A/N: So this story is going to be oldrivalshipping/leafgreen shipping. This will be Gary's character after the original series, but with still some of his old attitude. Oh and to any of my readers that read my other story, I will be updating Firebird again soon and plan on continuing Forbbiden Love, so keep an eye out for those!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters or locations mentioned in the story. Most facts will have been gotten off Bulbapedia.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Summary: Two hundred fifty one thousand (251,000) years from now, Pokemon are on the edge of extinction. Having been hunted for the past few centuries, the population of the remaining Pokemon dwindles, decreasing by the day. Leaf Green is part of one of the groups of people who are fighting to save the creatures. One day, she suddenly encounters Celebi, who transports her into the future. Will her meeting with researcher Gary Oak become a spark of hope for the future, or will this new time period prove that the destruction of Pokemon is inevitable? Oldrivalshipping.
Prologue:
Kashi, kashi, shees. The girl panted heavily. Sweat dripped down her brows as she rested her hands on her knees for a moment before running off again. Shees, kashi. She knew the racket she was making would only inform them about her position, but she couldn't stop, not now. The ones she promised to save would be in danger. The crates in her hands jabbed her sides painfully as she slid through the gaps between two tall trees. She could see the moonlight in the up ahead; the clearing was nearing with each step. Shees. A cracking of branches rung in the girl's ears. No, not there, she couldn't lead them to where they all were. Keep running, she begged her feet. She could hear them closing in on her, their loud voices calling out to each other. Each breath was laborious. Her arms were going numb from the weight in them, but she kept fleeing. It wasn't enough. Her pace was slowing. As she reached a circle of trees, she turned around and saw them stepping into the light. Their masks and cruel weapons glistened in the moonlight, giving off an aura of insane pressure and malice. The girl felt a sharp twist in her foot, as her feet caught on a tree root.
"NO!" she cried out, using her body to cover the crates. They were coming closer. "Stop this! Stop!" she yelled, even though she knew it was no use. They were taking their time now, their prey caught and cornered. Suddenly a loud ringing sound filled the air, causing all of the hunters to flinch and cover their ears. Before the girl could react, a dark portal appeared on the ground where she lying. Dark, empty, forever unending, it swallowed the girl and her possessions, wiping their existence from time.
Chapter 1: Ilex Forest
The auburn-haired boy waved towards the old couple. "Thank you for the meal! I'll drop by again before returning to Goldenrod City."
"No, thank you for helping us out on the fields for the past two days," the old farmer shouted in return. "You more than deserved the meals and bed, but if you do find any more of those rare berries, please bring us some."
"Haha, alright." Gary hoisted his bookbag higher up on his shoulders as he began walking down the dirt path to Azalea Town, one of the few places in the world that had been left untouched by the wide transition of technology and modernization. Maybe it was because of Ilex Forest, a beautiful forest whose trees had the properties of being able to be transformed into coal. It was protected by the government, and only a few trees could be cut down at a time, but Gary thought it was very dear to the hearts of the people. There were a few commercial farms there that raised crops to sell to the markets in Goldenrod City, but overall, the community was a rural, self-dependant town. Families there often grew their own crops and bartered with neighbors to receive what other foods they needed. Only about fifty people lived in the town, but the chats he had with them proved that they would do almost anything to protect Ilex Forest, which was where he was headed right now.
Gary had skipped a grade in elementary school and middle school, so at the age of 17, he was already enrolled in a world-known science university that specialized in the branch of modern eco-technology. Because he excelled in all his classes and subjects, he managed to finish all of his lessons for his first year in only one semester, which allowed him to go on the research expedition with the second years.
The research expedition by itself was pretty simple. It took three months to complete, over their summer break. All the students had the choice of either going solo or in pairs to a forest, lake, or mountain somewhere in the world. Many of these places had natural properties that made gave them harmony and balance with the world. They were to write up a report on their observations and ideas for new eco-friendly technology that could be based off these areas.
Since their university was located in the Kanto region, most of his classmates had opted to travel farther out to areas of Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, where many of them have never been before. Some had chosen to visit islands like the Decolora Archipelago and the Orange Archipelago. However, Gary had chosen to visit Ilex Forest, located in southern Johto. So far, the choice had worked out really well. The ferry had taken him to the metropolis city, Goldenrod City, the third largest city in the world. It had provided him with everything he needed for the trip and was always stocked with the newest technology; he could fix anything if his equipment broke.
Next was the harder part, which turned out easier than expected: getting permission from the officials of Goldenrod City to do his researches in Ilex Forest. A small path that bordered the edge of Illex Forest was built long ago so that travelers wouldn't have to pass through the protected forest. Coal was precious nowadays, and the government disliked anyone destroying nature any more than it already was. When the auburn showed his student ID though, they quickly agreed to allow him to study there as long as he didn't disturb anything. Gary promised them that he wouldn't, and off he went to Azalea Town to tell its citizens of his expedition.
