Hey everyone! Welcome to my new BurnLeafshipping fic! Now, if you're one of my regular readers, don't worry. I'll still be updating Miles Away as often as I can. And if you're not one of my regulars, then that's good. I'm hoping to reach out to the actual BurnLeafshippers... Anyways, I'm writing this because... well... I happened to lose a bet to a certain someone that I care about, and... he made me write a BurnLeafshipping one-shot as the result. But I'm pretty sure this will end up being around 10 chapters, so... not really a one-shot. But I'm really excited about this story, and I think it will definitely end up being my best work yet, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

And if you're looking for a reeeaaally good BurnLeafshipping story, go take a look at "For the Longest Time" by bass0bassinum.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Note: My story isn't solely based on the manga or the games. It's a combo of both... but really it's my own thing loosely based on them. And also, Red and Leaf are both in their early 20's age-wise. This story wouldn't really work if they were still kids. Just trust me!

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There's a moment between sleep and awakening where, for a brief moment, we are not ourselves. In those few seconds, we are unformed, uncivilized, untitled. We are suspended between was and will be. And then... we wake up, and we become ourselves. It was in this moment that Red was so rudely awakened by the sound of his Pokégear ringing.

With a groan, he reached over to his nightstand and accepted the call without even opening his eyes.

"What is it, Blue?" he asked sleepily. No one else would be calling him this early. "What the hell do you want now? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Red. Must be nice to sleep in like that every day," Blue answered. Red could feel his friend smirking on the other end. Oh, how he hated that smirk. Many times throughout the years he had wished that he could smack that crooked grin and all of its implications off of his friend's face.

"So what did you want?" Red repeated. He opened his eyes and sat up in bed, running his hands through his messy black hair. He grabbed the Pokégear from his nightstand and carried it with him as he headed to the bathroom to begin his morning routine.

"You'll never guess who's heading towards Pallet Town right now."

"Who?" Red asked as he stood in front of the toilet and lowered his sweat pants to relieve himself.

"Guess."

"What?"

"I want you to try and guess."

"Blue, nobody likes this game."

"Humor me, Red. I bet you ten-thousand poké that you won't guess right, and - what is that sound I'm hearing?!"

"I'm peeing," Red said bluntly. "Well, it's pretty hard to bet against you since I know, like, thousands of people. All of which you probably know as well which really cuts down on the process of elimination."

"Fine. It's Leaf."

"Leaf is coming to visit? It's been like three years since she last came home."

"That's right, Red," said a cheeky voice from the bathroom doorway. It was Leaf, clad in her traditional raspberry colored mini skirt and aqua tank top along with her signature white fedora. Red jumped in surprise and then scrambled to pull his sweatpants back up while Leaf laughed at his embarrassment.

"Blue!" Red yelled into his Pokégear, "How long ago did you know that Leaf was coming here?! Because she's here already and I doubt she traveled from Viridian to Pallet in a matter of minutes!"

"Did she just walk in on you taking a piss?" Blue gawked.

"Screw you," Red spat. Both Leaf and Blue burst into laughter.

"I would've called you earlier, but from the way you acted when I called you soooo early at 2 o'clock, I don't think that would've been wise," Blue explained.

Red flushed in embarrassment from both being caught by Leaf and knowing that Blue had a point.

"I'm just going to hang up now," Red muttered.

"Good choice, my friend."

With a grunt, Red ended the call and turned towards Leaf. He was still embarrassed that she had walked in on him in a private moment, but the girl seemed completely unfazed by the situation. She was just standing there, inspecting her fingernails calmly. She seemed to have an even more sophisticated air about her than she'd used to.

"I didn't see anything you know," she said, "You were turned away from me."

"It's still really creepy," Red pointed out, "I mean, who walks in on someone when they're peeing and then just stands there and laughs?"

"Who takes a piss when they're in the middle of calling somebody?" Leaf shot back smugly.

"Touché," Red conceded, blushing slightly, "Just... don't do it again."

