Chapter 7: Resolution

Supposedly, the deadline

Gold pushed open the doors to the Viridian City gym just like how he has done yesterday. The gym was partially lit and not a sound was heard, since the gym isn't opened for challenge today.

"You're here," said a voice ahead of him in the semi-darkness.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Gold strode forward towards Green's figure at the back of the gym. "We can talk in the room at the back," continued Green curtly, leading the way to a small room at the back meant for gym leader resting.

The room was simply furnished, a small bed at the end, some couches and a coffee table, and equipped with a mini pantry. It was however, empty, to Gold's slight confusion. "Where's Crystal?" he questioned.

"Not here," Green replied.

"Why?" Gold pressed, eyebrows raised and feeling slightly cheated.

"Because I don't think it is a good idea to have the two of you in the same room again after the track record from the past week," Green responded evenly. "Take a seat," he continued, gesturing to the couch.

Eyeing Green for a moment longer, Gold sat himself on the couch. "Alright, spill."

Green sighed in an attempt to control his temper. "I'm sure you know that Crystal has been prone to shouting at you this past week since the argument you two had a week ago."

"Well gee thanks for informing me because I sure didn't notice Crystal shouting at me this past week," replied Gold sarcastically.

"What you probably don't know however," Green continued, as though he was never interrupted, "is that Crystal has also been crying and breaking down this past week."

"What? Why?" Gold asked, his mouth agape, shock and surprise reflected in his eyes. Crystal, crying? And breaking down? Since when did Super Serious Gal break down and cry?

"Because of you," Green replied, locking his gaze with Gold's.

Matching Green's gaze, Gold knows that he is not lying, feeling a pang of guilt hitting him. "Explain."

"Your words, Gold. You don't think before you act, and some of the things you say are hurtful. You are 18 now, you ought to take more responsibilities for the things you say!"

Gold shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "What exactly did I say?"

Green gritted his teeth. "Like insinuating that Crystal cannot find a boyfriend? Didn't you even wonder why she made the bet with you?"

"What bet?" Gold asked, completely bewildered and confused.

Green raised his eyebrows, giving Gold a are-you-kidding-me look. "The bet that Crystal made with you on the day you both argued over Arceus know what. The one she said she would find a boyfriend within a week and show you," Green stated slowly.

Realisation dawned on Gold as he finally joined all the dots together. "Oh, I didn't think that she meant what she said," Gold said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what actually happened was that Crystal kicked me to the floor and practically screamed at me, declaring that she would find a boyfriend to show me," Gold explained. "As for the bet... Haven't you realised that there was never any mentioned of what's going to happen after the bet is fulfilled? Or what I need to do for that matter."

Both of them fell into silence, processing the new revelations.

"She was very affected by what happened," Green sighed. "Especially her self-esteem because she felt that she wasn't good enough for any boys. Which of course did stem from what you said to her," Green added pointedly.

Gold didn't reply immediately, staying serious in thought. "I see.. I guess it really is my fault then. I didn't put much thought into what I said because things have always been that way, and Crystal being the Super Serious Gal she was never did seem to be affected by what I said. That would be why I didn't notice anything wrong this time round. I guess I need to make a proper apology now," he trailed off.

"You better," Green said darkly, "or this could escalate into something that not even I can handle."

Gold snorted. "Was that why Crystal took an entire week off work? She was never willing to take leave no matter how I try to persuade her otherwise."

A faint blush coloured Green's cheeks at the mention of Crystal's week long holiday. "Uh.. no I took the leave on her behalf so that we could do some things together."

Gold narrowed his eyes at the change in Green's tone. "Say, how did you and Crystal get together again?" Gold asked, inching closer to Green with every word. Which oddly reminds Green of how Blue looks like whenever she launch into interrogation mode. That pesky girl is such a bad influence to the junior, thought a slightly panicked Green (which of course never shows on his face).

"Er.. hem.. um that is not something I need to tell you," Green responded evasively, looking so much more like Professor Oak than his usual stoic self.

Whipping out his cue stick, Gold cornered Green into the edge of the couch. "You are going to tell me everything unless you want to have Blue pestering you non-stop about this," he threatened.

Gulping, Green silently made a decision as he picked the lesser of two evils. He cleared his throat. "Crystal asked me to help her out with this 'bet' you two made, so I agreed to help her before she does something stupid," Green admitted.

To Green's slight surprise, Gold only nodded in understanding, drawing the cue stick away from Green (Thank goodness, Green thought). "Seems like Super Serious Gal was really affected by this huh? Though I never imagined that you would actually agree to acting as a fake boyfriend," Gold added thoughtfully, slightly amused.

