Party [Yuletide 2020 one-shot]
Dec 31, 2020 2:30:19 GMT
Post by Dramatic Melody on Dec 31, 2020 2:30:19 GMT
This was written for Puph 17 for the 2020 Yuletide! They asked for a piece where Blue, Leaf, and Red gather for the holidays for the first time in years. I hope you enjoy it!
“Don’t you think this is all a little, uhh, over the top?”
Blue rolled his eyes at the comment as he finished the knot on the banner. Sure, it might’ve been slightly bigger than he thought, but that was hardly an issue. He was more than happy to make room for it.
“What do you mean? It’s just what this place needs!” Blue said with a grin.
The white banner hung across the wall, completely covering all of the photos of the Oak family. On the banner were the words “Happy Holidays!” written in large capital letters, with each letter alternating between red and green, save for the three exclamation marks at the end that were painted blue.
It was the highlight of the overly decorated house, one that Blue spent the entire day putting together. The tree with the Pokémon-themed ornaments was Arabella’s idea, and his other gym trainers were kind enough to lend him their Poké Dolls for the occasion. Everything else he had to buy and assemble from scratch—the garlands, the lights outside, and of course the banner.
“If you say so,” Daisy said with a smile. “I think it’s the fitting centerpiece for your extravagant party.”
Blue could only reply with a laugh. He had originally planned a much larger party, one that invited all the gym leaders and Elite Four members from Kanto and Johto, and it would’ve been held in a fully decorated Viridian Gym. He would’ve invited a live band, and there would’ve been a lot of drinks. And of course, there would’ve been a lot of battles between some of the strongest trainers in both regions. It was going to be the best party ever!
But all those plans changed when he got the RSVP of a certain someone—a certain someone who would only go to a certain type of party.
“I mean, if it’s a party with those two, I don’t think it would be anything but extravagant,” Blue replied. And he meant every word of that statement—no matter how small it was, this was going to be a party he would never forget.
“Here’s Viridian City, Miss. You sure you don’t want me to take you all the way to Pallet?”
“I’m sure,” she said with a wink as she handed over several bills. “Thank you for the ride!”
“Thank you for booking an Escab, Miss,” the driver said with a heavy emphasis on the “you.” “Happy holidays!”
As she slung her yellow bag over her shoulder, Leaf couldn’t help but smile. She was amazed at how much transportation has changed ever since she left Kanto. Back then, she would only see cars in places like Saffron or Celadon, but now the whole region was serviced by ride-hailing apps. Who knew five years could bring about so much change?
And yet, she wasn’t surprised either. The past five years have brought so much change to herself, after all. Each region she visited, each Pokémon she recorded on her Pokédex, and each tournament she won only further proved that statement. She missed Kanto, of course, but she wouldn’t trade her time abroad for anything.
Ever since she crossed the Kanto-Johto border five years ago, she’s been to two other regions. Her year-and-a-half in Hoenn taught her a lot more about Pokémon than she could ever expect, while her past year in Sinnoh opened a lot of doors for her as a trainer.
But Kanto always held a special place in her heart. It was her first journey, after all, and she had the best friends to accompany her. She met and battled a lot of interesting trainers in her travels, but she could never forget her Pallet Town rivals.
“I wonder how they are?” Leaf said to herself. “I can’t wait to see them again!”
Blue had initially invited her for a party in Viridian Gym, but he suddenly changed that invite to his home in Pallet. She was surprised at the sudden change, but when she found out that she would be seeing both of her rivals again, she understood immediately.
Her musings led her to the Viridian city center without her realizing, and she reached her destination in no time. The past two days of traveling left her no time to buy gifts, and since she still had a few hours until the party, she thought she would take the opportunity to buy, well, whatever possible gift one could get from a Poké Mart.
As she entered the building, she was surprised at all the people who seemed to have the same idea as her, all their baskets filled with things from Poké Dolls to magazines to trainer items. Several adults with similar worried expressions scanned the aisles, and the line to the Mart’s sole counter didn’t look like it was getting shorter anytime soon.
But she was more surprised when she recognized who one of those last-minute shoppers were.
“Red? Is that really you?”
It’s been a while since he heard her voice. He was taken aback by the hug.
“Hi, Leaf.”
“Wait, that can’t be right!” she replied with a smile. “The Red I know wouldn’t have said anything out loud!”
He expected that reaction. Blue always nagged him about his silence. So he’s been trying to speak more often.
“Well, it’s nice to see you out of that mountain,” she continued. “And I assume you’re here because you don’t have a gift for Blue either?”
Red nodded. It was hard to keep track of time in Mt. Silver. Pikachu had to remind him about this party.
“That makes both of us!” she said, her enthusiasm making him smile. “At least we still have some time. Did you already find something?”
“Only this,” he said as he showed her the magazine. It was the best he could find in the last 15 minutes. Leaf’s laughing told him otherwise.
“While I love how fitting it is,” she began as her laughing died down, “do you really think Blue already doesn’t have a copy? Heck, maybe even several since he’s on the cover?”
He could only sigh in reply. Of course Blue would already have a copy. But nothing else he saw in the Poké Mart felt right.
“Tell you what,” Leaf began, “let’s find something else, but let’s add that magazine in as a bonus. That way, it can be a gift from both of us!”
He smiled. That sounded like a good idea.
The sound of the doorbell almost made him jump.
Ever since he got their RSVPs several months ago, he had been anticipating this very moment. Five years is a long time, and though he’s seen them individually a couple of times in the years in between, it wasn’t the same as when all three of them were together.
He checked himself in the mirror right next to the front door just to make sure he looked decent. He then held the doorknob, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
“Happy holidays!” he said aloud, only for his grin to immediately turn upside down.
