Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.
Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.
Chapter Six
"Why can't I go through?"
"Because you don't have the Boulder Badge. And even then, you would need seven other badges to go even further beyond that."
"But there's rare Pokémon there, I know it!"
The man, in a black suit and dark sunglasses, his face stoic, simply stared at Leaf. Leaf looked beyond him, at the hills and long grass and the glittering blue line that was obviously a water body. Route Twenty-Three beckoned her, but she could not heed its call. She shared a grimace with Bulbasaur and their new little friend, a brown, furry, quadruped creature with a bushy tail and long ears that stood alert atop its head: an Eevee.
She pulled out her Pokédex and shoved in the man's face. Well, not really. His face was too far for her to reach, even when stretching and standing on her tiptoes. "You see this," she said, a triumphant glint in her eye. "This is called a Pokédex. Professor Oak – THE Professor Oak – entrusted me with it. I have to capture every single Pokémon. It's for scientific research. Are you going to stand in the way of science?"
The man sighed, and perhaps his sunglasses hid a random roll of his eyes. "I'm sorry, kid. Health and safety. The wild Pokémon here are strong; none of yours will stand a chance against them."
"But I've got lots of Pokémon!" Leaf protested. "I've even had to send some to Professor Oak because of that whole 'six Pokémon' limit lark. Doesn't that show how capable I am?"
"It shows you have potential," the guard (because he was ostensibly one) admitted. "But you have to walk before you can run. Look, I get that you have a task to do, but there's so many more places in Kanto to head to and explore. Go off and do that, gain a load of experience, maybe a badge or too, and then come back. Head to Viridian Forest first. You can capture a bunch of Bug-types there."
That gave Leaf food for thought. The guard did make a good point; maybe she was getting too ahead of herself?
She gazed beyond the guard again. But further along was Victory Road. Rare Pokémon. And there were rumours, rumours of something else there, deep within Victory Road…
No, she had to listen to sense. She bent down and petted Bulbasaur and Eevee simultaneously. "Looks like its back down Route Twenty-Two we go. We'll stay at the Pokémon Centre."
The two Pokémon hung their heads but followed Leaf down the path they had spent a couple hours traversing to get here. At least walking was good for their health, so that was something. Right?
"Yeah, that guy was right," Leaf said to her Pokémon. "You just learned Vine Whip, Bulbasaur, and I haven't used you guys in any official battles yet. Just against wild Pokémon." She shook her head. "What was wrong with me back there? I guess I felt all high and mighty because we were entrusted by the Professor to complete this task. I bet Red and Blue aren't making fools of themselves too."
She paused and corrected herself. "I hope Red and Blue aren't making fools of themselves more than usual."
She smiled sadly, wondering when she would come across them again on their journey.
It was a melancholic thought, but a thought that was driven out her mind thanks to the sounds of a scuffle in the distance.
At first, Leaf convinced herself it was wild Pokémon battling one another, perhaps over food or territorial rights, and opted to simply trek back to Viridian. And she would have done so too if it was not for those meddling human voices.
Curiosity threw a lasso around her and dragged her over to the kerfuffle, Bulbasaur and Eevee following behind.
Ducking in the tall grass, Leaf analysed what was happening.
A group of three people dressed in all black (including rather stylish caps) were surrounding a boy, who was snivelling on the ground, clutching a strange Rattata that was green as opposed to purple and was sporadically shining in the sunlight.
"You gonna give it up, kid," one of the group said, his grey, gloved hand beckoning for the boy to hand Rattata over.
The boy cuddled his Rattata harder; Leaf found it hard to swallow.
"Think he might deaf," a more rotund member said. He raised his voice. "We want your shiny Rattata, kid. Hand it over."
The boy pressed his face into Rattata's fur; Leaf's hands curled into tight fists.
"We should just take it," the only female said. "I mean, what's he gonna do? Nothing, that's what." She marched up to him and wrenched the poor Rattata from the boy's hands. The boy screamed and tried to take it back, only for the first guy to shove him back down.
The girl held it by the scruff of the neck. It twisted and turned, trying to free itself from her grip and get back to its trainer. However, the boy was not fairing any better; the first guy was pressing his face into the ground with his boot.
