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for as long as he can remember - and from the endless childhood stories his mother tells him - ethan has never been one to slow down. despite everyone telling him to take a break sometimes, he's always wanted to push forward, keep going.
that's why, against all wishes for him to just relax for once, he's taking his travels to kanto immediately after his victory against lance.
the trip on the s.s. aqua is mostly uneventful - apart from a mishap including someone's missing granddaughter - and ethan arrives in vermillion without a hitch, albeit slightly seasick. seriously, how do people in pacifidlog town manage to live on the sea?
lieutenant surge towers over him with a grin, voice booming.
"all the way from johto, eh? you got guts challenging me, kid, i'll tell you that. i've never lost on the battlefield!"
ethan is pretty sure that last part isn't exactly true, but okay, whatever. he keeps his mouth shut and releases his sunflora as surge's raichu bounds onto the field.
after an admittedly not particularly challenging battle, surge gives him the thunder badge and a handshake that is far too strong.
the other gym leaders come and go without much problem, and ethan's badge case begins to fill.
an empty spot stares back at him. the eighth; the earth badge.
he arrives in viridian soon enough with purpose in his stride and a goal in his mind. while at the pokémon centre, he strikes up a conversation with an ace trainer. when he notices ethan's accent, he asks why he's traveled to kanto.
"i'm here to challenge viridian's gym leader for the earth badge." he explains, and frowns in confusion when the stranger laughs in his face.
"good luck with that. he's never here."
"what? where is he?" ethan asks. he's doesn't have all the time in the world for this badge. he's got a national dex to fill, after all.
the trainer shrugs.
"dunno. he's never in the same place for too long. seriously, i don't know what the league was thinking appointing that kid. probably to make him feel better about losing the championship so fast."
ethan nods absently, thanks the guy for the info. he feels disappointed that he's not here. he was looking forward to meeting him, and even more importantly, battling him.
he soon gets his wish, however, when he travels back to cinnabar island. he's navigating the volcanic ruins when he spots a head of hair that's somewhere between brown and orange.
it's the legendary green oak; the ex champion, kanto's strongest gym leader and the grandson of the famous professor oak. ethan gives himself a few moments to be a complete fanboy before he approaches him.
green hears him approaching and turns, regarding him with a curious expression.
"hm?"
"um, mr oak! it's an honour to meet you, sir. i'm ethan, from johto-"
green cuts him off with a wave of his hand.
"just call me green. and yeah, i know who you are. johto's new champion. y'know, i was champion once too, though it was pretty short lived."
of course ethan knows that. the news of green's conquering of the league three years ago, and his subsequent defeat, had swept through both kanto and johto like wildfire.
he's so happy that green knows who he is, though (what an honour!). he pulls out his badge case to show him, pointing at the empty space.
"seven badges, huh? pretty impressive. i'm guessing you're here to challenge me for mine?"
ethan nods enthusiastically. at the confirmation, a fire appears in green's eyes; a challenge on his smirking lips.
"well, when i see a strong trainer, i need to battle them. meet me at my gym."
-
ethan arrives at the viridian gym with a nervous lump in his throat and sweaty palms. when he opens the door, green stands there, arms crossed.
as ethan approaches, green wastes no time with small talk; already pulling a pokeball from his belt.
he gulps. ethan can't believe he's about to actually challenge someone like green. he adjusts his hat, determination burning in his chest.
green smirks.
"okay, johto champion, time to show me if you're actually deserving of that title. go, pidgeot!"
with a deep breath, ethan releases ambipom, and the battle begins.
what follows is extremely intense; pidgeot soaring above thunder punches until one finally hits, a standoff between sunflora and rhydon, gyarados' ice fang knocking togekiss from the air.
in the end, they're both down to their last pokémon; typhlosion and arcanine. ethan is certain he's about to lose, unable to endure another attack, until a final rock slide comes from typhlosion.
arcanine faints, and green returns him to his pokeball, a stunned expression on his face.
ethan can't believe he won.
