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 Forty-Two: Fossil (Not So) Fun!
Leaf sat on the beach, soaking in the sun, listening to the radio Blaine had loaned her. This was nice. Since she had started her journey, she had not had any real time to relax, so to take this opportunity to sit at one of the beaches of Cinnabar was a welcome change. Granted, she was not truly on the beach for relaxing purposes, but it was something she was going to ensure she benefitted from in a restful capacity.
So, what was the reason she was on the beach, then? Should she not be catching Pokémon to fill the Pokédex? Shouldn't she be trying to solve the mystery of 'Mewtwo'? Shouldn't she be wondering why her Pokédex was playing up and seemed to constantly growl at her?
Well, she had captured all possible Pokémon she could on and around Cinnabar, so that was a task she could take a break from, she wanted to fully delve into the journal before deciding on doing anything with 'Mewtwo', and she liked to pretend the growling was simply a figment of her imagination. She hoped so at least; it acted quite regularly when she got it evaluated online by Professor Oak, who, it must be noted, almost fainted at the sight of a certain Psychic-type Pokémon she had recorded in her Pokédex.
Anyway, let us circle back to why she was on the beach if it was not primarily to relax. Well, she had a new Pokémon on her, a Water-type, and as luck would have it, beaches are known for being next to the sea, and seas tend to be known for having a large quantity of H2O.
Now, one may recall that Leaf had two Fossils, the Old Amber and the Helix Fossil. Hard to forget, right? And one with a sharp memory may also remember the scientist telling Leaf that the latter would be done quicker than the former. Put two and two together and one would conclude that the new Water-type was the rejuvenated Fossil.
And what a Pokémon it was. It was a light blue creature hidden mostly by a spirally shell apart from its big eyes and the tentacles it used to drag itself about. Leaf's Pokédex managed to come up with scarce information about it, much like with Brock's Kabuto:
Omanyte, a Rock and Water-type Pokémon. An ancient Pokémon that was recovered from a Fossil. It swims by cleverly twisting its ten (10) tentacles about.
It was such a curious little enigma. Leaf could have sworn it was a pure Water-type, but much like with Kabuto, it was theorised that it developed the Rock-typing as a side effect of the resurrection.
The poor thing, brought into a strange world far different from the one it had left. It was no surprise it shivered from head to toe, hissed at anyone who tried to get near it, and caught Leaf in the face with a Water Gun. It would have been child's play to have Ivysaur floor it with a Grass move and then put it into a Poké Ball, but how much would that traumatise Omanyte after being (technically) transported to the future? Quite a bit if you asked Leaf.
Luckily, she had the right Pokémon for the job.
And that Pokémon was the Normal-type Ditto, a pink blob, with two dotted eyes and a mouth. Much like Grimer, rather simplistic. Except, like Mew, it could use an attack called Transform (incidentally, its only technique). Leaf was dead chuffed that she decided to return to the Mansion after all.
With that, Ditto became Omanyte's twin, and through Ditto, Omanyte slowly learned to adapt to its (his) new situation. He was still miles off being a fully functioning Pokémon in Leaf's party, and he still used Withdraw to hide in his shell when Leaf fed him and tried to pet him, but he was getting there thanks to Ditto.
And that's what was happening now. Two Omanyte playing in the ocean, with Poliwag blowing bubbles for them to pop from a distance. Yes, slowly but surely Omanyte would become closer with Poliwag and Leaf's other Water-types, and then the others would follow. And hopefully Leaf herself would too.
Although, maybe it would be better if Ivysaur did not bother. At least, not with his current mood.
Leaf could not put her finger on it, but he seemed different, more stoic and sullener. It had been like that since the Missingo. incident. Leaf could not blame him; she would not be best pleased if she was seconds away from being thrown down a monster's gullet. But he did not seem to want to talk anymore, was not motivated as much to battle against wild Pokémon, simply content to sleep in his Poké Ball all day.
