Hello there!

This will be my first pokémon fanfic and I hope its received well. But, before you read this I have a couple of things I want to say.

First of all, while I have listed this story as a romance with a pairing between Green and Blue, it will be a slow burn. This means that the romance is going to be slow. So slow that I can tell you right now that they will not be getting together until the last chapter. I'm sorry if you want romance right off the bat. But, from where the two characters will be starting off, it would simply be impossible. Both Green and Blue need to grow as characters (in my mind) before they could possibly become a couple. Before you possibly stop reading this story, I do promise that there will be some fluff between them to make it up to you all as well as to progress their relationship.

Secondly, this story will be 4 chapters long. One chapter for each episode.

Next, I am not sure when I will be able to update. I have written up the transcripts for the episodes but I have yet to incorporate my character into it and with my hectic work schedule I am not sure when I can. So, please be patient with me and I promise to get it up as soon as I can.

Lastly, I must give the standard disclaimer. No, I do not own Pokémon. I wish I did though.

Thanks for reading!

File 1

Hello there! And welcome to the world of pokémon. My name is Professor Oak. I'm often referred to as the pokémon professor. There are some very interesting creatures that inhabit this world and, as you may be aware, they are known the world over quite simply as pokémon. For some people, pokémon are pets while others enjoy using them for battle. We find ourselves coexisting in various styles. Are you interested in learning about this pokémon world? I'll be your guide to a story of dreams and adventure. Now, the world of pokémon awaits.

Let's get started!

~8~

"No! No! No! Don't you dare faint on me!" A disgruntled young woman hissed at the TV in front of her. She was currently seated on her bedroom floor, jerking a little bit from how hard she was smashing buttons on her Nintendo 64 controller. Of course, her character in the game had multiple health packs for the girl to use, but she had wanted to save them for a later level which would not be the case if she didn't figure out a way to defeat this boss.

"Green?! Green!" A voice echoed through the open door to the girl's bedroom and down the hallway where the owner of the voice, her mother, was located at. Green did her best to ignore her mother. But, she inherited her persistence from her mother, so it was unsurprising that the older woman kept yelling for her daughter while simultaneously walking towards her room.

"Green! How many times do I have to tell you not to sit that close to the TV and with your curtains closed?! Do you know what damage you are doing to your eyes?!" Her mother scolded the oblivious teen. Green didn't even blink or acknowledge her mother, still mashing the buttons with ferocity accompanied with creative PG curses under her breath.

"Green!" Her mother hissed as she finally walked into the room and yanked the game controller out of her daughter's hands.

"No, Mommy! I almost had it!" Green whined as she quickly stretched her arms up before her in the attempts to take the controller back before her character died, hopping a little in her seated position since her legs were still entangled together. Her eyes also kept flitting back and forth between her mother, the controller in her mother's hand, and the TV screen to see how badly her character was getting beaten. But, of course, her mother managed to keep the device just out of Green's reach.

"Well, you can almost have it, whatever 'it' is. Or do you want to hear the news I have from Professor Oak?" Her mother taunted and choose the perfect words because Green's brown eyes snapped up to her mother's and away from the controller and TV they had been trained on for nearly two hours now.

"Professor Oak?" Green repeated, excitement brightening her whole countenance.

Could it be?

"Yes, apparently he has finished whatever it is and needs you to go to his lab immediately." Her mother replied in amusement at the reversal in her daughter's attitude.

"Sweet!" Green then jumped up from the floor, almost tripped over herself and fall face first to the ground if she hadn't managed to catch herself on her TV stand, and then she quickly rushed out of the room without further word or thought about her mother or the game she was so invested in a minute ago. Green had barely made it to the main door of the house and was jumping around, trying to get her shoes on, by the time her mother had joined her and shut the door that Green was trying to open during her hopping exercise.

"Hold on now, young lady. Don't forget your hat, no need to pass out and die of heat exhaustion in your haste to get to Professor Oak's." Her mother lightly scolded and held out the aforementioned hat to an exasperated Green.

"Yes, Mom. Love you." Green exclaimed as she took the hat from her mother's hand and went on her tip-toes to kiss her mother on the cheek. Green did not manage to inherit her mother's height, but she hoped that she hasn't finished growing at fourteen.

Surely she could gain a couple of more inches instead of being stuck at this terribly short height for the rest of her life, right?

"Love you too, sweetheart. Don't stay out too late!" Her mother called out since Green had opened the door and sprinted past it. Green turned on her heel, still moving away from the house, as she placed the hat on top of her head and gave her mother one last wave. But, the bright and excited smile did not drop once as she raced farther and farther away.

It was possibly the beginning of an adventure!

~8~

Green did not even slow down once as she entered the center of Pallet Town. Green didn't even look away from the route she needed to take to get to Professor Oak's laboratory the fastest way possible. Maybe if she had, then Green would not have ran straight into the similarly-minded Red. This collision sent them both on their butts in the middle of the side walk right next to the town fountain.

"Ow, ow, ow." Both teens muttered as they rubbed the side of their arms and then heads, basically any area that were hit in the collision. They then helped themselves off from the ground before simultaneously patting the dirt off their perspective hats. When they finally looked at the other, they shared identical excited smiles.

"So, your mom got the message too?" Green asked brightly.

"Yeah! It's finally done!" Red replied just as brightly. To many of the people who lived in Pallet Town, it was unsurprising to see such identical expressions and reactions between Red and Green. It was unsurprising because everyone in Pallet Town knew that Red and Green grew up practically in the same cradle, their mothers being best friends, the boy and girl becoming best friends themselves since they could consciously recognize one another as toddlers. Because they grew up so closely to one another, they naturally had similar mannerisms and could read the other like an open book to this day.

"Come on then, let's go!" Red exclaimed as he grabbed Green's hand to drag her along with him. Green at first jolted from the fast action, she even had to quickly grab her hat with her other hand to make sure it didn't fall off, before she started to run beside Red instead of behind him. Well, Green was a little slower than Red but she was no longer being tugged on from being too far behind her friend.

~8~

"Hey there, Green, Red. Wait a second, lemme guess. Did Gramps call you too?" Someone asked, pulling the two friends' attention away from the entrance to Professor Oak's lab.

The two best friends ran hand in hand straight to Professor Oak's lab after their collision before they stopped in unison in front of the laboratory's entrance. They even took a minute to absorb the moment together, take a breath before their adventure begins and everything changes. Of course, their moment was ruined by the arrival of another teen.

Blue.

Red and Green did not grow up in the same cradle alone. There was a third and that was Blue. All three of their mothers were pregnant at the same time and bonded over the experience. That friendship grew stronger once they had given birth and decided to raise their children together. But, while Red and Green grew up to be similar to one another, Blue was different from the two. He was quite arrogant from the fact that he was the grandson of the great Professor Oak and felt that he could never do any wrong. The last belief of his was cemented for the young man because he had a natural talent for everything and anything he set his mind to. If he was ever challenged, he would get quite rude and competitive. However, Blue was also quite loyal and was always very reliable to those he cared for.

For the longest time, they were a happy trio. They were constantly running around the playground together, were table neighbors in class, and experienced everything childhood could have to offer the three. But, that all changed once they hit puberty. While the relationship between Red and Green remained strong and relatively the same with a few minor adjustments, their perspective relationship with Blue changed drastically. Blue and Red became rivals in nearly everything, although, it never became vicious or mean-spirited. It was just taunts and the push to be better. Or at least that is the only aspect of their rivalry that Green saw between the two. As for Blue and Green…that was a bit more complicated.

Blue and Green were still friends…of a sort. While Red and Green spent as much time with each other as possible, the only time Green and Blue would hang out it seemed was on Blue's terms and those terms so happened to coincide whenever Blue realized that Green was with Red. Blue would see them together and immediately react by either picking a fight with Red, which would force Green to leave after a while since she could not handle the both of them when they got like that, or Blue would actually drag Green away with some excuse. Those were the only times Blue actively sought out Green's company. If it were not for the fact that Blue would always agree to hang out with Green whenever she asked, Green would have thought Blue didn't see her much more than a pawn in the rivalry between the two boys.

