Destiny's Road

"So tell me," Leaf said, putting the cup of tea down on her saucer. "Do you still believe in destiny?"

"What?"
"Destiny," she repeated. "Like, fate, or providence, or guaranteed outcome, or-"

"I know what destiny means Leaf."

"Then it should be an easy question to answer." She took another sip of tea. "Do you believe in destiny?"

"I…um…"

"It's a yes or no answer."

"I guess, but…"

He was really hoping that his lack of answer might negate Leaf's persistence of the question. Because sitting here, outside the Little Flower Tea House (seriously, what was it with Viridian City and flowers?), he found himself wondering how the conversation had ever gone down this road.

"Well?" he said, putting the tea back down on her saucer. "You haven't answered."

He looked at the tea before him – half full or half empty, he couldn't say. "Didn't know you drank tea."

"Lot can chance in a year." She leant back in her chair. "Which is why I'm asking about destiny."

"I, um…" Red took a breath.

"Yes?"

"Can you cut to the chase? Because I know that you're trying to be clever or something, but I really don't get it."

"Oh Red," she sighed. "Have you been so bereft of human contact that you don't get the hint?"

"Hey, I've had plenty of human contact."

"Contact outside gym leaders, trainers, and Blue?"

"Um, yes," he said. "Team Rocket."

"That hardly counts."

"Trust me, it counts," Red said.

"I don't think consorting with criminals really counts as human contact. Or least good contact."

"Yeah, well…" He held up his hands in defeat. "Fine. I don't believe in destiny. Why?"

"Oh," she said. "That's interesting."

"Why?"

"Because I remember when we were five, when you said it was your destiny to be the best Pokémon trainer the world had ever seen. Y'know, when you were declaring that you were going to be the best like no-one ever was…"

"I did not say that."

"That there was a power inside you, and you'd help pokémon everywhere find the same power…"

"And I definitely did not say that either."

"And then you ran out of town, yelling about catching pokémon, and then that spearrow came, and your mum came, and…"

"Oh. That."

"Yep," Leaf said, smiling. "That."

"But I definitely didn't say any of that other stuff," Red said.

She shrugged. "Considering the blow the spearrow gave to your head, maybe you've just forgotten."

It was possible, Red supposed. He did remember some of the day that Leaf was talking about – he and Blue had got into an argument (something about end of year results), which had somehow turned into an argument about pokémon (as it always did), which extended to their dreams of being pokémon trainers (with Blue, as always, claiming that Red would never be able to keep up with him), which extended him to meeting a psychopathic spearow. Maybe he'd yelled about all that other stuff that Leaf said he had, but he couldn't remember.

He couldn't help but feel that that was the story of their lives. Him and Blue, competing over everything, and Leaf just hanging around in the background. Being quiet. Always within his sight, but never within his mind.

Still, she was well within his sight now, he reflected – a sight that he hadn't seen for a year, which was how long it had taken him to travel around Kanto. Fighting other trainers, catching wild pokémon. Doing all those things, and constantly being one step behind Blue. Blue, who'd been on the 'winners list' of every gym he'd visited. Blue, who'd always had far more pokémon than he had. Blue, whom he beat in every battle, yet always made him feel like he'd lost when he'd strode away, laughing. He'd spent a whole year of collecting badges and pokémon, of even disbanding Team Rocket, and yet, part of him felt like he hadn't succeeded in anything. So when he'd got his last badge, when he'd called home for the first time in weeks, he'd been doing so to get advice from his mum. Some kind of extra nudge to get him to go to Indigo Plateau.

She hadn't given him that. She'd talked, she'd listened, but he'd never been able to steer the conversation in the way he wanted. She'd ended the call by saying to be at the Little Flower Tea House at twelve o' clock, and that a friend would be there for him. He'd thought it was Daisy originally, the way he'd talked, but no, it had been Leaf. One year after he had, she'd taken Oak's last pokémon (a bulbasaur), and had embarked on her own journey.

"Red?"

"Hmm?"

"You away with the clefairies?"

"Oh," he said. He hadn't realized that he'd just been staring blankly into space, lost to the world. "Just thinking."

"What about?"

"Oh, er, destiny I guess."

"Right," she said, clearly not buying it. "Destiny."