“Well, happy holidays to you too, Blue!” the visitor replied with a smile. “I didn’t think you’d be so enthusiastic about the holidays.”
“What’re you doing here, Gramps?” Blue asked as he crossed his arms.
“Why, spreading the holiday cheer, of course!” Professor Oak replied with a smile. “I heard you’re having Red and Leaf over for dinner, so I wanted to greet them in person! Are they already here?”
“Not yet,” Blue said hurriedly. “That’s real nice of you, Gramps, but I was hoping that—”
“Ah, of course, of course,” Professor Oak interrupted. “Daisy told me how much you’ve been looking forward to this party, after all! I didn’t mean to intrude.”
His face turned red when he heard that remark, but he realized that he shouldn’t be all that surprised. Whenever he was home in the past few weeks, all he could talk about was this party. They argued about the menu almost every night, eventually settling on a pasta dish that pairs well with many of Daisy’s favorite teas. Blue tried to argue that Red was more of a coffee drinker, but Daisy was confident that she could convert him into a tea drinker “with the perfect cup.”
“In any case, I’ll be on my way,” Professor Oak said, snapping Blue out of his thoughts. “Tell them I said hello!”
“I will, Gramps,” Blue replied, but quickly added, “Or you could just tell them yourself!”
“Professor Oak! It’s been such a long time!”
She was already planning to visit Professor Oak in his lab the following day, but seeing him in Blue’s home was a pleasant surprise. Leaf had only seen Professor Oak in person once in the past five years, when she visited the Radio Tower in Johto while he was recording for his show. But she regularly called him to ask for some advice, catch up on Kanto news, or to wish him a happy birthday. Her Venusaur also appreciated seeing her hometown, even if it was just on a monitor.
“Leaf! It’s so nice to see you in person again,” Professor Oak said after their hug. “How were your travels in, erm, was it Sinnoh this time?”
“Yes, Professor!” she said with a laugh. It was only the second time that he got the region right whenever they called each other. “It was amazing, and there were so many new Pokémon that I saw! All the cities had a different feel to them, too, compared to Kanto and Johto. There’s a lot to discover there!”
She could’ve gone on and on gushing about Sinnoh, but the expression on Blue’s face told her otherwise. On any other day she would’ve continued her story just to mess with him, but this day was different.
“I’d love to tell you more about my time in Sinnoh, Professor!” Leaf said. “Maybe I could come visit your lab tomorrow for lunch?”
“That would be wonderful, Leaf! I wouldn’t want to keep you from your dinner,” said Professor Oak as he headed out of the door. “And it’s nice to see you again, Red! I hope your training in Mt. Silver has been productive.”
Red nodded and grunted in reply, which seemed to satisfy the professor.
“Alright, happy holidays you two!” he finally said. “Enjoy your party!”
“Smell ya later, Gramps!” she heard Blue say with a hint of excitement.
As Blue led both of them into his home, Leaf immediately noticed all of the decorations that adorned the house’s interior. Various garlands were meticulously placed on the stairway handle and on top of different furniture. The large tree in the living room was filled with dozens of Poké Dolls, though Leaf was most amused by the Staryu doll at the very top. Red immediately went over to look at each of the dolls up close, which made Leaf giggle.
“I didn’t think you were the decorate-the-house type of guy, Blue,” Leaf said. “Turns out you have a lot of holiday spirit!”
“Hey, this wasn’t all my doing!” Blue replied. “Daisy had a hand in this too!”
There was a faint “No I didn’t!” that came from the kitchen, which only made Leaf even more amused.
“Whatever... Now that you’re both here, let’s eat!” Blue said with a smile. “I bet you’re both hungry from all the traveling.”
When they entered the dining room, Leaf couldn’t hold back her laughter. The ornaments and the garlands may have been frivolous, but they were nothing compared to the huge white banner that screamed “Happy Holidays!!!” at her. She even noticed Red, stoic as he was, smiling at the sight.
“Okay, this one was definitely not Daisy’s idea,” Leaf said in between laughs.
Red found the pasta very delicious. His meals in Mt. Silver usually consisted of bread or canned goods. Getting to eat something else was always a treat.
But hearing Blue and Leaf’s banter was an even bigger treat.
“So, how’s Mr. Viridian City Gym Leader?” asked Leaf. Red was already getting his second serving of pasta.
“Heh, I’m still the strongest Gym Leader after all these years!” said Blue with a grin. “Challengers these days are something else, though. They’re all well-researched and even hungrier for the championship.”
“Ooh, is Mr. Greatest Gym Leader of All Time feeling threatened?” Leaf poked on.
“Not a chance!” Blue said almost immediately. “If they’re getting stronger, all I have to do is get stronger with them!”
Red always found Blue’s grand statements amusing. It was one of the many reasons why he looked forward to his visits.
“Okay, okay,” Leaf said as she finished her plate. “And how about you, Red? How’s Mt. Silver these days?”
“It’s fine,” he replied. “I’ve gotten used to the cold.”
“‘Gotten used to’ is an understatement!” said Blue. “The last time I visited, I wore three layers of clothing, and it still felt like Blastoise using Ice Beam directly at me! And then you have Red who’s in a shirt and jeans!”
Red could only smile. He felt sorry whenever he saw Blue freezing during his visits. That made him appreciate the company even more.
“I could’ve used your resistance to the cold in Sinnoh!” said Leaf. “There’s this city there called Snowpoint that’s covered in snow all year round! And all the routes surrounding it frequently have blizzards too, so it wasn’t pleasant to say the least.”
“Ooh, I’ve read about Snowpoint in a magazine before,” Blue acknowledged. “It said that there’s a really big temple there with a sleeping legendary Pokémon inside!”
