"Horrible" is usually a word reserved for use in one's personal opinion. It is by all mean a very subjective word; the meaning of which sways and bends with the unique experiences of whoever possesses the inclination to employ the word for whatever purpose they deem worthy at the time. Once they done, the word is tossed aside until it is once again picked up by another unscrupulous ingrate who suddenly wishes to expression their intense distaste. God forbid someone would ever experience such distaste without enlightening friends, family, and poor, hapless strangers as to exactly why they should share the same sentiment. Indeed that is pretty much all that can be summed up about the meager existence of the poor, sad word "Horrible." It can never be absolute; it will never be ironclad; there will always be at least a smidgeon of doubt as to the validity of its current use.

"You look absolutely horrible."

Leaf turned in the direction she heard the undeniable, completely factual comment. It was so irrefutable that she didn't even attempt to argue the point. The blame, however, could still be passed.

"That would be your fault for not allowing me to change before coming here. "

"Perhaps it's actually a mark against your dungeoneering skills." Blue smirked as he took a seat across from her. Leaf really was a mess. She was covered in grime, her hair was full of debris, hat tattered and muddy, and the rest of her clothes barely resembled their original color.

"Are you actually insinuating that you shouldn't get dirty while spelunking?" Leaf stared at Blue; her face was locked in a classic pose that just exuded an impression of "are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm saying if you were faster you would have had time to change."

"No… if I didn't call you as soon as I got out of the cave, or you didn't insist on meeting this very instant, then I wouldn't be such a mess right now."

"I don't understand why you get so caught up in the details, Leaf." Blue dismissed with a small wave of his hand.

Leaf let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know if there is any hope for you." She said with a small smile. It wouldn't be difficult for an outside observer to wonder why she put up with Blue. Yet for all his arrogance and annoying ticks, it was difficult for Leaf to deny that there was just something rather likable about him in the midst of all his quriks.

Neither said anything for awhile save for when the waiter came to take their order. To his credit he did try his best to appear as if the current state of Leaf, both relating to appearance and odor, didn't disturb him as much as it truthfully did. Unfortunately for the poor soul he failed to hide his discomfort as well as he may have thought, which coincidentally is the reason he was working here and not off in Pokestar Studios like he had aspired to in his youth before being forced to face the cold, hard truth that his acting skills are simply not as noteworthy as he had first assumed them to be.

In his favor however, for whatever it is worth at this point, neither of his patrons noticed his sour expression. Both Blue and Leaf were occupied with their own thoughts and concerns, too on edge to make eye contact as they made their orders.

They knew the subject had to be broached at some point during their time here, yet neither was eager to be the first to do so. Each one had their own fears and worries to be concerned about, and it didn't help the matter that both knew of the immense disappointment the other would be subjected to. But of course, it couldn't be put off forever.

"So I suppose you didn't find anything." Not a question really, just a plain statement of fact. The acknowledgment of the elephant in the room.

"No signs of Red, no." Leaf replied, though she wouldn't quite say that she didn't find anything during her search.

After a moment of silence, Blue speaks up. "I'm sorry Leaf; I know how much it meant to you to find him."

Offering up a small smile, Leaf quietly said "I know it's important to you to, you don't need to apologize to me." Looking up to catch his eye, she attempted to be hopeful. "Besides, Ethan isn't back yet, maybe he found him."

"Yeah… I'm sure Ethan will have some news for us." Blue's voice didn't project much hope. What have their hopes come to for them to have placed all of them on a single boy they had only just met? And if Ethan did find something there…

Blue's thoughts kept coming back to the worst. He had discounted Mt. Silver as the least likely of Red's retreats due to how difficult it would be to survive for such a long time on that mountain. He tried to ignore the thought, but it kept gnawing at the back of his mind: that if Ethan did find Red, would he even be alive? In fact his concern was beginning to grow for Ethan, who still hasn't contacted them or come back from the mountain.

Neither having said much after a short moment, Leaf spoke up softly. "Blue…" she said as she looked up to meet his gaze. "Even… even if our search turns up nothing you should know how much it has meant to me that you have done all this to find Red. Especially after you lost your Rati-"

She was interrupted with a fairly loud scoff. "Please, don't make such a big deal about it Leaf. It was nothing."