Leaf didn't respond. She merely stared him down quietly, seeming to inspect his inner soul through his eyes. It began to make him uncomfortable, and he shuffled his feet nervously.

"So... why are you visiting home?" he asked awkwardly. "Any special reason? Or did it just feel like the right time or..."

"I came to see you, really," Leaf admitted, "I was wondering how you've been, and... well, you're even worse off than I imagined."

"What do you mean?" Red asked, "My life has been great since becoming champion."

"Has it?" Leaf asked. She sighed as Red tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Look at yourself," she said, walking over to him brusquely and grabbing his shoulders, guiding him over to the mirror above the sink. She kept her hands on him and stood behind him as he stared at his reflection. "You're twenty-three years old, Red. And yet your face still has the look of a child to it. You sleep in until 2 o'clock and complain that it's still too early to wake up. I had to ask your mother for permission to come up here. It's like... you haven't matured yet. You need to get out and experience adulthood. Live a little, you know?"

"And what was the year I spent traveling? I traveled all of Kanto, and you're acting like all I did was walk down the street to the grocery store."

"Compared to what I've done, that's a fairly accurate analogy. I've traveled Kanto too, Red. And I also traveled Johto, Hoenn, Shinnoh, Unova, Kalos... I've seen it all. I spent the past thirteen years seeing the world. And now I come home to my roots, and you're still here living with your mother and playing video games all day."

"I do not play video games all day. I have a job, Leaf. I'm the freaking champion of Kanto and Johto. I'm in charge of a lot of things going on in both regions. I go to meetings, I oversee projects, I make political decisions, I have to respond to complaints and suggestions from the citizens - it's a big job!"

"And how much of it does Lance do for you?"

Red remained silent, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He could see the fire in his red eyes blazing. Leaf was insulting him. What was worse was that she had a point. Lance did still oversee a lot of the politics in both regions. He practically was the entire government on his own. But still - who did she think she was, coming into his house after they hadn't seen each other for at least three years and telling him that his life was pathetic?

"What about Blue?" he asked. "He hasn't left Kanto either. But I'm sure you didn't make it a point to insult him while you were up in Viridian this morning."

"Blue runs a gym. He lives on his own. And he does research for Oak on the side. He travels when he can, and he's caught pokémon from other regions to use in his gym. True, he's stuck in Viridian a lot, but at least he's making a life for himself. Remember what he was like when we were kids? He was a stuck up little brat. Now, he's a very calm, intelligent, and influential man. Is he still an ass sometimes? Yes, but he makes up for it in other areas. You, on the other hand, practically have the same life you did when we first set out on our journey together. How often do you get challenged as champion, Red? Once or twice a year?"

"Yeah... once or twice a year is pretty accurate..." Red admitted. He turned around suddenly, looking Leaf in the eyes with a challenging stare, "But so what? Maybe I do have a lot of free time. Maybe I hardly ever leave Pallet Town. And maybe I like staying here to take care of my mom. Why is that so wrong, miss Leaf Green? Can you tell me that?"

"You're cheating yourself out of having a life, Red..." Leaf explained, "Your mom is only forty-two years old. She's not dependant on you. And here in Pallet, there's plenty of people who check on her every day. She's still got a lot of years ahead of her, and she's in excellent health. Are you going to stay here with her until she dies? Because that's a good thirty-five years from now at least. I'm only telling you these things because I care about you as my friend. I feel sorry for you. Your life could be so much more than it is..."

"Well, I like the way my life is. I'm used to routine. I don't like to go out and live dangerously, hopping from city to city in search of my next endorphin high. Like some people..."

Leaf scowled at him.

"I did live like that for a few years, but I've been staying in Kalos for the past year. I live there now. I have an apartment in Lumiose City, and I work for Professor Sycamore. Silver moved to Kalos too, which is a big part of why I chose to settle down there as well.. He and Lyra got married you know..."