Did Green have any possible explanation as to why Blue would act this way? No…no, she did not. Eventually, Green gave up on trying to understand Blue's actions and just went with the flow, so to speak. So long as her friendship with both Blue and Red individually remained intact, Green didn't care about the boys' reasons and actions in their rivalry.

"Yeah, we heard it's done." Green replied to Blue's question, her excited smile still stuck on her face.

"Yes!" Red responded as well and followed it up by raising their clasped hands in the air. Neither Red nor Green noticed the way Blue's eyes narrowed at the gesture. The best friends were too busy sharing silly grins with one another.

"Let's go in now, Red." Green suggested once her eyes trailed back over to the large wooden doors. Her body was starting to vibrate from anticipation and excitement.

"Yeah." Red agreed readily again and moved to take a step forward, hand still clasped with Green's unconsciously.

"Sorry…" Blue grabbed their attention once more. He did so easily because it was extremely rare for Blue to ever apologize. So, Red and Green stopped to actually hear what Blue had to say.

"But, I'm going in first." Blue rapidly finished his statement before bursting into a sprint. He ran right through Red and Green's hands, forcing them a part as he continued straight to the doors. The two best friends were stunned for a moment at Blue's fake out.

"Wait! I won't let you!" Red immediately shouted after he got over the shock. He then proceeded to run after Blue and through the now open doors. Green simply continued to blink before inhaling a deep breath that became an exasperated sigh shortly afterwards. But, within the next moment, her good mood returned with the thought of what awaited her beyond those doors. Instead of running after her two friends, Green took another moment for herself.

To prepare for her life-altering adventure.

~8~

Green calmly walked through the lab and towards her childhood friends who were now locked in a heated pushing match with clasped hands. Not a surprising scene to be greeted with, one she is actually accustomed to.

"What's all this ruckus about?" Professor Oak called out as he approached the two boys.

"Professor!"

"Gramps!" The young men called out simultaneously.

"Just the usual, Professor." Green replied as she reached the boys, only to be left behind once more since the two ran forward to greet the pokémon professor.

"Is it done?" Both Red and Blue asked in unison. It would be this situation that would have the two rivals on the same wavelength for the first time in years. The professor chuckled when he noticed Green seemed to scamper forward at the mention of why the trio were at his lab, her exasperation all forgotten. Once all three teens were lined up, Green standing in between the boys in order to prevent any more squabbles, Professor Oak pulled out the red device in his pocket.

"Mhm. This is the pokédex." Professor Oak finally answered the boys' previous question. He then handed it to Green who held it almost reverently while the boys on either side of her leaned in closer to get a better look.

"The pokédex." Red mumbled in awe, the first out of the three to finally say something. Although, he didn't take his eyes off it like the other two.

"Yes, it automatically records all the data on the pokémon you've caught. It's a high tech encyclopedia." Professor Oak explained as he then passed a pokédex to Red and Blue so each teen was holding one. When the boys moved to stare at the device in their hands, while Green remained focused on her own, Professor Oak knew he had made the right decision.

"Red, Blue, Green, listen." The professor started and the teens managed to drag their eyes away from the pokédex and towards the pokémon professor at how serious he sounded.

"You'll each receive one pokédex. I want you to do something very important: to make a complete guide to all the pokémon in the world. That has always been my dream." Professor Oak explained.

"It's been your dream?" Red asked, completely riveted by Professor Oak. They all were because the trio immediately understood the severity of the task entrusted to them. This wasn't going to be only life-changing for them, but for the professor as well should they complete this task.

"You see, the thing is, I'm too old to do it. It's quite difficult to travel all around, seeking all kinds of pokémon. So, now, I want the three of you to help fulfill my dream. Can I count on you?" Professor Oak asked.

"Yeah!" Red exclaimed first, both excited and determined to start.

"Of course you can, Professor!" Green added with equal enthusiasm.

"Now, Gramps, you haven't forgotten your promise, right? In exchange for us helping you out with this." Blue stated, changing the topic to what mattered the most to him. However, Red and Green were also equally excited and interested in this subject.

"I haven't forgotten." Professor Oak replied, only amused by his grandson's rather uncouth request. His response to Blue was quite normal since the professor had a blind spot when it came to how rude and insensitive his grandson could be.

Professor Oak then led the trio further into his lab and towards a darkened area. The teens could vaguely make out the shapes of the objects there, but the most prominent was a table. When they stopped, the light above the table lit up to reveal 3 red and white orbs resting on it.

"As you can see, there are three pokémon here. I'll give each of you the opportunity to choose one." Professor Oak explained what the three teens were looking at. During his statement, Red took a couple of steps forward unconsciously.

"The fire pokémon, Charmander." Professor Oak continued and the lighting changed to a spotlight over the specific pokéball that contained Charmander. Also, an image of the pokémon appeared on the wall screen behind the table.

"The water pokémon, Squirtle." Professor Oak moved to on to the next pokémon. On his cue, the spotlight and image changed. At this moment, it was Green who stepped forward, becoming in line with Red, This, too, was done unconsciously.

It was just so exciting!

"The plant pokémon, Bulbasaur." Professor Oak announced the last choice. Once again, the spotlight and image changed. This time, it was Blue to step forward. The teens were back in line, but they didn't notice or care. They were all looking starry-eyed at the three pokéballs before them.

"Now then, you may choose the one you like." Professor Oak told them, amused but happy at their reactions. He had not seen them so in sync with another since they were young children.

"Well, since I'm a gentleman and not greedy like Red here, why don't you choose first, Green?" Blue stated with an accompanied wink to the girl.

"Wha-? I'm not greedy! I agree that ladies should go first!" Red blustered in defense.

"Thank you." Green smiled brightly at each boy, not even questioning their intentions because she really wanted to pick out her pokémon already. She has been since Professor Oak brought them over.

"Now, think carefully before you choose." Professor Oak cautioned her as Green took a small step towards the table. The anticipation of the moment had Green becoming quite serious.

The pokémon she would pick today will be the one to walk beside her towards her destiny…

Or at least that was Green's rather dramatic feelings about the decision she was going to have to make.

She is a teenage girl. Sue her.

Her eyes flitted over each pokéball, already having memorized which pokémon was housed inside it. There was another moment that passed in which Green inhaled a deep breath and pivoted in her spot. A slightly trembling hand reached out and picked up a pokéball.

A decision has been made.

"Bulbasaur, I see." Professor Oak's voice barely broke through the haze in Green's mind as she stared in awe at the small object in her hand.

"Mhm…Can I take her out, Professor?" Green hummed distractedly before she asked the question in an excited rush. She wanted to meet her pokémon partner, now!

"Of course, my dear." Professor Oak chuckled with a nod of his head. Green let out a squeal of delight before she tossed the pokéball high into the air. The seed pokémon immediately burst out of its pokéball and fell into Green's arms happily.

"Hello there, my name is Green. You and I are going to be great friends." The young girl introduced herself and Bulbasaur responded back with equal enthusiasm.

"You are just too adorable! Especially with that leaf marking on your forehead. Look at that guys!" Green exclaimed, completely smitten and proud of the pokémon she had chosen.

"Yeah, very cute." Red agreed with his best friend's assessment and patted Bulbasaur's head from where Green was holding out the pokémon for the two boys to examine. Internally, Red was just glad that she didn't pick his first choice.

"Adorable." Blue almost deadpanned as he used the same term Green did to describe her pokémon partner, clearly humoring his friend. However, Blue was curious about the seed pokémon as he nudged (more like pushed) Red out of the way to interact with Bulbasaur as well.

"I'm glad that you like Bulbasaur so much already, Green. But, let's have the boys choose next, so that they may be able to meet their new friends too." Professor Oak spoke up and brought them all back to the matter at hand. Both Red and Blue immediately straightened up and directed their gazes to the remaining to pokéballs while Green nodded her head and brought Bulbasaur closer to her chest so as to snuggle the pokémon. Bulbasaur let out a small coo in contentment as Green then took a step back in line with the boys.

"So, who is next? Blue? Red?" The pokémon professor prompted.

