Chapter Text
One of the many things that life had taught Red was to expect the unexpected. It was something ingrained into him as a little boy by his mother, and that he lived by on a day to day basis, even now. Through all of his training and his adventures, expecting the unexpected was of key importance to his success. Never underestimating a trainer or gym leader, never overestimating his own Pokemon, and always preparing for the worst made a lot of things move much more smoothly in Red’s life than if he hadn’t been prepared at all.
There were always things, however, that simply couldn’t be predicted no matter how much they were seemingly prepared for.
It was a particularly bland day, one of which Red was growing weary of as the seconds passed. Green’s presence made things more bearable, of course, but the overwhelming sensation of dread in the pit of his stomach was hindering his ability to enjoy the time he usually cherished with his old friend and rival.
Red and Green met up much more often as of late, swapping stories and traveling back in time through bouts of nostalgia. Sometimes when they were together, Red felt as if they were ten years old again and it made his heart flutter with excitement in his chest. They were only eighteen now, but in those eight years, both boys had grown wiser, stronger, and more mature. There were less insults spewed from Green’s mouth, and Red found it far easier to talk to his friend now that they weren’t constantly wrapped up in their rivalry. That wasn’t to say, of course, that they ever stopped challenging each other both as people and as trainers.
That was one consistent thing that would never change, and for that, Red was grateful.
However, today was slowly eating at the edges of Red’s patience. Green was chatting away about something he saw last week that excited him, and Red should have felt guilty for not paying attention, but it was difficult to listen when this sickening feeling continued to twist through his gut like the tightening of a wrench. A few more steps, and Red held his arm out to the side, effectively stopping Green in his tracks and earning a concerned glance from his friend.
“Something the matter, Red?”
“I just….” Red faltered for a moment, inwardly debating if he should tell Green the truth or make up some lame excuse about illness and try to reschedule their outing for another day. However, Red took too long to respond to Green’s question, and all of a sudden there were fingers wrapped against his wrist, dragging him off the path and over to a spot where two young trainers were preparing to battle.
Red cried out in shock, but he didn’t resist as Green yanked him towards the kids excitedly. For just a split second, all of the sickening feelings dissipated and Red found himself grinning at the prospect of a battle. He spared a glance over at Green, and the expression on his face was one that Red knew well - one that he’d seen many times before in countless battle after battle: anticipatory determination.
“This’ll cheer you up, huh Red?” Green said with a grin, elbowing Red in the ribs affectionately. Red countered by shoving Green’s shoulder, but truthfully, his old friend knew him better than anyone else did.
“No doubt about it.”
There was a small crowd of people surrounding the two trainers, likely other passersby that wanted to catch a hit of secondhand adrenaline that was provided by the excitement of a battle. One trainer was a girl that couldn’t be older than ten, who reminded Red very much of himself when he was younger.
She had just finished calling out a Pidgeot, to which Green cheered heartily at Red’s side (since he, in fact, had a Pidgeot of his own for many years now that he loved dearly), when her opponent, a boy just as young as herself, called out a Pokemon of his own.
Red craned his neck around a few particularly tall onlookers so he could get a better view of the battle, and when he saw a familiar flash of yellow and white spiky fur, he couldn’t help but smile at the irony. He himself had a Jolteon that he adored, a Jolteon that had fought Green’s Pidgeot long ago. He could tell Green was thinking back on that very battle by the glassy, faraway look in his eyes as he waited for the first attack to be ordered.
“How about that Jolteon?” He asked in jest, pulling Green out from the memory he had previously been so engrossed in. A grin spread across Green’s lips as he regarded Red’s statement with a low chuckle.
“My bets are on the Pidgeot.”
Red parted his lips to offer a rebuttal, but a shrill cry of “Thunderbolt!” rang out from the young trainer, and all of his attention immediately switched over to the battle.
The Jolteon ran forward as it’s hair began to spark with the beginnings of a thunderbolt attack. Red watched the creature as it charged towards the area where the Pidgeot was hovering and waited patiently for the hit to land so the battle could really get started.
Only, it never did.
