Just a short A/N update, I want to thank the guest reader who pointed out that my coputer thoughtit would be funny to out Red Eys rather than Red in the characters involved part of the story info, so thanks bro! I'll update as soon as I can btw.
Four days traveling alone has begun to take its toll on Red. Not a moment after Leaf left did he ever stop thinking about her. Red couldn't get her out of his mind, the way she blushed when she talked to him, the way she smiled when she either accomplished something or was amazed, and her laugh...like sweet music to his ears. It's gotten to the point where he began to see her out of the corner of his eye and disappear if he tried to check...or maybe it was the fact that he hasn't slept much in those four days.
'Maybe a quick nap will help.' he thought to himself. He took a seat on the side of the road and closed his eyes, only to be woken up a few hours later by a light shake on his shoulder. Red opened his eye to come face to face with a girl. She wore a red bandana, a red shirt, dark blue shorts, had dark blue gloves, and her hair was combed to stick out at an angle to her sides.
"Hi," she greeted, "sorry to bother you, but have you run into a boy about your age, blue shirt, green back pack, has a hat that makes it look like he has white hair with a green head band?" Red shook his head. "Oh." the girl replied and turned away, "Damn it Brendan, where the hell are you?"
Red got up and tried to make a get away but the girl turned around, "Hey, you haven't gone to the Johto Region recently have you?" Red shook his head again and the girl looked at him strangely, "You don't talk much do you?" Red shook his head again. "Do you ever talk?" Red nodded. "Oh, is it only for someone special?" she teased and Red nodded with a small blush.
'Why am I answering her questions?' Red thought to himself.
"I'm May by the way." the girl commented and extended her hand. Red shook it and quickly let go, "So, you looking for that girl? Or did you find her?"
'Crap, I hope she's not trying to get me to ask her out.' Red thought to himself as he held up two fingers.
"Oh, so she ran and you're trying to find her?" May asked. Red nodded and she laughed, "Well I hope you find her." May turned around and walked away, "Brendan should take you as an example." she muttered to herself.
Red shook his head and focused on the road ahead. He had already gotten the Cascade badge from Misty in Cerulean City, the Thunder badge from Lt. Surge in Vermilion City after making a detour through the underground path before returning to Cerulean to take Route 9 and 10, and his Charmander has evolved into a Charmeleon. Now he was coming upon Lavender Town, home of Pokémon Tower.
Somehow, the thought of Pokémon Tower being haunted really excited Red in a way, but not as much as the glimpse of a girl with a white hat, brown hair, blue sleeveless shirt, and a red skirt turning the corner to the tower.
'Leaf!?' Red thought to himself as he quickly sprinted towards the tower entrance, ran inside, but stopped at the sight of a boy who looked somewhat lost and looking to someone. Red recognized the appearance that May described to him and he quickly pulled the boy to the side.
"Whoa, what's the big deal!?" Brendan asked. Red didn't reply and instead pulled out a map, wrote down notes about how May was looking for him and which direction she went, shoved the map into Brendan's hands, then ran up the stairs. Brendan looked at the notes the strange boy gave him and the first thing that jumped out at him was May's name. Brendan quickly read the notes and noticed arrows indicating where the boy saw her and which way she went.
"I don't know who he was, but I owe him one." Brendan said to himself as he took off running full speed to find May.
Red reached the second floor in time to see a Butterfree hit the ground unconscious as Leaf picked it up.
"Like I said, I was at least able to make them faint." her opponent mocked as he began to walk past her, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of things to accomplish. Unlike you." Leaf's opponent tried to poke her at his word, but a hand stopped his by the wrist, holding it like a vice.
"Leave...her...alone, Gary." Red growled threateningly, causing Gary to stare at him wide eyed.
"Whoa, you can talk!" Gary laughed, "What, you finally speak up just because you got a girlfriend now? Or did she have to teach you how? At least that makes her strong in someth-" Gary was cut off by Red's fist making contact with his face. Gary looked back at Red with angered eyes, but Red stood his ground between him and Leaf. "Whatever, I'm out of here."
Leaf watched, still in awe as Red smiled at her and held out his arm to help her up. Leaf took it, but she was still speechless, 'I blew it back in Pewter...I ran and left him behind...and he still came to my defense?'
"Are you ok Leaf?" Red asked. Leaf nodded as he pulled her up...a little too hard as they bumped heads. "Ow, sorry about that." Red commented as they both laughed and caught each other's eyes. 'God, how I missed that laugh.' Red thought to himself as he slowly inched closer to her face.
'It was four days...four days too long!' Leaf thought to herself as she herself helped narrow the distance between them, 'I wonder if they're rough or soft.' Both of them were centimeters from each other's faces with their eyes closed. Red had placed his hands on her cheeks and Leaf had hers on his wrists, gently supporting them so that he wouldn't let go.
Just as they were literally millimeters from each other's lips however, a cold chill ran up both of their spines causing them to pull apart to see a Haunter looming over them. Red lightly pushed Leaf behind him to defend her, yet Haunter just stared at them. Red slowly reached for his Charmeleon but paused as Haunter inched closer until it was arms length away. Haunter stared at Red in the eyes then pointed with one of its claws at Red and Leaf, then pointed upwards as it elevated to the next floor.
"I-It wants us to follow it?" Leaf asked.
