Over in one corner of the Pokemon Centre was a booth with cushioned seats around a table, which provided a place to sit and talk with some degree of privacy. After Blue's outburst had attracted the attention of the whole foyer, I'd quickly ushered both him and Chee away to a table, where we were now all seated.
We spent a few minutes in absolute silence, not really sure how to continue. Blue sat across from me with one leg leaning over the other, his arms crossed across his chest and a scowl more intense than I'd ever seen from him plastered on his face. he impatiently tapped his foot and gritted his teeth as his glowing sapphire eyes stared out into the open floor, not meeting my gaze.
By my side, Chee sat upright with her fingers curled up and her palms pressed into her knees. Her head was bent over, staring at her feet, and she was shaking ever so slightly. She'd started behaving like this the moment Blue had growled at her, so I could only assume this spout of extra obedience was her response to Blue getting angry.
Or considering what I now knew about her past... Perhaps that was her reaction whenever anyone got angry.
Unlike the other two I was sitting with my knees just far enough apart not to cause discomfort. My back was straight up and my head pointed straight forward. My hands were by my sides, and I'd actually had to suppress the urge to salute Blue when we sat down. His presence reminded me a lot of Red when he was upset like this.
I was quiet for a few moments, since Blue seemed to be in a particularly nasty mood today, but eventually he let out a rough sigh and turned his gaze to meet mine, the hues of sapphire draining from his eyes as his expression softened. "Since you're not in the hospital, I assume your injuries were overstated?" He grumbled in a gruff tone.
The words were spoken harshly, but as I stared into the silver eyes of the man in front of me I felt as though somewhere, he did actually care. Enough to hear the answer at least.
"Fortunately, we didn't receive any permanent injuries." I answered, keeping my tone cool and even like a military report. "After around 5 days at the hospital we're both back in fighting condition!"
Blue tilted his head to one side for a moment, his eyes pressed closed as he pursed his lips. Then, he opened them. "So I came all the way from Vermillion City for nothing. Great." He growled, the scowl reforming on his face for a few moments before he relaxed the expression.
"Oi, Green." His sharp gaze fell on Chee. "I'm not going to eat you, you can stop shaking already." His mouth stayed open as he seemed to hesitate for a short moment before continuing. "...It's not you that I'm angry at, alright?" He finished in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
It was subtle, but Chee's shaking slowed to a stop and she tilted her gaze up just enough to meet his-Although only for an instant before he threw his head back to the side.
"You came all the way from Vermillion City? Does that mean you already got your third Gym Badge?" I asked, despite being pretty sure I knew the answer already. Based on how far ahead of us he'd been even when we arrived in Cerulean, and the fact we'd had to take almost a week to recuperate... He'd almost certainly been in Vermillion for at least a few days.
I waited for his response but he still didn't meet my gaze, staring into the open Pokemon Centre wordlessly. After a few more seconds of uncomfortable silence his gaze returned to me. He opened his mouth for a moment, and I thought I spotted a hint of hesitation in his jaw. "...No. I didn't have time, so I've just got two badges. Well, I'm sure that's more than you two at least."
I tried not to let Blue's attitude get under my skin, so I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah, Yeller and I got taken down pretty badly when we challenged the Cerulean Gym Leader, so we still only have one badge."
In response to this Blue let out a small chuckle. "Heh, figures. Still, even beating one Gym is pretty good for someone our age. Don't let it get to you just because you're not as much of a genius as me~."
He tapped impatiently at the table as the awkward silence returned. To my side I could hear Chee rustling through her bag, and Blue quietly stood up. "Whatever, I just came here to check on you anyway. I'm officially on babysitting duty now, so let me know whenever you're planning to go somewhere."
He began to walk away, but before he could take more than a few steps Chee vaulted over my lap and grabbed his sleeve. This caused the boy to stiffen suddenly.
"What is it Green? I've kept my..." He trailed off as he turned to look at the young girl, who was proudly displaying two badges.
We're tied! Her eyes sparkled enthusiastically.
There was an odd tension in the air for a few moments which I couldn't decipher, but finally Blue tugged his shirt away from the young girl. "Whatever. I'm going to get myself a room."
"Ah..." I interjected. "I was just about to head over to the Cerulean Gym for my morning training."
