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“Hello-o-o?” You call out.
There’s no response. Weird, because you were told there’s a strong trainer up here. You open your mouth to call out again, but a Pokémon cry stops you. It sounds like a Charizard.
Charizard aren’t found on Mount Silver.
You tighten the straps on your bag, and run through the snow towards where you heard the cry.
A person stands before you, incredibly under-dressed for the weather, with long, messy black hair tucked under a red cap. There’s a battle happening in front of you: a Charizard versus an Espeon.
Espeon aren’t found on Mount Silver, either.
This is your strong trainer.
They point and call out “Blast Burn,” and the field ignites in a fiery blaze, melting the snow down to a muddy puddle. Espeon dodges out of the way and sends out a wave of psychic energy, closely followed by the glittering stars of Swift. Charizard takes the full force of both attacks, then with a strong flap of its wings, lets loose Air Slash.
Espeon dodges it, but skids to a stop when it notices you. It cries out, and the Charizard turns to face you, as well.
Then, the trainer follows suit.
He isn’t much older than you, maybe two or three years your senior. But he’s taller than you, by a full head. You swallow your nerves, take a confident stance, and point at him. “My name is Kris! I’m here to beat you!”
He stares at you.
Then, he snickers.
Then, he laughs.
You…weren’t expecting that, but you won’t let it deter you. You continue. “I…I collected every single gym badge in Johto and Kanto, and beat the Champion both times!”
He laughs harder. His Charizard huffs and shakes its head. The boy copies it, shaking his head in turn.
Almost to say, no you didn’t.
You blink. “I did,” you say defensively. “Lance is Top Champion, and I beat him twice.”
Finally, he seems to be over whatever made him laugh at you. He shakes his head again, and points at himself, tapping his chest twice with his finger. No, his gesture says. I am. I’m the Top Champion.
You stare up at him. This kid is Top Champion? Of what?? Lance is Top Champion of Johto, you know that for a fact. So, then...Kanto, maybe? But he’s so young. He couldn’t be older than fourteen.
But, then again...you remember hearing something about that. Something about Kanto’s “darling” young Champion, the boy who defeated Giovanni before you.
Is Lance just...covering for this boy? Until he…
Until...well, you don’t actually know. Until he comes down? Isn’t he just up here training?
You open your mouth to say something, anything, to refute the fact that your second Champion title is essentially just a sham because he wasn’t on Indigo Plateau to do his job, but you don’t really know the circumstances that would have lead to Lance acting like he was the Top Champion of Kanto even though he really wasn’t, because that kind of stuff is serious grown-up stuff and it tends to go over your head a little, but this is boy is just a kid like you, so all you can think to say is, “Blue never mentioned that.”
He looks confused. He mouths the word Blue with uncertainty. Then, recognition flashes across his face. “...Blue...Oak?” He asks hesitantly, quietly, so quietly you have trouble hearing him, so quietly the wind almost whisks his voice away.
You’ve only ever known him as Blue Oak: the former Champion and current Viridian City Gym Leader, sort of your friend but not really because he really doesn’t like you. But, maybe he used to go by a different name, one this boy knew that you didn’t. You nod. “Professor Oak’s grandson. He sent me here. Told me I'd find a powerful trainer.”
He looks at you, assesses you. You feel like you’re being judged.
Then it clicks.
You don’t know this person, but you do know Blue talks a lot about him. Constantly.
This is his best friend.
This is Red.
You beat Blue while he was acting as Gym Leader, then you beat him again during your rematch with him after you beat Lance for a second time, at his full, unrestrained power as an ultimate, high-ranking trainer. No Gym rules, just two trainers, going toe-to-toe. It was a difficult victory to obtain, but you did it.
When you did, he told you about the only other person who's been able to beat him like you did: his best friend, Red.
So, if Red was able to beat Blue, he must be strong.
Again, you point at him. You take in a breath of cold mountain air. You can still faintly smell the scent of Charizard’s fire attack. “...my name is Kris,” you say. “I beat every single gym in Johto and Kanto, and beat the Indigo League twice. I’m the first trainer ever to do it. And I’m here to beat you. I’m going to get my Kanto title.”
He tosses a ball up and down in his hand, brings a hand to his cap, and adjusts it slightly, pushing the brim up from his forehead. For the first time, you’re seeing his face clearly.
His nose is crooked, and there is a raised scar across the bridge between his dark brown eyes.
He’s staring you down like you are an enemy.
This is a completely different person from the kid that was just laughing at you. This is a powerful trainer, ready to do what it takes to beat you. Just barely, he nods his head.
You decide on free-for-all rules. This is a serious, high-power match. You both would use all six of your available Pokémon and as many switch-outs as you wanted. Red loses the coin toss, so he sends out his Pokémon first.
It's a Pikachu.
Unevolved.
A little Light Ball dangles from a collar around her neck.
Red looks at you expectantly.
…was Blue just messing with you? Was this some sort of elaborate joke he came up with to make you leave him alone? Maybe he was secretly hoping you'd disappear up here and never come back. You wouldn’t put it past him.
You send out Steelix. “Earthquake!”
Red withdraws Pikachu before Steelix can move.
He sends out a Blastoise instead.
Oh.
Blastoise takes the full force of the Earthquake and barely flinches.
…oh.
“Hydro Cannon,” he orders. His voice is ice cold, like the blizzard that surrounds you, and so very different from the soft, questioning voice you heard before.
Steelix goes down in one hit.
…oh.
Ampharos is next. “Cotton Guard!” You shout.
“Focus Blast.” Blastoise preps.
Oh no.
“Thunderbolt!” You cry desperately.
Focus Blast hits before Ampharos can attack. She’s wobbly, but Thunderbolt lands. Still, Blastoise doesn’t look very hurt. How…how strong is this person? How long has Red been here, training his Pokémon, waiting for someone to come and battle?
“Volt Switch!” Ampharos comes back to you, and you send out Feraligatr in her place. Maybe…
Blastoise is withdrawn. Pikachu is back. “Volt Tackle.”
Feraligatr goes down in one hit, before you can even call for an attack.
Oh, no.
You’ve lost almost half your team already. How…how is that even possible?
He whistles at you, sharp and short. You glance at him. His face says, it’s your turn. You know that. You’re trying to think of a strategy.
Who could…what could…how could…he’s so strong, and so fast, how could you possibly land a hit?
You hear Blue’s grating voice in your head. It’s a very tricky move, isn’t it?
You send out Espeon. “Trick Room!”
Just barely, you hear him suck his teeth.
Was that why Blue gave you that move? Because it would annoy Red? Because it would destroy his strategy of move fast, hit hard?
Red must be relying on nothing but his high level. If you lose this, which you probably will, at least now you have an angle to work with.
He isn’t actually good at strategy; he’s just strong. Just lucky.
He is just a kid, after all.
And that is his weakness. Just like a Pokémon, everyone has a weakness. (Blue told you that one.)
You lose. Horribly. You manage to take out Blastoise, but that’s it.
But now that you know his weakness, you're ready to try again. Red shakes his head almost immediately. “What do you mean, no?” You ask. “I'm here to beat you. I'm not leaving until I do. You're my final boss.”
He gives you a hard look, points down at your belt of balls. Your Pokémon need to be healed.
Oh. That's what he meant. You nod. “Okay. I’ll be back!”
Red makes a noise; short, almost desperate. You pause. He frowns and looks almost like he wants to take it back. But he doesn’t.
Instead, he flips you off. With both hands.
Before you can shout out how incredibly rude that is – you’re just a kid! – he says, “for B-Blue.”
With that, he flies away on the back of his Charizard.
…you wish you could be that cool.