Eevee bared its teeth, its hackled raised; Bulbasaur merely watched, its vines halfway released, ready to stop Eevee from running out there. Or joining Eevee and giving those thugs what for if Leaf ordered it to.
The sorry boy could not stop bawling and begging for his friend back.
"Shut up," the first guy growled, booting the boy in the stomach.
Leaf saw red (alas, not THAT Red). She darted from her hiding spot, her Pokémon following close behind. "Hey!" she bellowed. "Leave him alone."
The scummy trio jumped and swivelled around, and Leaf managed to see on their black shirts what she could not see from her vantage point before: a red 'R' printed on their fronts.
The trio eyed her shrewdly. "Who are you?" the first guy asked.
"I'm the one who's going to pummel you guys if you don't give that boy back his Rattata and get lost," Leaf said coldly.
The girl tittered. "Oh, we're so scared. What are you going to do with your… with your…" The girl seemed to fully notice Bulbasaur and Eevee for the first time. She nudged the first guy. "Hey, look what she's got there. You don't see them every day."
The first guy's lips curled into a callous smile. "You're right." His smile widened more so, revealing a mouth that seemed to have too many teeth to fit inside. "Where'd you get those rare Pokémon?" he asked Leaf.
"None of your business."
"Unfortunately for you, it is our business," the first guy said. He puffed out his chest and pointed at the 'R' on his shirt. "You must have heard of us: Team Rocket."
At those words, Leaf recalled escalating news reports about a crime syndicate. Come to think of it, they might have been called 'Team Rocket'.
"You… steal other Trainers' Pokémon?" Leaf mumbled, subconsciously trying to shield her Pokémon from view by stepping in front of them.
"Oh, we do more than that," the girl said. "Much, much, more."
"Although, we haven't done that much yet," the rotund guy said thoughtfully. "Considering we joined only a couple of weeks ago."
The first guy and the girl rolled their eyes. "You didn't have to tell her that," the latter grumbled.
"Oops, sorry. My bad."
"It doesn't matter," the girl said. She pointed at Leaf and closed her hand into a fist. "You will relinquish your Pokémon. If you don't, well, things can get unpleasant for you."
The girl's cold words swept through the air and chilled Leaf to the bone. For the briefest second, the feeling of regret gnawed at her insides as she imagined another reality where she did not sate her curiosity and was instead still on her way back to Viridian. Stealing Pokémon was wrong, dreadfully wrong, but maybe it was better for one to be stolen than seven. Shiny or not, it was still just a single creature.
But after that briefest second passed, another feeling arrived, driving away regret and settling itself in the pit of her stomach: shame. How could she regret wanting to help someone else? How would she feel if it was just Bulbasaur and her and these losers came along, declaring they were going to take it from her, and there was someone else in the vicinity who decided to ignore her cries for help?
She was going to help this kid. She was going to make these guys sorry. And she would not lose her own Pokémon.
"Bulbasaur. Eevee. Get ready to battle!"
At her command, Bulbasaur and Eevee leapt from behind her and stared down the Team Rocket members, ready for anything.
The trio simply stared, confused, for a second or two. Next came chuckling, and then came full-on belly laughter as they wondered amongst themselves who on earth this silly child was.
"That's funny," the first guy said. "Seriously hilarious."
"Do you honestly believe you can challenge us?" the girl asked, wiping a tear away, the Rattata still struggling in her other hand.
"She must've gotten hit by a Confuse Ray!" the rotund guy said, chortling.
"Laugh while you can," Leaf said darkly. "Why don't you send out your Pokémon already? Let's settle this."
"Fine," the girl said. She thrust the Rattata into the rotund guy's arms. "Hold this. Koni and I will battle her."
"No," Koni said. "I'll battle her by myself. If I lose – and I won't – then you can battle. And if somehow you lose, Olly will battle." He smirked at Leaf. "We'll be fair to an extent, but you're still not gonna win."
Leaf did not respond; the time for talking was over.
Koni tossed out a Poké Ball. From the Ball came a grey, muscly humanoid Pokémon with three brown ridges that sat on top of its head that Leaf had to pull out her Pokédex for. Fortunately for her, Koni seemed content to allow her to check it.
