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 Thirty-One: A Ship-Load of Battles!
Red watched Mina as she contentedly bit into the Berry Bar he gave her. Mago Berry and Honey was the delightful flavour she was enjoying.
Charmander and Cleffa munched down on their own food, the former's eyes wandering over to Cleffa as much as Red's wandered over to Mina.
And with good reason too; it had barely been two hours and Mina and Cleffa had already gone off on their own little adventure. One minute they were here and the next they were gone, a Ghost-type Pokémon unable to disappear as they did.
Panic. Oh, the panic. Red and Charmander ran about Vermilion, calling out for the two infants, Red wishing he still had Beedrill on him. Why, oh why, did he not capture a Flying-type? Or any other Pokémon that had those airborne capabilities?
The situation was looking more dire with every passing second when Charmander found them, his tail flaring as he called to his Trainer, declaring his success. The troublesome twosome was teetering next to a pond, curious Magikarp and Goldeen popping their heads out above the water. Mina was trying to converse with another Pokémon, a Poliwag, a blue, spherical creature with pink lips, a black and white swirl on its tummy, tiny feet, and a fin-like tail. Cleffa ogled at the Goldeen.
"Ah!" Red screamed, running forward, dropping his rucksack. "Mina, get away from there! You're going to fall in!"
Yes, falling in is always a risk when by a body of water, a risk further increased by running. It can be quite slippery.
Red skidded to a stop. Well, he tried to. The pond banks were saturated and greasy, and poor Red flew past Mina and Cleffa and tumbled headfirst into the pond, unsettling its aggrieved inhabitants.
Red broke the surface and spat out the mucky water that sought to quench his thirst. Okay, that did not go as planned. Well, at least they found them and –
Wait! Where were they? All Red could see was a stunned Charmander clutching his rucksack, head turning every which way, searching for the terrible two.
"Oh, great," Red muttered.
And the chase continued.
They were here.
They were gone.
They were there.
They were gone again.
Mina and Cleffa appeared to defy logic itself. It was only when Red decided to do the same by giving up on combing the area for them did he and Charmander find them under the shade of a tree, napping peacefully.
"You're full of beans, aren't you?" Red said quietly to himself. "You and Cleffa."
He bit a chunk out of his own Pinap Berry flavoured Berry Bar and chewed slowly, pondering. What was he to do? Waiting for Pikachu and Beedrill to return was the most sensible option. Yes, they would find them if they hung about here, preferably with the girl's parents.
But what if Mina and Cleffa went off on their own again? Yes, he could return Cleffa to her Poké Ball, but she was probably the reason why Mina had not injured herself at all. What if Mina escaped by herself, bored by simply lingering in the shade of the tree? It was an utterly ridiculous situation, perhaps exasperated by Red's cluelessness when it came to children, but it was something that could easily come to pass.
Oh, wasn't there a ship at Vermilion Port? St. Anne or S.S. Anne or whatever the heck it was called? Maybe they could head there. There would no doubt be tonnes of people there. What if Mina's parents were among them?
There was no question. Vermilion Port was their next destination.
Red turned to Mina, who picked up a bottle cap and held it up to the sky.
"You ready to go, Mina?" Red asked, lifting her up.
She nodded, her face alight with mischievousness.
Red faced his Pokémon. "Are you both ready too?"
A nod and a swivel were affirmative answers.
"Great." Red turned back to Mina. "Okay, let's –"
Red broke his sentence off, as neatly as if it was sliced off with a Scyther's blade. There was no one in his hands.
"Er…" he said. "Er…"
He dropped his arms to his sides, nonplussed. "Charmander…" he said. "Cleffa…"
He swivelled around to them, only finding a facepalming Charmander.
And there, beyond his Starter, were the two little fairies skipping away.
"Charmander…" Red began.
Charmander beheld him attentively.
"Let's not mention this to anyone ever, okay?"
o~o~o~o~o
"So Bill had another S. S. Ticket? He must've gotten it after I left."
"He did," Leaf said. "He got it in the mail. When he tore open the envelope and saw what was inside, you'd have thought his grandmother had died."
"Well, I guess I'm sort of glad you're here. I wasn't expecting to see anyone I knew."
Inwardly, it was the same for Leaf. Outwardly, she was not going to admit such things. Blue smirked at her as they sat a table, Pokémon on their laps, hers (obviously) Eevee and his a Meowth.