Now, the word "Nothing" is quite different from "Horrible". Whereas the validity and use of "Horrible" is subject to the personal whim of whoever is making use of it at the time, "Nothing" is a much more stable word, varying little in its value. It distinctly means "not anything" or "the lack of value". There isn't much room for interpretation among these definitions, and so Blue's use of the word must be called into question. His actions have gone quite far in his attempt to reconcile with Red, a fact to which Leaf could easily attest. So "Nothing" clearly fails to be an apt word in any respect to describe the trouble he has gone through. Nor does it apply to the second definition, for Leaf obviously has placed immense value upon it. In fact the word stands in direct opposition of the basic reality of the situation. Clearly Blue is completely delusional, possibly deranged and Leaf should by all means be contacting the proper authorities who are trained in dealing with those of his kind.

Choosing the slightly less extreme option, Leaf got up and graced Blue with a warm hug.

"Hey! Let go of me, you're all fifthly."

Ignoring his comment she had mercy and freed him from her grimy hold. "You know I don't believe you. You were on the verge of tears when you confessed all that had happened to me."

Blue scoffed. "You are clearly delusional." As if he was one to speak. "Just because you were crying doesn't mean I was about to."

"Sure" Leaf said with a small smirk.

They were once again interrupted by the subpar actor as their meals were welcomingly served. Leaf did not hesitate to shove the contents of her plate down her gullet, famished after her long expedition. And once again, for whatever worth you can accredit to the attempt, he tried, oh did he try, to not look distrusted at her actions. Yet this was his tragic flaw, what caused him to stumble in acting as well as life: he was a constant open book.

This wouldn't have been such an issue if he ever had learned the vital importance of sincerity. Now, "Sincerity" is another clear cut word, officially meaning "the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, and hypocrisy." Like any word it is effectively worthless, only existing as a representation of an idea. Now this idea is what the poor young man lacks, having been under this false delusional that a good actor was one who goes through the motions convincingly. One doesn't just cover their inner unpleasantries with a forced smile and kind word, for it is naught but a thin disguise that will inevitably crumble to reveal the true nature beneath the farce. It is a hollow kindness clearly devoid of any true meaning. Choosing to become a better person never starts by acting like one. It all starts in ones heart and mind, by choosing to change your mind and rethink things that you were once wrong in. The actions will follow, and at that point they will have "Sincerity".

And so with a polite bow and sincere roll of his eyes the man left them to their devices, which for Leaf was figuring out how to down her meal in as little time as possible, a goal that surely hadn't the slightly possibility of backfiring on her later. Blue's however was to laugh at the ridiculousness of the sight before him.

"Are you done already?! I've barely touched mine!"

Leaf wiped her mouth. "Don't give me that look! I was stretching my rations pretty thin these last few days."

Blue calmly continued to eat. "Well why don't you carry the rest of the conversation as I slowly enjoy my food?"

Before her eyes could be rolled, they instead grew as she recalled the remaining pressing issue that needed to be addressed. Leaning in and lowering her voice to a whisper she said "I found something in Cerulean Cave."

"What? Why are you speaking so quietly?"

Slightly annoyed she repeated. "I found something while I was searching." Blue waited with an interested expression as she looked in bag. Having found it she pulled it out discreetly, looking around the restaurant cautiously.

Softly she placed a dusk ball on the table, the ring around its red center lit up to signify that it contained a Pokémon.

"A Pokémon? Hate to break it to you Leaf, but I've already seen one." Blue clearly didn't share Leaf's desire for secrecy.

"It's not just any Pokémon though…" Leaf said, still trying to keep quiet.

"Okay, so what Pokémon is it?" Blue asked with small hint of exasperation. "I've looked though Red's Pokedex, so I can tell you that since I've caught or battled every Pokémon in there I've probably already seen what you've caught there." Except the Legendary Birds, Red never really showed him those, but Blue hasn't even been one to sweat the details.

"Would you just shut up and listen?" Leaf asked as she brought out her own Pokedex, bringing up the entry for the Pokémon currently resting on the table.

She handed it to Blue, who took it with a mild interest. Laying his eyes on the image of the entry however, his eyes widened. "What the hell is that?!" He said a little too loudly, earning yet another dirty look from the insincere failed actor.

