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"Blooming" for spiral-sketches
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spiral-sketches
Title: Blooming
Author:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fluffybun
Rating: G
Verse: Pokemon Special
Characters/Pairings: Red/Yellow
Summary: A favor for Professor Oak is the key to letting lingering feelings come out in the open.
Notes: Translated Pokemon speech (spoken by the Pokemon and when Yellow communicates with them through thoughts) are italicized in this work.
Viridian City
A year after Emerald Chapter
"It's good to see you again, Blue."
Blue nodded his assent. "I'd been busy with the League and some personal training."
Yellow smiled. Blue was so dedicated to his work with the League as a Gym Leader. While she had hoped that Red would become Viridian's Gym Leader someday and had hinted it to him when she had first met him, Blue was one of the best Gym Leaders Viridian had ever had. Everyone said so and she knew it best herself, having fought with him in various situations as a fellow Pokedex Holder. "That's good; many Pokemon trainers will be happy to see you've come back." While Blue left some of his Pokemon at the gym to battle trainers for the badge in his absence, many wanted to have a fight with the Gym Leader himself.
He nodded again. "I started today."
Yellow felt even less Earth Badges would be awarded in the near future. "So you're closing up?" It was still rather early, considering the long hours she knew Blue usually kept as a Gym Leader.
A frown came over his face as he checked his watch. "Yes, because I'm meeting Green for dinner when she chooses to arrive."
"Green?" Yellow hadn't seen Green in a while, though admittedly she hadn't seen any of the Pokedex Holders in a long while, after everything that had happened at the Battle Frontier. Including Red, she thought, then shook her head quickly. Red was probably training. Maybe with Gold? While Gold had insisted on training with Red before, she felt that Red genuinely enjoyed training with the younger boy. It was really kind of him to train-
"Blue, I'm here!" Green called from the nearby PokeMart. "Wait for me, okay?"
"Took you long enough." Blue's gruff words were brushed off by Green easily as she walked up to them.
"Oh, I just saw something and had to grab it first." She looked warmly at Yellow. "Yellow, it's good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too, Green" she said sincerely.
***
After a wonderful dinner at a nearby restaurant with Blue and Green who had invited them to join them, they lingered to talk in a nearby park. Green had talked about the adventures she had while also getting to know the parents she'd finally met again, dominating the conversation.
It was good to see Green so happy, Yellow thought, and she knew that Blue felt the same way even if he didn't show it outwardly.
Green looked at her inquisitively. "Yellow, you really haven't heard from Red all this time? Since we split up after the Tournament?"
"No," she said quickly, hoping she wasn't blushing. "I haven't really been able to go far from Viridian City, to be honest, since there's much to do and Uncle's been ill recently. And I'm not sure where Red is, um-" This was embarrassing.
Green looked indignant. "I really must talk to Red, then. Blue, where is he now?"
"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you, troublesome woman." Blue looked tired. Maybe it had been a long day at the Gym? She knew that Blue's gym was one of the hardest to beat, especially having tried challenging it once in the past.
"Oh, I'll find out myself then. You're no fun, Blue." Green nodded decisively to herself, then looked at Yellow. "Don't worry, I'll straighten Red out when I see him. All that training might have pushed all other things to the back of his mind, but when I jog his memories about you, I'm sure he'll say something."
"Wh-what?!" There was no denying her blush now, there was no way to hide it. But what Green was saying was ludicrous, so ludicrous-
Green tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Yellow, he carried you in his arms for so long while we were petrified, he must be aware of his feelings for you. And you, your feelings must have bloomed ever since well-"
Remembering finding herself in Red's arms that day Jirachi ended their petrification, her mind shut down temporarily. She felt faint. Thankfully no one had brought it up then, everyone being focused on the Tournament of the Pokedex Holders, but it was something she could never discuss with anyone and most of all, Red.
Blue took pity on Yellow, who was so flustered she was as red as a Magmar and looking like she was about to pass out. "Green, stop it. It's none of our business."
Green looked incredulously at him. "It's not? Of course it is! They're our friends!" She had probably started everything with sending Yellow on her quest to find Red, but it was clear that Yellow's feelings for Red had endured over the years, were blooming even without stimulation. And Red, while he was clearly dense to such things like romance, well, considering everything the two had been through, he had to have some inkling of what he felt for Yellow. What she thought he felt for Yellow, she amended. He just needed to become more aware of it, she decided, so that he'd do something about it.
There was no point in wondering whether Red and Blue had talked about such things, she felt, considering it was Red and Blue she was thinking about. Obviously Blue knew nothing juicy. It was really up to her.
"It's not," Blue said decisively, then turned to Yellow. "Grandpa wanted me to ask you if you would visit the laboratory when you're free. He's having trouble with a Pokemon he's found; he's hoping you might be able to help."
"Of course, it's no problem at all" Yellow said. She was in so much debt to Professor Oak. "I'll set out tomorrow, after I tell my Uncle."
He nodded. Yellow nervously looked at Green, who seemed entirely too quiet. The girl in question flashed a smile at her, mischievous and bright. That was worrying, she thought, then she sighed. She hoped Green wouldn't say anything more about Red; thankfully, she didn’t.
***
Viridian City-Pallet Town
The next day
After talking to her Uncle and asking some of her neighbors to make sure he didn't overwork himself while she was gone, Yellow set out for Pallet Town. It was a short walk, one she and Chuchu enjoyed, the yellow mouse excited at being able to explore routes she hadn’t been to in a while. She was almost regretful to see Professor Oak's laboratory come into view.
"Later, we'll walk around" she promised Chuchu. "This is Red's hometown, you know?" She wished again to see Red, though she had heard from Green that he didn't have any family here thus he rarely visited unless he wanted to visit Professor Oak.
Finally reaching the laboratory, she immediately saw someone in a laboratory coat about to enter it, laden down with many books and papers.
She mustered up her voice. "Hello, is Professor Oak around?"
The person pushed up his glasses and nodded distractedly. "Yes, he's inside. Why are you looking for him-" The person took a step back as he finally looked at her. "Oh, oh, you must be Yellow. The Healer. Yes, Professor Oak's been waiting for you. Come in, I'll take you to him!"
Following him into the laboratory with Chuchu at her side, both soon found Professor Oak at his computer. He looked tired, she thought.
"Ah, Yellow, I'm glad Blue found you. Thank you for coming."
She bowed slightly. "Of course, what can I help you with?"
His forehead crinkled in thought. "You see, there's a Pokemon I've recently come across – we found it right outside the entrance of Pallet Town, very ill and injured and we can't get close to it even to treat its wounds. We're very worried about it. Can you try, Yellow?"
"Of course I'll try," she said readily. She hoped it would accept her help. Chuchu rubbed against her legs encouragingly. All Pokemon like you, Yellow!
"I also asked Crystal for help and to find Gold, but you know Gold, it's hard to get him to follow orders. I wish Emerald was here, his gift would have also helped, but he’s recently been off with Ruby and Sapphire training."
Yellow smiled, thinking of her juniors. Crystal must have her hands full with finding Gold. And it was good that Emerald had gotten closer with Ruby and Sapphire enough to continue training with them. "What Pokemon is it, Professor Oak?"
"Ah, it's an-"
***
Yellow had her gift of understanding Pokemon and being able to heal them ever since she was born, and while such had the side effect of tiring her out it didn't matter if she could help both Pokemon and trainers by using them.
Looking at the Emolga that was curled up on a tree branch, she could see the numerous bruises it had and how thin it was. Emolgas were not normally found in Kanto, she remembered Professor Oak's words, they were usually found in Unova and Kalos, so it was a mystery as to why this Emolga had been found in Pallet Town, heavily bruised and ill.
Chances are that it had a trainer and was separated by it, Professor Oak had surmised and which she had agreed with, but why had it turned up here? Since Pallet Town rarely had many visitors, it was easy enough to ask all of them if they owned said Emolga, but none had claimed it. Perhaps it had flown to Pallet Town from another city, Professor Oak had concluded, but from what city and how did it get so injured?
Could it be something with Team Rocket or another evil organization? Yellow was definitely worried, but then did her best to put those thoughts out of her mind. First, she would have to approach the Emolga. She hoped it would trust her.
It will, she heard Chuchu think, don't worry.
She smiled at her Pikachu before walking out in front of the tree the Emolga was in, letting it know that she was there. Immediately the Emolga’s fur rose in agitation and it trembled as it stared at her.
"I won't hurt you," she said gently, looking at it steadily. "Please let me heal you. Those wounds must hurt."
It looked so sad and tired, she thought, it must mistrust humans. What had happened to this poor Emolga? Please, let me help it, she thought.
