The National Park of Johto was like nothing else Crystal had ever seen before. There were massive displays of flowers, arranged in all kinds of square and swirling patterns. She was captivated by beds of mild chrysanthemums, their petals blowing in the wind. It left her to see a beautiful symphony of whites, yellows, maroons, and violets. She watched a pair of Combee fly by with the slow and languid flap of their wings, looking for nectar illuminated by the soft golden light of a long day's end.
To her front there was a massive field in the shape of a Pokéball, where trainers were laughing and having fun. In the center of the park there was a massive fountain with a water geyser coming out of it. Crystal watched as a couple sat there at the edge and fed a wild Sunkern that had come up to them. A young man and his kid played with a Raichu in the far grass. There were even a few school kids doing their homework and letting their Pokémon socialize.
"Is it alright if I release my other Pokémon? It's so nice out that I think they might like it here," Crystal asked Blue.
He smiled. "I was hoping to stay here with you through the evening, actually. So that would be perfect. Would you be alright staying here with me until then?"
"That would be amazing," said Crystal, a red heat coming to her cheeks. "Thank you for asking."
The pair walked along and Crystal couldn't help but continue to listen in awe as Blue talked about his time in Kalos. He told her stories of beautiful routes, lined with flowers much like the park, towns with old castles, and the sprawling streets of Lumiose City. She tried to imagine herself shopping in all of those boutiques, and going to coffee houses and restaurants just to battle. Her heart filled with contentment as he told her just how the sound of the waves hitting the cliffs of Coumarine sounded. Blue's love for Kalos was contagious, and it was clear to Crystal just how much he loved to travel.
"I'd love to go back, you know?" Blue said. "There was something about that region I just connected with. I loved the folktales, the history, and the people."
Crystal smiled. "You should go again after you finish up with whatever it is you're here in Johto. As much as you love your gym trainers, it seems like you need to get away and reflect for a while."
"Yeah," Blue said, "I suppose you're right."
For a moment Crystal saw the smile on his face turn to a frown as he got a wistful look in his eyes, as if remembering something deep within the abyss of his mind. She watched the wind blow his hair back as he looked off into the sky, pausing for a moment as if to drink the entirety of her statement in, like a man in the desert begging for water. Then, the sadness morphed into a small but content smile, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in. With a smile he turned back to look at her.
"We're almost by the water, so would you like to go sit?" Blue continued as their pace slowed by the fountain.
She nodded. "Absolutely. I would love to."
Crystal watched as Nuria came up to the water where she and Blue were preparing to sit, touched it, and ran away. Red, who had stayed silent and unnoticed until that point, nodded at Crystal and went to sit off in the distance and watch the world go by without saying a word to her. There was some kind of implicit understanding in the action, nothing bad, but something she didn't quite get and yet accepted nonetheless. She watched as Blue unleashed his Blastoise, his Eevee, and his Pidgeot. Crystal called for Nuria to come back, as she also released her Eevee to go play with Blue's Pokémon.
"So how's that egg coming along?" Blue asked. "I'm dying to know what's going to hatch from it."
Crystal patted the egg on her side. "It's been shaking some, but not too much. Personally, I wonder how long it's going to be."
"Shaking is a good sign," Blue responded. "It means that the egg is doing well and is on its way."
"I can't believe I have so many Pokémon with me now," Crystal said. "Once this hatches it's going to be three already. It's just kind of unbelievable, really. I never intended this, you know."
The gym leader stared off into the distance. "You know, I also never intended to be a gym leader, but here we are. I guess it can be hard to accept when things don't really go according to plan, especially when the places that you are in come from the results of your mistakes, but trying to do your best and fix things now is what you can do."
She nodded. "Sounds a lot like your point earlier."
"Don't take me too seriously," Blue hung his head in his hands. "I may be happy in the gym leader's life, but there are still mistakes that I need to make up for."
"I have some pretty serious responsibilities now too," Crystal responded.
It was not hard to notice the way that Blue went silent after that. It was the thoughtful kind of silence, one he probably needed greatly. As he sat there and processed things, Crystal watched Red. She began to wonder what he was thinking, if he was scared, bored, or missed his best friend. Thoughts of her conversation with Red on the way to Azalea Town flashed through her mind and she couldn't help but agree, Blue was an interesting person when he opened up. She wondered if there was a time in their lives when they talked like he was talking with her now, deep, thoughtful, and with minimal reservation or barrier. She wondered what kind of friendship he and Red had, and if Red missed the memories that they had together.