“Yup, and it looks very mysterious in person, too!” said Leaf. “I wanted to see what was inside, but the locals said that they don’t let anyone enter the temple because they were afraid of awakening whatever’s inside it. But that only made me more curious!”
Red nodded in agreement. He was curious about what lay inside Snowpoint Temple too.
“You two would’ve enjoyed the gym there as well,” Leaf added. “Candice’s Ice-type Pokémon are very strong, and she uses Hail really well!”
“Ah, weather teams are one of my favorites to play against,” Blue said. “Just last week, there was this one challenger who had a full-on sandstorm team, and that was one of my most memorable battles of the month! I mean, it would’ve been better if I won, but considering how well-thought-out her team was, she deserved that badge!”
“Hm, duly noted,” Leaf said with a smile. “The next time we battle, I’ll have a sun team to take you down!”
Red laughed as he refilled his plate with a third serving of pasta. He should think about putting together a weather team sometime, too.
“Your extravagant party seems to be going well.”
Blue could only smile as he refilled the pasta bowl with the last bit of what Daisy made. He didn’t expect Red to still want more after his fourth plate, but he figured that this must be much better compared to what he usually had.
“Tea’s almost ready, too,” she added. “Let me know when I should prepare the cups.”
“That’s great,” he said as he finished emptying the pan into the serving bowl. “Are you sure you don’t have any coffee for Red?”
“Trust me, he wouldn’t want any coffee after he drinks this,” she said with a wink.
Blue grinned in reply. He knew better than to argue with Daisy about tea. He also knew that Red would be looking for coffee regardless, so he made sure to keep a pack of instant coffee in his pocket.
When he returned to the dining table, he saw Leaf getting animated with her story. Whatever she was talking about must have interested Red a lot, as he was listening very intently.
“So there he was, down to his last Pokémon, when he brought out a Gallade,” he heard Leaf say. “I thought, hey, Eevee and Venusaur could both handle a Gallade no problem, right? Then he mega evolved, and he took both of them out easily!”
“Whoa, that must have been a strong trainer!” Blue said as he took a seat, and he saw Red nod in agreement.
“Yeah, he was something else!” Leaf replied. “He seems like an ordinary trainer when you first look at him, but that makes his strength even more surprising. I bet both of you would have fun battling him!”
“Heh, those types of challengers are the best!” said Blue. “The ones who you don’t expect would give you an amazing battle. I don’t get those very often, which makes them all the more special!”
“Ooh, tell us about them!” Leaf encouraged. “Give us an extra special one!”
“Well, the one I always talk about is Ethan,” he said as he refilled his teacup. “I told you about him before, right Red? The guy with the Typhlosion?”
“Yup,” Red replied. Blue appreciated the one-word answers from him as opposed to the usual nodding.
“He’s this kid from Johto, Leaf, one who apparently Gramps also met at the start of his journey,” Blue continued. “Nice kid, loves the outdoors a lot. Didn’t think much of him when he challenged me, but his team was something else. That Typhlosion I mentioned knocked out both my Pidgeot and my Arcanine all by itself!”
“Ooh, must be a skilled trainer!” commented Leaf.
“Definitely,” he agreed. “In fact, I was interviewed for Pokémon Fan Magazine recently, and I talked about him there, too—”
Before he could continue, he saw Leaf and Red look at each other and begin laughing. He was in the middle of another sentence when their laughter grew even louder, which made him curious.
“Wha… What’s so funny?” he asked after their laughter died down. “I haven’t even gotten to the best part!”
“Oh, we were just thinking about our present for you!” Leaf said with a grin.
“The chocolate cake?” Blue said with confusion. He was happy that they brought dessert with them, even if he’s had that very same cake from the Viridian City Poké Mart an embarrassing number of times.
“We got you something else,” said Red, and his excitement was already a big enough surprise for Blue.
“Well, don’t leave me hanging!” Blue said. “What else did you get for me?”
Almost instantly, he saw Red take out a small paper bag from under the table and give it to him, his smile never leaving his face. He also noticed that Leaf was acting extra giddy, so whatever was inside the bag must have been hilarious.
Excitedly, Blue opened the bag, and his grin immediately turned to a confused expression when he found two copies of the very same magazine he was talking about.
“Wha… thank you?” Blue said in the least convincing voice possible.
“Oh, Mr. Blue, Mr. Blue!” Leaf began saying in an exaggerated tone, taking a marker out of her pocket. “I’m your biggest fan! Please, can I ask for your autograph? Pleeease?”
“You’re my favorite Gym Leader!” Red added in the most rehearsed voice Blue has ever heard, which made Leaf crack up. “Can you sign this for me?”
Blue burst out laughing, the whole scene being too much for him. Not only did he get to have dinner with both Leaf and Red after all these years, but he got their ridiculous acting on top of it!
“You guys are something else,” Blue said in between laughs as he took the marker. “So, who are the lucky people I’m signing these for?”
One of the many things Leaf missed about Kanto during her trips abroad was the tea she would get in the Celadon Department Store. It was a quick and easy way to remind her of home, and she always asked her family to send her a few boxes of teabags when she had the chance.
But now, she’s gonna miss Daisy’s brew a lot more.
“This tea is amazing, Blue!” she said after finishing her cup. The three of them decided to take the party outside so they could enjoy the cool Pallet night. “Your sister really is a tea master!”
“Heh, being a master runs in the family I guess!” said Blue with a cocky grin, which made her eyes roll almost automatically.
“I really like it,” she heard Red say afterwards. “It tastes just right.”
“Ooh, make sure you tell that to Daisy in person,” Blue said with a smile. “She’ll be over the moon when she finds out she’s impressed a coffee drinker with her tea!”
