Pokémon Red (Book 3)

The Art Of War - I

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Chapter - 26
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"Rise and shine Aqua partner." Said Butch, standing right next to where Cassidy was lying. She slowly opened her eyes, realising she was lying on a bed in the Pokécenter. "You okay? Have some water."

Butch poured and glass of water, Cassidy got up at a pleasure pace and sat on the bed. Butch handed her the glass of water. She stared at the wall while she drank, suddenly realising what happened at the cave.

Cassidy froze. She reminded herself what the dark figure said. I don't know what it wanted, but it seemed to know everything, I need to gather myself together and tell Butch everything - thought Cassidy.

"Butch, I'm gonna tell you something." Cassidy began. "Listen to me very carefully."

Meanwhile, Red was sitting in a room, staring at the same photograph of his father and him with his Poliwag. He missed his father a lot, his absence had changed Red's entire childhood. He imagined what all he could do if only his dad was still alive. He wanted to relive every moment that he spent with his father, and he regret not spending more time with him.

July 12, 2011

"Alright, kids, turn to page 25." The teacher walked towards the chalkboard and wrote - 'Evolution'.

Red flipped a couple of pages and turned to the page the teacher had asked. He was waiting for the bell to ring, it was the last class of the day and he just wanted to rush home.

He kept on staring at the door, expecting someone standing outside the class.

"Evolution is a mysterious phenomenon." Said the teacher, while she made points on the chalkboard. "I believe it's almost time for the dispersal, so I want you to read this a few pages from this chapter."

As soon as the teacher said it, the school bell rang. Red picked up his bag and hurried outside. He stopped at the door, met by a familiar face.

"Going somewhere?" Asked Chad. He stood with his sidekick - Chuck.

Chad was a bully, so was Chuck. They would usually pick on Red, but they stopped when Red's dad had a 'talk' with Chad's father.

"Not today, Chad." Red walked away.

"I asked you, are you going somewhere?" Asked Chad, speaking louder. A lot of people stopped to watch what was going on.

"I told you, not today Chad." Red spoke louder. He started walking away again. Chad pulled Red's bag because of which Red slipped and was down on the floor.

"Leave him alone!" Said a voice, from behind Chad. Blue stood right behind Chad. "Chuck, get outta here."

Chuck ran away. Chad let go of Red's bag and walked away. Blue picked up Red's bag.

"Thanks." Red appreciated the help. "You didn't have to-"

"Right, I didn't have to." Said Blue, placing the bag next to Red and walking away.

November 2, 2014

Leaf walked into the room. "What's up?", asked Leaf. Red placed the photograph back inside his backpack. "Yeah, nothing." He said.

"You can talk to me about it, you know that right?" Leaf smiled. She sat beside Red. "I don't like it when you're sad. Cheer up, sleepy red."

Red giggled. "Alright." He looked at Leaf, she seemed to worried. It was because she really did care about Red, even he hadn't realized it yet.

Red placed his hand on the bed, accidentally touching Leaf's fingers. He quickly placed his hand back on his lap. He was blushing. "Um." Red had no idea what to say. "Rest day or gym day?"

"Uh, we need to learn about the gym leader before we battle, so practice day." Leaf looked at Red's hand, wanting to hold it. She stood up, and picked up her bag. "You know what." She hurried to the door. "Let's go, practice."

July 12, 2011

Red sat on a bench near the Pallet Beach, hugging his bag. He unzipped his bag and opened a box inside his bag. The box contained an old aviator watch with a brown leather strap. Red placed the watch on his wrist, trying to put it on, but the watch was too big for his hand.

"I knew I would find you here." Leaf walked towards the bench. Red turned around to look at Leaf.

She wore a white skirt along with a red t-shirt and flip flops. Red smiled. "You're wearing red. Nice."

"I was just trying." Said Leaf. "But this is the first and last time ever that I'm wearing red color."

"Why?" Asked Red. "It looks good."

"Last time!" She exclaimed. "What's up with the watch?" Leaf sat next to Red, while he stared at the watch for another thirty seconds.

"It belonged to my dad, I found it in my room a few days back." Red explained. "No idea how it got there, but I know that I need to keep it with me. I don't know if I can become a Pokémon Trainer without him."

"What do you mean?"

"He wanted me to become a trainer, he believed that I could be a really good trainer, I always doubted that and I still do. But just because of him, I had this little belief that maybe I could be, but that's gone too." Red's eyes were filled with tears.

"Red, I know that he's not here, but he's still a part of your life. His memories are still with you, and you know that how much it would mean for him if you became a trainer." Leaf said. "And don't you worry, you're not alone, I'll also sign up to become a trainer, okay? Just know that, I'm always there for you."

Leaf hugged Red. "Stay strong okay?"

November 2, 2014

Red walked down the stairs. Leaf was sitting in the Pokécenter lobby with two trainers, Brendan and May. Red didn't know them properly but Leaf had talked about May a couple of times.

He knew that May was rookie trainer and was kind hearted. But he had no idea about Brendan.

"Oh my god, Red." Brendan geeked out. "I've seen your performance, on television. You were amazing the Indigo League." Brendan seemed to be a big fan of Red, he was talking to Red as if he were a celebrity.

Red got the same feeling he used to get before he messed up the timeline. He liked when people recognized him. This gave Red a new purpose, he instantly knew he wanted to continue Pokémon Training.

Pokémon Training was all he ever wanted to do, Red's father wanted him to be a Pokémon Trainer, and his childhood dream was to become a Pokémon Master one day. And the dream was now closer than ever, it wasn't a pipe dream anymore.

Red had an endless smile on his face, one that Leaf hadn't seen for a year. "Thank you." Red replied. "Do you think I can become a Pokémon Champion?"

"Think?" Asked Brendan, confidence. "You will!"

Red had a different kind of confidence boost. He knew what overconfidence felt like, and this wasn't it. He couldn't express how he felt, but the last time he felt like this was during the Indigo League. Little did he know, it was pure confidence and high motivation.

"I hope the same for you!" Red appreciated what Brendan had said. They didn't feel like empty words, it was almost as if Brendan knew it was going to happen.

"Hey, can we train with you?" Asked May. "I'm very new to this and want to know more about training." May and Brendan were curious, and what Brendan had just told Red, he would love to help Brendan and May in training for the next Gym Battle.

Leaf promptly picked up her backpack, packing a book inside it, Red tried reading the title but it was too quick for him to finish, the title read - 'Hero of Olympics', according to Red. Leaf looked at May and smiled.

"I would love to train you. Let's go!" Said Leaf, confidently, heading to the exit.