A Very Silvery Christmas - Chapter III

-x-

The next morning, Gold woke up bright and early―at least he thought he did, until he realized that Silver and his sleeping bag were nowhere to be seen. He pulled a shirt over his head, gathered his belongings and sauntered up in search of breakfast. He found Green by the fireside, brushing his eevee, and a memory he'd rather forget from the previous night pushed into the forefront of his mind, making him flush and stutter slightly.

"G-good morning," he mumbled, willing away the unwanted images. "Is there a chance for some breakfast or did you eat it all?"

"Almost," Green replied easily. "Check on with Red in the kitchen, he just left with the leftovers."

Great, the kitchen… just where he wanted to go with memories of last night's… incident fresh on his mind. Still, he padded over, rationalizing that he just needed to face his fears and realize there was nothing to be embarrassed about. What Red and Green did in their alone time was none of his business. He'd just happened to walk in on the wrong moment and he needed to zip his mouth and let it slip. No need to bother the guys―if they wanted to talk, they would.

Gold rounded the corner and, very much like on the previous time, froze.

Red was there, like Green had said, as was Silver. And right at that very moment, the older boy was giving the younger what seemed to be a comforting hug. It lasted about five seconds more, as Gold stood still and watched, before the redhead pulled away, muttering about something or other. Red's hand lingered on his shoulder before dropping, his expression somehow appeased.

Well, what do you know, Gold thought, they'd really gone and patched things over. Probably not completely, but the start was promising, to say the least―especially concerning Silver's usual, stubborn approach to these kinds of things.

When it seemed like no more brotherly affection was going to be happening then and there, Gold cleared his throat as unawkwardly as he could manage in the present situation, making his presence known. Silver's head snapped towards him fast as a lightning, but once he'd identified the intruder as Gold he seemed to relax a bit, nodding tersely in greeting before scuffling off past him.

"I see you figured things out, then. Hooray for small miracles," Gold grinned at Red. "Any breakfast?"

The dark-haired boy hummed in good humor and passed him a large-ish wheat bun he nearly failed to catch. "There should be some tea left."

Gold spotted the kettle to his side and fetched himself a mug. In all honesty, the drink was more than slightly lukewarm, but he paid it no mind as he bit off a generous chunk of his bun and gulped it down with a mouthful of tea. After he'd gobbled half of the bread he turned to Red once more.

"You uh… What did he say?" he asked. "I mean, not that it concerns me, really. I'm just curious."

Red threw him a look. Gold, for some reason completely beyond even his own understanding, blushed.

"I really don't wanna ask him," he defended. "Silver's too secretive for his own good."

Red accepted the answer with a barely there smirk. "He apologized," he said simply. "Said we needed to… to catch up. And while his dad might've been bad, he doesn't want to think everything connected to him is."

"Oh," Gold wasn't sure what to think, "well, that's―that's good."

It was more than good―even if that had been what the boy was supposedly going to do the previous night when they'd come up, Gold had never in his wildest dreams imagined it would go so smoothly. Perhaps it had something to do with Red himself, and the way he reacted to conflict. The silent boy was always so peaceful―a calming presence―and though he spoke little he seemed to always get his point across. Silver too had listened to him, the previous night, and that in itself was already rare.

Perhaps it wasn't such an unimaginable thought, them becoming as close as brothers should be.

Red hummed in agreement, a knowing glint in his eyes. "You're good for him, yes."

"I― uh, yeah," Gold muttered lamely, a bit flustered but more than a little pleased. Proud, even. He could help Silver and that's all he ever wanted to do for the boy. It was nice to know it was working. "I guess you'll want to spend time together then?"

Red looked thoughtful. "There are things we both need to do before that."

"Oh… like what?"

He shrugged, an unreadable expression on his face. "Things."

Gold figured wisely that that was the end of that conversation.

"Sure." He swallowed the last bite of his bun. "I'll go get properly dressed then."

