Woo! Second chapter up! This is about 3 pages more than the last chapter- it got REALLY long. Therefore, if your attention span is really short like mine is –OOOOH LOOK SQUIRREL- then break it up into chunks. Either way, make sure you get the whole story in. Pretty please? :D Hope you enjoy!

P.S: It really helped me when I listened to 'The Devil's Tears' and 'Old Friends' by Angus and Julia Stone. It got me in the mood. Take a listen- if you don't like it, then you don't like it; if you do, then it might add some ambience to the story : )

Disclaimer: I do not own this lovely world. If I did… Well, a lot of things would happen, not all good things.

…

"Aren't you coming?"

Green didn't reply to his grandfather's question at first. "No," he eventually answered, his eyes fixed on the stack of papers in front of him.

At the door, Professor Oak watched his grandson, his coat draped over his arm. "You've been in here a week," he said rather awkwardly- how did one tell their grandson that he needed to get out and go to his friend's funeral? "Come to the funeral. He was your best friend, after all." Of course, he decided, blunt was always the best way.

Green didn't respond again, his upper body still bent over the paperwork. Eventually, Professor Oak tired of having a staring contest with Green's head and he sighed. "I'll be back at six," he muttered softly, closing and locking the door behind him as he stepped out into the drizzle.

If Professor Oak had been about ten years younger, he would have noticed that Green, usually a fast reader, hadn't turned a single page since the whole time he had been talking to him.

…

He went to the funeral in the end. Of course he did. Red was his best friend after all.

Green hated guilt, he really did. Although, he convinced himself, he didn't know why he felt guilty. It wasn't like he could have saved Red anyway- Green shook away the nagging feeling that he could have done something to rescue the crimson-eyed boy.

It wasn't raining, but only in the small cemetery that Red was being buried in. From his position on the outskirts, in the shadows, Green noticed Ruby's Castform floating next to its trainer, and he turned his mouth upwards in what was an attempt to smirk (but of course these days Green never smiled). Obviously, he reflected, people were under the mistaken impression that Red would have wanted a sunny day that reminded people of happier times. Tch. Green leaned against the oak tree, feeling the wood scrape uncomfortably against his bare arms. What did they know what Red wanted?

What did he know about what Red wanted? Green flinched when he remembered his last conversation- argument? – with Red. "I can take care of myself," the lanky boy had reminded Green, and when Green had tried to argue that no, he couldn't possibly take care of himself (starving yourself for days without food was not taking care of yourself), Red had simply shaken his head and walked outside. "We're both eighteen now, and you can't keep telling yourself that you have to keep taking care of me," he had shouted over Mt. Silver's swirling winds before calling out Aerodactyl and hopping onto the leathery back of the ancient dinosaur. Green had watched his friend navigate the tricky winds with the ease of a seasoned trapeze artist, diving and swooping out of sight, out of his life, and Green had known just then that he had made a huge mistake in letting down his emotional walls. But when he left Mt. Silver that day, he convinced himself that it was okay. Someone would defeat Red one day, and he would come down from that blasted mountain.

Red wasn't defeated, and he stayed up there, honing his skills.

And then this had happened. Green rubbed his weary eyes; the nights and days of last week had been spent comforting his friends as they sobbed loudly into his silent shoulders. Viridian's Gym Leader had definitely gotten more than his usual quota of social interaction (it was funny at what context it had come in, he thought to himself later), and he had awkwardly sat there and patted those who had come to talk to him, thinking of him as some emotional rock they could cling on to in this torrent of troubles. If they only knew how troubled Green was himself, if they had taken the time to look hard at the dark green eyes of the boy, they would have seen memories stuck on playback. As it was, Green stayed silent, hardly uttering a word (not unusual for Green, Blue noted weakly later to herself). Nothing really changed for him except the haunted look that stayed with him, long after Blue or Yellow or someone else had left, thanking him for listening.

He wasn't really listening of course; he heard, but he did not listen.

Stories of how Red had died were abounding in Viridian City, and not just the big town, but all over the region. Not just Kanto, Green discovered later, but Johto, Sinnoh, Hoenn- everybody had heard of one of the Dex Holders, the story of the tall, fiery eyed boy who had the most formidable battling skills ever seen. Green, being a Gym Leader, knew precisely what the other Gym Leaders from all over thought- he knew why they were here, to pay respects to the boy who had once been given a chance to join their ranks, surpass them, defeat the Elite Four in all regions if he had been given the chance. He knew the stories they believed, but he, along with a small number of people, also knew the real story, thanks to a traumatized Gold, holding the hand of Crystal as he relived that dreadful day. The storm had blinded Red, he had taken a misstep, hadn't been quick enough to call out for Charizard, and that was it, that was the end to Red's life, so similar to Green's that Green knew that his pain went far deeper than any other of the Dex Holders.