As Leaf finished her slice of chocolate cake and refilled her tea, she thought about how much she missed spending nights like this. When they were on their first journeys, they would always camp out together when their paths crossed, and they would tell each other about their latest wins or most recent additions to their teams. Leaf would always be amazed at how quickly Red and Blue were completing the gym challenge, while they would always ask her about the next town or city that she already visited ahead of them.
“So, Leaf, what were you saying about this floating town?” Blue asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Oh yeah, Pacifidlog!” replied Leaf as she refilled her teacup. “When I was in Hoenn, I wound up in a town that was completely supported by wooden planks and a huge Corsola reef. It wasn’t an island like Cinnabar, but a literal floating town!”
“Whoa, I can’t believe they’d make a town like that!” said Blue.
“I couldn’t believe it either, which is exactly why I visited,” said Leaf with a laugh. “There’s not a lot going on, but all the people are really friendly. Someone even taught me about their unique style of fishing!”
“That sounds nice,” said Red. “I wonder what it’s like to be surrounded by the sea every day?”
“It probably feels just like being on top of a mountain every day,” Blue said almost immediately after, to which Red replied with a sigh.
Leaf always found it weird how Red was content with staying in the same location for so long. But whatever he was doing had to be effective, since wherever she went, she would always find fans of her silent friend. Whether it was a gym leader in Sinnoh or a Trainers’ School student in Hoenn, Red’s exploits were well-known to almost everyone she met. She appreciated it as her rival made for a great conversation starter.
“It’s not that weird,” Red said after refilling his teacup. “I get challengers just like you.”
“Wait, you get challengers too?” Blue said in disbelief. “People actually freeze their socks off just to battle you?”
“Yup,” Red said with a hint of pride that Leaf never thought he had in him.
“Ooh, so how was your last battle like?” Leaf asked, eager to add more to her conversation starters.
“She was good,” Red answered plainly. “Her name was Lyra. And her Meganium was very strong.”
Leaf waited for more out of Red, and she saw Blue lean forward to do the same. But after a whole minute of silence, the two of them looked at each other and laughed.
“What a juicy story, Red!” Blue said with a wide grin. “You really are a chatty gossip!”
Leaf couldn’t even add on to what Blue was saying as she was still laughing hard. She saw Red giggle as well, which made it even funnier. She made a lot of friends in her travels, but none of them ever made her laugh like Blue and Red did.
“Well, in relation to Red’s riveting story,” said Blue after a few moments, “have I told you guys about my Sunday night habit yet?”
“Does it involve signing magazines for your die-hard fans?” Leaf asked.
“Hah, I wish,” Blue said as he finished his tea. “This one’s just as interesting, though!”
As Blue refilled his cup and stood up, Leaf knew that she was in for an interesting story. Sure, Red and his ten-second stories were going to be hard to top, but if anyone could, it was Blue.
“So, being a gym leader’s a busy profession, right? We get challengers five days a week, and on the other two days I have to take care of a bunch of League stuff. Meetings, presscons, interviews, you name it—there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than I thought!”
“So I hear,” said Leaf. “One of the gym leaders I met in Hoenn was also a teacher in her city’s Trainers’ School! I don’t know how she finds the energy to do both.”
“Yeah, exactly!” added Blue. “So there’s not a lot of free time, and all I had were Sunday nights. Since we don’t accept challengers on Sundays and all of the events were held in the mornings or afternoons, I had Sunday nights all to myself.”
“Wait, you said ‘had,’” Leaf picked up. “What happened?”
“Well, word got out that I had nothing to do at that time, so some of my previous challengers started calling me asking for rematches,” replied Blue. “The Saffron Dojo reopened exclusively for these kinds of matches, so gym leaders from both Kanto and Johto have been holding their rematches there, myself included.”
“So now your Sunday nights are filled with even more battling?” she asked. “Doesn’t that get tiring?”
“At first, yeah,” he admitted. “But then I realized, having rematches with the challengers that defeated you—that’s a surefire way to get stronger! So I find myself looking forward to those rematches more and more, especially if they’re against challengers that I have a hard time beating!”
“Whoa, you have challengers like that?” she said, genuinely surprised that there are many trainers out there that are stronger than even Blue.
“Yeah, and they’re all crazy talented—oh, give me a sec,” he replied as he took a ringing phone out of his pocket. “I’m Blue…”
“Let’s battle on Sunday night, Mr. Blue!”
Leaf was surprised to hear from Red, who was on his own phone and looking at Blue with a curious smile. When she put two and two together, she started laughing even harder than before.
“Oh, Mr. Blue, me too!” Leaf added in between laughs. “Let me have a rematch with you, Mr. Greatest Gym Leader of All Time!”
She saw Blue smirk as he pocketed his phone. “You guys are the worst.”
Red was an early sleeper. Mt. Silver got too cold even for him when it got too late. So he always hiked down right after sunset.
But he stayed up late for Blue’s party. The sun was already rising when it ended.
He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed that much. Each story Blue and Leaf would tell both amazed and amused him.
At first, he felt bad for having none of his own stories to tell. Mt. Silver wasn’t all that interesting. It was flat-out boring compared to Blue’s gym stories or Leaf’s journeys abroad.
But he enjoyed listening to their stories. And he knew they liked telling them.
The three of them finally decided to go inside the house after the sunrise. Red sat down on the dinner table where the party started. Leaf went to the bathroom and Blue to the kitchen sink to freshen up.
On the table were the signed copies of Blue’s magazine. He planned on bringing his copy with him when he went back to Mt. Silver. Reading Blue’s interview would be interesting.
A few minutes later, both Leaf and Blue joined him on the dinner table. The three of them stared at each other wordlessly. He felt like they were both waiting for someone to say something.