"i actually lost..." green says, silent for a few moments, before shaking his head with a laugh.
"wow, you're the real deal, kid. that was a good battle."
he walks over to him, fishing something out of one of his many pockets.
"here, i think you've earned this. but be warned, i won't lose next time."
ethan, still in disbelief, accepts the item; a glittering earth badge, just for him. and wow - next time? green wants to battle him again?
he nods, dumbfounded. he opens his badge case, slotting his newfound possession into place.
as the badges glint at him, ethan grins with pride.
-
ethan considers travelling back to johto, but he decides against it for now. he wants to stay a bit longer; complete the national dex, battle more strong trainers, rematch some gym leaders.
he meets green a few more times, to battle or even just chat. it's nice to have met a new friend.
"professor oak granted me access to mount silver for getting your badge. i'm planning on heading up there pretty soon." ethan tells him one day.
green scowls - whether it's over the mention of his defeat or his grandfather, ethan isn't sure - and taps thoughtfully on his arm. "pretty dangerous up there."
"i know. but i really wanna check it out. it'll be fun!"
green seems unimpressed by his response, for some reason. "fun? you know you could die up there if you're not careful, right?"
ethan frowns. he doesn't know why green seems so against the idea. ethan's travelled across two regions; it's not like he's new to adventuring.
"of course i know that, i'm not an idiot. why are you even scolding me over this? you're hardly older than me."
it's as if a string inside green's body finally snaps. he glares hotly, uncrossing his arms to point a finger at him. ethan's never seen him so upset.
"you can't just disappear into the middle of nowhere as you please, red. you might not come back."
green's expression is too full of emotion to fully decipher, but as soon as he realises what he said, his face snaps shut and drains of colour. he turns away before ethan can even start to think of a response.
ethan suddenly feels like he's eavesdropping on a private conversation, even though he's the only one there. those words definitely weren't meant for him.
green still hasn't said a word. ethan has no idea what to say, but he tries to kill the silence nonetheless.
"red. i've heard about him a few times. uh, he was your rival, right?"
it takes a while for green to respond. he clenches a fist at his side, then releases it. "he was my friend."
the silence continues to stretch on. green finally glances at him, then sighs. "he disappeared about three years ago, and no one knows where he went. you kinda look like him, so i got carried away."
ethan figures thats the closest to an apology he'll get. "don't worry, dude. i totally get it. i'd be upset too."
green nods absently. ethan thinks that's the end of it, but green has more to say.
"i even looked for him a few times, over in johto. but i couldn't even find a trace." green lets out a short laugh, but there's no humour behind it. "can you believe that? it's like he disappeared into thin air."
something tells him that green hasn't told anyone about this; that ethan shouldn't be allowed to hear this. he doesn't stick around for long after that. he has a feeling green wants to be alone.
-
the journey to mount silver is confusing, and ethan expects the actual mountain to be much worse. he stops at the conveniently placed pokémon centre right outside the cave's entrance.
he briefly wonders why it's here, so far away from any town or busy route. it's not like there's anyone around to actually use it.
he's surprised to actually find a nurse inside. she must be lonely here, he thinks.
"welcome! it's rare we get visitors here. would you like me to heal your pokémon?"
ethan nods with a smile, trying to be polite, and hands over his pokeballs. a few moments pass while they heal.
after receiving them back, ethan is about to bid his farewell and leave before the nurse leans forward. she looks around as there's someone that could eavesdrop on them; like she's about to whisper an important secret.
"there's a boy up there." is all she says.