Stop. Green pressed a finger against his temples, massaging them slowly. People were turning to look at him, he knew. People were turning, murmuring, asking each other "Why is Viridian's Gym Leader alone? He should be down here, paying respects…" People knew the bond he and Red had shared- rivalry that had somehow been forged into a friendship, bound by more complexities than the average relationship. It was no secret that he often made trips up to Mt. Silver- the local shopkeepers had taken to packaging the things Green dropped by to collect in a convenient knapsack, giving him a friendly smile and well wishes to Red.

Green would silently accept all these words and deliver them to Red, but he would never smile back.

He never smiled; well, he didn't smile often. Green believed in emotional walls, and that was why nobody got in, save his grandfather and his sister, both of whom Green inexplicably trusted. He trusted no other soul, except for one. His best friend, the boy who stood at an inch taller than Green and never let him forget it when he had the chance. Yes, Green trusted Red with every piece of his soul, and it scared him. Nobody knew how Green ticked the way Red did. Red was the fire to Green's ice, the way colors complemented each other in the whole scheme of things. It used to be that you could never find one without the other; they were always locked in a battle, eyes serious, faces set in intensity as they spurred each other on to greater heights; after a battle, if you were lucky, you would find the both of them sitting next to each other, sharing a lunch and staring out into space, content to enjoy the peaceful silence. If the average passerby came along, they would hear arguing about certain things- the way spiky hair looked under the sunlight, the defense of a certain Pikachu's training technique, debates about Pokemon, a rare, low chuckle- then all that changed when Red left for Mt. Silver.

And people wondered why Green threw himself into his Gym right after that, constantly training new Pokemon, constantly undergoing rigorous training. The only time he ever left his home- for the Gym was his home- was when he made those trips up to Red.

Green bit his lip as the memories came back to him. He pushed them away, tried erecting another emotional wall; he realized soon enough that the problem was that the memories came from a place already entrenched deep in his heart. Red, that idiot, had already gotten past the wall and intertwined himself so deeply in Green's soul, that Green wasn't even sure now what their differences were, why they fought. It scared him, irritated him- he knew a lot of things, and not knowing something annoyed the heck out of him.

A movement in the trees brought Green out of his musings, and he was startled to see Red's Pikachu leap down from the trees onto his shoulders. He sniffed quietly and allowed Pikachu to leap from his strong shoulders and onto the sandy ground. "Pikachupi," Pikachu said softly, nuzzling against the Gym Leader's jean-clad leg, and Green stiffened- Golduck, in his ball, winced involuntarily; his trainer was not someone to nuzzle against. He had learned that from a very early age as a Psyduck, when Green had coolly picked him up, dropped him in the lake, and made him do extra sets of training laps.

So Golduck was pleasantly surprised when Green softened his stance and bent down to scoop the electric mouse up. "Hey there," he said in a low voice, Pikachu scurrying up to his shoulders again. Golduck cocked its head, confused as to why Green was allowing Pikachu to use him as a perching post. As his trainer absently scratched Pikachu's chin, Golduck began to understand a little bit more about his trainer. He had seen it the whole week after his trainer had stayed in the rain, cradling that other boy in his arms- he had sensed it as he had waddled over to his trainer's side. As a Water type with some Psychic abilities, Golduck had sensed an unfamiliar emotion emanating from Green as he had arrived at Green's side, Rhydon thundering unceremoniously behind him. What was it those humans called it- sadness? Golduck had struggled with the thought all week; he had never felt this strong an emotion flow from his trainer before, because Green had always been stolid, stoic, unchanging.

Golduck understood, and he felt Green's emotions again as he pushed at his Pokeball, wanting to come out and share his trainer's pain. Green noticed the nudges against his waist; he simply scattered his Pokeballs and allowed his Pokemon to emerge, startling some in the audience. From the other side of the clearing, Blue met his eyes and looked away; Green knew that even the mere sight of him conjured up thoughts of where they had been with Red and what they had done together.

He couldn't blame her for being unable to cope. After all, he felt the same way- he was just better at hiding it than she was. His eyes scanned the crowd- he saw many familiar faces. The Dex Holders were together, of course, each holding various flowers and commemoration, each wearing different clothes but each with the same miserable expression etched on their faces. Ruby held on to Sapphire as the jungle girl sobbed quietly into his arms while a little way apart, Gold and Crystal linked arms and listened to Professor Oak give an awkward commemorative speech (Green had heard him stumble over the speech late at night- what were the right words to say anyway?). Silver was quietly patting Yellow's shoulder as the small girl sniffled and wiped the tears away (if Green could read minds, he would know that she was telling herself to be strong for Red's sake). Every now and then, Silver would reach over with his other hand and touch Blue's shoulder; Green saw her jerk, surprised, and he saw her distant gaze refocus, but only for a second before she looked away again. At the back, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum stood together, their heads bowed as they listened to the aged professor speak about the Dex Holder they had barely known.

