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 Fourteen: Leaf Marches On
Traversing Route Three was taking far longer than Leaf intended. But that was not her fault! Not by a long shot! She had to fill in the Pokédex, didn't she? That was exactly what she was doing. It was not her fault that that wild Jigglypuff kept putting her and her team to sleep. Oh, how different it would be if Whismur were indigenous to Kanto. In contrast, it was funny how Baltoy could be found in this area when they were originally from Hoenn. Regarding the Jigglypuff, however, Leaf did have a recent evolution she was certain would turn the tide in her favour and enable her to capture the furry balloon.
The Trainers, too, were not helping matters. When your eyes meet that means a battle must take place? What kind of rule was that? With how alert they were, Leaf half-expected exclamation marks to appear above their heads.
And that was where she was now, battling a youngster called Ben. Oh well, she had earned a pretty penny from all these battles so far.
His first up was, you guessed it, the mighty Rattata.
"Eevee, you're up," Leaf said, and the little fluffball hopped forwards.
"Rattata, Tackle!" Ben cried.
"Er… dodge," Leaf said, and Eevee leapt out the way of the purple rat, who skidded to a halt and bared its oversized teeth at Eevee.
"Use Bite," Ben said, and Rattata ran forward again, eager to sink its fangs into Eevee.
"Okay, use Double Kick, Eevee," Leaf said, half-wondering if that pesky Jigglypuff was anywhere about.
Eevee spun around on her (apparently you can tell an Eevee's gender by their tails) front legs and walloped Rattata in the chin with one kick. Its head jerked back, and Eevee finished it off with another kick, this time to the abdomen.
Ben groaned and returned Rattata to its Poké Ball. "Okay. Ekans, I choose you."
Another purple Pokemon appeared this time, a serpent whose underbelly, rattle at the end of its tail, stripe around its neck, and sclera were all yellow. Its pupils were black slits. It hissed at Eevee.
"Hold on," Leaf said, taking out her Pokédex.
Ekans, a Poison-type Pokemon. The older it gets, the longer it grows. At night, it wraps its long body around tree branches to rest.
"A Poison-type, huh?" Leaf said. She shrugged. She could use Bulbasaur, but Eevee was doing fine, and she did have plenty of Antidotes and Pecha Berries after all; the poisoned status would not mean much.
"Let's go, Ekans!" Ben cried. "Use Poison Sting!"
Ekans opened its mouth so wide that it must have dislocated its jaw to get it as such. From its mouth came a pinkish-purplish dart.
"Dodge, Eevee," Leaf said, and Eevee did so, barely avoiding the dart which struck the ground and disappeared.
"Keep using Poison Sting!" Ben yelled.
Ekans fired Poison Sting after Poison Sting, each one getting closer and closer to the evading Eevee.
"Sand Attack," Leaf said, her mind wandering over to Mt. Moon, which loomed in the distance, just a hop, skip, and a jump away.
Eevee ran forward and kicked out dirt directly into Ekans' eyes. The snake reeled backwards, shaking its head, trying to rid itself of the dirt.
"Now, let's use Bite," Leaf said, hoping it would be enough to end the battle.
Long story short, it was not. However, after Ekans was still standing after being bitten, Leaf ordered for a Quick Attack to be executed. Eevee rammed itself into Ekans' head, and the Poison-type collapsed to the ground, its fork-like tongue protruding from its mouth.
Ben fell to his knees and looked up to the heavens. "Aw man, I really thought I'd win this time."
"You did well, Ben" Leaf said distractedly, giving Eevee a quick cuddle. "Now, if you don't mind me, I've got to be going." She peered into the distance and her eyes narrowed. "And I mean I've got to be going now."
"What about the money I owe you?" Ben asked, resting Ekans' head in his lap.
"Keep it," Leaf said, running off, Eevee at her heels.
And why was Leaf suddenly in such a rush? Why, she sighted the Jigglypuff, of course! The wide-eyed, living balloon was floating through the air, its body puffed out, as though it had been inflated with helium.
She stormed after it, rushing through long grass, speeding across rocky terrain, never letting it leave her sight, a Poké Ball in her hand.