"I'll catch up." The brown-haired boy grumbled as he wandered away.
...
I splashed pool water about absentmindedly as I waited for Misty to arrive. By the side of the pool, a surly Blue and a bashful Chee both sat and watched me. I still wasn't really sure if they did or didn't get along, and the distance they kept between each other-Almost exactly a meter- only made it harder to tell.
"If your training is just playing with water, it's no wonder you haven't made any progress." Blue grumbled. "I'd like to leave for the next city sometime this year, so maybe you should actually practice something?"
"I'm just waiting for Misty." I explained with exasperation. "She's normally here by now, I guess I'll just practice by myself until she shows up."
I set Yeller down in the water as I spoke, letting him get some more practice at doing dodges in the water. Yeller made a few quick rolling motions, trying out different methods for gaining a sudden burst of speed in the water.
"Misty...?" Blue furrowed his brow. "Don't you mean Violet?"
"No, Misty has been training me since I failed her course."
"You took Misty's course...?" Blue gave me a look of absolute disbelief. "Ah... And here I was thinking you were just weak-That course is too much even for the adults! Why would you try to do the 'impossible' course?" He growled at me.
"Because... She said I'd definitely become stronger." I answered honestly, unsure what else to say. Glancing to my side, I noticed Yeller was beginning to tire from his water-based dodges.
Blue stared at me for a few more seconds before clicking his tongue and directing his gaze elsewhere. "Whatever. At least you didn't lose on the beginner course."
"What about you, Blue? Which course did you take?" I asked, fishing my flailing companion out of the water before he could dip below the surface.
"Horsea. The 'Intermediate' course." He answered. "I did the beginner course the first time I came through here since..." He paused, seeming to think about something for a moment. "Well anyway, I figured I could handle the higher difficulty this time."
I was about to ask what he meant, but before I could do so a highly energetic female voice called ahead of a set of running footsteps. "Sorry I'm late!" The orange-haired tomboy exclaimed, discarding a jacket that had been draped over her shoulders before diving headfirst into the pool.
Although all three of us kids noticed, I remained unconvinced that the pool water had any inclination that it had just been infiltrated.
Blue watched silently as Misty reinforced the same tricks for underwater combat as she had yesterday, and we had a few practice battles where she purposefully held back so Yeller and I could practice using the right techniques. Despite my best efforts, we were still unable to defeat Starmie.
As I rejoined the other two kids, Blue had his brow furrowed and a hand to his chin. His eyes had also returned to their sapphire hue-They were beginning to swap back and forth so frequently that I was no longer sure which was his normal eye colour.
"Is something bothering you?" I asked cautiously.
"...I'm probably imagining it." He mumbled, dismissing me with his free hand.
Blue was unusually quiet after that, and as I continued my routine of fighting random trainers to strengthen Yeller and raise his level, I felt as though his gaze was watching us with unusual focus.
With every battle I won, I watched as his brow furrowed deeper and deeper, until...
"Begin!"
"Alright Oddish!" Called a young girl with black hair and green eyes, dressed in general exploration gear. "Let's start off with an Acid shot!"
"Dodge with Quick Mode, Yeller!"
The blue ball with legs and a fern for hair pulled it's head back, pooling a ball of acid up before shooting it at my partner. Yeller cascaded away from the splash-zone, arriving safely a few inches from the Oddish in a flash of white and grey energy.
"Eh!?" The young girl exclaimed in surprise.
"Alright! Bite Barrage!" I called. In response, my Partner summoned and closed a large set of purple energy jaws over and over, and in just a few moments the Oddish fainted in front of us.
"Ahhh..." The girl let out a sigh, only just realising she'd lost. "Return, Oddish..." She reached out a hand with a Pokeball, the red beam shooting to the Pokemon and absorbing it into the ball in a bundle of red energy. She walked over to me and held out a hand.
"That was a good battle! That was a really impressive technique! I hope I can fight like that some day..." She offered her hand along with some shallow praise, but I wasn't so impolite as to refuse it.
"Thank-" But as I reached out to shake her hand, I felt my palm get batted away. Standing between the two of us was Blue, who had approached without warning. His growing frown had settled into an expression I could only describe as a mixture of disappointment and disgust.
