A New Paradigm [Leaf]

[Blue]

Leaf, or Green per-say had drifted in the past years, in fact they all had. Red of course just having left the mountain he lived on for the first time in Arceus knew how many years and Green simply drifted off away from them. Blue made attempts to get in contact with both of them, but surprisingly he got responses from Red back much more often than Green, in fact he couldn't remember ever getting as much as a text from the girl in years. They'd all gone down different paths in life Red having become the champion shortly after beating Blue himself leaving the later to become the Viridian Gym Leader, but what had Green been doing all that time? Even during their journey it was rare he ran into her, then again he was far too focused on beating Red at literally everything they did back then. Initially he'd done so to prove himself to the girl, but soon after it became a personal vendetta that set the two against each other as they got stronger,but that was a story for another day.

Blue left a number of voice mails only to get the same prerecorded response about her voice mailbox being full he'd sent texts of course but getting in touch with the girl was much harder than it seemed as he to his knowledge never received a response. However the Kanto news was able to find her just fine it seemed. For over a year now he'd known that Leaf had joined the Boure cause, which Blue not only found stupidly reckless, but out of character as well. He'd expected the girl to join up with him and Red, and together they would be the face of the Kopec cause in Kanto. It was silly but somewhere he hoped that they could all travel together this time as actual friends as opposed to rivals, however sentimental hopes like that had little room in Blue's mind or heart. He was sure the woman had her reasons and it wasn't his job to police her... but he did feel more than a little responsible for the woman. He saw all the attention she was getting as a serious danger to her well being especially in a Zemina heavy region like Kanto. People in Kopec who supported neutrality more than anything were never truly targeted by the teams, or at least not nearly as much as they gunned after each other.

Blue had come with the goal of not converting her, although that would be the best possible result from this. No, he'd come with the goal of getting her to stand down a little bit maybe stay out of the spotlight as much. In layman's terms To stop her from painting this target on her forehead. That was reasonable right? He felt it was pretty reasonable.

As the woman never returned his calls which was most definitely a first for the arrogant trainer, he'd decided to meet her in person. He'd gotten info that she'd be preforming a rally in Celadon and so he planned to meet her there and grab a coffee with the woman, catch up, and get some kind of idea of what one of his best friends planned on doing. He spent a total of five minutes searching for the girl until he heard her voice coming from the direction of the mall he could see her on a small pedestal speaking to the crowd rallying them. If he didn't know better he might have actually joined in. Judging by the crowds reactions he'd arrived just as she was wrapping up. He stood away from the crowd hoping to catch the woman's eye. He'd give a casual smile and give the woman his own round of applause. Blue had to admit he was more than slightly impressed by the display.

LEAF

made by redox of gs

[LEAF]

Celadon was one of the places Leaf hit hardest on her cycle of speeches and appearances. It had taken her awhile to figure out exactly how she wanted to go about demonstrating. Where should she hit? How often should she return? She eventually decided to focus on Saffron and its surrounding cities, with occasional trips back home to remind everyone she knew her roots and make a trip through war-torn Viridian. Of her set route around Saffron, Celadon was the only one she could readily enter but still continued to favor Zemina. Saffron was neutral, Cerulean and Fuchsia were theirs, and that damned leader of Vermilion wouldn't let her in. So, she hammered on Celadon whenever she could. Pulled out her darkest tales, her most scathing words, and had some of her longest speeches. Today she'd prepared one on Team Rocket. For a couple hours she'd talked about the way the League allowed such horrible activities to go on right under the citizens' noses. Leaf had spoke passionately on the passivity of the system for hours. The ease with which the gang set up, the way that even a gym city didn't receive the support to flush them out, and the fact that -- like everything seemingly everything -- it had been up to kids from Pallet Town to clean up the problem. Of course, she'd avoided saying names. Blue, Red, both were left out. Instead it was just "children", just "innocents" that she sighted for cleaning up the city. And, as per usual when in gym cities, she criticized Erika for her lack of action both during and after the crisis. Of course, this wasn't Cerulean, or Fuchsia, or even Saffron. The crowd was receptive, but not all of it was positive. There were cheers, but also jeers in response to her criticism. People were mad both at the League, but also at Boure and the message she tried to spread. The speech had been rough, but feeling out the crowd she could almost say with certainty that she'd made some kind of impact by the end of it all. "Never forget what the league has done, or rather what they've never managed to do. Thank you for your time." She closed with the grim words, and then a grateful smile. Doing what she'd practiced a thousand times, Leaf scanned the crowd with a friendly expression and watched their eyes. Just as she'd expected, many glares but some thoughtful expressions. Not a perfect response by any means, but some people would leave unsure of what they thought they knew. And then she caught a set of eyes she hadn't expected, and they caught hers. His smile was met with a wider one of her own, but suddenly her eyes seemed hard. And then she was walking off the podium as the audience dispersed. Blue

LAIKA OF GAGNAM STYLE

[Blue]

Blue at heart was a landscape photographer. He adamantly believed his scenic photographs of the world itself conveyed his thoughts more fluently than a photo of any particular person would. However watching Green onstage pour her heart into the rally was pretty incredible, so incredible that he almost unconsciously brought the worn camera lying around his neck to his face and quickly captured a shot of the woman in prime form. If Blue could tell anything at from the event it was that his childhood friend really put her heart into what she was doing, that she truly felt for the cause. Sadly that would make this meeting or rather explaining his motives much more difficult.