Wild Pokémon jumped out at her, but she either avoided them or had Eevee knock them away with Double Kick. It did not matter. These were ones she had captured already.
But how long could she continue pursuing the Jigglypuff? The muscles in her legs were burning, each breath she took hurt like a jab from a Sneasel's claw, and her head was spinning.
This was not what she wanted. She needed the Jigglypuff on the ground. She could not reveal her trump card so early. But it did not appear as though she had much choice.
Leaf threw the Poké Ball, and out popped a giant butterfly, its body purple, its wings white and covered with irregular black lines (venation). Its compound eyes were red, its two antennae were black, and its four legs were blue (two smaller ones and two larger ones). It soared elegantly through the air, falling scales drifting downwards like miniscule crystals.
"Butterfree!" Leaf said. "Fly after that Jigglypuff and use Confusion to bring it down! And do it quickly! Don't give it a chance to use Sing!"
Butterfree flew after the Jigglypuff, barely flapping its wings, practically gliding on the wind. When it was within range, it stopped and hovered in place. The Jigglypuff watched it curiously, its ears twitching as it gauged the strange insectoid fellow.
Then it smiled.
It opened its mouth.
The hints of a melody formed on its tongue.
However, before it could do anything more than that, its body froze and it was whisked to earth by Butterfree's intangible, psychic hands. It bounced several times when it hit the ground.
"Good work, Butterfree!" Leaf cheered. "Are you ready to battle?"
Butterfree flapped its wings rapidly, its excitement apparent.
The Jigglypuff puffed up again, its eyes having a word etched in each of them: rage.
"Okay, let's go with a Tackle," Leaf said, confidence welling up within her. She was not failing again this time.
Butterfree flew low across the ground, its beating wings blowing dust and grass and leaves every which way. Yet, before it butted the Jigglypuff, the pink balloon creature curled itself into a ball, tanking the attack.
"Whoa," Leaf said, unable and unwilling to hide the awe in her voice. "This Jigglypuff's got good judgement."
Even better than what Leaf thought. Before she could react, the Jigglypuff unfurled itself and bounded after Butterfree, delivering a round of delicious smacks to the dual Bug and Flying-type, who then spun out of control and almost crashed into Leaf, only avoiding her at the very last second.
"How are you holding up?" Leaf asked Butterfree.
A furious flapping of wings was the response.
"Glad to hear it," Leaf said, turning her attention back to the Jigglypuff, whose mouth was opened.
Oh no.
Leaf had to act fast. This is where her idea would come into question.
"Gust, Butterfree!" she shouted.
A few notes managed to reach them, but they were not enough to even make them yawn. The sound could not penetrate the wall of wind Butterfree created, the mini cyclone carrying the melody away until it dissipated and was gone forever. Of course, this was simple science.
The Jigglypuff ceased its song, confusion as clear as day upon its face. Funnily enough…
"Confusion!" Leaf ordered, and the Jigglypuff was thrown yet again by the invisible force conjured by Butterfree's thoughts.
"Sleep Powder," Leaf said, now calm on the outside but inside was still hectic and almost out of her mind with ecstasy.
Silver particles wafted from Butterfree's wings, delicate, beautiful, and they descended upon the Jigglypuff. Its eyes grew heavy, its eyelids fluttered shut, and soon Jigglypuff was snoring softly.
"How do you like it?" Leaf muttered, producing an empty Premier Ball from her rucksack, an item she was gifted with after purchasing ten Poké Balls from the Pewter PokéMart. It was pure white not including the red line that encircled the whole thing. A surprise to receive, yes, but a pleasant one to say the least.
She tossed it at the Jigglypuff, and it was engulfed by a bright light and absorbed inside.
Leaf held her breath, staring unblinkingly at the shaking Ball, an empty Poké Ball already in her hand. Just in case.
One shake.
Two shakes.
Three shakes.
It stopped. The Premier Ball was stationary. The Jigglypuff was hers! Finally!
Leaf ran over to the Premier Ball, eager to claim it, to know for sure that the Jigglypuff was now hers. She picked it up, sensing the life it now housed, almost feeling Jigglypuff's heartbeat pulsing through the item. She grinned.
