Chapter 11
Leaf had been waiting for a half hour. The sun was at its peak and beat down on her mercilessly. Charmander stood by her side, holding his head proud and puffing his chest out. Not far away from them a trainer was taking the nugget bridge challenge, and seemed to be doing pretty good. Leaf glanced at the river lazily lapping at the side of bank, wishing she could jump in and go for a swim. She pulled out her pokedex and checked the time. 12:06. Blue was late.
"Got anything?" Leaf called over to Red.
Red was sitting on the edge of the river bank with a fishing pole in his hand. Pikachu was sprawled out next to him, probably napping, though Leaf wasn't positive. Red glanced over at her, a bored look on his face as he shook his head no. Unlike Leaf, Red did not find fishing to be very enjoyable. Leaf spotted a figure walking towards them in the distance and immediately straightened up. She crossed her arms, and put a scowl on her face as Blue approached her.
"You're late," She growled.
He shrugged in response, "You want to battle or what?"
"Ready Charmander?" Leaf smiled at her pokemon.
"Char!" He replied.
"So we'll have a three on three pokemon battle with no substitutions," Blue decided.
Leaf nodded in agreement.
"Okay, come on out Tyrogue,"
With a flash, a small bipedal pokemon emerged. Its feet and hips were a pale brown, while white bands that resembled athletic tape were wrapped around its wrists and stomach. Its brown eyes regarded Leaf cockilly as it jumped back and forth on its feet while it threw a couple punches into the air. Judging from its appearance and behavior, Leaf was willing to guess this was a fighting type pokemon. She glanced down at the lizard pokemon at her side and gave him a small nod.
"Char!" He roared, shooting a stream of flames into the air as he took his stance across from Tyrogue.
Red had stood up and was watching them now with his arms crossed. Pikachu sat on his shoulder, anticipating the battle eagerly.
"Ladies first," Blue said in a taunting voice.
"Scratch!" Leaf instructed.
Charmander rushed forward with a claw raised and delivered a swift blow to the fighting type pokemon. Before he could retreat, Tyrogue stuck out and punched Charmander right in the jaw. Charmander reeled back, his head spinning.
"Smokescreen!" Leaf commanded.
Charmander shot a black smog right at Tyrogue, engulfing it and the surrounding area. This gave Charmander a moment to recover from the punch. Charmander's open mouth began to glow red and a series of embers shoot into the smoke. Tyrogue let out a yelp as the fire type attack landed.
"Tackle!" Blue countered.
The purple pokemon charged through the smoke straight at Charmander. Charmander dodged just in time, and shot another ember attack at Tyrogue. Tyrogue nimbly dodged the attack.
"Low sweep,"
Tyrogue charged at Charmander and then kicked Charmander right in the gut sending him flying backwards and dangerously close to the river. Leaf was surprised, because as far as she knew low sweep was a pretty advanced move.
"Charmander, are you alright?" Leaf asked concerned.
Charmander gave her a firm nod and charged back into battle. At Leaf's command, he used ember once more. While Tyrogue was dodging, Charmander charged in and used scratch to finish it off. Tyrogue collapsed to ground unconscious. Blue scowled as he returned his pokemon and enlarged his next pokeball.
"Let's go Wartortle!" Blue tossed his pokeball into the air.
A blue turtle like pokemon who strongly resembled squirtle stood across from Charmander now, its fangs gleaming in a grin. It had a large fluffy white tail and two fluffy white ears. Leaf frowned, knowing that Charmander had the type disadvantage and also that Blue had already evolved his starter pokemon. Charmander puffed out his chest and glared at the water pokemon.
"Scratch!" Leaf called out
Charmander delivered a swift scratch to Wartortle's chest, but the attack did little damage. Leaf clenched her teeth in anticipation as Wartortle shot a stream of water at Charmander. Charmander jumped to the side and shot back an ember. Even though the attack hit, it seemed to do little to Wartortle.
"Rapid Spin!" Blue yelled.
