I do not own Pokémon. Credit goes to Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak.
Also, credit goes to Laurleen aka Emi-Xstitch on DeviantArt for co-writing the first four chapters and then RubyDaSquirlz on DeviantArt for the successor chapters starting at chapter 5.
Red, Gary, Leaf and Mewtwo made their way to Vermilion Gym the next morning. The sweet taste of cinnamon crepes from the Pokémon Center cafeteria lingered on Leaf's taste buds, which brightened her mood. It didn't help that a prickly bush stood in the way, so Leaf sent out her Bellsprout to use his recently learned Cut move to chop it down, leaving behind a stump.
"Nice one, Bellsprout!" Leaf chirped as she raised her fist into the air.
"Sprout!" Bellsprout happily flapped its leafy limbs.
Bellsprout hopped back towards his trainer, allowing her to return him into his Poké Ball. The three trainers and the psychic Legendary strolled along the perimeter of the gym until they reached the front facade and tilted their heads upwards. They stared in awe as the gym, seemingly larger than the Cerulean Gym or the Pewter Gym, stood out from the rest of the city.
"Hey, Helios," Gary mused, "you think there's something interesting going on in that gym?"
Mewtwo stared in silence as he rubbed his chin.
"I have no idea," Mewtwo admitted, "but I'm sure it'll be interesting."
Pikachu's ears twitched and his fur seemed to fluff as he approached the door, eagerly standing on his tiptoes and glancing back at Red.
"I retract my previous statement," Mewtwo said, "given the friction in the air I'm now picking up at Pikachu's indications, this could be interesting. Perhaps, no pun intended, a little shocking."
"Oh," Red replied.
Leaf, Red, Gary and Mewtwo stepped towards the Gym as the automatic front door slid open. Once they set foot inside the reception hall, they noticed the glass sliding door and large adjacent windows gave them a clear view of a large room with an obstacle course in place of where the arena should be. Across the large room, they recognized the Gym Leader from the Collective Regions of Murica standing tall on the raised balcony with his arms folded.
The young girl scanned the bulletin board on her right in search of some sort of poster which would have this gym's schedule. Much to her disappointment, she didn't find anything else apart from the usual running hours the gyms had. On their left, a receptionist sitting behind his desk tilted his head sideways and gave Leaf a puzzled look.
"Can I help you?" the receptionist called over.
Leaf snapped out of her thoughts and made a brief glance at the receptionist.
"Uh, m-morning sir," Leaf stammered as she swung one leg back and forth, "we're here for the Gym challenge."
Red, Gary and Mewtwo also tilted their heads towards the receptionist. After a brief moment of silence, the psychic Legendary and the three trainers approached the desk.
"Ah, of course," the receptionist mused, "in that case, this gym is one of a few gyms in the Kanto region that has a prerequisite trial trainers must complete before they can challenge the Gym Leader."
Red and Gary exchanged confused glances in a moment of silence. Mewtwo tilted his head and kept his cloak in place.
"I guess you mean that obstacle course?" Red pointed to the course beyond the glass.
"Of course," the receptionist nodded.
"What if a trainer is bound to a wheelchair?" Leaf pointed out.
"The obstacle course could be adjusted to fit their needs if that was the case," the receptionist answered, "no worries."
"Well, that's nice," Red nodded, "I assume only the battling trainers have to go through it?"
Mewtwo studied it from what he could see, ready to help from his distance if he had to.
"That depends," the receptionist replied, "you want a chance to challenge the Gym Leader?"
Gary nodded before he examined the sign-in screen embedded in the desk.
"Let's do this!" Gary smiled.
Gary didn't hesitate to sign his name using a stylus before handing it to Leaf. She took a deep breath before she stepped over to the desk, examining the screen before she wrote down her name. She extended her arm, holding out the stylus so Red could grab it. He didn't hesitate to approach the desk and sign his name.
"Do any Pokémon that are out need to sign it?" Red asked.
Pikachu looked inquisitively through the glass, still on his tiptoes and whipping the air with his tail to keep his fur from fluffing up.