-
ethan was right; the climb up mount silver is long and treacherous and altogether, it sucks. he scrapes his knees a few times and curses himself for not dressing more appropriately, but between politoed's surf and typhlosion's rock climb, he finds himself making it closer and closer to the mountain's peak.
during his ascent he can't stop replaying nurse joy's words in his mind. a boy? up here? who in their right mind would live on mount silver?
he tries to dismiss it. maybe the loneliness had gotten to the nurse, driven her a bit crazy. whatever.
he reaches the peak, and gets his answer.
a red jacket and matching cap. blue jeans. when he turns to look at ethan, he's got dark hair and eyes. ethan recalls an alert on the tv he saw years ago; a missing report.
holy shi- crap.
red.
ethan's speechless. he feels like he's about to faint, either from shock or the cold.
red seems surprised to see someone up here. ethan must be one of the first people he's seen in three years, excluding the nurse at the base of the mountain.
"you're red..." he finally declares, words cutting through the wind. red stares him down, giving a minute nod.
ethan gets over his shock enough to notice the pikachu sitting at red's side. with a wave of red's hand, it crawls forward into a battle stance infront of him.
a silent challenge in red's dark eyes; a mutual understanding passing between them.
it's time to battle. ethan releases sudowoodo.
ethan soon understands how red defeated the elite four and green so quickly. he commands his team silently, calculated, and they respond immediately. they don't battle as trainer and pokémon, but rather as one combined unit.
pikachu moves too fast for sudowoodo to get a hit in, dodging every attempt effortlessly. he's soon overpowered by a final volt tackle, and ethan's mind races as he fumbles for another pokeball on his belt.
red's team is far too strong for his. typhlosion is trumped by blastoise, sunflora by charizard, and nobody can break through his snorlax.
the battle is ended as a final blizzard from lapras knocks out ambipom. ethan recalls him, more defeated and embarrassed than he's ever been after a battle.
red recalls his lapras and picks up his pikachu, cradling it in his arms. he gives ethan another look he can't decipher, and then walks past him back into the cave he must be living in. ethan, who doesn't know what else to do, follows silently.
he finds red sitting at a campfire, feeding pikachu a berry. he glances at ethan before pulling out a box of healing supplies. ethan guesses it must save him a lot of trips to the pokémon centre.
he still doesn't know if he's welcome to sit or anything, so he continues to stand there awkwardly. he definitely hasn't set a good first impression for himself. red, in his isolation up here, can't possibly even know who he is.
"um, i'm ethan." he tries, somehow managing to be more awkward than he already is. red, who's preoccupied with healing his team, simply regards him with a nod. he sees that as a sign to continue.
"i'm from johto. i'm actually the new champion..." he trails off. normally he's proud of that achievement, but it feels so minute after red just wiped the floor with him.
"anyway, i came to kanto to get the eight gym badges." just to do something with his hands, he takes out his badge case to show him.
red stares down at the sixteen badges shining in all their glory, a seemingly blank look on his face. he points to the earth badge, frowning. he must be wondering who took over the gym after giovanni vanished.
ethan is surprised that red is actually interested in what he's saying.
"um, yeah. that's from green."
at the word green red whips his head up in surprise to look at him. the movement is so sudden that ethan almost flinches.
red stares at him, eyes wide in curiosity. ethan guesses he's wanting more information.
"he's the new gym leader," he says quickly, then adds; "he... he was looking for you."
red tears his eyes away at that, looking at the ground thoughtfully. his mouth opens silently, like he wants to say something, but can't. he frowns again.
ethan puts the case away, feeling bad about bringing the topic up.
he remembers his fainted team sitting at his belt.
"i should go heal my pokemon. uh, it was nice meeting you. is it okay if we battle again sometime?"
red nods absently, still lost in thought. he doesn't meet ethan's eyes again. when ethan turns around one last time before leaving, he's still staring at the ground.
-
ethan feels at war with himself the next time he goes to see green at his gym. he deserves to know where red is, right? but what if red doesn't want to be found? it can't be healthy for red to be up there; cold and lonely.
he finds green at his desk, filling out paperwork. he looks up at ethan briefly.
"hey. how was mount silver?"
he gulps.
