Spring was drawing to a close, and the once delicate pink blossoms on the trees were melting into the bright, energetic green leaves of summer. Over a month had passed since Red and Green were ordered to stay home, and the duo were finally preparing to head out into the world again.

Red slid into a black tee, denim cargo shorts, and a new pair of black sneakers his mother brought home from her last trip to the department store. He snagged his red and white teddy jacket from the closet and stuffed it in his backpack. He didn't know how cold the nights would be in other parts of Kanto and didn't feel like being stuck unprepared regardless. His finishing touch was running a comb through his messy brown hair and plopping a hat on. Patches of his hair stuck out from under it, but that was simply what he accepted as normal by this point. The trainer grabbed his things and made his way for the front door, his pace upbeat and rushed. He wanted to see Green again before they set off. His friend had been behaving in a strange way, and Red was concerned as to why. Once Red reached the living room and went to leave, his mother called out a goodbye from the kitchen.

"Oh, Red dear! You just missed Green! He flew off a few minutes ago but he didn't tell me where he was heading when I asked..."

Red's blood chilled. Green left without talking to him. Without a goodbye, after not even seeing him for three days. This made Red flush and clench his fists. He didn't understand. First, Green put a stop to their routine of playing games and sleeping in the blanket nest. Fine, Red could understand if his friend had wanted some space. Then, after a couple days and returning to his home next door, Green hardly came out to train with him, and when he did, he couldn't seem to look Red in the eyes. His energy was drained away. Before he spoke to his mother, he thought that Green may have gotten sick. But then… Leaving, without so much as looking in Red's direction. The trainer sighed in anger.

Well, if he wasn't trying hard enough to catch up to Green before the casino incident, he would be now.

~~+~~

Fuchsia City held more beauty in its limits than Red had expected to see anywhere in Kanto. He was here to take on the next gym, run by Koga. In the meantime, however, he found himself captivated by a lone Lapras swimming around one of the lakes in town. The creature was massive, baby blue skin glistening in the warm daylight. It observed him as he did it. The Lapras seemed calm, unbothered by the trainer standing on the shoreline before it. Red broke his trance once he noticed an older man strolling towards him.

"Ya been standing there for a bit, son." The man spoke with a guttural voice that escaped him like a foghorn. Red was nervous that he could have attracted some unpleasant attention, though as his eyes darted back and forth, he could find no one watching. He focused on this man again. "I'm the warden of Fuchsia's Safari Zone."

Red nodded in understanding and mustered a half smile. He held out a hand for the warden to shake. The older man accepted, damn near crushing Red's much smaller hand in the process.

"Strong silent type, eh? Maybe that's why this here Lapras ain't bothered by ya."

The trainer was thankful he wasn't forced to speak in this situation. He was still facing an incredible amount of emotional turmoil, and found it troubling looking for the right words unless he was directing his Pokémon in battle.

"Hmm… Yer a trainer, right? Ya have yerself a Pokémon team?"

Red nodded again, turning to face the warden so the poke balls on his belt were visible. The warden seemed satisfied with this.

"Y'see, the reason I'm asking is because this Lapras, well…" He tapped his chin, thinking of the proper explanation. One that wouldn't upset the Lapras in question. "He had a bad accident. He's healthy now, fit as a fiddle! But I found him when he was a little baby, and he's been on my property ever since. This place ain't making the poor fella happy, and I'm afraid he won't last on his own in the wild. I was thinking for a while about handing him over to a capable trainer, and now here you are!"

Red's eyes grew wide. Was this total stranger really about to just hand him a Lapras? The warden cleared his throat and produced a poke ball from his belt pouch. He handed it to Red with a wink. "If ya could do me this favor, kid. Catch him. If he stays in the ball, you take him with you on a real adventure. Hear me?"

There were stars in Red's eyes. It took everything he had to not start bouncing up and down. The trainer straightened his back, palmed the empty ball, and looked from his hand to Lapras. Their eyes connected once more, and Red hurled the ball straight at the Pokémon. It bounced off the horn on its head, and swiftly fell to the ground once it held the Lapras inside. In an instant, there, on the ground at Red's feet, he heard the ball click. Red gasped in delight. This Pokémon became his own without hesitation. "Th-thank you!"

The warden smiled down at Red. "Good thing my gut hasn't let me stray yet. It's been a pleasure, Little Blue. Take care of my boy now, trainer."

Little Blue. Red smiled wide at the name. He hadn't given any of his Pokémon nicknames, for the sole reason that he couldn't think of anything good enough. This one, though… This one he would keep. Clutching his new partner's poke ball, he headed straight for the Pokémon Center for a nice rest.

~~+~~

The calm, cool breeze of night drifted through the crags of Mount Moon. At its peak, rhythmic chanting could be heard. The glow emanating from the full moon lit up everything above the tree line, all the way to the mountain trails and caves. Among them, pushing his way to the very top, was Green. He clutched a guidebook in his hand and checked it frequently. He was almost to the peak now. There was a segment of rocky trail that Green needed to practically crawl through. The last stretch was covered with densely overgrown foliage, prickle bushes, and slippery moss. Green painstakingly slunk underneath these obstacles, not without scraping up his hands and knees in the process. Once he exited the clearing and lifted his head, he gasped at what he discovered.