"Meowth?" Leaf said questioningly.
"Yeah, I caught him in one of Vermilion's alleys," Blue said, with an air of pride. "Apparently he's been causing trouble and stealing from the markets. Nothing I couldn't sort out."
"How come he's out of his Poké Ball?" Leaf asked.
"Because of his Ability, Pickup. He's already found me a bunch of items. Honestly, I might keep him out of his Poké Ball permanently, like your Eevee and Reddy's Pikachu. Until he evolves, that is. I don't think he'll keep Pickup in that case."
A lull descended upon their conversation until Blue spoke again:
"Have you met the captain?"
"No," Leaf said. "I wouldn't think I'd be allowed."
Blue furrowed his brow. "Maybe you're right. Now that I remember, maybe I hinted that I'm the grandson of Professor Oak to get to meet him."
"And by 'hint' do you mean 'state outright'?"
"You know it." Blue chuckled. "The captain showed Meowth a technique called Chop Down. It's basically Cut but doesn't take up a move slot, so it's better. I could've learned it myself apparently, but it takes way longer for a human to learn it compared to a Pokémon. Hey, do you want Eevee to learn it from Meowth?"
"Right now?"
"Yeah. I'm feeling charitable. I may not look it, but I don't find it that fun when you and Red are constantly eating my dust."
Leaf scowled, on the verge of telling Blue to shove it, but decided against it. Chop Down would be an insanely useful skill for Eevee to acquire, and if they had to achieve it by dealing with Blue then so be it.
"Fine. Let's do it."
o~o~o~o~o
Eevee watched Meowth's movements and copied them flawlessly. Passengers and crew alike gathered on the deck, watching the Pokémon of two kids attempt to train together. One helpful soul even used their two Spearow to bring a in log from the mainland.
And that log was soon split into two as Eevee slashed at it with her tail.
Everyone, for some insane reason, cheered like they had won the Pokémon League, whooping and cheering and hugging each other, until someone came along and asked what the big deal was.
"You did it, Eevee," Leaf said, rubbing Eevee's head as the crew and guests threw the 'party-pooper' off the side of the ship. "Chop Down is yours now."
Blue grinned at her, smiling like a Meowth who got the cream, which, funnily enough, is what his Meowth had now. His grin faded. "Where did you get that?"
Meowth's eyes shifted guiltily before he went back to enjoying his delicious cream.
"Pickup?" Leaf suggested.
"Pickup," Blue agreed. "Anyway, do you want to battle?"
"Against you?"
"Nah," Blue said. "I mean, it would be nice to see how far below me you are, but I had something else on my mind." He leaned towards her and whispered conspiratorially, "A lot of the guests here are restless and are itching for a good battle. We could get a big payday defeating them. I've had a few battles already and earned a pretty penny. Heck, I know some who wanted double battles, so having you along could be useful."
What to do. The idea of having meaningless battles did not exactly fill Leaf with joy. Team Rocket, sure. A competition on a bridge, sure. A short, random battle against a Gym Leader, sure. All those had purpose or could not be avoided. But these…
Sure, the money would be useful and supplement the stipend she, Red, and Blue were receiving weekly from Professor Oak as his Pokédex assistants, but she had a Nugget and other items she could sell. But it was tempting. And her Pokémon would gain experience, evolve, and help fill up her Pokédex.
Besides, as vain as he sounded, Blue was asking her. She could not recall the last time he asked her or Red to join him for anything.
"Okay," Leaf said. "Let's go."
o~o~o~o~o
On the ship's deck, Blue's Pidgeotto slammed its wing into the Growlithe, taking it out.
"My Pidgeotto's second to none, isn't she?" Blue called out to Leaf as the man paid him his winnings.
From the quick battle alone, Leaf could tell Blue had raised it well. Pidgeotto was basically a bigger Pidgey with a crest of amaranth feathers upon her head and a tail of red and yellow.
Pidgeotto, a Normal and Flying type Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pidgey. Very protective of its sprawling territorial area, this Pokémon will fiercely attack any intruder.
She accepted a tickle under the chin before being returned to her Poké Ball.
"You're up next, Leaf," Blue said.
The next Trainer was a girl, who introduced herself as Ann. Her first Pokémon was a Pidgey, who Eevee took out with a single Buzzy Buzz. Blue's eyes popped out from their sockets, a reaction that went unnoticed by Leaf.
