Smell ya later~

Here.

Follow these numbers, in whatever order, and you’ll bag some chicks.

Wow, Valentines Day is right around the corner! In honor of this most kawaii of holidays, we’re going to have a Sadie Hawkin’s dance next weekend!

Alright. See you soon.

Red probably didn’t have much room to complain, but was that seriously all Green had to say? After making a huge deal out of him leaving, then disappearing himself, a little more might have been nice.

He stood up from where he was seated on his bed, grabbing his hat from the top of his bookshelf. All the books he had were from before he’d left home when he was ten… He’d have to fix that. Eventually. He’d never been much of a reader, anyway. He stood for a minute, looking at his old Pokemon picture books, before snapping himself out of his reverie. Green. That’s what’s important right now.

He thought about glancing in the mirror, to make sure he looked at least presentable, but thought better of it. Because frankly, who gives half a fuck what Green thinks. (He didn’t stop too long to think about the answer to that.) He grabbed his backpack and slung it over one shoulder before heading downstairs and outside. He didn’t even bother grabbing Pikachu. If things went the way he was expecting, he wouldn’t be gone long.

That's easy, Green. It's Red.

And that is why you love him. Because he is who he is and there's no changing him.

So you vowed to yourself to make it work no matter the complication, whether it be as friends or as something more.

When Green heard the knock at the door, he was actually standing outside. He was smoking a cigarette on the side of his house, eyes closed, thinking. Where would things go today? What would happen between them? He wanted the air cleared.

Green, the cigarette dangling from his lips, walked up to the porch Red was standing on. His hands were in his pockets and Eevee was close by.

-amaranth replied to your post: I missed your birthday.

…Sorry?

[Green glanced down, away from Red's eyes.]

Huh? [//Leaf stirred, sitting up from the spot where she’d fallen asleep. Midday naps were an odd occurrence, but when they happened she enjoyed them. She didn’t bother to look at the clock, just hopping out of, dropping Silver’s pokegear onto it and trudging down stairs.//] Just a second! [//She hopped about for a second, glancing about to make sure nothing was too messy before ripping open the door.//] Green… [//Leaf was not expecting him at her door. Her head cocked to one side and she stepped to one side.//] Come in, it’s freezing outside!

[He gave her a slight grin before stepping into her house. Eevee trotted in next to him and immediately hopped up onto a sofa, curling up, just like she always used to do when they were there. But Green and Eevee hadn't been here in a while. Looking around, he took it in. It smelled wonderful and homey. It was comforting, just like Leaf. 

Green glanced at her, feeling a pang of guilt. He wondered if, one day, he'd be able to look at her without hating himself. Hurting Leaf was... it was something that made his nights a little more restless than usual. 

He stepped forward and collected her in his arms, giving her a tight and tender hug.]

[Silver felt something in him slow down. The league committee? Green has already gone so far as to bring him up to that stupid thing? His frown deepened, and another low growl emitted from his lips, his frustration bubbling over and out. Growing agitated, and uncomfortable with all this strange praise, Silver began to pace a bit, pulling his hand down his face. As if those kind of actions would help clear his mind. Green just wouldn’t drop it, and it was backing him up into a figurative corner; it was like he could read his mind. And it wasn’t pleasant for Silver.

Not looking at Green, Silver swallowed, pressing his lips together in a hard line. He kicked at a random pebble on the ground, an unhappy expression on his face. He’d be damned if this smug bastard got his way so easily. Besides, Silver really didn’t know if he wanted such a title.]

…. I refuse to guarantee you anything.

But I’ll consider it.[He mumbled in a quiet voice, refusing to feel like he had lost in this conversation.]

[Green watched him in silence for a few moments. Right then he made a promise to himself. He wasn't going to give up on Silver and he wasn't going to let Silver throw away this opportunity. In the long run, Green knew Silver would only benefit from this just as he did when the league offered him the position years back.

When Silver spoke, Green couldn't help but let out a small laugh and grin at his response. It brought him back. Green's ambitions weren't to become a gym leader so early in life. He wanted to travel everywhere and work on beating Red again. He wanted to have fun, sleep with lots of women, be an irresponsible teenager -- not have the prestigious responsibility of being the leader of Kanto's final gym. 