"um, yeah, good."
green raises an eyebrow. "just good? what, you didn't find anything interesting?"
"oh, i did."
green looks up at him fully now.
"ethan, what aren't you telling me?"
"i found someone up there."
green snorts. ethan doesn't expect him to be laughing in a few seconds.
"must be someone pretty stupid to be living up there."
ethan tries to choose his next words carefully for a few moments, but decides there’s no easy way to say this.
"i found red."
green freezes, his pen dropping to his desk with a small thud. his face goes through so many emotions in a matter of seconds. this theme of red and green reacting so strongly to each other's names would be funny if it weren't so serious.
"what?" he asks, voice uncharacteristically quiet.
ethan just nods.
green suddenly stands, paperwork forgotten.
"show me."
-
green stares up at the mountain from its base, wrapping his jacket tighter around himself.
"he can't be serious."
ethan, better dressed this time in long pants and a jacket, leads the way. green complains and curses red the whole way up, but grows quieter and quieter the closer they get to the peak. he looks lost in thought, like he's not sure what he'll say when he finally sees red.
he better decide quickly, ethan thinks, because they're about to reach his cave.
he enters first, green a few paces behind him. he sees red sitting at his fire once more, his team relaxing around him.
red spots him, and the beginning of a small smile starts appear on his face. then his eyes land on green, who enters the cave next.
red scrambles back and then stands quickly, eyes wide, like he might need to defend himself or run off. his team recognises green and they begin to stir, ready to fight if the need arises.
ethan watches the two of them stand frozen for a few moments, tension crackling like electricity in the air between them. then, green suddenly storms towards red and grabs him by the collar of his jacket.
ethan half expects green to punch him, and he's about to stop them before green starts speaking, voice full of emotion.
"are you stupid?! this is where you've been all this time?"
red stares at him. green glares back.
"do you have any idea how worried everyone's been about you? we thought you were dead."
red shoves green off of him and lifts his hands to sign something ethan can't understand, but green does. somehow he looks even angrier now. since when did green know sign language?
"no choice? of course you had a choice, red. why would you run off? you should've at least told me."
ethan really was expecting green to be a bit happier to see red, but he just seems upset. maybe this was a bad idea.
red signs something else, and green's shoulders slump. ethan really wishes he could understand, but it's probably best he doesn't. this is their conversation, not his.
"yeah, i know i didn't make it easy. and i'm sorry red. i really am. i've changed." the anger is gone from green's voice now, replaced by something more somber.
red stares for a long time, like he's contemplating green's apology. then, at last, he nods slowly, and sits. green is far less awkward than ethan was, and takes the silent invitation to join red at the fire. they both look to ethan, who suddenly feels like he definitely shouldn't be here, but green waves him over.
the three of them stare at the fire in silence until green speaks again.
"you really are an idiot, living up here by yourself. i'm impressed."
ethan winces, expecting another argument or worse, but red seems to understand that it's secretly a compliment or something, and his lips stretch into a small smile.
"i'll bring up some supplies for you next time i come up. your mother wouldn't want you starving to death."
red frowns at the mention of his mother. green catches the look.
"yeah, remember her? you need to come down, tell her you're okay. she's going crazy."
red looks away, but green still understands him effortlessly.
"you can't hide away forever up here. i won't let you."
red shrugs, and green scoffs.
"weirdo."
ethan stays silent while the conversation continues. most people would just see green talking to himself, one-sided, but it's far from that. red listens to green attentively while he blabbers endlessly about this and that, and responds to every one of red's subtle looks and expressions.
they make a good pair, ethan notes. he can definitely see how they once were such good friends. deep down, he hopes they can be, again.
when they leave, green seems to be in a better mood, the weight on his shoulders lighter. he turns to ethan.
"thank you."
-
green continues to visit red on his mountain, and ethan does as well, when he finds the time. the magnet train from kanto to johto helps, too.
typically after they battle, ethan doesn't stick around for too long. it's too cold for his - or frankly anyones - tastes, and he feels guilty if he takes too long to heal his team. red isn't very chatty, either. today, though, ethan tries for some conversation.