"I already stated that I'm not greedy, so Red can go ahead." Blue repeated himself and leaned on his right foot so as to be closer to Green and Bulbasaur. But, while Blue started to pet the Bulbasaur, he kept his smirk and sight directly on Red. This time, Red did not take offense or try to respond to Blue's taunts because he was too focused on the thought of finally choosing his own poképartner.

"Very well. Red, remember what I told Green before she picked Bulbasaur. You should think carefully before you choose between Charmander and Squirtle." Professor Oak reminded the teen boy who barely listened to him due to his tunnel vision on the pokéballs.

"No need, I've already decided." Red answered as he stepped forward and picked up the round object in the middle of the table.

"Oh, Charmander." Professor Oak commented aloud.

"That's right. It wasn't really a tough decision. The thing is, my dad gave me the name Red, hoping when I grew up it would help me to have the passion and energy of a red, hot fire. So, now, I've decided that my first pokémon should be a fire pokémon that will help me live up to the name my father gave me." Red explained as he tossed the pokéball into the air just like Green did previously. Similarly, Charmander was released into the air with a cry.

"It's my…pokémon!" Red said in awe as he caught Charmander and held him close.

"I see. Well then, it seems that everyone will be receiving a pokémon that will coincide with their name." Professor Oak commented as he happened to notice the pattern since Blue would be left with Squirtle.

"Heh, I would never choose my pokémon for such a ridiculous reason. But, since Red choose fire, it is obvious that I would get water!" Blue replied mockingly before he grabbed the remaining pokéball and mimicked the other two teens of releasing and catching his new poképartner.

Green begrudgingly agreed with Blue's rather rude comment about Red's reasoning as to why he picked Charmander. Yes, it is quite ridiculous to pick your pokémon partner based on the color you were named with. Even if the sentiment was sincere when Red mentioned his father. Green felt this way because she did not particularly care for her name. At first, she never minded it because she did not openly associate it with the color. But, growing up with people constantly asking you if your favorite color was green (or why it isn't green) and picking green-colored items as gifts…it gets really old, really fast. As well as really irritating.

Blue was on the same wave length as her when it came to his namesake color. Hence why they made a pact when they were six that their favorite colors would be each other's name. So, whenever they received the typical question of why their favorite color wasn't their namesake, they would explain that their favorite color was associated with their best friend. Also, should they receive any color-coordinated present the other wanted, they would simply and slyly swap them amongst themselves.

Eventually, the two friends actually believed their pact. Blue's favorite color was green and Green's was blue. Which would explain why they wore the colored outfits like they did. Their mothers', including Red's, picked out their clothes with their favorite colors in mind. Blue got a green jacket and Green now wore a blue sleeveless top with matching knee-high socks. However, Red did get quite jealous that he was not in on this color pact when he found out at the tender age of six. It was nothing personal, but Red's favorite color was his namesake so the two didn't think he would want to change it. But, to appease Red, Green made sure to always say that red was her second favorite color and that she had red mixed into her outfit color scheme such as her red skirt and red accents on her hat and tennis shoes.

Blue was definitely not happy about that once they got older and the rivalry between Red and Blue sprouted. Blue would pick fights with Green to try to get her to change her mind. This would lead Red to jump into the fight and state that Green could wear his colors just like she did Blue's because he was her best friend as well. As things began to get out of control, Green simply sat the two boys down (more like pushed them to the ground during one particular out-of-hand fight) and told them that, in no-uncertain terms, they had absolutely no say in what colors she wore or liked. They may have influenced it, but she made the final decision. She was not going to let them use her as another reason for their rivalry. If they valued her friendship as much as they say they did, then they would listen to her or she would stop talking to them.

It was drastic, but it worked.

"By the way, you realize you could give your pokémon its own nickname if you so choose." Professor Oak stated in order to curb any potential squabbling over Blue's rather rude statement about Red's choice in picking his pokémon and brought Green out of her thoughts.

"A nickname?" Both Red and Green questioned simultaneously. They were also staring at their poképartners in concentration.

"Ok then, let's see…No, I think I'll keep the name 'Charmander'." Red announced after a beat of thought. Professor Oak simply nodded before turning his expectant gaze at the still thoughtful Green.

"I'm going to name you Gaia." Green finally announced once she deliberated over not only whether or not if she wanted to give Bulbasaur a nickname but also what her nickname should be. Bulbasaur let out a cry in agreement which had Green smile in happiness that she choose correctly for her new partner.

"Very fitting, Green." Professor Oak commented.

"Yeah, that's a great name." Red also stated which had Green redirecting her sunny smile that had moved from Bulbasaur to Professor Oak to Red in quick succession.

"Thanks!" Green replied.

"Hey, Red, what do you say? Should we test them out?...Eh, never mind. I wouldn't want the memory of my first battle to be against a measly beginner like you." Blue effectively broke the happy and excited bubble Green and Red were in with his statement. Green couldn't quite arch just one eyebrow and, instead, raised both of them at Blue's arrogance as well as at one crucial detail he seemed to be overlooking.

"You're a beginner too you know!" Red retorted with outrage, obviously catching onto the same pesky little detail as Green did.

"Maybe, but my ambitions are far greater than yours. Now that I have this Squirtle, you'll see. I'll become the best pokémon trainer in the whole world." Blue exclaimed with passion and determination before he tucked Squirtle under his arm and started running towards the exit.

"Well, Gramps, Green, gotta go!" Blue announced after a few rushed steps, not even looking back as he continued to make his way through the spacious lab.

"Alright! It's ok to aim high, but don't forget my request!" Professor Oak called out to his grandson which got Blue to stop right at the open doors and to turn back to look at them one last time.

"Leave it all to me! I got it covered." Blue waved the hand holding the pokédex in farewell before tucking the pokédex into his back pocket.

"Stay safe!" Green shouted and raised her own pokédex occupied hand in the air to wave back to Blue. Even though she was excited to start her own journey, it's not like Green forgot that she was separating from both Red and Blue. They were going to have to travel on their own to far off places in order to complete the pokédex like the pokémon professor requested of them.

Who knew what kind of dangers these three teens were going to have to face?

What difficulties are they going to have to overcome?

And they were going to have to do this all on their own with no one else's help.

It was daunting and overwhelming at times to think about for Green. So, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and focus on the positive. Just because there was the potential that something bad could happen didn't mean that it would happen. Plus, would the professor really send them out into the world and entrust a pokémon to their care if he thought they would fail or get hurt?

"No problem. But, you stay safe too, alright Green?" Blue responded seriously because he must have sensed her thoughts.

"Mmm." Green audibly hummed with a tight-lipped smile and a small nod of her head. She tried on refocusing on the present and felt her previous excitement return in full force which helped her smile transform into a more genuine one. Blue's own serious expression changed as well as a rather cocky smile graced his face before he returned her nod with his own and then left through the door without further word.

"Oh, my…" Professor Oak sighed and rubbed the back of his neck at the obvious cockiness from Blue.

"He's your grandson after all, Professor." A female assistant chuckled at the whole scene. She was referring to not only Blue's arrogance but also to his interactions with the young girl. Not that the young teens understood the second, subtler, half of her reference.

"Yes, well, the truth is when I was young I was a serious pokémon trainer as well." The pokémon professor explained, only expanding upon where his grandson's attitude might have come from.

"Wow!" Green replied in surprise and open admiration. She shouldn't be really. How else was one to become a professor of pokémon without being a trainer at one point? Especially a world re-known pokémon professor the likes of Professor Oak. But, it was a bit difficult for the teenager to imagine the affable old man that she has known her whole life as someone like her, a young trainer who is just about to set off on her own adventure into the unknown with her brand new poképartner at her side.

"Pokémon trainer…" Red echoed quietly and looked down at his Charmander once more.

"Well, Red and Green, I'm counting on you two." Professor Oak stated to them.

"Right!" Red replied in determination as well as pushed his cap to face properly.

"We won't let you down!" Green promised with equal amounts of determination and enthusiasm. Despite some of her concerns, Green really wanted to not only help out the professor complete his dream but also go out on an adventure with her very own pokémon. She has had that dream ever since she was a little girl.

