A Seemingly Quiet Day

[Michelle]

Pallet Town was, as usual, a rather quiet place. It was a mildly warm day. A nice breeze was blowing and the sun was casting its warm rays on everything that it could. The small Pokémon that lived in and around the area were enjoying the weather. The town was slightly more abuzz than usual though. Some of the smaller children were out and about, excitement evident on their faces. It happened every months or so when Red decided it was necessary to go and visit his mother. At first, it he stayed away from home for far longer than six months at a time. After his first visit back home though, he quickly learned his mother would have none of that. Red’s visit from his mother was done for this trip though. His next stop was in Viridian City to see if Blue was in. It had been something that he had started not too long ago, visiting his former rival. The new tradition had started when human contact with his mom wasn’t enough. Since his visits were often unannounced, more often than not, Blue wasn’t in when he stopped by.

The kids of Pallet Town crowded around him. He was something of a hero to the. Better put would he was something of a hero to nearly everyone that had heard of him, but even more so to these children. They never failed in crowding around every time that he was in town, and even though he never said anything with him. The nods of his head and slight change in facial expressions were enough to prove to that he acknowledged their existence. In truth, he had a special little place in his heart for those kids. He would never be caught voicing that though, as Red was never caught voicing anything.

Red’s group of short fans stopped following him as soon as he got to Route 1. Under normal circumstances, Red would have just flown to Viridian on the back of Charizard, but given that he was feeling rather nostalgic today. Pikachu strolled along beside his trainer, doing just as much remembering as the silent champion was. The upstarting trainers along the route were smart enough to know not to challenge him as he walked by. Pikachu, despite the other Pokémon visibly moving throughout the grass, stayed put beside Red.

Walking down the rather quaint route made both trainer and Pokémon remember a much more simple time in their lives. Back then, there had been no stress from being champion. All that had mattered back then was having fun while on the journey. A much younger Red had no idea of what he was getting himself into the moment that he left his home town. He would have never dreamed of taking down a criminal organization or becoming champion, let alone one of the most revered trainers in the entire Pokémon world.

The calmness of Route 1 was good for thinking, maybe even better than being at home. It was certainly far from how well he could think on top of the Mount Silver, but at least there wasn’t any snow down here. Red walked along, giving nods of his head to people that acknowledged him. Talking may not have been his thing, but that didn’t equate to being rude. At some point on his walk, Pikachu jumped up on his shoulder, determined to get a better view of the world as it passed by. The little yellow Pokémon had grown to appreciate the qualities of a place like this just as much as his trainer.

It was odd to think that robberies could happen in a place that, while wild, was so simple. Yet they had, as Red had heard multiple times from his mother. While the thought was certainly in the back of the young champion’s mind, he was far from worried about it. After all, he would be staying in Viridian City for the night, even if Blue wasn’t there. Red was close enough with the gym leader to know where he hid the spare key. That, and this green eyed rival was more than predictable. The wasn’t a worry in his mind of the gym being robbed. It hadn’t happened yet, anyways.

Once on the outskirts of the city, Red decided that it was time for a break and to let his Pokémon out. He was far enough away so that his rather large companions wouldn’t bother any inhabitants, but close enough the he would know if something went on. He leaned back against a small tree, watching happily as his Pokémon explored their surroundings. It had always perplexed him, how even though his Pokémon came with him every time that he was in Viridian, they still had the need to go explore as soon as they arrived. He shrugged off the thought and closed his eyes, letting the soft breeze that was still blowing sweep over him.

[Random]

The sky is such a nice color today... Leaf thought to herself as she traveled along the route to Viridian City on the shell of her trusted partner. "Getting low on fuel yet?"

The Blastoise let out a derisive snort, as if amused by such a question. The woman rolled her eyes. "Oh very well, goodness boys and their showing off..."

The brunette turned from laying on her back to staring back down along the route. It had been quite fun to see the looks on random passerbys' faces. They probably had never seen a Blastoise 'fly' before. Despite her carefree banter, Leaf was excited abut reaching Viridian. She had heard about the reports of stolen goods through the grapevine and decided to come back to her hometown for the holidays: she'd plan to go back to stay with her flks after her curiousity had been sated. She could never stay away from action.

