"Leaf!"

A distant voice called out, my head throbbed painfully as the words themselves became sucked into the glitch. Each letter screaming all around me. Tiles in the vision I saw were mixtures of static, numbers, status ailments and faces. So many faces, pixilated apart. I couldn't move, as much as I wanted to clutch my head as I believed I was about to die.

I mean--- if this really all is a coma, I'd wake up right?

But if it isn't, would Mewtwo kill everyone?

Or would he hunt Mew himself?

What if I really die?

What is after death?

Is this really where I am going to lose?

My thoughts bounded around and were amplified by the glitch around that suffocated me. I scrunched my face together with the feeling of wanting to cry, the possibilities shaking my very core. I swore that was the end, yet something deep within my crushing heart was telling me that the voice that called out Leaf would help.

But why would it? I believed it was a figment of my imagination.

Until something snatched my waist. Like a hook snapping around paper. The strength dug into my stomach as another snake-like thing wrapped parallel from the first. With a few great heaves the cesspool of darkness and numbers was swirling in front of my eyes. I was no longer engulfed by the glitch.

My mouth still drawn open from needing to scream, I did. Falling backwards, I landed against what had pulled me from whatever that was. They grunted under their breath. Realizing it was a person who had just saved me, I turned up so my eyes would meet ones like the rising sun. My entire body stiffened like a plank as one name mumbled past my lips in a hushed squeak, "Red?"

The corner of the trainer's mouth curled into a gentle smirk. A kinda greeting.

I smiled back to him, with his chest against my back I could feel his heart beating. And in a tower full of ghosts with no pulse, a heartbeat is very reassuring. My heart was almost in sync with his when my expression melted away into a fear as I stood up promptly and faced him with a stutter, "W-wait. Why are you here? Aren't you banished to Mt. Silver?" His gaze told me he really didn't care about his banishment. "A-And why did you save me? I am kinda the reason you were banished, I technically have to take your pokemon so I can leave, I really don't see anyone here as a person---" I cut myself off.

The quiet trainer rose up, his smile now a seldom line as he held a gaze on me. I stared into his pools, trying to read what he was thinking. But it felt impossible, I somewhat was helpless until the boy would speak.

"Red? P-please answer me."

He remained silent as he continued to stare at me, my chest closing up into itself.

I hung my head to him, my mess of hair drooping at my waist line. I remembered what I saw in Cerulean Cave, the memories of Mewtwo who shared them with Red. How he was betrayed by his father, alone for so long. The guilt that washed over me the time I first battled Red came back, "I'm sorry."

"Stop," his voice told me, my face condoning as I waited for what I thought would be the cold truth I had to face. But it wasn't, "saying you're sorry." I shot my head back to face the soot-haired boy whose face was giving me a warm look. "You said it to me... right after we finished our battle, though I didn't understand at first, I get it... now." He affirmed to me calmly. "I forgive you, home is a good thing to return too. And... It's okay."

My bottom lip quivered as I looked to Red as a sudden grin burned into my face. At the same time, my eyes fogged up. I didn't want to cry anymore, so this will be the last time. That I had vowed to myself as the water rolled down my cheeks like lava. All I ever wanted to hear is that it would be okay. And at that time, more than ever. I sniffed a giant wad of snot back into my nose like a young child while still displaying my smile.

In a single flowing motion, Red once more pulled me close. Both his arms positioned on my back with my forehead fitting into his shoulder, just like on Mt. Silver. I moved my mouth to mumble out small words, my happiness morphing into my overall feelings, "I- I was s-so af. afraid. Hyc. A... All this t-time... Ever-everything feels- Hyc. t-too. Fast." I hiccuped out and between letters, "There are... Hyc. So many things I-I don't understand here. A-And. It scares me. P-probability. V-variables. Hyc. Mis-Miscalculations. Uncal--Hyc--calculated emotions. Consequences. B-being wrong... M-making the wrong Hyc. Decision and hurting someone..." I continued to mumble on my fear.

The fear of being wrong (Atychiphobia) yet the same fear of an infinity of options (Apeirophobia).

AtychiApeirophobia?

"It's okay, Leaf. It will be okay."

No, no it wouldn't. I either subject an innocent hack who just wants to live to a suffering death by Mewtwo. Or I sentence you and Blue to that. And I couldn't tell you that, Red. As much as I wanted to that day, it would only bring more pain so much faster. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I didn't want this. I never did. I just wanted that restart button. I wanted to simply turn off the game and resume where I last saved.

It wasn't far into this Journey when I truly believed this was reality. And then things happened and I wanted it to just be a game. To fix or forget. But I've known for a long time that this was more than a glitched game.

Please. Why can't life just have a restart button?

Still, what Red told me had battled away my fear for this round. So I let a false peace fall over me like a blanket before Red brushed my ear, "We should probably get out of here."