He sauntered off, passing the fire place and Green on his way to find the bag he'd forgotten down. The brunet informed him that Silver had gone out for a bit, but before Gold could panic about his rival having fled, he noticed that the other's own bag was still stood up next to a pile of logs. With a once more relieved mindset he went down to find some way to pass the time. A while―and a lot of mulling on the events of the past few days on Gold's part―later, Green came looking for him. By that point, Gold had nearly finished feeding his pokémon and was thinking of taking Typhlosion out for a short trek in the area.

"Yo," the gym leader greeted, plopping himself down next to Red's ever-resting snorlax. It was quite popular as a backrest, it seemed.

"Hey," Gold replied. "What's up? Is Silver back already?"

Green raised a brow, but didn't question why that was the most important piece of information he needed at that point. Gold bit his lip to keeping himself from looking embarrassed―he would ponder about his newfound fixation with Silver at some later time. Possibly never. That was probably good.

"Yeah, he's back. Me and Red were thinking about climbing up to the peak. The weather's fine enough and it's kind of a tradition for us. The view up there is fuckin' amazing, just so you know." He made wild gestures with his hands to emphasize the amazing-ness.

"Sure, I'm up for it," Gold replied with a laugh. "Was just thinking of heading out for a walk, myself."

"Great," Green smirked. "The princess is coming too―ahh, shit. I was supposed to stop calling him that." He shook his head. "I guess it really pisses him off."

The younger snorted. "You don't say?"

"Yeah, well… he actually came and said he was sorry for overreacting, so I'm on my best behavior now, to live up to it."

Huh, it seemed like Silver really was having a good morning. Gold grinned. "How's that working out for you?"

"The older pulled a face. "Well―y'know how they say. If at first you don't succeed, try again. And then if you fail, just quit, cause there's no need to be a damn fool about it."

Gold raised both his eyebrows. "I don't know who says that."

Green shrugged and pushed himself to his feet. "Me neither. C'mon, we need to leave soon to make it there during daylight."

"Yeah, yeah…" Gold muttered and climbed up, calling his pokémon to their balls and following in his leave.

-x-

Even though Gold had thought Red's cave was really freaking high up on the mountain, it took them over an hour to get to the summit. It probably wasn't that long of a trek in distance, but the terrain was pretty rough and there were no trails whatsoever. More than a couple of times they had to hoist themselves up a cliff, or climb over large, snow-covered rocks. In the end though, it was worth it. Because the view that opened beneath them from the peak of Mt. Silver looked absolutely breathtaking.

"Wow," Gold whispered, walking closer to the edge. He was suddenly very glad he wasn't normally afraid of heights, because even he felt a bit shaky seeing how far down the surface was.

"I know, right," Green muttered quietly. He must've seen the view at least a few times before, but he seemed to be just as taken by it. Gold didn't really blame him―there simply was no getting used to something like this. "See those buildings in the distance? That's Viridian City. Pallet's hidden from view by the slope and Pewter by Viridian forest. And that trail of smoke above the sea is from Cinnabar, you can see the island if you squint."

"I never thought―I mean, you could see barely anything from the cave's level," Gold exclaimed. "This is just… there are no words."

"The mountain isn't that steep up until a point," Red explained. "Only the very peak rises above the rest."

Gold hummed contemplatively. "Can you see in the other directions as clearly?"

"Sure," Green answered. "Go see if you can spot New Bark or Blackthorn behind the bay. They should be visible."

Gold turned and headed to the other side of the summit. He found Silver there, staring into the distance.

"Hey," Gold breathed. It was the first they'd talked that day, without the other two in their immediate vicinity, and somehow he felt a bit nervous. It dissipated though, when the other made a soft sound in acknowledgment.

True to Green's words, after a moment of searching, Gold figured the location of New Bark on the coast, windmills splitting the sky above it like a crown. He grinned, glancing at Silver. The boy wore a mixed expression―somehow simultaneously sad and content.

"What're you looking at?" Gold asked. "Blackthorn?"