Machop, a Fighting-type Pokémon. It is very powerful in spite of its small size. Its mastery of many types of martial arts makes it very tough.
"What's that?" the Rocket girl asked, pointing at the Pokédex.
Leaf put it away. "None of your business."
Rocket Girl bared her teeth at Leaf and, without taking her eyes off her, said to Koni, "We take that computer thing too, okay?"
A short nod from Koni was the only response. "Are you gonna use Eevee or your Bulbasaur? It makes no difference in the end though."
"Bulbasaur," Leaf said without a second thought. "Sorry, Eevee. You have a type disadvantage against that Machop. Besides, I'm going to need you for later if we're going to battle the other two as well."
Eevee responded with a short yip and sat down, patiently waiting for its chance.
Leaf barely had a chance to ready herself when Koni made the first move. "Machop, use Karate Chop!"
In the blink of an eye, Machop's powerful legs propelled itself across the grass, towards Bulbasaur. It swung its arm and its hand connected cleanly with Bulbasaur's head. The Grass-type reeled from the attack.
"Are you okay, Bulbasaur?" Leaf asked, aghast at Machop's speed. Eevee squealed for its teammate.
Bulbasaur nodded. That was good enough for Leaf. But this could get dire. This was her first Pokémon battle against another trainer, and it was far different to fighting wild Pokémon. Her mouth was dry, her palms were sweaty, but she had to ignore all that that and outsmart, out strategize her opponent. She just needed time to think.
A pity that Koni seemed intent on not giving her the luxury of time. His Machop launched a barrage of Karate Chops on Bulbasaur, who took them courtesy of its Poison typing, a type that luckily resisted Fighting.
"Bulbasaur! Use Vine Whip!" Leaf called.
Bulbasaur shook off the latest Karate Chop and vines shot out from its bulb, smashing into the Machop with fearsome intensity.
Koni scoffed. "Use Low Kick!"
"Use Growl!" Leaf countered.
As Machop swung its leg to strike Bulbasaur in its side, the little plant dinosaur emitted an air-distorting yap that caused the muscly Pokémon to grimace.
Its shin connected with Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur merely tilted its head.
"What?" Koni took a step back, and his allies looked on, their hands fingering their Poké Ball; the little boy could not tear his eyes away from his Rattata. "N-No damage? No matter. Use Karate Chop after Karate Chop, Machop!"
Machop rained down Karate Chops upon Bulbasaur, who, with another Growl, was able to resist them more easily than before. Still, that Machop's speed was a problem. And a critical hit would put them into red territory. She needed to slow it down.
"Bulbasaur! Get your vines ready!"
From two orifices either side of its bulb came the vines again, twisting through the air like serpents, waiting for the next command.
"This is getting annoying," Koni said. "Vital Throw!"
Machop made a beeline for Bulbasaur, arms outstretched as it sought to slam it into the ground.
Perfect.
"Tie it up!" Leaf roared.
And that's just what Bulbasaur did. Its vines wrapped around Machop's arms and lifted it high into the air. It wiggled its legs helplessly.
"Machop!"
"Hit it with Leech Seed!" Leaf called out.
Several seeds shot out from the bulb upon Bulbasaur's back. They sprinkled on top of Machop and seemed to explode; in reality, they broke apart and tiny tendrils bound themselves around various parts of Machop's body.
The fighting Pokémon gasped as shimmering, ethereal light floated like bubbles from it to Bulbasaur; the latter took a deep breath and sighed.
"Just say the word, Koni!" Rocket Girl called, she and the third guy looking ready to toss their Poké Balls into the battle.
"No!" he barked back. "We already agreed it would be one at a time."
Rocket Girl glared at him, and then at Leaf, but said nothing more.
Koni smirked. "I can still win."
Leaf shook her head. "No. No, you can't. Bulbasaur, release it and use Tackle."
Bulbasaur growled and its vines loosened around Machop. Machop fell to the ground with a heavy thump and just about got to its feet when Bulbasaur rammed it with a full body check. It fell back down, and it stayed down.
Koni's eye twitched. "No."