He watched the crowd disperse, making note of the crowd's general feeling toward the speech. Many seemed angry by the woman's declarations, but the majority of those who weren't look more confused than anything else. He knew she noticed him when his smile was returned.

The pallet trainer was dressed casually, the only true oddity in his attire being the thin framed glasses he wore. Blue's eyesight was perfect but these frames represented more of a mental change for him. They signified a shift in maturity, the young playboy pokemon trainer replaced by the thought provoking individual his Grandfather believed he'd become. It was by all means childish, and in hid own opinion beyond stupid. But it worked for him, and like many other things he was almost certain he'd grow out of the frames eventually. He'd chosen to wear them to this meeting for a very special reason however.

As he moved through the remnants of the crowd he received a few stares people vaguely wondering if that was indeed the Ex-gym leader before them. Ignoring the few whispers he'd heard Blue moved to face the woman directly as the crowd had all but evaporated at this point. He made sure his body was loose and his expression calm. there was a small thrill associated with meeting someone you hadn't seen in years, vaguely remincent to the thrill of a pokemon battle. With Green the thrill was much stronger than he'd expected. Green was an Unrequited love, his first actually. Even more than that she was still seen in his eyes as one of his two closest friends, and so when he spoke he didn't speak as if he was trying to mend a relationship, no he spoke as if he was maintaining one. "You don't text, you don't call. I'm starting to get the feeling you're trying to avoid me." His smile was trademarked she seen it too many times before It was brazen, audacious and sharp enough to break the ice. Or at least he hoped it was. "I know you're busy and all, but care to grab a cup of coffee with your biggest fan." His sarcasm was kept playful, and held a more professional edge than it did in conversations past.

LEAF

made by redox of gs

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[LEAF]

Why was he here? The mere sight of Blue put Leaf into a tense state of frustration and panic. Her heart had sped up like a rage Rapidash, and already she could feel her palms turning cold and sweaty. She wanted him to leave. Surely he could live happily with just the smile she offered him. Surely there was no reason for him to pursue more interaction. And surely that was all wishful thinking. Despite her inner protests Blue beat a quick path to where Leaf was heading on her way off the platform. Her own clothes were orderly but equally casual. A white tank top and jeans, her upper body further covered by a leather jacket. Leaf took a moment to soak in Blue's appearance. To try and read him like some stranger -- which really, he might as well have been for all they truly knew about one another. Most notably the glasses. His eyesight was fine, and she had to fight the urge to scoff upon seeing them. The whispers as Blue approached caused the hair on the back of Leaf's neck to rise. That familiar burning jealousy stirred in her stomach. As people whispered excitedly about the presence of the former champion and gym leader of Viridian she couldn't help but feel he was stealing her spotlight. One or two people would walk away starstruck, forgetting what she'd spent hours trying to nail home. There was just no doubt of it. Still, she gave him another stalwart smile when he spoke. "Calls? Texts? Have you been sending those? My number changed, I thought I told your sister and grandpa to let you know!" A boldfaced lie. Yes, Leaf's number had changed, but it was only after she'd let many of Blue's calls go to voice mail and many of his texts rot in her inbox. Eventually the constant "beep beep" of her phone had become insufferable, and so she'd secretly ditched her old phone and number.  Still, very little showed her untrue words. Nothing but the way her smile faltered just before her eyes, and the way her squinting eyes seemed almost narrowed. His smile made her want to scream. Leaf's stomach knotted a bit at his invitation. Go out to coffee? Spend perhaps an hour or more talking with this boy who'd wronged her and ignored her for years? Tolerate his smug comments and maybe hear the whispers of anxious fans and curious civilians? The idea itself was agony. The thoughts served as wonderful deterrent and she wanted to say no. But a small voice murmured at her. "What if you insult him? What if he gets mad? What can you do?" "Of course! I think it's about time I give my staff a break anyway," Leaf referred to the two individuals who flanked her sides. People that changed depending on what city she was in and what day her appearance was. It was a bit insulting that people thought she needed protection, but they themselves were kind souls. And, when she made her comment they were happy to leave her alone with an "old friend". An "old friend" despised and feared, but an "old friend" nonetheless. Blue

LAIKA OF GAGNAM STYLE