Ann was not done yet, subtly hinted at as she declared 'I'm not done yet!'.
Her next Pokémon was a Nidoran, the female variant. Unlike her male counterpart, she was blue with a smaller horn, but just as venomous.
"Poison Sting!" Ann cried, and her Pokémon rushed at Eevee, horn bared.
"Buzzy Buzz again," Leaf said, and Eevee crackled with electricity and charged down the Poison-type.
However, it was not enough to take her out, but it made no difference in the long run; Nidoran was fully paralysed.
Was it the time to try Sizzly Slide? Maybe not. Another day. Besides, Blue's likely smug grin at her Eevee failing to perfect an attack did not sit well with her.
Instead she opted for a Bouncy Bubble, which took out Nidoran, rendering Quick Attack unneeded in the battle.
"What kind of moves were those?" Blue asked after Leaf had claimed her winnings. "I've never seen them before."
"Buzzy Buzz and Bouncy Bubble? Oh, Red and I met a Move Tutor who helped Pikachu and Eevee learn new moves."
"Reddy too?"
"Yeah. Apparently, this guy – Evan's his name – is trying to come up with new ones. Who knows, maybe he'll something up his sleeve for your Pokémon too."
"Okay," Blue said, nodding slowly. "Okay. Looks like you and Reddy are slightly ahead of me at something. But don't worry; you're still light-years away from being anywhere near my level."
"Light-years measure distance not time," Leaf stated matter-of-factly.
"Whatever," Blue said, batting away her knowledge. "Let's get back to pounding weaklings."
It was Blue's turn to battle again, and he found himself against a woman named Eloise who had a strange, gooey-looking Pokémon that was a mix of light purple and a darker shade of purple. Its eyes were green and blank and on each of its cheeks were two lighter green circles. Two antennae rested on its head and its slimy body formed a soft shell upon its back.
Sliggoo. No other information is available regarding this species of Pokémon.
"Again, huh?" Blue mumbled to himself.
What was this Pokémon? From its appearance it most definitely had to be a Poison-type. Maybe part Water too. Either way, this Sliggoo would be money and experience for him and his Pokémon respectively.
And out came a yellow Pokémon with a white underbelly, black eyes, sharp claws on its paws and feet that would even make a serial killer think 'Oh. Maybe that's a bit too sharp. Safety first', a thick tail, and a back covered in brown quills. Leaf's Pokédex piped up to exposit what exactly this Pokémon was:
Sandslash, a Ground-type Pokémon and the evolved form of Sandshrew ("I would never have thought that," Leaf muttered sarcastically). It is skilled at slashing enemies with its claws. If broken, they start to grow back within a day.
"Scared?" Blue asked the Eloise. "My Sandslash is a monster. Helped me get the Badge at the Vermilion Gym."
What Blue would not confess, however, was that it was alternated Sand Attacks and Digs along with the fortunate poisoning of the Gym Leader's main Pokémon with Poison Sting that got him his victory. But no one needed to know about that cheesy method. Although, a strategy was still a strategy, right?
It would be a quick and easy victory for Sandslash. That Sliggoo or whatever it was appeared too frail to handle his Sandslash's admirable Attack stat. Maybe a Sand Attack to fool around, playing with one's meal, before ending it all? Show Leaf how competent he truly was, how much he was better than her and Red, show her how much of an Oak he really was. He had already proven it against Red, yes, but an extra lesson would not go amiss.
Unfortunately for him, Sliggoo's Trainer was not so eager for him to dither with his decision. Before Blue had a chance to issue an order, Sandslash was hit by a barrage of bubbles.
"What?" Blue gasped. "That thing is a Water-type!"
"Non," Eloise responded. "Sliggoo is a pure Dragon-type."
"Really?"
"Oui," Eloise said. "Meaning it can use moves like this: Dragon Breath!"
Following the bubbles came a haze of purple energy which blasted Sandslash full in the face.
"Bon. How do you like that?" the lady asked. "Your Sandslash isn't getting up from that. I think we're done here."
Were they? Was the battle truly over already? Well, for Sandslash it was not. As a matter of fact, it simply ran a claw across its chest, as though saying 'Huh? Was that all?', barely giving Sliggoo nor its Trainer so much as a glance, putting on a rather brave front if one was being honest.
"C'est ouf?" Eloise said, stunned. "I hit you with a STAB move AND a super effective move. Je ne sais pas…"
"Told you Sandslash is a monster!" Blue exclaimed jubilantly. "Now, take this: Slash!"
