Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hm, that’s not it…this isn’t it either,” A floral t-shirt was tossed into the air. “Nuh-uh, not this. Or this…and this too,” A pair of washed-out blue jeans and a green shirt was tossed onto her bed. “Ah, where is it? It must be in here somewhere…”

Yellow almost threw her hands up, exasperated that she couldn’t find what she was looking for. She eyed the clock on the wall and realized it was almost time for Blue and Green to arrive, but she wasn’t ready at all. She wanted to take a page out of Blue’s book and make a dramatic entrance – only mildly, nothing as flashy as what the brunette could conjure, but she couldn’t find the outfit she tucked away in the back of her closet. It was a lovely piece her Uncle Wilton had gifted her for her birthday a few months ago, a nice ensemble from the Celadon Department store, but there was no reason for her to wear something like that in her day-to-day life. So she deemed it a “fancy” outfit and stored it away.

But the day where she found it appropriate to wear had arrived and now she was stuck looking for it. She pushed aside a yellow sweater and a red jacket but she was already nearing the end of her closet. A dark pair of jeans landed on her vanity and a blue turtleneck almost sent poor Chuchu flying across the room when she tried to warn Yellow that her time was almost up.

Hearing her Pikachu cry, Yellow looked up and gasped. “Oh, I’m so sorry Chuchu! I didn’t mean for that to hit you,” she crawled over to where the electric rodent was struggling to shake itself free of the long pieces of cloth. After untangling Chuchu, she eyed the clock again and saw she only had about 30 minutes till Blue and Green were expected to arrive.

“Alright, if I don’t find it in 5 minutes, I’ll give up,” she reasoned to Chuchu, who nodded in agreement.

She returned to the closet and continued rummaging through her remaining clothes. Then finally, her hand tugged on a piece of black fabric, stuck behind a big puffer jacket. The feeling of nylon made her realize this was most likely was she was looking for so Yellow unzipped the jacket, letting it fall to the closet floor, and saw the outfit.

“Yes, I knew it was here!”

“Chu!” the electric rodent was on the open windowsill and pointed down below. Yellow scrambled over, almost tripping on the numerous articles of clothes on the floor, to spot 2 familiar figures walking towards her house in the distance.

“Alright, I’m going to get ready. Please let them in if I don’t make it downstairs in time,”

Chuchu gave a thumbs-up and ran downstairs.

~~//…\\~~

Blue helped herself to some of Yellow’s tea while she petted Chuchu on her lap. Green sat across from her, eyeing the cup in her hand carefully.

“What? I offered to make you some,”

“You don’t just take other people’s things without asking, let alone a friend,” Green chastised.

“Oh, it’s fiiine,” Blue drawled.  “Chuchu said it was okay and Yellow’s uncle has a great taste. I wonder where he found this Sitrus-Pecha blend?”

“Who knows…?” Green trailed off, averting his eyes to the staircase. “What’s taking her so long? Doesn’t she know how busy I am?”

Blue giggled. “I’m more surprised you showed up in the first place. I already told you I had an inkling this was going to be a ‘girl talk’.”

“She rarely asks me to visit her,” Green responded coolly. “And if it’s going to be a ‘girl talk’ then why ask me to come?”

“Because Yellow doesn’t know it’s going to be a ‘girl talk’, duh,” Blue said wistfully as if remembering days of her youth. “She’s so innocent like that,”

“Tch, I doubt you were ever like that,”

Blue opened her mouth to retort but stopped short when there was a loud creaking sound. She looked up and Green turned around to see a short girl walking down the stairs carefully. She was wearing a black summer blouse with frills at the shoulders and a complimentary red skirt with fine white polka dots. Her golden hair was in its signature ponytail but it had a pink flower adorning it, one matching the Pikachu on Blue’s lap.

When she made it to the bottom of the stairs, she gave a sheepish smile.

“H-hi,” Yellow nervously rubbed her legs together. “How do I look?”

Blue got up immediately and Chuchu jumped to Green’s lap.

“Oh my gosh, you look so adorable!” the older girl almost squealed as she went over to the blonde. “To think I’ve taught you so well to use your womanly charms like this! Yellow, you make me so proud!”

“H-huh? Womanly charms?” Yellow looked down flustered. “N-no, nothing like that…”

“Then why are you dressed up like you’re going on a date?” Green asked nonchalantly.

Blue gaped at the suggestion. “Green! You can’t just say that, what about Red?”

“What about him?” the boy shrugged. “He has nothing to do with this,”

“Um, he actually does,” Yellow interjected.

Blue frowned for a moment before her mind connected the dots. Not the correct dots, but dots nonetheless.

“Don’t tell me…you’re trying to make him jealous? That’s not going to work since he still thinks you’re a boy,”

“Red’s not the jealous type anyways…possibly,” Green noted. Even though they were best friends, he couldn’t say with accuracy that Red wouldn’t get jealous if someone he liked was going out without another person. Mostly because Red didn’t think about romance often.

“But are you really going on a date? With who? Is he cute? Oh, we should put some light makeup on you,” Blue carried on, fussing over the younger girl’s appearance like a mother sending her daughter to her first school dance. “It’s a little chilly outside, let’s get you a jacket-”

“I’m not going on a date!” Yellow put her foot down, trying to get this conversation back on track. “I want to tell Red I’m a girl!”

An awkward silence washed over them.

When Blue and Green remained quiet, Yellow explained: “Red invited me to watch him train in Viridian forest tomorrow. I think it’s time I tell him and I want to prove it to him,” she gestured to her feminine outfit. “I want him to know the real me. I don’t…I don’t like keeping this a secret from him anymore,”

Chuchu whined in Green’s arms, sensing her trainer’s distress.

After a pause, Blue sighed. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,”

“Why?”

“For starters, it’s totally amusing that Red hasn’t figured it out yet!” Blue couldn’t help but laugh at the notion that her friend was still this dense to not realize the truth.

Yellow was admittedly expecting an answer like that from Blue and didn’t think it held any water, but what the brunette said next got her thinking.

“Also, Red is still getting re-adjusted to ordinary life. I don’t think it’s best to give him any more big shocks right now. He’s training to become the next Viridian gym leader, figuring out other next steps to take in life, and he’s getting used to you in his daily life too,”

“B-but isn’t that all the more reason to tell him before this drags on?”

“Normally yes, but I think it’ll be better for him to figure it out on his own rather than have you tell him. I mean, it’s not like we’ve been actively trying to hide it. It’s just something that’s assumed,”

Despite the unending amount of respect Yellow had for Blue, it wasn’t enough to fully convince her. So she turned to the second person she called on for advice, someone with a cool head.

“Green?”

But much to her shock, the spiky-haired boy nodded along.

“It’s best to not tell him yet. Red is…very fond of you,” Green said hesitantly. It was true and was possibly something he shouldn’t have told Yellow but he thinks this tidbit of information worked in his favor here. “He’s fond of you but is going through a lot as he catches up to speed. He’ll need your support more than anything right now, so let’s not add more concerns to his plate.”

Blue nodded. “We’ll take the fall if anything goes wrong later on!”

Green raised a brow. “We? You were the one who told her to hide her identity. I had nothing to do with it,”

“But you figured it out! And despite being his best friend you haven’t told him either,” Blue reminded. “So you’re officially my accomplice,”

“Don’t speak nonsense,”

“Oh, so you’re going to tell him?”

“Are you deaf, woman? I just said it’s a bad idea to tell him now,”

“Oho? So you’re planning on telling him eventually rather than letting him figure it out on his own,” Blue said cheekily.

“Please, he’s not going to figure it out on his own. We all know that,”

“Oh come on, give him the benefit of the doubt!”

“You can do that, I’m not. Yellow isn’t either,” Green said confidently when he saw the younger girl grip her skirt sadly. “We can figure out the best time to tell him later,”

Yellow frowned and her lips quivered. She was prepared and everything. She wanted to look her best to drill the idea into Red’s mind. She wanted the support of her two closest friends. But instead, she was met with opposition from every angle and it barely made sense to her. It honestly sounded like the both of them were making excuses and were letting this drag on for no real reason other than it was awkward it remained a secret for this long to begin with.

“I just…I just think tomorrow’s the perfect time, when we’re both not busy and it’ll be a nice quiet place and…” she sniffled lightly.

A comforting warm hand landed on her shoulder.