"Pika, pika." What she says is true, she understood Chuchu saying to the Emolga. You can trust her; she’s my master.
This was similar to Chuchu’s situation when they first met, Yellow thought. Please, let her help it as she did Chuchu.
After some moments, the Emolga attempted to move a little but failed. It must be so tired, how had it gotten so high up in the first place? Flying up there must have exhausted it terribly. There was no helping it, Yellow decided. She'd have to get up there to help Emolga down.
She wasn’t afraid of heights, at least, and she’d done more than this to help Pokemon.
After a while, Yellow had finally reached the tree branch the Emolga was on. Carefully, carefully, she reached out to take the poor Pokemon in her arms.
Pain. Faint images of a man in black reaching out. The sad cry of a nearby Darumaka.
Concentrating to better understand the Pokemon's thoughts and heal it at the same time, she didn't notice how precarious her balance on the branch was. Like always when she used her gift too much, Yellow soon felt tired.
"CHU!" (Don't fall, Yellow!)
She belatedly understood Chuchu's thoughts before slipping off the branch, Emolga still in her arms. Cradling it in her arms, she braced herself for the pain she'd feel once she landed on the ground.
"Yellow!"
***
Pallet Town
Later, that same day
Her eyes were bleary as she finally opened them. Hazy memories of what she had been doing came back to her- had they fallen? Was Emolga all right?
"You're finally awake," said a familiar voice cheerfully, though she couldn't place its owner's identity. "I'm glad I made it in time."
"Time- time for what?" Yellow's eyes cleared and she recognized the Emolga in her arms, now sleeping and healed of its injuries. She seemed to be under the tree she had just fallen from. Then-
“Pika!” (Yellow, you weren’t careful!) She saw Chuchu at her side, worried with her flower wilting. Next to her was an equally worried familiar Pikachu-
"Chuchu's been worried, but Pika calmed her down."
Pika? Why is Pika here? Then- Her eyes widened as she finally focused on the guy talking to her.
"Red?" She couldn't believe her eyes. This must be a dream, she thought, but Emolga felt real in her arms that she was sure it wasn't.
He grinned rather sheepishly. "Yeah. Hi, Yellow."
She was careful not to jostle Emolga as she adjusted her position to take a better look at him. "What are you doing here?"
Red smiled. "Well, Green mentioned that I better come by and help Professor Oak out with something she came across me, you see. I just got here, though it's strange, Professor Oak was surprised I'd come, though he pointed me here. Got here in time to see you fall off that branch-"
Yellow squeaked. Had Red- "You caught me?”
"Yeah, I-" Red suddenly looked embarrassed. Yellow felt the same, remembering that Red had essentially carried her for an undetermined period of time while shirtless before.
"Thank you," she said earnestly, fighting the fuzziness brought on by thinking about such. "I hadn't thanked you before, and for now this time."
"It's nothing," Red said quickly, before nodding at the sleeping Emolga. "Is that the Pokemon Professor Oak wanted help with?"
"Yes," Yellow said, stroking its head. She hoped it was having good dreams. “He wanted me to find out what had happened to it, how it got so injured and mistrustful of people…”
“I’ll help,” Red said firmly. “Just tell me what I can do, Yellow.”
“Thank you.”
***
Pallet Town
Two days after
“Emol, emol.” While fully healed, the Pokemon was wary of most anyone or any Pokemon that went near it other than Yellow, Chuchu, and Pika. It was wary of Red, Yellow felt keenly, by the way it always tried to keep a distance from the trainer when he was in the vicinity.
Red understood the situation and kept his distance, but Yellow wanted Emolga to accept him. After all, he had saved both of them from getting more injured from their fall off the branch the other day. Besides, she knew best of all how much Red would go through to protect Pokemon.
To that effect, she made Red sit twenty paces from Emolga and her, with Pika and Chuchu halfway between them.
Emolga, she thought, this is Red. He saved us when we fell off the branch, remember? You can trust him.
The Emolga looked at Red curiously, then back at her.
Do you trust him, the Emolga thought.
Yes, of course, I do, Yellow thought back. I always have, ever since I first met him as a child. He’s done his best to protect the world many times with his Pokemon at his side; I’ve seen him do so myself. I trust him with my life, she thought, then because she wasn’t good at hiding thoughts from Pokemon, no doubt the Emolga heard her next words as well, ‘and my heart.’
She was embarrassed by this, but then calmed herself down by thinking that there was no way that Red could have heard that. She patted its head.
“Emol, emol.” With that, the Emolga got to its feet and, after nodding at her, started walking to Red. Chuchu and Pika moved to walk with it, and when it finally reached Red, it raised its head.
“Yellow?” Red’s voice was full of wonder.
Pat my head. I accept you, as Yellow trusts you.
“I think it wants you to pat its head,” she said, having read Emolga’s thoughts. Thank you, Emolga, she thought.
And Red did, his smile bright. “Thank you, Yellow.”
“It was all Emolga,” Yellow said, “I just helped it understand what happened more.”
Red shook his head. “Thank you, Emolga, I promise to take care of you.” He then looked at her. “And thank you, Yellow.”
“Y-You’re welcome,” she said, a slight stutter not marring the warm feeling in her heart.
***
Pallet Town
Three days later
"Pokemon warm up to you easily," Red said as they watched Emolga hungrily scarf down the food that the two had prepared for it earlier. It was good to see Emolga gaining weight, it had looked so thin and sickly before.
"It's because of my gift," she said gently. As the child of the Viridian forest…
"No, I think even if you didn't have it, Pokemon would still warm up to you. Your personality is warm," he said cheerfully.
She felt her cheeks heat up.
"I kind of wish I had your power at times," he said, "though I worry about you exhausting yourself, like that time with Deoxys and Mewtwo."
"I-" What could she say to that? She was so embarrassed and happy at the same time. "Um, Red, no one can beat you in battling."
He smiled. "Thanks. But especially in the Sevii Islands, I wish, well, if I had your gift, maybe I could have healed my Pokemon. It was painful to see them so tired and with no way to fully heal them."
Yellow had always felt Red was so far away, only being able to see him during times of crisis when he was so determined. Now, seeing Red and being able to talk to him like this while in peaceful times, learning more about him, she felt that like her, he was a teenager.
She sighed inwardly. That made him sound more reachable. That wasn't good for her heart.
"I'm glad I got to spend more time with you, Yellow" he continued. "We don't usually get to spend time together when it's peaceful like this," he said, "but you- I owe a lot to you, because you took care of Pika and then did your best to find me, Blue said, and then everything with Mewtwo and Deoxys..."
"Red..."
"I wish I could have spent more time with you before," he said gently. "More time where both of us weren't petrified, at least."
Heart, be still, she pleaded as she looked down.
She knew it would be a losing battle.
***
Pallet Town
Two days later
"Emol, Emol" Emolga cried as it took tentative steps and flapped its wings. Pika and Chuchu, while they couldn't fly, cheered the other Pokemon on. It would be the first time Emolga would try flying again, even though physically its wings had been healed when Yellow had first come across it.
Red smiled as he watched the three Pokemon. "Pika missed Chuchu, you know."
She wasn’t surprised to hear such, but she was surprised Red spoke of it. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I can't read their thoughts like you do, but I could tell. I'm glad I found you here in Pallet Town."
She blushed, though she knew Red didn't mean anything special by those words. "She missed Pika too. And Pichu too, um, I wonder where Gold is?" She tried her best to change the subject.
Red shook his head at the question. "I'm not sure, I haven't heard from him in a while either. Maybe we should get him to bring Pichu around, if we could contact him."
She nodded, before bringing out the sketches she had made of Emolga's thoughts that she had made earlier that day. She didn't recognize the places, but she hadn't explored Kanto in a long while and not as extensively as Red had. "Red, about Emolga-"
He nodded in understanding, taking the sketches. "Let me help."
"Thank you," she said, pointing to one sketch. "I'm not sure where this is, I may not have gotten all the details right-"
He shook his head. "No, I can tell. This is Saffron City, you see, that building here– that’s the Fighting Dojo."
“Saffron City.” Now she could try to find this Emolga’s owner.
***
Pallet Town
Two days later
It was finally time to leave, Yellow thought. She was taking Emolga with her now and she had said goodbye to Professor Oak after one week at his laboratory taking care of Emolga and preparing for the journey. She wished she could say something to Red, anything, oh, Green kept putting thoughts in her head.
Red and Pika found her at the entrance to Pallet Town. "You’re leaving now, Yellow?"
"Yes," she said. "Emolga got separated from its owner in Saffron City, then encountered a swarm of wild Pokemon in Lavender Town which caused its injuries. I'll start from there, then head to Lavender Town." Chuchu and Emolga were walking by her side, watching the two.