Yes, it was an ambiguous dream: simply travelling with a pokémon that solely belonged to her. So many people had bigger and more detailed dreams such as completing the pokédex or even being the best pokémon trainer there ever was. Not Green. She didn't know what was out there in the world beyond her small town. She could read every book in Pallet Town, but she did not believe that those books would adequately cover what was out there. Give her some idea, yes. Maybe even give her a general idea of what she will encounter. But, she just knew in her bones that there was more in the world than there is in her books. So, how could she limit her imagination, hopes, and dreams to just one thing?

Simple dreams and ambitions aside, Green was finally getting the adventure she always wanted and with Gaia the Bulbasaur at her side ready to go with her. What more could a teenaged girl ask for? Maybe the more important question is what lies in store for her?

~8~

Route 1 that connected Pallet Town to Viridian City was a mixture of meadows and small forests. Because it was a combination of two habitats, there was a nice range of pokémon for Green to examine and catch. She has managed to catch 4 Rattatas and Caterpies in total so far. She thought it would be thorough of her to catch both genders of each pokémon for the pokédex to examine the differences between them. Unfortunately, there were other types of pokémon that reside in Rt. 1 that Green didn't want to catch at all, let alone twice. The type specifically is bird pokémon.

The house that Green grew up in was located right on the border of Pallet Town. In fact, the back of her house opened up into a meadow that wild pokémon sometimes played in when they felt safe and brave enough to exit the forest they called home. Whenever that did happen, Green would immediately go outside and try to play with the wild pokémon. Sometimes it worked and sometimes the pokémon would run away, but she was never attacked much to her parents' relief. However, that would change one fateful day when Green was plucked from the meadow she was playing in with a group of Oddishes by a Fearow. The Fearow carried Green straight to its nest filled with baby Spearows that started to peck at the already terrified little girl. Green, who was uncontrollably crying by this point, jerked and scooted her way out of the nest and down a couple of branches before she fell from the tree and landed on her elbow, effectively shattering it. When Green noticed the Fearow descending upon her a second time, her adrenaline kicked in for her to move past her pain and make a run for it. The little girl didn't know where she was going and only got herself more lost. It wouldn't be until three hours later when the rangers finally found Green, hiding in a hollow trunk with tears and snot covering her face and shivering in fear of any noise. It was safe to say that Green was no longer allowed to play in the meadow without supervision and she was never comfortable around bird pokémon.

The last part of the statement was actually an understatement. Green was officially terrified of any and all bird type pokémon…

Which explained why she was currently running for her life away from a little Pidgey who was on the ground simply pecking around for stray seeds and worms. Green and the Pidgey barely made eye contact before Green picked up a confused Gaia the Bulbasaur into her arms and bolted. Her reaction was pure instinct and Green didn't stop until she felt safely ensconced in a forest where it would be harder for a bird pokémon to follow or attack.

Actually…Green tripped over an exposed root in her haste to get away from the uninterested Pidgey. Green managed to tuck Gaia further into her embrace as she rolled out from the fall so that her pokémon would not be hurt from her mistake. Green landed on her back, Gaia the Bulbasaur resting on her stomach still puzzled about everything that just happened. The young girl immediately sat up once she caught her breath and only released it when she noticed no bird pokémon in the immediate vicinity.

"Bul-ba?" The grass starter questioned her trainer once she seemed like she wasn't going to bolt with the pokémon again.

"Sorry, Gaia. It's just…" Green started to reply, sighing at what her pokémon must be thinking about her after how she just reacted to one ittle-bitty Pidgey.

She wasn't acting quite like a capable and confident trainer, was she?

"You ran into a bird pokémon, didn't you?" A voice called from seemingly nowhere. Green snapped her head in the direction of the sound to spot Blue walking into her line of sight and out of the condensed forest that had hidden him previously. Green traitorously blushed as bright red as a ripe tomato.

It wasn't bad enough that her pokémon just witnessed her overreacting cowardice, but one of her best friends too! Not just one of her best friends, but the one who basically never did anything embarrassing ever and was scared of nothing?! No fair!

"I thought this might happen." Blue sighed in exasperation because her blush effectively answered his question for her. His response had Green bristling in irritation.

Between Blue and Red, Blue was never quite as understanding or comforting about this certain fear of hers. He thought she should be over it already since it happened years ago without another single bad incident with a bird pokémon. Red was the best friend Green turned to for comfort whenever she got close to a bird pokémon because he simply held her hand or gave her a hug as well as promised to always protect her just in case said bird pokémon turned on them. If Red thought she should have overcame her fear by now, he never said it and was a true supportive best friend that any girl could ask for.

"Yeah, well, it's over now. No biggie." Green replied as she stood up with Gaia the Bulbasaur still in her arms. She managed to shift her starter into one arm so she could use her free hand to brush off any dirt or debris of her skirt. Green was trying her hardest not to look Blue in the eye because her blush was just starting to cool down and she just knew that if she looked at Blue then her blush would come back in full force.

Curse her mother's genetics that made it so easy and noticeable to blush!

"No, Green, it's not 'no biggie'. This is a big deal." Blue disagreed and Green stiffened in preparation because she just knew what Blue was going to say. It's what he always says when she freaks out over a bird pokémon and Green was absolutely tired of the spiel.

"It has been years since you were captured by that Fearow. Long enough for you to realize that not all bird pokémon are going to hurt you, especially after all the non-attacking encounters we have had with bird pokémon. You especially should not be overreacting like you do every single time." Blue started and Green refused to look away from the Bulbasaur in her arms who was looking up at her in concern.

Yup, this is going just like all those other times…

"But, most importantly, you need to get over it now and quickly. Or how else are you going to complete the pokédex if you can't manage to be in the presence of any type of bird pokémon, let alone catch one?" Blue's next statement managed to get Green to snap her head in his direction and finally look him straight in the eyes. She was completely blindsided by his, actually, very good point.

Green promised Professor Oak that she would help him achieve his dream by completing the pokédex. How could she do that if she couldn't capture any bird pokémon? Was she doomed from the start? Did she just lie to the Professor and ultimately let him down?

How much more of a terrible person could she be?!

Yes, Blue and Red were also planning on completing the pokédex. It could be argued that she should just let them catch all the bird pokémon needed to finish the pokédex that way Professor Oak would get his completed pokédex. But…she wanted to be the one to complete the pokédex for Professor Oak. She wanted to be the one to make a man whom she viewed as her grandfather dream come true. Despite the fact that Blue was the only one out of the three that truly was his grandson by blood, Professor Oak treated Green and Red the same as he treated Blue and the two would never forget that. Both Green and Red wanted to repay his love and kindness by fulfilling his dream and Green certainly couldn't do that with a pokédex missing bird pokémon because it would ultimately be incomplete. It would ultimately be a failure on her part.

She is the absolute worst!

"I should have known this was going to happen. Maybe I should have told Gramps not to ask you to complete the pokédex when he first mentioned it to us." Blue continued on, oblivious to Green's reactions, more thinking aloud now then speaking to her. However, he should not have said his thoughts aloud. Green's rather pale face at the thought of letting Professor Oak down now turned back to its previous bright red. Although, this time, it was not due to her embarrassment. No, this red was from simple anger.

Overwhelming, infuriating anger.

"How dare you! You may think you know everything, Blue, and that you have a say in everything, but you don't! You don't! You are not your grandfather or even an adult! And you definitely don't know what is best for me! You can't even be a friend, let alone a best friend, to me! Yes, I am scared of bird pokémon! Yes, that will be a problem in regards to completing the pokédex! But, do you want to know what a true friend does? What Red would have done if he was in your position right now? He would have simply asked if me and Gaia were alright and helped me up. He would have listened to my story and give me a hug or squeeze my hand in comfort for the complete and utter terror I felt. He would have tried to make me feel safe. He would not have made me feel bad about myself. UGH! WHY CAN'T RED BE HERE INSTEAD OF YOU!" Green yelled.

She officially snapped.