But he was out of his now, feeding himself from the sun's rays, as the three Water-types played in the ocean and Eevee and Growlithe chased each other on the beach, kicking up sand, trying to nip the other.
"It's a nice day today, isn't it, Ivysaur?" Leaf said. "I bet it's doing your bulb some good."
Ivysaur simply stared out into the ocean.
"Hopefully, the Old Amber will be done soon. Then we can go back to Pewter and after we can explore wherever we want in Kanto. Oh, maybe we can go see mum and dad! You've only seen them through calls, haven't you? Apart from when we went back home to pack, of course. I saw Mum already started sneaking you treats."
More silence.
"Er… maybe after we catch all the Pokémon in Kanto, we can go somewhere else? Red told me there's wild Bulbasaur in Galar, so maybe we can go there? Or we can go visit grandma and grandpa in Orre? I've never been – they always come over instead – but it'd be something different, wouldn't it? Or Johto! It's right next door. We can go anywhere!"
More silence.
Leaf sighed. How was she going to get through to Ivysaur? She sat in silence too, watching the sun shining off the ocean's surface like glistening jewels, the words on the radio occasionally washing over her:
"… at Pokémon Tower where the Team Rocket members were taken away in states best described as…"
"…Silph Co.'s president has released a statement claiming that he is 'very excited' for the things that are to…"
"… and the passenger, a Mr Lou Kerr, has still not been found after believing to have gone overboard the S. S. Anne…"
"… has been definitively confirmed that the second team to rear its head in Hoenn is not affiliated with the first. On the contrary, they say…"
"… across the ocean, and today in Trozei, the syndicate, known as the Phobos Battalion, have…"
"Hey, Ivysaur," Leaf said.
Ivysaur did not even turn his head.
"I'm sorry that I put you in that situation with that monster," she said. "If I could've done things differently, then I would've. But we got through it. We've gotten through a lot of things so far, come to think of it. We'll be like Red and just keep pushing forward, okay? But," Leaf reached out her hand and patted Ivysaur's head, "you take as long as you want 'til you're feeling all right again. Me, Eevee, and the others are all here for you. Remember that."
Ivysaur tilted his head slightly so Leaf's hand slipped to his mouth. He gave her palm a lick before settling back to watch the ocean.
"Good boy," Leaf whispered. She switched off the radio and laid on her tummy, watching the antics of her Pokémon.
Something flew overhead and landed in front of her. A Spearow. A piece of paper was tied to its leg. The Spearow hopped about, gesturing at the paper to Leaf and then back again.
"Is that… is that a note?" Leaf asked. "Is it for me?"
More hopping.
Leaf untied the string and retrieved the paper, only to be paid back with sand to the gob courtesy of the Spearow taking off immediately.
"Thank you!" Leaf shouted after it sarcastically.
Rinsing her mouth out with a swig from her water bottle, Leaf unfolded the note and gave it a quick read. She then read it slower and took it all in.
"Wow," Leaf said, brimming with excitement, tempted to try that kicking your heels thing but knowing she would completely bottle it and fall face first in the sand. She scrunched up the note and threw it into her rucksack. "Hey, guys, it's time for us to go!"
Eevee and Growlithe ran to her at once, tail wagging, tongues lolling; Ivysaur snored loudly, but the bud on his back twitched; Ditto encouraged Omanyte along, Poliwag tottering along behind them on its stumpy legs.
She returned all her Pokémon (bar Eevee) to their Poké Balls but paused before recalling Omanyte. She knelt before it. Omanyte hissed.
"You're going to be able to make friends with someone who's in the same boat as you," Leaf said excitedly. "We'll be one big happy family."
Omanyte sprayed her in the face with a Water Gun.
o~o~o~o~o
"I'm here!" Leaf hollered as she dashed into Cinnabar Laboratory. She strolled up to the secretary who was clicking and clacking on a keyboard. "Good afternoon, Agnes. Am I all right to go straight on through?"