"i met professor oak. he told me you and green completed the kanto pokedex! that's so cool."
red regards him with a simple nod, but seems preoccupied with his team. his pikachu gives a happy squeal as it receives a berry and a scratch between the ears for its battling.
ethan keeps talking. "i'm still working on mine. i have a lot of kanto pokemon missing, but my johto dex is almost finished, atleast."
red perks up a little at the words johto dex. ethan realises that in the years he's been up here, he probably never got to explore johto.
"oh, you probably haven't completed it either, huh?" red's fully facing him now, and he shakes his head.
"i could... show you? if you like."
ethan doesn't know much about red, but one thing he's certain of is that red loves pokemon. he sees it in the way he treats his team, and he sees it now in the way red carefully packs his healing items away, and then eagerly nods, inviting ethan to sit next to him.
although he's in slight disbelief that their conversation is lasting this long, ethan takes the opportunity gladly. red watches attentively as he's shown ethan's collection, pointing to any pokemon he wants to hear more about, and ethan is happy to babble about them. red listens and even brings out his own complete pokedex to show him some entries he doesn't have.
a considerable amount of time passes as they compare collections, and soon its time for ethan to leave. this departure is a lot better than the others, though, and red even waves him goodbye. ethan leaves with a grin, finally feeling like he's made a new friend.
—
ethan finds himself back in kanto soon enough.
he's spent most of his morning in viridian forest searching for a pikachu, but so far he hasn't had any luck.
he decides the pokedex entry can wait another day or two, and invites green to join him for a bite somewhere, since his gym is so close.
"yeah, sure, why not," green's voice crackles over his pokegear. "haven't had any challengers today, so im itching to move. no good ones, anyway."
green chooses where they eat, since ethan doesn't know many food places in kanto. soon they're sitting outside a cafe in pewter city, not far from the museum. ethan's never been, and makes a mental note to visit sometime.
they catch up; chatting about any thrilling battles, pokemon they'd seen, or anything else that's happened since they last spoke. green rattles with little pause about this and that; an annoying challenger at the gym, something funny his eevee did, but as inevitably as the sun setting each day, he's soon talking about red again.
ethan has come to expect it at this point. he mentioned red enough while he was still missing, but now that he's frequently visiting him on mount silver, there's plenty more for him to talk - or rather complain - about.
"-and he doesnt even wear a jacket or anything! i swear, he makes me so angry sometimes."
his rant is utterly derailed before it can reach full speed with ethan's next words, however. "it sounds like you really care about him. it's nice."
green stares at him like he's sprouted a second head, repulsed. "what!? no i don't. he can freeze up there for all i care."
ethan pokes at what little remains of his pancake, smiling slightly. green reminds him so much of silver sometimes; he wonders what would happen if they met.
"my friend lyra taught me that. she said if someone gets that emotional over someone, it's usually because they care. even if it is confusing."
he looks up afterwards, but green has already turned his head away, huffing. "oh yeah? whatever." he doesn't deny anything, though.
green is a little quieter than usual for the rest of their lunch after that. each time their conversation lulls, ethan notices his eyes lost in thought, sees the cogs turning in his head.
not that ethan minds, though. he has plenty to talk about.
-
ethan spends the next few years floating between johto and kanto; getting stronger, exploring new places, and still trying to find the time to always return home to visit new bark town.
he decides to visit green again, since it's been a while since he's seen his friend. he wonders how red is doing on mount silver, too. maybe if they'd battle again, ethan would stand a bigger chance this time.
he enters viridian gym and is informed by a trainer that green is in his back office. as he approaches he hears green talking to someone; but not another voice replying. he must be on the phone.
ethan opens the door and discovers that green is not on the phone. instead, red sits in the chair across from him, listening to him speak. they both turn to look at ethan.
seeing red there, finally down from mount silver, sends him into almost as much shock as he was in when he first saw him, all those years ago.
