Work Text:
The last time he saw Red was at the Game Corner, back in Celadon. Green had stepped inside but hadn't liked the smoke-filled air and the relentless discordant noise that had hammered against his ears from all the different machines. He thought he'd glance at the prizes on offer and leave. But then he saw Red sitting at the slots and for once their eyes didn't meet, so they didn't have to battle right away. Red didn't look around at all, actually. His attention was focused on the flickering screen in front of him, his fingers quick and thoughtless as they fed the slot machine one coin after another from a purse in his lap. Pikachu was curled by his feet, dozing, clearly bored. How long had he been there before Green showed up?
Green stayed another twenty minutes, watching—not that he was a creep or anything. It was just so rare to see Red and not immediately have to yell and fight, these days. It reminded him of how it used to be when they were younger, reading pokémon magazines indoors on rainy days. Or, well, he'd read them, and Red liked the pictures more. But there was a feeling of companionship on those afternoons, a sense of contentment that Green hadn't realized he missed.
But the longer he watched, the more his brow furrowed. Red was a different kind of focused than Green ever saw during matches. A new kind of expressionless, almost empty. His eyes flicked just slightly, watching the reels. He set them spinning again, and again, his expression barely changing even when the machine lit up and spat out a few coins. He just fed the coins right back into the machine and kept going.
Pikachu eventually caught sight of Green and sat up, its cheeks giving a spark of warning. Green scowled at it and left.
He'd peeked in a few more times after that and always found Red in the same seat in the Game Corner. At last he decided that if Red wanted to waste his time then Green certainly wasn't going to do the same, and he'd left Celadon City behind without a second thought.
--
Green passed a few weeks in Saffron City with no sign of Red. Green was used to taking the city's badge first and then waiting around a day or two, just to make sure that Red saw his name on the gym's statue outside, but not this long. He even called Daisy, to see if Red's mom had heard anything, but Red called home so rarely anyway that he didn't get any news out of it.
Then he saw Red on the street and stopped dead, because that empty expression was still on Red's face.
Red didn't seem to be paying attention to where he walked, and unlike other times when he'd space out, Pikachu wasn't on his shoulder to help him navigate. He couldn't see Pikachu anywhere, and a frission of unease ran down Green's spine. He ducked into an alley as Red passed by and then tailed him, until Red turned and vanished into Silph Co.
Silph Co.! Another Rocket hideout. Green scoffed. Maybe he'd better remind Red of what was really important, instead of wasting time beating up third rate goons.
He fought his way inside and hid in a room on the seventh floor, snickering to himself. When Red showed up, was he going to get a surprise!
But he waited, and he waited, and Red never appeared.
--
Green was starting to have second thoughts. Sure, each grunt wasn't very strong, but all this waiting around might be giving them time to plan their revenge, or whatever. And now that the rush of adrenaline and self-satisfaction had worn off, he was starting to dimly remember Daisy's admonishments on their last phone call. "Don't mess with them," she'd said. "That's for grown ups."
"I am a grown up," Green had snapped. Daisy hadn't argued, but her silence on the line had been judgement enough.
He'd gotten in easily enough, sure, but how was he going to get out? If they called for backup, or if they started coming at him four or even five at a time... He knew he was the best, and his pokémon were all at full health right now and ready for Red's team. But the way in had taken more supplies than he'd expected, and Red always...
Well, Green would win this time, that was all.
As he thought that, he heard the faint hiss of the teleporter behind him. Green whirled, a huge grin spreading across his face. He tossed Pidgeotto's poké ball one more time, and then—
Froze.
Red's clothes had changed. He was wearing all black, high boots and gloves, his cap replaced with a soft black beret. A red R was splashed across his chest.
He stepped forward, reaching for his belt, and Green threw his hands out.
"Wait. Wait wait wait."
Red obliged, his weight shifting back to relax on one leg, but his fingers still squeezed around his first poké ball. Pikachu, Green realized with an edge of panic. "Is Pikachu in the ball?" he blurted.
Red's lips pursed. Then, he nodded. "Regulations," he murmured.
"You...you can't—" Green shook his head. "What are you doing, wearing that? Is it so you can sneak in or something? Cut that out. You haven't even challenged the gym yet. Did you forget? What are you doing wasting your time around here? Come on, Red."
Red didn't say anything, never dropping eye contact. His grip on the poké ball didn't relax.
Green's voice skewed high. "You... You didn't join them, did you?"
Red blinked. He looked pale and tired. "Just until I pay them back."
"So, what. You're not going to challenge the gyms any more? Just going to do whatever Team Rocket tells you? A good little grunt?" His voice was sharp, jeering. Red didn't answer, just looked at him, waiting. Green's chest jumped with a sudden gasp of air. "You promised, Red." Green's voice had a traitorous wobble. "We'd do the gym challenge together. You promised—"
"I'm sorry," Red whispered, and the words landed hard in the space between them. Green flinched. Something in Red's eyes flickered. His gaze finally dropped. "You should go."
"No!" Green snarled. "Not without you. Don't think you're getting out of this that easily!" He held his poké ball out, threatening.
Red scuffed his boot against the floor. They looked new, patent-leather shiny. They looked like they hurt. "You know the rules when you fight Team Rocket, right?"
"You're not one of them," Green said.
"The rules," Red insisted. "If I win, I take your pokémon." He kept looking at the floor. "Are you sure?"
"How many grunts do you think I defeated just to get here?" he snapped. "I'll eat you for breakfast."
Red's expression crumpled for a moment before it shuttered back into blankness. "Okay," he said, lifting his eyes, and summoned Pikachu with a flash of light.