“Oh honey bun,” Blue murmured. “I know it sounds like a good idea to do it now, but there’s a lot of other factors at play. Trust us, okay? Enjoy your outing with Red tomorrow and see how he’s doing. You’ll understand then,”

Yellow nodded. She knew Blue and Green were looking out for her in their own way, but it still stung.

“Also, that outfit is so cute but it’s a little too cold for it,” Blue winked. “Hopefully, we can do a grand reveal in the summer! Maybe for his birthday? That’ll be a nice surprise for him, dontcha’ think?”

Green just sighed and looked at Chuchu in his arms. “See what I have to deal with?”

“Chu?”

~~//…\\~~

Somewhere in Pallet Town late at night, a black-haired boy with crimson eyes was a little too pumped for his outing tomorrow to Viridian forest. He couldn’t really figure out why this excited him more than usual, but it made him restless all the same. Maybe because it was a moment of much-needed downtime? Or that he got to spend time with his Pokemon and train for even bigger challenges?

Beside him, Pika crooned.

“What’s up? Can’t sleep either?”

“Chuu…”

Red laughed and rubbed the electric rodent’s head. “I know, I know. You can’t wait to see Chuchu. I’m happy for you bud.”

“Pika pi!” Pika cried and then jumped up on Red, trying to wrap his little arms around his trainer’s neck for a hug.

Red petted him to get him to settle down and gazed at the ceiling. Tomorrow wasn’t only going to be a reunion for Pika and Chuchu because…an image of a bright blond boy entered his mind. Normally, they talked over the computer or pokegear, due to Red’s busy schedule. And while Red enjoyed those conversations and learning more about the boy who went on a journey to save him, it wasn’t the same as seeing him in person. So with the excuse of training, he decided a trip out to Viridian forest was needed and who better to be with him than the one who knew the forest like the back of their hand?

‘I get to see Yellow again!’

Chapter Text

Red had his good days and Red had his bad days.

Today was one of his good days. He could flex his wrists without issue, and his ankles didn’t hurt. Ever since being frozen in ice a few months ago, it made his joints go numb, and unable to move at random times. He knew he shouldn’t push his luck and let himself rest, but the exam to become Viridian City’s new gym leader was coming up soon and he needed his team to be in tip-top shape. He was certain his injuries would heal in time for the exam and hopefully, he needn’t go to the supposed miracle hot springs up on Mt. Silver.

(Though he was having Green look into it, just in case.)

Even more gratefully, his body wasn’t acting up around Yellow, who he invited to hang out with him while he trained in Viridian forest. He didn’t need the younger boy to fret over him on what was supposed to be a happy occasion. The last thing he wanted was Yellow to discourage him from taking the exam due to his injuries but Red had a promise to keep. To a little girl he met in this very same forest and who patched him up after his fight with Giovanni. He wondered where she was now – maybe Yellow would know if he asked or maybe not. Just because Yellow lived in Viridian City didn’t mean he knew everyone who lived there.

He pushed the thought aside when Vee blasted Gyara back into the water.

“Good job, Vee! Gyara, now’s the time to test out that new technique for Body Slam!”

Gyara gave an affirmative nod and dove into the lake. It wasn’t too deep, so Red knew he couldn’t make full use of the strategy he had in mind, but it would do for the sake of practice. Gyara then launched into the air, using its tail to kick up the water so it showered Vee before slamming its weight down in the psychic Pokemon. The water serpent avoided using its full weight however, allowing Vee to make a narrow escape.

Red grinned, seeing his Pokemon pull off the move successfully. It wasn’t anything advanced and he initially thought it was best used in open water spaces like the ocean, where he could take full advantage of the sea. The water kicked up by Gyara’s tail would soak the opponent to add extra weight on top of the slam, dealing more damage and potentially plunging the opponent into the sea. He turned around when he heard Yellow gasp.

They were in a relatively diverse part of the forest. It was an open field with a sizeable lake and there was a slightly elevated area that wasn’t a real hill, but it gave a vantage point to survey the field below. Red and Yellow decided to use ‘the hill’ as a base for their outing today, having set up a blanket for rest along with a picnic basket for food.

Yellow was ‘stationed’ at the said base and gaped.

“Is Vee alright? That slam looked particularly hard,” And before Red knew it, Yellow was getting up and sliding down to meet him. “And that strategy was new too…I can heal him if needed,”

“No, no,” Red quickly responded, as the memory of catching Yellow in his arms after the battle with Lance entered his mind. “No need to strain yourself, Vee’s fine. Look!”

Indeed, the Espeon shook itself to get rid of the excess water in his fur and appeared relatively fine. Yellow sighed in relief as the psychic Pokemon wandered back to the base for some rest. However, two of Yellow’s Pokemon trailed behind them, looking a bit nervous.

“Hm, what is it, Omny? Gravvy?”

Gravvy pointed to the field where Red’s Pokemon were training and Omny nodded along.

“Looks like they wanna train,” Red commented. “You said they were Misty and Brock’s Pokemon before, right? They’re probably used to doing some training and feel like they’re out of practice,”

“Ah,” Yellow looked down hesitantly. “I usually don’t like it when Pokemon fight because I don’t want them to get hurt…”

Red just smiled. “Don’t worry! If you’ll let me, I’ll have them do some warm-up exercises and some light defensive training. It’ll be nothing to get them seriously hurt,”

Yellow thought about it for a moment, debating if this was a good idea given the levels of Red’s team. ‘I get Omny and Gravvy wanna do this but…ah, why am I doubting Red? He knows what he’s doing and he understands my team well. He wouldn’t put them in any danger,’ Seeing Vee coming out mostly unscathed from Gyara’s attack said it all. She almost felt embarrassed that she questioned Red’s abilities as a trainer.

Yellow pulled her straw hat down, feeling flustered. “Okay, I’ll leave them to you,”

Red tilted his head to the side, confused at the reaction, but decided not to press the issue. Instead, he put his hand on the straw hat, causing Yellow to look up.

“It’s always good to keep your team up in top shape so their skills don’t get rusty!” Then after a moment, Red added, “You never know when you’ll need them to defend you,”

Something about his tone sounded…off, but the older boy walked off back toward his Pokemon, along with an energized Golem and Omastar. Yellow watched as they, along with Poli, Saur, and Aero, started up a new regimen of workout exercises, which made her relax. The rest of her team didn’t seem interested in joining, so Yellow went back up to her spot on the hill and sat down. Pika and Chuchu were curled up next to each other, in their own little world.

As she watched Red down below, her mind raced about the perfect moment to tell him. Yes, she recalled the conversation she had with Blue and Green yesterday but this moment was the perfect opportunity. She couldn’t bear the wait until Red’s birthday in August – that was a selfish thing to announce on his special day. And waiting for Green to decide on a day could take ages, even going past the summer. But still, she needed to spring this on him gently or risk a bad reaction.

She didn’t want Red to look at her any differently.

She needed this to go well.

~~//…\\~~

Not too far away, a long-haired brunette and a spiky-haired boy were watching the blonde trainer on the hill intently.

“So far so good,” Blue said as she took off her binoculars. “Looks like she hasn’t told him yet,”

Green scoffed next to her but said nothing, keeping his arms crossed as he leaned up against a tree. He kept his eyes closed, trying to tune out the situation around him. He shouldn’t have allowed himself to be dragged out here and have his day wasted, but at the same time, he couldn’t trust Blue and her obnoxious antics.

Blue turned to him and frowned.

“What?”

The boy cracked an eye open lazily. “…?”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“I’ve been thinking,” Green admitted. “Yellow made some good points yesterday. The timing to tell him now isn’t terrible,”

“Green!” the older girl admonished.

“Why are you so bent on not letting her tell him?” he fired back. “You know she likes him,”

“That’s exactly why! You know how Red gets around girls he thinks are in love with him. Why do you think he limits his interactions with Misty now?” Blue reminded. “Yellow’s shy, admiring personality works well as a boy because Red doesn’t think too deeply about it. But if Yellow reveals she’s a girl, Red’s going to view her differently,”

“He’s not going to figure out her feelings for him,”

“He’s not that dense, Green,”

“You’ll find that he is,”

Blue groaned and put back on her binoculars. “I want them to get closer before he figures out the truth, is that too much to ask?”

~~//…\\~~

It was nearing 2pm and Yellow figured Red and their Pokemon would like a snack soon. Red would come up to their little base and sit beside her. They would chat for a bit, eat whatever they packed in the picnic basket, and then she would break the news to him.