Agnes smiled and nodded before engrossing herself back into her computer, and Leaf skipped down the hallway until she came to the one right at the very end.
"You ready, Eevee?"
Eevee yipped determinedly.
Leaf punched in her very own, albeit temporary, access code.
The doors parted way and Leaf found herself in an entirely white room, filled with whirring and beeping machines and all other kinds of scientific thingamajigs and doodads that made Leaf gush that she was allowed to enter such a place. In the middle of the room were the scientists standing around something. Something big. Something with wings. Something with its eyes closed, breathing softly.
"Ah, Leaf, glad you got here so quickly," Blaine said, striding forward. Leaf's smile was strained. As stated, she still had not fully read the journal, but she had seen Blaine's name pop up the few times she perused it. As a precaution, she had his number.
"Hi, Blaine," Leaf said. "Yeah, I rushed straight from the beach. At least this time I'm not going to fall for the prank that I 'contaminated Omanyte'."
The scientists chuckled.
"How is Omanyte, by the way?" Blaine enquired.
"Good," Leaf said. "Ditto helps a lot though. It's starting to get used to the food of today too. It's still wary of me, but hopefully that'll get better with time."
"As all things do," Blaine said, almost wistfully.
"So," Leaf said, forcing her feet to stick to the ground so she would not dance on air. "Is that my second Fossil Pokémon?"
"Yes," Blaine said, eyes twinkling from behind his glasses. "And I believe you'll be a little familiar with it, considering you paid the Pewter Museum a visit."
Blaine guided Leaf past the scientists, and the girl found herself staring at the one Fossil Pokémon she had always wished to see with her own eyes, a Pokémon that people only knew about thanks to its remains.
"Aerodactyl," she breathed.
What a creature Aerodactyl was. It was a large reptilian beast, large enough that Leaf felt it could comfortably carry her across Kanto as Fearow did. Its skin was grey and its membranous wings were purple, a rock-like hump protruded from its back, two horns sat on its head, its long tail was finished off with an arrow-shaped end, its feet consisted of three toes – two at the front and one at the back – and each wing had a clawed hand attached to their tops.
Aerodactyl, a dual Rock and Flying-type Pokémon. A ferocious, prehistoric Pokémon that goes for the enemy's throat with its serrated, saw-like fangs.
"This is so cool!" Leaf gushed. "This has to be the first ever Aerodactyl brought back to life! Think how much more information we can get from it now!"
The scientists all shuffled nervously, and a couple rubbed the backs of their heads.
"Huh? What's the matter?" Leaf asked.
Blaine cleared his throat. "Well, Leaf, the thing is this Aerodactyl is not the first to be resurrected. The truth is it is the second."
"Huh?" Leaf said again. "The second? There's already an Aerodactyl that's been brought back? Hey, wait a minute…" She rounded on a scientist who went by the name of Olly, who, parenthetically, was the same one she gave the Fossils to. "Didn't you say that same exact thing? I'm sure you did, but you changed the subject back then and I forgot about it until now."
"Oh, did I?" Olly said, scratching his head furiously as he tried to recall. "I suppose I must've hinted towards something like that. But it makes no difference now. Either way, we have now had two successful experiments that prove Aerodactyl come from Old Amber – obviously, we hope to find more of them to confirm it beyond any reasonable doubt – and you have a chance to add another Fossil Pokémon to your Pokédex."
"I guess I do," Leaf said, ever so slightly put out that she did not have the first ever Aerodactyl for millions of years. "So, who's got the first one?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Blaine said, giving her a knowing smile. "As a matter of fact, sooner than you'd expect."
"What do you mean?"
"When we realised we were resurrecting an Aerodactyl, we put in a call a couple of days ago to the Trainer who owns the first one, asking him to come visit and perhaps give you some advice. He's on Cinnabar Island as we speak – he arrived yesterday evening."
"No clue on who he is, then?"
"It will ruin the surprise."
"Fine, then," Leaf said. "Um, what do we do with Aerodactyl, then? Do I just throw a Poké Ball like I did with Omanyte? Omanyte went in without a battle after Ditto pacified it."