Red nodded, adjusting the backpack he wore and reaching down to place Pika near the two Pokemon, who greeted it enthusiastically. "That'll be a while, if you're walking."
She nodded. "I'll have to talk to Uncle, I’ll have to pass by his house and tell him." She had been worried about some of what she had seen in Emolga's thoughts – the man in the dark clothes had reminded her of Team Rocket from when she had encountered them before, though the signature insignia wasn’t present - she would have to talk to Silver if she could contact him, maybe Blue could ask Green to contact him for her. Was this related to his father's work? The swarm of wild Pokemon that had attacked Emolga didn't seem like the normal kind, at least that's what it felt to Emolga.
Red interrupted her thoughts with a cough. "Listen, Yellow-"
"Yes?"
He coughed again, then looked at her steadily. "I'm coming with you. Is that okay?"
"O-Of course," she said quickly, wondering if she had heard right. Red, travelling with her? This was a dream come true. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," he said. "I- I'd like to see Emolga meet its owner too."
"Oh," she thought sadly. Of course, Yellow, he didn't mean anything but that, she berated herself.
"And I'd like to travel with you," he said suddenly.
She felt her cheeks heat up instantly. "R-Red?"
"I-I mean, we haven't traveled together, you know? I've traveled with Blue and Green, and with Gold even, but never with you, you know? And we’ve been through so much together."
"Oh, then of course" she said quickly, her heart pounding. She hoped she wouldn't faint.
***
On the road to Saffron City
One week later
How did you get back to Pallet Town, Yellow asked Emolga in her head. Looking at a map of Kanto, Lavender Town was so far away from Pallet Town. Why would Emolga had ended up in Pallet Town? Did you or your trainer know someone in Pallet Town? Had you been there before, Emolga?
Emolga shook its head decisively, its long ears drooping. Yellow could see how much it missed its trainer. She had pieced together that Emolga and its trainer had come from another region, most likely Unova or Kalos and were challenging gyms in Kanto. But Pallet Town had no gyms, she thought, and the only notable thing there was Professor Oak’s lab.
Red, who listened to her thoughts, nodded. “We rarely get tourists in Pallet Town, other than those who want to consult with Professor Oak about something.”
Did your trainer want to ask Professor Oak about something?
Emolga shook its head, then suddenly pointed at Red.
“Yes, Emolga?” Red was confused, but Pika, who had been looking on from the sidelines, suddenly stepped up to Emolga.
Yellow carefully waited for Emolga and Pika to talk, then let Emolga tell her what it thought.
My trainer wanted to see the town that raised the League Champion who did it really young. Do you or Red know him?
Yellow couldn’t help it; she giggled. Pika grinned and jumped into Red’s arms, much to his surprise.
“What is it, Yellow? Pika?”
“It seems Emolga and its trainer wanted to see Pallet Town because of you, Red.”
Emolga’s tail stiffened in surprise as it looked from Yellow to Red.
“Emol?”
“Yes, Emolga” Yellow said, speaking at the same time to let Red understand. “Red is the boy from Pallet Town who became League Champion at a young age.”
“Emol.” The pokemon looked at Red with new respect. If only my trainer was here, it thought, and Yellow felt new determination to find its trainer so that he could also meet Red.
Red, embarrassed, scratched his head. “That was a long time ago,” he said quickly.
It was sweet to see Red embarrassed over his achievement, she thought as Emolga let Red pat its head.
***
On the road to Saffron City
Five days later
“Bzzz. Bzzz.”
“Oh, it’s my Pokegear” Yellow said as she reached for it. She wondered who was calling.
“Senior Yellow, it’s Crystal.”
“Hi, Crystal” Yellow said, happy to hear from her junior. Red, who had been watching Pika, Chuchu, and Emolga play, turned to listen to them.
“I finally found Gold and Professor Oak told me – the Emolga’s with you?”
“Yes,” she said. “We’re on our way to Saffron City – it remembers being with its Trainer there, before it got separated from it.”
“Oh, Gold and I are on our way also there – we’re a few days away. We’ll meet you there, okay?”
She nodded, looking at Red.
“Too bad Senior Red isn’t around,” she heard Gold speak into Crystal’s Pokegear. “I’d love to ask him for more tips on battling.”
“Senior Red’s too busy for you to bother him,” Crystal said.
“Hey, that’s not fair – you know our training together helped during that time in the Battle Frontier, Crystal.”
“I don’t mind training with him,” Red said, smiling.
Yellow smiled back at him, then realized that the bickering on the other side of the line had gone silent.
“Wait, Senior Red is with you, Yellow? Really?”
Yellow felt embarrassed. It was one thing for Crystal to find out about that, but Gold? Of course he would find out when they met up in Saffron City, but this was Gold…
“Geez, Crys, we have to hang up, we might be interrupting-“
“Gold, shut up.” The two winced as they heard what decidedly sounded like someone hitting someone else’s head. “We’ll meet up with you at Saffron City, Senior Yellow, Senior Red. If we get there earlier, would you like us to investigate something?”
“Yes, of course.” Yellow appreciated how business-like Crystal was, even if she had seemed shocked earlier. “Um, actually, Red knows the area more, so-“ She looked at Red, who was startled out of his own thoughts, and was his face red? Maybe he had gotten sunburned?
He coughed and reached for the Pokegear. “Ah, sorry, Yellow. Crystal, if you get there, go first to the Fighting Dojo – it’s right next to the gym-“
After he had given Crystal the details and the call had ended, Yellow looked at Chuchu with mixed feelings.
Soon they’d reach Saffron City and maybe, probably, that would be the end of Red’s journey with her. She wanted to find Emolga’s trainer, definitely, but to have this time with Red end (and who knew when she’d see him again) made her heart ache.
Suddenly, Red reached over to pat Chuchu’s head. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll make sure Yellow doesn’t overexert herself using her gifts.”
She blushed at his earnest words, while Chuchu nuzzled its hand. Red is so nice, Yellow, it thought to her. I can see why you like him so much.
She smiled. There was no point in thinking about the inevitable, she decided. It was only right to enjoy the moment.
***
Saffron City
One week later
"Are you going to leave soon?" It was a miracle that Red was still with her at this point, especially after they'd met up with Gold and Crystal in Saffron City. Red was chivalrous, she knew, determinedly trying not to blush as she again recalled him carrying her while they were petrified, but if Gold and Crystal was with her, he could certainly excuse himself even if they still hadn't found Emolga's owner. Still, she would miss him. She had gotten to know him so much traveling with him, had seen the Red beyond the Pokedex Holder.
He looked stricken. "No, I'm not."
"Really?" He must want to find Emolga's owner too, she thought. When she said so, though, he looked conflicted.
"I- I do want to get Emolga back to its owner, yeah, but... Yellow, can we talk?"
She stopped, looking at Red. Red, the boy who had steered her on the path of being a Pokedex Holder. She felt she must have fallen for him ever since that time she first met him. "Yes, of course."
Seeing that Emolga was playing happily with the rest of their Pokemon, they moved under the shade of a nearby tree.
"W-What did you want to talk about?"
Red paused and looked at her for a long while, his eyes serious. Had he ever looked at her that way, Yellow thought dizzily? She couldn't look away.
He finally spoke. "Listen, Yellow, I'm not good at this but I-"
"I'm not good at this either," she blurted out quickly, looking up at him. Wait, what was he talking about? This was embarrassing, Yellow thought, of course it would be impossible to think that Red and she were talking about the same thing, even if Green said so and Green was always right. But this was Red.
"But let me speak first," he said quickly, leaning down a bit. "Yellow, there's-"
"Seniors, watch out!" At that exact moment, Emolga's wings knocked into Red, and then-
Had their lips touched? Yellow reeled backwards, her cheeks burning - no, maybe it was just her imagination. But when she snuck a look at Red, he was also blushing terribly. Gold, on the other hand, had his mouth wide open and was pointing at them, at least until Crystal, who also looked surprised, hit him on the head and pulled him away, muttering something about 'it's your fault for egging that poor Emolga into flying like that - I hope the seniors punish you later, you deserve it."
"Eh, Crys!" Gold continued to protest as Crystal dragged him out of hearing distance.
Now they were alone with their Pokemon.
"Yellow, I-" Red trailed off, still blushing.
"No, it's okay, Red, it's just an accident-" She wondered how she could have said so many words in such a situation - clear desperation, apparently - but then Red reached down to - he kissed her again! She must be dreaming, she thought dizzily. In broad daylight, no less.
"Blue's going to laugh at me," he said after, his hand on her shoulder. "But Green's right - I better say something before we get caught up in something as Pokedex Holders again."