But when he thought about it, when he considered it, Green realized that being a gym leader would not only represent his strength but it would most likely up his chances of being more famous and more eligable than traveling around as a former champion (and it absolutely did). And a few months into being this famed gym leader, Green had another realization. He came to understand that it wasn't about how well known he was and how many fans he had. Being a gym leader was something so much deeper. It was an honor. Instead of having his strength represented, he wound up being the representative of the strength that every trainer needed to have when they walked through his doors. Green was allowed to set the bar. Not only was that an honor, but it was a pure, benign power, and it was spiritual.]

[At his final words, Silver’s eyes widened a fraction, and the next second he clenched his jaw, tearing his gaze off of Green. Dammit, was he really that easy to read? His dislike for his father wasn’t exactly subtle, but he preferred to go on pretending as if he didn’t exist. Indifferent. 

But here Green was, knowing exactly which buttons to push.

Within his pockets, Silver clenched his hands into fists. It pissed him off.]

Shut.Up.

[He seethed, narrowing his eyes dangerously at Green. Talking about his father was not something he wanted to happen. At all. Still, he fell silent again, glaring straight into Green’s eyes. He just didn’t understand his reasoning— the little that he’d revealed of it. Gold seemed like a much better candidate, no matter how idiotic he tended to be.]

… I hope that was all the nonsense you intended to spew at me. Because this conversation is over. [Silver scoffed, feeling… unsteady because of this offer. He was conflicted on what to do, and he didn’t want to admit out-loud or even to himself.]

[Green sighed, running a hand through his hair. This conversation didn't exactly go as he'd hoped, but he knew that Silver might react badly. He wasn't going to give up. This is what Green wanted for the gym, his gym. Even though it was once Giovanni's, when the league gave Green the title of leader he did his best to erase all that was left of the man. He even remodeled the inside, the office, every trace of Giovanni was gone. He figured Silver would like that and if Silver wished, he could do it over once again.]

This conversation is not over, Silver. You need to use that growth I've seen right now and not walk away from me entirely rejecting this. You can think about it, but you also need to realize the opportunity I'm giving you-- and it's not just me, it's the league. I had to bring this up to them, you know. The committee asked why I didn't choose Gold to be my successor and I'll tell you why because you deserve to know. 

[Silver stared at him strangely, not expecting to be praised in the manner he just was. Hell, receiving genuine praise had almost turned into completely foreign to him. And initially, his first instinctive reaction was to snap defensively at Green. But his mind slowed down for a moment, repeating his words again. 

There was a moment of silence while Silver continued to simply stare, a gentle breeze blowing through and sending some of his fiery red hair into his face.] 

….

How on earth can you say that so confidently?  

[Silver spat out, bitterness unintentionally slipping into his tone. Being a gym leader had its own perks, and he would argue that taking up such a role wouldn’t suit him. He would argue that what he does is travel, never remaining stationed in one spot for too long. But since Kris returned, that’s exactly what he’s been doing. Staying in one damn spot — for her. Silver let out a low growl upon noticing this, and because of the next string of thoughts entering his mind. 

Viridian Gym.

His father used to run that gym. 

Silver didn’t want anything to do with father. Certainly not his gym either. He didn’t want to inherit anything that once belonged to him. 

… Even if his mind did try to rationalize this as not an inheritance from Giovanni, but from Green. ] 

Besides, what could you possibly teach me? Last I checked, I beat you in our gym battle years ago.  [Silver sneered, even though in the back of his mind he realized he wasn’t giving the older male a definite answer. He wasn’t accepting, but he wasn’t rejecting it flat out either. And he hated that.]

[Green closed his eyes. He'd been expecting him to snap, to react this way. He couldn't help the slight smile that formed on his lips. Silver reminded him of himself in certain ways, at least from when he was younger and more arrogant. 

He reopened his eyes and took one long, last drag from his cigarette. As he tossed it to the ground and stepped on it, he met Silver's eyes.]

I'm a good judge of character, Silver. Running the gym has brought a lot of different people to me. I can tell who has strength, potential, and perseverance. I can tell who can't. You beat me, that's true, and that's another reason why I want you to take the gym from me. Not many people have managed that.

Running a gym is more than just standing there and waiting for a challenger. It's much more and there are many things I would need to teach you if you were to accept my offer.