Tilting his head to the side, Red watched as the Jolteon deliberately ignored the order given to it by it’s trainer and charged up the attack at it’s own pace. That heavy, unsettling feeling stirred up in the pit of Red’s stomach again and he turned to Green, frantically trying to get them away from the area. It didn’t take a genius to tell that Jolteon was improperly trained and while it seemed as though the order had failed, Red could practically taste the electricity in the air. This particular Pokemon was unstable and it was going to attack, and Red didn’t want himself or Green anywhere near the area when that happened.
“We gotta get out of here, come on Green. Let’s go.” Red warned urgently, giving his friend a gentle push in the opposite direction. Green shot him an incredulous look, however, and stood his ground against the persistent shoves.
“What are you talking about? That Pidgeot is in trouble!”
“The Pidg–”
It all clicked into Red’s brain. He was suddenly aware of the fact that Green knew about the possible danger at hand, but his main concern was making sure an innocent Pokemon didn’t get mortally wounded. If the situation hadn’t been so tense, perhaps warmth may have spread through Red’s chest at the concept.
But that Pidgeot had something the two of them didn’t have, and that was the ability to fly away from the attack. The best Red and Green could do was run, and Red would be damned if he didn’t get Green out of here quickly.
“Jolteon! Hey, what are you doing? Stop that, please!” Cried the young trainer, balling up his fists at his sides. Red swallowed thickly as the Jolteon continued to ignore the pleas from it’s trainer, and the amount of feral defiance in the creature’s eyes was enough to make his blood run cold. Red had to do something, and quick.
“Everyone, clear the area!” He shouted, catching the attention of the onlookers almost immediately. Some of them understood his warning right away, taking their opportunity to flee the scene before something awful happened, and others looked on in confusion as if there wasn’t a dangerous Pokemon standing three yards in front of them ready to attack. “Come on, move! And you, call that Jolteon back!” He warned once more, pointing a finger at the emotional trainer who seemed too stunned by the entire situation to be able to move.
There was a flash at his side, and Red snapped his head just in time to see Green running forward towards the female trainer. He reached out and tried to grab hold of his friend’s arm, but his reaction time was just too late and Green was out of his grasp in a heartbeat.
“Green!” He called out, a hint of desperation in his voice as his friend blatantly ignored him in favor of the Pidgeot. His stomach flipped and lurched once more, making his fingers and his chest feel as cold as ice. The amount of electricity in the air seemed to multiply enough that the hair on his arms began to stand on end. “Call that Jolteon back!” He tried once more, gesturing at the boy in frantic motions - but it was no use. That kid was stunned and terrified, and while Red couldn’t blame him for feeling that way, he couldn’t help feeling angry that no one was listening to him.
Red watched in horror as Green instructed the little girl to call her Pidgeot back. Unlike the other trainer, she had a better grip both on reality and logic and was able to overcome her crippling fear long enough to whip her Pokeball out and recall the Pidgeot from battle. While that was a relief in itself, Green and the two trainers were still within dangerous proximity of the feral Jolteon and Red was running out of options.
“Come on, back over here! Quick!” He yelled to them, and Green finally looked over to meet his gaze. He offered Red a nod in understanding and grabbed hold of the girl’s arm to drag her along with him. The boy, however, still remained frozen in his spot. “Damn it, kid.” He muttered under his breath, knowing full well what he was going to have to do.
He quickly sucked in a sharp breath and ran towards the young trainer with full intention of carrying him back if it was necessary. He had just arrived at the boy’s side when the electricity in the air became almost too much for him to swallow. He could feel it reacting inside of his chest, making his heart beat even faster than it already was. All he could taste was metal as he wrapped his arms around the boy and attempted to drag him back to safety.
But there was a blinding flash of light and in that horrifying moment, Red knew he was too late.
There was nothing to be heard over the deafening roar of the lightning bolts that spewed out from the Jolteon in a haphazard fashion. Each branch-like bolt was seemingly brighter than the sun for the mere second that each of them thrived. Red cradled the young trainer close to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for one of two things to happen: the attack to subside, or to be struck and killed by one of the stray bolts.