"We did it!" she exclaimed, throwing the Ball in the air and catching it again.
Eevee yipped and yapped, bounding here and there, her Trainer's enthusiasm contagious; Butterfree flew in circles overhead, its antennae flopping about like crazy.
It worked. Nullifying Sing with Gust worked. Yes, she could have used her Pidgey, but Pidgey did not have ability to put an opponent to sleep and was far less powerful than her Butterfree.
Leaf placed the Premier Ball back on the ground. A second later, the ball vanished, teleported by some means she still did not understand. The first time it happened, Leaf leapt out of her skin, but a quick phone call to Professor Oak soothed her worries. That Bill guy he mentioned sounded like quite the competent Pokémon Researcher to have designed the Pokémon Storage System.
Leaf sighed. Now she could finally move on to Mt. Moon. She nearly drooled as she contemplated everything she would find in there: rare Pokémon; Fossils to add along to the Old Amber mission; priceless items; ancient cave paintings.
Oh, what wonders awaited her!
o~o~o~o~o
Leaf scowled at the sleazy salesman standing outside the Mt. Moon Pokémon Centre. On a table in front of him was a tank, and in it was a reddish/orangey fish with a yellow three-pronged fin on its back and on its underside. The fins to its side and on its tail were white, its eyes were vacant, and its lips were pink and thick. Eevee cocked its head to one side as she took in the strange creature.
"What do you say, miss?" the salesman said, flashing her a grin a Sharpedo would flash at a Goldeen. "Only five-hundred for this rare Pokémon, straight from the shores of Alola. Not from a random pond here in Kanto, definitely not. It's most certainly from Unova… wait, did I say Alola before? Yeah, that's what I meant, Ransei. So, how about it, miss?"
Leaf's scowl darkened. "That's a Magikarp."
"Indeed, it is," the salesman said, his grin never wavering. "Like I said, rare and straight from Almia."
"It's just a common Magikarp," Leaf said. "It doesn't have stripes, it's not blue, it doesn't have black markings around its eyes like some of those you see in those Magikarp Jump Competitions. And it's not shiny either."
A man walked up behind them, standing away, and said nothing. Not literally, obviously. He did not say, 'Nothing'. He just stayed silent and watched their interaction.
"No, no, no," the salesman said, not losing his gusto. "This is special. Don't you see? Its scales are ever so slightly lighter than other Magikarp. That's rare, right? Like I said, all the way from Johto this is."
"You're just a conman," Leaf hissed. "You shouldn't even be selling Pokémon. And you're an idiot too. If you were smart, you would've tried to sell a stronger Pokémon. Maybe you're just so pathetic that you were probably just barely able to catch that poor Magikarp. Shame on you."
Eevee growled, its hackles raised.
The salesman's grin melted from his face, and his mouth contorted into an ugly snarl. "You don't know anything about the way of the world or business," he sneered, lowering his voice. "Survival of the fittest. And if people are willing to buy a Magikarp then why shouldn't I oblige? Besides, if they play their cards right, they could end up with a Gyarados, thanks to me. Now, buzz off, brat. I'm sure this gentleman here wants to play ball instead."
The salesman stuck his fake smile back on and beckoned the newcomer over. "Hello, friend," he said, his unnaturally white teeth gleaming. "May I interest you in this rare Magikarp? Caught all the way in Sinnoh. Super strong too. Already knows Bounce and even knows Surf and… er, Flamethrower, as hard as that is to believe. As a matter of fact, I have an inkling that Magikarp here is on the verge of evolving. If you have a Rare Candy or two then you might be in for a bit of luck."
The greasy salesman grinned, rubbing his hands. The man did not look impressed.
"You're an idiot," the man said.
The salesman's smile faltered. "Sorry."
"I said you're an idiot." The man stepped forward, and the salesman flinched. This man was imposing, standing at six and a half feet, his hair slicked back with copious amounts of gel, dressed in ordinary, everyday clothes. A white scar marked his chin. "How dare you try to con people, much less try to sell a Pokémon? You're meant to capture a Pokémon through your own hard work. No decent person would spend money on one. You're just a sad, strange little man, and you're not even consistent with your bogus sales pitch." The man bared his teeth at him. "Even this girl called you out on it. Oh, you're in major trouble now, friend."