Sandslash raced across the deck and swiped its claws upwards along Sliggoo, from its 'foot' to its face. The gastropod squealed and collapsed onto its side.
As inexplicable as it was, Sandslash won with a single hit.
Eloise sighed and paid the money she owed, going off to enjoy the rest of the ship she had become accustomed to over the past few months.
Blue returned Sandslash to its Poké Ball, flashing Leaf a grin as she headed over.
"Swift," she said.
"No, it was Slash."
Leaf rolled her eyes.
"Coming here was more useful than I thought it would be," Blue said. "Remind to thank Bill when I see him again. I might do a few more battles because I think the ship's going to be setting sail soon. What about you, Leaf?"
From across the ocean, Cinnabar Island called out Leaf's name. "I really should be setting off," she said. "I've still got an important task to –"
"Hey, I know!" Blue said, cutting across her. "How about we find someone who wants to have a double battle? We can use my Wartortle and your Bulbasaur. It might do good for your Bulbasaur to learn from my Wartortle. What do you say?"
An instant refusal along with the clarification that Bulbasaur had evolved into an Ivysaur almost darted out of Leaf's mouth. On second thought, she could go along with this. Just to humble him a little bit more. Oh, his face…
"Okay, let's go, Blue."
o~o~o~o~o
They managed to find two Trainers who were willing to have a double battle, a pair of sailors who were already having a whale of a time and were probably a little tipsy.
But it was not as though Leaf and Blue's path to them was simple; other passengers declared that they wanted to battle, and the children obliged. Leaf's Jigglypuff took down a girl's own one before her Baltoy finished off a tiny birdlike Pokémon known as Pidove with a Rock Tomb, and Blue's Meowth ran riot against someone's Mankey, defeating it with an explosion of coins from the charm on its head. Blue hurriedly picked the coins up afterwards, saying a silent thanks that the remarkable attack of Pay Day existed.
But those battles do not matter. It was all about the double battle against the sailors, whose faces were ruddy and whose singing was loud.
"So," one of them said, "you little tots want to battle us? Did you 'ear that, Trev?"
"Yeah, I did, Eds," the other said. "And I like the cut of their jib. Er… what's a jib?"
"I don't know, mate."
"Then why did you say it?"
"I didn't. You did."
"No, I didn't. You did."
"Did I?"
"I don't know. What are we even talking about?"
"No idea."
Leaf and Blue grimaced. Meowth unsheathed its claws and stared imploringly towards Blue. His Trainer shook his head.
"Er… we'll go find someone else," Leaf said. "Sorry for bothering you."
"'Ang on, 'ang on," Eds said. "I thought you wanted to battle? We want to battle too. Come on, we'll do it right now. Double battle, right?"
"Yeah, a double battle," Blue said.
"All right," Trev said. "I hope you two are tough enough to tide us over until we get to Hoenn."
The four Trainers took their places on the deck, ushering passengers and crew members aside. Many of them stayed to watch the battle unfold.
"'Ere we go," Eds said, throwing out a Poké Ball. Leaf and Blue scrambled for their Pokédexes:
Shellder, a Water-type Pokémon. Its shell is said to withstand any attack. However, when it is open, its tender body is exposed.
This Pokémon, this Shellder, consisted of a light purple bivalve shell with its face sticking out from in between, and protruding from its face was a wide, long, red tongue.
Trev called out for his Machop.
"You ready, Leaf?" Blue asked, taking out Wartortle's Poké Ball.
"Yep," Leaf said, taking out Ivysaur's.
"Try to keep up, okay?"
Leaf muttered a few unsavoury words under her breath.
Ivysaur and Wartortle appeared in that flash of light accustomed to Poké Balls. The two middle stage Starters nodded curtly at each other before setting their sights on their opponents, the turtle's eyes widening a tad at his old friend's new appearance.
Blue's astonishment was less subtle. "Your Bulbasaur evolved? Why didn't you say anything before?"
"You never exactly asked," Leaf answered.
Blue narrowed his eyes. "Well, you got me, Leaf. I wasn't expecting it to evolve under you. Maybe you and Ivysaur won't hold us back. Maybe."
"Let's just get on with the battle," Leaf said airily. Inwardly, her mind was rampant with bad words.