So Red broke the silence himself. He knew it was in both of their minds anyway.
“Let’s do this again next year.”
Party
“Don’t you think this is all a little, uhh, over the top?”
Blue rolled his eyes at the comment as he finished the knot on the banner. Sure, it might’ve been slightly bigger than he thought, but that was hardly an issue. He was more than happy to make room for it.
“What do you mean? It’s just what this place needs!” Blue said with a grin.
The white banner hung across the wall, completely covering all of the photos of the Oak family. On the banner were the words “Happy Holidays!” written in large capital letters, with each letter alternating between red and green, save for the three exclamation marks at the end that were painted blue.
It was the highlight of the overly decorated house, one that Blue spent the entire day putting together. The tree with the Pokémon-themed ornaments was Arabella’s idea, and his other gym trainers were kind enough to lend him their Poké Dolls for the occasion. Everything else he had to buy and assemble from scratch—the garlands, the lights outside, and of course the banner.
“If you say so,” Daisy said with a smile. “I think it’s the fitting centerpiece for your extravagant party.”
Blue could only reply with a laugh. He had originally planned a much larger party, one that invited all the gym leaders and Elite Four members from Kanto and Johto, and it would’ve been held in a fully decorated Viridian Gym. He would’ve invited a live band, and there would’ve been a lot of drinks. And of course, there would’ve been a lot of battles between some of the strongest trainers in both regions. It was going to be the best party ever!
But all those plans changed when he got the RSVP of a certain someone—a certain someone who would only go to a certain type of party.
“I mean, if it’s a party with those two, I don’t think it would be anything but extravagant,” Blue replied. And he meant every word of that statement—no matter how small it was, this was going to be a party he would never forget.
“Here’s Viridian City, Miss. You sure you don’t want me to take you all the way to Pallet?”
“I’m sure,” she said with a wink as she handed over several bills. “Thank you for the ride!”
“Thank you for booking an Escab, Miss,” the driver said with a heavy emphasis on the “you.” “Happy holidays!”
As she slung her yellow bag over her shoulder, Leaf couldn’t help but smile. She was amazed at how much transportation has changed ever since she left Kanto. Back then, she would only see cars in places like Saffron or Celadon, but now the whole region was serviced by ride-hailing apps. Who knew five years could bring about so much change?
And yet, she wasn’t surprised either. The past five years have brought so much change to herself, after all. Each region she visited, each Pokémon she recorded on her Pokédex, and each tournament she won only further proved that statement. She missed Kanto, of course, but she wouldn’t trade her time abroad for anything.
Ever since she crossed the Kanto-Johto border five years ago, she’s been to two other regions. Her year-and-a-half in Hoenn taught her a lot more about Pokémon than she could ever expect, while her past year in Sinnoh opened a lot of doors for her as a trainer.
But Kanto always held a special place in her heart. It was her first journey, after all, and she had the best friends to accompany her. She met and battled a lot of interesting trainers in her travels, but she could never forget her Pallet Town rivals.
“I wonder how they are?” Leaf said to herself. “I can’t wait to see them again!”
Blue had initially invited her for a party in Viridian Gym, but he suddenly changed that invite to his home in Pallet. She was surprised at the sudden change, but when she found out that she would be seeing both of her rivals again, she understood immediately.
Her musings led her to the Viridian city center without her realizing, and she reached her destination in no time. The past two days of traveling left her no time to buy gifts, and since she still had a few hours until the party, she thought she would take the opportunity to buy, well, whatever possible gift one could get from a Poké Mart.
As she entered the building, she was surprised at all the people who seemed to have the same idea as her, all their baskets filled with things from Poké Dolls to magazines to trainer items. Several adults with similar worried expressions scanned the aisles, and the line to the Mart’s sole counter didn’t look like it was getting shorter anytime soon.
But she was more surprised when she recognized who one of those last-minute shoppers were.
“Red? Is that really you?”
It’s been a while since he heard her voice. He was taken aback by the hug.
“Hi, Leaf.”
“Wait, that can’t be right!” she replied with a smile. “The Red I know wouldn’t have said anything out loud!”
He expected that reaction. Blue always nagged him about his silence. So he’s been trying to speak more often.
“Well, it’s nice to see you out of that mountain,” she continued. “And I assume you’re here because you don’t have a gift for Blue either?”
Red nodded. It was hard to keep track of time in Mt. Silver. Pikachu had to remind him about this party.
“That makes both of us!” she said, her enthusiasm making him smile. “At least we still have some time. Did you already find something?”
“Only this,” he said as he showed her the magazine. It was the best he could find in the last 15 minutes. Leaf’s laughing told him otherwise.
“While I love how fitting it is,” she began as her laughing died down, “do you really think Blue already doesn’t have a copy? Heck, maybe even several since he’s on the cover?”
He could only sigh in reply. Of course Blue would already have a copy. But nothing else he saw in the Poké Mart felt right.
“Tell you what,” Leaf began, “let’s find something else, but let’s add that magazine in as a bonus. That way, it can be a gift from both of us!”
He smiled. That sounded like a good idea.
The sound of the doorbell almost made him jump.
Ever since he got their RSVPs several months ago, he had been anticipating this very moment. Five years is a long time, and though he’s seen them individually a couple of times in the years in between, it wasn’t the same as when all three of them were together.
He checked himself in the mirror right next to the front door just to make sure he looked decent. He then held the doorknob, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
“Happy holidays!” he said aloud, only for his grin to immediately turn upside down.
“Well, happy holidays to you too, Blue!” the visitor replied with a smile. “I didn’t think you’d be so enthusiastic about the holidays.”