Before the salesman could reply, the man reached into his pocket and pulled something out: a badge. But not a Gym Badge. This was larger, with writing on it:
Kanto Police Force
"I'm Officer Jones," the man said, "and you, sir, are under arrest."
The colour drained from the salesman's face, his mouth opened and closed like the Magikarp's, his pupils dilated.
"I… er… what I mean is… um… hah… uh…" was what he said.
The salesman was handcuffed, read his rights, all that vague stuff no one really wants to hear about to do with police and arrests*, and was led away by a couple of officers, his Magikarp confiscated too.
(*Note: there are some things people don't want to research when writing a story about imaginary worlds with super-powered creatures. Police protocol is one of them.)
Leaf was left with Officer Jones and a deep sense of pride and justice that a crook like the Magikarp Salesman was no longer going to cause problems for others. For now, at least. But it was something.
"Why can't these petty idiots give us a break?" Officer Jones said with a sigh, breaking the silence. "There are so many bad things happening all over. We don't need this rubbish."
"You mean like Team Rocket?" Leaf said, those red 'R's fresh in her memory. She scrutinised the police officer; the bags under his eyes were heavy.
"Yes, and that's just Kanto," Officer Jones said. "I was reading the newspaper back in the Centre, and you can see it's everywhere: two syndicates causing trouble in Hoenn; a couple sending Orre even deeper into Hell; and don't get me started on Phobos Battalion." He rolled his eyes and gave her a strained smile, which was far nicer than the fake one the salesman gave her. "At least there's people like you standing up to them. That gives me a little bit more faith in this world."
Leaf smiled back, but she had questions. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Were you staking out that crummy guy? Is that why you had backup ready? Is that why you're dressed as a civilian?"
"No, that salesman was just a coincidence," Officer Jones replied. "We were here for something else. Looks like I'm going to have to head there by myself. Better head off now actually."
"Is it dangerous? Maybe you should wait?" Leaf frowned as she pondered the situation. She was clueless as to what Officer Jones' task was, but surely if he had his fellows with him then it was not something he could do by himself? Maybe the salesman should have been given a warning instead so Officer Jones would not go alone to wherever the heck he was going.
He winked at her. "Maybe. But I'll be fine." A stern look suddenly crossed his face. "Are you heading into Mt. Moon?" he asked.
"Yeah," Leaf said.
He grimaced. "Listen, I can't force you not to go in there, but I have to ask you to be careful."
"Why?"
"I think you know that already."
"Dangerous Pokemon?"
"… well, yes. But –"
"Falling down a fissure?"
"… that too, but there's something more."
It dawned on Leaf, and she blushed. "Oh, um, Team Rocket."
"That's right," Officer Jones said grimly. "Please be careful. It's not certain they're there, but that's what I must check out. Why do you think I'm in incognito?"
"I see," Leaf said, nodding slowly. No, she did not see. It did not make a difference if you were a police officer or a regular Trainer, did it? Team Rocket would get you either way. Then again, maybe an officer of the law would suffer a heck of a lot more at their hands. "Then, I wish you good luck, Officer Jones," she said. "Don't worry, I'll head straight on through to Cerulean and not do anything stupid."
"Good girl," he said, placing a large hand upon her hatted head. He knelt and ruffled Eevee's fur. Straightening back up, he bade farewell and headed off into the mountain known as Mt. Moon.
Leaf watched him go. She picked up Eevee and cuddled her to her chest. Yes, it did not make sense to take any unnecessary risks in Mt. Moon. But if she saw a super rare Pokémon, then would it not be fine for her to chase after it? If she happened to encounter a Team Rocket member, then did she not have the right to fight? Promises only went so far. Besides, Team Rocket were criminals who needed to be punished. Who was to say Leaf could not have a hand in assisting the law enforcement? She had done it once before.
She strolled inside the Pokémon Centre. She would set off tomorrow. And whatever would happen, would happen.
