Pokemon Trainer Sarah
12-17-2014, 03:21 AM
This is a story for the 2014 Christmas Bash. :D Since I don't have any characters of my own yet, I thought I would write about another character. I was inspired by Comatose's story Brothers (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?5010-Brothers), to write something about Red the main character from Pokemon Red/Blue. This is a rambling reflection kinda thing.
The last time Red saw her, he was 12 years old. He had defeated the Pokemon League in Kanto, the youngest ever to do so, and had visited to let her know he would be heading off to Johto to join the newly formed league there. One of their gyms was looking for a leader, he had heard, and he thought this was a great opportunity to make a living from something he loved doing. Pokemon battles in the field paid alright, when he was lucky enough to find someone willing to challenge him, but a steady income was something else. Being champion was an honour, but not one that was well paid. His mother had struggled for years, single handedly, to feed and raise him. He had wanted to pay her back somehow. That's what he told her, anyway.
Now, standing before the gravel path into Pallet Town, Red feels strangely nervous. It's snowing now and already the ground is coated in wet slush. He remembers Christmases here as a kid, with white rooftops and snow ball fights, the trees by the Pokemon lab always covered in decorations by the old Professor's staff. His mother had been good friends with the neighbours and they often spent holidays at the Oaks' house. He both hated those days and loved them, because his mother would smile and seem happy and because he would have to put up with hours of teasing from Blue, Oak's grandson who had a smart mouth and an arrogant smile. When they were seven, Red punched him and broke a finger. That summed up most of their relationship. In the present, Red sighs, watching the mist cloud form from his breath. That was all so long ago now. After a fierce rivalry, he had defeated Blue at the peak of Indigo Plateau. He had been stunned when the last Pokemon fell, not knowing how to feel. He had disliked Blue since they were children, wanted nothing more than to beat him, but he had also admired him in a strange sort of way. He had always been the things Red wasn't: proud, popular, happy. And now Red had won when it counted. He was no longer a child. He felt both sad and overjoyed.
Pallet Town is lit up with fairy lights, hanging from trees and from rooftops. A Delibird riding a sleigh sits atop what used to be the Oak Laboratory, and a big plastic Stantler grazes in the front yard, its head moving mechanically from side to side, jolting awkwardly each time. Everything is silent. Red feels strangely exposed, there amongst the falling snow, for all of Pallet Town to see. There is no one out though, and why would they be, so late on Christmas Eve? For a moment he panics. What if the whole town has been abandoned, like Cinnabar Island after the eruption? But no, the decorations mean that someone is still here. He has come too far to give up now. He owes this to her, after all. He wonders if he will ever be forgiven.
Red takes the long way towards his house. It begins to snow more heavily. He passes the water fountain where Blue dunked him when they were five, the water within already turned to ice. Seeing the familiar places almost makes him feel as if he is 10 years old again, like he could walk into his house and nothing will have changed. He knows that's not true, but for a moment it's easy to believe. As he walks, he wonders if his mother knows why he really left for Johto after she begged him not to go. The adventure called to him, of course; to train and battle with the creatures he had loved since the day he was born. But it was more than that. He was all she had in the whole world and her love was like an anchor, dragging him down. He didn't want to be needed. He didn't want to take care of her. He abandoned her, like his father before him. And in the end, the guilt hurt too much to go back.
He was rejected from the gym postion in Johto due to being overqualified, even when he promised he would catch new Pokemon to use. The league told him to give someone else a chance. Red had been furious then, his tempers lately becoming harder to control. He couldn't go home now, not after he had left his mother in tears only days before. He decided to challenge the gyms himself, but the new leaders were no match for his seasoned Pokemon. He decimated the first three gyms and then gave up, finding no pleasure in winning so easily, but knowing he had made his point to the league officials. Meanwhile, he was harassed constantly for battles by weak, arrogant trainers who somehow believed they could best a champion. Those days had been hard. He had been alone in a strange region, wandering without a goal and allowing the emptiness to swallow him.
Red had heard of a place to the north where the strongest Pokemon were found, and better yet, where few trainers ventured. He knew there he might find peace from the demons that haunted him. Years passed in the solitude of Mt. Silver. He wondered, bemused, what the outside world thought of the missing ex-champion. Were they searching for him? Perhaps he had already been forgotten. He had nothing to do in the mountain but train, and his Pokemon grew stronger and more ferocious with each passing day. It took a long time for Red to realise that he was furious, and once he did, he couldn't believe he had never seen it before. He was so angry he could explode: angry at his father for leaving them to go on a journey and never coming back, angry at his mother for trying to stop him from following his dreams, angry at Blue for losing when it counted, when Red had needed him to win. And finally, angry at himself, for hiding in a mountain and being too afraid to go home and see his mother who had been waiting for him for years. If she was even still alive. But he still couldn't leave. It was only six years after he had arrived at Mt. Silver, when a young trainer from New Bark Town found his hiding place and destroyed his Pokemon, that Red felt ready to move on. He still isn't sure whether he let the kid win or not. But he was relieved when it was over.
Now, Red stands in front of his childhood home. A Christmas wreath is pinned to the centre of the door. Inside there is a fire going; he can see the light reflecting off the snow on the windowpane. Red knocks and then waits. In the minutes it takes someone to answer, he is panicking again... why did he assume his mother would even still live in this house? But then the door opens and she is standing there, eyes wide with disbelief. "R-Red? I..." She falls into his arms and he holds her, like she used to do for him when he was young. Behind her is a table set with two places. His photo sits on one of the plates. A pile of presents lie haphazardly under a Christmas tree, some dusty with the wrapping slightly torn and yellowed, others new. His old baseball cap sits on the couch as if he had placed it there only yesterday. His ten year old sneakers sit by the front door.