‘Red, I have something important to tell you,’ Yellow rehearsed mentally as she watched the older boy down below. ‘This doesn’t change anything between us but…I’m a girl,’

Then she frowned. Now that the moment was nearing, she was starting to question herself. Maybe it was too simple. Perhaps it needed more build-up instead of waiting for Red to ask questions after the fact.

‘How about: ‘I’m sorry I kept this from you for so long, but there’s something you need to know. I’m a girl. I had to hide my identity under Blue’s orders,’ Yellow didn’t like that either. It made her sound like she didn’t trust Red while throwing Blue under the bus.

She thought of a few more ways to break the news, like ‘I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a long time, but I’m a girl and I hope we can still be friends’ and ‘Red, I’m sorry for keeping this a secret for so long but so many things happened that didn’t give me a proper chance to tell you, but I’m a girl,’ but she found a fault with every phrasing. Some sounded like excuses, others sounded flimsy, and she disliked the ones that sounded pitiful.

Sensing her trainer’s distress, Chuchu nuzzled Yellow’s side, trying to get her to calm down.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said too hastily, which only made Chuchu worry more. The Pikachu looked around, trying to find something to help calm her nerves, and saw Pika pointing to Yellow’s bag. Together, their little hands pried it open and Chuchu took out a sketchbook and pen, placing it on her trainer’s lap.

Yellow blinked before smiling. She didn’t need to read Chuchu or Pika’s thoughts to figure out what they wanted her to do.

“Thank you both! You’re right, this should help put my mind at ease,”

So she picked up the gel pen and began to sketch the Pokemon training down below. First was Poli; his round shape made for a good warm-up sketch and she giggled to herself how cute she made him look. It resembled a Poliwhirl more than a Poliwrath. Next was her own Golem who she drew in a punching pose as it reflected what Red was having him do to help stretch his arms and practice new attacks.

She filled page after page until her hand found itself sketching the outline of a human figure. She focused on the face first – an angular jawline, round eyes with a sharp edge, and a wide smile before moving to the spikey bed head. She stopped short on the body and started drawing another figure, one with a softer face, bigger eyes, and long hair. She didn’t know how to angle the arms and hands but ended up outlining the girl’s arms to reach the boy. She was so entranced in her imagination and art that she failed to see an older boy with a red cap peering over her shoulder.

Red smiled to himself as he watched on, patiently waiting for Yellow to notice him. There was something about the younger trainer being so focused that was so captivating to watch. But soon he couldn’t contain himself and blurted out: “Cool! Is that a knight and a princess?”

Yellow jumped and frantically brought the sketchbook to her chest.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Red said sheepishly. “I just wanted to see what you were drawing. I thought it was Pokemon like before,”

“O-oh,” Yellow bit her lip. “I was earlier but then I got distracted,”

“Can I see?”

“Sure,” she lowered the sketchbook and flipped back a couple of pages. Usually, she felt uneasy showing people her artwork as they were just doodles to get her mind to relax and give her hand something to do, but she knew Red had looked through it before. He even praised her in one of their previous video calls for a sketch of him that he saw back on Cerise Island – which was mortifying for Yellow, as he even remembered something like that with all the chaos happening.

“Aha, Poli looks so happy here! And this one of Dody sleeping is nice,” Red complimented as he pointed to each one. “Your drawings are always so expressive,”

“R-really?”

Red nodded and then suddenly felt one of his ankles lock. He bit back a swear and quickly moved his hand to wrap around Yellow’s shoulders for balance. He didn’t fail to notice how the blonde’s eyes widened at the close contact but he didn’t want to cause him any worries. Instead, Red brought Yellow closer to him, so the younger trainer's head was leaning against the crook of his neck. Then, he flipped through a few more pages in the sketchbook, returning to Yellow's most current page.

“I like this one. You don’t draw people much, do you?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah. I…don’t…” Yellow’s mind was melting at how she was basically cuddled up to Red. Everything she had wanted to confess to him flew out the window; all the rehearsals and attempts to calm her nerves were gone. What made it worse was that they were on a hill, basically by themselves as most of their Pokemon were playing or resting down below, and on a picnic blanket.

From afar, this could appear like a…

~~//…\\~~

“Oh my gosh, it’s like they’re a couple!” Blue shrieked with excitement and then began to shake Green, trying to get some reaction out of him. “Do you see, do you see!?”

Green didn’t respond but did raise a curious brow. He knew Red was fond of Yellow, but this was very physically close. Then again, Red had a penchant for keeping Yellow near him. Following the defeat of Lance and their leave from Cerise Island, Red carried Yellow in his arms the entire way and when riding out on Gyara, insisted Yellow remain near him at the front. Even when Blue attempted to bring the younger girl to rest with her at Gyara’s mid-section, Red refused. He said something about Pika being worried, but Green knew it was only partially the truth.

There was a…odd glint in his friend’s crimson eyes. An uncharacteristic one; Green even dared to describe it as domineering. But it was gone in an instant once Yellow woke up and Red joked they should live together.

‘It’s as if Red thinks only he’s capable of keeping her safe,’ he registered as he pieced the moments together. ‘But to think he feels this way without knowing the truth about Yellow…’

If he told this to Blue, she’d probably say it was ‘true love’. He might actually be inclined to agree with her for once; by Red’s standards of friendship, this behavior was going above and beyond. Describing it as friendly or ‘brotherly’ didn’t quite cut it for the reigning champion of Kanto. This wasn’t Red’s natural leadership instinct kicking in either – it was something far different.

“Oh, I wish I could hear what they’re saying!” Blue lamented.

“…didn’t you bug Yellow’s hat back then?”

Blue wondered how he knew about that, she didn’t recall mentioning it to him before. But chalking it up to Green’s perceptive nature, she confessed: “Ah, about that…I tried using it earlier but it wasn’t picking up anything. Maybe it fell off on Cerise Island?”

‘Though,’ her eyes narrowed at the thought and glanced back warily at the duo sitting by the tree. ‘The Rainbow and Silver wings stayed on so…’

~~//…\\~~

Red hummed as he took in the features of the sketch in front of him. The princess wasn’t as finished as the knight and looking closely at the details, particularly the hair…

“Hey, doesn’t the knight kinda look like m-”

Yellow immediately dragged the picnic basket over. “Hey Red, are you hungry? It’s been a while since we ate,”

“Eh, no. Not really,” he shrugged.

Regardless of what answer Red gave, it was pointless. She couldn’t figure out the right words to say to him. He completely caught her off guard by interrupting her drawing session and it left her mind a mess. Not to mention, his arm was still around her and keeping her close. This was far closer contact than she ever expected from him on this outing today. And since he was so close…what if her hat came off and he saw the truth completely by accident before she had a chance to explain?

Pika and Chuchu, who were sitting next to their trainers, looked at each other carefully before deciding to help out again. Pika inched back closer to Yellow and tapped his tail against the fishing rod she always carried with her. It tipped over and fell right onto the blonde’s lap.

‘Yes, nice save, Pika!’ she beamed and the Pikachu gave a thumbs up back at her.

She broke free of Red’s grasp and got up, holding the rod and sketchbook in her hands.

“I’m gonna go fish by the riverbank!”

“Huh?” Red voiced, bewildered at the sudden declaration.

But when Yellow started to skid down the hill with Pika and Chuchu following along, he became acutely aware that he was being left behind.

“I’ll come with you!” he called out but when he tried to move, his other ankle decided it was the perfect time to go numb. ‘Damn it, not now!’

“It’s okay! I also want to sketch some Pokemon by the river too!” Yellow shouted back. “You stay here and continue training!”

“No, wait! Yellow, wait for me!” Red raised his voice, but it was no use. His blond friend was escaping into the midst of viridian trees with two Pikachu followers. Scratching the back of his head in confusion, he muttered, “Did I say something wrong?”

~~//…\\~~

“Well, I guess I can try it again,” Blue said off-handedly and took out her pokegear to see if her bugging device was picking up a signal.

But nothing happened. All she and Green heard was silence.

“I think this works better with a computer,” she tried to reason.

Green sighed and re-focused his gaze on Red. “He’s not running after her,”

Blue looked up in alarm. “What? Chase her, damn it!”

“I think he can’t run after her,”

“Oh. Oh shit,”

Green nodded. “Should we…?”

The older girl sighed. “I didn’t want it to come to this but…hm? Oh, he might be fine, look!”

And indeed, Red forced himself up and struggled to stand. They watched as he kicked his foot on the ground a few times to make sure it could move before sliding down the hill. He shouted some orders to his and Yellow’s Pokemon and something they vaguely heard as “We’ll be back!” before stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets.