"They're married now? No... I didn't know that." Red was slightly surprised. None of his friends were married. Until now... They really were getting older... they were adults now... It seemed like just yesterday that Silver and Lyra had both challenged him for his position as champion and failed.

"Look. If you don't believe you're wasting away here, then let me prove it to you," Leaf said, determination glittering in her eyes. I challenge you to a pokémon battle!"

"Well, that's a surprise!" Red said with a grin. "Last time we battled, you said you'd never challenge me again since I'm, and I quote, 'some type of Mew blessed prodigy.'"

Leaf smirked at him, tipping her hat forward a little.

"I may have said that once, Red. But luckily for me, I don't worship Mew anymore. I've seen it all, my friend... and now I worship Arceus, the true god of the pokémon world."

"Some god..." Red said, "I've never even heard of that pokémon. So you've switched up your religion too... are you even the same Leaf anymore?"

"Yes and no, Red. I learned a lot of things on my travels... and I kept what I did like and changed what I didn't. With luck, you'll start doing the same. Now, let's head outside so I can beat you."

Red shook his head and followed her. Who was this woman? Leaf certainly had changed... for the better or worse, he couldn't say. One thing was for sure though: old Leaf or new, there was no way she would ever be able to beat him in a pokémon battle.

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"We're having a full battle, right?" Red asked as the two of them walked outside and began heading towards the small practice field behind Red's house. The sun was high in the sky, the heat of the midsummer day beating down on them. Red suddenly wished he'd taken time to change out of his sleeping clothes.

"Like I'd give anything less to a champion," Leaf teased.

"You've never gotten over that, have you?"

"What?"

"That I'm a champion."

"Red, my darling... I will never think of you as a champion."

"Well... will you at least stop calling me things like 'my darling?'"

"Maybe. But probably not."

Red shook his head. Now there was the old Leaf. Still bold and stubborn and flirty like a teenager. The girl had always been able to get whatever she wanted from just about anyone. Because if somebody didn't care about her looks, she'd win them over with her personality, and if someone didn't care for her personality, she'd win them over with her looks. Red had known her for too long though. And he'd become too accustomed to both sides of her charm in order to fall into her well designed traps.

"I should probably mention that there are high stakes in this battle," Leaf said as they reached the field, "If you win, then I have to stop trying to get you out of your house. But if I win..."

Red's heart stopped. He was afraid to ask what he would be risking in this battle. This was a trap. He knew it. He knew that Leaf had something up her sleeve. But she couldn't really defeat him, could she? He'd known Leaf for a long time. Her team was nothing extraordinary. She'd never really been devoted to being a trainer, and she'd always breezed through life causing trouble wherever she went. Although... she'd seemed so serious when she'd challenged him earlier... he couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"What do you get if you win?" he asked tentatively.

"If I win, you have to leave your house and live a little. You have to see a new place, a new city, a new region. You have to come live with me in my apartment in Kalos for a week."

Red stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was serious or not. She wanted him to live with her for a week? In a region he'd never been to or even heard much about? Just so that he could "experience the world?" Living with her for a week would never change his mind. No matter what he saw in this different region, he was never going to start traveling again, and that was that. And besides... he wasn't going to be on the losing end of this bet anyways.

"Deal," he said, shaking her hand. She shook back, with a grip that seemed stronger than it had in the past, yet still womanly. Even though she looked it, Leaf had never been dainty. But she had always been feminine. Like a rose bush with its hidden thorns, she had hid her toughness behind her beauty. Now, she seemed more like a Persian: strong and sophisticated, and graceful yet murderous.

"Let us begin," she said. They walked to their separate ends of the field, eyes afire with determination and spirit.

"Ladies first!" Red called out, to which she tipped her hat in response. She pulled a blue pokéball out of her bag. It was a design Red had never seen before.

"It's called a dive ball," Leaf explained. It's got a higher catch rate when you use it on or under water. You can't get them around here, so I'm not surprised that you've never seen one." She threw the ball out onto the field and called out, "Kingdra, let's get started!"