Eds and Trev made the first move, Machop rushing towards Wartortle, arm aloft, Shellder opening its mouth and firing a multicoloured beam at Ivysaur.
But whether it was pure teamwork or simply luck, Leaf's and Blue's Pokémon took the hits meant for the other, leaping past one another; Machop's Karate Chop bounced off Ivysaur's bulb while Wartortle deflected Shellder's Aurora Beam harmlessly off his shell.
"Switch back," Blue said. "Wartortle, Bubble Beam on Machop."
"Ivysaur, Vine Whip on Shellder!" Leaf shouted.
Rock hard bubbles raced towards Machop, exploding upon impact, throwing the Fighting-type back.
Ivysaur slammed two green vines onto Shellder, who barely held on thanks to a last second Withdraw.
"Vine Whip on Shellder again," Leaf said, calmer.
The vines descended upon Shellder again, but this time…
… Shellder closed its shell upon the vines, clamping down upon them as it were.
Ivysaur winced as Shellder held fast to him with its Clamp attack, more uncomfortable than painful, unable to retract his vines.
"Use Rapid Spin on Shellder, Wartortle," Blue said, almost lazily. "Give them a helping hand and –"
"Get rid of Wartortle with Strength!" Trev roared.
"What?"
Before Wartortle had the chance to disappear into his shell and start spinning, Machop hurried forward and held the turtle over its head. It tossed Wartortle through the air. Wartortle took a leaf from Shellder's book and reduced the damage to an almost negligible amount thanks to its own Withdraw.
"That went all weird all of a sudden, didn't it?" Blue said as the two sailors high-fived each other and took a swig each of a bottle they produced out of nowhere.
"Yeah," Leaf agreed. "I guess we got a bit careless there."
"I'm just going to end it now," Blue went on. "These guys are decent, but not enough for a drawn-out battle. This time we'll make sure Bubble Beam hits both of them, to make it easier for you, Leaf."
Leaf scowled. Fine, if Blue was going to ensure his attack hit both Pokémon this time, then she would also have Ivysaur use a technique that did the same. Well, it was not as if Vine Whip could be used anyway; Shellder's Clamp did not appear to be ending anytime soon.
The two Pallet natives called out their attacks and a combination of explosive bubbles and razor-sharp leaves decimated Shellder and Machop. The former loosened its grip on Ivysaur, who withdrew his vines speedily.
The crowd cheered politely for the children, while a few poked fun at the sailors.
Eds and Trev looked on, stunned and little bit wobbly.
"Oh…" Eds said.
"Oh…" Trev repeated.
"Oh, oh…" Ed said.
"Oh, oh…" Trev repeated.
They turned to each other. They grinned. "Looks like we lost, Trev," Eds said.
"Indeed, it does, Eds," Trev replied.
The two sailors marched across the deck to Leaf and Blue, paying them their winnings. "That was a great battle ("Obviously, since you were battling me," Blue said under his breath)," Trev said. "Heck of a way to end our very short stop in Kanto."
"Like Trev said before, it'll tide us over 'til we to 'Oenn," Eds said. He took another swig from his bottle, realised it was empty, and grimaced. "Oh well. Anyway, I 'ope we meet more 'ungry young Trainers like you in the future. Makes me feel all warm inside knowing the youth of today are as adventurous and tough as ever. Or maybe that's because of the alco… er, protein shakes we've been drinking."
With that, Leaf and Blue bade farewell to Eds and Trev, and not a moment too soon: a voice over the loudspeaker announced the S.S. Anne's imminent departure from Vermilion.
"You know what?" Blue said as they walked across the pier with their Starters, Eevee, and Meowth. "That was actually pretty fun. The Trainers were too weak for me, but I'm sure the non-Kanto natives will leave here glad they were beaten by the future Pokémon League Champion."
"Oh, wow," Leaf said with a roll of her eyes. "And there was me thinking you were a modest person."
Blue shrugged. "Why be modest when the truth is so blatant?"
Meowth nodded and offered an Aspear Berry he picked up to his Trainer. Hey, anything to ward off being frozen solid by Ice attacks.
"So, where are you off to now?" Leaf asked.
Blue paused before answering. "I was planning on going to Saffron before coming to Vermilion, so I might go there. Or maybe I'll go back to Viridian. They've got a replacement Gym Leader stationed there now, and I hear she uses Dark-type Pokémon."
"Yeah, I heard that too," Leaf said.