I laughed quietly as I pulled away with a flickering grin, "Yeah, we don't want a reoccurring accident of falling into glitches," the two of us silently dodged around infected tiles and tombstones in the ghostly silence between us. The former cries of tortured pokemon waning away as the Glitch ate who was left. Upon exiting the haunted tower, I noticed Lavender Town was not doing so hot either. Homes were ran through with dark bars as their profiles broke away. Tiles on the ground that once were a jade grass were replaced with pools of water, trees, barrels or simply overlapping numbers, "Red..."

He turned to me with an inquisitive look.

Giving him a gentle returning stare I continued, "Not like I am ungrateful you saved me, but why are you here?"

Red looked off, the morning air floating around. Not a living creature dared linger in that area for good reasons, so the desolate land was mute. I let out a broken breath just a second before Red decided he could tell, "Anniversary."

I gradually rounded my head to see Red, his demeanor was somber at best. The teen's eyes shot to meet mine as he forced a twitch of his lips.

"Dad's." He whispered under his breath as his eyes revealed how he was being torn to pieces. "Of his death. Just because it's called the Pokemon Tower, doesn't mean it only housed Pokemon graves." Red's voice crackled like a plastic bag with conflicting twinges.

I gave a nod of understanding as the silence returned. Air swelled and collapsed in my lungs preceding my next action. In a sort of empathy, I weaved my hand into Red's open one as I stared at the ground, "I never knew my father. A bullet was put in his brain while my mom was still pregnant with me. When she found out, I heard she was very depressed. And one day she fell down the stairs of our first house. Stuff went down and she believed it lead to a miscarriage. In the end, I was still there. What was believed was that she lost my, quote-on-quote, twin." I let out a heavy breath, my fingers tightening between Red's. "I was constantly told how my features resembled my father's. My hair, my eyes, my nose, my teeth. No wonder my mom couldn't stand looking at me. Just turned her head the other way as she, 'did what was good for me'." I scoffed quietly.

Glancing back up from the oh-so interesting earth of Route 8 I found that Red was peering at me with a sort of awe. Like he didn't expect that to be my past. That he thought I was raised with two parents, maybe. I ruffled my eyes together with a silent communication, asking why he was staring. His shoulders slumped in a relaxed way, a true smile on his face. "At first. I thought you were like them. Always asking questions. Working though the numbers. Never caring about how others around you are effected. Not caring who you hurt."

"Thanks," I groaned sarcastically, earning a laugh from him. It was so innocent, like a child giggling at something.

"I wasn't finished," he responded, his arm starting to swing like a joyous toddler. "But when you told me that you were afraid of hurting others, when you spoke of your past. I knew you were different. That I could trust you."

I really couldn't explain it. I just felt pure happiness well up from the bottom of my heart hearing those words. But I wouldn't really show it as I moved my open hand to cover my mouth with a fake gasp, "What? You didn't trust me before? I am offended. I don't believe we can be friends anymore!" I joked.

Though, Red really didn't see it that way. His expression fell with utter shock and depression.

"Eh--- It was a joke!" I quickly defended, moments after noticing. My free hand waving dismissively, "I was kidding! I am--- really happy you can trust me."

Please, I'm sorry I won't tell you. Don't be mad when it happens. I never want to betray you again.

"And I can trust you!" I finished with a reassuring smile to him.

Just not with my newest mission. I couldn't tell you. Because I was afraid about how you would react. I trusted you, Red. You're my precious friend. And I didn't want you to be hurt anymore. And I wouldn't tell you that I know you're past more than I should either. I waited until you're ready to tell me.

He grinned, unhindered by anything, "Where to next?"

I gave the red-eyed trainer a raise of my eyebrow.

"I want to help," He told. "You want to go home. If that's what you want, then I will help find hacks." Red's new smile wasn't like the past one, it was darker. But I could still see how he wanted to help.

I gave him a nod of understanding, "Let's not stress out our voices now! I'm pretty sure this is the most you've ever said to me." He shrugged, pressing his lips together in an act of quiet. "The next mission right now is to find Mew. That's why I was asking earlier on Mt. Silver. I was a bit desperate. Still kinda am. A-Anyways, I haven't seen it since Cinnabar Island before I even beat the pokemon League."

"Then we keep searching," Red said to me with his smiling face. It's hard to get used to. I'm pretty used to his monotone and mysterious face. But I liked it better when he was happy.

I beamed back to him, "Okay. Well, we seem to be heading to Saffron anyways. Let's start there!" I portrayed melodramatically. And off we went to the next city.

The vacant route we trekked on dragged out a question from Red. One that I asked before, "Do you believe in happy endings?"

"What?"

"You asked me that on Mt. Silver," He replied in a hushed voice. "But I never really knew your answer."

I gave him a crooked, torn look. I thought about it for running moments. I recalled everything that had happened in the days before, how something always came up right as the good could have began. "There are no happy endings. Because there is no ending. The story always goes on." I finally gave my answer.

That killed the conversation for the rest of the walk.