Green was tired of Blue always belittling her fear, always telling her how she should act and feel, always sounding like he knew better than her and Red. Green also felt threatened by Blue and his belief that he had the power over her participation in completing the pokédex for Professor Oak. Without Professor Oak's request, Green wouldn't have fulfilled her own simple dream. She wouldn't be where is right now…with Gaia the Bulbasaur.

Yes, it has only been a short while since she has met her starter and set off onto Route 1 to start their mission of completing the pokédex. But, Green already loves the bulb pokémon in her arms to bits and pieces. She loved the adorable leaf mark on the Bulbasaur's forehead. She loved how Gaia would snuggle into her embrace whenever Green picked her up or even rub her head underneath Green's chin in open affection. She loved how almost in sync they were becoming with each battle and capture of new wild pokémon they come across. Green loved how, even when they lost in a battle against a trainer, they were able to comfort and build each other back up with renewed determination to get better together. Just the thought that this blooming partnership between her and Gaia could have possibly not been born due to Blue made Green want to rage and cry.

Blue just gaped at Green, his jaw dropped because this was a first for him. Yes, sometimes Green would lose her temper at him and Red about their rivalry. But, only when they tried to drag her into the middle of it and even then she never exploded on them like just now. She merely spoke to them in a firm but threatening tone that had them backing off. She never raised her voice until now.

But, Green didn't care about that right now. All she cared about was getting herself and Gaia the Bulbasaur away from Blue as fast as possible. To follow through on that thought, the teen girl turned on her heel and ran. She was long gone by the time Blue would manage to snap himself out of his stupor.

Green just ran and ran and ran….and ran further than that. She ran until she couldn't any longer, skidding to a halt and then dropping to the ground. She unconsciously released Gaia from her grasp for the first time since Green ran from the Pidgey what seemed like ages ago. Gaia the Bulbasaur watched on in concern as Green curled into herself to cry and heave as she struggled to inhale much needed oxygen.

"Bulba-saur? Saur?" Gaia called to her trainer and nudged Green's side to get her attention. Unfortunately, Green didn't seem to notice as she continued to cry.

"Saur! Bulbasaur!" Gaia persisted until Green looked at the grass starter.

"Do you think I'm in over my head, Gaia? Do you…Do you regret being my pokémon?" Green's whisper broke at the end of her second question. Yes, Green was still massively upset at Blue. But, right now, her concerns were back on whether or not she is a good trainer or not.

At the first sight of a bird pokémon, what was Green's reaction? She bolted. She didn't even try to stay calm or to face her fear. On top of that, she was afraid of something that was smaller than her own pokémon! That just proved to Gaia that her new trainer was a coward. Then, when Blue mentioned about the pokédex, Green was proven as a failure because she was going to attempt to complete it without any bird pokémon which would have been useless to Professor Oak. Next, Green blew up on Blue at the smallest, unintentional provocation which probably made her look short-tempered. This whole situation had Green feeling and expressing so many extreme emotions that she must look deranged to her starter pokémon. Why would Gaia ever want to be her poképartner after this?

Green had only just begun her journey and she has already failed at every level…

Why did she ever think that she was ready for this?

Maybe Blue was right…

"BULBA!" Gaia shouted before launching herself into the young teen's arms and snuggling into her lap. Then, Gaia raised her head so as to rub her forehead against Green's chin.

"Bulba, Bulbasaur, Saur Bulbasaur!" Gaia continued to vocalize her feelings through the inflections of her tone as well as her actions, trying to reassure Green that, yes, she still very much wanted to be her pokémon.

Unbelievable…

It was truly unbelievable to Green that her pokémon still wanted to be her partner after everything that just happened. Gaia the Bulbasaur barely knew her and, yet, she was willing to stay by her side even at her worst.

Gaia the Bulbasaur is unbelievably the best pokémon ever.

And she was Green's.

"I promise to be better. Never again will I let you down, Gaia. Never." Green whispered her promise as she gently cradled Gaia closer.

Green may have started off on the wrong foot, not fully prepared for the task assigned to her. But, that was going to change. She was going to change. Gaia the Bulbasaur may have decided to stay with Green after her slip up, but she was going to make that she would never give her pokémon another chance to doubt her again.

~8~

With a new sense of purpose after her melt-down, Green threw herself into her task of catching any new wild pokémon that crossed her path. Green was determined to prove that she was the trainer she promised herself to be to Gaia the Bulbasaur and the first step to do that was to successfully challenge and capture all types of pokémon in order to complete the pokédex. This would include the dreaded bird pokémon. Should the young brunette come across a wild bird pokémon, she was going to stand tall and firm. She was going to face that beaky nightmare and show no fear as she battled it with her wonderful pokémon before capturing it in a pokéball for the pokédex to scan and record its information. Afterwards, Green won't have to deal with that species of bird pokémon ever again and she can move on to other more interesting and less disturbing pokémon.

That was her plan.

Easy peasy.

Yeah…

Not so much.

Green lasted all of one second before she bolted from another Pidgey. To be fair, that is one second longer than the last time she ran into a Pidgey. She doubted she would have lasted so long if it was a Spearow. She didn't want to imagine her reaction if she somehow ran into a Fearow. But, it still didn't bode well to her promise of being better. If she could only progress about a second each time she encountered a bird pokémon…how long would it take Green to be able to even muster up the nerve to challenge a bird pokémon, let alone battle one? Blue and Red would complete their pokédex ages before Green does.

Green could not lose out to Blue and prove him correct in his low assessment of her ability to be a pokémon trainer. The teen girl vehemently refused.

Which would explain why Green had tears of frustration stinging her eyes as she leaned against a tree after her latest run from a Pidgey. Her fists were clenched in self-loathing and her breathing ragged. The only positive at the moment was that she had recalled her Rattata, Chomper, to his pokéball before she bolted. So, none of her pokémon had seen her failure at the moment.

Why was this so hard?!

Is there no way for Green not to fail her pokémon, Professor Oak, and herself?

"Welcome to Viridian City." A very familiar voice broke through her mental tirade. A voice that she was happy to hear. So happy that Green immediately pushed herself away from the tree and turned to peak around the trunk to see if it truly was the young man she hoped it to be.

There, standing in front of a sign on Route 1 that he just read aloud was none other than her best friend, Red.

Just the person that Green needed and wanted to see! Who else could help and comfort her other than Red? He would know exactly what to say! Or maybe he would be willing to take some time out of his own quest to spend with her until she felt like she could go alone? Red has never turned Green away when she needed him before and she highly doubted that had changed just because they were trainers now.

"You made it here quicker than I thought you would. You're pretty slow so I thought it would take you whole lot more time to figure out how to get here." Blue stated and walked over to Red. At the sound of this friend's voice and appearance, Green quickly ducked back behind the tree trunk to hide.

As much as she wanted to run over and jump on Red for a big, comforting hug, Green did not want to confront Blue. Especially not with how she was struggling right now with overcoming her fear. Plus, she had such conflicting feelings towards her best friend. Green was still extremely upset at Blue's arrogance and doubts about her as a trainer. Why couldn't he just this once comfort her instead of put her down? How come that was so difficult for him? Green was also trying to forget his little slip about how he could have prevented her partnership with Gaia the Bulbasaur. As infuriating as that thought was, it didn't happen so she shouldn't hold the 'what if' scenario against him.

On top of those feelings, Green did feel a kernel of guilt that seemed to be gradually growing for how she yelled at Blue. Green has never blown up at him like that before, let alone so venomously like she did. Green knew that, despite how callous Blue had stated his opinion to her, he only did so because it was his way of helping her and he was telling her the truth. Blue was trying to help Green identify her flaw so that she could fix it before it hindered her later on. He was not being intentionally mean or trying to put her down. That was just how it came out. It was his weird but rather bad way of helping Green improve herself. She always knew that when he did so in the past no matter how infuriating or upsetting she felt about it, but his criticism just came at the wrong time in this instance. So, she felt guilty for her reaction at something that wasn't so out of the ordinary as him insensitively scrutinizing her and telling it to her face.

