Silence loomed between Crystal's footsteps as she walked across the more ragged hills of Route 32. There was a feeling of dragging as she took step after step. The way felt long without the conversation of Red, and even though she'd let Nuria poke around at the grass, her entertainment factor was not there. In fact, she felt rather sad about the way Red was conducting himself.
He refused to look at either of them. Crystal watched as the battle legend would wince, keeping his distance despite the pain it was causing him. It broke her heart to watch his angry strides, head bent down as if he were ashamed of himself. She knew the way he lashed out at her was wrong, but it had come from a place of deep hurt. The pain he was feeling was a pain that she would never understand in its entirety.
In all reality, Crystal had never had anyone that she considered a true best friend, and so she could never picture exactly what it would be like to lose one. She had never been close to Ethan and it wasn't like she could ever consider Professor Elm her best friend. No, the only person that Crystal had been close to for the majority of her life was her mother.
Growing up Crystal had been a quiet, introverted kid. She played outside on occasion, but she never socialized all too often. Even on beach vacations, Crystal tended to stay to herself and not talk to other vacationers. Not that there was anything wrong with it, she was happy in her own head. The world that Crystal had created in her mind was perfectly alright and to her, it was one of the reasons going on a journey scared her so much. The possibility of having to meet new people made her shudder internally.
Yet, somehow, there was an inherent pain and fear at the thought of Red leaving her life. Where a comfortable loneliness had been the language of her life, it was as if now that Red was here she didn't understand that language anymore. He was like a painting on a formerly blank wall. Now that he was there it would seem empty without him. Crystal tried to imagine what would happen if Red were unable to see or hear from her. She looked back at him. Even the silence between them was painful. Perhaps, even if to a small degree, this was how he felt.
The crunch of Crystal's feet against the dried grass became more like a military march than a stroll. Wind felt like the sting of Beedrill across Crystal's cheeks as she found her way closer and closer to the coast. Afternoon light had set its way across the route, making Crystal feel as if the earth were an oven, cooking every trainer making their way across the route. Her entire body ached from her pack and she fought the urge to weep like Red had been earlier. When she reached a long stretch of dock, Crystal stopped and took off her pack.
"Cyn?" Nuria asked, seeming to be confused by Crystal stopping.
Red sighed. "She's asking why we're stopping."
"My pack was getting heavy and I needed to rest," said Crystal.
"Alright," said Red, who, to her surprise leaned on a rail next to her.
The route was along a bay that faced Cherrygrove City on the far side. To Crystal, it was amazing how far she had come from before. She had made it all this way on foot, and she had actually managed to get a gym badge. And now she was hatching an egg in the sling across her body to get yet another teammate. Looking at the beach on the far side, and the buildings that loomed in the hazy sky told her that. She did it.
"You should be proud, you know," said Red. "You've come a long way."
She looked at the waves rolling against rocks in the distance. "He talks now?"
"I'm sorry," said Red. "The way I acted before was wrong. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was taking out my frustration on you and that's wrong, especially because you've done nothing but try to help and accommodate me here."
Crystal took in a deep breath. "I accept your apology, Red. I know you didn't mean it and honestly it broke my heart to see that happen to you. I wish we could've said something to Blue, but I'm afraid of what happens if we do."
"Me too," Red admitted. "Honestly, this entire thing scares me. Training you helps me ignore the fact that someone put me in this position, and that ultimately I did something bad. It baffles me because I understand nothing about it all. It's like everything I remember is just a normal day and then bam! All of a sudden I'm here in this position and with these issues. I wish I understood the point of all of this or how to figure it out."
She said, "I wish I understood what was going on in your head as well. There's a lot of things I don't understand about this life either. Like why I had to go on a journey, and why things are the way they are. But we both have to be strong. As much as it pained me to say yes to becoming a trainer, I had no choice. Just like you have to do the best that you can."
"You left on purpose didn't you," said Red out of nowhere. "You would've kept talking to him, but you left for my sake."