"I'm pretty sure Pinsir will do work there," Blue went on. "Then again, I've been thinking of going to Celadon. My sis said she'd be there doing Contest stuff so I might as well visit her if I do go. I think there's a couple of Professors there as well, but I don't care about that."
"Really?" Leaf asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah," Blue said, side-stepping the myriad of people and Pokémon making their way back onto the ship, eager to recommence their global journey. He scanned the area. His eyes widened. A smirk slid onto his face. "Look who it is."
"Huh? Who?"
"It's ol' Reddy."
"Red?"
Lo and behold, in his red cap was their fellow research assistant and Trainer, Red, Charmander, and a Cleffa by his feet. For some strange reason, he was wearing his rucksack on his front.
"Huh? He must've won the Cascade Badge if he's here," Blue surmised. "He still looks as clueless as ever, doesn't he?"
"Red!" Leaf shouted, disregarding Blue's petty gibe and rushing towards the admittedly befuddled-looking boy. "Red!"
Red swivelled around, searching for who was calling him. Charmander located Leaf running towards them and waved at her. He pulled on Red's jeans to turn his attention to her direction.
"Leaf!" Red shouted back, his face brightening.
Leaf stopped short of jumping on him, Ivysaur and Eevee toddling along. Charmander's visage froze into an expression of horror at the sight of the former.
"How have you been, Red?" Leaf asked, still resisting the urge to hug him; if he wanted a hug then he would have held out his arms. Why did it seem as if he was holding them behind himself? His rucksack was blocking a proper view of him.
"I've been good, Leaf," Red said. He grinned tiredly. "Won my second Badge on my first try."
"That's great!" Leaf squealed. Her eyes hovered over the Cleffa. "Did you capture a new Pokémon? And a rare one at that. Wait… is that… is that the same Cleffa from Mt. Moon?"
"Yep. Came all the way down the mountain and let me capture her."
"Wow." Leaf knelt down and beckoned for Cleffa to go to her. "Hi, Cleffa. Remember me? You were such a lifesaver against Team Rocket."
Cleffa trilled and spun and bounded into Leaf's arms, nuzzling her face into the girl's chest.
"Aw, you do," Leaf gushed. "She's a great Pokémon for you, Red. Fairy-types are one of the best defensive types there is. I'm sure she'll be a key component of your team. Speaking of which where's Pikachu? Don't tell me he's in his Poké Ball."
"Nah," Red said. "He and Beedrill have gone on a search."
"A search? What kind of search?"
"We're looking for this girl's parents." Red turned around and there upon his back was a sleeping toddler with blonde hair and paint marks on her face. "Her name's Mina."
"Oh, poor thing," Leaf said. "She must have been terrified."
"Nah," Red said. "She's really adventurous." Don't mention that she's an escape artist, don't mention that she's an escape artist, don't mention that she's an escape artist… "We came to check out the S. S. Anne in case her parents are passengers here, but we're mostly relying on Pikachu and Beedrill to find them."
Red's smile faded as Blue came along, pushing past an increasingly thickening crowd, Wartortle and Meowth close behind. Charmander shrunk back.
"Hey Reddy," Blue said. His smirk widened as his eyes momentarily fell on Charmander. "Finally got to Vermilion I see. Er…" He noticed Mina. "A kid? Reddy, I know you're probably struggling to capture Pokémon, but you must know kids don't count. You're going to have to release her back into the wild."
"Shut up, Blue," Red snapped as his rival sniggered. "I'm trying to help Mina find her parents."
"Just take her to the cops," Blue said with a casual shrug. "Poor, naïve Reddy, it's not your problem. It's the parents' fault for not keeping an eye on her. You've given yourself responsibility for no good reason."
"'No good reason?'," Red repeated. "Someone being in trouble is always a good reason to help. If we're able to then why not do it?"
"If someone's gotten themselves into trouble then that's their own fault," Blue said. "Let them get out of it themselves."
"No, Red's right," Leaf interjected. "What if someone's in trouble through no fault of their own? What if they're just minding their own business when trouble finds them?" The boy and his shiny Rattata and the incident at Mt. Moon flashed through her mind. "Would it be fair to let them suffer? It would be easy to do so, but if you could help then wouldn't it be the right thing to do?"
"Yeah," Red said. "What if you were in danger or something and needed someone to help you? You'd want someone to come along."
Blue scoffed. "I don't ever plan on letting myself get into a situation like that. I'm an Oak; we're only made for success."