"I'm afraid not," Blaine said. "Aerodactyl seems to have a lower catch rate than an Omanyte. If you threw a PokéBall at it and failed, it would probably get angry and try to… cause us harm. Having that happen in this space in less than ideal."
For a fraction of a second, Leaf could have sworn Blaine's bottom lip wobbled, and her thoughts took her to the Cinnabar Mansion basement. "Yeah, you're right. What do we do, then?"
"We're going to wheel it out," Olly said. "Luckily for us, all our tables and platforms have wheels. Wheels makes the world go round you see. And straight. And zigzag. Basically, all directions, you see."
"And then I'll capture it outside?" Leaf said.
"That's right."
"But what if I mess up? I know we're ages away from people, but Aerodactyl could still fly to them in no time flat."
"That would be a cause of concern," Blaine agreed. "However, I very much doubt Aerodactyl will be able to fly. Not so soon after being brought back, that is. The last one didn't in any case. However, I very much hope your Pokémon are up to the task of battling it. It's going to wake up in a strange new world and will be scared and confused and all the more fiercer for it."
Eevee yipped and bared her fangs. She was ready to go.
And so was Leaf.
"Let's do this."
o~o~o~o~o
Leaf took a deep breath, waiting for Aerodactyl to rise from its eons long nap, trying to ease her thumping heart and racing pulse, under the watchful eye of Blaine and the scientists. Why was she so nervous? It was just another wild Pokémon encounter. But she could not help it. She was going to battle a Pokémon that who would be frightened, lost, and confused, much like Omanyte, except this one had the potential to eat a few of her limbs. And that was not to mention the vibes it gave her, taking her to the pages of that journal. Was it not a Pokémon like this that robbed those scientists of their lives?
Was battling truly the way to go? Would it damage Aerodactyl's psyche in the long run? Could she befriend it instead? Or what if she tried a Great Ball and a Razz Berry? She had a few of each. Oh, if only the Trainer of the first Aerodactyl was here! She could use his advice.
Growling. Shuffling. More growling. More shuffling.
Aerodactyl was waking up.
It blinked in the sunlight and yawned, revealing its serrated, saw-like teeth on its bottom jaw. It rose to its feet clumsily and stumbled, spreading out its wings for balance. It yawned again.
Its ophidian eyes found Leaf and Eevee. They stared particularly hard at the latter. Aerodactyl drooled and staggered forth, mouth agape.
It was hungry, even a Zubat could see that. But Eevee would not be that meal. As much as the reluctance was growing within her, Leaf decided to go for it:
"Eevee, Bouncy Bubble!"
Aerodactyl hissed and shrieked as it was knocked back by Eevee's big bubble, and then roared as it was hit by another one. But it was not enough. It was back on its feet, the hunger in its eyes replaced by the fear of the unknown and raging, bloody murder.
"No going back from here, Eevee," Leaf muttered.
Aerodactyl lunged again, snapping its jaws at Eevee. Fortunately, Eevee was nimble enough to avoid the Bite attack. Unfortunately, she took a blow to the ribs from a Wing Attack instead.
"You good, Eevee?" Leaf called.
Eevee righted herself up and growled at Aerodactyl.
"Get it with Buzzy Buzz!" came the next order.
Before Aerodactyl could swipe its wings at Eevee again, its body became engulfed in electricity and it collapsed onto its belly, fully paralysed.
Leaf took out a Great Ball. "Okay, let's go!" She hurled it at Aerodactyl.
The Great Ball landed on Aerodactyl's head and the Fossil Pokémon disappeared into it.
One wiggle.
Two wiggles.
Three wigg –
The Great Ball exploded in a burst of red light and blue and white metal shards, and Aerodactyl was back. However, its mind was elsewhere as it roared at the sky, its pupils rolling back into its head, its tail smacking against the ground with increasing ferocity. It spread its wings and tried to take off, ascending several feet before landing back down. It roared so loudly Leaf could swear her eardrums were about to rupture.