I suppose once a trainer of Pallet Town always a trainer of Pallet Town. Leaf chuckled, until she thought she saw something- or someone- familiar coming up the road. Could it be?

"Let's land for a moment." Leaf whispered to Blastoise, the water type nodding and descending back onto solid ground, wear they landed the ground had become soaked with water from the large turtle's canons.

Leaf shivered a little as she landed, putting her hands in her jacket to try and keep warm, but a smile lit up her whole face as the figure came closer.

"Hey there!"

[Michelle]

Red probably noticed Lead around the same time that she noticed him. After all, a flying Blastoise was a hard thing to miss, especially to one who had a rather keen eye. Red also took notice that he wasn't the only one who had noticed the rather odd sight. Of course by now, he had seen the spectacle quite a few times, so it came as no amazing sight to him. He had waited for her to get down though. If she wanted to see him, she would. That was exactly what happened.

"Hey there," she said. Red gave her a nod of his head in acknowledgment, which was more than he gave most people. He hadn't been expecting to see Leaf this visit. When he had asked his mom, she said she wasn't in town. At that point, he had given up on the small hope of seeing one of the two close friends he had. It really wasn't that much of a big deal, but he was still slightly excited that Leaf had shown up. Not that it showed on his face at, but he was slightly excited.

Pikachu, on the other hand, was very happy that Leaf had shown up. Sometimes, Red swore that his Pok?mon enjoyed the company of his friends more than he did. The small yellow Pok?mon jumped off Red's shoulder and ran over to the girl. He immediately, he jumped up on her shoulder and nuzzled into her neck. Pikachu had about as big of a friend circle as Red did, and his friend circle, when it came to humans at least, his friend circle was the exact same as his trainers.

Going and seeing Blue could wait for now. It wasn't like there was any urgency to get back up to the top of Mount Silver. Not much ever happened on the top of a rather cold and desolate mountain anyways.

[Random]

Leaf laughed, nuzzling back and lifting her arm to scratch the back of the electric rodent's ears. "Great to see you too."

Blastoise walked over to stand beside his trainer, nodding at Red in acknowledgement. Though he liked the young trainer well enough he was sure Red would appreciate him charging in for a back rub.

"I didn't hear that you'd be coming for a visit. If I'd known I would've come here sooner," Leaf replied to her friend as the man got closer. The inner mother in her felt worried, Red looked so skinny to her, had he been eating well? Of course from what she could see though Pikachu was in perfect health; fur soft to the touch and eyes bright. She would have to make sure she'd treat him to a restaurant on her visit."Heading to Viridian to see Blue I'm guessing? It's not a lot of times we can all be together like this."

[Michelle]

"It was unannounced," he said in a quiet, toned down voice. Even if he was comfortable talking around Leaf, that didn't mean he had to talk loudly. In all honesty, Red had never really liked the sound of his voice. It was one of the few things, other than talking with those that he didn't know, that he was rather insecure about. His confidence in himself, his Pok?mon, and his ability to battle was through the roof, but his confidence in his voice and ability to talk was the exact opposite.

Pikachu gave Leaf one last nuzzle before hopping off of her shoulder and back over to Red's. It was like on top of the Champion's shoulder was the position that the little yellow mouse was born to be in.

Red nodded his head, showing instead of actually saying that yes, he was in fact heading to Viridian to see Blue. He couldn't help but silently agree with Leaf's statement about the three of them being together. It had been well over a year since that had last happened. There was no doubt in Red's mind that Blue would agree with the two of them that it was indeed time to get together and catch up. Of course, it would mostly be Blue and Leaf talking if that did happen. Not much ever happened on the top of Mount Silver to tell people about. At least, nothing interesting.

"You coming with me?" Red asked, nodding towards the direction of Viridian City. Having Leaf as company would be nice. It would certainly be a change as well, considering that his company almost always consisted solely Pok?mon. Having another human around for once would could prove to be a nice change of pace.

[Random]

"Same here. Heard some commotion had been going on, plus it'd been a little bit since I visited my parents," Leaf replied. Even though she called them all the time she knew her parents still got worried sometimes. The woman culd understand it when she was still young and she, Red, and Blue had all just started out on their journies. Parents nature to worry, possibly?