"She's not as serious as you make her out to be you know," Green responded bluntly. "She's actually quite energetic, likes to run around and feel the wind in her face and roller coasters are her favourite rides. She's shy and quiet as well, and probably would not feel out of place sharing an afternoon in the forest with Yellow. She's naturally curious too, so she engages easily with anybody. I mean she only met Brock once and within half an hour she got teased non-stop by Brock. She even teases me sometimes now, but never in the same annoying manner that Blue does sometimes. She's a whole lot sweeter than this serious personna you associated her with just like how I'm have more emotions than people give me credit for," babbled Green, stopping only when he sees Gold grinning at him in his trademark fashion. "What?" he asked.

"You ought to hear yourself Green. That sounded way more than you just pretending to be her boyfriend. Have you made a move yet?" Gold smirked, nudging him with his elbows.

Green flushed with embarrassment at his little (major) slip-up. "I was going to do it soon," he said defensively.

At this, Gold howled with laughter, much to Green's annoyance and embarrassment. As his laughter died down, Gold placed a hand on Green's shoulder. "What you need," he stated, "is a little help."

...

Once again, Crystal stood at the doorway of her house, frowning and folding her arms at the person in front of the door. Gold had apparently tried to do the exact same thing he did the last time, appearing at her house without a warning with a bouquet of purple hyacinths. Crystal doesn't know if Gold is stupid or smart to try the exact same tactic again. "What do you want?" she asked crossly.

"I brought you flowers," Gold said hopefully, and Crystal had to refrain from rolling her eyes.

"What do you want?" she repeated, enunciating every syllable.

At this, Gold grinned widely at her. "We're going on a date!" he announced.

"A what?" Crystal asked, wondering she heard it all wrong.

"A date! Come on, you can't wear this onto a date!" exclaimed Gold, pulling her into the house towards the bedroom. "We need to get you changed into something nice."

"What? Gold stop! I refuse to be dragged into this," Crystal protested, trying in vain to pull herself free from Gold's grip. Unfortunately, Gold is too strong for her and within seconds, he is already rummaging through her closet for something to wear.

"Gee Crystal, do you not have a single dress or skirt that can be worn?" complained Gold. "All of your clothes here are either shirts or shorts!"

"What's wrong with shorts?" Crystal huffed, "they are more practical than wearing skirts."

Gold facepalmed. "Alright change of plans," Gold said as he whipped out his PokeGear and dialed a number.

"Yo!" he said into the PokeGear. "I need a outfit here for Super Serious Gal tonight."

Blue's laughter floated over to Crystal from the PokeGear. "She really doesn't have any skirts or dresses?"

Crystal flushed, embarrassed that words are spreading about the state of her wardrobe.

"No worries, Ruby and I are already working on an outfit. Just bring her down Red's house in Pallet Town and she'll be gorgeous by night time," Blue continued.

"Sweet! See you guys in a while!" Gold hung up and put away her PokeGear.

"What's going on?" Crystal asked, confused. "Why are so many people getting involved in this?"

Gold grinned once more and said, "That, is a surprise. Come on, we need to get to Pallet Town right now!"

Before Crystal could put up any form of protest, Gold had already pulled her out of the bedroom and out of the house, letting out his Togekiss. Making an exasperated sound, Crystal hopped onto Togetaro who began to fly off in the direction of Pallet Town.

...

"Beautiful!" exclaimed Ruby, his eyes dazzling in admiration of the outfit he and Blue had put together for Crystal.

Crystal is currently in Red's house in Pallet Town, standing awkwardly in the living room as everyone else admired her in the outfit Ruby and Blue had conjured for her. It's a sleeveless white dress that falls just above her knees, decorated with sequins for a subtle shine. It's a classy look, but yet feels very casual. Blue had even given her a thin grey belt that accentuated her waist even more. Overall, it's a dress that she thought looks pretty nice on her, and also suits her as a person.

She had been surprise to turn up at Red's house an hour ago, to find the entire crowd of Dexholders waiting for her, including the Hoenn Trio, Yellow and even Silver. Well, with the exception of Green, she silently corrected herself, slightly disappointed at that.

"Is anyone ready to tell me what's going on yet?" she asked, unable to withstand just standing awkwardly while people just looked at her.

"I told you, we're going on a date," Gold grinned. "You look great, Super Serious Gal! Look even Wild Girl over there is captivated by your beauty!"

Sure enough, Crystal glanced at Sapphire to find a light pink tinting her cheeks, slightly embarrassed at getting caught. "Just because I don't wear a dress doesn't mean I don't appreciate them. I'm a girl afterall," she defended. "You look different, Senior Crystal. A nice kind of different," she added.

Crystal smiled warmly at her, feeling her cheeks grow hot at the compliments that are being showered on her.