"Not bad, Leaf. You've switched up your team, I see. Hmm... my best bet for now is to start things out with Snorlax!" Red threw his pokéball onto the field, releasing Snorlax who was fast asleep. "Gah!" Red exclaimed, "Wake up Snorlax, we're having a match!" Red's pokémon merely scratched its stomach and let out an enormous yawn.

"Kindra, don't attack," Leaf said quietly, observing the behavior of Red's pokémon. Kingdra nodded and remained still. Red tried everything to get Snorlax to attack, but the pokémon wouldn't even use its Snore or Sleep Talk moves. As Leaf watched Red, her eyes darkened with concern, but she said nothing as he finally gave up, returning Snorlax to its pokéball.

"It doesn't matter. I'll defeat you with only five pokémon. Venusaur, I choose you!" Red released his grass type onto the field, and was relieved to see that it looked ready to battle.

"Kingdra, use Twister!" Leaf called out.

"Hold your ground, Venusaur!" Red commanded. Kingdra released a powerful Twister, but it did little to Red's heavy pokemon. "Now use Vine Whip!" Venusaur released its vines, stretching them out towards Kingdra.

"Ice Beam!"" Leaf shouted. Kingdra blasted Venusaur's vines with powerful waves of ice, freezing them in place. The plant-like pokemon tried to move its vines, but it did little more than crack the thick coating of frost in places.

"Use your Razor Leaf attack!" Red yelled, "And while she's dealing with that use Synthesis!" Venusaur released several leaves from its back and aimed them at Kingdra.

"Let them hit you and prepare to use Rain Dance right after!" Leaf instructed. The leaves hit Kingdra as Venusaur began to regain energy from the sunlight. However, Kingdra began to use Rain Dance and Venusaur could not recharge completely.

Red grunted in approval. Leaf had learned to make good battle choices. In the past she had always been reckless and rushed into risky battle situations that had almost always caused her to lose. Now her battle style was so refined. She was ready for his attacks, and could dish out effective counter-attacks as well.

"Venusaur, we'll have to recharge another way! Use Giga Drain!" Red could hear Leaf grunt in frustration. She hadn't seen that coming. Venusaur reached out with glowing green tentacles, wrapping them around Kingdra and draining its energy.

"Whip up a Blizzard attack, quick!" Leaf commanded. Kingdra, though it was suffering from Giga drain, let out a cry and summoned a powerful Blizzard. Venusaur took massive damage and was forced to retreat its attack.

"Now use Dragon Rush!" Leaf shouted. Kingdra built up power and began to glow with a purple aura, then it threw itself at Venusaur who was still trying to fight off Blizzard. The pokémon let out a roar, and then fainted.

Red was covering his face from the Blizzard, and he stared in shock through his arms as Venusaur fainted. How could Leaf be winning? It was time to turn this thing around before the scales became too unbalanced.

"Time to tip the scales! Pikachu, go!" Red yelled, releasing Pikachu onto the field.

"Kingdra, return!" Leaf called, holding up the dive ball and letting it suck the pokémon back inside, "Wigglytuff, come on out!" Leaf threw a normal pokéball this time, releasing one of her oldest and dearest pokémon.

Red was pleased. He'd battled Leaf's Wigglytuff many times, and he felt confident that he could win this round. Now things were starting to feel the way they'd used to.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Red called.

"Just let it hit you, Wigglytuff," Leaf instructed. Red stared down Leaf. What was she planning? Her eyes gave away nothing.

Pikachu hit Wigglytuff full force, knocking the pink pokémon back from the damage.

"Use Disable!" Leaf called.

"Crap," Red mumbled. She'd eliminated his strongest attack. And Pikachu had also taken damage from using Volt Tackle.

"Mega Kick!" Leaf called. Pikachu took a hit to the face, but then Wigglytuff was paralyzed by Pikachu's Static ability.