"Shhhhh!" Leaf shushed him, slapping her hand over his mouth. That of course only brought even more attention to the two of them, making the act the 29th worst attempt at discretion in Kanto. She sat back down in her seat and resumed her story quietly as the other customers all suddenly remembered they had other matters to attend to.

"Do you remember the book Red and I found in the Pokémon Mansion?"

Now adopting Leaf's failing antics to remain inconspicuous, Blue leaned over the table with quite whispering. "You mean that this Pokémon is the Mewtwo?" He asked with growing concern.

Leaf nodded, a small smile catching the edge of her mouth as he caught on. "Exactly."

"That's one hell of a consolation prize…" Blue synced Leaf's Pokedex to the dusk ball, allowing him to view the stats, moves and type of the Pokémon it contained. "You are a bloody moron Leaf. This... thing tore apart the entire lab it was created in and you took it on alone!"

Leaf smiled. "Aw, so you do care."

"Good grief, I'm not heartless." He muttered as he continued to peruse the information about the creature in front of him.

"Besides, I didn't have much of a choice. I just happened upon it, nothing to be done about it. "

"Should we send it out?" He was starting to become quite fascinated. Just looking at what this Pokémon could do in battle sent his mind reeling from the possibilities.

"Didn't you just say that this thing took out the entire group of people in charge of it? Who knows what could happen if we let it out!"

Both looked down at the ball on the table. They were eyeing it with such levels of caution and suspicion that it looked like they believed it was an egg about to hatch at any moment. Leaf couldn't quite wrap her mind around how much power was inside the tiny little ball just sitting in front of her; let alone that it technically belonged to her.

"So… what do we do with it then?" Blue glanced up at her briefly, before eyeing the ball again, as if he was afraid it would roll away should he look away for too long.

"I thought you could bring it to your grandfather. He's studied Pokémon his whole life, wouldn't he know what to do with it."

Grasping it gingerly, Blue held the ball right in front of his face, admiring it with an anxious awe. "I'd say it's worth a shot, though I doubt he knows any more about this than we do." He placed the ball down, meeting Leaf's eyes as he spoke with a voice devoid of any mockery or arrogance he would have on any normal day. "We really don't understand the nature of what we're dealing with here. I don't think anyone can tell us for certain what the right thing to do is." Gently handing the ball to Leaf, he continued. "But you caught it; it's yours and your decision. I don't know what could happen, but I'll help you out however I can. It's far too fascinating for me to miss."

Leaf smiled, about to utter her thanks when Blue's phone chimed. He answered it, only speaking short agreements that failed to enlighten Leaf as to the true subject matter.

"…alright, we'll be there." Blue hung up, looking up to Leaf. "That was Ethan." He couldn't contain the smile that was insistent on being seen. "He found him."

Her heart quickened, and she nearly forgot the weapon of mass destruction casually sitting on the café table. "He did?! Where is he?!" Blue had to put forth a worthwhile measurement of effort to calm her down.

"We are going to meet them tonight, at Oak's Lab." He got up, taking the check. "I'll get this, why don't you go get changed before we meet up? You're stench is starting to get to me."

Leaf was beaming. Blue may appear rude and unthoughtful, but she knew he wanted her to look nice for when she finally reunited with Red. "Thank you Blue."

Picking up the dusk ball, Blue clasped it in her hands firmly. "Be careful with this, okay?" He said with a serious look in his eye.

Leaf nodded, leaving the restaurant as Blue went to pay for their meal. She could hardly contain the whirlwind of emotions flooding through her. The thought of meeting Red after two years was both heartwarming as she thought of the boy she grew up with and cared for, yet nerve wracking in fear of the state he'd be in when they meet. Then there was the Pokémon she hid in her bag, filling her with an incredible exhilaration at the thought that she battled and caught a Legendary Pokémon, and also a foreboding dread as her concerns of all that could go wrong.

In truth there was no way to impart what she felt at that moment. Fear, happiness, excitement, anxiety; in the end all of these are just words. There is no method known to man that allowed emotions and thoughts to be imparted to another human being; even telepathy was limited to just exchanging words silently. That is all that can be done; we wrap up all our complexities, our limitless thoughts, our overwhelming emotions, into these tiny little packages called words. They are sent out through speech or writing with the desperate hope that perhaps someone, anyone, will be able to piece together even a fraction of what you hoped those words would convey.

Words, words, words; they are all we have to go on.