It was then Blue’s pokegear went off, making a harsh static noise.

“What the-?” The two of them looked at it in wonder, realizing it was finally picking up a signal from the bugging device.

Then they heard a voice that surprised them.

“H̷m̵?̵ ̸O̷h̵,̸ ̶d̶i̸d̸ ̸I̸ ̷t̶u̶r̷n̸ ̶i̵t̸ ̵o̸n̵?̵

Green and Blue whipped their heads back around to the field where Red was standing and they saw Poli approaching him, concerned.

“P̷o̶l̸i̶i̷i̴i̶?̴” the Poliwrath’s voice resonated through the pokegear.

In disbelief, Blue shook the device in her hands and smacked the side, trying to get a clearer connection.

“Y̴e̵a̵h̶,̵ ̶I̴ ̴g̸o̶t̴ ̷t̵h̶i̶s̷ ̸o̶f̴f̴ Yellow’s hat earlier,” Red’s voice became much more audible to the spying duo.

Green saw that Red was showing something in his hand to Poli, which only confirmed what they were hearing.

“I think it’s some kind of listening device,” Red continued. “Looks like one of Blue’s but I’m not sure…”

The girl paled and hoped Red wouldn’t take this as a sign that they were nearby. It didn’t help that Green was glaring daggers into her side, though she shooed him to keep an eye on Red and make sure he didn’t come near them.

“Yeah, even if it is Blue’s it’s not like he needs this monitoring his every move,” Red then laughed. “So why don’t I just…?”

Then there was a crackling sound and Green saw Red throw it on the ground. Poli hit it with a water gun and then a dynamic punch. When the pokegear went silent, it sealed the device’s fate as being destroyed and they saw Red go off on his merry way to find Yellow.

“That was expensive!” Blue shrieked and got up from her hiding spot. She was ready to storm right over there and tell him off but Green yanked her back down.

“Idiot! He can’t know that we’re here!”

“But…” Blue huffed and crossed her arms. “If he knew it was mine then why did he crush it? He should know I’m trying to look out for Yellow too!”

Green didn’t have to heart to tell her that right now, if his suspicions were correct, that was precisely the point.

Chapter Text

Yellow sat by the river bank and wished she could be left to her own devices to think, just for a little longer. But instead, she realized her folly. Running from Red would only lead to a chase – he seemed intent on following and when the champion was determined, he never gave up. So rather than get a moment of peace, she was counting down the minutes until Red came across her; it was the only thing she could focus on now. The only salvation was that she knew the forest better than him, so it would take him some time to find her.

“What do I do, what do I say?”

The fishing line bobbed in the water but she ignored it. Pika and Chuchu stared in awe, wondering what they could do to help support the young girl now. She had already bolted with her (pony) tail between her legs and if push came to shove, blurting out the truth in a moment of panic would make the situation worse. Pika didn’t think Red would take the news badly, mostly due to his steadily increasing endearment for the blonde. But it still wasn’t a good look and would only add to Red’s confusion, so he was on Team Confess ASAP.  

Chuchu however…

She nuzzled up to her friend, allowing Yellow to read her thoughts.

“You think I shouldn’t tell him today?”

The electric rodent nodded sadly. She thought Yellow should focus her energy on spending time with Red, not running from him.

Pika huffed in disagreement. Yellow read his thoughts and heard the fire and passion in his voice. He was all for telling the Red truth regardless of the consequences, mostly because he deserved to know.

“I don’t want it to put more distance between us though…”

Ah, this is probably what Blue and Green were trying to tell her yesterday.

She smacked her forehead, feeling so stupid. Pika rubbed up next to her for comfort, allowing her to hear him joke that if Yellow didn’t tell Red then he’d find some way to do it.

“Don’t worry, Pika. I’ll tell him. It’s just a matter of when,” but the blonde stared out into the distance, failing to notice how the river’s current was starting to pick up speed. “But now it’s a matter of finding the right way to tell him…and anticipating his reaction…”

It was easy to think of the champion as always being happy-go-lucky, always understanding, always kind and considerate. But everyone felt a multitude of emotions and that applied to Red as well, who could feel angry, betrayed, or worse of all – foolish.

The fishing line shook violently and a loud wailing cry resounded through the forest. Yellow looked up the stream to see a small figure making its way down. It cried, screaming for help, and upon closer inspection, it was something she didn’t expect to see. Or rather, a Pokemon that was rarely spotted by itself.

A baby Kangaskhan.

Yellow threw her fishing line further out. “Grab it!”

But the poor baby Pokemon’s bawling was too loud that it drowned out anything Yellow said. So instead, she extended her arm out to snag the baby and bring her to land. She was trying her best to not step a foot into the water, seeing as how the rest of her team was back at the field which included Omny, who would’ve been a massive help in this situation, and that the river’s current was moving downstream at an alarming rate. It wasn’t like this when she first got here, so she wondered what happened for it to kick up in such a short matter of time.

Pika and Chuchu held onto her leg, trying to prevent her from being swept away while also ensuring she could grab the Pokemon in dire need of help. As the baby got closer, Yellow could spot bruises and scratches across her skin, which no doubt added to her horrible predicament, and was getting agitated by the water.

Yellow stepped her foot out a little more and…yoink!

Successfully grabbing the baby Kangaskhan’s hand, Yellow pulled her out of the water.

Unfortunately, the ground near the river bank got slippery with the sudden influx of water crashing against it. Her purple boot slipped and she could hear Pika and Chuchu gasp from behind her. Despite their powerful electric strength, their little feet could not remain sturdy on the ground, so they also braced themselves to be swept in with her. Yellow closed her eyes to brace for the impact of being suddenly drenched, but instead, she was enveloped in a familiar, warm embrace.

“Gotcha!”

One hand was around her torso and the other hand was providing support to her arm holding the baby Kangaskhan. The older boy pulled her back to safety but they ended up tumbling onto the ground, along with their electric companions who were sighing in relief. Yellow cradled the baby Pokemon to her chest and looked up to see the person she was both dreading and elated to see.

Red beamed. “Good thing I came running right after you, huh?”

She nodded furiously and opened her mouth to hurl apologies for running off so shamelessly when the little Pokemon in her arms whined. The two trainers looked down to see the baby Kangaskhan warily glancing around, confused and scared. She seemed to find some comfort between the two of them though, recognizing them as her saviors and beckoning Red to get closer.

If Yellow wasn’t so focused on the scratches and cuts on the baby, she surely would’ve freaked out upon realizing the position she was in. Her back was pressed against Red’s chest and she was in between his legs. His hand on her side hadn’t left and instead, his other arm wrapped around her at the baby Kangaskhan’s request to feel safe. It was almost as if the world was out to get her today, all because she made it her goal to tell Red her secret.

Or maybe it was pushing her to tell him - for every instance she’s close to him, she’s given an opportunity that she wastes.

As Yellow began to heal the baby pokemon’s injuries, Red commented: “It’s rare to see a baby Kangaskhan by itself, let alone hurt like this,”

“Yeah, her mother should be nearby…” she responds. When she’s finished healing then she’ll read the baby’s mind to get an idea of where the mother Kangaskhan is. Yellow is more concerned about how it got beaten up and fell into a river. She prayed the injuries were caused by the current and not by an attack, though a sinking feeling in her stomach warned her to expect otherwise.

When Pika’s fur spikes up in static and Red begins to glance around, Yellow knows her gut instinct is tragically correct. Chuchu shrinks behind her boyfriend after being altered to another presence approaching.

Yellow decided to speed up the process and read the baby Kangaskhan’s thoughts to get an idea of what could be approaching them. However, everything appears as a blur. This Kangaskhan is young and rather spunky, so all Yellow sees are faint memories of wandering around the forest for fun, climbing on trees, and stumbling across a batch of berries near the riverbank. She doesn’t get any more time to dig deeper and see what happened because that’s when something shoots up from the river like a geyser.

“Stay here,” Red orders quietly and nods to Pika.

The two of them get in front of Yellow and Chuchu like guards. Out of the geyser, a blue Pokemon with a curled tail launches itself at them. Or more precisely, its eyes lock onto the crying bundle in Yellow’s arms. It also looks hurt, like it got attacked by a more ferocious Pokemon rather than getting damaged from the rough current.

“Thunder!” Red shouted and Pika obliged, striking their opponent head-on.