"With Blue?" said Crystal. "I don't know. What I know is that we are partners, and no matter what would've happened, I have to put us above everything."
Red looked at Crystal. "Thank you for everything you do."
"Of course," she said, watching a Goldeen jump up from the waters below. "I'm sorry that you can't talk to him. I know you want nothing more than to tell him you're safe. I never had a best friend, so I don't know what you're going through, but I can sympathise."
"Would you like to hear?" Red asked.
Crystal looked him in the eyes. "Hm?"
"About Blue, I mean? Would you like me to tell you about him?" Red asked.
She looked off at the coast with a smile. "Yeah, I would."
"I've known Blue for a long time," said Red. "I think I was probably his first friend after he moved to Pallet town after his parents died in a fire."
"That's really tragic," said Crystal.
Red nodded. "Blue was always really cocky, but it was to protect himself from that fear of losing people. For such a sociable guy, I don't think he ever considered himself as having many friends because he doesn't really let people in. And if he has a goal, he lets even less people in. I mean, that's kind of happened when we went on a journey together."
"What happened?" she asked. "You both stayed friends right?"
The battle legend sighed. "Not exactly. He pushed me away for a lot of his journey, determined to become the champion. We both had that dream so he viewed me as his competitor and pushed me out, through everything. Through his struggles with his grandfather, through the death of one of his Pokémon. It broke my heart to beat him, but I had to. I was living my dream and didn't know about anything under the surface."
"What do you mean by that?" Crystal asked. "Did something happen to Blue after you won?"
Red bit his lip. "Blue left for Kalos. He refused to even talk to anyone from Kanto, said he was going to study to become a better Pokémon Professor than his grandfather. And then, when he came back he took over the Viridian Gym. The first time I saw him he said it was temporary, and that he'd give it up once he beat me. But I came back and every time he challenged me to a match he would talk to me, until he only challenged me sometimes and just talked. He told me he missed our friendship, but was still going to take the championship from me."
"It doesn't sound like he wanted the championship as much anymore," remarked Crystal.
"Oh no," said Red, "it surprised me a lot that he's still a gym leader, because Blue's passions lie both in research and battle. I figured he would've gotten bored at the gym eventually if I wasn't there to battle, and given it all up to go take over for Professor Oak. The last thing I remember, though, was us being friends."
"It sounds like no easy feat," said Crystal.
Red shook his head with a smile. "Blue is probably one of the most difficult people I've ever met, but I wouldn't have him any other way. When he lets you inside, he's such an interesting and capable person, who I truly believe is here to make a difference in this world. I just hope he took whatever disappearance I had alright."
"I hope so too," said Crystal. "He sounds incredible. I know he was being impatient with me, but the fact that he's here in Johto also doing research shows just how much he does with his life. I know that when I met him the first time, he helped me rationalize going on a journey, even if the entire situation was strange."
The battle legend chuckled. "Blue's still awkward as ever, it seems."
"What do you mean by that?" Crystal asked.
"He's always smooth with the girls he isn't interested in," Red responded. "The girls he likes though...well, I don't think he knows how to hide the scared little boy inside of him."
"Hold on," said Crystal. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
The soul rolled his eyes. "Please, I know both you and my best friend. There's an attraction there."
"No there is not!" Crystal shouted, blushing. "I just...well, you know, think he's an interesting person because he's super random like that. Like yeah, he's pretty handsome, but he has a thousand fangirls drooling over him and I refuse to be like that. So no, I'm not into him."
Red began to laugh. "Right. You not liking him is like saying Tepig can fly. It's just not possible."
"Not true," said Crystal. "I'm just mildly curious about who he is, and that's all."
The battle legend began to walk. "Come on you little Luvdisc, daylight's burning. And don't worry, you'll see him again soon. If I know Blue, he won't be able to contain himself after his last little failure, and he'll turn up soon."
"I doubt it," she said with a snort as she hoisted her backpack onto her back.
Red laughed. "You may say that, but in your head I know you're looking forward to it."
"Am not!"