With such volatile emotions coursing through her, Green wasn't sure which one would win out when confronted with Blue and she didn't want to make it worse. She did hate being at odds with Blue whenever the occasion rose and she knew that their fight would get worse if she didn't keep her emotions in check because Blue certainly wouldn't. Once Blue was insulted or angered, he lashed out to get even or to hurt the other person worse than he was. With how close Green and Blue are, he knew exactly what to say to make Green hurt. If she stooped to his level, their friendship might just crumble to dust because, unlike when they resided in Pallet Town, they were now travelling and there would be longer periods of time before they saw each other again. Whereas they constantly saw one another and were able to find the time to talk and make peace, now they could continue this fight longer and let it fester until it damaged their friendship beyond repair because too much time had passed.

Green, no matter how upset she was at Blue, did not want that to happen. So, she was going to remain hidden until Blue has finished his business with Red.

"What do you say? Has your pokémon gotten any stronger yet?" Blue asked and it was clear that he was challenging Red.

"Look, Blue, my goal in this is not to try to make my pokémon stronger. All I want to do is complete the pokédex." Red replied, however, he should have known better. There was a certain edge in Blue's voice as well as the rigid way he held himself in front of Red that should have alerted the teen that Blue was not going to back down. That Blue was just itching for a fight for whatever reason.

"Ha! Yeah, okay, I get it. But, to complete the pokédex you sometimes have to battle against strong pokémon, right? Well, at least you have a good excuse to escape from battle if you wimp out." Blue goaded. Green frowned though at the dark note in his tone. What exactly did that mean since she never heard that before from Blue.

"What'd you say?" Red asked in a low, almost warning tone. But, to Blue and Green, it just proved that Red was falling into Blue's trap.

"Tch, come on. We both know it, Red. The truth is that you're not confident you can beat me. In case, you're wondering, I won't lose to you. No way, no how." Blue said the magic words that would infuriate Red into battling him, just like Blue wanted.

"Alright! I'll accept your challenge!" Red exclaimed and the two teen boys jumped back from their perspective spots in order to create reasonable size area to battle.

Green simply sighed but she will admit she was pretty curious about who was going to win. She will also admit there was a pit growing in her stomach that seem to twist and knot in unease. Blue's reactions were just not sitting right with her. There seemed to be something darker, angrier behind his usual taunts and arrogance as he interacted with Red. Whatever it was, it made Green want to step out of her hiding place and stop the battle before it could begin.

But, she remained rooted to her spot.

She knew that no matter what she would say, it would not stop anything. It never has in the past when she first tried to stop this rivalry from growing and she learned quite quickly that, as much as she did not want to be a reason for the boys' rivalry, the boys' did not want her interference either. After her fight with Blue, Green might even make it worse if she tried to step in now. So, she was going to stay where she was and watch the battle unfold while praying that her unease is just her imagination acting up in response to her own inner turmoil at Blue's presence.

By the end of that match, Green regretted not taking any action and not trusting her instincts. Red and his Charmander were slaughtered by Blue and his Squirtle. The only move of Charmander's that landed on Squirtle was Growl and even then it barely made an impression on Squirtle. Blue had trained his Squirtle well by how it managed to dodge Charmander's physical attacks and by how quick it was in attacking back. With each missed attack at Squirtle and corresponding hit on Charmander, with each taunt that grew smugger by Blue, Red grew more and more irritated. Blue was so merciless and Red so overwhelmed that Red was forced to recall his Charmander to its pokéball in fear of permanent injury. Blue shortly recalled his Squirtle after Charmander was.

"How weak! I've never seen such a weak trainer before. Though, I'm way too strong and awesome too." Blue commented, way too happy and amused at how thoroughly beaten Red was. Red himself didn't even seem to hear Blue as he stared at Charmander's pokéball in his hand.

"Just attack and attack. Predictable." Blue continued with a sigh. At this statement, Red flinched in acknowledgment before clenching his eyes closed and started to tremble.

"I-just…" Red could barely get those two words out, clearly humiliated and distraught.

"Look, Red, just head back to Pallet Town already. There's no way you'll be able to complete the pokédex. You can't even protect yourself and your pokémon, how are you supposed to do so for other pokémon you will encounter? What about your friends who rely on you? It's a waste of time." Blue echoed nearly the same words to Red that he said to Green, making the hidden girl freeze.

She was just about to come storming out to give Blue a piece of her mind and to protect Red from further harm. Those words were like ice in her veins as they reminded her of their earlier interaction in the woods. How she yelled and upset Blue. If she came storming out now, Blue was just going to direct his ill-intent towards her next and she wasn't sure if she could take the same beat down that Red did. Especially since she had the feeling that Blue would be even more malicious against her than he was against Red.

Green was quite the selfish coward, wasn't she? This fact she was learning fully as she watched Blue walk away laughing, completely content with how he humiliated and belittled Red while Red dropped his arm to his side, still clenching the pokéball tightly in his hand.

But, perhaps, the most prevalent thought in Green's mind was how this was nothing like she imagined their journey to complete the pokédex would be. They were supposed to be able to catch wild pokémon with little difficulty, have fun interacting and meeting new pokémon and trainers. The trio of childhood friends were supposed to meet up with one another amicably, talk about the experiences they have had so far, joke around and hang out with one another before they had to move on and continue with their perspective journeys. None of that has happened, especially when the trio saw one another.

Green was frightened.

Red was ridiculed.

Blue was cruel.

It all just seemed so wrong…

~8~

The sun was starting to set on the horizon and two best friends found themselves sitting next to a stream. Both Red and Green were completely silent as they stared off into the distance. It was a few minutes after Blue's departure that Green finally removed herself from her hiding place and walked over to the still distraught Red. Green enveloped him a tight hug but Red barely registered her presence let alone her embrace. Instead of feeling insulted or pestering Red for his lack of response, Green simply took Red by the hand and led him straight to the stream they were now seated at.

While Green was comforted by another's touch and soothing words, Red just needed to feel that he wasn't alone but not talk about it. Red needed time to sort through his own feelings before he could articulate them to someone else and seek comfort from them. Red didn't want to be alone but he also didn't want to speak straight away. As his best friend, Green implicitly knew this hence why she was willing to just sit by him in total silence. She was using this time to figure out how everything went so wrong.

"Why…" Red's question broke through Green's reverie and she turned to give him her full attention.

"Blue and I…we both should be at the same level. GAH!" Red exclaimed at the end in obvious frustration as he then began to hit his forehead with Charmander's pokéball. Green was startled by his action as she flinched in surprise and then quickly reached out to stop Red from hurting himself. She opened her mouth and whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the appearance of a complete stranger.

"No." The stranger replied simply but firmly and forced the two teens to turn around in surprise at his sudden appearance. The young man, who was definitely older than them by a few years at least, had spikey brown hair and slits for eyes. He was wearing an orange sweater over baggy olive green cargo pants. After taking in the sight of this stranger and then glancing at one another, both Red and Green knew that neither of them had ever seen this man before or knew why he was talking to them about a situation he shouldn't know about.

"Clearly the guy who used the Squirtle is more experienced." The stranger continued after he took another step closer to the two friends, not even deterred by their startled expressions at his presence.

"Uh…W-who are you?" Red asked.

"And how did you even know about his battle?" Green asked her own question.

"Tell me something, do you understand the typing characteristics of your pokémon?" The stranger side-stepped their questions as he placed a hand on his hip.

"Wha-?" Red responded in confusion as he and Green both stood up to face this stranger.

"Well, to begin with, it's so obvious that you and your pokémon are not in sync." The stranger replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Not in sync? … That's a lie!" Red was first contemplative over the stranger's opinion before he became defensive. Green remained silent for now to hear what this stranger has to say and if it was at all accurate or if this stranger was simply trying to harm Red further by giving him bad advice. Even though Green was a new trainer as well, she figured that common sense would help her decipher this stranger's opinion.

"His Squirtle responded quickly to its trainer's instructions and was able to dodge attacks by using its own judgement. Because the pokémon and its trainer are connected that Squirtle clearly recognizes and trusts in its trainer's power." The stranger explained his assessment and Green gave a slight nod of her head. He was correct from what she witnessed of the battle. Blue's Squirtle moved smoothly, without hesitation on its own and at Blue's orders during the battle whereas Red's Charmander seemed clumsy in comparison.