The Seadra withstands the hit either through sheer force or angered frenzy and retaliates with a water pulse. Pika is knocked back to the ground and when it moves to land an iron tail, the wild Pokemon uses agility to dodge.

When Pika misses the next attack and gets hit with a bubblebeam, Yellow calls on Chuchu to assist.

“Light Screen!”

Putting up a barrier not just between the wild Seadra to protect Yellow, but also to lessen the damage to Pika. Red grinned for the support and studied the Seadra for a moment. It was already battered and while attacking offensively, it was trying to stay near the water to avoid taking another hit. Theorizing that the Seadra would mostly not be able to withstand another direct attack, he called out: “Quick Attack, let’s finish this!”

Pika moved at great speed but stopped short when it seemed like the entire area shook. Fearing a sudden earthquake, Yellow got up and drew closer to Red, going back-to-back with him. They looked around, as another vibration made pebbles and rocks clatter against one another and leaves from trees scattered around them like a petal dance. Even the Seadra looked afraid, too petrified to enter the water, and was left flopping on the dirt.

The baby Kangaskhan seemed to realize something and screamed loudly.

Yellow’s eyes widened, hearing who the little Pokemon was trying to call.

“Your moth-!” She can’t even finish the sentence as before them, standing tall and fearsome amongst the Viridian forest trees is Kangaskhan.

The haunting scarlet glint in her rabid eyes made a shudder run down Yellow’s back. The baby Kangaskhan is delighted to see her mother again and behind her, Yellow knows Red is undeterred. The mother Kangaskhan also showed signs of being in a fight before this, allowing both trainers to start piecing together a story.

Yellow decides no better time than the present to delve deep into the baby Kangaskhan’s mind again to confirm her theory while Red and Pika battled on two fronts, trying to keep them safe. But the Seadra glowered, trying to appear tough while being too scared to move whilst the Kangaskhan roared at the sight before her. Instead of trying to reclaim her baby, she lunges at the Seadra. The water pokemon’s agility is not enough to get it out of dodge and it gets struck by a series of mega and dizzy punches back to back.

Yellow gets a clearer picture than before of what happened earlier in the day. The baby Kangaskhan is more adventurous than most and has a habit of going outside it’s mothers pouch to play. She sees the same memories from before: walking around the forest in wonder for nature and its beauty, climbing up and down trees for exercise, and finally to a batch of berries by the river.

‘Berries?’ Yellow purses her lips together. ‘And in a weird spot too…unless…’

She sees how excited the baby Kangaskhan is to find a snack and begins to munch on it. Suddenly, a burst of water hits the little pokemon from behind and she gets blasted into the river. Yellow is unable to see the attacker but turning back to the battle ensuing nearby, she concludes what happened and how it led them to their current situation.

Red and Pika are trying their best to quell the raging mother and defend the Seadra, but neither likes their interference. It’s turned into an awkward 3-way match. Not wanting to enter the crossfire with the baby Kangaskhan to upset the mother further, Yellow sends Chuchu to collect her two friends.

“What is it?” Red asks as he walks back over.

“It seems this baby has a lot of explaining to do,” Yellow responds. “Or rather, something for us to explain. She stole some of the Seadra’s food, not knowing it was his,”

“Ah,” Red eyes the little Kangaskhan amused. “Sounds like someone’s mischievous,”

“Kree?” the baby Kangaskhan looked between them in confusion.

“Her mother was probably not too far away and saw when Seadra pushed her daughter into the water in retaliation,”

Red nods and glances back to the fight behind him. “So that’s why she’s attacking the Seadra. Seadra most likely tried to escape but Kangaskhan followed while also looking for her daughter. It looks like they scuffled a few times on the way here,”

Yellows bobs her head in agreement. “Alright, it’s all one big misunderstanding. We need to get them to stop,”

“Leave this to me-!” Red is quickly cut off by Yellow getting in front of him and shouting: “ENOUGH!”

It was so loud it made a few nearby trees shake. Red didn’t even know his quiet, well-spoken friend had the power to project his voice to such a degree. The mother Kangaskhan glared at the two of them but softened her gaze at her baby waving happily in Yellow’s arms. Realizing they were no threat to her or her child, she waddled over to the young teens and knelt down.

Yellow placed her hand on the tall pokemon’s head to heal her wounds and began to explain what happened.

Red noticed the Seadra was trying to nervously escape back into the water and ordered Pika to stop him. The electric rodent gave the water type a light shock to stun him and drag him over to where Yellow was.

Seadra whined but Red shook his head. “Come on man, it was a baby Kangaskhan. What were you thinking?”

“…yes, so your baby is fine now. But please do keep a close eye on her! She didn’t know, but the berries belonged to Seadra and while he overreacted, a pile of different berries like that in the forest usually means someone else has gathered them,” Yellow said thoughtfully.

The mother Kangaskhan nodded her head and Yellow handed her back her baby. She giggled as the mother scolded her baby as she began to place her back in her pouch. The baby Kangaskhan whined apologetically and was clearly trying to make excuses by pointing back and forth between herself and the Seadra.

Yellow knelt down to the Seadra and began to heal him as well. “Attacking a baby pokemon is uncalled for. Yes, she shouldn’t have stolen your food, but she didn’t know. Making her fall into the river was incredibly dangerous. You could’ve resolved this differently before resorting to attacking,”

The Seadra whimpered and Yellow just sighed.

“It’d be nice if you would apologize, but I won’t force you,” the Healer carried on. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be genuine. It was all a big misunderstanding, and you know that, don’t you?”

Sighing, the Seadra hobbled over to the Kangaskhan duo when Yellow finished healing him. He said something to them and then the mother Kangaskhan responded in kind and nudged her daughter to say something too. Yellow woozily got up and stood near Red, watching the conversation play out like a drama on television. The two of them chuckled at the baby Kangaskhan’s begrudging attempt to apologize.

The Seadra seemed to accept the response before tumbling gracefully into the river and swimming away.

Seeing as how the situation resolved itself smoothly, Yellow stretched her arms and yawned. Red looked at her in alarm, “Are you alright?”

“Hm? Yeah, I think…” His concern made her try to recount how much she used her powers today. She read a lot of pokemon’s minds throughout the day, some for longer periods of time than others. Then healing the injuries of three pokemon; the mother Kangaskhan and Seadra were beaten up terribly and the baby Kangaskhan suffered quite a bit due to her small disposition. Everything combined was adding up to her growing fatigue.

Red wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I got ya’, don’t worry!”

“Thank you…” she yawned again, leaning into his side.

Suddenly, she felt a tug on her sleeve and saw it was the baby Kangaskhan. Realizing she wanted to say something, Yellow placed her hand back on the little pokemon’s head, ignoring Red’s concerned expression.

“Thank you so much for rescuing me!”

Yellow nodded lightly and tried to keep her voice leveled. “You’re welcome,”

The baby Kangaskhan’s gaze shifted curiously between her and Red before giggling childishly. “He’s so nice and cool! You have a really great mate!”

Any tiredness Yellow was feeling was temporarily replaced by her face reddening in a feverish blush. She was no stranger to how relationships and terminology worked between pokemon, having read many minds and heard many conversations over the years. So she knew in this particular context, ‘mate’ did not refer to a friend.

“W-wha-!? He’s…um…he’s well, cool but…”

The mother Kangaskhan chided her daughter. “Dear, don’t say something so careless. These humans are too young for things like that,”

Sensing they were talking about him, Red asked, “What did she say?”

Yellow wondered why of all times, the champion chose now to be attentive. “She said you were a…great friend!” she improvised, hoping he wouldn’t question her awkward pause.

To her relief, Red smiled and flicked the baby Kangaskhan’s nose playfully. “Thank you! I’d like to think so too!”

The baby Kangaskhan responded in kind by tapping Red’s nose as well, causing him to laugh. Yellow laughed along with them until she had to yawn again. Her legs felt sluggish and peering down the path back to their base, she realized it was quite a trek. She would have to trudge forward and force her legs to work. It didn’t help with every growing second, she could feel her eyelids grow heavier.

Both mother and daughter Kangaskhan gave a final ‘thank you’ to Pika and Chuchu before deciding to return home. Yellow blinked a few times as she watched them mingle between the trees, becoming faint silhouettes as they walked further and further away. When she rubbed her eyes, they were gone and Red’s arm around her shifted lower.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine, really,”

The champion didn’t seem convinced.

With her growing weariness, Yellow knew she’d fall asleep the second she made it back to their picnic blanket. She was going to use all her energy walking back, even with Red’s support.