“What’re you doing here, Gramps?” Blue asked as he crossed his arms.
“Why, spreading the holiday cheer, of course!” Professor Oak replied with a smile. “I heard you’re having Red and Leaf over for dinner, so I wanted to greet them in person! Are they already here?”
“Not yet,” Blue said hurriedly. “That’s real nice of you, Gramps, but I was hoping that—”
“Ah, of course, of course,” Professor Oak interrupted. “Daisy told me how much you’ve been looking forward to this party, after all! I didn’t mean to intrude.”
His face turned red when he heard that remark, but he realized that he shouldn’t be all that surprised. Whenever he was home in the past few weeks, all he could talk about was this party. They argued about the menu almost every night, eventually settling on a pasta dish that pairs well with many of Daisy’s favorite teas. Blue tried to argue that Red was more of a coffee drinker, but Daisy was confident that she could convert him into a tea drinker “with the perfect cup.”
“In any case, I’ll be on my way,” Professor Oak said, snapping Blue out of his thoughts. “Tell them I said hello!”
“I will, Gramps,” Blue replied, but quickly added, “Or you could just tell them yourself!”
“Professor Oak! It’s been such a long time!”
She was already planning to visit Professor Oak in his lab the following day, but seeing him in Blue’s home was a pleasant surprise. Leaf had only seen Professor Oak in person once in the past five years, when she visited the Radio Tower in Johto while he was recording for his show. But she regularly called him to ask for some advice, catch up on Kanto news, or to wish him a happy birthday. Her Venusaur also appreciated seeing her hometown, even if it was just on a monitor.
“Leaf! It’s so nice to see you in person again,” Professor Oak said after their hug. “How were your travels in, erm, was it Sinnoh this time?”
“Yes, Professor!” she said with a laugh. It was only the second time that he got the region right whenever they called each other. “It was amazing, and there were so many new Pokémon that I saw! All the cities had a different feel to them, too, compared to Kanto and Johto. There’s a lot to discover there!”
She could’ve gone on and on gushing about Sinnoh, but the expression on Blue’s face told her otherwise. On any other day she would’ve continued her story just to mess with him, but this day was different.
“I’d love to tell you more about my time in Sinnoh, Professor!” Leaf said. “Maybe I could come visit your lab tomorrow for lunch?”
“That would be wonderful, Leaf! I wouldn’t want to keep you from your dinner,” said Professor Oak as he headed out of the door. “And it’s nice to see you again, Red! I hope your training in Mt. Silver has been productive.”
Red nodded and grunted in reply, which seemed to satisfy the professor.
“Alright, happy holidays you two!” he finally said. “Enjoy your party!”
“Smell ya later, Gramps!” she heard Blue say with a hint of excitement.
As Blue led both of them into his home, Leaf immediately noticed all of the decorations that adorned the house’s interior. Various garlands were meticulously placed on the stairway handle and on top of different furniture. The large tree in the living room was filled with dozens of Poké Dolls, though Leaf was most amused by the Staryu doll at the very top. Red immediately went over to look at each of the dolls up close, which made Leaf giggle.
“I didn’t think you were the decorate-the-house type of guy, Blue,” Leaf said. “Turns out you have a lot of holiday spirit!”
“Hey, this wasn’t all my doing!” Blue replied. “Daisy had a hand in this too!”
There was a faint “No I didn’t!” that came from the kitchen, which only made Leaf even more amused.
“Whatever... Now that you’re both here, let’s eat!” Blue said with a smile. “I bet you’re both hungry from all the traveling.”
When they entered the dining room, Leaf couldn’t hold back her laughter. The ornaments and the garlands may have been frivolous, but they were nothing compared to the huge white banner that screamed “Happy Holidays!!!” at her. She even noticed Red, stoic as he was, smiling at the sight.
“Okay, this one was definitely not Daisy’s idea,” Leaf said in between laughs.
Red found the pasta very delicious. His meals in Mt. Silver usually consisted of bread or canned goods. Getting to eat something else was always a treat.
But hearing Blue and Leaf’s banter was an even bigger treat.
“So, how’s Mr. Viridian City Gym Leader?” asked Leaf. Red was already getting his second serving of pasta.
“Heh, I’m still the strongest Gym Leader after all these years!” said Blue with a grin. “Challengers these days are something else, though. They’re all well-researched and even hungrier for the championship.”
“Ooh, is Mr. Greatest Gym Leader of All Time feeling threatened?” Leaf poked on.
“Not a chance!” Blue said almost immediately. “If they’re getting stronger, all I have to do is get stronger with them!”
Red always found Blue’s grand statements amusing. It was one of the many reasons why he looked forward to his visits.
“Okay, okay,” Leaf said as she finished her plate. “And how about you, Red? How’s Mt. Silver these days?”
“It’s fine,” he replied. “I’ve gotten used to the cold.”
“‘Gotten used to’ is an understatement!” said Blue. “The last time I visited, I wore three layers of clothing, and it still felt like Blastoise using Ice Beam directly at me! And then you have Red who’s in a shirt and jeans!”
Red could only smile. He felt sorry whenever he saw Blue freezing during his visits. That made him appreciate the company even more.
“I could’ve used your resistance to the cold in Sinnoh!” said Leaf. “There’s this city there called Snowpoint that’s covered in snow all year round! And all the routes surrounding it frequently have blizzards too, so it wasn’t pleasant to say the least.”
“Ooh, I’ve read about Snowpoint in a magazine before,” Blue acknowledged. “It said that there’s a really big temple there with a sleeping legendary Pokémon inside!”
“Yup, and it looks very mysterious in person, too!” said Leaf. “I wanted to see what was inside, but the locals said that they don’t let anyone enter the temple because they were afraid of awakening whatever’s inside it. But that only made me more curious!”