Wartortle pulled into its shell as it began to spin in the air and fly at Charmander. Charmander shot an ember attack at Wartortle, but it was simply deflected. The rapid spin attack caught Charmander directly in the chest and sent him flying backwards. Charmander, now badly bruised and exhausted, struggled to his feet.
"Come on Charmander! You can do it!" Leaf encouraged her pokemon.
A fierce look of determination came over Charmander and the flame on his tail began to intensely burn. His body began to emit an orange glow, almost as though he were on fire. He opened his mouth and sent out an amazingly powerful stream of flames. Leaf gazed at her pokemon in amazement, not quite sure what was happening.
"Wow, Charmander's blaze ability! It greatly strengthens his fire type moves," Red explained, a small smirk on his face.
Leaf smiled down at her pokemon, who returned the look.
"Use ember!" Leaf commanded.
"Counter it with Water gun!"
The two attacks collided mid-air, each equally powerful. A stream of steam began to roll of the attacks, giving a small amount of coverage for Charmander and Leaf a chance to attack.
"Metal Claw!"
Charmander broke off from the attack and struck with amazing speed and new-found strength. Wartortle stumbled backwards, and while Charmander was close, he blasted the water pokemon with an ember attack. Wartortle seemed more agitated than anything else until his body was suddenly engulfed in flames. As soon as it come, it went. Leaf recognized this status condition almost immediately.
"Burn," She chuckled, feeling more proud of Charmander by the moment.
"Let's finish this Wartortle, use tackle!"
Wartortle rushed towards Charmander. Charmander tried to dodge, but he didn't have the strength from before and Wartortle slammed into him. Charmander fell to the ground unconscious. Leaf smiled as she returned her pokemon, thankful for its good effort. With one of his pokemon down, and one burned, Leaf definitely had the advantage. She enlarged her next pokeball and tossed it out onto the battlefield.
"Let's go Weedle!" Leaf cried.
The small bug pokemon appeared, its large eyes studying Wartortle anxiously. Wartortle wasted no time and charged at Weedle at once.
"String shot!"
Weedle shot a series of sticky strings at Wartortle, slowing it down enough for Weedle to dodge. Wartortle was about to counter when its body was briefly engulfed in flames again. For the first time, Wartortle looked strained as it turned to face Weedle.
"Water gun!" Blue called out.
Wartortle shot a powerful stream of water at Weedle and the attack hit the bug pokemon straight one. The flew backwards and looked very tired as it got back up. Suddenly Weedle began to glow a bright white. For a moment, Leaf thought Weedle was using an ability too, until it's form began to change as well. When the light cleared instead of the small worm like pokemon Leaf was used to seeing there was a yellow pokemon that looked like it was a cocoon. In awe, Leaf held her pokedex.
"Kakuna, the Cocoon pokemon. Almost incapable of moving, this pokemon hardens its shell to defend itself from predators." The pokedex informed her.
"Alright Kakuna, lets use poison sting!" Leaf smiled at her newly evolved pokemon.
Kakuna tensed, the stinger underneath it poised and ready to strike... but it didn't move. Leaf stared at her pokemon in confusion, not sure why it wasn't listening to her command for a second. Then she remembered the pokedex entry.
"Shoot," She cursed, looking at her now immobile pokemon.
"Wartortle, use water gun!" Blue commanded.
Wartortle, growing more tired by the second, fired up a powerful water gun attack as Kakuna stood there defenselessly.
"Harden!" Leaf blurted out in a panic.
Just as the stream of water released from the wartortle's mouth, Kakuna flashed a silvery color. The water attack made contact with her pokemon and sprayed off it harmlessly. The silver color faded from Kakuna and he stared determined over at Wartortle. Wartortle was suffering from being burned and Leaf prayed that Kakuna would be able to hold him off long enough.
"Use string shot!" Leaf yelled, hoping Kakuna was at least capable of this move.
Pointing its stinger at the water pokemon, Kakuna fired a spray of sticky strings at Wartortle. They hit the turtle pokemon, wrapping around its body and slowing it down. Wartortle trashed about, struggling to rid itself of the web.
"Rapid spin!"