One of the things that she wondered about was what it felt like to know that there was an entire two years that was gone, a whole part of a life that was missing. Was it strange to see the way things had moved on? To know that he was the equivalent of a modern folktale? Crystal wondered how it felt for him to know that there were sins he'd committed that he didn't know. Did it seem real, or like a figment of his imagination? How did reality feel to Red? Somehow the sudden awareness of Red's inner turmoil bubbled up inside as she watched him playing with Nuria and Blue's Eevee.
"They're getting along well, aren't they?" Blue commented at the display.
Crystal nodded as Red seemed to pat Eevee on the head and make her chase around her tail. "Yeah, they are. I'm sure they're happy to be around each other."
His Eevee bounced around Red with Nuria in chase, and Crystal couldn't help but stifle a small giggle as she watched what to Blue had to look like a strange game of tag. Deep down she knew that the excitement was mainly due to Blue's Pokémon getting to see Red once again. It was evident by the way Blue's Eevee hung close to Red's side, as if scared that he was going to vanish into the ether. Much like how Crystal was scared that if she didn't act that was what was going to happen to him. It made Crystal wonder just how devastated Blue's team was when Red went missing. But of course, she knew she couldn't ask. Because then she would have to tell, and she knew she couldn't say a word, because she wasn't sure what would happen to Red if she did. That was what was written on the photograph, after all. She was forbidden from telling anyone.
"It's strange though," Blue commented, pulling Crystal out of her thoughts, "it almost seems as though the two of them are hopping around something. I wonder if there's a ghost type Pokémon there or something."
Panic bubbled through her system. "It's a National Park, Blue. I doubt it'd be haunted."
For a moment he seemed to assess her and then he chuckled. "What, are you scared? You know, where we're going there's lots of ghosts. Be careful, one might decide to follow you around."
"Who's to say I don't have one following me around already?" She joked.
Blue finished. "You might, considering how our Pokémon are acting."
Red, having heard this comment, looked over and waved at her, and she resisted waving back. Blue only meant it as a joke, and so she could see the brief twinkle of light in his eyes, reflecting the ever fading twilight around them, full of bubbling mirth inside. She couldn't help but wonder if there was a part of his true personality that was actually the cocky, humorous man that everyone was so familiar with. It would make sense if he was, and would probably be quite amusing. She couldn't help but wonder if he was the kind who liked to tell a lot of jokes.
"So," Crystal said, watching the sky fade more from a light blue into the soft hues of a royal navy, "you said you wanted to spend the evening here. What did you have in mind?"
"You like sleeping in the open air?" Blue asked.
She nodded. "It's how I've slept pretty much every night I've been journeying."
This seemed to content the gym leader even more. "I'm glad. I'm a big fan of sleeping open air."
"It's comforting to see the stars above you," Crystal replied. "It reminds me that although there are a lot of things happening, in the end I'm still under the same sky."
He laughed. "Well, tonight you won't just be under the sky. Just wait and see."
Blue then sat down and pulled a blanket out of his pack, which he laid out on the ground at his feet. Crystal did the same, pulling out her bedroll and everything she needed to be comfortable, and laid next to him in the dark of the night. As she climbed into her bedding setup, she became aware of how close the heat of his body was, and the way his chest rose and fell slow as he took peaceful breaths in. As someone who had slept beside Red, but had never been able to touch him, the presence of another person to her side was comforting, and the sweet yet boyish smell that came from Blue led her into an intoxicated wave of calm.
"Hey Crystal," Blue whispered.
She turned over to face him. "What is it?"
The normal million watt smile was replaced by something softer and lighter as he looked at her. Crystal couldn't help but notice how his hair fell light and soft across his forehead, the ginger still visible in the darkness. The sound of the rushing fountain gushed behind his head in the background, and Crystal couldn't help but start to close her eyes as the soft sound lulled her to sleep.
"Stay awake, Crystal," Blue said, poking her cheek with the touch of a feather. "And look up. I don't think you're going to want to miss this."
As Crystal gazed at the blackness of night, she was shocked that above her head suddenly behind the light of an Illimuse, followed a train of shining Volbeat. Behind her they reflected across the fountain which was shining into the sky, buzzing around and shining like the stars above her head. She watched as one lit up with a sapphire light and glided every so light against the water as a green one chased it. The sound of the water lapping against the sides of the fountain returned the drowsiness as she watched the display under the bands of the milky way.
"It's really beautiful isn't it?" Blue said.
She didn't take her eyes off of what she was looking at. "Yes, it really is."