"Blue? Green?" Had they actually talked to Red? About her? Green, she wailed, what- what-
"Yellow, I like you." The look in his eyes was like the look he had facing down Giovanni on that airship, determined not to lose.
"I-I-" She owed him an answer, she thought dizzily, but all the words Green had wanted her to say to him evaporated when she continued looking into his eyes.
"Yellow?"
Suddenly Chuchu, Pika, and Emolga appeared at their side. Tell him, they chorused and Yellow's eyes widened in surprise.
"Pika, what are you doing here? Wait, don't tell Yellow anything, I- I-" Red's words sputtered off as Pika looked at him knowingly.
She could read Pika's thoughts. If you don't tell him, he won't understand.
Pika echoing Green's words gave her the final push.
"I like you too, Red. I want to travel with you too."
***
Saffron City
Three days later
They had checked out the area near Lavender Town where Emolga said it had been attacked. Yellow had asked nearby Pokemon for help, but all they could tell her was that there had been unfamiliar Pokemon that had come and caused damage, injuring many Pokemon, but they had all disappeared suddenly with some men in black clothes.
She had wondered where next to go, but Emolga had insisted on their returning to Saffron City because its trainer had still not captured its city’s badge. They were waiting inside the Pokemon Center for Red, who were asking around town for clues. Crystal and Gold had decided to stay in Lavender Town to investigate further.
From what Yellow had gotten from Emolga’s thoughts on its trainer, she felt that he would worry more about Emolga than a badge, but she was hoping that the trainer knew Emolga well enough to know its thoughts.
Still, Saffron City was larger than Pallet Town, and it was hard to find one person in it. She finished a sketch of Emolga’s trainer, planning to show it to Red, Crystal, and Gold in hopes of helping their search. It was her best sketch of him, the previous ones lacking many identifying details.
“Emol, emol.” (It looks just like him.)
That’s good, Yellow told it.
And at that moment the same person walked into the Pokemon Center, a Darumaka by its side.
***
Saffron City
Later that day
“We were walking to the gym,” Emolga’s trainer, finally introducing himself as Jack, said when asked about how they had gotten separated. “When we were close, something fell in front of us – it must have been some sort of flash bomb, I’m not sure, and when the smoke cleared, Emolga was gone. I thought at first maybe Emolga had flown away because it had gotten frightened by the smoke, but when I said that to Darumaka, Darumaka didn’t agree with me. We’ve been searching the nearby cities ever since; I just got back to Saffon City today; I was hoping Emolga would remember that we hadn’t fought the gym here yet.”
She smiled at Emolga, who nuzzled its trainer’s hand. She had been right about Emolga’s trainer.
Red looked at Yellow askance before turning to its trainer, telling him how they had found Emolga in Pallet Town and how they ended up in Saffron City.
“Thank you so much for taking care of Emolga,” Jack said earnestly. “How can I ever repay you?”
“It’s really no problem,” Red said embarrassedly. “Right, Yellow?”
“Yes, we were happy to help. And I’m glad we finally found you – Emolga’s missed you a lot.” She reached out to pat Emolga’s head, smiling at it.
“But about what happened-“
“We’ll look into it,” Red promised.
“Thank you- oh, I’m so scrambled, I haven’t asked your names yet-“
Yellow, suddenly remembering Jack and Emolga’s original goal of going to Pallet Town together, smiled. “I’m Yellow, from Viridian City.”
Red, obliviously following her clue, continued. “I’m Red, from Pallet Town.”
“Nice to meet you, Yellow, Red- Red from Pallet Town- wait-“
She smiled at Jack, before nudging Red. “Why don’t you two have a match? You haven’t had one in a while, haven’t you, Red?”
“Yeah, that would be nice. What do you think, Jack?”
“Y-Yes, of course! It’s an honor!”
As Zack brought out his Pokemon and started pointing at Red cheerfully, Red pulled his cap down embarrassedly at Yellow. “Is this all right, Yellow?”
“Sure it is,” she said. “Crystal and Gold will be sad to have missed it. I’m glad I’ll get to see you battle again.”
He smiled down at her before reaching down to pat Pika on the head. “Watch me, okay?”
“Of course.”
***
Saffron City
The next day
“Gold and Crystal have some new information,” Red said when they had finally said goodbye to Jack and Emolga, wishing them luck in their challenging the Kanto gyms. “They said they’ll wait for us in Lavender Town.”
“All right,” Yellow said. She wondered what Crystal and Gold had found - Red had explained that Crystal hadn’t wanted to say much over the Pokegear. It was looking like the trail had gone cold – Professor Oak kept an eye on the news and there were no similar incidents in Kanto as far as he could tell, even with his various contacts. Hopefully, this was just an isolated incident, she thought.
Red zipped up his backpack before turning to her. “Yellow, after we finish investigating this-“
She froze, wondering if he was about to say something about leaving for personal training where no one could find him again.
He continued, not noticing her shock. “Where would you like to go?”
“E-Eh?” She looked up at him in surprise.
Red smiled down at her. “I think after we investigate this, we deserve a break, yes? I’d love to show you some of the places I really liked in Kanto and Johto. You know, there’s this hot spring Sabrina recommended that really helped my wrists, when-“
“H-Hot spring?!” Yellow felt faint.
“Yeah, it’s really relaxing.” He smiled at Pika, who nodded at her. “I’ve shown Pika a couple of times, but I’m sure you’ll like it too.”
This was Red, he didn’t mean anything by it, she knew, but still her cheeks heated up. “T-That sounds nice.”
“Yeah,” Red said, before kissing her forehead. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“M-Me too,” she said, before he kissed her again.
***
Olivine City
Six Months Later
"You're going to Nuvema Town? In Unova?"
Yellow nodded. Blue and Green had caught up with them at Olivine City that day, and Green and she were talking while Red were buying some supplies for their trip, Blue accompanying him. "We leave later. The Professor there contacted Professor Oak since a Pokemon with similar injuries to Emolga was found in Nuvema Town, one not commonly found in that region. He wants us to investigate, especially since we both saw Emolga and know what happened to it best, and was able to find its owner too." She tried to keep her tone light, not wanting Blue to worry. It might not be related to that incident, after all, though Yellow’s instincts said otherwise. She knew Red felt the same way. "It'll take a while to get there, though, since Unova is pretty far from here."
But as everyone who is a Pokedex Holder knows, nothing ever gets past Green. "I'll prepare," she promised. "Blue and I will."
"Please do," Yellow agreed, "and tell Silver too, please." She looked at the Pichu traveling with her, Red, Pika, and Chuchu. Recently, Gold had left Pichu with them since Pichu had wanted to spend some time with its parents. It was heartwarming to see the three Pokemon together. Besides, Gold had promised to catch up with them in Unova once he finished checking out something Professor Oak had asked him to.
Green soberly nodded. A moment later, she perked up considerably. "You know what you and Red look like, since you're traveling together?"
Yellow prepared herself for more of Green's teasing. Really, after a few months of it she should be used to it by now. "A couple?" She was proud of not stuttering the word in front of Green.
Green smiled mischievously at Yellow. "Not bad, but no. A family. Since you've got your two Pikachu and Gold's Pichu traveling with you and all."
Yellow turned red. "G-Green!"
Green laughed loudly at her embarrassment.
"Oi, what are you doing now, troublesome woman?" Blue said, walking up to them with Red.
"Nothing, Green."
Blue sighed; it was clear that Green was teasing Yellow again. Although it was none of her business, it was true that Green had gotten Yellow and Red together. There was something admirable in that, not that he would tell her. "Take care, you two."
Red smiled as he slung his arm around Yellow's shoulder. "Of course."
After the two had left, Red turned to Yellow.
"So what did Green say earlier?"
"R-Red?" How did he know Green had said anything? Red was so smart, Yellow sighed.
Red patiently waited for Yellow to calm down a little. "I've known Green since we were ten years old, Yellow. I know how much she teases people she's friends with."
"U-Um-"
"What, did she say we looked like a family or something? I saw her pointing at Pika, Chuchu, and Pichu earlier."
Yellow's knees wobbled. Red steadied her, deciding he had gotten the right answer.
"Hm, I'll have to thank her then," he said, before squeezing her hand. He had no one to miss him before, he knew this especially from that time Blue and Green had their loved ones taken away from them in the Sevii Islands. But now, with Yellow...
"Hey, Yellow?"
Yellow's mind had shut down in bliss. Sometimes Red was worse than Blue with the things he said, and the best and worst part was he didn't know he was doing it.
She wanted to spend a lifetime hearing him say such.
“Y-Yes, Red?”
“Let’s go, the ship will be leaving soon.”
“Yes!”
Together.