Wartortle retreated into its spinning shell and shot at Kakuna. Kakuna hardened in defense, but the attack sent Kakuna flying backwards into a tree. The bug pokemon bounced off the tree, looking more weary by the moment. Suddenly, Wartortle was engulfed in flames for a brief moment. When the flames dispersed, the water pokemon fell to ground.
"Come back Wartortle. Let's go Spearow!" Blue hurled another pokeball out.
The ball opened in mid air and released the bird pokemon known as Spearow. It looked very similar to pidgey in coloring, but you could tell this pokemon was a bit bigger and more agitated. Glancing between the flying pokemon and her own, Leaf became unsure as to what her battle strategy would be. Spearow could easily just dive bomb Kakuna and Kakuna wouldn't be able to do anything defensively to stop it. There wasn't much Kakuna could do offensively either, besides shooting string shots at it.
"String shot!" Leaf called out.
"Dodge it using aerial ace!" Blue yelled in repsonse.
Kakuna used string shot attack, but Spearow nimbly avoided the attack and struck Kakuna at an amazing speed. Kakuna went flying and it didn't get back up. Leaf bite her lip as she returned her pokemon. She didn't think Rattatat would be able to do much against the flying type, which left her with only one other pokemon.
"Come on out!" Leaf called as she tossed her third pokeball in the air.
A small yellow pokemon standing on its two back legs now stood in front of Leaf. Its two hands were clutching its large head as though it had some type of headache. The pokemon had a large bill on its face and confused looking black eyes. Its feet were webbed and it had a small tail. Overall, the pokemon strongly resembled some type of duck.
"Psy? Psyduck?" The pokemon looked at Spearow quically.
Red admired Leaf's newest pokemon from the sidelines. Since neither pokemon had the type advantage, this battle could really go either way.
"Spearow use fury attack!" Blue yelled.
Spearow dove in and began to repeatedly peck and scratch Psyduck. The duck pokemon cried out in pain and covered its face with its hands.
"Use water gun Psyduck!" Leaf instructed.
Psyduck unleashed a power spray of water, hitting Spearow head on. The bird pokemon was pushed backwards and drenched in water. It took a moment to shake itself dry, and Leaf took advantage of that.
"Use confusion!" Leaf cried out.
Before Spearow could escape, Psyduck's eyes glowed blue and a blue energy surrounded Spearow. Suddenly, Spearow was thrown backwards and collided painfully into a tree. Spears struggled to get up, but once it did it flew forward and slammed into Psyduck with a quick attack before retreating back into the sky. Both pokemon were looking worn out by now, each covered in scratches and bruises while breathing heavily.
"Spearow, finish it off with aerial ace!" Blue called.
"Shoot it out of the sky with water gun!" Leaf countered.
Spearow tucked in its wings and dove at Psyduck while Psyduck simultaneously unleashed a water gun attack. At the last second, Spearow curled to the side, narrowly avoiding the water attack. It then slammed into Psyduck at full speed. Psyduck tumbled backwards and stayed down. Leaf stared at her fainted pokemon in shock, a sick feeling creeping into her. She returned her pokemon and glanced over at Red, whose face was expressionless. Blue stood them with a very smug look on his face while Spearow landed on his shoulder and let out a victorious caw.
"That was easier than taking candy from a baby," Blue taunted her.
Leaf opened her mouth to make a sarcastic remark, but decided against it. Blue really started to laugh now.
"Speechless, huh? Next time we battle, try to make it at least a little challenging," and with that he was walking away.
Leaf watched him walk away her heart sinking in her chest. She glanced down at the pokeball in her hand, feeling more like a failure by the moment. Red walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Leaf don't worry about it, Blue's just a jerk. You battled great," Red comforted her, giving her small smile.
Leaf looked down at the ground and just said, "I should go get my pokemon healed at the center."
Nurse Joy and her chanseys greeted the two with friendly smiles once they arrived at the pokemon center. Leaf walked up to counter and gave her a weak smile in return.
"Welcome to the pokemon center, how can I help you?" Joy asked.
"Would you please heal my pokemon?" Leaf replied.