Pikachu leaving her shoulder to go back to Red made her realize how cool the temperature was. Even though Kanto never got as cold as certain regions the wind blew in her face a bit and she tucket her jacket a little tighter to keep in heat. She hoped Blue was home so that the three of them could all catch up: preferable somewhere that was warm.

Leaf smiled a bit wider at Red's question. "Of course, silly."

The girl called back her starter, who looked to be getting a little winded from the trip so far, and started to walk beside Red. "Lead the way."

[Michelle]

The whole visiting parents thing was something that Red could instantly relate to, although he was willing to bet that Leaf got in contact with hers much more frequently than he got in contact with his. There were multiple occasions in which he had been scolded by his mother for staying away from home for too long. This scolding usually came in the form of a very annoyed mom when he first returned home. Recently though, she seemed to be growing slightly less annoyed when he stayed away from home. Maybe it was because he was getting older? Red wasn't really sure.

Red did exactly as he was told, returning his Pok?mon other than Pikachu back to their pok?balls. They would have the entire gym to hang about in once the group actually made it to Viridian City, even if Blue wasn't there. After the first few visits, Red had been sure to figure out where his gym leader friend kept the secret key hidden.

After just a few minutes into their walk, Red found the silence growing rather uncomfortable, or rather he thought that maybe it was uncomfortable for Leaf. He was perfectly fine with it, but considering that they were friends, some idle chitchat might be nice. "Anything interesting happen on your travels," he asked as they walked. It was obviously forced speech, but it was better than nothing, right?

[Random]

Leaf looked around at the road as they walked along in silence. She understood Red wasn't much of a talker, and that could be refreshing at times. During her journies she couldn't begin to count the long winded talks she had between strangers. Either from their side or hers, anything to make a situation less awkward or maybe as a way to show off.

When Red broke the silence she began to think about all the stories she wanted to tell him and Blue. "Yeah. There's actually something i want to talk about with you guys when we're all together. It's something I haven't even told my parents or Prof. Oak yet."

Leaf had been waiting to tell someone about her encounter with what could be considered a legendary Pok?mon for ages, but she had kept it bottled up to make sure nobody would think she had made a mistake, or that she was crazy. The girl played with the brim of her hat a little bit so it wouldn't fall off in the wind before turning back to Red. "It's not anything bad so don't worry!"

[Michelle]

Red was intrigued, to the point where it showed just a little bit on his face. That was a rather rare occurrence when it came to the reclusive champion. Anything that his friends said though, he generally cared about it. If Leaf hadn't told Oak or her parents yet, then this was bound to be big. She told Oak nearly everything when it came to interesting things that occurred on her personal journey. Interesting news was a change of pace for him.

"I look forward to hearing about it," Red said in all honesty. The only things that he was now looking forward to more than Leaf's news now was the fact that it would be the first time in quite a while he would be meeting up with both of his friends and that, even if he wouldn't admit it out loud, that he would be sleeping inside and eating food that other than what he normally ate. Not that he minded his quality of living up on Mount Silver, put any sane person would miss things like that.

"Not much happens on Mount Silver," he said, not feeling the need to say that not much had actually happened in between the last time they had talked. To most people, Red's speech mannerisms would have seemed minimalistic, and they were. For the champion though, this was talkative.

[Random]

"Glad you are." Leaf said. She hoped that they would know she was telling the truth. She didn't get the chance to take any pictures along with never getting that interview. Thinking about it still made her a little sad- well, maybe not sad, but dissapointed? Maybe that's what she felt.

"Maybe there aren't enough strong trainers willing to go up against you," Leaf said, not really a question more more of a thought. "Or they're chicken. I say people coddle their kids too much these days."

The woman realized how old she sounded, even when she, and Red too weren't really that old. She did feel that old sometimes though. It felt like the top point of her life had already happened when she was a kid, and the rest was just... afterwards. Maybe that's why she traveled a lot, to find another adventure.

"I'm still surprised that you keep warm in that way up there," Leaf motioned to Red's outfit. "Then again I wear a skirt so I shouldn't judge."