Red began drumming his fingers on the table, wondering what to say. He should say something, he knew that much, but what…how…that it was good to see her? He'd already said that. That he'd missed her? Well, sort of, but the sad truth was that the further away from Pallet Town he'd got, the less he'd thought about it. That he was glad that she'd decided to be a pokémon trainer as well? He supposed so. That she shouldn't waste time with the rattata she'd caught on Route 1, and instead focus on her bulbasaur? Potentially, but-

"Red!"

"Gah!" He snapped out of his reverie. "What?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," she snapped. "You're just staring into space again."

"Oh, um…" He looked to the side, wondering what to say.

"See, you're doing it again!"

"What do you want from me Leaf?" he asked.

She blinked. "What do I want from you?"

"Yes, you. You come here, you drink tea, you babble on about destiny, and you don't get that right now I've got a lot on my mind and-"

"Oh, that's right. What you've got on your mind." She got to her feet. "Fine. I can take a hint."

"Leaf…"

"No, it's fine." She pulled out some yen and dropped it onto the table. "Here. This should cover it."

"Oh, thanks," he said. He grabbed the money before looking up at her. "I mean…um…"

She didn't say anything. Her eyes though…not exactly a thousand words, but easily over a hundred. 150 at least. Of course, what those words actually were, he wasn't sure, because she didn't hang round long enough for him to tell. And it wasn't as if he could go after her, because the waiter came – there was no way he was running off without paying the bill first. And given the way the waiter looked at him, it was also clear that he wasn't running off without paying a tip either.

"There," Red said.

"Thank you." The waiter pocketed it and took the tea cups away, though not without looking back at him. "Just so you know, I think you need to work on your social skills."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Red watched the waiter go. Fuming.

Thinking.

Viridian City didn't really live up to the "city" part of its name. In fact, apart from Saffron and Celadon, there wasn't really any true "city" in this entire region. Least Pallet Town was honest in its ignominy. But by virtue of not really being a city, that made it easy for him to find Leaf. Also in part due to not being an idiot. So it wasn't long before he found her outside Viridian Gym, trying to get the doors open.

"Hey," he said.

She must have heard him, but she just kept trying to get the doors open. Pulling. Pushing.

"It's locked," Red said.

She looked at him, as if it was his fault. Which, he supposed, it kinda was.

"Change in management," he said. "I figure the League's going to get someone new to run this place eventually, but you'd be better off just heading for Pewter City."

Scowling, she folded her arms. "That what you did?"

"Well, yeah. It was locked when I came here as well." He shrugged. "Worked out though. Guy who ran this place…well, best not to get on his bad side."

"Oh, of course. You'd never get on anyone's bad side."

Maybe he was an idiot. Maybe being out of touch for a year had hindered his ability to read people. Maybe this was all for nothing, but…

"Y'know…" Red began. "I think I get it."

"Get what?"

"Like…maybe it's you who's got the problem."

"Excuse me?!"

"I…" He found himself struggling for words. "Like, we don't see each other for a year. Some point you decide to be a pokémon trainer, and you leave town. We meet in Viridian City." He paused, trying to see how he was doing. The incredulous look on Leaf's face told him "keep going, but so far I'm not impressed."

"So…" Red began, struggling for words. "Like, maybe you, I dunno, wanted advice? Like, maybe you were feeling apprehensive about leaving home for a year, and catching pokémon, and fighting gym leaders, and maybe I shouldn't complain about my problems when I've got a year's worth of experience, and even if I can't beat the Elite Four, I'll have still come further than almost anyone else in this region, and I get that I'm babbling, and I'm talking about myself, and, I guess, it's where I tell you that you'll do great, or, something, and…" He trailed off. "That make sense?"

"Um…sort of," Leaf murmured.

"Only sort of?"

"I dunno. You were slurring half your words, and you were having trouble making eye contact."

Red sighed and sat down, leaning against the gym wall. It was hopeless.

"But, I guess you were right," Leaf said, walking over and sitting down beside him. He watched as the breeze caught her hair, as she flicked some of it out of her eyes. "I mean, the thought of travelling around Kanto…spending a whole year away from home…"

"You'll do great," Red said. "I mean, Oak gave you his last pokémon. Must have counted for something."

"I guess."