Title: Blooming
Author:
fluffybunRating: G
Verse: Pokemon Special
Characters/Pairings: Red/Yellow
Summary: A favor for Professor Oak is the key to letting lingering feelings come out in the open.
Notes: Translated Pokemon speech (spoken by the Pokemon and when Yellow communicates with them through thoughts) are italicized in this work.
Viridian City
A year after Emerald Chapter
"It's good to see you again, Blue."
Blue nodded his assent. "I'd been busy with the League and some personal training."
Yellow smiled. Blue was so dedicated to his work with the League as a Gym Leader. While she had hoped that Red would become Viridian's Gym Leader someday and had hinted it to him when she had first met him, Blue was one of the best Gym Leaders Viridian had ever had. Everyone said so and she knew it best herself, having fought with him in various situations as a fellow Pokedex Holder. "That's good; many Pokemon trainers will be happy to see you've come back." While Blue left some of his Pokemon at the gym to battle trainers for the badge in his absence, many wanted to have a fight with the Gym Leader himself.
He nodded again. "I started today."
Yellow felt even less Earth Badges would be awarded in the near future. "So you're closing up?" It was still rather early, considering the long hours she knew Blue usually kept as a Gym Leader.
A frown came over his face as he checked his watch. "Yes, because I'm meeting Green for dinner when she chooses to arrive."
"Green?" Yellow hadn't seen Green in a while, though admittedly she hadn't seen any of the Pokedex Holders in a long while, after everything that had happened at the Battle Frontier. Including Red, she thought, then shook her head quickly. Red was probably training. Maybe with Gold? While Gold had insisted on training with Red before, she felt that Red genuinely enjoyed training with the younger boy. It was really kind of him to train-
"Blue, I'm here!" Green called from the nearby PokeMart. "Wait for me, okay?"
"Took you long enough." Blue's gruff words were brushed off by Green easily as she walked up to them.
"Oh, I just saw something and had to grab it first." She looked warmly at Yellow. "Yellow, it's good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too, Green" she said sincerely.
***
After a wonderful dinner at a nearby restaurant with Blue and Green who had invited them to join them, they lingered to talk in a nearby park. Green had talked about the adventures she had while also getting to know the parents she'd finally met again, dominating the conversation.
It was good to see Green so happy, Yellow thought, and she knew that Blue felt the same way even if he didn't show it outwardly.
Green looked at her inquisitively. "Yellow, you really haven't heard from Red all this time? Since we split up after the Tournament?"
"No," she said quickly, hoping she wasn't blushing. "I haven't really been able to go far from Viridian City, to be honest, since there's much to do and Uncle's been ill recently. And I'm not sure where Red is, um-" This was embarrassing.
Green looked indignant. "I really must talk to Red, then. Blue, where is he now?"
"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you, troublesome woman." Blue looked tired. Maybe it had been a long day at the Gym? She knew that Blue's gym was one of the hardest to beat, especially having tried challenging it once in the past.
"Oh, I'll find out myself then. You're no fun, Blue." Green nodded decisively to herself, then looked at Yellow. "Don't worry, I'll straighten Red out when I see him. All that training might have pushed all other things to the back of his mind, but when I jog his memories about you, I'm sure he'll say something."
"Wh-what?!" There was no denying her blush now, there was no way to hide it. But what Green was saying was ludicrous, so ludicrous-
Green tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Yellow, he carried you in his arms for so long while we were petrified, he must be aware of his feelings for you. And you, your feelings must have bloomed ever since well-"
Remembering finding herself in Red's arms that day Jirachi ended their petrification, her mind shut down temporarily. She felt faint. Thankfully no one had brought it up then, everyone being focused on the Tournament of the Pokedex Holders, but it was something she could never discuss with anyone and most of all, Red.
Blue took pity on Yellow, who was so flustered she was as red as a Magmar and looking like she was about to pass out. "Green, stop it. It's none of our business."
Green looked incredulously at him. "It's not? Of course it is! They're our friends!" She had probably started everything with sending Yellow on her quest to find Red, but it was clear that Yellow's feelings for Red had endured over the years, were blooming even without stimulation. And Red, while he was clearly dense to such things like romance, well, considering everything the two had been through, he had to have some inkling of what he felt for Yellow. What she thought he felt for Yellow, she amended. He just needed to become more aware of it, she decided, so that he'd do something about it.
There was no point in wondering whether Red and Blue had talked about such things, she felt, considering it was Red and Blue she was thinking about. Obviously Blue knew nothing juicy. It was really up to her.
"It's not," Blue said decisively, then turned to Yellow. "Grandpa wanted me to ask you if you would visit the laboratory when you're free. He's having trouble with a Pokemon he's found; he's hoping you might be able to help."
"Of course, it's no problem at all" Yellow said. She was in so much debt to Professor Oak. "I'll set out tomorrow, after I tell my Uncle."
He nodded. Yellow nervously looked at Green, who seemed entirely too quiet. The girl in question flashed a smile at her, mischievous and bright. That was worrying, she thought, then she sighed. She hoped Green wouldn't say anything more about Red; thankfully, she didn’t.
***
Viridian City-Pallet Town
The next day
After talking to her Uncle and asking some of her neighbors to make sure he didn't overwork himself while she was gone, Yellow set out for Pallet Town. It was a short walk, one she and Chuchu enjoyed, the yellow mouse excited at being able to explore routes she hadn’t been to in a while. She was almost regretful to see Professor Oak's laboratory come into view.
"Later, we'll walk around" she promised Chuchu. "This is Red's hometown, you know?" She wished again to see Red, though she had heard from Green that he didn't have any family here thus he rarely visited unless he wanted to visit Professor Oak.
Finally reaching the laboratory, she immediately saw someone in a laboratory coat about to enter it, laden down with many books and papers.
She mustered up her voice. "Hello, is Professor Oak around?"
The person pushed up his glasses and nodded distractedly. "Yes, he's inside. Why are you looking for him-" The person took a step back as he finally looked at her. "Oh, oh, you must be Yellow. The Healer. Yes, Professor Oak's been waiting for you. Come in, I'll take you to him!"
Following him into the laboratory with Chuchu at her side, both soon found Professor Oak at his computer. He looked tired, she thought.
"Ah, Yellow, I'm glad Blue found you. Thank you for coming."
She bowed slightly. "Of course, what can I help you with?"
His forehead crinkled in thought. "You see, there's a Pokemon I've recently come across – we found it right outside the entrance of Pallet Town, very ill and injured and we can't get close to it even to treat its wounds. We're very worried about it. Can you try, Yellow?"
"Of course I'll try," she said readily. She hoped it would accept her help. Chuchu rubbed against her legs encouragingly. All Pokemon like you, Yellow!
"I also asked Crystal for help and to find Gold, but you know Gold, it's hard to get him to follow orders. I wish Emerald was here, his gift would have also helped, but he’s recently been off with Ruby and Sapphire training."
Yellow smiled, thinking of her juniors. Crystal must have her hands full with finding Gold. And it was good that Emerald had gotten closer with Ruby and Sapphire enough to continue training with them. "What Pokemon is it, Professor Oak?"
"Ah, it's an-"
***
Yellow had her gift of understanding Pokemon and being able to heal them ever since she was born, and while such had the side effect of tiring her out it didn't matter if she could help both Pokemon and trainers by using them.
Looking at the Emolga that was curled up on a tree branch, she could see the numerous bruises it had and how thin it was. Emolgas were not normally found in Kanto, she remembered Professor Oak's words, they were usually found in Unova and Kalos, so it was a mystery as to why this Emolga had been found in Pallet Town, heavily bruised and ill.
Chances are that it had a trainer and was separated by it, Professor Oak had surmised and which she had agreed with, but why had it turned up here? Since Pallet Town rarely had many visitors, it was easy enough to ask all of them if they owned said Emolga, but none had claimed it. Perhaps it had flown to Pallet Town from another city, Professor Oak had concluded, but from what city and how did it get so injured?
Could it be something with Team Rocket or another evil organization? Yellow was definitely worried, but then did her best to put those thoughts out of her mind. First, she would have to approach the Emolga. She hoped it would trust her.
It will, she heard Chuchu think, don't worry.
She smiled at her Pikachu before walking out in front of the tree the Emolga was in, letting it know that she was there. Immediately the Emolga’s fur rose in agitation and it trembled as it stared at her.
"I won't hurt you," she said gently, looking at it steadily. "Please let me heal you. Those wounds must hurt."
It looked so sad and tired, she thought, it must mistrust humans. What had happened to this poor Emolga? Please, let me help it, she thought.
"Pika, pika." What she says is true, she understood Chuchu saying to the Emolga. You can trust her; she’s my master.
This was similar to Chuchu’s situation when they first met, Yellow thought. Please, let her help it as she did Chuchu.