He should be down there, with them, Green thought to himself, but even as Professor Oak paused to take a shuddering breath, he dismissed the thought. They hurt too, he knew, but nobody understood quite how much he felt at the moment. He scratched Pikachu's chin, who sat quivering on his right shoulder. "You miss him, don't you?" he mentioned absently.

"Pikapi!"

"Yeah, I know." Green was silent once more. "I… I guess I miss him, too," he muttered, scuffing the ground, and Pikachu squeaked in response. Green reached into his pocket and touched the scrap of paper that lay within; satisfied, he withdrew his hand.

The old professor was winding up now, having said all he needed to say. Daisy and Bill helped him walk towards the coffin, where he gently laid the flowers next to Red. Green couldn't hear what he whispered, from where he was standing, but he could read his grandfather's lips. Rest in peace, Red. You did well.

The Gym Leaders from all over the regions went next, shuffling as they passed the inclined slope Green stood on. He noted Misty's red-rimmed eyes, Brock's tight lips, Janine and Falkner's close proximity- he saw the way Sabrina held herself, stiff and rigid against the contrast of an anxious Erika. Blaine appeared to be the worst affected, as Wallace of Sootopolis supported him with Winona of Fortree on the other side. Green focused once more on the open casket as the last of the Gym Leaders, Morty of Ecruteak bowed slightly before backing away.

If Red had never had any history with any of the leaders before, he did now.

The Dex Holders were the last group of people to pay respects, and Golduck nudged Green's leg, trying to push his trainer off the slope. Green didn't budge, and gave Golduck a stare, a stare that the blue duck reflected right back at him. Eventually, the Water Pokemon gave up, and left his trainer to watch the ceremony in peace as the other Holders all broke down in their own ways.

The first to crack was surprisingly, Sapphire. The wild girl began sobbing even more into the tall Hoenn boy's shoulder, and Ruby held her even tighter, murmuring something into her bandana. Gold couldn't look at Red's corpse and neither could Crystal; from Green's standpoint, the way both were gripping each other's hands signified a fractured wrist in the future. Neither of them moved forward, and eventually Crystal had to let go of Gold's hand to catch Yellow, who couldn't stand it and ran to her, her small shoulders sobbing and heaving at the fresh reality of Red's death. A moment's hesitation, and then Blue followed Yellow, wrapping the younger girl in a tight embrace; it was Silver who stepped forward uncertainly, placing a single white rose on top of the pile. The Sinnoh Dex Holders looked uncertain, but they too paid homage to their fallen comrade by bowing formally to the casket.

There was another moment of silence, and then Professor Oak announced gruffly that he was going back to his lab, where they would have a time of remembering Red's life and what he had done for them at seven that evening. Murmurs swept the area as people began to shuffle and move out of the clearing and eventually few people were left except for the aged Professor, Daisy and Bill, the Dex Holders, and Red's Gym Leader friends Brock and Misty. Green took it as his cue now to move forward, his trusty Pokemon following on his heels. He passed by the two Kanto Gym leaders and his family, ignoring the sudden hush that fell over them; he nodded silently to the other Holders (friends, he supposed he could call them, although he had always privately thought Red was his only friend) and approached the open casket.

Red in death seemed to certainly resemble Red alive. Spontaneous and lively and impulsive and rash and everything Green was not. Green spared a few moments to watch Red's unmoving, still face, hoping against hope that by some miracle he would spring back to life and everything would be better.

Uncharacteristic of him, but Green crossed his fingers and hoped anyway.

Red did not move, and Green accepted the reality, feeling something stab his heart like a dagger. He reached into his pocket again and felt the thin paper crackle between his fingers; he withdrew it and tucked it between Red's folded hands. The picture of a smiling Red next to the ever serious Green stared up at said green-eyed boy, and he couldn't help but allow the smallest of tugs at the corners of his mouth. He remembered.

"Why so serious?" Red teased after Blue had taken the picture and run off.

Green shrugged. "Smiling's overrated."

Red flopped on his back to look at the impassive Gym Leader, who was staring off distantly, twirling an empty Poke Ball in his hands. "I've seen you smile," he remarked.

"Only you have." Green shrugged again. "You've seen a lot of things."

Red snorted in response to that comment. "We're friends, right?" he asked suddenly, his tone anxious and his red eyes containing the smallest traces of nerves. Green cast him a look, raising his eyebrows. "Can your Snorlax outsmart my Rhydon?" he asked cryptically.