The redhead shook his head. "I was just wondering… the world seems huge. We can see just a small piece of Johto here and there's so many more continents out there. That's… well," he paused as if unsure whether he should continue. Eventually he mumbled quietly. "There're are places out there where they don't know me through my dad. Places I can have for myself."

Gold's breath hitched in his throat. "Y-yeah…" he whispered after a moment. "We're gonna see all of it someday. You don't have to worry about the world not being enough."

Silver turned and gave him a strange, long look. Then he―he smiled.

"You can well believe I'll beat you sooner rather than later, but I'm holding onto that promise."

Gold laughed. "You do that, Silver."

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, gazing out for a moment longer, only to be interrupted by Red. The older male walked silently to their side, Pikachu on his trail, nodding to Silver before addressing Gold.

"I'd like that battle now, if you don't mind," he said, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Gold, on the other hand, felt his stomach do a triple-somersault. "Now?" He cried out. "Right here?" Red nodded. "What if the pokémon fall over the edge―wait, did you even bring your party along?"

The silent man wore an amused expression but didn't bother replying. Of course he'd brought his party pokémon with him. It was Red, for Mew's sake, and though Gold had spent merely a few days with him he already knew Red never went anywhere without his pokémon. He was just surprised. And nervous. And―

Excited.

Suddenly, he laughed. "Yeah, why not. I'll battle you."

"Six versus six," Red said. "Normal rules."

"Got it," Gold grinned and moved to a better position so that sufficient space was laid out between them. Then he nodded to Silver, who'd moved out of the way. "Silver, could you―?"

He barely had time to grab his first pokéball before the redhead clapped his hands twice, loud and clear―the usual sign outside official facilities for a battle to begin.

Surprisingly enough, Red's first pokémon was his pikachu, who leapt right into battle from Red's shoulder. Gold's own pick was Ambipom, one of his fastest pokémon with more than a few trick up its figurative sleeve. The first matchup was going to be all about speed and technical battle, it seemed.

Red's pikachu got the first hit, striking with speed that could be avoided. Gold yelled out his commands and Ambipom replied swiftly, astonishing Pikachu and hitting again in quick succession with double slap. After only two hits, Pikachu flung Ambipom off with a hard swipe of its tail. It was definitely a critical, as Ambipom struggled in getting back to its feet, only barely avoiding an electrified full-body tackle from the mouse.

Gold made a decision in a split second, calling out fast and Ambipom scooped snow from the ground, flicking it straight at Pikachu. It wasn't as efficient as sand, but blinded the electric type just enough for Ambipom to get up close and tickle its foe into defenselessness. Though, it didn't quite work out like Gold had envisioned―even in the throes of such merciless onslaught, Red's pikachu was sharp. It called down a single bolt of lightning, zapping its opponent well into unconsciousness.

Gold swore under his breath and called the monkey back. It wasn't like he'd expected any less, but Red's pokémon were on a whole new level. His match with Green had been a tough one and he was immediately reminded of that. Well, he had come up on top with that one in the end―maybe he had a chance as of yet. The battle was still young.

"Next ones," came Green's voice from the sidelines. He'd joined Silver in watching the match without Gold even noticing. "Prepare yourselves."

Again, two claps.

Gold sent out Sunflora, immediately giving out the command to set up a defensive barrier. Only then did he take note of Red's pokémon of choice. It was Blastoise. Gold grimaced. He had been hoping for Lapras―the ice moves Sunflora could take just fine, but Blastoise's defenses were much higher. It could withdraw and endure, hit after hit until Sunflora was too exhausted to move.

Well, he would have to try harder, then.

Raising the light screen had been a good move, since from Blastoise the battle begun with a blast of blizzard let loose with a flick of Red's wrist. Sunflora dug its roots into the snow, through it and to the ground beneath, drawing energy from the nutrients within. Then, at Gold's signal, it blasted an energy draining attack at Blastoise. Just like Gold had envisioned, the tortoise withdrew into its shell and took the blasts, releasing only minimal amounts of its energy.