"ethan," green smiles, standing and leaving his desk. red stands too beside him and turns towards ethan, and he gets a good look at them both.
they've both grown taller, red even more so than green by an inch or two. red's also gained a fair bit of muscle and stubble; no longer the pale lanky boy he remembers from mount silver. he nods at ethan with a smile, still sporting his old cap.
a few strands of green's hair now reach past his eyes, and he brushes them behind his ears, which have been pierced with simple black studs. he grins.
they have a conversation about how they've been, red silently nodding throughout.
"and imagine my surprise when i got back from kalos to find red here!" green laughs as red smiles bashfully at the ground, tugging his cap.
green smiles at red before he explains that they've been invited to unova for a week or two for the pokémon world tournament. ethan is happy for them. it really seems like they've returned to being good friends.
red stares softly at green as he speaks, unaware red is looking at him. when green looks his way, however, he whips his head away. at this angle, only ethan can see red's face go a bit darker. he wonders what that's about. he has a sneaking suspicion, but he keeps it to himself for now.
they talk for a bit longer before ethan bids them farewell and wishes them a good trip.
green walks him out of the gym.
"you two seem close." ethan thinks aloud.
now it's green's face that heats up.
"you think so?"
and wow, ethan thinks. these two really are hopeless.
-
news of the pokémon world tournament passes through the rest of the world, and thousands watch its coverage on the television, ethan included.
he spots red and green a few times, along with lance, the johto and kanto gym leaders, and plenty of other famous and powerful trainers. ethan’s thrilled to watch the battles, and is impressed to see red not lose a single one. that makes ethan feel a bit better about losing to him so often.
but as all things do, the tournament comes to an end, and red and green and all the other invited trainers return home. a few weeks pass before ethan decides to visit them again, since he’s already in pallet town to show professor oak his work on the national dex.
when he goes to the gym, though, green isn’t there. ethan doesn’t know why he’s surprised, because green is hardly ever there anyway. he treks across the street to green’s apartment instead, and knocks on the door.
the door opens a few moments later, and ethan was not expecting red to be standing there, but he is. funnily enough, this is the first time he’s ever seen red without his hat on, bangs sweeping over his forehead.
red raises a hand in greeting before leading him inside. ethan’s been to green’s apartment before, and it looks about the same, save for some small changes; two empty mugs on the counter instead of one, an extra chair at the dinner table, a second pet bowl on the floor. like someone else has been living here.
green greets him from the kitchen, grinning. he seems so much happier these days, ethan notices, less stress on his shoulders. he doesn’t have to worry about red anymore, where he is, if he’s safe. ethan’s pretty sure he knows the true reason green is so happy now, though.
“red has been staying with me for a while,” green explains, and the two share a look. it’s filled with unspoken words and emotions that ethan can’t understand. he remembers being a kid, watching his parents have the same silent conversations over the dinner table.
ethan also recalls a tour green once gave him of his apartment years ago, and he only remembers being shown a single bedroom.
well, that explains it. either these two are together or they’re a pair of friends who do not understand boundaries at all.
the realisation makes ethan smile. the two definitely are made for each other, if he really thinks about it. they complement each other perfectly. he’s glad he played some sort of role in bringing them together, all those years ago.
he still wants confirmation, though, and maybe he just wants to rub it in green’s face, that he really does care about red. what kind of friend would he be if he didn’t poke just a little fun?
when red leaves for the kitchen to make them tea, ethan turns to green with a raised eyebrow.
“are you gonna say it, or do i actually have to ask?”
green scoffs and rolls his eyes, face flushing.
“is it that obvious?”
“you’re terrible at hiding it.”
-
years pass, and one day ethan receives a letter in the mail. before he opens it, he notices it's addressed from red and green.
it's a wedding invitation.
ethan grins.