"Your Pokémon don't need to sign in," the receptionist shrugged, "when the trainer signs in, they can pick out only one Pokémon to join them in the obstacle course."
Leaf took a hint and reached into her bag, pulling out a Poké Ball before she sent out her Sandshrew. Pikachu perked up and looked to Red, who took a moment to think over his decision.
"Sorry, bud, I think Charmander might be better," Red sighed, "as much as I hate to deny you the chance to battle the electric Gym Leader."
Pikachu's ears drooped in disappointment. Gary tapped gently on his Poké Balls as he tried to decide what Pokemon to go for. While the electric mouse hopped off of the windowsill, the professor's grandson brought out his Bulbasaur. Leaf pulled a hair tie out of her messenger bag and tied her hair into a ponytail before she handed her messenger bag to Mewtwo.
"You wanna watch over our stuff for us?" Leaf clamored.
Mewtwo didn't say anything as he nodded. When Red brought out his Charmander, he stepped towards the sliding glass door. He carefully moved to sit and Pikachu moved to sulk next to him. Red stifled laughter and put his bag down.
"Thanks, dude," Red said, "sorry, buddy."
Gary removed his bag before he and Leaf followed Red into the large chamber with Sandshrew, Charmander and Bulbasaur following close behind. While Mewtwo and Pikachu migrated to the bleachers and sat down, Leaf, Red and Gary made their way to the starting point of the obstacle course and took a moment or so to stretch her limbs. Leaf swayed her torso side to side. With the psychic Legendary keeping the trainers' bags close to him, he scanned his surroundings before returning his gaze to the trio of misfit trainers.
Charmander and Bulbasaur exchanged glances while Sandshrew stretched his arms upwards and yawned. Pikachu continued to sulk, sitting on top of Red's bag. Charmander glanced at Sandshrew and stretched his limbs as well, assuming Bulbasaur would use his vines for most of the course. Leaf tilted her head to the left as a referee stood from the bleachers and approached the railing, a whistle in his hand.
"Trainers," the referee announced, "on your marks!"
Upon cue, Leaf, Red and Gary shifted into a lunge pose as if they were waiting for the start of a race. The young girl brushed a few stray hairs out of her eyes and took a few deep breaths, anticipating the stamina she might have to expend to get a chance to challenge the Gym Leader. Leaf lifted her head and examined the obstacle course before her. When she took note of each obstacle lined up along the room, she found herself recalling the occasions she would resort to climbing through the jungle gym to dodge her bullies pursuing her.
Still, Leaf shook her head, brushing off the intrusive thoughts. She didn't need to worry about having to escape her bullies today. She reminded herself they can't harm her if the S.S. Anne was out to sea.
The instant the referee blew the whistle moments later, the misfit trainers started their sprint. They fast approached the first obstacle which had logs supported by a frame formed into the shape of a triangle. The three trainers started climbing the logs from one side with Sandshrew, Charmander and Bulbasaur jumping up on each log at intervals. When they each reached the top, they leapt down the other side before they scurried towards the next obstacle. They stopped at the edge of an oblong pool while three ropes dangled in front of them. Bulbasaur tilted his head upwards and examined the beam hanging below the ceiling where the ropes were secured in a knot.
Bulbasaur brought out his vines and flung them upwards, securing them around the beam. Sandshrew and Charmander gave him an astounded glance before they tilted their heads up towards Leaf and Red. The young girl knelt down and lifted Sandshrew into her arms while Red crouched down, allowing the fire lizard to climb onto his back.
"Ok, hold on tight, buddy!" Red gave Charmander a wink.
"Char!"
Leaf, Red and Gary each took a rope into their hands, hugging them in a tight grip. Sandshrew gripped his trainer's shirt with his tiny hands. Seconds later, the three trainers and Bulbasaur jumped off and swung across the pool to the other end. They didn't hesitate to touch down and release the ropes while the grass reptile withdrew his vines. Leaf tilted her head to her left and made a brief glance at Mewtwo and Pikachu. The psychic Legendary gave an encouraging smile and a small nod while he waved, keeping his hand under the cloak. Pikachu still had his arms crossed, but his ears perked up in interest and he felt a lot less grumpy.