Even worse was the fact that hidden inside its shell the blastoise was nevertheless capable of attacking, using its twin cannons to reflect the light of the sun in a vicious flashing beam. Although the attack wasn't very effective against Sunflora, it was enough to wear down its defenses. In a final desperate attempt to turn the tables, Gold called out for a devastating petal dance, only to get poor Sunflora confused. And that was when Blastoise finally unleashed its power in an attack, just once―a beautiful, clean knockout.

As he recalled the flower pokémon, Gold felt nervous and, admittedly, jealous. It took him a few more calming breaths to regain his composure, the steely reserve that had saved him even in the tightest pinch before. Like Blastoise, he had endured. He had taken a few hits, a few losses―it was time to strike back and turn the game into his victory. With renewed energy he picked a pokéball from his belt and waited for the claps.

This time, thing immediately looked good for him. His choice was Quagsire, his trusty water salamander, while Red had put his faith on Lapras, whom Gold had earlier hoped for. Grinning, Gold immersed himself in the battle, yelling command after command, until finally only Quagsire was standing. He'd made his comeback.

He high-fived the water-type for a battle well fought and returned it into its ball. From the sidelines Green offered him a thumbs up and Silver an impressed nod. Gold couldn't help laughing softly.

"Okay, next!" Green yelled once more. "Get ready!"

The sky had turned slightly gray and the wind had picked up at some point into their battle. It was looking like it was gonna start snowing soon. They needed to hurry.

Red sent forward his Venusaur, while against the large beast was Gold's Noctowl, whom he'd caught right outside New Bark on his first day of journeying. The grass type was a tough opponent, blowing out powders and spitting venom, most of which the agile bird pokémon avoided. Once though, it got caught by Venusaur's ivy vines, suffering a blow straight-on and rendering it unable to attack for a moment. But Gold held onto his nerve, didn't falter, and in the end his tactful commands and a final breezing gust brought Noctowl its victory.

The next match didn't go as smoothly, with Gold's Sudowoodo against Red's massive Snorlax. Nevertheless, Gold held his ground well enough, until Snorlax's final blizzard blew the rock-type away. Gold called back the unmoving pokémon with grave thoughts. It was time for the final match. With Red's three wins against his two, there was no way to win but he could tie―and against the rumored "best trainer ever" that was more than enough for him. He would give it his all and if that wasn't enough, well―there was always next time. He'd train with Silver and come back stronger.

He nodded across the field to Red.

"Give it your best!" He yelled, gripping his final pokéball and grinning.

Red's answering smile was felt more than seen, especially with the snowflakes that started falling, slowly at first but soon heavily. Through the wind, Gold barely heard the clap once, twice, and―

Typhlosion rose with a mighty roar flaring the flames on its back. The fire danced around it, swirls of blue and white, and in its eyes Gold could see his own determination mirrored. He smiled and fell back. Like Red and his Pikachu, he was going to let the beast battle as it wished―leave his chances at the hands of the pokémon he most trusted.

On the opposite side, Red's starter, Charizard, soared up and released a mighty pillar of flame into the sky, momentarily casting the whole area in a red and yellow glow. The flamethrower could no doubt be seen miles away. Then the firedrake dove down, gliding towards Typhlosion, who met the charge adamantly on its feet like a proud badger warrior. The clash of the beasts sent snow flying all around them, some of it melting upon the heat of the impact and raining over the spectators in a warm drizzle.

The pokémon broke off with a loud cry from Charizard as it was flung away, immediately hit by a blast of fire. The next blast though, was halted by strong wing strokes that sent forward a gust of air fast enough to land a hit on Typhlosion. It was followed by a quick succession of hits and airborne attacks, all avoided and retaliated by bursts of fire and the occasional rain of swift, shimmering stars.

The battle continued like this for a while at somewhat of a standstill, neither side managing to land much of a blow. Then though, after dodging one of Charizard's air strikes, Typhlosion sent flying a shower of swift that by a stroke of luck hit Charizard in its left wing. The dragon howled in pain and spiraled down, unable to maintain altitude with its damaged wing.