"Eevee!" Leaf shouted. "We have to weaken it some more. Use Bouncy –"
Leaf could not complete saying the attack's name. How could she? Not when she witnessed Aerodactyl use another of its techniques, one that made Leaf feel as if she was the one who was paralysed. From a mouth opened so wide there was no doubt it had the ability to unhinge its jaw, Aerodactyl fired off a carmine beam of energy into the sky.
Hyper Beam.
"Hyper Beam?" Blaine screamed as the scientists around him scrambled and fell over themselves. "Hyper Beam? The other one didn't know that! Leaf, are you okay?"
Leaf did not respond. She could not respond. It was that attack. It was its attack. Those destructive blasts that hounded after her and her Pokémon for what seemed like an eternity, so thunderous she still heard it in her dreams. She dropped to her knees and covered her head with her arms, trembling like a drunk Spinda and moaned.
"Leaf!" Blaine shouted. "Leaf, what are you doing?"
"MissingNo.," she mumbled, dazed. "MissingNo.'s back. It's going to get us."
"Leaf, get out of there!" Blaine yelled.
Eevee yapped and pulled on Leaf's dress, but the girl would still not budge.
"The Hyper Beams," she said as another carmine beam was discharged, not into the sky this time. "All the Hyper Beams."
"Leaf!" Blaine ran forward, a Poke Ball at the ready.
Eevee barked louder. Frustrated that her Trainer was not responding, Eevee, with her desperation making up for her extreme reluctance, sank her fangs into Leaf's leg.
Leaf yelped as she was brought back to their current predicament, a world lit up by Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam, more Hyper Beams than a normal Pokémon should be able to produce.
"Wait," Leaf said, her fuzzy mind clearing. "Aerodactyl!"
She got up gradually to her feet, a trickle of blood running down her leg. Eevee mewled apologetically.
"No problem," Leaf assured her Pokémon. "You had to do what you needed to do." She shrunk slightly as a Hyper Beam grazed the top of the laboratory. "Stupid Hyper Beam."
"Leaf!" Blaine said, having reached her. His Poké Ball dropped from his grip and he clasped her shoulders forcefully. "Are you, okay? Why did you freeze? You could have died! You still can!"
"Sorry," Leaf said, wincing as Blaine's grip tightened. "I just froze. I'm better now. I can… Blaine, you're hurting me!"
As though she was white-hot, Blaine let her go and stared at his shaking hands. "I'm sorry. This is going so differently from the first time. But don't worry, I'll sort this out." He picked up his Poké Ball. "I'll settle this –"
"Watch out!" someone shrieked.
Leaf, Eevee, and Blaine looked up. Aerodactyl was facing them, mouth glowing carmine.
They could not escape.
They could not dodge.
There was not time to even send out a Pokémon to use Protect.
Leaf was numb. Was she always destined to die to a Hyper Beam? Was her surviving MissingNo. merely a stay of execution? Was this just some prank from the universe, an inevitability that marked the end of her life?
Aerodactyl fired off his Hyper Beam, which seemed to fly in slow motion towards them. Blaine grabbed Leaf and swung around, making a futile effort at using his body as a shield. Eevee's ears drooped and her tail fell as she howled mournfully for her Trainer. But before the Hyper Beam hit, Leaf's sharp eyes caught those of Aerodactyl.
Boom!
Silence, not even the trees' leaves made a sound in the wind.
There was nothing to see except a dust cloud. But who would want to see what lied within it? The dust cloud gave the scientists a short reprieve, the time to adjust to seeing the obliterated remains of the two humans and the injured Pokémon amongst them.
The briny gale from the ocean took the dust away on a flight over the rest of Cinnabar, clearing the stage for the next act. The scientists' jaws dropped, and they looked towards the sky.
