No Service
1,096 WORDS - WRITTEN JULY 15, 2021 - RATING: T (swearing, angst)
CALL DATE :: MAY 10, 20██.
POKéGEAR VOICE PAGER FROM >> BLUE OAK
“Yo, Red. Haha. Dunno when you’re gonna hear this, if like, at all, but if you could let me bend your ear for a little bit, that’d be nice.”
A throat clear.
“So. I’ll cut straight to the chase. everyone back at home’s worried sick about you, man. Me? Haha. Y’know. I’m fine… it’s whatever. You’ve been gone for a while though, and it just. Feels weird.”
His laughter’s forced, with a bit of bitter sounding edge to it.
“Gramps seems a lot more pissed off lately. he’s been yelling at me a looot more… pft. At this point, I don’t even have to DO anything. He’s just gonna get mad at me for being around.”
“Y’know it’s weird. I’m laying all this on you like we’re still besties, or whatever. NAH. I don’t care about a stupid loser like you. and I bet you don’t care either. Yeah.”
“Smell ya later.”
--
CALL DATE :: MAY 12, 20██.
POKéGEAR VOICE PAGER FROM >> BLUE OAK
“Hey, Leaf!!! I’m gonna be comin’ over today. I’m bringin’ Vivi with me too!!!”
“Wish Red could come over with Vee, but. Whatever, y’know. Heh.”
“...I uh. I really miss him. Don’t tell anyone I said it, but I really really miss him. I wish he and I coulda like, made up or something before he just up and left.”
“...I’m rambling. Whatever. I’ll catch you later today, okay?”
--
CALL DATE :: MAY 12, 20██.
POKéGEAR VOICE PAGER FROM >> BLUE OAK
“That call from earlier was NOT meant for you. Don’t listen to it.”
“‘Kay? Okay. Smell ya later.”
--
CALL DATE :: MAY 20, 20██.
POKéGEAR VOICE PAGER FROM >> BLUE OAK
“Red. Red. Red, I don’t know what to do. Gramps, he just — he.”
Unlike the usual smug tone and high energy Blue carries, not only in himself, but in his voice as well, there’s terror in his voice as he speaks.
“Red. He kicked me out of the house.”
“I can’t go to Leaf, because she — she and her family. they’re -- they just went to Unova.”
“Please come back. Please. Red please. I don’t wanna be alone. Please.. I’m so scared. Please.”
“We don’t even have to be friends again. I just don’t. I-I don’t wanna be alone. I — …”
“... Sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you. Don’t even listen to this, just. Just go back to… whatever, ok?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
--
CALL DATE :: JUN 17, 20██.
POKéGEAR VOICE PAGER FROM >> BLUE OAK
“I hate you. I fucking hate you. What the hell made you think this was okay? Just abandoning everyone and not saying a fucking thing first — be -- before you went off to ARCEUS KNOWS WHERE?”
“You’re the -- you’re the WORST kind of person. Who does that? Fuckin’ -- I’m the biggest jerk in this side of Kanto and EVEN I DON’T DO THAT. What the fuck?!”
His voice begins breaking in parts, as if he’s about to cry.
“I -- if I ever see y — NO. I -- I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! I HATE YOU!"
"BYE."
--
CALL DATE :: JUN 18, 20██.
POKéGEAR VOICE PAGER FROM >> BLUE OAK
…
…...
Sobbing is heard on the other end of the line.
“I’m ss-sorr… ssorr...y… ss-so -- I didn’t mean I -- ‘m. I’m s.ssorry Red…”
Sniffles and hiccups as he tries to speak, spilling nothing but apologies to never be heard.
“I di -- didn’t… I-I didn’t mmean … I'm ss-sorry… I shh -- shouldn’ have -- I’m sor --"
…
The pager ends before he can finish his sentence.
--
CALL DATE :: JUN 20, 20██.
POKéGEAR VOICE PAGER FROM >> BLUE OAK
“...I-is this… mm-my fault? Red…?? Is this b… because I…?”
He waits as if he expects an answer.
“I'm sorry… I'm s… ssorry… I… I l --”
...
No, Blue. You can’t say that yet.
“...I didn’ -- didn’t mean it when I -- w-when I said. I don’t wwant. to see you again… I. I do… I j -- I just -- …”
“...I miss you, Red.”
--
A couple of years pass in change, and many pagers and texts of a similar caliber are thrown into the void, thrown to where the one on his mind would never see. Never a response, though he’d spill his tears through every dial and message.
What kind of cruel joke was this?
It’d been 2 years now.
Did Red lose his POKéGEAR? Did Red simply grow tired of him, and decide to give him the cold shoulder?
...Most terrifying of all...did Red die?
After all, it had been two years. Two years without a single word. And Blue would be a fool to deny the impact it had left on him.
Red’s sudden leave was juxtaposed near the most vulnerable time in that boy’s life, wherein he was thrown to the outdoors to live by himself; vastly unprepared to do so.
He hated that boy. But oh, did he love that boy. But he made his blood boil; the intense rivalry and envy, the aloof flakiness throwing wrenches into the cogs of their long standing friendship. But oh, did he long for his love, long for a love to be reciprocated.
He heard the words on their tongue -- “Mount Silver.” Ethan, the kid that left his gym with an Earth Badge not too long ago, told him -- their excitement so naive, and it would be contagious were Blue not to have a history with the very figure the child spoke of so enthusiastically.
The famously missing champion Red, he now sat atop a throne of ice. All the way up on Mount Silver, he hid deep in the caves to train; deep where no eyes would be pinned on him, except for the lively pair of onyxes belonging to the kid that gave their all to fight his team.
Ethan would stare at Blue, big eyes as curious as a Growlithe’s when the teen before them began to shake with anxiety.
“He’s… he’s on Mount… Silver…?” Blue slowly asked, his throat feeling as dry as a sandstorm.
Ethan confirmed so with excitement, and began their joyful rambling once more, before they stopped themself -- black brows furrowed in concern as they noticed the tears streaming down Blue’s face.
Days later, the gym leader would stand at the mountain’s foot; jacinth eyes pinned to cloud glossed skies above him. As he adjusted Daisy’s knit scarf with a gloved hand, his heart caught in his throat, and his face was painted with the kind of sadness and desperation you only see in characters from fiction.
All this time…
...
...Steeling his tears, slowly, he began the trek up.