After a few agonizing seconds, the likes of which felt more like hours, the electricity died down and both the heat and blinding light from the bolts subsided to nothing. It took Red a few more seconds of pure silence to come back to his senses and when he did, he felt not only his own heart racing like mad against his ribs, but the young trainer’s heart thumping away as well. He let out a shaky breath of relief with the knowledge that both of them were alive and unharmed, before he finally opened his eyes to survey the damage.
While the relief was comforting, there were still undertones of dread stirring about in Red’s stomach as he turned to face the Jolteon. In those few seconds of terror, he had momentarily forgotten that Green and the little girl had been caught in that lightning storm as well. He could easily see the Jolteon lying passed out in the dirt, likely having knocked itself out with the sheer power it had absorbed for it’s attack, but just beyond that he saw two distinct bodies sprawled out on the ground and neither one of them were moving.
Red felt like he was going to be sick.
“Green!” His friend’s name tore itself from the back of his throat before he was even aware, startling not only himself, but the little girl lying next to Green’s side. Her head popped up almost immediately, eyes flashing with fear at the immobile body next to her. Red had half a mind to run a straight path directly to his friend, but he skidded to a halt right in front of the young girl and cradled her cheeks in his hands.
“Hey, hey, are you alright?” He asked frantically, unable to mask the uneasy trembling in his voice. She merely nodded in response, also seeming more concerned about Green than herself. Red offered her a pained half-smile before removing his hands from her face.
“Is he –?”
“What’s your name?” Red interjected, before that godforsaken word could leave her mouth. She looked momentarily confused, but in a meek, scared voice she managed to give him a reply.
“Candela.”
“Alright Candela, my name is Red and this here? This is my best friend Green. I need you to do me a big favor. I need you to run back into town and get medical staff here as fast as you can. Can you do that for me?”
Candela didn’t waste a single moment contemplating the request. She nodded up at Red with big, frightened eyes and was on her way towards town within seconds. Red had to hand it to her, she was a strong girl for getting back up on her feet that quickly. He himself could barely even feel his own legs in the wake of the disaster.
As soon as she kicked off, Red’s attention snapped down to Green who still hadn’t perked up or shown any sign of consciousness. Red’s heart was beating furiously in his ears as he grabbed onto Green’s shoulder and gently rolled his friend over.
There was no grunt, no sound of discomfort. His eyebrows didn’t crease, there was no flicker behind his eyelids, and worst of all, he didn’t appear to be breathing. Red heard the pitter-patter of little footsteps as the young boy came running to their side, and as much as he wanted to shield the kid from having to witness this, he was too wrapped up in Green’s well being to even acknowledge his presence.
“Green!” He cried out, giving the older man’s shoulder a rough shake. When still no sign of recognition could be found, Red knew that this was far more grave than he could have ever imagined. He hadn’t been prepared, and now Green was…
No. He couldn’t think like that. Not now. Green needed him to stay calm and collected, he needed Red’s help. Red couldn’t allow himself to freeze up like the little boy had - he needed to act, and quickly.
Red bent down and pressed his ear to the center of Green’s chest, hoping his friend’s heart was still beating, at the least. When he was met with nothing but a weak, barely present thump, Red’s own heart felt like it was going to go still. His stomach dropped down to his feet and the foreign feeling of tears prickling behind his eyes seized his lungs. This wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be possible! Green couldn’t –
‘Think,’ he chastised himself, pulling his head up from Green’s chest. ‘There’s gotta be something you can do! If electricity can immobilize a heart…’
That was it!
“Pikachu!”
Red grasped for the correct Pokeball on his belt, immediately throwing it open and allowing a familiar yellow mouse to pop out. However, Pikachu’s entrance was void of it’s usual excitement and it was likely due to the fact that it’s instincts were able to pick up on Red’s distress. “Pika?” It asked carefully, and Red could only give it a small smile in consolation.
