Chapter 6

Someone was shouting. Leaf didn't recognize the voice, nor could she see who it belonged to. She couldn't see anything, in fact. All around her was darkness. Hands stretched out, Leaf walked towards the voice. It grew louder and louder, so she knew she was headed in the right direction. Soon enough, Leaf realized the voice was calling for Red. Or was it calling for Blue? Somehow, it seemed to be yelling both their names at the same time. She took a few more steps forward. This time, she heard not one voice, but many. A crowd was chanting. Chanting for her. Leaf! Leaf! Leaf! Leaf!

Was she at the Indigo Stadium now? About to battle someone? Leaf couldn't recall having any challengers since Harris Wilkes. She stepped forward again and was met with a blinding light.

"Leaf! Wake up!"

Leaf opened her eyes and saw Tasha's face inches away from hers. She jerked back, hitting her head against the headboard.

"Ow!" Leaf clutched the top of her head. "Tasha, wha––"

"I tried calling you so many times!" Tasha snapped. "When you didn't answer, I had to come get you myself."

"You have keys to my place?"

"Go get ready, now. The Elite Four has been waiting long enough."

Leaf didn't understand at first. When it clicked, she scrambled out of bed, mentally cursing while Tasha tapped away on her phone.

Once every two months, Leaf was required to have a touch base with the Elite Four. Today was her first one. She didn't quite understand why they needed to have these meetings. Each of the Elite Four members were perfectly capable of handling whatever came their way, whether it was a sick Pokemon or family issue. And it wasn't like Leaf would be able to help these adults, who were at least twice her age. But apparently, as Champion, it was her duty to know what the Elite Four was up to.

Until today, Leaf had been good about remembering her schedule. Tasha also sent Leaf reminders; she knew she received one yesterday. How did it slip her mind?

If getting ready fast was a sport, Leaf would win a gold medal. She sped-brushed her teeth, tied her hair into a bun. She didn't bother applying makeup. She threw on a white turtleneck sweater, straight-leg jeans, and sneakers.

Unfortunately, she still lived on the top floor of a skyscraper. Leaf found herself tapping her foot as they waited for the elevator to arrive. She fidgeted as the elevator brought them down to the ground floor. As soon as the doors slid open, she ran outside and let Fearow out, drawing the attention of some passersby.

"Don't forget, you have a session with Ryan today!" Tasha called out as Leaf climbed on top of Fearow. Leaf gave Tasha a thumbs-up before flying away.

As they flew towards the Indigo Plateau, Leaf wondered again how she could've overslept. It wasn't like she went to bed late last night. It had to be because of that dream. That dream, which she'd had every night since her trip to Pallet Town last week.

It had been an overall good day. Leaf got to spend quality time with her parents and her Pokemon. She got to see Professor Oak and Daisy again. What hadn't been as nice were her encounters with Blue and Mrs. Woods, but they could've turned out significantly worse. So why was she clearly affected by them?

Leaf thought hard for an answer. By the time they landed, she didn't have one.

"Sorry I'm late!" Leaf exclaimed as she rushed into the meeting room. Sure enough, everyone was there, looking vaguely annoyed. Only Lorelei bothered to give Leaf a courteous smile.

Leaf took her seat. The table was round, with Leaf sitting at the top so that she could easily view each of the Elite Four members. Lorelei looked elegant in a black sweater dress. Bruno was shirtless even though it was now solidly autumn. Agatha's grandma vest weirdly juxtaposed her harsh expression. Lance wore his cape as always.

"Hi everyone, um, so this is our first touch base. I'm excited to be working with all of you." What else was she supposed to say? "Let's get right to it. So…how is everyone doing?"

Silence. The Elite Four members just gazed at different spots on the floor. After a moment, the silence was broken by Leaf's stomach growling.

Leaf's cheeks burned. "Sorry, I skipped breakfast." Immediately, Leaf felt even more embarrassed to be apologizing over something so small. They're not going to take you seriously if you keep acting like this.