"Trainer's power?" Red stated his confusion. Green would admit that she herself did not understand completely what this stranger meant by a 'trainer's power'.

Was this 'power' some intrinsic ability that endowed the trainer with the knowledge of how to battle without fear of losing?

Did every trainer have this power from the beginning or was it something they acquired over time?

What if Green never learned how to tap into her own 'power'? What would that mean for her and her own pokémon when they battled?

"Pokémon won't connect with trainers who have none." The stranger stated simply which made both Red and Green gasp. Well, that answered one question for the young girl. She needed to make sure she gained some 'power' or however one goes about it. She did not want her pokémon to suffer because of her failings.

"The strength of a pokémon is proportional to its trainer's power." The stranger finished in order to drive his point home to the young teens.

"I see." Red murmured as he looked at Charmander's pokéball clutched firmly in his hand. At least one of the teens understood the stranger because Green did not.

He did not answer any of her internal questions or even Red's basic verbal one of what exactly is a 'trainer's power'!

"I don't." Green stated openly, her brow furrowed in confusion and annoyance at how she wasn't grasping this concept unlike her best friend.

It was especially frustrating because Green always prided herself on her learning abilities. Between the three childhood friends, Green was the smartest in an academic setting. She just loved to learn about new topics and, when she did start on a new topic that truly captured her interest, Green just had to know everything about it until she was practically an expert. It also helped that she was able to grasp onto theories quickly as well. She was the one that Red and Blue turned to when they needed help with studying. So, for her not to understand straight away while Red did irked Green quite a bit.

"A 'trainer's power' is their ability to understand their pokémon's limitations and effectively utilize this knowledge in battle." The stranger further explained. Green's mouth formed an "O" before she closed her mouth and nodded her head. That was definitely clearer. But, Green still had her other questions to ask about in regards to how she either awakens this 'power' inside of herself or how she finds it as well as improve it once she succeeds in gaining it. But, Green won't get the chance to ask them.

"Got it." Red stated before he then started to walk past the stranger, forcing Green's attention away from her internal questions and onto her best friend. Green didn't know what Red meant by his simple comment. It seemed she wasn't the only one confused.

"Hold on. Where are you going?" The stranger asked.

"Isn't it clear? I'm going to find everyone with pokémon and challenge them to a battle…Green, how do you feel about a friendly battle?" Red told the stranger before he paused in thought as if he forgot his best friend was right there before he turned on his heel to challenge her. Green furrowed her eyebrows once more because Red had lifted Charmander's pokéball in challenge.

"You don't mean with Charmander, do you?" Green questioned with a concerned tone. She wasn't quite sure how long it took for a pokémon to recover from a battle, but she had a feeling that with how hurt Charmander was by Squirtle, that the lizard pokémon had not recovered sufficiently enough to battle now.

"Are you saying that you are going to make that weak and hurt Charmander battle even more?" The stranger agreed with the young girl. At their unanimous responses, Red gasped and looked down at the pokéball in concern. He clearly had forgotten all about his humiliating defeat after having his determination renewed by this stranger's earlier battle advice.

"You should take it to the Pokémon Center first." The stranger broke through Red's reverie with his next sound piece of advice.

"Of course, I just…" Red trailed off.

"The Pokémon Center in Viridian City is the building with the red roof." The stranger told them before he gestured at the two teens to follow him.

Red and Green exchanged a glance with each other before they nodded and walked in step behind the stranger.

~8~

The stranger who still had yet to reveal himself had taken the two childhood friends back to the welcome sign where Red and Blue had battled. The stranger then stopped and turned to them as he told them that this is where they parted ways.

"Ah, well, thank you." Red said to the stranger.

"Yes, thank you." Green echoed her friend and the stranger gave the two a small nod of his head in acknowledgement.

"If you really want to learn the basics of battle you both are gonna want to visit the gym leaders." The stranger replied with another piece of advice.

"Gym leaders?" Red and Green asked simultaneously.

"Gym leaders are very experienced in pokémon battles. You could learn quite a lot from them. Though…" The stranger explained as he started to walk away from the teens with a wave. He stopped when he paused at the end of his statement, increasing the curiosity of the two best friends.

"Though what?" It was Red who asked the question as the stranger looked over his shoulder at them standing side by side wearing identical expressions of curiosity.

"Gym leaders are only willing to battle with people who really want to learn. If you wanna visit the gyms, then first think about this. What battling pokémon is really all about." The stranger imparted one last piece of advice before he walked away with another wave. He didn't stop and continued to trek through the dark forest, officially leaving.

"What battling is really about." Red and Green mumbled under their breaths to each other. It took only about a second after that for Green to realize that she still had some questions for the helpful stranger.

"Red, I will meet back up with you at the Pokémon Center. Okay?" Green stated to her best friend more than questioned because she was already moving towards the direction the stranger left in. All Red could really do was nod his head in agreement before the teenaged girl had disappeared into the tree line.

Luckily for Green, it didn't take long to catch back up to the stranger even though he did veer off from the route she thought he would have taken. For some odd reason, she just assumed that he was heading back towards the river where they all meet each other. She was obviously wrong, but thankfully it didn't matter in the end.

"WAIT!" Green shouted and caused some minor disturbances in the darkened and sleepy forest around her. But, the stranger did hear her and did as she asked by stopping and waiting for her to catch up to him.

"I thought I gave you and your friend all the information you needed to know." The stranger mused and Green was glad to notice that he didn't seem exasperated or annoyed by her. Although, she disagreed wholeheartedly to his statement.

"No, you didn't. Like you just threw vague concepts at us and expect us to work them out. Thankfully you were able to answer some of our questions about a 'trainer's power', although I still have questions about that. But, you didn't really on gym leaders. Like, where are they? Are they all located in some random building together, so it's a one-stop place for trainers to learn from them? Like a school? How many gym leaders are there? What exactly are they going to teach us? Just battling? Pokémon care?" Green started to rattle off and ramble. The stranger watched her in barely concealed shock and amusement as she quickly took a breath. But, before he could respond to her various questions, she began again.

"Are gym leaders the only ones who can teach trainers? Or is there another option? Can I try the gym leader challenge but then quit if I find something better to help me as a trainer? Or once I start I have to keep going until I complete it? Are there books I could read about this? What about books dedicated specifically to pokémon battling and care in general? Especially those for beginner trainers like me?" Green finally stopped and gave the stranger a curious but pointed look that told him she was waiting for him to answer. Which prompted the stranger to chuckle aloud.

"Aren't you tenacious? That's quite a bit you want to know." The stranger replied. Green crossed her arms self-consciously with a forced smile adorning her face.

"Well, I know that when I battle, it is really my pokémon who are doing it for me. So, I need to know what I am doing so I don't let them down." Green explained sheepishly and hoped that this stranger didn't catch onto the fact that she felt she had already let down her pokémon. If he did, then he didn't comment on it as his once amused smile turned softer at her explanation.

"I see. I guess I didn't have to ask you what it really means to battle pokémon. You already know." The stranger told the teenager and Green's once forced smile turned genuine and bright at his compliment. It was comforting to know that she had grasped this concept so quickly and without any help.

Maybe Green wasn't as incompetent as she thought she was at this?

There's hope for her yet!

"As for your questions, there are 8 gym leaders and they are located across Kanto. One for each major city. Once you defeat them and gain their badges as proof of your victory, you can proceed to the Indigo Plateau where you face off against the Elite 4 and the Pokémon Champion. Should you defeat the Pokémon Champion, you would be crowned as the new Pokémon Champion and take up his or her duties." The stranger explained to her and Green nodded her head to demonstrate her understanding. Although, her eyes did widen a bit at the mention of challenging the Elite 4 and the Pokémon Champion.

Why wouldn't she? The gym leader challenge itself did not sound like it involved battling against powerful trainers like the Elite 4 and the Pokémon Champion!

Green could barely handle battling bird pokémon, how is she supposed to go up against professional and experienced trainers with titles like 'Elite 4' and 'Pokémon Champion'?!