‘This might be my last chance to tell him today,’ she concluded. ‘I’m ready to knock out as is…’

The image of them walking down the forest path together and confessing the truth; it was easy to think of it as a whimsical event out of a storybook. Red would take the news well, they would hug, walk into the sunset, and live happily ever after. It reminds Yellow of stories her Uncle read to her as a child and as much as she wanted it to be real, Red’s reaction could be far from that. He could take it poorly or not want to speak to her anymore, feeling betrayed. At least knowing him, he wouldn’t ditch her in the middle of the forest with the knowledge she was ready to fall asleep and would ensure she made it back home safe and sound.

She begins a steady stride back to the hill where the rest of their pokemon await them.

“Red,” she starts carefully. “I have something…something important I have to…”

She stops short to blink hazily. She rubs her eyes. She yawns loudly.

“Yellow?” Red inquires again.

She shakes her head. She needs to keep going. “It’s something important I have to say to you,”

She tries to walk a little ahead of him so she doesn’t have to look at his face, but it’s like her legs are stuffed with sausages. Every step is smaller than the last and she so desperately wants to close her eyes. It almost felt unreal how rapidly her body was betraying her. She didn’t use her powers that much right? Then again, she’s knocked out for much less varying on the situation.

“It’s-ah?”

An arm swoops around her waist and suddenly, her feet are off the ground and she’s staring at Red’s face from a precarious angle.

Red chuckles nervously. “Sorry, I couldn’t watch any longer. You look like you’re gonna collapse,”

“It’s not that bad…I’m not that sleepy…”

“You are,” he answers too quickly for comfort. “Aha, this is just like that time I carried you on Cerise Island. I held you just like this, do you remember? Probably not, you were out like a light as soon as I caught you,”

The idea of Red holding her like a bride as they left the island only raised more questions. For how long? Did he hold her like this the entire time? Did anyone else see? Blue must’ve but then why hadn’t she brought it up by now – she was not one to let an opportunity to tease Yellow skate on by. Pika and Chuchu weren’t letting the opportunity escape them now as they were pointing and giggling.

Red is grateful that even with the added weight, his ankles and wrists decided not to lock again. He just needed it to remain that way for their walk to base. He was certain it would; Yellow didn’t run too far from why they were hanging out, but it was a difficult fishing spot hidden amongst the forest that many unfamiliar would walk past. Red knew better though – he didn’t know Viridian Forest’s layout like Yellow did, but he knew it well enough due to his frequent training.

Seeing the younger boy’s frumpy and perplexed face, Red wondered if Yellow was displeased with this arrangement. “Sorry if you think this is weird,”

“Weird?” Yellow mumbled out softly. “How?”

“Since we’re both guys and all,” Red responded awkwardly. “But trust me, I don’t mind! I’ve done it before and it’s not a problem for me. Actually, it’d be a bigger problem if I didn’t do it ya' know,”

Yellow’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, wanting to dispel any thoughts Red had of her being a boy, but the older teen continued to ramble capriciously as they made their way back.

“Back when I was carrying you on Cerise Island, you were sleeping so deeply that it felt like nothing could wake you up. Even when were started riding out on Gyara, I was like ‘he’s gotta wake up by now’ since the seas out there are so rough and there was water splashing around us, but you still slept for a while! Those powers of yours, huh? They’re so cool but then they have drawbacks like this,” he looked down at Yellow again, sighing in relief at his more relaxed expression. “You helping the Kangaskhan and Seadra back there was awesome! You completely defused the entire situation and managed to get that angry Seadra to apologize, I thought he never would. But that’s what makes you and your powers so great, you were able to reason with him in a way I couldn’t,”

“That’s…” Yellow frowned. “Not true, I’m sure you would’ve found a way,”

But the older boy shook his head. “Not to discount myself, because while I would’ve found a way to stop the fighting, getting it to resolve like that would’ve been more difficult. I’m sure that Seadra would’ve ditched without a word if he could’ve,”

Yellow nodded slightly, already shutting her eyes.

“I know that baby Kangaskhan said I was a good friend and all for stepping in to defend you and her, but honestly? You did great out there by rescuing her, healing everyone, and getting everything resolved peacefully. You’re the best, Yellow!”

‘No, you’re the best,’ Is Yellow’s final thought before the doors to dreamland open, unable to resist her entry any longer.

Red smiles seeing the younger boy drift off peacefully. He stops for a second, gathering his bearings and adjusting Yellow in his arms, feeling one of his wrists freeze up. Pika and Chuchu nudge him, concerned, but he merely nods and carries on walking. Thankfully, Yellow is light enough that it’s not too much of a strain on him, but he definitely needed to rest.

~~//…\\~~

Blue munched on a peanut butter sandwich and glanced back and forth between Green and the field.

“Where are they?” she grumbled while she chewed. “They’ve been gone forever,”

Green merely took a bite of his egg roll.

After Red went to chase after Yellow, Blue and Green started to get hungry. Seeing as how there was a lone picnic basket left behind, assumingly stocked with food since they saw Red or Yellow barely touch it, they agreed it wouldn’t hurt to take some to eat. It was very awkward explaining themselves to Red and Yellow’s pokemon and asking them (very nicely) not to tell their trainers that they were here or were spying nearby. Vee and Kitty didn’t look too happy having to lie if they were questioned about where some food went, but they seemingly agreed.

“Ugh Green! Aren’t you worried? What if they got hurt somewhere?”

“They’re fine,” he responded flippantly.

“How can you know for sure? You know how Red’s joints are! And what if Yellow used her powers too much?”

Green rolled his eyes. “Viridian’s not like what it used to be under Team Rocket. Whatever issue they run into, they can take care of it,” He thought it went without saying, knowing both of their capabilities as trainers. Hell, he trained Yellow personally and had deduced her powers were stronger within the forest. If Red had become too incapacitated to move, Yellow was skilled enough to handle the situation.

Blue just huffed and shoved the rest of the sandwich in her mouth, chewing quickly before swallowing. “Mm, Yellow’s skills are getting better. She cut the bread evenly this time. How’s Red’s egg roll?”

Green nodded as he took another bite. “Good. He has a surprising knack for this sort of thing,”

“Shame they decided to abandon it and run off into the forest like a bunch of woodland fairies,” Blue sighed dramatically. She then looked around before groaning. “Ugh, I forgot to take a drink but I don’t wanna walk back over there-!”

A can of lemonade is tossed her way.

She picks it up and eyes Green drinking a bottle of water casually.

“…thanks,”

He just nodded.

“Though something tells me I have to pay you back for this somehow,” Blue says teasingly as she opens it. “You seem like the type that likes to be repaid for everything,”

“…it’s just a can of lemonade I had on me. It’s what, 100 pokedollars?”

“350,”

“Whatever,”

Blue drinks it giddily. Then she glances back over to the field where she spots a certain boy walking back to the hill, carrying something in his arms. She pulls on Green’s sweater and points. The spiky-haired boy stops mid-bite to squint. It’s Red with Pika and Chuchu following behind. The appearance of a straw hat made it clear that he was holding Yellow in his arms.

“See!” Blue says all-knowingly. “What did I tell you about Yellow using her powers and falling asleep!”

Green shushes her by putting a hand to her mouth.

“Pesky girl, you’re too loud,”

With Yellow being asleep, Green could’ve considered this spying mission over. Red was most likely going to pack it up for the rest of the day and take her home. But when the boy goes back up on the hill with the picnic blanket and settles Yellow down, Green’s eyes narrow at how Red knelt down to seemingly admire the sleeping girl.

Blue also took notice and slid up next to him, keeping a curious close eye while also opening a plastic wrap that contained a honey bun.

~~//...\\~~

When Red returns to the field, both his and Yellow’s pokemon flock to them with worry and concern. He reassures them everything is fine and walks back up the hill. Yellow shifted in his arms again and he was slightly amazed at how light the boy was. He knew Yellow was younger than him, but wasn’t this a bit too light? Perhaps he should’ve suggested Yellow eat a bit more when they first got out here – he doesn’t think the blond even tried the egg roll sandwich he made specifically for their outing today.

Pika and Chuchu ran past him to resettle on the blanket while Vee and Kitty moved slightly out of the way while keeping a close eye on them. Though Red noticed they were looking at the picnic basket oddly, he decided not to question it. He didn’t care if they took anything to eat from it, even though they brought specific pokemon snacks with them.