"I'm also excited to be working with you," Lorelei finally answered. Leaf was grateful for her. "To answer your question, I'm doing just fine. My team is healthy and strong."

"Same here," Bruno said. "Training hard as always."

Given that the Elite Four also had a bunch of random commitments, Leaf wondered exactly how they found the time to train properly. Even after a few months, Leaf still struggled to squeeze training into her schedule. She was afraid to ask the Elite Four for advice on that.

"This cold weather has been death on my bones," Agatha complained. "So I am not doing well."

Lorelei smirked. "It's not even winter yet, Agatha. It's not that cold."

Agatha leered at Lorelei, but Leaf could tell she wasn't actually offended. "Easy for you to say, Ice Queen. Once you're my age, though, you might feel differently."

Bruno guffawed. "If she does, does that mean she can't use ice Pokemon anymore?"

"We won't find out," Lorelei said with conviction. "Winter will always be my favorite season."

"I can respect that. Training in extreme weather is the best. Really pushes you beyond your limit."

"Oh, do you ever think about anything other than training?" Agatha retorted.

"I wouldn't be here sitting with you if I did."

As the three Elites went back-and-forth, Leaf snuck a peek at Lance. He was stoic as usual, seemingly paying no attention to the banter.

Leaf must've been staring because Lance met her gaze. She quickly looked away. Out of all the Elite Four members, Leaf felt as if Lance respected her the least. He hadn't shown her any disrespect. In fact, he hadn't shown her anything at all. Not when she became Champion, not when they appeared at press events together. She might as well have been any other regular trainer.

It wasn't a good feeling, of course. What Leaf hated was that Lance's indifference towards her was understandable. When they battled, Dragonite had completely lost control of himself, endangering everyone in the stadium. There probably wasn't a single person who didn't question Leaf's abilities at that moment. But to the Dragon Tamer, Leaf truly must've looked like a fool. An immature little girl who had no idea what she was getting into when she decided to raise a beast.

She may be the Champion in title, but she wasn't the Champion in spirit.

Leaf grit her teeth, as if the thought physically pained her. It hadn't occurred to her so explicitly like this. But sitting here, before four of the most revered trainers in history, Leaf found herself wondering if she was punching above her league.

"Hey, Leaf? Champion Leaf?"

Leaf blinked, realizing that Lorelei had spoken directly to her. "Uh, yes, sorry. What's up?"

"We were saying we don't really have anything to report. Do you?"

Everyone's eyes were on her now. Leaf forced her body to relax and answered, "No. Nothing on my end. I guess if there's nothing to talk about, the meeting's over?"

Bruno immediately rose. "Well then, it's time for me to resume my training. Until next time."

They walked out in a line. Bruno, followed by Lorelei, Agatha, and then Lance. As Leaf watched them leave, she wondered if they were friends with each other, or if their interactions were limited to press events and these sorts of meetings.

Before Lance shut the door, he glanced back at Leaf. She felt herself perking up, hoping he would say something nice to her.

"You're staying here?"

"Oh, no." Leaf quickly stood. "I'm heading out now, too."

Lance held the door for Leaf. She thought they might walk together, but he rushed ahead without another word.

Leaf was so sore from her workout that after she showered, she collapsed onto her bed. Today was cardio day, and Ryan had her running and jumping around more than usual. She didn't want to have to do another burpee ever again.

Leaf closed her eyes, hoping to take a quick nap before dinner. But as exhausted as she was, she couldn't fall asleep. Almost reluctantly, she headed towards the common room, plopped down on the couch, and turned on the TV.

Conversations with Tom and Brenda, the most popular talk show in Kanto, was on. Tom Anthony, dark-skinned and handsome, had the widest smile and whitest teeth Leaf had ever seen. Brenda Roy, blonde and conventionally attractive, was often the subject of tabloids, especially in regards to her age (Leaf thought that thirties seemed right, but there were rumors of her being much older). The two of them knew how to spin any piece of news into some riveting story.

And for the past year, their favorite topic had been the Championship.