After some moments, the Emolga attempted to move a little but failed. It must be so tired, how had it gotten so high up in the first place? Flying up there must have exhausted it terribly. There was no helping it, Yellow decided. She'd have to get up there to help Emolga down.
She wasn’t afraid of heights, at least, and she’d done more than this to help Pokemon.
After a while, Yellow had finally reached the tree branch the Emolga was on. Carefully, carefully, she reached out to take the poor Pokemon in her arms.
Pain. Faint images of a man in black reaching out. The sad cry of a nearby Darumaka.
Concentrating to better understand the Pokemon's thoughts and heal it at the same time, she didn't notice how precarious her balance on the branch was. Like always when she used her gift too much, Yellow soon felt tired.
"CHU!" (Don't fall, Yellow!)
She belatedly understood Chuchu's thoughts before slipping off the branch, Emolga still in her arms. Cradling it in her arms, she braced herself for the pain she'd feel once she landed on the ground.
"Yellow!"
***
Pallet Town
Later, that same day
Her eyes were bleary as she finally opened them. Hazy memories of what she had been doing came back to her- had they fallen? Was Emolga all right?
"You're finally awake," said a familiar voice cheerfully, though she couldn't place its owner's identity. "I'm glad I made it in time."
"Time- time for what?" Yellow's eyes cleared and she recognized the Emolga in her arms, now sleeping and healed of its injuries. She seemed to be under the tree she had just fallen from. Then-
“Pika!” (Yellow, you weren’t careful!) She saw Chuchu at her side, worried with her flower wilting. Next to her was an equally worried familiar Pikachu-
"Chuchu's been worried, but Pika calmed her down."
Pika? Why is Pika here? Then- Her eyes widened as she finally focused on the guy talking to her.
"Red?" She couldn't believe her eyes. This must be a dream, she thought, but Emolga felt real in her arms that she was sure it wasn't.
He grinned rather sheepishly. "Yeah. Hi, Yellow."
She was careful not to jostle Emolga as she adjusted her position to take a better look at him. "What are you doing here?"
Red smiled. "Well, Green mentioned that I better come by and help Professor Oak out with something she came across me, you see. I just got here, though it's strange, Professor Oak was surprised I'd come, though he pointed me here. Got here in time to see you fall off that branch-"
Yellow squeaked. Had Red- "You caught me?”
"Yeah, I-" Red suddenly looked embarrassed. Yellow felt the same, remembering that Red had essentially carried her for an undetermined period of time while shirtless before.
"Thank you," she said earnestly, fighting the fuzziness brought on by thinking about such. "I hadn't thanked you before, and for now this time."
"It's nothing," Red said quickly, before nodding at the sleeping Emolga. "Is that the Pokemon Professor Oak wanted help with?"
"Yes," Yellow said, stroking its head. She hoped it was having good dreams. “He wanted me to find out what had happened to it, how it got so injured and mistrustful of people…”
“I’ll help,” Red said firmly. “Just tell me what I can do, Yellow.”
“Thank you.”
***
Pallet Town
Two days after
“Emol, emol.” While fully healed, the Pokemon was wary of most anyone or any Pokemon that went near it other than Yellow, Chuchu, and Pika. It was wary of Red, Yellow felt keenly, by the way it always tried to keep a distance from the trainer when he was in the vicinity.
Red understood the situation and kept his distance, but Yellow wanted Emolga to accept him. After all, he had saved both of them from getting more injured from their fall off the branch the other day. Besides, she knew best of all how much Red would go through to protect Pokemon.
To that effect, she made Red sit twenty paces from Emolga and her, with Pika and Chuchu halfway between them.
Emolga, she thought, this is Red. He saved us when we fell off the branch, remember? You can trust him.
The Emolga looked at Red curiously, then back at her.
Do you trust him, the Emolga thought.
Yes, of course, I do, Yellow thought back. I always have, ever since I first met him as a child. He’s done his best to protect the world many times with his Pokemon at his side; I’ve seen him do so myself. I trust him with my life, she thought, then because she wasn’t good at hiding thoughts from Pokemon, no doubt the Emolga heard her next words as well, ‘and my heart.’
She was embarrassed by this, but then calmed herself down by thinking that there was no way that Red could have heard that. She patted its head.
“Emol, emol.” With that, the Emolga got to its feet and, after nodding at her, started walking to Red. Chuchu and Pika moved to walk with it, and when it finally reached Red, it raised its head.
“Yellow?” Red’s voice was full of wonder.
Pat my head. I accept you, as Yellow trusts you.
“I think it wants you to pat its head,” she said, having read Emolga’s thoughts. Thank you, Emolga, she thought.
And Red did, his smile bright. “Thank you, Yellow.”
“It was all Emolga,” Yellow said, “I just helped it understand what happened more.”
Red shook his head. “Thank you, Emolga, I promise to take care of you.” He then looked at her. “And thank you, Yellow.”
“Y-You’re welcome,” she said, a slight stutter not marring the warm feeling in her heart.
***
Pallet Town
Three days later
"Pokemon warm up to you easily," Red said as they watched Emolga hungrily scarf down the food that the two had prepared for it earlier. It was good to see Emolga gaining weight, it had looked so thin and sickly before.
"It's because of my gift," she said gently. As the child of the Viridian forest…
"No, I think even if you didn't have it, Pokemon would still warm up to you. Your personality is warm," he said cheerfully.
She felt her cheeks heat up.
"I kind of wish I had your power at times," he said, "though I worry about you exhausting yourself, like that time with Deoxys and Mewtwo."
"I-" What could she say to that? She was so embarrassed and happy at the same time. "Um, Red, no one can beat you in battling."
He smiled. "Thanks. But especially in the Sevii Islands, I wish, well, if I had your gift, maybe I could have healed my Pokemon. It was painful to see them so tired and with no way to fully heal them."
Yellow had always felt Red was so far away, only being able to see him during times of crisis when he was so determined. Now, seeing Red and being able to talk to him like this while in peaceful times, learning more about him, she felt that like her, he was a teenager.
She sighed inwardly. That made him sound more reachable. That wasn't good for her heart.
"I'm glad I got to spend more time with you, Yellow" he continued. "We don't usually get to spend time together when it's peaceful like this," he said, "but you- I owe a lot to you, because you took care of Pika and then did your best to find me, Blue said, and then everything with Mewtwo and Deoxys..."
"Red..."
"I wish I could have spent more time with you before," he said gently. "More time where both of us weren't petrified, at least."
Heart, be still, she pleaded as she looked down.
She knew it would be a losing battle.
***
Pallet Town
Two days later
"Emol, Emol" Emolga cried as it took tentative steps and flapped its wings. Pika and Chuchu, while they couldn't fly, cheered the other Pokemon on. It would be the first time Emolga would try flying again, even though physically its wings had been healed when Yellow had first come across it.
Red smiled as he watched the three Pokemon. "Pika missed Chuchu, you know."
She wasn’t surprised to hear such, but she was surprised Red spoke of it. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I can't read their thoughts like you do, but I could tell. I'm glad I found you here in Pallet Town."
She blushed, though she knew Red didn't mean anything special by those words. "She missed Pika too. And Pichu too, um, I wonder where Gold is?" She tried her best to change the subject.
Red shook his head at the question. "I'm not sure, I haven't heard from him in a while either. Maybe we should get him to bring Pichu around, if we could contact him."
She nodded, before bringing out the sketches she had made of Emolga's thoughts that she had made earlier that day. She didn't recognize the places, but she hadn't explored Kanto in a long while and not as extensively as Red had. "Red, about Emolga-"
He nodded in understanding, taking the sketches. "Let me help."
"Thank you," she said, pointing to one sketch. "I'm not sure where this is, I may not have gotten all the details right-"
He shook his head. "No, I can tell. This is Saffron City, you see, that building here– that’s the Fighting Dojo."
“Saffron City.” Now she could try to find this Emolga’s owner.
***
Pallet Town
Two days later
It was finally time to leave, Yellow thought. She was taking Emolga with her now and she had said goodbye to Professor Oak after one week at his laboratory taking care of Emolga and preparing for the journey. She wished she could say something to Red, anything, oh, Green kept putting thoughts in her head.
Red and Pika found her at the entrance to Pallet Town. "You’re leaving now, Yellow?"
"Yes," she said. "Emolga got separated from its owner in Saffron City, then encountered a swarm of wild Pokemon in Lavender Town which caused its injuries. I'll start from there, then head to Lavender Town." Chuchu and Emolga were walking by her side, watching the two.
Red nodded, adjusting the backpack he wore and reaching down to place Pika near the two Pokemon, who greeted it enthusiastically. "That'll be a while, if you're walking."