Red gently places Yellow down against the tree. A part of him is tempted to take off the giant straw hat since it did look a little uncomfortable, but he knew his friend adored the hat and never left the house without it, much like himself.

He's on one knee and studies the healer's sleeping face. Soft skin, unruly hair much like his own, cheeks slightly flushed from the strain of using their powers earlier, and lips slightly curved into a smile. What was Yellow dreaming of? It's a fleeting question that escapes Red's mind as soon as he thought of it.

But another thought replaces it. A word he didn't think of often; something that didn't fit into his normal vocabulary. It was something he would use to describe Pika on occasion. It also fit Poli, Saur, and Vee in their first stages.

Cute.

Yellow was cute. He didn't feel ashamed to think it because it felt like a fact or plain common sense. Like this was something everyone should have known, right? So there was nothing wrong with regarding the sleeping boy as cute.

Then a harsh gust of wind blows and Yellow's long bangs fall in the middle of his face. His nose twitches at the feathery feeling and Red decides Yellow is not just cute, but very cute. But he was also starting to look uncomfortable, so Red leaned in closer to assist.

One arm reaches out to move the hair out of Yellow's face and purely for balance's sake, his other arm grips onto Yellow's shoulder. Yes, this was only to keep Red steady; the wind was rather strong in this area and to ensure his wrist didn't go numb. His hand grazes the hair back but oh, it falls right back to where it was. That's not good, so perhaps he'd have to close to distance to get a better angle and push his bangs into his straw hat.

Red chuckles lightly, keeping his voice low not to wake his sleeping companion. "Ah, Yellow..."

It was honestly a wonder that Yellow could sleep for so long. It almost made Red a little envious and impressed, if not for the fear it planted in his heart. The intrusive question in the back of his mind asking: "What if he never woke up? Would it be your fault?"

It was something Red would never accept because Yellow would wake up and Red would be here to greet him first and foremost. Just like last time.

~~//…\\~~

In the bushes, Blue gasped. Even Green was looking with interest. There was no way...no way in hell. From where they were hiding, it looked like Red was trying to make a move on Yellow.

"Did he figure it out?" Blue asked as she shook Green's arm, almost dropping the honey bun she was munching on.

"He couldn't have..." Green shook his head. "So then why is he...?”

"Could it be!?" Blue's eyes sparkled with joy. "True love knows no boundaries!!"

Green didn't care if Red liked guys or not. But what he did care about was Red trying to kiss Yellow while she was asleep because that didn't sit right with him at all, regardless if Red knew the truth. But at the same time, Red would never take advantage of someone in this state. Was he seeing things? It must be the angle from where he and Blue were hiding but he didn't want to leave it to chance.

"Blue," he seethed. "Yellow's not conscious,"

"Ah-" Blue's eyes widened, her match-making goggles having been knocked off by the realization of what was happening. "Oh no,"

"Yes, 'oh no'. What do we do?"

"Wait, look!" Blue pointed to where she could see two small figures already making a move to intervene.

~~//…\\~~

"Pika! Pikachu!" Chuchu cried and pointed to the scene occurring behind them.

Pika turned around in confusion to spot Red hovering over Yellow's sleeping form in a fashion that was way too close for comfort.

"Pi? Pika!" Pika gasped. (Special Translation: "How obscene!"). Had his friend finally figured out Yellow was a girl and it awakened something inside him? Pika wouldn't stand for it, especially not while Yellow was asleep. He readied himself to move but Chuchu acted quicker to defend her trainer and bolted to Red. Pika followed and together the two of them tackled Red in the stomach, sending him staggering back into the grass below.

~~//…\\~~

Blue let out a sigh of relief "...annnd there goes Prince Charming,"

Green facepalmed. He debated telling Blue about the original version of Sleeping Beauty before deciding against it. He didn't need to plant worse ideas in her head.

~~//…\\~~

"What the heck was that for?" Red whined as he rubbed his midsection.

Chuchu backed off quickly, paying no mind to him as she went to curl up on her trainer's lap. Pika, however, stayed behind and began to rant.

"Pika! Pika pika chu! Pika pi! Pika pika pika pi! Pikachu pika!" Pika pointed back and forth between the two trainers but Red tilted his head confused. He had a vague understanding of what Pika was trying to tell him - that the electric rodent had some problem with him and Yellow but he couldn't decipher more than that. It was times like this when he wished he had Yellow's ability to understand pokemon clearly; it would certainly help in this situation.

Realizing Red wasn't getting it, Pika figured the next best thing was a demonstration. So he scurried back over to Chuchu and beckoned his girlfriend to get up. When she did, Pika leaned in and-

"Alright, alright, enough!" Red said louder than he should have but thankfully Yellow didn't wake up. "I wasn't gonna...why would you think...? I was just trying to move his hair out of his face!"

Pika eyed him disbelievingly for a moment before softening his gaze.

"Chuu...?"

"Yes, yes," Red stretched his arms out and briefly glanced back at the rest of his and Yellow's teams relaxing out in the fields. "Come on, I think we’ve all gone through enough today,”

He then moved to sit next to Yellow, earning him a wary glance from Chuchu, but a flash of an earnest smile quelled her worries. Pika crawled up to settle on his lap and Red leaned back into the bark of the tree and gave a sigh of relief.

'What a day...and I think Yellow wanted to tell me something earlier? Ah well, he'll tell me when he wakes up later,' Red thought as he gazed at the healer's peaceful face. He reached out to brush the hair out of Yellow's face again, and this time Pika and Chuchu didn't intervene, allowing him to complete his mission.

However, his shoulder nudged into Yellow's, causing the younger trainer to sway farther away from Red and slouch down to the forest ground. Red quickly wrapped his arm around Yellow, pulling him close and allowing the blonde to lean onto his body for support.

'That was close,' Red sighed in relief, knowing he didn't accidentally interrupt Yellow's slumber. Yellow shifted slightly, nuzzling a bit into his arm for comfort. He swore Chuchu winked at him, but couldn't figure out why.

'I just don't want him to fall, that's it,' Red reasoned to himself. He could've unwrapped his arm around Yellow by now, he didn't want to risk it again. It seemed like the best idea was to hold him close so that's what he did, nothing more, nothing less. He knew he was going a little overboard with keeping an eye out for the younger boy but he couldn't help it. Yellow went out on a treacherous journey to save him, all the while being out of his depth. But it was thanks to Yellow that Red was even allowed to exist in this moment - one of tranquility and silence. It was rare he got time like this to himself and he was grateful he got to spend it with Yellow, whose very essence was a reminder to take things easy when need be.

Red yawned and his hand unconsciously gripped the blond tighter.

"One day, I'll repay the favor, Yellow. I'll rescue you a million times over," he smiled lightly as his eyelids grew heavier. "One day...I....you..."

He was out like a light, leaving Pika and Chuchu to giggle to themselves quietly.

~~//…\\~~

“Well, looks like Yellow didn’t tell Red so…mission complete? Successfully?” Blue inquired confused, mostly to herself.

“Seems so,” Green said shortly.

The older girl nodded to herself a few times before reveling in her signature princess laugh.

“We did it! We did it, Greenie!”

The brunette boy glared at her for the newfound nickname, but she couldn’t care less. Not to mention, they didn’t quite do anything besides watch as if this was some reality television show and steal food. They also didn’t know for certain that Yellow hadn’t told Red anything – the champion’s actions earlier were definitely suspect and since they were at a distance where they couldn’t hear anything, they could only make vague assumptions as to why Red leaned in so close to Yellow before Pika and Chuchu stopped him.

It looked like he just wanted to brush Yellow’s hair back but was that really it?

‘It’s Red,’ Green reassured. ‘He’s not going to do anything ridiculous even if he did know the truth,’

Unfortunately, Blue seemed to read his mind and inquired, “Why do you think he got so close to Yellow’s face like that? Kiss on the forehead maybe?”

Green shook his head.

“Well whatever, Red wouldn’t do things like that anyways,” she said, as if trying to convince herself more than anything. “You know what runs through his head: battles and more battles,”

“…”

“So, do we just leave them here? Whatever they went through earlier seems to have tired them both out,”

Green debated this. On one hand, going over to them and waking them up would lead to making excuses as to why he and Blue were in the Viridian Forest to begin with, and depending on how they phrased it, either Red or Yellow would figure out they were lying. Yellow, most likely as she was well aware he and Blue were against her telling Red and would piece together why the two of them were hanging around the forest today. On the other hand, Red and Yellow were clearly drained after what happened when they ran away and were most likely going to sleep for a while. Leaving them out here felt wrong, even while knowing they were capable of taking care of themselves and each other to some degree.