[Michelle]

Red listened to Leaf and her ramblings about kids and their parents. He had to agree, nodding his head to show this. The three of them had turned out just fine and they had been sent out on their journeys at quite a young age. Granted, they were all away from home a lot. Red was probably the worst offender when it came to this particular crime, as his visits were sporadic and often unannounced. But hey, they managed to stay alive and make quite a name for themselves.

There were times when he wasn't sure that people kept away from challenging him because he was one of the best Pok?mon trainers out there or if it was because it was quite the task to go and challenge him. He had only been defeated once, and that was something that he certainly didn't care to talk about. No one had ever questioned him about it either, which was surprising. Deep in the recesses of his mind, he wondered if the kid had ever told anyone.

"I got used to it," he said, shrugging. After the first few months, the cold had ceased to have a lasting effect on him. If he ever did get cold, which was usually when a particularly nasty snowstorm decided to show up, he remained close to Charizard. The large fire type provided enough warmth for the both of them and then some.

[infinityphoenix]

"Yo!" a voice from the sky called down at the two veteran trainers. Moments later, Blue landed close to the two on his Aerodactyl, and sent the duo them a friendly wave, while the ancient Pokémon flapped a wing in their direction.

Blue couldn't remember the last time he had seen either of them, let alone both of them together in the same place at the same time. He and Leaf were always on the move, while Red was usually too far out of the way to visit, and they never really scheduled when or where to meet, so it was always a pleasant surprise to run into one of his old childhood friends.

"I was about to check on Daisy and Gramps, but then I saw you guys, together and everything," the Gym Leader continued, hopping off of Aerodactyl. "Those two can wait, I guess, since stuff like this never happens and I can see them anytime I want to. So, what's up?"

[Random]

Leaf frowned. Her friend seemed okay, but the woman still had some doubts. I'll bother him if I try to talk to him about it. I know somehow I'll end up sounding like a nag.

Leaf looked up at the sky once more, not thinking much about what she was about to say. "Hey, Red..."

But before she could start the rest of her thought a familiar voice called out from up above.

"Speak of the devil," The woman grinned, raising her arm to wave. "Hey!"

The remaining person of their trio had arrived. Once Blue had gotten close enough Leaf responded.

"We were just heading to the gym to see you, met up on the road in a similar fashion. Oh, and you reminded me that I need to ask Daisy about some new products coming out on sale at the Celadon Department store..." She could probably ask Blue since he was in Kanto region more than her or Red because of his job, despite taking frequent trips, but the woman already could guess the look of disdain she'd recieve at the thought of anything 'girly'.

"How are you, Blue?"

[infinityphoenix]

"Can't complain," Blue shrugged, returning Aerodactyl to his Pok? ball. "Except for this one kid that keeps challenging my Gym everyday for the past few days. That's gotten kinda boring after a while, and it's annoying when I'm out doing something and get called back to the Gym. I keep telling him to take a break and train his Pok?mon more, but he won't have any of that. Hey, that sale wouldn't happen to be for anything useful, would it? I'm running low on Full Restores."

Blue glanced towards Red, who was as quiet as usual. It would probably be a conversation that was mostly between him and Leaf again, as it usually turned out to be. Still, it was nice to have Red there with them. He'd probably challenge him to a battle before they went their separate ways.

"Anyways, enough about me. How have you guys been?"

[Michelle]

Red looked over at Leaf as soon as she started to speak to him. The champion was far from the greatest with people, but he could tell that something was off about her tone of voice. He didn't get to hear all of what she was about to say though, because at shortly after she started speaking, the last member of there trio showed up. It had been almost as big of a surprise to Red as Leaf showing up. He had half expected to find Blue away on some trip again. That was how it usually worked. Luck seemed to be on his side today, as both of his friends had turned up rather unexpectedly.

For the most part, he listened to Blue and Leaf discuss and get hellos and introductions over with, other than a slight wave of the hand when the gym leader had first arrived. That had been how the three of them always worked. Blue and Leaf did the discussing and Red chimed in when absolutely necessary. After all, Leaf had summed up what they were doing pretty well. She had certainly said it better than he would have, with a lot more words as well.

