faze him, expression. He felt almost jealous. How does one remain this calm in the face of imminent danger?

It did not take long for them to escape the hectic city, as they found themselves in Route 34. The place was deathly quiet, no one was around. Except for the daycare center that was in operation twenty-four-seven. Both trainers took off their accessories, with Red snatching his cap away from Green, before he started laughing at how silly Green's hair looked like. In response, his friend elbowed him.

"... You're a villain." Red said, face putting a fake expression of pain. It did not hurt that much, really.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"What? I don't tolerate any insults to my hair, thank you."

"... You never change, do you?"

Green glared at his friend. "I admit, I was rather mean in the past-"

"Rather mean?" Red interrupted.

Green gulped, before he looked away and continued, "Mean. I was mean, alright. But I changed, okay?"

"... For the better or the worse?"

"The better!" the Viridian City Gym Leader barked. "And don't look so disappointed!"

Red let out a laugh, while Green shot him a look. He immediately raised his arms in surrender, before Green hit him in the stomach, and both started laughing. Pikachu leaped off Red's shoulders, softly landing on the grass. When both trainers finally stopped laughing, they gave each other knowing looks.

"Shall we battle?" Green smirked.

"... You do know I just fainted for some unknown reasons and was unconscious for six hours straight, right?"

"Not like you give a damn about that," Green said blandly. "Let's get on with it."

Red retrieved Charizard's Pokéball. Now that he thought about it, he still had to tell Aki the truth. The truth that they had lost against Whitney. As the battles played out in his mind, he gripped the Pokéball tighter, his eyes hiding a determined gaze.

"... Next time."

Meanwhile, Green, who was already getting ready, looked up in surprise. A wind howled past the two, the clouds clearing up, and Green could see Red as clear as day. After one look at those crimson eyes, the Viridian City Gym Leader simply smirked. He then kept his Pokéball, and walked over to his rival. As he passed him by, Green Oak firmly patted Red's shoulders, before he strode towards the entrance of Goldenrod City.

Unbeknownst to both trainers, Red's null tattoo glowed a deep orange, bordering crimson, while Green's I tattoo glowed a marine blue.

"So, are you training now?" Green asked as he turned over. His rival, back-facing him, nodded. Green Oak grinned, before he stuffed his hands into his jean pockets.

"Don't make me wait too long."

"... Yeah."

The wind continued to blow, seemingly never-stopping. Suddenly, Green stopped in his tracks, seemingly reminded that he had to do something.

"Oh, right. Red, lend me your cap. As a disguise."

"... Flamethrower!"

"... Flame Burst!"

"... Fire Spin!"

With a fearsome growl, the draconic Pokemon's chest puffed out, and soon he spewed out a long stream of fire, followed by an array of flame attacks, its light illuminating the darkness around them. Charizard thought that something was wrong, because Red seemed almost sorrowful. Maybe because it was night. Maybe because he was tired. Maybe that was why he looked almost as if he was about to cry anytime.

And he did.

"Aki…," he suddenly called out, and Charizard turned around, just to see his tears running down his face in long streams. The Flame Pokemon anxiously looked at Red, who was desperately wiping away his tears. It'd been a while since his trainer had called his nickname, and it felt strange. All sorts of warm memories flooded him, and the humongous Pokemon sat down next to his trainer, warm blue eyes gazing at his trainer affectionately. Charizard nudged his trainer with his muzzle, prompting Red to look up.

"... I lied."

Charizard froze on the spot, wondering what in Arceus was wrong.

"... Aki, we lost."

His jaws went slack with surprise, shock and confusion.

"... We did not win against Miltank."

His expression softened. Charizard softly rubbed his muzzle against Red's cheek, who chuckled a little in between tears, before the boy stiffened, and then grabbing Charizard's muzzle, he stared at his blue eyes intently.

"... You're... not mad?"

The draconic Pokemon let out low growling noises, as if he was laughing. Charizard wondered why he laughed. Perhaps because how absurd the whole situation was. Perhaps it was because his trainer was so silly, worrying and crying and something like this. Perhaps because he was trying to hide the bitterness behind the loss.

"Gyaooo…," Charizard merely growled in agreement, as he breathed a little hot air into Red's face. How could he be mad?

"Heh," Red chuckled, before the red-eyed teen leaned in closer, his previously tense shoulders seemingly relaxing out of relief. His trainer stroked his neck in the most comfortable spot, and Charizard sighed contently. Nostalgia swept over him, when he found the situation oddly similar to the first time they suffered a loss against another trainer, and Red had started crying like this, before they found comfort in each other.

In the end, to him, he was still Red. The little trainer that need a push and confirmation every now and then. The trainer, that in the end, beneath that red-eyed facade, was still a human. The trainer, that in the end, no matter how many lies he say, will always be his trainer.

To Red, he was Aki.

And to Aki, he was Red.

Lance Wataru gazed up at the hazy skies of Route 34 expectantly. The sun was rising, breaking through the clouds in a blur of red, orange and pink. The Route was quiet, albeit a few scorch marks decorating the ground, in which Lance quickly deduced that it was Red who did the damage. He only sighed and smiled, as he continued to wait for the two who were going to arrive anytime now.

Two loud Pokémon cries resounded, as daybreak exploded, the light shining down onto Route 34. A strong gust of wind blew at Lance, but the Dragon Master paid no heed as he witnessed Latios and Latias swiftly coming down to land. Two of the fastest Flying Pokémon in existence, it was no wonder that those two had chose them as their mode of transport. The Eon Duo's speed was fast enough that people from down below won't even be able to cast a second look at them.

"Welcome to Johto," he shouted, as the two riders dismounted from the two legendary Pokémon.

"Brendan Yūki Senri and May Haruka Birch."

Major Arcana Character Fact Files:

1. Number VI, The Lovers: Brendan Yūki and May Haruka

Plate Power: ?

Attack: ?

Special Attack: ?

Speed: ?

Defense: ?

Special Defense: ?

Special traits: They can sense each other when the other half is in vicinity.