It was at the gate that we should have been tipped off. No post man guarding the heart of Kanto. Entering the city that never slept, a lull had draped over along with a crestfallen mood. My fingers gently fell from Red's hand at the landscape that had been built before us.

A static cruised over the roads, in place of the two Gyms were glitched tiles and just read: "Gym" with some odd bars racing though, like metal beams. Numbers dotted in thick lettering as houses became stacked onto one another. Silph Co. was the worst. Trees popping in place of windows, the entire roof covered in a sea's worth of water that would drop off into nothingness. Glass getting out like jagged swords at awkward angles as they ran with darkness and broken codes which branched out into the entire city.

"I'm going to go with, the Glitch beat us here," I sneered before sagging my shoulders. "Let's get out of here. Take the underground road to---"

Just to add more tension of a swarming glitch, the high frequency of a young girl's screech filled the air before transforming into calls for help, "Copycat heard you! Copycat heard you! Please don't leave! Copycat is scared! Help!"

It only took a quick exchange of glances with Red when I replied, "Where are you?"

"To the West corner of the city! The two story house beside Silph Co.!" She wailed. She obviously had been crying at that moment and her voice run raw with sobs from the past.

"Just sit tight!" I affirmed as Red and I raced to her described location. The two of us leapt over glitches, hop-scotched into normal patches and ducked from anything that seemed out of place. It was a maze to reach the girl, but when we did, I found myself staring down at me.

Leaf(?) was huddled into a ball, rocking back and forth with her thumb just skimming her lower lip. She was positioned on the top of the home's roof, on each side of the girl a glitch was eating closer and closer. "H-help," she choked out.

"How did you even get stuck up there?" I mused while Red was already moving into action. He skipped about the broken tiles and to the side of the girl's house. His fingers smashing in between the cracks of each brick that build the home. I probably should have stopped him, but this kid kinda has a fire that's hard to simply extinguish. I could tell from his actions before, if he was going to do something. He would do it.

She continued to rock back and forth, "W-when the glitch started, mumma and pappa told Copycat to gather up a few things and we would leave. We would leave. The entire t-town was being evacuated to Vermillion City to ferry off to the Sevii islands."

Don't yell at me when I think this, but I said to myself, Where are the Sevii Islands?

"E-even though it's hurricane season there, the news said it would be safest from The Glitch. The Glitch." Leaf(?) sniffed just as Red had made it to her location. With a single brush of his hand against hers, her appearance suddenly faded into a new one. Like a Chameleon, she transformed to looking like Red. "When mumma and pappa were out the door, they tell Copycat to hurry. So she did. So she did. But when Copycat exited her home, the glitch stretched its scary hand to her home. Copycat suddenly was transported to the top of her home a-and she is afraid of heights... She called for help and called for help, but mumma and pappa just continued out like everyone else, like everyone else..."

They abandon their own child so that they could live. Horrid.

"Kid is light," Red told me as he picked up the child with the appearance of their holder. Red(?) wrapped his arms around the real one's neck as the trainer scaled back down the house side. When they walked back over to where I stood I gave a sympathetic face to Red(?).

Placing a hand on the Rescuee's shoulder I asked, "Is your name Copycat?"

Red(?) nodded, his puffy eyes blinking away tears.

"Could you please be yourself for us? It's really confusing right now if you look like us."

Copycat's eyes widened, "No one ever asked that of Copycat. They all wanted to see Copycat look like someone else, to show off her ability. Her ability. Even Mumma and Pappa." Though, Copycat smiled. The image of Red fizzled away and my hand simply sat on air.

She was no taller than my stomach. Her avocado curls tumbled from two pigtails while her diamond gems gleamed for eyes, sticking from her pasty white skin. Her dress was a golden fabric. The fabric was silk I believe. Her feet were tucked into black Mary Janes while cotton stockings stretched to her knees. In Copycat's arms she snugged a pokedoll with the realistic appearance of a Clefairy.

I knelt down to the young girl's stature, her head angled down while her bright eyebrows furrowed together. My hand brushing at her bangs as I spoke softly, "You look beautiful, Copycat." Her head shot up, the cherubic face of a six year old staring at me with a wild-mystery, "Now, do you want to go to the Sevii Islands? Red and I will take you there, make sure you are safe."

"Copycat wants to go to Sevii Islands! Copycat wants to go to Sevii Islands!" she beamed childishly, grasping my hand with her tiny one, still keeping her worn doll close to her heart. I laughed and said we would, getting up from where I had lowered myself, still keeping a hand intertwined with hers.

I gave Red a goofy smirk, "I guess we're heading to the Sevii Islands."

He gave a signal of approval, a smile stretching across his face before we both turned back to face the obstacles of Saffron.

We did manage to dodge around it all. So the three of us went up the path of Route 5, my fingers closed around Copycat. My other hand just brushing the knuckles of Red's open one. It was a bit tranquil.

But I was extremely tired, and hungry. I couldn't help but wonder if there was going to be food on the boat to the Sevii Islands.