The people there greeted him warmly, giving him food and pressing him to stay there for a few days. Before he left, they also provided him with supplies, more than enough for three weeks. "Yosh," He quickly checked to see if everything was in place. His backpack contained his necessities: sleeping bag, food, water, umbrella, cell phone, change of clothes, and a hat. His right hand held a brief case, containing all his equipment necessary for his research. "And we're off," he said to himself upon reaching the edge of the forest. Pushing aside a couple of branches, Gary took his first step inside. The tall trees effectively blocked out most of the sun. What he didn't know was that this one step would not only change his life forever, but change humanity and history itself.
After walking for about an hour, Gary found a large tree and dropped all his stuff. He took a notebook out of his pockets and began to jot down notes. Through his trek, he found that there weren't a great variety of plants here. Altogether there were only about three different types of trees in the vast forest: the type that could make coal, and they dominated the vast expanses of the territory. Sometimes he could see the berries that the citizens of Azalea Town had mentioned as well as different types of flowers, but overall it was just the same trees and grass over and over again. He did note that there were faint traces of dirt paths, but they had been slowly overcrowded by weeds and grass. They're probably from back then...he flinched and looked around. That doesn't matter anymore. The auburn flipped open his cell phone and saw that it was only 1 in the noon.
"Gosh, it's so dark in here. It could be midnight for all I know," he commented, looking at the canopy of trees. A small bit of sunlight filtered through the branches, but the air was dark enough for it to be dusk.
Tying his luggage to a high branch, Gary grabbed a loaf of bread along with his camera, walking as he ate. "Mmm, it's still warm." Suddenly, a soft rustle filled the dead atmosphere. About ten feet away from him, two bushes were shaking. The researcher took a few tentative steps forward, and his eyes widened when out came something that was not human. It could only be...
"A Pokemon," he gasped, taking in the sight before him. It was standing on four legs, and had flower-like things on its head. Its pelt was a light green, and when it turned to look at him, its brown eyes grew into saucers.
"Deerling! Deerling!" Gary jumped back as a girl crashed through the trees. Both of them froze for a few seconds, eyes locking, before she sprang after the Pokemon. He heard her call, "Abra! Teleport!" And with a flash of red they were gone-Snap!-but not before he had clicked the shutters
"What was that?" He rubbed his eyes, staring at the space where the creature had been. "Come on, Gary Oak. You can't be telling them now that you've gone crazy." He rapped his knuckles against his head. It had all happened so fast though. Gone in a flash. "Flash," he remembered, scrolling through the camera's menu.
The picture was a blur. He had barely caught the evidence, but it proved he wasn't dreaming. There was a blur of green- the thing he had seen earlier. Behind it was a shadow, which he assumed was that Abra thing? Next to it was what caught his attention though. There was no denying it. Even though it was blurry, that was the form of a human. A girl probably around his age too, with hazel hair.
"That doesn't make sense at all!" He shook his head, trying to clear out his jumbled up thoughts. First off, what was a human doing in these forests, and what were those things that appeared with her? There were no animals other than humans in the world for hundreds and thousands of years now. The last ones died off a long time ago. That's why out in nature, all you hear is silence. Maybe the occasional rustle of the wind, but it's just oddly silent-not that many people found it that way. Most were used to and even welcomed the silence, the cities being loud enough. On the other hand, Gary had always found it unsettling, like something was supposed to fill that empty void.
"But I clearly saw them-" he groaned. Being in the field of science, everything had an explanation and cause, but there was nothing he could think of, and if he was correct and those creatures were Pokemon, then it would just spell trouble. His curiosity compelled him to search in all four directions for the next few hours. The fruit of his searches came out as nothing. Only the same trees, grass, and silence greeted him. Only when his phone showed that it was seven did Gary grudgingly return to his campsite.
The orange flames crackled to life under Gary's watch. Keeping a close eye on it to make sure the fire wouldn't spread, he walked over to his backpack and pulled out a pot. He dumped some of the water from his canteen and a can of soup into it before carrying it back to the fire. He sat there, stirring the broth occasionally and tasting it every now and then.
"Pi-pi-pi." As he scratched his ears, the sound came again.
"Pi-pi." Turning his head, the auburn spotted another creature. This time it was extremely small, probably only one feet tall. It was currently busy, trying to pull something out of his bookbag. Something which looked suspiciously like a loaf of bread.
The researcher crept forward on his hands and knees, making sure to set each one gently down. It was hard to tell because it was dark, but the creature seemed to have triangular ears. It's body was yellow and had black markings, and its cheeks seemed to be red. Just a bit closer...He crawled on, until he was close enough to grab the Pokemon.
"Pi?" It turned its head, finally seeing him. "CCCCHHHHUUUUUUUUUUU!"
"Aah!" Gary shot back, biting back the pain. Were those sparks that had just came out it's cheek? It had just shocked him too. Did that mean it had electricity it in it's body? He stared in disbelief as the yellow creature jumped up and down, laughing.
"Chu, chu, chu." It sprang past his knee and ran towards the far side of his campsite. He saw a pair of hands reach out and the silhouette of the girl he saw earlier today, starting to walk off. Jumping to his knees, Gary shouted out.