Red shrugged at the question about how they had been. Things hadn't changed much since the last time they had seen each other, even though that was awhile ago. "Good enough," he said in his usual not to loud but loud enough to hear voice. What else was there to say? As he had previously stated when talking to Leaf, nothing really happened when you were alone on top of a mountain with just Pok?mon as your company.

His outward indifference wasn't to be mistaken as actual indifference. Inside, he was extremely excited. The only amount of actual emotion that was reflected on his face though, was a small smile. Granted, it was bigger than nearly every smile that had graced his face in the past few years. There was one member of the group that wasn't so keen on Blue's arrival. Pikachu shot the gym leader a rather nasty stare. The yellow Pok?mon had never really been as fond of him as his trainer had. The reasons weren't entirely clear, even to Red, but he could tell that Pikachu definitely disliked his childhood friend more than he liked him.

[Random]

"The woes of being a gym leader," Leaf replied with a humorous glint in her eyes. "Maybe have it closed for a few days so he gets the message? You do take vacations enough for it to be plausable."

The woman rolled her eyes dramatically at Blue inquiry. "Honestly, there are more to shopping than Potions and Full Restores. It's actually a sale on held items. Nidoqueen's Silk Scarf has been looking a bit grubby, so I though it might be time to get her a new one..."

The woman turned to look over at Pikachu, still perched on Red's shoulders but giving Blue the evil eye. It was the same look the rodent would used to give the other boy even during the beginning of their journies whenever they met.

Some things never change... She thought with a wry smile played up on her features. "Anyway would you be put out if the three of us head back to Viridian for now? Lunch will be my treat."

It was getting a little bit later than lunchtime she supposed, as the winter sun was moving across the sky quickly. Then again, maybe it was just the usual thing during this time of the year?

[infinityphoenix]

"Hey, I know that held items are useful!" Blue replied, crossing his arms. Truth be told, though, he never thought about replacing them before they were completely worn out. Now that he stopped to think about it, Arcanine's Expert Belt had probably seen its fair share of battles, and even Aerodactyl's Choice Band was already looking somewhat worse for wear.

"Huh, maybe I'll check that out..." the Gym Leader said to himself. "Anyways, the kid already tracked me down twice when I tried to avoid him. Maybe I should take another trip, though. His Pok?mon could use the training from a long search. Hey, maybe I'll go up to Mt. Silver with you, Red!" Blue told his friend, oblivious to Pikachu's stare even as he turned towards them.

"Wait, I forgot Trainers aren't really allowed back there without special permission... wouldn't really be giving the kid a chance if I went there," Blue shrugged. "But yeah, Leaf, lunch sounds awesome. I'm starved."

[Michelle]

Red found it quite humorous and enjoyable, hearing his friends talk. It was especially enjoyable to hear them talk about such normal things. It reminded that there was life outside of isolation and training. He found it especially funny that Blue was having issues with a trainer at the gym. Red really couldn't place why, but it was just funny. The talk of shopping didn't interest him at all, but he still listened none the less.

While he knew that Blue was only joking, the thought of having another human for company on Mount Silver was something that had never crossed his mind. He couldn't begin to fathom another person wanting to spend time in the cold and snow, with minimal every day luxuries. Half the time, he questioned why he spent time up there. Then he remembered the days early on in his championship and quickly remembered why he chose to stay alone. Being alone was much better than the attention that came with living around other people.

What did interest him was lunch. It had been ages since Red had eaten something that hadn't been cooked by him, if you don't count the cereal that he ate this morning when he first arrived in Pallet town. He ate cereal quite frequently actually, so it really shouldn't be counted. "Lunch sounds nice," he said. Pikachu seemed to like the idea as well, considering he had toned down his glare of hatred towards Blue as thoughts of food took over the rodents mind. In actuality, Pikachu and his Pok?mon companions probably ate better than their trainer did while on Mount Silver.

[Random]

Leaf smiled. "Wonderful. Let's be on our way then."

The woman began to walk along the route once more, happy that she had both her friends walking alongside. It almost gave her a feeling of nostalgia, of the time when the three of them were little kids. Despite it being so many years ago she thought that the three of them had all stayed relatively the same personality-wise.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you about something Blue," Sheturned to look over at the gym leader. "As I was traveling back I heard about some bandits that have ben robbing in and around the major cities of Kanto lately. Know anything about it?"