Leaf trembled. She trembled even more than she did when facing Missingno. because at least then she was determined to be in control, even if her resolve only lasted a few minutes. But she was not dead. She had a feeling getting killed by a Hyper Beam would hurt a little. The attack must have missed or been blocked.
She detached herself from Blaine.
She beheld the source of the Hyper Beam's failure.
She gasped.
It was another Aerodactyl.
A shadow descended upon her; a draconic, bipedal Pokémon with marigold scales, a thick tail, a cream-coloured belly, a small horn and two long antennae on its head, and wings that should not have been able to allow it to fly descended daintily next to her and Blaine. A man no older than twenty with spiky carmine hair hopped off the Pokémon's back, looking ever so strange wearing only swimming trunks and a rather elaborate cape.
"Good work, Aerodactyl," the man said, his powerful voice and face ever so familiar to Leaf. "You took that Hyper Beam ever so well. Barely a scratch." He turned to Leaf and Blaine. "Are you two all right?"
"Yes, thanks to you," Blaine said, affording him a weak smile. "You came in the nick of time." He indicated the man's bizarre attire. "But it looks like we interrupted you."
"I was merely spending time at the beach," the man said, eyes not leaving the first Aerodactyl, "when I saw Hyper Beams being unleashed like no tomorrow over here, I assumed it might be something to do with the new Aerodactyl you called me about, so I rushed right on over. I'm sure my fans who spotted me on the beach won't be disappointed with my sudden departure."
Fans? Leaf took a harder look at the man, his presence allowing her to breathe a lot easier.
"I see," Blaine said. "But you could've at least lost the cape, Lance."
"You're Lance!" Leaf said louder than she intended. "Yeah, you are. You're Lance of the Elite Four! Of course! My friend shows me your battles all the time!"
"I am indeed," Lance said. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. But if you'll excuse me…"
The first Aerodactyl readied another Hyper Beam, recovered from the shock of seeing another one of itself.
"Aerodactyl, Steel Wing!"
Lance's Aerodactyl dove through the Hyper Beam like a hot knife through butter, wings transmuted into metal. The first Aerodactyl screeched as the metallic wings slashed across its chest, finally ending its rampage. Lance's bowed its head for its fallen brother, emphasising with its situation.
"And that is that," Lance said. "Aerodactyl, good work. Return."
"Okay, Leaf," Blaine said hurriedly. "Capture Aerodactyl now! Knocked out or not, it's going to be apoplectic!"
Leaf nodded and took out a Great Ball. She pulled her arm back to throw it. Her arm dropped to her side.
"No," she said.
"No?" Blaine said.
"No?" Lance said with a knowing smile.
"No?" All the scientists said together.
"No?" Common sense and the entire world seemed to chorus.
"Sorry, I'm not going to capture it yet," Leaf said. She put the Great Ball away.
"Why not?" Blaine asked. "It could awaken at any minute. Trust me, you cannot take that risks with a Pokémon like this."
"I know," Leaf said. "And I'm probably being majorly stupid, but Lance is here, so I feel a lot safer now. And I can't just capture it like all the other Pokémon I have; Aerodactyl's had a worse reaction than Omanyte, so if I don't do this now…" She trailed off and strode over to the motionless Aerodactyl, Eevee stuck to her like glue.
"Leaf, wait!" Blaine said, about to run after her, only to be stopped by Lance.
"Let her do this, Blaine. Don't worry, I'll step in if it gets dangerous."
Aerodactyl was visibly breathing, which was a good sign. Leaf dug into her rucksack and pulled out a number of items and berries and held the latter to Aerodactyl's nostrils. The Rock-type sniffed them, and its eyes opened marginally. It growled.
"Hey, don't growl at me," Leaf said. "I'm just trying to help you. Here, do you want to try some Nanab Berries? They're tasty."
Aerodactyl sniffed them suspiciously, but it opened its mouth all the same and Leaf dumped them in, watching with intrigue as the ancient reptile swallowed them without chewing.