"No." Blue spat, standing between us. "Whatever you do, don't emulate this moron's technique. Not if you want to keep getting stronger."
Now it was my turn to frown at Blue. "What do you mean by that, Blue?" I asked accusingly, not hiding the spite I felt from his rejection.
"Exactly what it sounds like." He growled. "Your battle style has really devolved into something grotesque, you know that right?!"
The unsettled girl flittered a nervous stare back and forth as Blue and I glared daggers at each other, before deciding to simply run away without trying to interject.
"Grotesque? Are you suggesting that my battles are in some way immoral?"
"More than immoral I'd say they're downright idiotic." He spat back. "I'm getting embarrassed just from watching you! I don't want to be associated with someone who treats their Pokemon like a tool!"
"Yeller isn't a tool, Yeller is my partner!"
"Then treat him with some damn respect!"
Before our heated argument could escalate any further, the black-haired head of Chee bobbed in-between us, blocking our view of one another. Please don't fight!
I clenched my fist as I metaphorically bit my tongue. I pried my glare away from Blue and took a moment to collect my thoughts. Why am I letting a kid get on my nerves. Stay calm. I thought to myself.
I should have known that Blue would disagree with Red's signature battle style. The two of them apparently didn't get along very well. But to me, every piece of training Red had given was precious. I didn't like when they were insulted.
We stood in silence for a few moments before I heard a heavy sigh. My gaze returned to see Blue was also clearly feeling uncomfortable with Chee's intervention.
"Fine. You can do what you want." Blue grumbled, crossing his arms. "Ruin your growth for all I care..."
"Do my tricks upset you that much?" I growled in response, the heat of my temper building back up. "You didn't seem to have a problem with them last time we met!"
Once again we met with burning glares.
"...The last time we fought, I declared you the winner." Blue started, obviously trying to contain his own anger. "I dislike your tricks, but I respect them. They serve a purpose. Or at least... They did."
"Then what's the problem?!"
Blue's face contorted into a grimace. "Do you really not see it!? I thought you had at least a shred of intelligence!" Blue took hold of the collar of my shirt, bringing my face inches from his own. "The problem is that you're treating yourselves like weaklings!"
There was a long painful silence that followed after that, as we both took a breath to calm our nerves.
"...We are weak." I finally answer, looking into Blue's eyes. "Without my tricks, I-"
I didn't get to finish my sentence, as my mouth shortly found itself occupied by Blue's fist. The impact of his punch left me stunned, and I recoiled backwards before he tightened his grip on my collar and pulled me close.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Blue growled in my ear. "No rival of mine gets to call themselves weak!"
"But we-" I began, and he punched me in the face again. This time I wasn't as surprised, and I was able to get in a basic guard before the impact.
I rubbed at my jaw as Chee came over and desperately pried Blue's hands off of me. She didn't seem to feel very confident, as she was shaking violently while she stood between us, but she hissed at Blue and stood with her arms outstretched protectively.
"Yeller is not weak." Blue continued calmly. "When I first saw the two of you, that's what I thought. 'These two are weak, they're not even worth my time. A rattata with three legs? How could that be a threat.' But then..."
Blue's expression faded to a more neutral expression. "Do you remember? Your Rattata overpowered my Squirtle. Even though he should be a weak Pokemon, even though he only has three legs... Yeller is strong!"
...But that was only because of the S.T.A.B. Skill... I thought to myself. The 10% boost pushed Yeller far enough to...
10%?
Was the difference between Yeller and a powerful rare Pokemon really only 10%?
He pointed at me accusingly, the anger returning to his face. "So when you treat yourself like a weakling, it's not just you that you're calling weak." He slammed his palm into his chest. "You're calling us weak too. Do you think that I'm weak?"
"...No." I answered.
"Good." Blue spat. Turning away from the two of us. "I'm going back to the Pokemon Centre."
And without another word, he left, leaving Chee and I alone for the rest of the evening.
Author Note:
I ended up rewriting that final conversation a few more times than I would have liked. Turns out I actually really struggle to write Blue the way I want to. I think I finally got it figured out though!
Also I don't really have any excuse for why it took me this long to get another chapter out. I did want to write it and everything.
...Tears of the kingdom is fun...