The challenge of course appealed to Red, who leapt up. "Of course Lax can!" he said indignantly, and the Snorlax nearby raised its head in inquiry before flopping back down. Green allowed himself a smirk. "Then the answer is yes," he told the boy with eyes the color of garnets. "Always."

Always. The memory resounded in Green's head, and he was startled to feel his fingers trembling by his side. He never trembled. Green was not one for anything that displayed outwards emotion, especially anything that showed how uncertain he was, but here he was. He breathed in and out, allowing air to escape from his lungs. "Only you could make me do it," he murmured, almost to himself. "Only you."

A small hand placed itself on Green's shoulder, and he turned half-heartedly to see Blue smiling weakly at him. "Let's go," she whispered, and gestured to where their group was gathered. Misty and Brock were nearby with Professor Oak, Daisy and Bill; a little way down, Venusaur gave a low rumble as he watched his former trainer's friend leave his trainer's side.

Pikachu hopped off Rhydon's head and ran towards its team, stopping to nuzzle Yellow's Chuchu on the way. Professor Oak watched Pikachu run off, thoughtfulness reflected in his wise eyes. "I think I have the solution to our problem," he mused aloud to both Misty and Brock as Green entered the fold of Dex Holders. The Cerulean and Pewter Gym Leaders caught his drift instantly and nodded once, approval written over their faces, and Green wondered what his grandfather was up to.

"Green," Professor Oak began. "We've been wondering for a week now what to do with Red's Pokemon. We tried releasing them into the wild, but they just kept coming back. Pikachu, for one was extremely stubborn-" and Green realized why there had been so many rubber gloves all over the lab floor- "and Aerodactyl kept nipping at everybody's fingers. They wouldn't adapt to the ranch outside, either."

Green eyed Red's Pokemon, who were huddled at the side, looking rather forlorn. "I suppose you would want me to take them?" he asked slowly.

"Only if you want to."

"There would be no one better, Green," Misty spoke up, her aquamarine eyes glowing, and Brock agreed by nodding. "We know how you are as a Gym Leader and we know how you would treat Red's Pokemon. They'd flourish well, we know it."

Green blinked once. "There's no question that I'll take them," he said rather quietly, "but the question is if they'll agree to come with me-"

He didn't have to finish his sentence before Pikachu raced over to him, cheeks fizzing with electricity. "Pikachupi!" it squealed as it leaped onto Green's head- Green winced at the sudden familiarity. Poliwrath hopped onto the lumbering Venusaur while Aerodactyl soared upwards; Snorlax simply lay where he was, snoring loudly. Charizard stomped over to where Snorlax was and jabbed it with a claw; Snorlax rolled over and nearly trampled the poor orange dragon.

Green tore his eyes away from the indignant orange Pokemon and focused on his grinning grandfather. "Well, I suppose there's no question about that," Professor Oak said almost happily- the thought that it was a deceased friend's Pokemon he was allocating hadn't left his mind. "So, Green, will you take them?"

The tall boy didn't hesitate. "Of course, Gramps." He reached down and awkwardly gave Venusaur a pat, causing the great green beast to let out something that vaguely resembled a satisfied purr. "They're in good hands." He locked eyes with Red's starter Pokemon, thinking, I'm not sure I'll be as good as Red was, but I can try. He glanced backwards to the other Dex Holders, who were watching him, and Green experienced surprise as he realized he had involuntarily stepped into Red's place as leader.

He shook his head when Bill asked him if he was coming to the lab, and Blue gave him a quick hug before throwing an arm around Yellow and Silver and shepherding them out of the clearing. Green wasn't keen on being around people who would undoubtedly ask him if he felt alright; no, he would rather stay with his Pokemon, both old and new, and relive old memories as the sun began to set. Rather, he would reflect on the people he trusted- loved? Yes, loved. Green thought the word, and flinched. How sappy, but how true.

Sure, Green had walls, but he wasn't sure if those walls kept people out, or kept fond memories in. He stared at his Golduck and Red's Poliwrath, who were shaking glove and paw, and absently smiled before he caught himself and wiped it off his face. He'd never admit it, but there was a reason why he had so readily agreed to have Red's Pokemon, even the annoying little electric rodent- it meant that he had a part of Red with him at least for a while longer.

"Then the answer is yes. Always."

…

The sun it burns so I jump right in,
I felt the cold sea kiss my skin,
I turned around and you were gone,
And I'm thinking of you, thinking of you.

Old friend, where you headed for now,
Old friend, where you headed for now?

…

Review, please? I'm begging you. I need to know if anything went wrong, or if you liked it, or if you hated it. I need your comments/criticism to liiiiiiive! /dramatic cry