Gold felt his heart leap, but immediately afterwards he realized with a painful clarity just how premature his happiness had been. The injured dragon lashed out with twice as much vigor, landing hits more often now. All Typhlosion could do was duck and hop, avoiding the blasts of fire and pulsing attacks of dragon breath. Yet, the smart creature it was, Typhlosion was gradually nearing the dragon and once it was close enough it leapt with a magnificent roar, releasing an inferno all around it.

But―as much as Gold found it hard to believe any pokémon could've survived an attack of that magnitude so close up―it was not the end. Charizard flapped open its wings, which had shielded it from the edge of Typhlosion's attack and released a glowing pulse.

From that distance, there was no way for Typhlosion to avoid it. The attack hit the badger square in its chest, toppling it over and sending it rolling backwards by force. The beast groaned, its flames going out and steam rising from its unmoving figure. Gold's heart sagged and he prepared to call back his starter when―

a flame lit up.

And against all odds, defying all notions on the toughness of pokémon, Typhlosion stirred and rose. It stood a little crouched and it's back flames wavered and flickered, but the fire in its eyes burned bright. Charizard cried out and released a pillar of flame from its mouth as large as the one in the beginning of their match. Typhlosion roared and retaliated in kind, the two flamethrowers crashing into each other, merging, burning bright and melting all the snow around them, until―

Typhlosion growled and stepped forward, pushing his flamethrower against Charizard's once, twice, many times until finally it had swallowed his flamethrower at whole. And then, right then, he released all his power, sending forward a flame wall so high and wide there was no escape from it. Charizard was engulfed in flame and once the fire had faded, all the flames died out, the dragon was on the ground and Typhlosion still standing.

Gold let out a shaky breath he had been holding, tears welling in his eyes against his will.

"T-Typhlosion…" he called out gently.

The beast's ear twitched and slowly, very slowly, it turned to face its trainer. Gold held the gaze of the fire-type all while he walked to it, circling his arms around its middle. The typhlosion groaned and winced slightly, having suffered notable injuries itself, but brought its paws to hold Gold close in response.

"You did, buddy," the boy muttered against his partner's soft fur. "You did it."

He spent a long while there, safe in the warm embrace and crying against Typhlosion's chest, but eventually the moment had to end. Reluctantly, Gold pulled back and shuddered.

"You're in no climbing state now," he whispered to the pokémon. "I'm gonna put you back into your ball, so sleep tight while we get down from here."

The beast growled in understanding and disappeared into the red light of the pokéball. Gold took a deep breath, and turned―finally facing his friends.

Red came to him first, offering his hand.

"Good battle," he said, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Gold's own grin was so wide it almost hurt his cheeks. "Yeah, no kidding."

After that was over with, Green jogged to their side. He offered Gold an impressed whistle.

"Damn, kiddo," he said, ruffling Gold's hair under his cap. "I knew from experience you were good, but you've got one hell of a fighter in ya. You and that Typhlosion of yours… what a pair!"

Gold just laughed. Silver joined them then, smiling almost a bit shyly.

"Congratulations," he said, offering him his hand like Red. "I guess you've no match left, now."

"Are you kidding me?" Gold dragged him by his arm into a hug. "This is just the beginning. I've got so much left to do, so many battles left to fight―I wanna keep going. That's what you always say, right? Just keep going, just keep getting better until you're the best. Well, I ain't the best yet."

Silver smirked against his shoulder and pushed him off halfheartedly. "That much is true. You're still as lame as ever."

Gold laughed some more.

"Well, I hate to be the voice of reason," Green said then, "but we really oughta be getting back down. It's stopped snowing, for a moment, but it's gonna pick up soon enough."

"We should fly," Silver replied. "Your pidgeot can carry two, right?"

Green nodded. "Sure."

"Then you and Red get on his back and me and Gold take my crobat, and we'll be down in no time at all."

With that, the redhead called out his bat pokémon who obediently landed on the ground, waiting to be mounted. Silver got on with no trouble, turning to throw Gold an expectant look.