Red nodded in agreement. He was curious about what lay inside Snowpoint Temple too.
“You two would’ve enjoyed the gym there as well,” Leaf added. “Candice’s Ice-type Pokémon are very strong, and she uses Hail really well!”
“Ah, weather teams are one of my favorites to play against,” Blue said. “Just last week, there was this one challenger who had a full-on sandstorm team, and that was one of my most memorable battles of the month! I mean, it would’ve been better if I won, but considering how well-thought-out her team was, she deserved that badge!”
“Hm, duly noted,” Leaf said with a smile. “The next time we battle, I’ll have a sun team to take you down!”
Red laughed as he refilled his plate with a third serving of pasta. He should think about putting together a weather team sometime, too.
“Your extravagant party seems to be going well.”
Blue could only smile as he refilled the pasta bowl with the last bit of what Daisy made. He didn’t expect Red to still want more after his fourth plate, but he figured that this must be much better compared to what he usually had.
“Tea’s almost ready, too,” she added. “Let me know when I should prepare the cups.”
“That’s great,” he said as he finished emptying the pan into the serving bowl. “Are you sure you don’t have any coffee for Red?”
“Trust me, he wouldn’t want any coffee after he drinks this,” she said with a wink.
Blue grinned in reply. He knew better than to argue with Daisy about tea. He also knew that Red would be looking for coffee regardless, so he made sure to keep a pack of instant coffee in his pocket.
When he returned to the dining table, he saw Leaf getting animated with her story. Whatever she was talking about must have interested Red a lot, as he was listening very intently.
“So there he was, down to his last Pokémon, when he brought out a Gallade,” he heard Leaf say. “I thought, hey, Eevee and Venusaur could both handle a Gallade no problem, right? Then he mega evolved, and he took both of them out easily!”
“Whoa, that must have been a strong trainer!” Blue said as he took a seat, and he saw Red nod in agreement.
“Yeah, he was something else!” Leaf replied. “He seems like an ordinary trainer when you first look at him, but that makes his strength even more surprising. I bet both of you would have fun battling him!”
“Heh, those types of challengers are the best!” said Blue. “The ones who you don’t expect would give you an amazing battle. I don’t get those very often, which makes them all the more special!”
“Ooh, tell us about them!” Leaf encouraged. “Give us an extra special one!”
“Well, the one I always talk about is Ethan,” he said as he refilled his teacup. “I told you about him before, right Red? The guy with the Typhlosion?”
“Yup,” Red replied. Blue appreciated the one-word answers from him as opposed to the usual nodding.
“He’s this kid from Johto, Leaf, one who apparently Gramps also met at the start of his journey,” Blue continued. “Nice kid, loves the outdoors a lot. Didn’t think much of him when he challenged me, but his team was something else. That Typhlosion I mentioned knocked out both my Pidgeot and my Arcanine all by itself!”
“Ooh, must be a skilled trainer!” commented Leaf.
“Definitely,” he agreed. “In fact, I was interviewed for Pokémon Fan Magazine recently, and I talked about him there, too—”
Before he could continue, he saw Leaf and Red look at each other and begin laughing. He was in the middle of another sentence when their laughter grew even louder, which made him curious.
“Wha… What’s so funny?” he asked after their laughter died down. “I haven’t even gotten to the best part!”
“Oh, we were just thinking about our present for you!” Leaf said with a grin.
“The chocolate cake?” Blue said with confusion. He was happy that they brought dessert with them, even if he’s had that very same cake from the Viridian City Poké Mart an embarrassing number of times.
“We got you something else,” said Red, and his excitement was already a big enough surprise for Blue.
“Well, don’t leave me hanging!” Blue said. “What else did you get for me?”
Almost instantly, he saw Red take out a small paper bag from under the table and give it to him, his smile never leaving his face. He also noticed that Leaf was acting extra giddy, so whatever was inside the bag must have been hilarious.
Excitedly, Blue opened the bag, and his grin immediately turned to a confused expression when he found two copies of the very same magazine he was talking about.
“Wha… thank you?” Blue said in the least convincing voice possible.
“Oh, Mr. Blue, Mr. Blue!” Leaf began saying in an exaggerated tone, taking a marker out of her pocket. “I’m your biggest fan! Please, can I ask for your autograph? Pleeease?”
“You’re my favorite Gym Leader!” Red added in the most rehearsed voice Blue has ever heard, which made Leaf crack up. “Can you sign this for me?”
Blue burst out laughing, the whole scene being too much for him. Not only did he get to have dinner with both Leaf and Red after all these years, but he got their ridiculous acting on top of it!
“You guys are something else,” Blue said in between laughs as he took the marker. “So, who are the lucky people I’m signing these for?”
One of the many things Leaf missed about Kanto during her trips abroad was the tea she would get in the Celadon Department Store. It was a quick and easy way to remind her of home, and she always asked her family to send her a few boxes of teabags when she had the chance.
But now, she’s gonna miss Daisy’s brew a lot more.
“This tea is amazing, Blue!” she said after finishing her cup. The three of them decided to take the party outside so they could enjoy the cool Pallet night. “Your sister really is a tea master!”
“Heh, being a master runs in the family I guess!” said Blue with a cocky grin, which made her eyes roll almost automatically.
“I really like it,” she heard Red say afterwards. “It tastes just right.”
“Ooh, make sure you tell that to Daisy in person,” Blue said with a smile. “She’ll be over the moon when she finds out she’s impressed a coffee drinker with her tea!”
