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“Thunder,” Green commands with his arms folded, just as Pikachu twists his little body in mid-air to point his vibrating tail at his opponent’s Hitmontop.
The clouds above the stadium begin to rumble, the very heavens themselves splitting just as several lightning bolts rain down from the sky against the howling of a storm.
A deafening crack echoes through the space, the impact of the attack casting rippling shockwaves across the turf.
Unconscious, Hitmontop hits the ground with a thump, seconds before thousands of spectators get to their feet to shout and cheer.
“Viridian Gym is the best!”
“You go, Green!”
“Holy shit!”
Green holds out his arm in time for Pikachu to land on it, scampering up to his shoulder. “An admirable attempt, challenger. You fought well.”
The young woman slumps briefly, but she straightens her posture after, holding out a Pokéball to recall her Hitmontop. “Thank you, gym leader!”
When Green goes back down to the arena tunnel, he hears several people in the stands murmuring amongst themselves.
“That Pikachu—”
“Wait, isn’t this different from his usual lineup?”
“Green swapped out Exeggutor. That’s strange…”
Smiling to himself, Green turns to look at Pikachu on his shoulder. “They’re talking about you.”
“Pika?” Pikachu glances behind them, then back up at Green. “Pi.”
“Well, I knew you’d handle your debut here well.” When they reach the changing room, Green shrugs off his jacket as Pikachu jumps off his arm and onto a bench. “It was he who trained you, after all.”
“Chu,” Pikachu reprimands.
“What?” Green says, pulling his shirt up and over his head to change back into a turtleneck, adjusting his pendant as he does so. “I was just stating a fact. He may still be my greatest rival, but you know very well we’re on good terms now. Silly rodent.”
“Pi!” There’s a crackling sound in the air as Pikachu’s cheeks begin to spark threateningly.
“You really are just like him!” Green laughs, shaking his head as he reaches for the inside of his jacket. “Honestly. When I tell him later—”
His fingers linger on his phone in his pocket. Green lets his hand drop.
“Right.” He nods, voice quiet. “There’s no reception at Mt. Silver. I forgot.”
Pikachu’s ears twitch, sensing the abrupt shift in mood. “Pika?”
Forcing a smile, Green puts his hands in his pockets. “It’s nothing. Time for lunch. We’ll get a quick bite, and then it’s another two challengers for the afternoon. What do you think—are you up for it?”
Nodding furiously, Pikachu curls its little paws into determined fists. “Chuu!”
“Let’s go, then. And please stop picking fights with my Arcanine. He feels very bullied by you, you know.”
“Kaa.” Avoiding Green’s scrutinising gaze, Pikachu turns away to feign grooming his fur.
“I have eyes. You’ve always been like this, ever since he caught you in Viridian Forest.”
“Pi!”
Green scoffs. “Ten years, but you clearly haven’t changed.”
Huffing back at Green in response, Pikachu still clambers onto him anyway, curling around his neck as they walk out of the gym. Green waves at a couple of his trainers on his way out back. Pikachu this week—maybe he’ll train that guy’s Lapras the following week then, and add Espeon to his lineup at the end of the month.
“Anyway, you’re stuck with me, while he has to recover from his fight with Mewtwo at the hot springs up there. You should be so grateful that I’m taking care of you lot while he’s there with Charizard.”
Pikachu is silent for a while, before he rubs his cheek against Green’s, letting a few small sparks fly the way he does the rare moment he feels affectionate. Or lonely.
“...Pika.”
Green stops in his tracks, rubbing Pikachu’s drooping ears as it gives him a sad, solemn glance.
“...I know.”
Looking out at the fog beyond Viridian City’s rolling hills and the shadow of Indigo Plateau in the distance, Green thinks he can briefly make out the mountains in Johto.
“I miss Red, too.”