She nodded. "I'll have to talk to Uncle, I’ll have to pass by his house and tell him." She had been worried about some of what she had seen in Emolga's thoughts – the man in the dark clothes had reminded her of Team Rocket from when she had encountered them before, though the signature insignia wasn’t present - she would have to talk to Silver if she could contact him, maybe Blue could ask Green to contact him for her. Was this related to his father's work? The swarm of wild Pokemon that had attacked Emolga didn't seem like the normal kind, at least that's what it felt to Emolga.
Red interrupted her thoughts with a cough. "Listen, Yellow-"
"Yes?"
He coughed again, then looked at her steadily. "I'm coming with you. Is that okay?"
"O-Of course," she said quickly, wondering if she had heard right. Red, travelling with her? This was a dream come true. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," he said. "I- I'd like to see Emolga meet its owner too."
"Oh," she thought sadly. Of course, Yellow, he didn't mean anything but that, she berated herself.
"And I'd like to travel with you," he said suddenly.
She felt her cheeks heat up instantly. "R-Red?"
"I-I mean, we haven't traveled together, you know? I've traveled with Blue and Green, and with Gold even, but never with you, you know? And we’ve been through so much together."
"Oh, then of course" she said quickly, her heart pounding. She hoped she wouldn't faint.
***
On the road to Saffron City
One week later
How did you get back to Pallet Town, Yellow asked Emolga in her head. Looking at a map of Kanto, Lavender Town was so far away from Pallet Town. Why would Emolga had ended up in Pallet Town? Did you or your trainer know someone in Pallet Town? Had you been there before, Emolga?
Emolga shook its head decisively, its long ears drooping. Yellow could see how much it missed its trainer. She had pieced together that Emolga and its trainer had come from another region, most likely Unova or Kalos and were challenging gyms in Kanto. But Pallet Town had no gyms, she thought, and the only notable thing there was Professor Oak’s lab.
Red, who listened to her thoughts, nodded. “We rarely get tourists in Pallet Town, other than those who want to consult with Professor Oak about something.”
Did your trainer want to ask Professor Oak about something?
Emolga shook its head, then suddenly pointed at Red.
“Yes, Emolga?” Red was confused, but Pika, who had been looking on from the sidelines, suddenly stepped up to Emolga.
Yellow carefully waited for Emolga and Pika to talk, then let Emolga tell her what it thought.
My trainer wanted to see the town that raised the League Champion who did it really young. Do you or Red know him?
Yellow couldn’t help it; she giggled. Pika grinned and jumped into Red’s arms, much to his surprise.
“What is it, Yellow? Pika?”
“It seems Emolga and its trainer wanted to see Pallet Town because of you, Red.”
Emolga’s tail stiffened in surprise as it looked from Yellow to Red.
“Emol?”
“Yes, Emolga” Yellow said, speaking at the same time to let Red understand. “Red is the boy from Pallet Town who became League Champion at a young age.”
“Emol.” The pokemon looked at Red with new respect. If only my trainer was here, it thought, and Yellow felt new determination to find its trainer so that he could also meet Red.
Red, embarrassed, scratched his head. “That was a long time ago,” he said quickly.
It was sweet to see Red embarrassed over his achievement, she thought as Emolga let Red pat its head.
***
On the road to Saffron City
Five days later
“Bzzz. Bzzz.”
“Oh, it’s my Pokegear” Yellow said as she reached for it. She wondered who was calling.
“Senior Yellow, it’s Crystal.”
“Hi, Crystal” Yellow said, happy to hear from her junior. Red, who had been watching Pika, Chuchu, and Emolga play, turned to listen to them.
“I finally found Gold and Professor Oak told me – the Emolga’s with you?”
“Yes,” she said. “We’re on our way to Saffron City – it remembers being with its Trainer there, before it got separated from it.”
“Oh, Gold and I are on our way also there – we’re a few days away. We’ll meet you there, okay?”
She nodded, looking at Red.
“Too bad Senior Red isn’t around,” she heard Gold speak into Crystal’s Pokegear. “I’d love to ask him for more tips on battling.”
“Senior Red’s too busy for you to bother him,” Crystal said.
“Hey, that’s not fair – you know our training together helped during that time in the Battle Frontier, Crystal.”
“I don’t mind training with him,” Red said, smiling.
Yellow smiled back at him, then realized that the bickering on the other side of the line had gone silent.
“Wait, Senior Red is with you, Yellow? Really?”
Yellow felt embarrassed. It was one thing for Crystal to find out about that, but Gold? Of course he would find out when they met up in Saffron City, but this was Gold…
“Geez, Crys, we have to hang up, we might be interrupting-“
“Gold, shut up.” The two winced as they heard what decidedly sounded like someone hitting someone else’s head. “We’ll meet up with you at Saffron City, Senior Yellow, Senior Red. If we get there earlier, would you like us to investigate something?”
“Yes, of course.” Yellow appreciated how business-like Crystal was, even if she had seemed shocked earlier. “Um, actually, Red knows the area more, so-“ She looked at Red, who was startled out of his own thoughts, and was his face red? Maybe he had gotten sunburned?
He coughed and reached for the Pokegear. “Ah, sorry, Yellow. Crystal, if you get there, go first to the Fighting Dojo – it’s right next to the gym-“
After he had given Crystal the details and the call had ended, Yellow looked at Chuchu with mixed feelings.
Soon they’d reach Saffron City and maybe, probably, that would be the end of Red’s journey with her. She wanted to find Emolga’s trainer, definitely, but to have this time with Red end (and who knew when she’d see him again) made her heart ache.
Suddenly, Red reached over to pat Chuchu’s head. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll make sure Yellow doesn’t overexert herself using her gifts.”
She blushed at his earnest words, while Chuchu nuzzled its hand. Red is so nice, Yellow, it thought to her. I can see why you like him so much.
She smiled. There was no point in thinking about the inevitable, she decided. It was only right to enjoy the moment.
***
Saffron City
One week later
"Are you going to leave soon?" It was a miracle that Red was still with her at this point, especially after they'd met up with Gold and Crystal in Saffron City. Red was chivalrous, she knew, determinedly trying not to blush as she again recalled him carrying her while they were petrified, but if Gold and Crystal was with her, he could certainly excuse himself even if they still hadn't found Emolga's owner. Still, she would miss him. She had gotten to know him so much traveling with him, had seen the Red beyond the Pokedex Holder.
He looked stricken. "No, I'm not."
"Really?" He must want to find Emolga's owner too, she thought. When she said so, though, he looked conflicted.
"I- I do want to get Emolga back to its owner, yeah, but... Yellow, can we talk?"
She stopped, looking at Red. Red, the boy who had steered her on the path of being a Pokedex Holder. She felt she must have fallen for him ever since that time she first met him. "Yes, of course."
Seeing that Emolga was playing happily with the rest of their Pokemon, they moved under the shade of a nearby tree.
"W-What did you want to talk about?"
Red paused and looked at her for a long while, his eyes serious. Had he ever looked at her that way, Yellow thought dizzily? She couldn't look away.
He finally spoke. "Listen, Yellow, I'm not good at this but I-"
"I'm not good at this either," she blurted out quickly, looking up at him. Wait, what was he talking about? This was embarrassing, Yellow thought, of course it would be impossible to think that Red and she were talking about the same thing, even if Green said so and Green was always right. But this was Red.
"But let me speak first," he said quickly, leaning down a bit. "Yellow, there's-"
"Seniors, watch out!" At that exact moment, Emolga's wings knocked into Red, and then-
Had their lips touched? Yellow reeled backwards, her cheeks burning - no, maybe it was just her imagination. But when she snuck a look at Red, he was also blushing terribly. Gold, on the other hand, had his mouth wide open and was pointing at them, at least until Crystal, who also looked surprised, hit him on the head and pulled him away, muttering something about 'it's your fault for egging that poor Emolga into flying like that - I hope the seniors punish you later, you deserve it."
"Eh, Crys!" Gold continued to protest as Crystal dragged him out of hearing distance.
Now they were alone with their Pokemon.
"Yellow, I-" Red trailed off, still blushing.
"No, it's okay, Red, it's just an accident-" She wondered how she could have said so many words in such a situation - clear desperation, apparently - but then Red reached down to - he kissed her again! She must be dreaming, she thought dizzily. In broad daylight, no less.
"Blue's going to laugh at me," he said after, his hand on her shoulder. "But Green's right - I better say something before we get caught up in something as Pokedex Holders again."
"Blue? Green?" Had they actually talked to Red? About her? Green, she wailed, what- what-
"Yellow, I like you." The look in his eyes was like the look he had facing down Giovanni on that airship, determined not to lose.