"She'll need some accessories to top off the look though. Any ideas, guys?" Blue commented, scanning her up and down

"Um.. how about some fresh flowers? Like the kind that Chuchu wears?" Yellow suggested. "I just thought it might match the outfit," she added hastily, afraid she said something wrong.

"That's brilliant!" Blue exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Quick, you two go get some flowers for Crystal now!" she pointed at Yellow and Red, who left promptly to look for flowers.

"Um guys, don't you think this is a little bit exaggerated?" Crystal asked, sweatdropping at their elaborate antics.

"What! Of course not! This is an important date after all, isn't it Gold?" Blue asked, winking at Gold.

"Of course," Gold grins back. "We are going to make you look perfect for this important date."

At this point in time, Crystal doesn't know if she should laugh or cry. On one hand, she feel exhilarated to be paid this much attention, and to don a pretty dress on a date. Afterall, isn't it every girl's dream to turn up on a date looking perfect? But the problem here is that it's the wrong date. Her date shouldn't be Gold! But she can't say that out loud, not when Gold had taken the liberty to invite just about everyone to help prepare her for this date.

"We're back" came Yellow's voice, jolting Crystal out of her thoughts. They had picked a handfull of flowers from Red's garden, causing a sweet flowers scent to waft around the living room. Crystal smiled weakly, trying to think of a way to get out of the situation tactfully without making anyone disappointed.

"Come over here, Crystal," Yellow said cheerfully. "Let's try to put some of the flowers into a braid with your hair."

Reluctantly (thought she didn't show it), Crystal made her way to sit down on the couch so that Yellow could braid her hair. The next few minutes passed by with people around her just chatting excitedly about Yellow's hair braiding skills, while Ruby and Sapphire had begun one of their daily bickering as Emerald tried to block them out.

"Alright, all done!" Yellow announced,

"Perfect!" Blue exclaimed. "Thanks Yellow! Now just put on this pair of shoes and you are ready to set off!" she continued, handing her a pair of white shoes with short heels. Carefully, Crystal slid on the pair of shoes and stood up. Lucky the heels aren't too high, at least this is manageable, she thought as she tentatively took a few steps.

"Alright let's go then!" Gold said, proceeding to drag her out of the house.

"Have fun!" Blue cheered, as the rest of the Dexholder stood in their pairs (poor Emerald) to wave them goodbye.

"Enjoy yourself Crystal!" waved Emerald enthusiastically, before Gold shut the door behind them.

"Shall we go?"

...

Gold brought Crystal to a homely restaurant a the edge of Pallet Town.

"Table for two please, reserved under the name Gold," he told the waitress.

The restaurant is bathed in a warm glow, with an ambiance that is suitable for dating couples, Crystal noted. There is a small stage in the middle of the restaurant too, probably for the occasional serenades or gigs.

"You look really nice today, Crystal," Gold complimented after the waitress left them with the menu.

"Um thanks?" Crystal replied, slightly uncomfortable with the situation she has landed herself in.

Gold smiled. "Take a look at the menu first, I have to make a trip to the toilet."

Sighing, Crystal looked at the menu, trying to decide what to eat. Behind her, a staff placed a chair and mike on the stage, and the stage lit up to prepare for a performance. Crystal, who was still paying attention to the menu, did not notice a spiky brown hair guy proceed onto the centre of the stage carrying a guitar in tow. "Good evening everyone," he greeted politely.

On her seat, Crystal froze at the sound of Green's voice. Is that Green? she asked herself.

As if to confirm her thoughts, Green continued, "My name is Green Oak, and I am here today to present a special message to a special someone."

Hardly believing her ears, Crystal turned around and locked eyes with Green. "I hope you enjoy this song that I will be presenting." he spoke, not taking his eyes off Crystal as he sat down and prepared to sing and play on the guitar. A gentle strum, and Green begins his song

Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me
But bear this in mind, it was meant to be
And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks
And it all makes sense to me

I know you've never loved the crinkles by your eyes when you smile
You've never loved your stomach or your thighs
The dimples on your back at the bottom of your spine
But I love them endlessly

I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if I do, it's you
It's you, they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all these little things

You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you
And you'll never treat yourself right darling but I want you to
If I told you I'm here for you
Maybe you'll love yourself like I love you

I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if I do, it's you
Oh it's you, they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all these little things

All through the song, Green kept his gaze on Crystal, only breaking his gaze to look at his hands or to close his eyes as he sings. The last chord on the guitar is met with the applause of the entire restaurant to which he stood and gave a small bow. Placing the guitar by the side of the chair, he slowly walked towards Crystal amidst excited murmurs in the restaurant.