‘Or not,’ Green had to remind himself. ‘Red is putting on a show that he’s alright when he’s really not and Yellow’s going to be groggy after using her powers,’

Sighing, the brunette boy leaned back against the tree. “…let’s see when they wake up,” he decided.

Blue beamed and plopped down right next to him. “I like that idea!”

Green winced as she got closer to his face, folding her hands together.

“Say, Greenie?”

“…?”

“Since we’ll be here for a while, together, with nothing to do…” her blue eyes sparkled.

Green’s eye twitched, wondering what scheme she was going to concoct next.

“Tell me all about those hot springs you’ve been researching about!” Blue exclaimed. “Also, what’s the deal with your sister and Bill? Give me the scoop, I know you know something and you gotta admit, they look rather cute together-”

Green stared blankly as she kept babbling and vowed to never let Blue waste his day like this ever again.

~~//..\\~~

“Hey! Wakey-wakey!”

Red’s face scrunched up in annoyance as he felt someone poke him. Opening his eyes slowly, he was met with Green and Blue standing over him. Green looked more aggravated than usual, but Blue appeared triumphant with a stick in her hand.

“Wha…” he blinked a few times and became very aware it was late in the day. A heavy breeze gusted over him and on instinct, he felt something shuffle next to him for warmth. He tilted his head down to see a giant straw hat and purple boots. “Yellow?”

The blonde groaned and yawned, and wearily looked around before golden eyes landed on Red’s bewildered expression. It was then Red realized how compromising their situations looked. Blue’s fake attempts to hide her laughter didn’t help. Red’s arm was still wrapped around Yellow and the younger trainer was snuggled into his side.

Yellow blinked a few times, barely registering what was so funny as she looked around. “It’s so late,”

Indeed, the sun was setting and all of their pokemon looked ready to go home.

“What are you two doing here?” Red asked.

“Just passing through,” Green responded nonchalantly.

The champion didn’t believe it for a second but with nothing to base this gut feeling on, he kept it to himself. The way Blue’s eyes darted between him and Yellow – mostly Yellow – gave him the inkling it had something to do with the healer, but he didn’t want to spring any unwarranted questions on him. Yellow’s brain looked like it was still stuck in a post-nap fog.

“It’s time for nice kids like you to run along home and get a good night’s rest,” Blue teased while wagging a finger in the air.

Red rolled his eyes bemused. “You’re only 2 months older than me, knock it off,”

Green cracked a smirk. “So what happened here?”

“Well,” Red glanced back at Yellow sheepishly. “A lot happened, there was a Kangaskhan and Seadra…”

Blue clicked her tongue and picked up the picnic basket. “Come now, let’s walk and talk. Poor Yellow, that nap wasn’t enough?”

Yellow rubbed her eyes and then placed a hand on her temple. “Ugh, I think I’m getting a headache…”

Much to Green and Blue’s surprise, Red sprung on her. “Are you alright? Do you need help getting home?”

Yellow nodded wearily. “It’s okay, this sometimes happens when I don’t get enough sleep after I use my powers. I can get Kitty too…” she eyed the Butterfree who was still dozing off in a corner by the base of the tree.

The four dex holders looked around to see the majority of Red and Yellow’s pokemon either slowly waking up from their long naps or were still asleep, having knocked out after their trainers did. Feeling guilty, Yellow just recalled them all except Chuchu. Red did the same, only leaving Pika out, and patted the blonde’s shoulder.

“I’ll walk you home! Maybe some fresh forest air will help ease the headache,” the black-haired boy said cheerily.

Yellow nodded and bent down to pick up the blanket. Red moved to help her but Green nudged him and pulled him aside.

“Red,” he said quietly. “Your ankles and wrists. Maybe you should go on Aero and fly home. We can walk Yellow home,”

Green frowned when he saw the older boy blink a few times before shaking his head. “Nah, it’s okay. It hasn’t bothered me the entire day.”

‘Liar,’ Green thought but knew if he said it out loud it would be suspicious. So instead, he watched Red prance back over to Yellow and brazenly wrap an arm around her shoulder. Sighing, and knowing his best friend was too stubborn for his own good, Green followed, taking the blanket out of Yellow’s hands.

Their walk out of the forest was relatively uneventful, with Red recounting their encounter with Seadra and Kangaskhan. Given how Red constantly referred to Yellow as ‘he’ and ‘his’, Blue and Green sighed in relief knowing the secret hadn’t come out. Yellow didn’t seem to notice as she was too busy trying to not doze off against Red’s shoulder.

When the girl finally looked like she was about to nod off again, Red turned to address her.

“Hey, you should probably eat before you go to bed,”

Yellow bobbed her head lightly. “Good idea, I’ll probably take a painkiller if this headache gets worse,”

Then the champion eyed the basket Blue was holding.

“I made some sandwiches and rolls earlier for our outing but we didn’t get a chance to try them. How about we have that for dinner?”

Suddenly Blue froze and Green coughed.

Red cocked his head to the side and Yellow shot them a puzzled look.

“Err…” Blue restlessly ran a hand through her long brown hair. “Green and I got hungry when we found you guys and took a peak into the basket and…”

“Oh, that’s cool!” Red laughed. “I don’t mind,”

“It was pretty good,” Green added. “You’re getting better,”

“Aw, thanks! In that case, how about I cook you dinner, Yellow?”

The blonde blinked. “Oh, sure. I think I have enough ingredients in the fridge for something. My uncle also brought some stuff from Johto when he came home from his trip,”

“How about a vegetable curry?”

“That works,” Then Yellow took note of how the sky darkened around them, already shifting between orange hues to navy blue and she saw her house up ahead. “It is pretty late though, will it be alright…?”

“Hm, it’s not a problem for me…but if it’s a problem for you then…” Red hummed.

“No, no!” Yellow quickly shook her head. “You’re free to stay the night if you’d like,”

“Sweet, thank you!”

The quartet made it to Yellow’s front door and Pika and Chuchu headed inside first. Blue and Green handed them back the picnic supplies and bid them quick goodbyes, heading back down the path to Viridian City’s main street. They didn’t make it very far however when a thought crossed Blue’s mind.

She tugged on the boy’s sweater, “Green,”

“Hm?”

“They’re spending the night together, what if she tries to tell him tonight…?”

But he shook his head. “Doubt it. She’s probably going to head to bed as soon as possible after taking a bath and eating dinner,”

“Okay…” then her eyes widened at something he said. “Green,”

“…?”

“What if Red’s all like ‘We’re both guys so let’s take a bath together? Wouldn’t that be fun? Ahahaha,’”

“…he wouldn’t. Yellow would tell him no,”

“He can be pushy and Yellow’s tired out,”

“…”

“…”

The two brunettes dashed back down the path.

“Hey, Red! Yellow!” Blue called back out to them and thankfully, for some reason or another, the two of them were still chatting on the doorstep. “Let’s have dinner together too!”

Red looked up in alarm and Yellow blinked hazily. She said something they couldn’t hear and gave Red an affirmative nod before lazily trudging inside the house.

“Sure, he’s cool with it,” Red responded casually. “And you guys can spend the night too if you want,”

“Great!” Blue beamed. “I guess for tonight we’ll all ‘be living together’, right?”

He laughed somewhat more awkwardly than before and they all followed Yellow inside with Red shutting the door behind them. Blue went over to help Yellow set the table and get ingredients out for Red to cook. Green watched as Yellow clumsily looked between vegetables to figure out which one to use, asking Pika and Chuchu for their opinions on which ones looked tastier.

Red chuckled. “Cute,”

Green eyed him curiously. “Red?”

“Hm? Well, I mean…” suddenly, the champion looked a bit flustered, having become aware of what he said aloud. “He’s cute, right?”

“Well yeah, in his own way, I guess,” Green responded dismissively.

Red opened his mouth as if to retort, but then Yellow beckoned him over. He obliged and began to pick which vegetables he wanted to make for his curry. Green took a seat on the couch, contemplating what he just witnessed and Blue’s words from earlier in the day.

("True love knows no boundaries!!")

Maybe she was onto something, as much as he hated to admit.

Though if Red didn’t find out the truth about Yellow soon, then Green was half-anticipating a call from him in a couple of months asking: “H-hey, about Yellow…is it normal to want to hang out with him a lot? Like a lot lot? It’s not weird, right?”

He prayed the secret came out before then.