“I need your help, buddy. I know this is asking a lot, but…” Red gestured down at Green, and Pikachu immediately followed it’s trainer’s lead down to the body that lay motionless on the ground. It’s ear twitched in recognition, and Red understood that Pikachu was familiar with Green after all the time they’ve spent together. Judging by the look of distress on Pikachu’s face which mirrored his own, it was also obvious that the small creature knew something was terribly wrong.
It looked back up at Red, who had tears visibly rising in his eyes, and offered a weak “Pika, Pi-Pika!”
“Please Pikachu, I know you can do it. You’re the only one who can help him right now.”
Red’s chest felt like it was on fire, and his emotions only heightened when he saw the uneasy look on Pikachu’s face. He couldn’t very well force his Pokemon to do anything it didn’t want to, but he hoped with all he had that Pikachu would agree to help out, even if he knew this request was not an easy one.
After just a moment, Pikachu’s uncertain expression switched to one of determination, and Red’s heart leapt up into his throat. “Pikachu!” The small creature cried out, and it took everything in Red not to scoop Pikachu up in his arms and kiss the electric sacs on it’s cheeks right then and there.
“That’s it, Pikachu! Thank you!”
Nodding it’s head, Pikachu clambered over to Green and sat itself down a few feet away from the motionless body. Tiny little sparks flew up off of the creature as it gathered up the electricity it needed to perform it’s task.
Red swallowed thickly, sparing one last look down at Green’s face. His friend looked eerily peaceful, almost as if he was sleeping soundly without a care in the world. Red expected him to look pained and uncomfortable considering the circumstances surrounding his injury, and yet…
He shook his head quickly and focused his attention back to the urgent situation at hand.
“Alright, Pikachu, you gotta be careful, okay? Start off with maybe 400 volts. We don’t want to stop what’s…left of his heartbeat.”
The electric mouse nodded in understanding, and the anticipation in Red’s stomach made him feel like he was going to explode. He wasn’t a doctor, and he certainly had no real understanding about the proper technique of defibrillation. All he knew for certain was that he couldn’t exceed 1,700 volts of electricity, and that doing something was better than doing nothing. Wasn’t it?
Trembling hands quickly worked to remove Green’s shirt while Pikachu continued to level off the electricity for it’s attack, and once everything seemed to be in place, Red swallowed the lump in the back of his throat and weakly muttered, “Do it.”
For the precise two and a half seconds that spanned Pikachu discharging it’s electricity into Green’s chest and it dissipating, Red held his breath in absolute horror. He almost couldn’t bring himself to watch it happen, but there was something alluring about the way the tiny bolts shot into Green’s chest as if they were just as determined to save Green’s life as he was.
The child standing on his left, who he had honestly forgotten about up until this point, let out a whimper and covered up his eyes in fear. Red hadn’t stopped to think about how terrifying this might be for a ten year old, how horrified he would have been to see this when he was younger, and placed a comforting hand onto the boy’s shoulder.
“It’s okay. This will help him.”
Red received no response, and while he wasn’t expecting one, it was disappointing all the same. However, time was the of the essence and for now, the kid was going to have to be sidelined again. Red thrust himself forward and laid his head down against Green’s chest, hoping to hear a strong and healthy heartbeat in wake of the shock.
“Damn.” He cursed softly, upon hearing the same god-awful lack of sound emanating from Green’s chest. The heartbeat was seemingly absent just as before, sounding like nothing more than a whisper of the rhythm that was once there.
Red just barely remembered learning about this at one point - something called cardiac arrest, where the heart wasn’t actually beating, but just quivering rapidly. He wasn’t too sure of what that meant for Green, but he did know that there wasn’t much time left for him to try again.
“Good job, Pikachu. Let’s try 600 volts this time!”
“Pika!” The determination in Pikachu’s voice had risen greatly, and Red couldn’t help but smile at his long-faithful Pokemon. It charged up electricity once more, and Red made sure to clear Green’s body as the second, more powerful shock hit Green’s chest.
Silence once again followed the attack, and Red waited just a moment or two before leaning forward to check Green’s vitals a third time.