A cluster of Clefairy danced and hopped around a small pile of stones that shimmered under the moon. The sparkling from the stones mimicked the way the stars pulsed themselves, creating a stunning effect.

Green almost didn't want to disturb the ritual, but he had something very important he needed to do. The trainer carefully brought himself to a standing position from the earth, digging a stone that matched the others in the Clefairy's pile from his front pocket. The little pink Pokémon halted their dance in fear of the intruder, until they saw what he was holding. They began babbling excitedly, twirling around Green as he made his way closer to the center of the mountain's peak. It was a grassy area surrounded by boulders. Green knelt down in front of the glistening stones, placing the one he held on top. He turned his head to the small crowd of Clefairy. One of them, the one he assumed was the group's leader due to its size, approached him.

"I'm sure you guys don't see a lot of trainers up this high on your mountain, but I have a request." Green began. He didn't even know if the lead Clefairy understood. As an answer to his unspoken question, the Clefairy nodded. It was listening intently. "Ah… Thanks. There's a Pokémon I need help from. And I've only heard of one way to summon it. Can I help with your ritual?"

The chief Clefairy gasped. It ran in circles around Green, ushering him to sit on a boulder close to where he had entered the peak. The fairy Pokémon brought over one of its group members, who was holding what looked to be a necklace. It had a single charm hanging from it, a tumbled and polished hunk of Hematite. He took the necklace from the Clefairy and adorned it upon himself.

In this moment, he felt honored. He was doing this for many reasons. Research, obviously. He had become fascinated reading newly documented Dex pages from other faraway regions. He had to see for himself the behaviors of these little fairies, which were rumored to be from the stars. He felt that this was a good enough reason to press pause on his gym challenge. After all, he had five badges already. Even though he knew Red would be right behind him, especially after what he'd done, he had to make this trip to settle his raging mind. The conversation with Red's mother still burned in his chest. Every time he thought of his friend since then, spending time with him, seeing his face, his throat tightened, and he felt breathless. He couldn't stand it anymore and would open up the skies to beg Arceus itself for guidance if he had to.

The trainer was dragged out of his thoughts by the small sensation of poking on his hand. Green looked out over the mountain peak and saw that the Clefairy were ready to begin. There were three tribe members that stepped up to Green, including the leader itself. The other Clefairy grabbed a corresponding amount of the stones from their pile, using big leaves to carry them. Green assumed that this was to prevent the transporters from accidentally triggering evolution on themselves. He studied this ritual in multiple books that his grandfather had around the lab. Normally, the Clefairy leader would handle bestowing the Moon Stones, often leaving itself out while the rest of the tribe evolved and left the mountain. Now that this new trainer had arrived though, the leader finally had its chance to evolve.

Green tenderly cradled the Moon Stones in his palms, looking between each Clefairy standing before him. He half smiled at them. "Are you ready?"

The first Clefairy bounded up to Green and bowed its head. The boy found himself hesitating, building himself up to witness something beautiful. His own Pokémon had evolved, sure. He even had to use a stone to make his Growlithe evolve. This felt different. This felt so much more important. These Pokémon weren't changing their form after being willed by someone else to do so. This was a rite of passage. Each individual waiting years, praying to old, dead gods, dancing under every full moon, doing what they must for the sake of the group until they were deemed worthy. It was sacred to these creatures. Green knew this. Here he was, assisting in this ancient tradition, in part to experience such a magical event, but also, to call upon a mythical creature he had heard would be attracted to the energy given off by these Pokémon on this one night.

Green smiled softly at the first Clefairy, which was shaking in anticipation. He finally lowered its Moon Stone onto the tuft of hair on the fairy's head, nearly recoiling in surprise as it rose into the air. Bursts of light circled the Clefairy, like comets falling from the sky. Those lights pulsed, and compressed, and suddenly, from the tiny, glowing ball of matter that was previously a Clefairy, emerged a much larger creature that Green had never seen before. It was similar, but this creature was able to remain suspended in the air with its much larger wings. It beamed at the trainer and swirled around him before making its way higher and higher, following an invisible trail to the moon. Green waved after it, wishing it well on its journey.

The next Clefairy was far more timid. Green had to usher it closer to him, and placed a reassuring hand on its little arm before granting it its Moon Stone. Once the Clefairy had gone through the same transformation, it hovered near Green and nuzzled his face. It then followed its companion out into the inky night, never looking back.

Last, the chief Clefairy stepped up to Green, giving him an intense look. His smile only grew. "I can't imagine how long you've been waiting for this. Are you excited?"

"Cle!" It cried, stamping its foot excitedly. The pearl and gem jewelry it wore jingled.

"Alright, I won't make you wait any longer!" Green paused until the Clefairy knelt for him and handed the Moon Stone over. The look this Pokémon had in its beady black eyes would be something that stuck in Green's memory for as long as he lived. He could practically feel those emotions in his own soul, as the Clefairy felt them. They were the very same that he himself felt the day that him and Red were able to set out on their adventure together.