"Alright! Now's our chance!" Red shouted, "Use Thunderbolt, and then Iron Tail!"

"No!" Leaf shouted. Wigglytuff took heavy damage from both moves, and it panted heavily in pain but still stayed standing.

"This is our last chance, Wigglytuff. Stay with me," Leaf said in determination. Wigglytuff nodded and straightened its posture, ready to attack. "Wigglytuff, use Moonblast!"

"Moonblast?" Red asked in confusion. The pokémon began building a huge ball of energy above itself, "Pikachu, get ready to dodge!" Pikachu tried to run to the side, but it was too late. Wigglytuff's Moonblast hit it hard, causing it to fly across the field and roll backwards. The pokémon grunted in pain, but then slowly rose to its feet. Both pokémon had now taken massive damage, and were standing on their last leg.

"Thanks for hanging in there, buddy," Red said, "Now use your Thunderbolt attack again so that we can keep our distance!"

"Wigglytuff, use Last Resort!" Leaf called.

Pikachu released its Thunder Bolt as Wigglytuff ran towards it, glowing white. Wigglytuff ran straight through the Thunder Bolt, causing lightning to spew out to the sides before it collided with Pikachu, causing it to faint.

Red stood aghast. His partner... his best pokémon... had been defeated. He lowered his hat over his eyes. He couldn't believe it. In the past thirteen years, he'd never felt so embarrassed and disappointed.

"Pikachu, return," he said, returning the pokémon to its pokéball. For a brief minute, he allowed himself to look up at Leaf, and he saw that her eyes were serious. She seemed to be studying him, as though she were searching for something. Confidence radiated off of her. She knew she had the upper hand now. And that fact made Red sick to his stomach.

There was still one more hope. He had one more pokémon who'd always been able to pull through in tough situations. This was his last chance. He took out the pokéball, and the sun reflected off of it, giving it a promising glow.

"Charizard, it's your turn now!" he called, throwing the pokéball out onto the field.

As Charizard was released, it immediately flew up into the sky, causing dust to blow off of the ground and over Red. He shielded his eyes and coughed within the dust cloud.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Red called after it, "I didn't tell you to fly!" Charizard suddenly made a sharp turn and released a Fire Blast down onto the field, hitting Wigglytuff. The pink pokémon fainted instantly.

"Wigglytuff!" Leaf called in concern, rushing to her injured pokémon.

"I'm sorry, Leaf!" Red felt horrible. Even though he was battling her, he hadn't meant for Charizard to use such a powerful attack on the already weakened pokémon.

"Charizard, return!" Red yelled, holding up his pokéball and trying to call his pokémon back. Charizard snorted and then flew skyward, dodging the beam of the pokéball. Red muttered under his breath. Suddenly, Charizard swooped down, releasing a flamethrower over the field and setting the tall grass on the sidelines afire.

"Oh come on now, Charizard!" Red yelled, "That fire is heading straight for my house!"

"Use your Blastoise and Lapras to put the fire out, Red!" Leaf shouted, "I'll take care of Charizard!"

Red couldn't believe it. There was no way that Leaf would be able to handle Charizard when it was in a rage like this. Even Red himself could barely handle the powerful pokémon when it was being ornery.

Nevertheless, Red found himself releasing Blastoise and Lapras from their pokéballs. He'd have to put the fire out first, and then he could help Leaf with Charizard.

"Blastoise, Lapras! Put out that fire!" he commanded. The two pokémon immediately began shooting water over the flames. Red turned away to check on Leaf. He stared at the sight before him in disbelief. She'd chosen Venusaur to fight Charizard. What was she thinking?

What happened next was even more of a shock. Leaf raised up her arm in front of her and pressed a button on her bracelet. Venusaur began to glow as though it were evolving, but how could that be possible? Red watched as even more leaves extended from the plant on the pokémon's back, and the leaf draped over its head turned into a flower. Vines also drooped from the pokémon's plant and the pattern of its spots changed. Leaf had indeed, somehow, just evolved her Venusaur.