Hearing, again, the sickening lack of a structured heartbeat in his friend’s chest, Red found himself growing desperate and panicked. He had tried to stay calm, tried to keep himself together both for the young trainer and for Green’s sake. Up until now, that front had worked and kept him calm enough to function logically under the stress of the situation.
But now?
“Green!” He cried out, slamming his fist down into the center of the older boy’s chest. “Green, you have to come back! Please, just…please, come back!”
Red continued to beg his unresponsive friend, occasionally shaking his shoulders in some desperate, illogical attempt to bring Green back into the conscious world, until he felt tiny hands on his own shoulders and he went rigid almost immediately.
“I-It’s…It’s gonna be okay, mister. Let your Pikachu try one more time.” The boy said, flashing a strong and reassuring smile as Red’s teary gaze met his own. “Right? Like you said…this will help him. Don’t give up.”
Red simply stared at the child for a moment, eyes wide and tears welling higher and higher by the second. He was right. What the hell did Red think he was doing, giving up on his old friend and rival like this? He sucked in a shaky breath and nodded at the boy, a new sense of determination bubbling in his chest as he cleared Green’s body once more.
“You heard him, Pikachu. One more shock, and do 800 volts this time.”
“Pika!” If Red didn’t know any better, he would have thought that Pikachu sounded angry. Years of bonding with his Pokemon, however, gave Red the knowledge to know that it wasn’t anger, it was fierce determination and resolution to save the life of one the the people it’s trainer held dear.
If Green…
No, not if. When Green pulled out of this, Red was going to spoil that Pikachu rotten.
As the third shock was administered, Red clenched his fists at his sides and ignored the hot tears that finally managed to spill from the corners of his eyes. He barely flinched as he watched the bright flash of lightning strike the center of Green’s chest for a third and final attempt to shock his heart back to rhythm.
There was no visible reaction on Green’s face, no immediate sign of consciousness, and Red could barely wait the few moments it took for the electricity to disappear before running over to assess his friend’s situation.
When the static and the smoke cleared, Red knelt down at Green’s side and ignored the burnt flesh on his chest as he craned his neck down to listen for life inside of his friend.
In the distance, Red saw Candela running back as fast as her little legs could carry her, and there was a team of medical professionals at her side, as well as an ambulance a good deal behind them. Red grabbed hold of Green’s left hand and squeezed tightly as he closed his eyes and waited desperately for sound to reach his ears.
And sure enough, past the loud thumping of his own heartbeat, there was something rhythmic coming from within Green’s chest. It was weak, at best, and even Red’s untrained ears could tell the heartbeat was irregular - but that mattered little to him as his body relaxed and collapsed like a dead weight at his friend’s side. He let out a breath of relief and reached up to wipe the tears from his cheeks. “You came back.”
Of course, Green wasn’t in the clear yet and Red was fully aware of that. He still wasn’t breathing, but now that medical help had arrived, Red could leave that in their more than capable hands.
One of the paramedics gently hoisted Red up by his armpits and moved him aside after many requests for him to move went on ignored. He hadn’t even realized they’d made it to him, let alone were speaking to him, until that very moment.
“He’s not breathing!” Red exclaimed, regaining his ability to function after the temporary relief filtered through him. “I…I used Pikachu to shock his heart back in rhythm, but he’s still not breathing.”
One of the medics turned to Red and offered him a comforting smile while his companions immediately went to work on stabilizing Green’s condition. “Don’t worry, thanks to your quick thinking, I’m sure he’s going to come out of this just fine.”
“Just…fine…”
Red was given another warm smile and a pat on the shoulder before the paramedic ran off to assist his teammates. It wasn’t until the ambulance left the area with sirens blaring through the usually silent forest that Red’s full senses finally came back to him.
He was keenly aware of the two children standing a short distance away from him, and his Pikachu which had just climbed up his leg and was resting comfortably on his shoulder. Despite the pairs of eyes watching him intently, Red’s knees buckled and he crumbled to the ground in a haphazard mess.
“Pika! Pi Pikachu!” His Pokemon cried in concern, but Red didn’t have the energy to console it right now.
He buried his face into the dirt, and for the first time in a long time, he let himself cry.