"Can you believe we've already had three Champions, Brenda?" Tom asked. "Four, if you want to count Blue Oak's two reigns."

"No, Tom, it's crazy to me," Brenda answered. "Especially since all three of them are teenagers, from the same hometown."

"I heard they're childhood friends. That's why Professor Oak gave all of them their starters."

"Wow, they're quite an amazing trio then. I wonder if their battle for the crown has affected their friendship."

"My source told me that Blue was already estranged from them by the time they started their journey. Rumor has it that Red and Blue got into a fight with each other."

Brenda smiled mischievously. "Do you think there was a love triangle going on? That they fought over Leaf's heart?"

Leaf turned off the TV, feeling a pit in her stomach. She recalled how Tasha asked about her relationship with Red and Blue and knew immediately what was about to come.

The public was starting to figure out how deep the connection between Leaf, Red, and Blue was. They were still scratching the surface, but soon enough, they would know about their history. They would know that they were inseparable as kids, all sharing the same dream of becoming a Pokemon master. They would know about the fight that ended Red and Blue's friendship. They would know how their rivalry persisted throughout their entire journey, not just when they faced each other at the Indigo Stadium.

Whether they would know all the nuances, however, Leaf wasn't sure. Tom and Brenda were clearly pushing for some dramatic love story. She didn't want there to be any more speculations.

Leaf called Tasha.

"Hey Leaf, what's up?" Tasha asked. There were background noises. Leaf thought she heard a shopping cart.

"Are you busy now?"

"I'm grocery shopping, but I can still talk."

Leaf went straight to the point. "Tom and Brenda think there was a love triangle between me, Red, and Blue. That's what they're saying on their show."

"Well, was there a love triangle?"

Leaf's cheeks burned. Nothing had ever happened between her and Blue, of course, yuck. But she did fall for Red during their journey. "No, we were never more than just friends."

"Alright. Well, you know how much people love romance. There's always going to be at least one person who thinks something was there."

"I know, but if Tom and Brenda are talking about it, I'm worried there's going to be many people who think that way."

"Why?"

Did Leaf really need to explain herself? "Because…because it's just not the truth."

"Oh Leaf," Tasha began, and she instantly knew that she wasn't going to get what she wanted. "So what if it isn't? There's no real harm in people getting excited over romance. I'm sure even your parents wondered about you three at some point. If anything, it'll boost your popularity."

"But––"

"No matter what, you're not going to convince everyone. I'd argue that making a statement, or whatever you were thinking of, would look even more suspicious than you staying silent. Just let it go. People will eventually move on."

Leaf wasn't going to win, so she simply replied, "OK. Thanks."

"Anytime. I'm checking out now, so talk to you later, alright?"

"Yeah, talk to you later." Leaf hung up, the pit still in her stomach.

Tasha wasn't even wrong. Doing something would look suspicious. And there were technically worse rumors than a love triangle between her and her childhood friends. Wasn't there already one about her and Blue being secret lovers? But right now, any talk of her relationship with Red and Blue made her feel like the world was ending.

Leaf closed her eyes and pictured Red: his messy black hair, his soft smile, his kind brown eyes. She felt an ache in her chest. She suddenly wished she could see him, touch him. Red, where are you? Are you OK?

Then, Red's smile was gone. He couldn't meet Leaf's gaze, but she saw the pain in his eyes when he refused to battle her.

Leaf's eyes flew open. She needed to stop thinking about that. She was the Champion now. The strongest trainer in Kanto and Johto. Who cares if Red didn't want to battle her that one time last year? It was his loss, really.

Leaf sent out her team. The one thing she didn't like about her apartment was that it wasn't big enough to always accommodate everyone. Whenever she could, Leaf would let them sit by her instead of inside their PokeBalls.

Her Pokemon stretched as much as the space allowed and gazed at her inquisitively.

"I'll ask Tasha about making arrangements for you," Leaf decided out loud. "You guys had to stay in your PokeBalls when I was traveling, but at this point, you should be outside more."

They made happy noises. Leaf hoped they weren't expecting too much. While she was confident that Tasha could arrange something, she knew it wasn't guaranteed. There were just too many rules.

Leaf looked at Golduck and Ninetales. "I never asked…how do you feel about that last battle we had?

She hadn't planned on asking such a question to them and was surprised she did. It just suddenly came out, and since Leaf didn't know what her own intention was, it was vague. Understandably, Golduck and Ninetales cocked their heads to the side in confusion.

"I mean…" What did she mean? "It was our first battle as Champion. Did it…turn out the way you expected?"

They nodded, but that was because they still didn't get what Leaf was trying to say. "No, of course we won. I guess what I'm asking is, did you enjoy the battle?"

Golduck and Ninetales briefly glanced at each other before nodding.

Leaf stifled a sigh. Her gut told her they just nodded to make her feel better. At best, they enjoyed the battle because they were willing to accept any opportunity to battle.

"OK. Good." Leaf paused. "Honestly, I wish it had been more exciting. I just hope not every battle will be this way."

She thought of the boredom on Red and Blue's faces whenever they faced challengers. Was she doomed to follow the same path? Would she find herself growing bored from the lack of worthy trainers?

Then, another unappealing thought occurred to her: what if she did find many upcoming challengers difficult to beat? Would that mean she wasn't as mighty as Red or Blue?

Leaf brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. What did she want, then? To crush every trainer like she crushed Harris, proving her strength? Or to feel the thrill of a challenge, knowing that another trainer could easily take the title from her?

In another world, where Red and Blue weren't the Champions before her, Leaf wouldn't be feeling this way. She would not think too deeply about her battle with Harris. Instead, she would look forward to the next one.

But because Red and Blue were her predecessors, because she once knew them too well, Leaf would never stop thinking of them. She would never stop comparing herself to them.

Leaf hated that more than anything.

She felt something cool on her shoulder. It was Venusaur's vine. He gave her a comforting smile. Ninetales snuggled up against her. The rest of her team huddled in as close as they could.

Her Pokemon wouldn't be able to fully grasp Leaf's dilemma. She didn't think she could even begin to explain it to them. But at the moment, it didn't matter. It felt nice being here with her Pokemon, knowing that they would always love and support her.

Maybe that was part of why she wanted to be a Pokemon trainer so badly. Traveling the region and facing numerous challenges together formed a bond that could never be broken. Didn't Mom still think of her team, even after all these years?

Leaf regretted rushing through her journey. She was so focused on catching up with Red and Blue that she didn't spend as much quality time with her Pokemon as she should've. Sure, all the time they spent training made them closer. And she did eat most meals with them. But they didn't have enough days where they just enjoyed each other's company for the sake of it.

Leaf stroked Ninetales' back and gave everyone an appreciative smile. She was going to spend more time with her team. It wasn't going to be easy. She already had trouble finding time to train. But she was determined to make it up to them. It was what her Pokemon deserved.

She could start today.

"Hey, after dinner, let's do something." Everyone perked up. "Let's chill at a park. Actually, wait, everyone will be on top of us. We'll go somewhere more remote. I'll find a random route on the map. It doesn't really matter. Tonight will just be for us."

Her Pokemon made noises of excitement. Dragonite swung his tail, accidentally hitting the wall. Yeah, I definitely need to call Tasha.

They ended up at the beach south of Fuchsia City. It was too chilly for anyone else to be there. They played whatever games Leaf could think of. As Leaf watched her Pokemon run, swim, or fly around, she forgot that she was the Champion. She forgot about Tom and Brenda, Tasha, the Elite Four, Red and Blue.

When she realized that, she realized that spending time with her Pokemon was just as much for her as it was for them.

Hi everyone! Went on vacation recently so couldn't write, but I'm back! I didn't know how to start this chapter at first, but once I did, I couldn't stop typing. I love when that happens.

Leaf may be Champion, but there's still a lot she needs to figure out. Will she be able to?

Thanks for reading!