Pokémon Sun and Moon are at once novel and nostalgia-heavy entries in the series, as we’ve seen in several trailers over the last few months. Thursday morning’s new video reinforced the latter idea big time: Red and Blue, the pair of Pokémon trainer rivals from the original games, have dropped by the Alola region for some quality Pokémon battling. At least, that’s one of the reasons that Red and Blue are in the tropical area, according to Pokémon fans — the other is that they’re actually there on their honeymoon.
The meme du jour is that Red and Blue have mended their broken fences in the last 20 years, growing older, wiser and fonder of each other in the process. The ambitious, antagonistic duo is now teaming up for Sun and Moon to fight alongside the player’s young Pokémon trainer, but fans hope they’re also taking some quality vacation time.
The trailer that introduced Red and Blue’s modern incarnations doesn’t actively support the theory that the pair are together, although it does suggest that they’re better friends than they ever were growing up.
The original Red and Blue were bitter rivals, with the silent player character Red doing his best to stop the smarmy Blue from beating him to the Pokémon League. One of the most devastating twists is that Blue meets the player at the end of the journey: He’s the Indigo League Champion. The most satisfying victory in the series is taking Blue down so that Red may assume his rightful place as the true Champion.
Considering their dramatic, tense history, it’s surprising to see them pleasantly reunited in Sun and Moon. Red remains stoic, but chatty Blue seems happy to be around his old pal from the Kanto region. That’s part of why fans are glomming onto the pairing so fiercely. To see two foes become friends is heartening, to be sure. The pairing, called NamelessShipping (or PalletShipping, the anime-based variant) by some in the Pokémon community, has also gained underground popularity over the years. Although there are far more male/female pairings, Pokémon fans have wanted these two boys to find love — with each other — for as long as Pokémon fanfiction has existed.
No matter the real context of Red and Blue’s relationship, longtime Pokémon fans like to see their boys happy, and they especially like to see them happy together. We’re pumped to hang out with them on Nov. 18, when Sun and Moon launch.