He recalled it to his Poké Ball and beckoned for Rocket Girl to take her place as the new battler. Leaf, meanwhile, patted Bulbasaur on the head, whose wounds looked a lot better after sapping some of Machop's energy.
"Do you want a rest?" she asked it. "We can give Eevee or one of the others a chance. Besides, we need to conserve your energy. I forgot to get HP healing items at the PokéMart."
Bulbasaur licked her hand and accepted the red light that dragged it into its Poké Ball. It was fine. She had five others to use. She could do this. As low-levelled as they were, they could do this.
Or would they have to?
As Rocket Girl was about to send out her Pokémon, a mess of orange fur and black stripes appeared from nowhere. And another appeared. And then another one. Three new Pokémon appeared, but Leaf did not dare register their information. Who were they? What were they doing here?
The answers to those questions became apparent soon enough. So soon in fact that one would only have to count to four before they were answered.
Three people arrived running on the scene, two men and one woman, each holding a Poké Ball. "Team Rocket!" the lady said in an authoritative voice. "We had word you lot were skulking around this area. Maybe you should learn to be more inconspicuous. Growlithe, surround them."
"Officer Jenny!" the trio cried. Rocket Girl's Poké Ball fell from her trembling fingers.
Officer Jenny scanned the scene, her eyes hovering over Leaf for a second longer than on anyone else. "Would you care to explain what exactly is going on here?"
Leaf gulped. Was she going to be incriminated along with these Team Rocket members? No, no, no. All she had to do was tell the truth.
And the truth is what she told.
She recapped everything, every word seeming to press a bit more weight onto Team Rocket as they sat with their hands on their heads, the three Growlithe surrounding them, embers spewing from their mouths as they barked at the slightest movement from the trio of would-be thieves.
Afterwards, Office Jenny dished out orders to her subordinates. "Take them to the precinct. I have a lot of questions to ask them. And take the boy and his Rattata home too. Explain to his parents what happened."
In two shakes of a tail feather, the two police officers escorted the trio back to Viridian City in the back of a police van parked just down the road. Koni and Rocket Girl gave her a baleful look; the third guy merely stared at his shoes, his bottom lip quivering.
Leaf and Officer Jenny watched them go.
"You're a brave kid," she said, without looking at her.
Leaf smiled.
"But you're also foolish."
Leaf's smile vanished.
Officer Jenny turned to her. She was tall and statuesque and had to kneel to be eye level with Leaf. "Team Rocket are dangerous. They've done – and continue to do acts – that bring harm to people and Pokémon alike. Yes, I know, they abduct Pokémon and launder money, and it's terrible and a plague on Kanto, but they've done so much more." She clenched her fists. "So much more. You can't take them on just because you've captured a few Pokémon."
Leaf nodded. Officer Jenny was right. Even she had her doubts before taking on Team Rocket. She could have still lost if the officers had not arrived. How was she to know what Pokémon the other two members had? A vision of her sitting alone, crying, her Pokémon gone, was too vivid. She reached out and stroked Eevee, who had sat patiently with her all this time, its fur soft and comforting.
"But you know what, Miss Leaf," Officer Jenny went on. "Despite what I said, I am glad you stepped in. You showed Team Rocket that there are some trainers who will not put up with their… idiocy. You gave evil a blow. A small one, but a blow nonetheless. You helped that little boy. Losing his friend like that could have ruined his outlook on life. Thank you for that."
Long after Officer Jenny had left (after offering Leaf a ride into Viridian which she declined) Leaf wandered back through Route Twenty-Two, going over the events of the day, Eevee and a slightly recovered Bulbasaur trotting along by her side.
She had helped someone.
But she could have lost her new friends.
But she didn't.
But she could have.
Team Rocket are no one to trifle with.
But they got in her way.
It was avoidable.
Was it?
All these discombobulated thoughts fought against each other, and Leaf moaned as the early signs of a headache made themselves known. Bulbasaur and Eevee nudged her, and she smiled back at them.
"I'm fine, guys. No need to worry," she said. "It's just been hectic. Don't worry, we'll be in Viridian soon and we can sleep for a hundred hours if we want."
But beneath the headache, there was something else, something Leaf could not identify. Not yet.
But she would.
And until then she would continue with the work Professor Oak entrusted her with.