"There, that was nice, wasn't it?" Leaf cooed. She set her hand on its head, a scaly head that felt like rubbing her palm on a stone wall. Aerodactyl hissed but she did not remove it. "I have some more. I bet you're hungry. I mean, you did try to eat Eevee after all."
Aerodactyl's slit-like eyes locked onto Eevee, who squealed and ran behind Leaf. However, it accepted more berries from the human.
"You know," Leaf said. "It would be super easy to put you in a Poké Ball right now. Catching my Caterpie would've been harder. But what's the point of doing that if you've just been brought back? I want us to get used to each other. I can talk, you can listen."
And that is what she did. She spoke to Aerodactyl for hours, and even if it could not understand her words, it seemed to understand her tone behind them. It soon stopped hissing and growling and accepted more berries from Leaf.
Lance left to get dressed and came back quickly while Blaine watched on, never taking his eyes off Aerodactyl, continually seeking reassurance from Leaf that she was all right. The Cinnabar scientists recorded Leaf's interactions with the Fossil Pokémon, brimming with excitement at the prospect of contributing much more than they expected to the scientific community.
Then, much to Blaine's disbelief, Leaf sprayed a Full Heal on Aerodactyl, ridding it of its paralysis, and restored some of its health with a Super Potion. Aerodactyl pulled itself to its full height, towering over Leaf.
It leaned its head forward, but its jaws remained shut as it merely nudged Leaf affectionately.
"Aw, you're so good," Leaf said, petting it. Of course, she knew that would be the case. She had seen it, when it fired that Hyper Beam at her, its eyes, eyes that contained, at that moment, true fear without a hint of malice or animosity, the true fear a child has when lost alone in a cruel world, their parents nowhere to be found. "Don't worry, the others and I will be here for you. Maybe you and Omanyte can play with each other too. Just don't go around trying to eat the others. They're your older siblings and trying to eat them would be wrong anyway. You hear me?"
Aerodactyl did not understand a single word she said but got the gist of the meaning. It nudged her again and growled contentedly. And with that, Leaf pressed a Poké Ball against its chest, giving her another Pokémon and, more importantly, a new family member.
She just had to remember to get rid of Aerodactyl's Hyper Beam.
o~o~o~o~o
"That was very risky, Leaf," Blaine said sternly. "You could've been hurt."
"I know," Leaf said. "But I felt I had to do it. Something told me it was the right thing to do."
"Maybe you can read aura?" Lance said jokingly.
Leaf wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I hope not. My cousin can do it, and I know she would insist on trying to get me to refine it if I could."
"Either way, you did very well today," Lance said. "You proved to me how much of a great Trainer you truly are."
"Not really," Leaf said. "I can battle decently because of my grandpa, but I totally froze when Aerodactyl kept using Hyper Beam. I've still got a long way to go."
She stared out into the ocean, Eevee in her arms, the strong coastal air whipping her hair around her face.
"We've all got a long way to go," Lance said. "We all never stop learning. Besides, being a great Trainer is more than winning battles and having the strongest Pokémon. It's about making friends with people and Pokémon alike and having fun. Being able to win battles is just a bonus. It's about heart, compassion, and empathy, which you showed with Aerodactyl. I don't know how many Trainers would've taken the time and the gamble to pacify it."
"That… that means a lot coming from a member of the Elite Four," Leaf said, blushing.
"I suppose Lance has a point," Blaine said. "Not many would've done it. I wouldn't have done it." He snorted. "I suppose even my generation can learn from you whippersnappers."
"'Whippersnappers'?" Lance repeated. "Just how old are you, Blaine?"
"I turned twenty-five last week."
"Ah, I see. And how many times have you turned twenty-five?"
"None of your business, that's how many."
The two men laughed and clapped each other of the back, and Leaf joined in too, the trio laughing and laughing until it came time for Lance to be on his way.
"The Pokémon League will be starting soon," he said. "Are you taking part, Leaf?"
"No," Leaf replied. "It doesn't interest me. And I've got my work for Professor Oak to complete anyway. My friends, Red and Blue, are though."