"Even Professor Oak and Daisy would agree with us," Leaf said.
Blue rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm out of here. Leaf, battling with you wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'll smell ya both later."
He swaggered down the pier with Wartortle and Meowth, the latter of whom was now clutching a Potion.
"Always great seeing him," Red muttered under his breath.
"And there was me starting to believe him and I had a decent time today," Leaf said with a sigh.
"So, you guys got tickets to go on the ship?" Red asked.
"Yeah, we got a ticket each from Bill."
"Aw man," Red groaned. "That would've been cool. Still, I did get to meet little Mina here, so I'll take that." I think.
As he spoke her name, Mina stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. They found Leaf.
"Oh, she's awake." Leaf put Cleffa down and wiggled her fingers at the toddler. "Hi."
Mina mimicked Leaf and gave her a sleepy smile. She yawned and tapped Red on the back of his head. "Down."
"Okay," Red said, easing her onto the pier.
Mina wiped her eyes and yawned again, gesturing for Cleffa to hold her hand. Then, when the essence of drowsiness had subsided and the briny air swept through her blonde hair, she took in the massive maritime masterpiece before her. Her face lit up.
"Boat!" she squealed, jumping up and down with Cleffa. "Boat!"
"It looks like she recognises it," Red said. "I guess we were right."
"Unless she's just excited to see a ship," Leaf said.
"Boat!" Mina continued to scream excitedly. She grabbed Leaf's hand in her other one and went on hopping about. "Boat!"
"What's the plan now?" Leaf asked, determined to sound serious despite how giddy the cute-as-can-be little girl was making her.
"I think we should wait here. I'm pretty sure this is where we should be, so if we do wait here, Beedrill and Pikachu should be along soon with Mina's parents. I hope."
"That sounds fine," Leaf said. "And when the crowd thins, we'll be able to see more, and Mina's parents should be able to see us too."
"Exactly," Red said, watching with mild interest as Mina let go of Cleffa and started swinging on Leaf's arm.
Thus, the two children and four Pokémon stood on the pier, patiently waiting for the little girl's parents to show up.
o~o~o~o~o
Blue left the harbour, turning left down the road into the main city, spying Diglett's Cave in the opposite direction but not paying it any heed, his thoughts already taking him away.
Why was Red so stupid? Why did he have to be so idealistic? Or did those two words have the same meaning? Possibly. They did seem to go hand in hand with each other. And Leaf! Did she always have to jump on the Red bandwagon?
Whatever. He would just go about his own journey and focus only that. Red and Leaf could falter behind him forever, never reaching his level, always languishing in second place.
Something caught Wartortle's attention and he chirped to his Trainer, pointing at what it was that intrigued him so.
Blue's eyes followed where Wartortle was pointing. Recognition was stamped across his face; a Beedrill with a Pikachu riding it. Red's Pokémon.
With them were a man and a woman, both awash with worry judging by their furrowed brows, wringing hands, and rushed manner of speaking. Blue could not hear a single word of what they were saying and did not care to. Still, despite himself, it held his interest.
It took him no longer than a couple of seconds to put two and two together; these two must have been the girl's parents. The man was wearing a t-shirt with 'Alola' in bright, rainbow letters printed proudly across his chest. So, they were Alolans. As much as he would not want to admit it, that struck a chord with Blue; he was part Alolan after all, but that should have anything to do with anything, right?
Pikachu and Beedrill were moving erratically, the former sniffing the air, the latter's antennae twitching, evidentially searching for any sign of their Trainer who they appeared to be unable to find. With the high winds and strong salty sea air, it was not too surprising they had lost his scent in this area.
Now, Blue could have easily ignored this and made to leave Vermilion, it was only too easy to do so – as a matter of fact, his feet moved of their own accord away from the distressed parents and the panicking Pokémon for about a metre. But he didn't. This would not be a good deed. He would feel nothing from this. It was just something he could afford to do with minimal fuss…
"Meowth," he said. "Let that Pikachu and Beedrill know where Leaf and the others are."
Meowth purred in response and slinked over to Red's Pokémon, who were obviously suspicious at first of this random feline who seemed to know where their Trainer and the little girl was. But they had nothing else to go on and thanked Meowth (well, Beedrill did) before leading Mina's parents to the pier where they would soon be reunited with their daughter.
Blue went on his way to Route Six without so much as a glance back.
