Disclaimer: I do not, unfortunately, own the copyrights to Yellow or Fire Red and Leaf Green. Nor do I own Pokémon Special, or the anime (thankfully on that one) in case of any references.
Author's Note: Having recently gotten re-addicted to both Leaf Green and Yellow, and being upset about the lack of a Yellow remake, I decided to write a Yellow/FR/LG crossover-ish thing. And this is kinda short, but it is the prologue after all.
Prologue: Vs Pikachu!
"Do I have to?"
The first words that flew out of Ren Mason's mouth at lunch were decidedly antagonistic. Her mother sat across from her, rubbing her temples. Ren sighed and poked her potato with her fork while she waited for Mrs. Mason's reply.
"Yes, Ren," Mrs. Mason began. "It's just up to Viridian City. I have some housework to do, so do you see why I need you to run and get my order?"
"I guess."
While Ren's answer was dubious at best, Mrs. Mason simply smiled wearily in response. She sighed as she spread butter over her own potato.
"It's okay, Ren. I think you can do it."
"It's not that, Mom!" Ren replied defensively. "I mean, I almost forgot that I got lost last time until you brought that up… And the time before that I bought the wrong thing… And—"
"Oh, Ren…" Mrs. Mason shook her head. "I said you'll be fine. I called the clerk ahead of time and he has the item I ordered set aside. Okay?"
"Okay," Ren repeated quietly.
She and her mother silently put a forkful of their lunch in their mouths. Frowning under her fork, Ren hurriedly swallowed. The faster she ate, the faster she'd be able to do the errand, and therefore even if she got confused again, she'd still be back by dark…
Ren twirled one of her blonde ponytails around her finger as she walked through Pallet Town's small, brick pathways. She was quite familiar with these paths, and she often wandered around daydreaming, but going out to Viridian was never one of her favorite things to do. If she daydreamed while walking outside Pallet, there was always the chance that she'd trip on something.
Nervously adjusting the hem of her blue T-shirt, Ren arrived at the northern edge of town, near the dirt path leading to Viridian. It had been a while since she'd last gone, and didn't feel entirely confident about this trip.
Closing her eyes, Ren took several slow steps forward. After she succeeded in doing this, she took a few larger steps, eyes still closed. Unfortunately, it was right then that she did indeed step on something.
"P-Pika!"
A small, yellow, mouse-like Pokémon glared up at Ren from the grass. Ren gulped. Pikachu were known for powerful electrical discharges, but they normally lived in forests, not in suburbs…
"Uh…"
Ren stepped back unconsciously. The Pikachu's cheeks sparked and its eyes narrowed. However, it suddenly turned around and ran, apparently deciding it had other things to do.
"Wait! I'm sorry!"
Ren shouted after the Pikachu as she tried to run after it. However, it darted behind a bush, and Ren lost sight of it. Sighing, Ren folded her arms over her stomach and hung her head as she re-located the dirt trail. She'd never been very athletic, but being outrun by the Pikachu was kind of disheartening.
"Hah! Ren? What are you doing out here? And why are your hands and knees bruised?"
A tall, skinny boy with messy brunette hair was carrying a package under his arm as he sized Ren up. Ren mentally sighed again.
Gino Flame had lived next door to Ren practically since they'd been in diapers. They'd used to be pretty good friends, but eventually some of the other boys Gino hung out with made fun of him for playing with a girl. He'd been awkward around her for a while, and then stopped talking to her for a short period of time—and now usually teased her.
"I… I fell," Ren whispered, fidgeting and looking down as she answered the question.
"Well, obviously," Gino snorted. "Whatever. I've got more important things to do."
He shifted the package to his other arm and tossed a smirk over his shoulder as he walked away. Ren sighed as she watched him for a moment, and then trudged back on the way to Viridian. She'd almost asked Gino what the package had been for, but she probably wouldn't have gotten a straight answer from him anyway.
"Besides, I think I have more important things to do," Ren sniffed, trying to mimic Gino.
Feeling a bit better, Ren picked up her pace and hurried on to Viridian.