"That is a pity, but I hope to face your friends in a blood-pumping battle." Lance swept out his cape with a flourish and climbed on the back of his Pokémon, a Pokémon Leaf's Pokédex said was called a Dragonite, a creature so rare not many people were known to have seen one, let alone tame one. Although, that could have just been hyperbole. "Dragonite here wishes for it too."
Dragonite raised its arms to the sky and bellowed dramatically.
Leaf had to ask, she simply had to. "Er… Lance. Where did you get your Dragonite?"
"I got him from my hometown," Lance said. "Blackthorn City in Johto. Have you heard of it? You could go there and try to capture Dratini in Dragon's Den. But I also heard you can get Dratini in the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City or on Route Ten." He bowed his head solemnly. "Dragon-types are incredibly difficult to raise, but I am certain you will succeed should you capture one. Now, goodbye, Leaf, I hope to see you again. And Blaine, stop making the quizzes on your show so darn hard!"
"If it was easy, everyone would win all the time."
"That's true, but Lorelei and I always bet on the right answers for some of the questions and I keep losing."
Blaine chuckled. "That's your first mistake, betting against someone as smart as her."
Lance grinned. "That may be so. Maybe I should give up." Dragonite hovered into the air. "Anyway, goodbye, you two."
Dragonite zoomed off into the sky, becoming a mere dot in the dusky sky in a matter of seconds.
o~o~o~o~o
"What?" Professor Oak shouted, almost falling out of his chair. "Am I reading this right? This evaluation states that you have two Fossil Pokémon! Is this the glitching in your Pokédex you were telling me about?"
"No," Leaf said, giggling at the professor's stunned expression. "This is all real. I wanted to keep it a secret until both were done, and they are. I've got an Omanyte and Aerodactyl now. Apparently if I want a Kabuto too, I need to find something called a Dome Fossil."
But Professor Oak did not seem to be listening; he was gazing at his keyboard, rubbing his chin.
"Leaf," he said, without looking up. "Would you be willing to do me a favour?"
"Of course," Leaf said. "What is it?"
"I know you must go to Pewter, but would you be willing to head to Celadon first?"
"Celadon? Er, sure. How come?"
"I'm going to be there giving lectures at Celadon University and working with a few of my colleagues. If it isn't too much, would you mind bringing Omanyte and Aerodactyl so we can analyse them. It's not everyday we encounter Fossil Pokémon, is it? I mean, your Aerodactyl is the first one ever brought back. We've only had skeletons and theories before."
"Oh no, mine's the second," Leaf said.
Professor Oak did fall out of his chair this time. "Wh-what?"
"Um, yeah. It belongs to Lance of the Elite Four."
"How did I not know this?" Professor Oak shouted, wringing his hands. "Why did he not say anything? We met only a few days before I gave you Bulbasaur and your Pokédex."
"He probably didn't want to bring too much attention to it," Leaf surmised.
"Hmm, you have a point." Professor Oak straightened his lab coat and smoothed out his hair. "Anyway, would you be able to come? I know you could send them over to me, but I feel they need you close otherwise things could go awry. Am I correct in that assumption?"
Leaf winced at the ancient, dark times of the afternoon. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be there. Tomo said it didn't matter how long it takes me to return to Pewter."
"Excellent!" Professor Oak said. "My, how far you've come already, Leaf! Fossils and you've seen a mythical Pokémon. It almost borders on being utterly unbelievable.
"Oh, and I believe Red will be here in Celadon too. He mentioned he was on his way, so maybe you two could meet up again. A pity Blue won't be there seeing as he's already won the Rainbow Badge."
Leaf lips formed the biggest smile on her face. "Okay, I'll definitely be there!"
Oh, what a day!
Omanyte was getting along with Ditto.
She captured an Aerodactyl.
She met Lance the Dragon Master.
She was going to Celadon.
She would meet Red again.
She almost died (again).
What an eventful day!