"Wait! Please!" The girl stopped. Encouraged by this, he continued, "What are those things? Are they Pokemon?" At the word Pokemon, the hazel haired girl stiffened, then dashed off.
"Arrgh." He flopped down onto the grass. He had already spent a week and a half in Goldenrod and Azalea. Just when he had finally entered the first stage to his research, an event like this happened. Was he ever going to finish that report?
The soup was starting to overflow from the pot, bringing Gary back to his senses as he hurriedly removed it from the flames. While drinking the creamy soup, he began sketching out the Deerling he saw earlier. That was what it was called, right? Deerling? After a few failed attempts, he tried Pichu, which just ended up in wads of crumpled paper.
"Well I never was artistic," He shrugged, stuffing them into his backpack. A quick check of his phone proved the time to be eleven. As he rolled out his sleeping bag, his hands hesitated next to his bookbag before decisively picking one of his smaller loaves of bread. Walking over to where the Pichu and girl had disappeared earlier, he took some fallen leaves and laid the pastry on top of it.
"I can't imagine you have had a lot of food to eat," he called out towards the trees. What was he doing? Who was he to say the girl was even there? "There's only those berries in these forests. I believe you'd get sick of eating them eventually." He laughed to himself, embarrassed, and went to put the fire out.
"I really wish I could see the stars." The auburn stared up at the tall trees that covered up the sky. "Let's call it a day," he murmured, shifting to his side and dozing off.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Vul, vul-pix."
"Shhhh," the brunette hushed the small Pokemon. Stealing over to where the bread lay, she broke off a small piece and nibbled on it. Motioning for the creature to come over, she fed it a piece of the bread and picked up the remaining loaf. She placed an object in place of the break and jerked her head towards the trees.
"Let's go," she nodded and ran off into the night.
"Mmphh, urg." He rolled towards the side, flipping open his phone. "Seven." He ran a hand through his spiky hair and looked over to where he had left the bread. It was gone. In its place was a strand of fruits. The researcher struggled out of his sleeping bag and went over to the food, picking one up in his fingers.
"Smooth texture. Firm to touch. Dark purple. Looks slightly like a grape," Gary listed, his observant mind coming into play. Taking a bite, he flinched as a stream purple juice spurted out. "Lots of juices inside, and-mmm! It's really sweet." He shoved five more of the berries into his mouth before stowing the rest away with his food.
With a quick flick of his wrist, he picked up his briefcase and quarter of a loaf of bread. No matter the situation, he was still on a research expedition that needed to be completed.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Cling. The testing tubes rang softly as Gary added the diluted water to the soil. In the brown dirt was a small root and leaf he had taken. It was the trees that produced coal, and through a couple of investigations, the researcher had found that the soil in the forest contained many nutrients. The water in the area was also very clean and clear. Taking out his notebook, he jotted down a few points while muttering to himself. "Plants don't seem to need sunlight. Soil and water are unnaturally clean. Plants die if soil and water polluted?" He tapped his pencil against his leg. "No, that doesn't make sense. There were problems with acid rains and run offs before. The forest is pretty close to Goldenrod, too." So then how was the soil and water that clean? Before he had time to contemplate any options, his ears caught a flapping sound coming from his left.
In his haste to stand up, the auburn nearly knocked over his experiments. He fumbled to steady them before running after the noise again. Maybe it was another one of those Pokemon things. Three days had passed without any trace of the Pokemons. Gary would spend a good portion each of his day trekking through the forest, though each time the results were the same. There was no sign of any sort of the creatures, or even traces that they had been through there. If it was Pokemon, then maybe he could even see that girl again...the thought made Gary run faster, his white lab coat flapping behind him. He wanted to know. He needed to know more about what was happening. Maybe it was his science mind, but then he also did not feel compelled to tell anybody about his discovery.
"Oww," Gary winced as a sharp branch grazed past his cheek. He crashed through the space between two trees and fell forward, scraping his knee on the grass. However, that didn't stop the boy, for the person he had been searching for was only a few feet away from him.
The hazel-haired girl was looking around, her head rapidly turning from side to side as if in search of something. He watched as she suddenly stopped and her head snapped to one side. There it was. The flapping sound. Right as she was about to take flight, a hand closed around her wrist, causing her to whirl around in shock. "Hey!"
Panting in relief, Gary rested one of his hands on his knees, the other closed firmly around the girl's wrist. She was actually really pretty. Her hair was darker at closer glance, and her eyes were a piercing electric blue. "Hey, why didn't you stop last time if I already knew you were there? It's not like-" He broke off as the girl forcibly shook herself free of his grasp.
"YOU!" Gary took a step back at the girl's tone. One of her hands clenched into a fist, and he swore if they were in one of those animations, there'd be steam coming out of her head. "YOU! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this story. I've had the idea for a while, but it wasn't till like last week that I actually started typing it. Special thanks to my editors: Ritsu and Kitsunika for doing their fabulous job of editing as they always do, and please review. Makes me motivated to write more. PM me if anything is confusing you, I'll try to answer you as soon as I can!
~Leaf ^-^