[infinityphoenix]

Blue frowned at Leaf's question, his hand unconsciously moving towards his Pok? balls.

"Yeah, it's been a real problem lately," the Gym Leader replied. "It's mostly around the outskirts of the the city, at least for Viridian, anyway. Weird thing is that nobody's been able to tell if they're even wild or not. Any attempts to tail or track them have led to dead ends."

Blue sighed as they walked through the gate to Viridian Forest.

"Either way, word is that it's happening more and more often and farther into the city. As far as I know, they haven't really hurt anybody yet, but they've been making a real mess out of peoples' homes."

[Michelle]

Red continued to walk with his friends. He was rather interested in Leaf's question as well. The champion had only heard brief bits about it from his mom and Professor Oak when he had bee back in Pallet Town. To Red, it sounded like the work of some criminal organization, more so Team Rocket then anything else. Then again, he had always been slightly paranoid that the group wasn't gone for good. Right now though, it sounded like nothing could really be gathered from the situation.

It was slightly discouraging and unsettling that the Pok?mon were actually breaking into people's houses, especially if they were going farther and farther into the city. Red had dealt with thievery from wild Pok?mon early on in his stay on Mount Silver, but after they found out that his own Pok?mon were a force to be reckoned with, they had left them alone. This was entirely different though. This wasn't some remote location in the wilderness, this was the middle of a town.

The more Red thought about it, the more confusing it became.

[Random]

"That's pretty odd. I'd bet those Pokémon who've been stealing though are being ordered to in some way. It's just not a regular ocurrence for wild Pokémon to go so far into a town or city unless it's part of their habitat. Their instincts make them stay away from crowds of people and pollution, two things a city is known for." Leaf crossed her arms as she frowned, thinking about the numerable variables that would drive the bandits into plundering. It'd be tough if the police hadn't gotten many leads yet, but then again it was Red who did a lot of the dirty work in taking down Team Rocket; why should it be any different if the criminals were Pokémon?

The brunette let out a groan. "My natural curiosity is dying to delve into this mystery!"

[infinityphoenix]

"That's what I was thinking too," Blue nodded, the usually casual Gym Leader looking much more thoughtful than he normally did. "But they're good, especially when you consider that a single member they haven't even been sighted so far, let alone caught."

"And we could really use you, Leaf," he added once his childhood friend had spoken up about her curiosity concerning the mysterious case. "From what Gramps tells me, you're a pro tracker. It's amazing how much of a mess these Pok?mon can make and then the police can't find a trail or a single lead. It's ridiculous to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if the cops were taking bribes from the culprits. I'd bet that you could do a way better job than them," Blue said confidently, looking towards Leaf as he spoke. "And I'd be willing to help in any way I could, of course."

[Michelle]

Red listened to the two talk back and forth, not feeling the need to add anything in. He would be more than willing to help out once they figured out who or what was behind this problem, but they hadn't even begun to scratch the surface on tackling that issue. He was even more in the dark about the matter than Leaf was. News wasn't one of his main concerns after all, and since he was barely in the region, he knew very little of going ons.

Leaf seemed like the person for the job though, at least when it came to tracking. Red knew of his friend's strengths and weaknesses and that was certainly hers. The thought of finding out who was behind this made him consider staying around for just a little bit longer to see if things panned out. Who knows, Kanto might need a hero again. He had already fit the bill once, why not try again.

[Random]

Leaf couldn't help but blush at the praise she was recieving. She was happy that Prof. Oak had complimented her about her work to others. Even if she wasn't a gym leader or a champion like her friends it still felt good to be appreciated for her skills. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Blue."

Leaf smiled. "I'll get started on the case after our lunch, but since you're both here now I might as well tell you about an encounter I had while traveling."

The brunette turned to face Red and Blue. "Do yu guys remember when I used to read books from Prof. Oak's library when we were little? Don't worry, this little introduction has a point. Plus it'll get your brains thinking! Can't have your mental functions incapacitated later when we start our investigation now can we?"

She said this all in a teasing tone, trying to cover up how nervous she was.