"And, like…okay, so, you probably haven't had any proper battles yet, so I want to say that you'll do great, but while that's probably the right thing to say, if you don't, I…I mean, you've got a bulbasaur, and you've got a type advantage if you face Brock and Misty first, but they might have gotten stronger too since I battled them, and I get it's not just down to types, but also skill, and, like, I'm sure you're skilled, but I haven't seen you fight yet, and…" He sighed. "Sorry. I'm not good at this."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"Noticed now, or, like, always?"

Leaf shrugged. "Mostly always. Like, you were always an odd one back at Pallet Town. Introvert is the word my mum used." She looked aside. "That, and other terms."

Red could imagine them. "Dunno why you even paid attention to me. I mean, Blue was-"

"Blue's a bully," Leaf said.

Red blinked. "That's a bit harsh, isn't it?"

"Is it?" she asked. "I mean, you saw how his head inflated over the years. Mr bigshot grandson of the great Professor Oak. Going to put Pallet Town on the map with his grandeur. Putting down anyone who challenged him."

"Blue's a good trainer."

"So? Doesn't make him a good person."

"But-"

"Red, you could have failed and returned to Pallet Town by now while Blue became the greatest trainer of all time. Doesn't mean I'd think anything more of him, or…less of you."

Red, to his surprise, turned red. And maybe Leaf noticed, because she turned away and began twiddling her fingers.

"That stuff about destiny," she said. "I…I guess I was asking because Oak told me something at Pallet Town that I couldn't get out of my head. That good trainers focus on the destination, while great trainers focus on the journey."

Red remained silent.

"And, yeah, that gave my esteem a boost," Leaf continued. "But, I mean, if it's one destiny to be a great Pokémon trainer, or a great anything, doesn't that mean that the journey is kind of redundant? Like, if it's fate, or destiny, of what worth is the journey? Or-"

"You're overthinking this," Red interrupted.

Leaf looked at him.

"Trust me, you'll be fine," he said.

"How do you know that?"

"Because…I just do?"

He wished he could put that more eloquently. Still, the way Leaf smiled at him, that told him that he'd somehow managed to say the right thing. Eventually.

"I should go," Leaf said, getting to her feet. "I've probably held you up long enough already."

"Actually, it's-"

"Red, I'm going to tell you something," Leaf said. "And it's important, and I don't want you zoning out on me this time."

"Um…okay?"

She took a breath, and put both her hands on his shoulders. "You're going to go to Indigo Plateau. You're going to beat the Elite Four. You're going to be the champion, and yes, you're going to be the best there ever was."

"But what if-"

"No buts," she said. "You're going to do it, and if Blue's beat you to the finish line again, you're going to beat him as well. Because if he's the type of person that we have to be to make it to the finish line, then…then I'm gonna give up right here, right now."

"Don't do that," Red said.

"I won't," she said, taking her arms away and adjusted her rucksack. She smiled at him. "Been a year Red. Let's make it a bit shorter before we run into each other again."

"Yeah, let's. I…I think I'd like to see you again."

Leaf, after a moment's hesitation, hugged him, and whispered, "go get 'em Red."

"Yeah. You too."

She gave him a smile and a wave before walking round the gym. She'd be heading north, and after that, Viridian Forest. After that…well, he knew what came after that. He'd done that journey long ago. And he hoped…knew…she'd be great at it as well. Adjusting his own backpack, he turned around and-

"Gah!"

Saw a tree. More accurately, a spearow sitting in the tree. Twisting its head from side to side, studying him as it might a caterpie.

"The heck you looking at?" Red asked.

The spearow let out a squawk and took off, flying west. Making a sound that reminded Red of laughter.

"Yeah, fly away. Already caught one of you pricks."

He wanted to be angry. But he couldn't. Not now. Not when he was feeling so…good, right now. So at ease. More so than he had in a long time.

You're not going to beat me this time Blue.

With a spring in his step and a smile on his lips, he began to head west as well.

A/N

So, there was this quote I saw recently that I can't recite now (and probably won't ever be able to) that basically expressed the following concept - if life is a journey, and one believes in destiny, can one say that life is a journey then if the destination is pre-ordained?

Of course, I have to admit that's only tangentally expressed here, but meh, I've been sort of into Pokémon recently. And by that I mean "that Scottish pokémon trainer meme that's going around is hilarious."