How powerful were these gym leaders if they are just the precursor to the Elite 4 and Pokémon Champion?

Green definitely won't last long against the gym leaders, let alone contemplate taking on the Elite 4 and Pokémon Champion!

"Do not fret, each gym leader battles accordingly to the number of badges the challenger has. That way beginning trainers such as yourself would not be overpowered right off the bat. Gym leaders are there to help trainers and their pokémon grow and discover their own strengths as well as weaknesses. To help trainers figure out their own battling style." The stranger stated as if he could read Green's thoughts which was entirely possible since Green was very expressive. Blue had always teased her about the fact that she had no poker face to speak of. Either way, Green gave a sigh of relief and loosened her crossed arms that were once hugging her tightly around the waist when she became anxious.

"Yes, you can quit the gym leader challenge should you decide that there is another path you wish to take. Not every trainer likes to battle. That is the beauty of being partnered with pokémon. You grow and support each other until you find the path you were meant to take. I think you would do well in the gym leader challenge. But, if you are not sure, I believe you will find your answers at the Viridian City Library. It is the biggest library in the whole of Kanto. Is there any other questions I have not answered, you had quite a lot that I am not sure if I got to them all?" The stranger finished at the end with small chuckle that Green joined shyly.

"Uh, there's actually one more left." Green replied and scratched her cheek with her finger which just had the stranger laughing more.

"Oh and what is it?" He asked ruefully, at least he was still amused by her and not irritated or angry with her constant questioning.

"Who are you?" The young teen inquired. She felt terrible that she had to keep referring to this helpful and nice man as 'stranger'. She actually hoped they could become friends.

"The name's Brock. I really do need to get going now and I hope to see you again." Brock revealed himself and turned away with one last wave.

"Good-bye and thank you so much!" Green replied with her own wave.

It was unneeded to say that she too wished to see him again in her travels.

~8~

"Red!" A feminine voice called out throughout the Pokémon Center as the brunette girl walked into the red-roof building. That voice did not belong to Green but to the pretty nurse behind the counter. Green then noticed Red walk away from the computer phone and head over to the counter where his name was called.

"I want to thank you for waiting. You'll be glad to know that your pokémon are completely fighting fit. We hope to see you again." The nurse stated to the boy as she handed over the tray filled with his pokéballs.

"K, thanks a lot." Red replied gratefully before he moved a step to the right because he felt someone right behind him, waiting patiently for the nurse.

"Welcome to our Pokémon Center! We heal your pokémon back to perfect health. Shall we heal your pokémon?" The nurse asked the young girl after she stepped forward.

"Yes, please!" Green replied enthusiastically and laughed a little at the small jump Red gave as he recognized the sound of her voice.

"Okay, I'll need your pokémon." The nurse said and Green easily handed over her pokéballs as Red turned quickly on his heel to face her.

"Green! After your pokémon are all healed up, do you wanna battle?" Red asked cheerfully and expectantly. Green's once happy smile fell into an apologetic one.

"I'm sorry, Red. After I get my pokémon back I was going to head over to the Viridian City Library." Green explained gently. She wouldn't mind battling Red, but she wanted to study up first on battling and to make sure that she hadn't been doing it wrong.

"Of course you are." Red laughed, not at all surprised or upset by her response. Green is a bookworm through and through, although he would never call her that to her face unless in a fond and friendly tone.

"What? If I am going to take up the gym leader challenge, I need to know everything about pokémon and battling tactics. You should study up to! Do you want to join me?" Green exclaimed and gave Red her best baby-doll eyes. But, Red was immune to them as he chuckled and shook his head in the negative.

"Nah, I'll leave the studying to you. But, if I have any questions you will be the first one I go to. I think I'm going to head out though. I don't know how long you're going to take in the library. So, stay safe and good luck on the gym leader challenge." Red told her. Green sighed in disappointment but she knew it was a long shot in getting Red to join her at the library.

"You too and I hope we meet up again soon. We haven't had the chance to really hang out." Green replied as she hugged Red in farewell. Unlike the last time she hugged her best friend, he responded in kind. Green took great comfort in the arms of her best friend, used this moment to soak up all the support and reassurance she got from Red.

The teenaged girl finally felt re-centered after everything that has happened since she left on this journey.

This is the power of Red's hugs.

Green tightened her arms around Red before pulling away and gave him a bright smile to hide her stress and fatigue. Red didn't need to know about her fight with Blue and her doubts about herself as a trainer. He was already burdened with his own troubles and worries. She was only going to take a hug from him and nothing more.

She was going to figure out everything on her own.

And books were usually where she found the answers to her problems.

~8~

It wouldn't be until the next day that Green finally made it to the Viridian City Library. By the time that her pokémon were returned after being healed, it was too late at night for Green to go anywhere. But, that didn't stop the teen from waking up bright and early and heading straight to the library.

She spent hours in the library after commandeering a table to herself. The books she pulled out were stacked all over the table and towered above her seated position. But Green didn't notice or care as she read book after book, absorbing the knowledge she was receiving.

The most important thing Green had learned was how woefully unprepared she was when she accepted becoming a pokémon trainer.

She knew practically nothing.

Like there are different types of pokémon?!

Okay, to be fair, it was obvious enough for her to note on her own. But, Green never analyzed past that fact and realize the implications. Such as that the typing of a pokémon determined its strengths and weakness against other typings. Or that typing can also be applied to moves a pokémon can learn.

Don't even get Green started on what she learned about pokémon evolution.

What matters is that these facts are fundamental knowledge for pokémon identification and care, let alone battling!

How could Green even proceed as trainer and attempt to complete the pokédex if she didn't know this?

Well, she was going to rectify that mistake of hers. She was going to spend as much time as she needed at the Viridian City Library until she knew everything.

Green was not going to fail herself as a pokémon trainer.

Green was not going to fail her pokémon.

And Green was not going to fail Professor Oak who gave her this opportunity in exchange of completing the pokédex.

Failure was not an option.

~8~

"Professor, may I ask what the reason was that you choose Red for this task?" One of the man's assistants asked him as he sat comfortably at his desk back in Pallet Town. Professor Oak looked up from the file in his hands as he smiled at his female assistant.

"Although he's clumsy, ever since he was a young boy he's hated to lose. But, he is honest. He will learn from those around him and grow stronger. I believe he will make a good pokémon trainer. I only hope that Blue will grow along with Red. Unlike Red, he's too good which makes him a little arrogant." Professor Oak explained his reasoning and hopes as he leaned back in his seat.

"And Green? Don't you think that she's a little too…naïve?" The assistant hesitated on the last word. She knew how much Professor Oak loved the young girl like his own granddaughter. She didn't fault him for that because all of his assistants, like herself, loved the girl as well. Green was always sweet and polite to them as well as didn't mind conversing with the assistants whenever the professor was too busy. Because the assistants knew her almost as well as Professor Oak, they knew her weaknesses and fears as well. They were worried about her and how she will fare in the task of completing the pokédex.

The pokémon professor chuckled at the word 'naïve'.

"Ah, yes, Green does tend live in her own idealistic world, does she not?" Professor Oak continued to fondly chuckle as he thought about the young girl in question.

"However, she is a lot like Red: honest and hates to lose. Whenever her outlook is threatened, she will regroup and come back stronger. Have no fear, her optimism and sincerity will not deteriorate no matter how bleak it gets for her. But, that is not why I asked her to help complete the pokédex like I did with Red and Blue." Professor Oak reassured his assistant. He knew that they were all worried that Green might lose that special characteristic of hers which allowed her to see the best in the world. But, Professor Oak just knew that Green was stronger than that. She would always be the sweet girl who wanted to be friends with everyone and was able to look past the exterior of others until she found the good in them like she does with Blue.

"Then why did you send Green out with Red and Blue?" The assistant questioned.

"Even though I believe she would make a good trainer like Red and Blue if she decided to pursue that, her potential does not lie in being a trainer." The pokémon professor stated cryptically.

"Where?" The assistant asked, genuinely curious as to what Professor Oak was thinking.

What did he see when he looked at Green?

"I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you."