"I'm your mother," she says after a while, when she sees his pained expression. "And I'm so glad you're home."
Red feels hope flicker in his chest like a tiny flame.
The last time Red saw her, he was 12 years old. He had defeated the Pokemon League in Kanto, the youngest ever to do so, and had visited to let her know he would be heading off to Johto to join the newly formed league there. One of their gyms was looking for a leader, he had heard, and he thought this was a great opportunity to make a living from something he loved doing. Pokemon battles in the field paid alright, when he was lucky enough to find someone willing to challenge him, but a steady income was something else. Being champion was an honour, but not one that was well paid. His mother had struggled for years, single handedly, to feed and raise him. He had wanted to pay her back somehow. That's what he told her, anyway.
Now, standing before the gravel path into Pallet Town, Red feels strangely nervous. It's snowing now and already the ground is coated in wet slush. He remembers Christmases here as a kid, with white rooftops and snow ball fights, the trees by the Pokemon lab always covered in decorations by the old Professor's staff. His mother had been good friends with the neighbours and they often spent holidays at the Oaks' house. He both hated those days and loved them, because his mother would smile and seem happy and because he would have to put up with hours of teasing from Blue, Oak's grandson who had a smart mouth and an arrogant smile. When they were seven, Red punched him and broke a finger. That summed up most of their relationship. In the present, Red sighs, watching the mist cloud form from his breath. That was all so long ago now. After a fierce rivalry, he had defeated Blue at the peak of Indigo Plateau. He had been stunned when the last Pokemon fell, not knowing how to feel. He had disliked Blue since they were children, wanted nothing more than to beat him, but he had also admired him in a strange sort of way. He had always been the things Red wasn't: proud, popular, happy. And now Red had won when it counted. He was no longer a child. He felt both sad and overjoyed.
Pallet Town is lit up with fairy lights, hanging from trees and from rooftops. A Delibird riding a sleigh sits atop what used to be the Oak Laboratory, and a big plastic Stantler grazes in the front yard, its head moving mechanically from side to side, jolting awkwardly each time. Everything is silent. Red feels strangely exposed, there amongst the falling snow, for all of Pallet Town to see. There is no one out though, and why would they be, so late on Christmas Eve? For a moment he panics. What if the whole town has been abandoned, like Cinnabar Island after the eruption? But no, the decorations mean that someone is still here. He has come too far to give up now. He owes this to her, after all. He wonders if he will ever be forgiven.
Red takes the long way towards his house. It begins to snow more heavily. He passes the water fountain where Blue dunked him when they were five, the water within already turned to ice. Seeing the familiar places almost makes him feel as if he is 10 years old again, like he could walk into his house and nothing will have changed. He knows that's not true, but for a moment it's easy to believe. As he walks, he wonders if his mother knows why he really left for Johto after she begged him not to go. The adventure called to him, of course; to train and battle with the creatures he had loved since the day he was born. But it was more than that. He was all she had in the whole world and her love was like an anchor, dragging him down. He didn't want to be needed. He didn't want to take care of her. He abandoned her, like his father before him. And in the end, the guilt hurt too much to go back.
He was rejected from the gym postion in Johto due to being overqualified, even when he promised he would catch new Pokemon to use. The league told him to give someone else a chance. Red had been furious then, his tempers lately becoming harder to control. He couldn't go home now, not after he had left his mother in tears only days before. He decided to challenge the gyms himself, but the new leaders were no match for his seasoned Pokemon. He decimated the first three gyms and then gave up, finding no pleasure in winning so easily, but knowing he had made his point to the league officials. Meanwhile, he was harassed constantly for battles by weak, arrogant trainers who somehow believed they could best a champion. Those days had been hard. He had been alone in a strange region, wandering without a goal and allowing the emptiness to swallow him.
Red had heard of a place to the north where the strongest Pokemon were found, and better yet, where few trainers ventured. He knew there he might find peace from the demons that haunted him. Years passed in the solitude of Mt. Silver. He wondered, bemused, what the outside world thought of the missing ex-champion. Were they searching for him? Perhaps he had already been forgotten. He had nothing to do in the mountain but train, and his Pokemon grew stronger and more ferocious with each passing day. It took a long time for Red to realise that he was furious, and once he did, he couldn't believe he had never seen it before. He was so angry he could explode: angry at his father for leaving them to go on a journey and never coming back, angry at his mother for trying to stop him from following his dreams, angry at Blue for losing when it counted, when Red had needed him to win. And finally, angry at himself, for hiding in a mountain and being too afraid to go home and see his mother who had been waiting for him for years. If she was even still alive. But he still couldn't leave. It was only six years after he had arrived at Mt. Silver, when a young trainer from New Bark Town found his hiding place and destroyed his Pokemon, that Red felt ready to move on. He still isn't sure whether he let the kid win or not. But he was relieved when it was over.
Now, Red stands in front of his childhood home. A Christmas wreath is pinned to the centre of the door. Inside there is a fire going; he can see the light reflecting off the snow on the windowpane. Red knocks and then waits. In the minutes it takes someone to answer, he is panicking again... why did he assume his mother would even still live in this house? But then the door opens and she is standing there, eyes wide with disbelief. "R-Red? I..." She falls into his arms and he holds her, like she used to do for him when he was young. Behind her is a table set with two places. His photo sits on one of the plates. A pile of presents lie haphazardly under a Christmas tree, some dusty with the wrapping slightly torn and yellowed, others new. His old baseball cap sits on the couch as if he had placed it there only yesterday. His ten year old sneakers sit by the front door.
"I'm your mother," she says after a while, when she sees his pained expression. "And I'm so glad you're home."
Red feels hope flicker in his chest like a tiny flame.