As Leaf finished her slice of chocolate cake and refilled her tea, she thought about how much she missed spending nights like this. When they were on their first journeys, they would always camp out together when their paths crossed, and they would tell each other about their latest wins or most recent additions to their teams. Leaf would always be amazed at how quickly Red and Blue were completing the gym challenge, while they would always ask her about the next town or city that she already visited ahead of them.
“So, Leaf, what were you saying about this floating town?” Blue asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Oh yeah, Pacifidlog!” replied Leaf as she refilled her teacup. “When I was in Hoenn, I wound up in a town that was completely supported by wooden planks and a huge Corsola reef. It wasn’t an island like Cinnabar, but a literal floating town!”
“Whoa, I can’t believe they’d make a town like that!” said Blue.
“I couldn’t believe it either, which is exactly why I visited,” said Leaf with a laugh. “There’s not a lot going on, but all the people are really friendly. Someone even taught me about their unique style of fishing!”
“That sounds nice,” said Red. “I wonder what it’s like to be surrounded by the sea every day?”
“It probably feels just like being on top of a mountain every day,” Blue said almost immediately after, to which Red replied with a sigh.
Leaf always found it weird how Red was content with staying in the same location for so long. But whatever he was doing had to be effective, since wherever she went, she would always find fans of her silent friend. Whether it was a gym leader in Sinnoh or a Trainers’ School student in Hoenn, Red’s exploits were well-known to almost everyone she met. She appreciated it as her rival made for a great conversation starter.
“It’s not that weird,” Red said after refilling his teacup. “I get challengers just like you.”
“Wait, you get challengers too?” Blue said in disbelief. “People actually freeze their socks off just to battle you?”
“Yup,” Red said with a hint of pride that Leaf never thought he had in him.
“Ooh, so how was your last battle like?” Leaf asked, eager to add more to her conversation starters.
“She was good,” Red answered plainly. “Her name was Lyra. And her Meganium was very strong.”
Leaf waited for more out of Red, and she saw Blue lean forward to do the same. But after a whole minute of silence, the two of them looked at each other and laughed.
“What a juicy story, Red!” Blue said with a wide grin. “You really are a chatty gossip!”
Leaf couldn’t even add on to what Blue was saying as she was still laughing hard. She saw Red giggle as well, which made it even funnier. She made a lot of friends in her travels, but none of them ever made her laugh like Blue and Red did.
“Well, in relation to Red’s riveting story,” said Blue after a few moments, “have I told you guys about my Sunday night habit yet?”
“Does it involve signing magazines for your die-hard fans?” Leaf asked.
“Hah, I wish,” Blue said as he finished his tea. “This one’s just as interesting, though!”
As Blue refilled his cup and stood up, Leaf knew that she was in for an interesting story. Sure, Red and his ten-second stories were going to be hard to top, but if anyone could, it was Blue.
“So, being a gym leader’s a busy profession, right? We get challengers five days a week, and on the other two days I have to take care of a bunch of League stuff. Meetings, presscons, interviews, you name it—there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than I thought!”
“So I hear,” said Leaf. “One of the gym leaders I met in Hoenn was also a teacher in her city’s Trainers’ School! I don’t know how she finds the energy to do both.”
“Yeah, exactly!” added Blue. “So there’s not a lot of free time, and all I had were Sunday nights. Since we don’t accept challengers on Sundays and all of the events were held in the mornings or afternoons, I had Sunday nights all to myself.”
“Wait, you said ‘had,’” Leaf picked up. “What happened?”
“Well, word got out that I had nothing to do at that time, so some of my previous challengers started calling me asking for rematches,” replied Blue. “The Saffron Dojo reopened exclusively for these kinds of matches, so gym leaders from both Kanto and Johto have been holding their rematches there, myself included.”
“So now your Sunday nights are filled with even more battling?” she asked. “Doesn’t that get tiring?”
“At first, yeah,” he admitted. “But then I realized, having rematches with the challengers that defeated you—that’s a surefire way to get stronger! So I find myself looking forward to those rematches more and more, especially if they’re against challengers that I have a hard time beating!”
“Whoa, you have challengers like that?” she said, genuinely surprised that there are many trainers out there that are stronger than even Blue.
“Yeah, and they’re all crazy talented—oh, give me a sec,” he replied as he took a ringing phone out of his pocket. “I’m Blue…”
“Let’s battle on Sunday night, Mr. Blue!”
Leaf was surprised to hear from Red, who was on his own phone and looking at Blue with a curious smile. When she put two and two together, she started laughing even harder than before.
“Oh, Mr. Blue, me too!” Leaf added in between laughs. “Let me have a rematch with you, Mr. Greatest Gym Leader of All Time!”
She saw Blue smirk as he pocketed his phone. “You guys are the worst.”
Red was an early sleeper. Mt. Silver got too cold even for him when it got too late. So he always hiked down right after sunset.
But he stayed up late for Blue’s party. The sun was already rising when it ended.
He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed that much. Each story Blue and Leaf would tell both amazed and amused him.
At first, he felt bad for having none of his own stories to tell. Mt. Silver wasn’t all that interesting. It was flat-out boring compared to Blue’s gym stories or Leaf’s journeys abroad.
But he enjoyed listening to their stories. And he knew they liked telling them.
The three of them finally decided to go inside the house after the sunrise. Red sat down on the dinner table where the party started. Leaf went to the bathroom and Blue to the kitchen sink to freshen up.
On the table were the signed copies of Blue’s magazine. He planned on bringing his copy with him when he went back to Mt. Silver. Reading Blue’s interview would be interesting.
A few minutes later, both Leaf and Blue joined him on the dinner table. The three of them stared at each other wordlessly. He felt like they were both waiting for someone to say something.
So Red broke the silence himself. He knew it was in both of their minds anyway.
“Let’s do this again next year.”