❝and i won't go far from here to watch you as you slip away❞
not that far | pokémon | 900 words | green ; leaf ; red | pg |
in which green feels abandoned and leaf talks some sense into him.
set in between fr/lg and hg/ss.
Not That Far
The challengers are few and far between, the winners nonexistent. Green’s days fade into a cycle of training and sleeping that leaves him waking up at 3 am and wondering what he’s going with his life. Nights spent on the floor of his gym leave his back sore and his eyes blurred, but it doesn’t really matter. Because no one’s coming to challenge him-at least no one who means to win.
“If you’re not busy, you should get out more,” his sister tells him in her typical, nagging-sister way.
“Go out and catch some more Pokémon,” his grandfather tells him. “Help me with my research.”
“Start a talk show!” A Lass decides. “Write a book about your adventure!”
But Green can’t listen to any of them. He doesn’t want to get out because he’s tied to Viridian City; he doesn’t want to help his grandfather research because he’s always been more of a trainer. And he certainly can’t relive his adventure by writing about it-because one character would show up in that narrative entirely too often.
He’s not even two decades old, and yet he feels like his life is over. And suddenly he realizes why he was so sad when he became champion. Alone in his gym, having sent the other trainers home for the day, Green leans against his Arcanine and heaves a heavy sigh.
“God, you’ve become pathetic,” a sharp voice says suddenly behind him.
Green pivots on his heel to see a young woman with a mane of long brown hair. Her eyes twinkle mischievously as she pulls the bucket cap from her head and winks at him. “Hey, Green.”
“Leaf?” Green asks incredulously. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Leaf pouts at his response. “What, I can’t visit one of my oldest friends? That hardly seems fair.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be…” Come to think of it, Green wonders, what has Leaf been doing for the past few years? He crosses his arms over his chest and sneers at her. “I believe you’ve already received the Earth Badge. But if you’re looking for a rematch against a real Leader, I’d be more than happy to oblige you.”
Leaf releases her breath in a huff. “I didn’t come here to battle, Green.”
“Then what?” he asks. “You’re sort of wasting my time then, aren’t you?”
Leaf rolls her eyes as she approaches him, hands on her hips. “You’ll never change, will you?”
“Why would I change when there’s nothing wrong with me?”
“Why can’t you just admit that you miss him?” Leaf demands suddenly.
Green’s mouth opens in an automatic response, but his retort freezes on his lips. Suddenly, it is very hard to meet Leaf’s gaze. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mount Silver isn’t that far, you know,” Leaf continues. “Especially not with your Pidgeot.”
“I have better things to do than go see that…that…that arrogant, voiceless prick!” Green yells suddenly, rounding on Leaf with a furious tone. “He chose to go up there, remember? He was the one who decided to go, he was the one who left without saying anything, he was the one who never came back. So tell me, Leaf, why the hell should I climb a fucking mountain for a guy who couldn’t say goodbye?”
“Because,” Leaf says simply, “You’re still hung up on him.”
Green’s muscles tense as Leaf’s words sink in. For months, there’s been something eating away at him, itching beneath his skin. He’s tried to push past it, to move on with his life, but something is anchoring him to an era when he still said, “Smell ya later.”
Green’s hands clench into fists as he turns and heads for the door.
“Green!” Leaf calls after him, her bright voice slightly mocking, “Where are you going?”
“To climb a damn mountain,” Green mutters.
“And what’re you going to do once you’re there?”
“Rip that bastard’s throat out.”
›››‹‹‹
They have been staring at one another for close to an hour, now. Green had sauntered into the cave, arms across his chest and face carefully schooled into a blank mask, only to find Red cross-legged on the ground, his Pikachu in his lap. When Red saw Green, he scrambled to his feet, the beginnings of a smile on his lips. And then he saw Green’s expression and froze. And since then, they had simply stared.
Finally, Green breaks the silence. “You’re a jerk, you know that?”
Red nods.
“You have no courtesy. You don’t even talk to your mom anymore. What, you think you can just become the strongest trainer and drop off the face of the earth?”
Red shrugs his shoulders exaggeratedly.
“Oh, so you don’t even have an answer? Brilliant. Just fucking brilliant. Our champion needs speech therapy.”
Red’s lips turn upwards in a hint of a smile.
“And don’t you dare smirk at me! I’m pretty sure I hate you.”
Red now frowns, perplexed.
“Then…” he says very slowly, “Why are you here?”
“For this,” Green says, and he crosses the length of the cave in three quick strides, and then his fist collides with Red’s jaw. The champion staggers backwards, arms flailing. His Pikachu hisses like an angry cat.
Red hits the floor, and Green tackles him further, pinning him against the hard stone. “Next time,” Green says roughly, “Have the fucking courtesy to tell me goodbye.”
Red nods, but then he says, “But, Green? I didn’t go that far.”