"Venusaur, use Solar Beam!" she yelled. Red watched as the pokémon began charging the beam. Charizard was watching with contempt. The other pokémon's evolution hadn't gone unnoticed by it either. Suddenly, Venusaur released the widest, longest, most powerful Solar Beam attack Red had ever seen. It was blinding, yet beautiful in a way. Even Charizard could not dodge it, though it tried its best.

Red watched as his dragon fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a loud and painful thump. Leaf told her Venusaur to use Sleep Powder, calming the pokémon into a deep slumber. Red returned his pokemon in shame. He was the champion of Kanto and Johto, but his friend could control his pokémon better than he could.

Blastoise and Lapras had successfully put out the fire, and Red returned them both to their pokéballs as well. He then turned back to Leaf, who was returning Venusaur. The pokémon glowed again, though this time it went back to its normal Venusaur state. She then held out its pokéball and returned it.

Red was in awe, but he also felt embarrassed. Leaf could do something that he'd never even heard about. And he'd only defeated one of her pokémon, which hadn't even happened at his command.

"Leaf... what did I just see?" he asked, "Did your Venusaur just evolve?"

Leaf giggled and turned towards him.

"That, dear Red, was mega evolution."

"Mega... evolution?"

"That's right. Mega evolution has recently been discovered in Kalos. It existed a long time ago, but it's just now being used again. This thing on my wrist," Leaf held up her wrist so Red could get a better look, "is called a mega band. And Venusaur is holding what's called a mega stone - Venusaurite, to be exact. Together, they can be used to cause mega evolution, and Venusaur becomes more powerful. Mega evolution is only temporary though, as you just saw."

Red was impressed. And curious. He'd had no idea that such a thing existed. Could Leaf be right about everything? Was he really cheating himself by staying here in Pallet Town?

"I have another question," he said, "What was that move your Wigglytuff used earlier?"

"That was Moonblast, a fairy type move."

"Fairy type?"

"Yes. It's a new type of pokémon that's been recently discovered. It's also been discovered that certain species which had previously been discovered are half fairy type, just like Wigglytuff."

Red took in what Leaf was saying. There really were new things to discover in the other regions. There were things he didn't know. Things that could make him a better trainer, and a better champion.

"Now about your pokémon..." Leaf said hesitantly, "This all has just proven my point. Your pokémon are upset with you. Your Snorlax won't even fight. Charizard is obviously bored out of its mind. And your other pokémon aren't as well trained as they used to be. Do you even let them out of their pokéballs, Red?"

"Of course I do! I let them out every day."

"But there's nothing for them to do here. They're bored. They never get to fight. And it's weakened them. You may have been able to keep your title as champion for the past thirteen years, but at this rate you won't have that title much longer."

Red looked down at the ground. He knew she was right. He hadn't realized it before, but he was slowly losing his skill as a trainer. And even though they hadn't been able to finish their battle, he knew that he'd lost to her today. And he knew what he had to do now.

"I'll come stay with you for a week," he said, "But only a week! Nothing more... and nothing less. And... when this is all over... I want a rematch."

"It's a deal. Red, my friend... I am going to show you the world!"

"I know you are, Leaf. Just don't show me so much that it overwhelms me, okay?"

Leaf's smile curled into a smirk.

"Oh Red, darling... that's exactly what I plan to do."

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Wow. Setting up the story was really... challenging. And this chapter came out longer than intended. But the first chapter is usually the hardest for me, so I'm glad I got through it! Things will get way more exciting from this point forward.

I'm planning on hiding references to all sorts of things throughout this story. Just because it's fun. If you guys want, you can try and guess them all! I'll always tell you how many are in each chapter. There are two references in this chapter. One is really easy, and one is really hard. So if anybody guesses the hard one... I'll be very impressed.

Thank you for reading! I appreciate reviews, follows, and favorites! And feel free to ask questions, leave criticism, or make suggestions. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks!