...I had intended this to be longer, but...it just seemed to end so well right there.
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING, NOTHING I tell you!
Leaf was afraid of a lot of things. Her Pokemon getting badly injured, for one. Spiders (doesn't everyone hate spiders, though?). The dark. Typical things.
But the thing she feared the most was that she'd always be chasing him – and never catch up.
When Red and Blue set out on their Pokemon adventures, she had been envious. Younger than them, she could only watch them go. She'd been proud – she would always be proud – but it hadn't taken long for the loneliness to set in.
The TV had been her only comfort. "Rookie trainers on the rise! Gym leaders defeated one after the other!" The headlines always seemed to be like that, talking about Blue, and then Red, right on his heels. Blue was the famous Pokemon Professor's grandson, a cocky prodigy. Red was his rival, silent and wise.
She set out on her own adventure not long after Red earned his fifth badge. Then it was Pokemon Center to Pokemon Center, watching the news to hear of his exploits. As fast as she could, Leaf gave chase.
She trained hard, at first harder than she should have. Blinded by her mission, she hurt her Pokemon. When that realization really hit home, when she carried her bruised and beaten Ivysaur into a Pokemon Center in the dead of night, she made a promise to herself to never let it happen again. And, despite making the large gap between herself and Red even larger, she took a timeout from Gym battles and harsh hikes to spend real time with her Pokemon.
It was probably the best decision she ever made.
Their bond strengthened beyond anything she had known before, her Pokemon fought for her with a fervor that stemmed from love and devotion. Her adventure renewed, now she was the one on the news, fighting to catch up to the one who mattered most to her.
When Blue made it to the top, Red used him as a stepping stone.
Blue had been her friend. He probably would never admit it, and she was surprised that she even thought of him that way, but she knew it was true. They'd all grown up together, after all, and being a pompous and superior brat was the only way Blue knew how to express himself. She was sorry to see him finally achieve his dream, and then fall so swiftly. What a blow it must have been to him. She only hoped that it was a humbling one.
But now Red was more than just the boy she was chasing – he was the Champion, the one every trainer in Kanto was chasing. She felt bogged down and discouraged, facing hoards of trainers who dreamed not of Red himself, but of what he held, what he represented.
And it was that thought that made her realize she was different. She wasn't chasing after some title, a position, or glory.
She was chasing after a friend.
She was, maybe, even chasing after love.
And she wouldn't stop till she caught him.