Still, they had no time to waste, so Leaf, Red and Gary sprinted over to the next obstacle. A rectangular wooden frame stood upright while covered in a cargo net. When the three trainers stopped mere inches before this obstacle, Charmander and Sandshrew jumped out of their trainers' arms and examined the net. Bulbasaur trembled nervously and glanced back at the other two Pokémon as they grabbed at the net.
Leaf brushed a few stray hairs out of her eyes and took one deep breath before she placed her foot on the thick rope near the bottom. Seeing her starting her climb up the cargo net was enough for Red and Gary to snap out of their thoughts, so they also started climbing up the obstacle. Bulbasaur watched as Charmander and Sanshrew started climbing, using their semi-bipedal nature to their advantage. The grass reptile sighed before he used his vines to hoist himself up each several weaves of the net. Once they reached the top of the obstacle, the three trainers swung their legs over the frame before they began shimmying down the other side of the cargo net.
Mewtwo had been ready to catch them if any of them had lost their grip on the netting, sensing that rope burn was unpleasant and it would've been an even more uncomfortable landing. A matter of seconds later, the three trainers touched down on the floor. Mewtwo relaxed and glanced to the receptionist to notice he was busy before stretching his tail and trying to relieve some of the tension. While their Pokémon leapt off the obstacle, they glanced over their shoulders and examined a row of three tunnels.
"Shouldn't be too hard," Gary commented.
Leaf watched as Sandshrew, Charmander and Bulbasaur darted into the tunnels. She, Red and Gary dropped to their knees and crawled into the tunnels. After they emerged from the other side of each tunnel, the three trainers got back to their feet and examined the row of three monkey bars before them. Not surprisingly, Bulbasaur brought out his vines again and started swinging along each bar. Leaf and Red allowed Sandshrew and Charmander to climb onto their backs before they and Gary jumped up and swung along each bar. All the while, Pikachu stared with keen interest.
Soon, they reached the end of the monkey bars and dropped down before taking a moment to catch their breath. Before them, three low hurdles stood at equal distance between one another. Charmander examined the low hurdles before he started sprinting underneath them.
"Cheater!" Leaf retorted aloud.
Gary took a couple steps back before he sprinted forward. While Bulbasaur followed him and Sandshrew sniffed at the first hurdle, Leaf and Red also started their sprint before they jumped over their first hurdle. While Red and Gary landed on their feet, Leaf's left ankle caught the hurdle before she fell over, a loud pained cry escaping her mouth as she scraped her knees along the floor. Mewtwo stood to his feet and examined her from a distance.
"Leaf!" he called out to her in his telepathy, "how badly are you hurt?"
Red stopped in his tracks and rushed to the girl's side while kneeling down.
"What happened?" Red added, "did you catch your foot?"
Leaf took a moment to remove her foot from the hurdle before she staggered to her feet.
"I-I'll be fine," Leaf insisted, "let's just keep going."
Red sighed before he started racing to the next hurdle. Leaf watched as her Sandshrew darted underneath the hurdles like Charmander and Bulbasaur did before she sighed. Still, she sprinted forward and leapt over the following two hurdles and much to her luck, she didn't stumble over again. Mewtwo watched her and slowly relaxed not sensing overwhelming pain from her, so he slowly sat back down.
Leaf, Red and Gary stopped before the next obstacle consisting of fake tree stumps embedded in a large sandbox with barbed wires woven among the tops of the stumps. They watched as their Pokémon started crawling along the sand underneath the barbed wires. Leaf dropped to her knees, but when she noticed the wires were slightly closer to the sand, she lowered herself onto her belly. Red and Gary followed suit before they started crawling underneath the barbed wires. The slow crawl took them a couple minutes before they emerged from the obstacle, so they got back to their feet and examined an oblong ramp three quarters their size which curved upwards.