"Certainly! Just place your pokeballs in the tray and I'll have them good as new in no time!" She said enthusiastically.
"Would you mind holding onto them for an hour or two? We are going to go out and get something to eat," Red piped up while Leaf was placing her pokeballs on the tray.
"Of course! I would be delighted to. You two have fun!" She smiled at them as she took the tray and handed it to a chansey.
Red grabbed Leaf's arm and pulled her away from the counter while she looked at him confused.
"What were you talking about?" She demanded, a little agitated.
"I thought since you were being such a debbie downer that some ice cream might cheer you up," Red explained.
"Well you're wrong," Leaf grumbled crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Come on Leaf, stop acting like that. We are going to get ice cream whether you like it or not," Red grabbed her forearm and began to pull her out the door.
Leaf tried to resist at first, but eventually just gave up and let him pull her through the city. The sun was smiling at them from the sky and the clouds formed puffy portraits of various pokemon. A flock of pidgey flew over them while a stray ratatat ran through the city streets and over to a little child with food. Leaf watched the child pet the pokemon and giggle as it nuzzled up against his leg. Red stopped at an outdoor stand with the words The Cone carved into the top of it. The man behind the stand wore an apron and smiled at them.
"Hello! What can I get for you two?" He asked.
"I'll have a small twist cone, and Leaf what do you want?" Red turned to her, his brown eyes studying her own.
"I'll have a scoop of chocolate with oreo," Leaf mumbled.
The man fixed up both their orders quickly and Red paid him. Red lead her over to a empty picnic table and sat down across from her. Leaf took a small bite of her ice cream, and kept her eyes down. Red regarded her with concern as he ate his own ice cream. Leaf had a couple of small bites but mostly just played with her food.
"Come on Leaf, everyone loses once in a while. You can't get down on yourself just because of this one battle," Red said.
"I know," Leaf muttered, avoiding her gaze.
"Look, Blue's just a jerk, you'll beat him next time. You just need to train and practice," He encouraged her.
"I know. I know I can beat him," Leaf sighed.
"Then what's wrong?" Red cocked his head to the side.
"I just..." Leaf trailed off.
"You know you can trust me Leaf, but I can only help if I know what's wrong,"
"It's just that maybe Blue is right. Not about him being a way better trainer then me and all, but about us. Maybe I really am slowing you down and holding you back. I mean, back in Pewter, you probably would have moved on already if I hadn't lost the battle and earlier when I got sick and you had to wait for me to get better. You probably would have beat this gym by now and been on your way to the next," Leaf's voice cracked, and she suddenly became very ashamed.
"Leaf, you are not holding me back," Red said very seriously.
"How do you know? You said it yourself at Professor Oak's lab. Maybe it's best if we don't travel together any more..."
Red paused for a moment, wanting more then anything to tell Leaf about everything, but he knew that he couldn't. That the only reason he didn't want to travel with her was to protect her.
"Look at me Leaf," he said, only continued when her big brown eyes met his, "I like traveling around with you. I was wrong back then, and I didn't want to get in your way. I was nervous about holding you back. So what if you lost to Brock and we had to wait one more day in Pewter City? Some time along the road I'm going to lose to a gym leader and you're going to have to wait for me. It happens. You can't win everything. I'm traveling around Kanto to experince amazing things, make new friends, and to become the best. You are making this experince so much more worthwhile, so don't ever feel yourself again that you are just dead weight."
Leaf gave him a small smile and just nodded. Red got up and walked over to her as she stood up. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. He hugged her back and they stood there like a moment before Leaf pulled back. She looked up at him smiling.
"You're the best Red," She said.
He gave her a smile and said, "Yeah, I know."
Yay! Another chapter done! I don't know about you guys, but writing this chapter just made me happy. On a totally unrelated note, my basketball team made it to state! Not trying to brag or anything, but I'm just super excited so I thought I'd share! So that's why I didn't have time to post this chapter sooner. I promise I will do my best to be posting more after the season is over though. Anyways, leave a review with your thoughts, reactions, or etc!