“And that’s the only reason why I’m willing to forgive you.”
in which green feels abandoned and leaf talks some sense into him.
set in between fr/lg and hg/ss.
Not That Far
The challengers are few and far between, the winners nonexistent. Green’s days fade into a cycle of training and sleeping that leaves him waking up at 3 am and wondering what he’s going with his life. Nights spent on the floor of his gym leave his back sore and his eyes blurred, but it doesn’t really matter. Because no one’s coming to challenge him-at least no one who means to win.
“If you’re not busy, you should get out more,” his sister tells him in her typical, nagging-sister way.
“Go out and catch some more Pokémon,” his grandfather tells him. “Help me with my research.”
“Start a talk show!” A Lass decides. “Write a book about your adventure!”
But Green can’t listen to any of them. He doesn’t want to get out because he’s tied to Viridian City; he doesn’t want to help his grandfather research because he’s always been more of a trainer. And he certainly can’t relive his adventure by writing about it-because one character would show up in that narrative entirely too often.
He’s not even two decades old, and yet he feels like his life is over. And suddenly he realizes why he was so sad when he became champion. Alone in his gym, having sent the other trainers home for the day, Green leans against his Arcanine and heaves a heavy sigh.
“God, you’ve become pathetic,” a sharp voice says suddenly behind him.
Green pivots on his heel to see a young woman with a mane of long brown hair. Her eyes twinkle mischievously as she pulls the bucket cap from her head and winks at him. “Hey, Green.”
“Leaf?” Green asks incredulously. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Leaf pouts at his response. “What, I can’t visit one of my oldest friends? That hardly seems fair.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be…” Come to think of it, Green wonders, what has Leaf been doing for the past few years? He crosses his arms over his chest and sneers at her. “I believe you’ve already received the Earth Badge. But if you’re looking for a rematch against a real Leader, I’d be more than happy to oblige you.”
Leaf releases her breath in a huff. “I didn’t come here to battle, Green.”
“Then what?” he asks. “You’re sort of wasting my time then, aren’t you?”
Leaf rolls her eyes as she approaches him, hands on her hips. “You’ll never change, will you?”
“Why would I change when there’s nothing wrong with me?”
“Why can’t you just admit that you miss him?” Leaf demands suddenly.
Green’s mouth opens in an automatic response, but his retort freezes on his lips. Suddenly, it is very hard to meet Leaf’s gaze. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mount Silver isn’t that far, you know,” Leaf continues. “Especially not with your Pidgeot.”
“I have better things to do than go see that…that…that arrogant, voiceless prick!” Green yells suddenly, rounding on Leaf with a furious tone. “He chose to go up there, remember? He was the one who decided to go, he was the one who left without saying anything, he was the one who never came back. So tell me, Leaf, why the hell should I climb a fucking mountain for a guy who couldn’t say goodbye?”
“Because,” Leaf says simply, “You’re still hung up on him.”
Green’s muscles tense as Leaf’s words sink in. For months, there’s been something eating away at him, itching beneath his skin. He’s tried to push past it, to move on with his life, but something is anchoring him to an era when he still said, “Smell ya later.”
Green’s hands clench into fists as he turns and heads for the door.
“Green!” Leaf calls after him, her bright voice slightly mocking, “Where are you going?”
“To climb a damn mountain,” Green mutters.
“And what’re you going to do once you’re there?”
“Rip that bastard’s throat out.”
›››‹‹‹
They have been staring at one another for close to an hour, now. Green had sauntered into the cave, arms across his chest and face carefully schooled into a blank mask, only to find Red cross-legged on the ground, his Pikachu in his lap. When Red saw Green, he scrambled to his feet, the beginnings of a smile on his lips. And then he saw Green’s expression and froze. And since then, they had simply stared.
Finally, Green breaks the silence. “You’re a jerk, you know that?”
Red nods.
“You have no courtesy. You don’t even talk to your mom anymore. What, you think you can just become the strongest trainer and drop off the face of the earth?”
Red shrugs his shoulders exaggeratedly.
“Oh, so you don’t even have an answer? Brilliant. Just fucking brilliant. Our champion needs speech therapy.”
Red’s lips turn upwards in a hint of a smile.
“And don’t you dare smirk at me! I’m pretty sure I hate you.”
Red now frowns, perplexed.
“Then…” he says very slowly, “Why are you here?”
“For this,” Green says, and he crosses the length of the cave in three quick strides, and then his fist collides with Red’s jaw. The champion staggers backwards, arms flailing. His Pikachu hisses like an angry cat.
Red hits the floor, and Green tackles him further, pinning him against the hard stone. “Next time,” Green says roughly, “Have the fucking courtesy to tell me goodbye.”
Red nods, but then he says, “But, Green? I didn’t go that far.”
“And that’s the only reason why I’m willing to forgive you.”