"I-I-" She owed him an answer, she thought dizzily, but all the words Green had wanted her to say to him evaporated when she continued looking into his eyes.
"Yellow?"
Suddenly Chuchu, Pika, and Emolga appeared at their side. Tell him, they chorused and Yellow's eyes widened in surprise.
"Pika, what are you doing here? Wait, don't tell Yellow anything, I- I-" Red's words sputtered off as Pika looked at him knowingly.
She could read Pika's thoughts. If you don't tell him, he won't understand.
Pika echoing Green's words gave her the final push.
"I like you too, Red. I want to travel with you too."
***
Saffron City
Three days later
They had checked out the area near Lavender Town where Emolga said it had been attacked. Yellow had asked nearby Pokemon for help, but all they could tell her was that there had been unfamiliar Pokemon that had come and caused damage, injuring many Pokemon, but they had all disappeared suddenly with some men in black clothes.
She had wondered where next to go, but Emolga had insisted on their returning to Saffron City because its trainer had still not captured its city’s badge. They were waiting inside the Pokemon Center for Red, who were asking around town for clues. Crystal and Gold had decided to stay in Lavender Town to investigate further.
From what Yellow had gotten from Emolga’s thoughts on its trainer, she felt that he would worry more about Emolga than a badge, but she was hoping that the trainer knew Emolga well enough to know its thoughts.
Still, Saffron City was larger than Pallet Town, and it was hard to find one person in it. She finished a sketch of Emolga’s trainer, planning to show it to Red, Crystal, and Gold in hopes of helping their search. It was her best sketch of him, the previous ones lacking many identifying details.
“Emol, emol.” (It looks just like him.)
That’s good, Yellow told it.
And at that moment the same person walked into the Pokemon Center, a Darumaka by its side.
***
Saffron City
Later that day
“We were walking to the gym,” Emolga’s trainer, finally introducing himself as Jack, said when asked about how they had gotten separated. “When we were close, something fell in front of us – it must have been some sort of flash bomb, I’m not sure, and when the smoke cleared, Emolga was gone. I thought at first maybe Emolga had flown away because it had gotten frightened by the smoke, but when I said that to Darumaka, Darumaka didn’t agree with me. We’ve been searching the nearby cities ever since; I just got back to Saffon City today; I was hoping Emolga would remember that we hadn’t fought the gym here yet.”
She smiled at Emolga, who nuzzled its trainer’s hand. She had been right about Emolga’s trainer.
Red looked at Yellow askance before turning to its trainer, telling him how they had found Emolga in Pallet Town and how they ended up in Saffron City.
“Thank you so much for taking care of Emolga,” Jack said earnestly. “How can I ever repay you?”
“It’s really no problem,” Red said embarrassedly. “Right, Yellow?”
“Yes, we were happy to help. And I’m glad we finally found you – Emolga’s missed you a lot.” She reached out to pat Emolga’s head, smiling at it.
“But about what happened-“
“We’ll look into it,” Red promised.
“Thank you- oh, I’m so scrambled, I haven’t asked your names yet-“
Yellow, suddenly remembering Jack and Emolga’s original goal of going to Pallet Town together, smiled. “I’m Yellow, from Viridian City.”
Red, obliviously following her clue, continued. “I’m Red, from Pallet Town.”
“Nice to meet you, Yellow, Red- Red from Pallet Town- wait-“
She smiled at Jack, before nudging Red. “Why don’t you two have a match? You haven’t had one in a while, haven’t you, Red?”
“Yeah, that would be nice. What do you think, Jack?”
“Y-Yes, of course! It’s an honor!”
As Zack brought out his Pokemon and started pointing at Red cheerfully, Red pulled his cap down embarrassedly at Yellow. “Is this all right, Yellow?”
“Sure it is,” she said. “Crystal and Gold will be sad to have missed it. I’m glad I’ll get to see you battle again.”
He smiled down at her before reaching down to pat Pika on the head. “Watch me, okay?”
“Of course.”
***
Saffron City
The next day
“Gold and Crystal have some new information,” Red said when they had finally said goodbye to Jack and Emolga, wishing them luck in their challenging the Kanto gyms. “They said they’ll wait for us in Lavender Town.”
“All right,” Yellow said. She wondered what Crystal and Gold had found - Red had explained that Crystal hadn’t wanted to say much over the Pokegear. It was looking like the trail had gone cold – Professor Oak kept an eye on the news and there were no similar incidents in Kanto as far as he could tell, even with his various contacts. Hopefully, this was just an isolated incident, she thought.
Red zipped up his backpack before turning to her. “Yellow, after we finish investigating this-“
She froze, wondering if he was about to say something about leaving for personal training where no one could find him again.
He continued, not noticing her shock. “Where would you like to go?”
“E-Eh?” She looked up at him in surprise.
Red smiled down at her. “I think after we investigate this, we deserve a break, yes? I’d love to show you some of the places I really liked in Kanto and Johto. You know, there’s this hot spring Sabrina recommended that really helped my wrists, when-“
“H-Hot spring?!” Yellow felt faint.
“Yeah, it’s really relaxing.” He smiled at Pika, who nodded at her. “I’ve shown Pika a couple of times, but I’m sure you’ll like it too.”
This was Red, he didn’t mean anything by it, she knew, but still her cheeks heated up. “T-That sounds nice.”
“Yeah,” Red said, before kissing her forehead. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“M-Me too,” she said, before he kissed her again.
***
Olivine City
Six Months Later
"You're going to Nuvema Town? In Unova?"
Yellow nodded. Blue and Green had caught up with them at Olivine City that day, and Green and she were talking while Red were buying some supplies for their trip, Blue accompanying him. "We leave later. The Professor there contacted Professor Oak since a Pokemon with similar injuries to Emolga was found in Nuvema Town, one not commonly found in that region. He wants us to investigate, especially since we both saw Emolga and know what happened to it best, and was able to find its owner too." She tried to keep her tone light, not wanting Blue to worry. It might not be related to that incident, after all, though Yellow’s instincts said otherwise. She knew Red felt the same way. "It'll take a while to get there, though, since Unova is pretty far from here."
But as everyone who is a Pokedex Holder knows, nothing ever gets past Green. "I'll prepare," she promised. "Blue and I will."
"Please do," Yellow agreed, "and tell Silver too, please." She looked at the Pichu traveling with her, Red, Pika, and Chuchu. Recently, Gold had left Pichu with them since Pichu had wanted to spend some time with its parents. It was heartwarming to see the three Pokemon together. Besides, Gold had promised to catch up with them in Unova once he finished checking out something Professor Oak had asked him to.
Green soberly nodded. A moment later, she perked up considerably. "You know what you and Red look like, since you're traveling together?"
Yellow prepared herself for more of Green's teasing. Really, after a few months of it she should be used to it by now. "A couple?" She was proud of not stuttering the word in front of Green.
Green smiled mischievously at Yellow. "Not bad, but no. A family. Since you've got your two Pikachu and Gold's Pichu traveling with you and all."
Yellow turned red. "G-Green!"
Green laughed loudly at her embarrassment.
"Oi, what are you doing now, troublesome woman?" Blue said, walking up to them with Red.
"Nothing, Green."
Blue sighed; it was clear that Green was teasing Yellow again. Although it was none of her business, it was true that Green had gotten Yellow and Red together. There was something admirable in that, not that he would tell her. "Take care, you two."
Red smiled as he slung his arm around Yellow's shoulder. "Of course."
After the two had left, Red turned to Yellow.
"So what did Green say earlier?"
"R-Red?" How did he know Green had said anything? Red was so smart, Yellow sighed.
Red patiently waited for Yellow to calm down a little. "I've known Green since we were ten years old, Yellow. I know how much she teases people she's friends with."
"U-Um-"
"What, did she say we looked like a family or something? I saw her pointing at Pika, Chuchu, and Pichu earlier."
Yellow's knees wobbled. Red steadied her, deciding he had gotten the right answer.
"Hm, I'll have to thank her then," he said, before squeezing her hand. He had no one to miss him before, he knew this especially from that time Blue and Green had their loved ones taken away from them in the Sevii Islands. But now, with Yellow...
"Hey, Yellow?"
Yellow's mind had shut down in bliss. Sometimes Red was worse than Blue with the things he said, and the best and worst part was he didn't know he was doing it.
She wanted to spend a lifetime hearing him say such.
“Y-Yes, Red?”
“Let’s go, the ship will be leaving soon.”
“Yes!”
Together.
It's Spiral-Sketches~!
(Anonymous) 2016-01-20 09:58 pm (UTC)(link)Thank you secret santa <3 this made me very happy after a long day at work ;A;
I wish you could have seen all the stupid grinning faces I made while reading this. Thank you so much <3
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