"Looks like it." Red replied before remembering what almost happened, "Uhh...why don't you go get your Pokémon healed, I'll see what it wants."
"W-wait, I'll go with you." Leaf replied, trying to hide her own blush, as she pulled out a few revives and gave them to Butterfree and her newly evolved Ivysuar. Butterfree woke up and looked around before seeing Red and ramming into him for a hug, causing Leaf to laugh.
"Whoa, I'm guessing this guy was the Caterpie you caught back in Viridian Forest?" Red asked as he played a bit with Butterfree and Leaf nodded as she called both her Pokémon back into their capsules. Red took the lead and made his way to the stairs. Ignoring possessed shamans, ghost Pokémon, and making their way around them for about fifteen minutes they finally reached the second to top floor.
"Go away..." a voice whispered.
"R-red...did you hear that?" Leaf asked fearfully. Red nodded as he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her close before continuing slowly to the final set of stairs. Just before they could reach them however, a shadowy figure appeared before them causing Leaf to yell and hug Red tightly out of surprise.
"Go away..." the voice whispered again. Leaf's mind began to work again and she pulled out and object from her bag.
"What's that?" Red asked.
"Silph Scope, found it when I fought against Team Rocket at the Game corner." Leaf replied. Red really wanted to ask how she got ahead of him again, or even how she got tangled up with those Rocket thugs, but before he could begin, the figure before them changed, and revealed a Morrowak. Red acted quickly and brought out Charmeleon while Leaf brought out her Ivysuar.
Chameleon used Metal Claw and bought Morrowak to the ground before Leaf commanded Ivysuar to finish it off with Vine Whip. Morrowak lay motionless on the ground and red approached to examine it, but before he could reach it, Morrowak began to fade and disappeared in seconds.
"You think that's what the Haunter wanted us to see?" Leaf asked.
"Maybe," Red replied, "but we should check upstairs just in case." Red led the way and slowly climbed each step to make sure that, when he saw what came next, he would know what to do. Once he was able to reach high enough for his eyes to scan the next floor, his confidence died. The top floor was foggier than the rest of the tower's floors put together. Red stepped onto the top floor, disappearing into the fog.
"Red?" Leaf called out worryingly and strained her eyes to see through the fog, but to no avail. She was about to call out again when Red appeared again and held out his hand for her.
"There seems to be a light in the back." Red commented as Leaf took his hand. Leaf nodded in acknowledgement and gripped his hand tightly so that they wouldn't easily let go (a little out of fear too). Making their way to the back, the fog appeared to ease up and though the now thinning for, Red and Leaf could see an old man surrounded by thugs in black uniform.
"You're getting in our way old man." One of the thugs commented, "Just shut your trap about the Pokémon and stay out of our business!"
"Can't you see that you are hurting these Pokémon!?" the old man asked.
"Oh, we can." another thug replied, "We just don't care."
"Then maybe you need to be taught a lesson!" Leaf shouted and getting the thug's attention.
"Oh look, that little couple want to play hero." the third thug mocked.
"Leaf, get the one on the right, I got left." Red commented.
"And the middle one?" Leaf asked, though her question was answered as the Haunter from before emerged from the floor and approached the middle thug while Leaf and Red sent out Charmeleon and Ivysuar. The side thugs each sent out a Ratatta while the middle one sent out a Golbat.
"You think a couple and a stupid Haunter can stop Team Rocket?" the middle thug asked before being silenced as Charmeleon and Ivysuar took down his teammates and Haunter effortlessly took down Golbat with Shadow Claw.
"So are you going to leave, or will Haunter have a little fun with your mind?" Red threatened.
"Y-you'll pay for this!" the thug replied before they all ran out of the tower. Red turned to check on Leaf, but Haunter appeared right in his face.
"It seems that Haunter is challenging you." the old man commented.
"Why?" Leaf asked.
"It seems he's taken a liking to the young man." the old man replied. Charmeleon stood between Red and Haunter, looking back at Red for his response and Red nodded. Charmeleon quickly used ember, which Haunter dodged and countered with Shadow Claw, only to be countered with Rock Slide.
Haunter phased through the rocks with ease, but was cut off by a continuous Ember attack. Red saw his chance and threw an empty poke ball, trapping Haunter inside and waiting for the ball to click. The ball shook for more than a few seconds and Red looked at Charmeleon so that they were ready if he broke out, but the ball clicked as soon as Red looked back at it.
"You did it!" Leaf shouted and hugged Red as he picked up the ball, nearly causing him to drop it. Red returned the hug and then called back Charmeleon as soon as Leaf let go with a blush on her cheeks.
"S-so...why did they drag you up here?" Leaf asked as she tried to avoid Red's eyes, which were looking at her with a smile on his face, causing her to blush.
"I came here on my own accord." the old man replied, "I was trying to sooth the restless spirit of Cubone's mother, but is seems the spirit has finally calmed and left." Leaf looked over at Red with a knowing smile and Red returned it. "Why don't you come on down to the Volunteer House, I must return the favor you've done for the Pokémon here.
"Thank you, but..." Red replied as he put his arms around Leaf's waist and pulled her close, "we have some catching up to do." Leaf blushed and smiled at his contact.
"Very well, but know that you are always welcome there." the old man replied, "Just ask for Mr. Fuji if you don't see me." Mr. Fuji took his leave and both Leaf and Red followed, hand in hand, shortly after.