Charmander, Bulbasaur and Sandshrew exchanged glances before they started racing up the ramp. The fire lizard and the shrew Pokémon barely managed to grab onto the top of the ramp, but Bulbasaur slid back down, much to Gary's chagrin. Leaf shook her head before she sprinted up the ramp, managing to grab onto the edge of the top. Red and Gary only had a brief second to stare in amazement before they started sprinting up the ramp. While his rival grabbed onto the edge of the top, the professor's grandson retrieved his Bulbasaur before climbing up the edge. The three trainers tilted their heads downwards for a brief moment before they slid down the other ramp on their feet with ease.
After the professor's grandson lowered his Bulbasaur to the floor, Leaf, Red and Gary took only a few seconds to catch their breaths before they observed the ninth obstacle. Three thick logs lay along the oblong ditch with gravel at the bottom as if they each formed a bridge. One thing was clear in their minds, falling off meant they would have to try again. Sandshrew, Charmander and Bulbasaur climbed onto the thick logs first. Their trainers watched as their Pokémon started crossing the bridges, with the fire lizard spreading his arms apart to keep himself balanced. Red stepped onto his bridge first and tread slowly, spreading his arms open to keep himself from falling.
Leaf and Gary followed suit and carefully tread along the log bridges. The young girl almost stumbled, but she managed to keep herself from falling over. Red, on the other hand, lost his balance halfway and fell over, landing on his butt in the gravel. He grimaced before he shuffled back to the starting point and stepped back onto the log bridge. Sandshrew, Bulbasaur and Charmander finished crossing the balance bridges first, so they waited for their trainers to reach the other side. When they got across and jumped off the log bridges, they took a look at the last obstacle.
The wall leading to the balcony had three ropes dangling from the short stakes at the top. Bulbasaur brought out his vines again and eyed another stake nearby. He flung his vines upwards and grasped onto the stake before he started pulling himself up. With Charmander clinging onto Red's arm and Sandshrew perched on Leaf's shoulder, the three trainers grabbed each rope and hoisted themselves up, starting to scale the wall. They kept their eyes locked onto the top of the raised balcony as they continued their climb. Sandshrew and Charmander tightened their grip and squeezed their eyes shut.
Bulbasaur and Gary reached to the top first while Leaf reached the halfway point. Red took another step forward but let out a startled yelp when Charmander started losing his grip. The boy shifted his arm to wrap it around his starter Pokémon, though his loosened grip on the rope caused him to fall back a few feet. Red tightened his grip on the rope again and gestured the fire lizard to perch onto his shoulder just as Leaf climbed two more feet with the edge in her sight.
"Almost," Red panted, "there!"
Red went back to scaling the wall until he caught up to Leaf. From there, they reached the edge and climbed onto the balcony. They and Gary sprinted over to a pedestal holding a large button and slammed down on it at the same time. The next thing they knew, a klaxxon echoed across the court signaling their victory, though the loud noise caused Leaf to stiffen and cover her ears with her hands.
"Made it," Gary panted heavily.
Gary dropped to his knees and planted his palms on the floor. While Leaf reached around to cradle Sandshrew in her arms, Red shifted his gaze towards Lt. Surge who gave him a grin.
"Well," the Gym Leader mused, "I didn't think you three trainers managed to pull off my obstacle course simultaneously. I say that's such great teamwork!"
Red chuckled as he placed his hand behind his head.
"Thanks, sir," Red smiled.
"Here's an idea," Lt. Surge suggested, "how about you three kids rest up a bit and then we do a triple battle?"
Red, Gary and Leaf's eyes widened in shock.
"T-Triple battle?!" Red and Gary exclaimed in unison.
So why did I decide on an obstacle course for Vermilion Gym? Can you imagine searching trash cans for two switches just to reach the Gym Leader? Lame! An obstacle course as a prerequisite for challenging Lt. Surge is much more fitting considering his military background.
Anyways, feel free to drop a review, because Mewtwo and Leaf could use some emotional support!
Mewtwo and Leaf would also like to see any memes or fanart you can come up with related to this fanfic!