"Well, you coming?" he asked.

Gold shuffled on his feet, climbing onto Crobat's back behind Silver. He could find no place to hold onto, until Silver unceremoniously grabbed his aimlessly wandering hands and tied them around his own waist.

"Just hold still," he grumbled, but the tips of his ears were red. Gold swallowed and tried not to lean against him too much.

He failed.

-x-

Back at Red's cave the four of them drank a celebratory round of tea and ate all of the leftover cake. In every accord, the mood was much improved from that of the previous night. Afterwards, Red and Gold nursed their pokémon back to health the best they could with their own abilities and healing items. They would have to take them to the pokécenter in the near future―just to be sure.

Right before bedtime, Red suddenly seemed fidgety―so much so, that it caught everyone's attention. He wandered seemingly aimlessly, picking stuff up and moving it, collecting some items in his arms and eventually stuffing it in an old, worn-out backpack.

"Hey," Green called out from his place on a bedroll. "What's the matter with ya?"

"Are you planning on going somewhere?" Gold asked eyeing the backpack on the mattress next to his.

"I―" Red started, then fell silent and paused his step.

"Yeah?" Gold prompted.

The older took a deep breath. "I'm gonna leave this place."

His answer was deafening silence.

"What?" Green finally croaked after what seemed like an eternity. "You serious?"

Red nodded. "I've thought it through."

"But―well, fucking finally, but you've gotta say―why now? After all these years?"

For a few seconds Red looked like he struggled with words. Then he was saved by Silver's sudden words.

"Is it… because of me?" he asked quietly.

Red nodded. Then he cleared his throat. "Like you said in the morning, you've been facing your life eyes open from the beginning. It's about time I do the same." A small, remorseful smile was playing on his lips. "I need to be someone you can look up to, too."

Silver's eyes widened.

Gold and Green, on the other hand, shared a look. They both understood how huge this was, how there was such a big chance of it blowing in Red's face and how he would probably never be the same if it did. But it was worth the risk if Red wanted it―and it seemed like he did, not only for Silver's sake but for himself as well, that much Gold had gathered from his earlier talks with the older trainer. Red had been opposed to fame, opposed to being the center of all attention, but there was only so much seclusion and silence one could take, only so long one could put off his plans for the future for fear of being overwhelmed, and it was about time he started taking the steps towards making his life better.

In Gold's opinion, Red, more than anyone, deserved to have the same fun every trainer, no matter how good or special, had by traveling with friends and pokémon and visiting new places and meeting new faces and just living without a care―somehow finding yourself something to live for along the way.

"Well, that's great!" Green drawled. "I bet this will shut Leaf up for at last, let's say, three months. Maybe two. Ahh, I can't wait for that blessed silence!"

"I bet your mum will be so happy," Gold added, because honestly, despite actually understanding Red's reasons perfectly well, he'd still sympathized with Delia Pavot a lot. Her resilient optimism about Red's fate had been one of the main reasons he'd finally, for real, decided to come looking for the lost champion. He guessed that by being close with his own mum, he could really recognize what the woman was feeling. And he sorely hoped that by being alive and well and actually present from then on Red could make up for his absence to the poor lady. She would welcome and forgive him in any case―that was what mothers did.

Red hummed and made no comment. Silver too remained silent and his face was flushed for at least half an hour afterwards―Gold guessed that he must've been touched more deeply than he was comfortable sharing with them. Despite the shock of it all, he'd found Red, so it was fine. Already they'd both left such a positive impact on one another, and while it was impossible to say what the future would bring, it looked promising enough.

Gold and Green talked excitedly far into the night, until they were kicked into silence by an irritated and sleepy Silver. In the morning, they all ate some breakfast, packed their bags full―leaving most of the furniture in the cave for some lucky traveler to find, although there really weren't many of them on Mt. Silver―and headed out. The morning air was crisp and bright, a cool breeze licking their faces as a reminder of the previous night's snowstorm.