Crystal on her part had been entranced by the touching performance, though a part of her is still confused and wonders what Green is intending to do. Being the practical girl she was, she doesn't want to keep her hopes up only to be disappointed at the end. As Green walks towards her though, she feels a new sense of hope, but also a little bit of nervousness with every step Green takes.

"Crystal?" Green called as he neared her.

"Hi Green," Crystal responded nervously, standing up so that they are on the same level.

"Did you like the song?" he asked.

Crystal blushed and nodded. "It was a nice song. You have a nice voice too. Guess you won't lying about that."

Green was looking at her intently now, trying to pick the right words to say. "I sang that for you."

"Oh um..." Crystal faltered, blinking her eyes as she processed the statement.

"I really like you. Do you, um, do you wish to be my girlfriend?" he asked carefully, his eyes scanning Crystal's face worriedly.

Unable to take the intensity of Green's worried look, Crystal lowered her head, a small smile creeping up her face. She stayed silent for a moment, deciding how best to answer, which made Green even more worried when she isn't responding. Shyly, she nodded her head a while later, not trusting herself to speak, her face completely red from the ordeal. Relieved, Green let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and pulled Crystal into a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered. Nodding her head, Crystal raised her arms to hug Green too, while the restaurant erupted into cheers and applause.

Behind Green, Crystal saw the rest of the Dexholders (How did they manage to come here without me noticing? she wondered later on) cheering and applauding as well, excited that there is another Dexholder couple. Her eyes sought Gold, who was clapping as well with a grin on his face. "You're welcome," he mouthed.

...

Epilogue

"What are you thinking about?" Green asked, jolting Crystal out of her memories.

Crystal looked up to see Green bending over her, taking a water break while their children continued to play and run around the waters.

"Nothing," she smiled, "just thinking about how we got together."

Green sat down and put his arms around Crystal. "What about it?" he asked, smiling fondly at his memories too.

"About how we should thank Gold for bringing us together."

Green laughed and shook his head. "You already treat him a meal every year around our anniversary," he pointed out.

Crystal laughed. "That is true," she mused.

They sat in silence, enjoying each other's company as they watch over their two sons playing.

"Thank you for staying with me and giving me our children," Green said.

Crystal turned to look at Green. "Thank you for accepting me for who I am and for being there for me," she said simply, happiness welling up in her chest.

They held hands, not wanting to let go of each other, willing the moment to last.

I'm in love with you, and all the little things.

Notes:

I've never really established the time frame for the story, except that it's after the HGSS arc. Well, now we all know that the Johto trio are 18 in this story! It just seems like a nice number.

The song is "Little Things" by One Direction. I picked the song because the idea behind the song is rather similar to the things that is going on between Green and Crystal. Like the little things they know/learn about each other (reference to Chapter 2) and how Green still likes Crystal despite her imperfections. I took out a couple of verses though, that was less relevant. On Green having a nice singing voice, that was established in Chapter 2!

Hope you realised that Gold helped coordinate everyone as Green prepared to confess to Crystal! Short cameo by the other Dexholders here, though there wasn't any appropriate manner I could give screentime to some of them.

A/N:

Yes we are finally done with the story, and we came a full round from where the story started! Uploaded a lot faster than I imagined, because I really really really didn't want to study and thought I should at least do something productive. (Someone save my exams sobs.) I really liked how this turned out in the end, for I was having a little bit of trouble stringing everything together at the start of the chapter. I guess you could say the characters were leading me along for this one! A little more humour injected into this chapter, due in no small part to Gold's role in the story. You will see that I have added Gold as one of the main characters to the story. I didn't split this into 2 chapters as I said I would too, so this is a long chapter.

Hope you enjoyed this story featuring such an unconventional pairing! I enjoyed writing this pairing, though I probably wouldn't be writing this pairing again for a long while. I hope I portrayed the characters well in the story, particularly Crystal's character development, and Green's other-than-stoic personality. I have other story ideas in mind, which doesn't work well with this pairing. Or rather, deals with the ship sinking. It's going to feature various Dexholder's pairings, so follow me so you can get updates once I post anything (: Some info on my bio too. Please favourite this story too if you like it, and as always, give reviews to tell me what you feel about the story.

Special thanks to the followers of the story/people who have favourite this. There aren't a lot of you but it makes me happy that people wants to follow the story/enjoyed the story: joycewu333, Painted Lady Bug, VolticRay and DreameEater. Special mention goes to joycewu333 who was the first ever follower and had been reviewing and giving comments on the story. Your kind words are very much appreciated!

There would be a special chapter on the battle scene between Crystal and Green from the previous chapter as per request. I would upload this only in December though (for real) because I need some time to work this out. So stay tuned for that special chapter as well.