Well… Not necessarily together. Green lost his focus and sighed.

His heart tightened, and he could taste the salt from tears he hadn't realized were sneaking down his face. He covered his mouth with his hands. Nothing made sense. Why did he do the things that he did? If it mattered this much for Red to be by his side as his equal, his rival, his friend, why could he only isolate himself? It didn't make the pain or confusion go away. It made everything worse. All he could think about was how much more fun he'd be having if Red were actually traveling with him. They could have watched their starting Pokémon evolve together. He would have cheered Red on as he overcame every gym leader, and Red would do the same. And he knew for a fact that their hands would have been intertwined as they scaled Mount Moon, they would have assisted the Clefairy together. Green couldn't contain a loud sob at the thought of Red's bark brown eyes, illuminated to practically gold by the energy of the evolutionary ritual before them. It would have been beautiful.

'Hey.'

Green's eyes shot open.

'You're thinking so hard I'm afraid you'll hurt yourself. Would you like to tell me what's bothering you?'

A childlike voice spoke directly through to Green's mind. He could hear it clearer than anything he'd ever heard. Slowly, nervously, he raised his sight to the stars above. To his absolute shock, he locked eyes with the creature he had been desperate to summon.

Jirachi.

"You… You can speak?" Green could scarcely speak. The mythical Pokémon nodded, the tanzaku-like adornments on its head crest wavering gently in the breeze. "I can't believe you actually came…"

'It would have been a miracle for me not to have heard you, Green Oak.' Jirachi giggled. 'Between how far your thoughts projected, and the heart you put into helping the Clefairy evolve, I simply had to come see you.'

Green felt like the Clefairy in that moment. His eyes welled up with tears that weren't finished falling before. "Jirachi… Please help me. I want to make a wish, if you'll let me."

'For you, Green? I will grant anything you desire.' The small mythic lowered itself to hover in front of the trainer. Green held out his hands, cupping them underneath Jirachi as it suspended over him. 'Though, if I'm correct, this involves your dear friend Red. Does it not?'

Even the simple mention of Red's name brought color to Green's cheeks. He nodded. "I need to understand. I'm so confused right now. What about that day at the Celadon Game Corner was so exceptional that it made me lose my head? I feel like at the rate I'm handling my emotions over all of this, the only thing I'll be left with is his memory."

'You really can be dramatic, can't you?' Jirachi tilted its head. Its pointed comment garnered an offended gasp from the young trainer. 'But you are right, in a way. Your feelings are confusing, and the way Red behaves as passive and distant must not be a great help to you. Are you asking me to help him fall in love with you too?'

"JIRACHI!" Green was dumbfounded with the attitude of this Pokémon, and how much it teased him. He gave a heavy sigh while Jirachi giggled again. "No, absolutely not. I don't even know if what I'm feeling is love. And I'd never want to manipulate him. He's his own person. No… What I want from you is to make sure that if we're meant to be with each other forever, it really stays that way. He'll always be my rival, and I can't imagine the rest of my life without him in it."

Jirachi seemed to stiffen. Its little mouth hung agape for a moment. 'Green… Though I can't change what fate already has in store for you, nor can I confirm or deny the future that's waiting, I can assure you that you needn't worry about this. Leave it in my hands, and give it to the stars.'

Green's eyes grew wide. Jirachi began to glow with all the strength of the constellations that existed in this world. The eye on its belly slowly pried open, and the mythic ascended from the mountain peak. As it hovered away, Green could hear that voice in his mind once again.

'Our time was short, but I can assure you that I'll be watching. Your life is a grand one, and Red is no small part of it. I would be a fool to miss out on something so amazing!'

And with that, Jirachi disappeared among the ocean of stars, another blip in the cosmic expanse. Green's tears had disappeared, and his vision was clear. He dragged his hazel eyes from the sky. On the ground beside him, was the old chief Clefairy. It was gripping his shirt sleeve and smiling at him. "Fable!"

"You're still here? What about your friends?" Green scooted off the boulder, realizing that once he got to his feet, the Pokémon was only a couple inches shorter than him. "Clefable… Right?"

The Clefable nodded cheerfully. Its jewelry was in its hands, and it had already chosen another Clefairy to hand the sacred pieces off to. Green was confused as it toddled back over to him. "Fayyy. Fayyy."

Clefable pointed to Green's belt, which held his poke balls. It took a moment, but the trainer finally understood why Clefable had remained here. Wearing a surprised expression, Green pulled an empty poke ball from his bag. "You wanted to come with me."

The two shared a long moment of studying each other under the moon. Behind them, the sun had just started to kiss the horizon line. It dyed the sky a brilliant orange and purple that faded into the still inky blue of the night. It pulled Green's breath away. The Clefable, finished waiting for the trainer to make a move, proceeded to push the release on the empty poke ball Green held itself. In a moment, Green was standing alone, with a cozy Clefable resting in its new ball.

He fell back onto the hard ground of the summit and stayed silent as the sun rose.