Traveling down in company, Gold found out, was much more pleasant than traveling up by himself. It contained less near death experiences as well, so he counted it as a plus.

By midday they'd found their way to the pokécenter at the root of the mountain. The nurse there recognized all of them by face, seeing to Red and Gold's pokémon while the four trainers helped themselves to some lunch. As they were leaving, she wished them a very merry Christmas and good luck for the following year. They returned the sentiment fullheartedly.

Outside though, came the tough part―the goodbyes. Red and Green were heading together towards Indigo Plateau and from there to Viridian and Pallet, but Gold and Silver―well, Gold didn't know. He kinda wanted to keep hanging with his rival, but he wasn't sure what Silver wanted.

No time to beat around the bush any longer, he turned to the redhead with every intention of asking him about his plans, only to be interrupted before he even began by Silver himself.

"So, you still wanna go to Blackthorn with me?"

Gold gaped.

Silver snorted. "Close your mouth or I'll take back my offer. Idiot."

"Yes!" Gold cried out, grinning wide. "I do!"

"What," Green cut through to their conversation. "You getting' married over here?"

Silver flushed slightly. "Fuck off, Green."

Green snickered. "In due time."

Red appeared by his side, nodding first to Silver.

"I'll contact you," he said. He didn't say where or when or where or how or why, but Silver seemed to understand.

"Yeah, okay," he muttered and let his gaze drop.

Apparently pleased, Red then turned towards Gold.

"Let's battle again some time."

Gold grinned.

"Yeah, definitely," he replied. "I intend to actually beat you, next time."

Red smiled, but said nothing. It was just the sort of silent moment after which they would all start talking about leaving and then say their goodbyes and head off. Gold didn't want it to end―not like that.

"Guys, you―you should come over to my place on New Year's Eve, all of you," he blurted out, his mouth forming the words before his brain had even caught up with what was being said. "I mean, my mum wouldn't mind and it would be fun to hang out again."

Red blinked. Then turned to ask Green silently for his opinion. Green, for his part, looked like he was considering it.

"Yeah, sure," he finally said. "I'll need to think of an excuse for Daisy and Gramps, but other than that I don't see why not. We'll bring Leaf along, too."

"I can invite my friend Lyra… and Kris," Gold offered, glancing at Silver, who seemed like he was thinking about whether to pick up on the offer or not.

"Fine," the redhead agreed. "Not like I had better plans."

"Great!" Gold grinned. "We'll see you guys on New Years, then."

Red nodded and Green waved and just like that they were off.

Gold shuffled his feet and turned towards Silver, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"Silver," he said much too gravely for him to have good intentions.

"Gold," Silver replied in a warning tone with his eyebrows raised in question.

Gold took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally.

"The last one in Blackthorn pays for dinner!" he yelled and released his noctowl in a flurry, hopping onto the Bird's back and speeding off into the sky. Behind him he heard Silver curse and shout angrily. But he wasn't angry―not really―and simply knowing that made Gold feel a bit lighthearted. Silver was definitely not angry at him, annoying and snappish and odd as he may be―he was still Gold's friend. And just like Silver was now following Gold, Gold would follow Silver, always, wherever he may go.

Like Red with his newfound courage, they had many more places to visit, many more faces to meet and many more plans to make. The future was open like the sky on that beautiful Christmas day―silvery clouds lit up by the golden rays of the sun.

-x-

End

-x-

A/N: It's finished... I'm really happy. I'd like to thank everyone who's bothered to read this story, and even more so those who've left and continue to leave me feedback. It's always appreciated and makes one feel like it's worth it to keep writing. :')

Now, I know this story sort of ends with a note hinting at a sequel. But I must admit that I haven't planned one, and so it's unlikely I'll get to writing it in the near future. As it happens, I'm next planning on publishing a story about Red and Green travelling to Hoenn, so maybe some of you will stick around for that. And perhaps, I'll get the continuation for this done for next year. In the mean time, I wish you all a happy New Year, and once more―thank you!