A/N: Mark and Mint are not OCs! They hail from the little-known Pokémon TCG video games released on the Game Boy Color. The side protagonists never do get enough attention, but these two are virtually unknown! So I decided to give them the attention they never got.

This story contains BurningLeafShipping. Don't like that? Sorry. Looks like you'll either have to find another fic to read or just grin and bear it. At any rate. Pokémon isn't mine, although this particular story is.

If you like this story, why not check out my other Pokémon fic, The Grayscale Journeys? It's more focused on familiar territory, namely my take on Pokémon Gray, the inevitable third version to accompany Black and White.

Enough blabble! Let's get to the story!


1. The Champion? Really?

"Mark, come on! We're going to be late!" Thirteen-year-old Mark Taylor hastily zipped up his luggage at the stern tone of his mother's voice. He carted the wheeled bag out to the car and heaved it into the trunk.

"Why are we going to Pallet Town? What's wrong with just staying at home this summer?" He complained, opening the front passenger door to find a brown-haired girl wearing a blue bandanna taking up the whole seat, looking through a deck of Pokémon cards.

"Mint! What are you doing here?" The girl shuffled the deck and drew five cards from the top, nonchalantly looking at Mark and then back to her hand.

"My parents thought it would be a good idea to dump me on you guys while they 'rekindle their romance' with a season-long cruise around the world. Plus, you took too long to get ready, so I called shotgun." Mark scoffed and closed the door, opening the back left door and hopping into the car. Jasmine "Mint" Cole was his next-door neighbor that he had known for three years, ever since she moved in from some other part of Kanto. Her parents were workaholics with a relationship about as amorous as the one between a Slowpoke and a Shellder: her father was incredibly dim-witted and her mother bit on him for it. And just like the Pokémon, it seemed to actually keep them together.

"Next time, I call shotgun." Mark muttered, shutting the car door. His mom got into the car and started the engine, and they all left for Pallet Town, which was about an hour away.

"We're going to Pallet Town to spend the summer with your cousin, Red! Did you know he just became Champion of the Kanto region? At such a young age, too – only fifteen!" Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out the red, plastic case with his best Pokémon card deck. Everyone in Kanto knew Red became Champion not too long ago. His rival, Blue, had only taken the position for less than an hour when Red showed up and mopped the floor with him. Since Blue was a few months older than him, it made Red the youngest Kanto Champion in history.

"Mom, everybody knows that. How are we even going to be able to see him? Doesn't being Champion mean he has to travel all over the world and be a celebrity, or something? Why would he have time to hang out with his distant cousin and one of his deadbeat friends?" Mint glared at him from the front seat.

"Mark, don't say that about Mint." His mother scolded.

"Sorry. Seriously, though. Red doesn't talk to people he doesn't know very well. He's just going to ignore us the whole summer while he's living it up as the Champion." Mark drew the first card from the top of his deck: a holographic pre-release Dark Gyarados. It was one of his favorite cards.

"It's not going to be like that. Red's a very modest individual. He told the press that he wants to remain in Kanto for the summer, keeping his traveling light and his engagement dates limited. Besides, this was something his mother and I arranged before all of this happened. We discussed it, and even if he's Champion now, you'll still be able to travel with him. Just think about it! Traveling around Kanto with the Champion!"

"Come on, Mark. That has to be better than spending the summer at home thinking of all the different ways you can handicap yourself in trading card matches against everybody to keep yourself from dying of boredom." In their hometown, live Pokémon battles were eschewed in favor of the trading card game, which Mark and Mint were masters of. Topaz Town was the birthplace of the card game, and even though it wasn't nearly as popular as the flesh and blood version of Pokémon battling, it still held its own across the various regions of the world.

"I guess you're right. How often do you get to have a cousin who's the Champion, anyways? Maybe it'll be fun."

(an hour later)

"You know, for being the Champion's house, I kind of expected there to be… more." Mark said as the car parked outside Red's two-story house. It looked just like the other houses in the neighborhood, except it had ceramic Pokémon figurines sitting on the lawn.

"Man, those things are creepy. I bet you Red's mom put them there." He shivered.

"This is weird. I mean, you'd think they'd at least give him a limo or something!" He got out of the car and slammed the door. Mint and his mom also got out, and they began to unload their luggage.

"Your mom did say he's not conceited. Besides, you know how much work it would take to maintain a limo? Or whatever other junk he might've wanted to have? He's already worked like a Growlithe to get where he's at. I think he just wants to take it easy for a while." Mint said as she dragged her rolling suitcase across the worn, concrete driveway. Mark followed her to the door and rang the bell, looking at the carvings in the polished, wooden door. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a girl neither Mark nor Mint had ever seen before.

"Oh, you must be Mark. Looks like you're finally here," she stated in a relaxed, carefree voice. The girl was older and taller than him, although she didn't look old enough to be an adult. Her straight brown hair went past her shoulders and looked somewhat unkempt, and she wore a plain blue t-shirt with blue jeans. Mark raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Who are you? I thought Red lived here." The girl snickered and turned around, walking into the living room.

"He does. You're not the only one visiting, Marky-Mark." Mark clenched his teeth at the stupid nickname the girl had given him. Mint laughed at him, pulling her luggage inside and setting it by the couch where the girl had just sat down.

"Shut up, Mint." Mark put his suitcase next to Mint's and then stood in front of the girl, blocking her view of the TV.

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you?" She sighed and laid her head back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling fan.

"I'm Leaf. I'm Red's girlfriend. Now stop getting your panties in a bunch and sit down. Red'll be here any minute." Mark flopped down on the couch, sitting as far away from Leaf as possible. Mint sat down on Leaf's other side, crossing her legs and removing her bandanna.

"I never knew Red had a girlfriend. Then again, I never knew Red lived in Pallet Town until all of those news broadcasts about him becoming Champion." She mimicked Leaf's nonchalant attitude and leaned back on the couch, lounging. Leaf started flipping through channels on the TV, deciding to stop on some dramatic cop show.

"See, Red lives up to his reputation as a guy who doesn't ask for trouble. He doesn't spread the fact that he has a girlfriend all over Kanto like Blue would if he was Champion. He doesn't put up with the media's nonsense, and neither do I. So, what about you? Marky-Mark over there called you Mint. Nice name." Mark cringed at hearing the nickname again.

"Stop calling me that! I'm thirteen, for crying out loud! I'm not a kid." Mint waved him off.

"Don't worry about him. He whines about everything. Yeah, Mint isn't my real name, but that's what I like to be called. Is it the same way for you, Leaf?" Leaf smiled and ran a hand through her hair.

"If I was old enough, Leaf would be my real name. I hate my legal name. But I can't change it until I'm eighteen. No, I have to wait another three years to do that. That's the Kanto legal system for you. They let ten-year-olds train powerful Pokémon, but they don't let them do something as simple as changing their name." Mint looked impressed by Leaf's indifferent demeanor. Just then, the door opened and everyone turned to see the Champion of the Kanto region enter the room.