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 Fifty-Eight: Trading Up
"Use Bonemerang again, Cubone!"
Cubone hurled his bone, sending it spinning before it came back with a vengeance. Cubone leapt up to catch it, fumbling it but this time not allowing it to hit the ground.
"That was so much better!" Red said, picking Cubone up and chucking him into the air. "You'll be able to catch it cleanly soon enough."
Cubone squealed contentedly, but not as delightfully as he might have done if he had completed Bonemerang flawlessly. Still, even he could realise just how far he had come along.
Training was moving along nicely, everyone except Clefairy working together on Route Fifteen, the perfect spot to get copious amounts of practice done. Charmeleon was sparring with Beedrill, Lo was firing metallic beams of light into the sky, Snorlax was engaged in battle with a wild Pokémon, and Pikachu was facing down Evan's Vileplume.
The Pokémon Snorlax was taking on was a Weepinbell, the evolved form of Bellsprout. It was a bell-shaped plant with wide eyes, two green leaves either side of its body, a brown stem on top of its head, and a wide mouth bordered by pink lips. Its eyes widened more so when Snorlax got up off it, finished by a Body Slam.
"Good work, Snorlax," Red said, patting her belly. "And don't worry, little one," he added to the Weepinbell, "I'll fix you up."
Which he did, feeding the Weepinbell a couple of Sitrus Berries he found. Upon being rejuvenated, the Grass and Poison-type gave Red a reproachful yet thankful look and disappeared into the tall grass.
Snorlax tapped Red on the shoulder and pointed at her gaping maw.
"Yeah, don't worry," Red said, pulling out half a dozen Berry Bars. "You can have these. And there are some Berry trees over there. We'll get a proper dinner at the Pokémon Centre afterwards."
Satisfied, Snorlax scoffed down the Berry Bars and waddled over to the nearest copse of trees, flushed with ripe, shiny Berries of all sorts.
"Evan," Red called to the Move Tutor. "How's it going now?"
"Pikachu's pulling off Splishy Splash consistently," Evan replied with a satisfied nod. "Your practice with him this past week has really done wonders for him."
"Wish we could've done it as fast as Leaf did," Red said, wishing she was still around to watch his Gym Battle with Koga, instead of setting off to Pewter City.
Evan shrugged. "But Leaf has more experience than you so far with learning these special moves, so it is to be expected. But you both have potential to teach your Pokémon almost any kind of move even without my help, if I'm being honest here."
Red raised an eyebrow. "You think?"
"I know." Evan smiled warmly at him. "I only told you about Splishy Splash. You're the one who trained with Pikachu to get him to learn it. I'm only reviewing it now, aren't I? Lo's Flash Cannon is coming along really well, isn't it? Again, not me. Snorlax too, and let's not forget Cubone. I mean, even I didn't think to teach him that."
"I mean, I had to," Red said, blushing. "If Koga has a Golbat or a Koffing or something, then Bone Club and Bonemerang won't work."
"The reason doesn't matter," Evan said, his tailcoat dancing in the smooth zephyr. "The fact is you have succeeded in teaching them new techniques. That's the mark of a great Trainer. You've come so far in such a short space of time."
Was that true? The modest part of Red wanted to say it was not, but the louder, stronger part of himself wholly disagreed. Mint and Evan had done so much for him at the start of his journey, and maybe he had taken everything he had learned from them and was using it himself. Was this evidence of him improving as a Trainer? Was he becoming more independent? Had he finally taken the stabilizers off his bike?
Was his dream of reaching the Indigo League that much closer?
o~o~o~o~o
Pewter City. How long had it been? Leaf really should have been here sooner, shouldn't she? But everything that had happened since Omanyte and Aerodactyl had been revived had not been her fault, nothing that she could have avoided, right? Well, not really. But none of that mattered now for she had finally returned to the city that was nestled in the strong embrace of the surrounding rugged mountains.
Fearow soared over the grey buildings, the dusty roads running like zigzags throughout the city until they arrived at the Museum of Science, the great bird summoning clouds of dust as she settled on the ground.
And standing there was the scientist Tomo, who coughed and spluttered as she ingested a heck of a lot of dirt.
"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Leaf said sliding off Fearow and clearing dust off Tomo's lab coat, Eevee doing her best to help too by brushing at Tomo's trousers with her fluffy tail.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Tomo said, cleaning her glasses with a piece of cloth she produced from her pocket. "I wasn't expecting a Fearow to dive out of the sky though, little miss."
"Sorry, Tomo," Leaf said sheepishly. "I just wanted to get here as quickly as possible."
Tomo squinted at Leaf. "Wait. That voice. Oh, it's Leaf! Sorry, sorry, I didn't recognise you there. Can't help that I can't see though. Give me a second." She plopped her glasses on the bridge of her nose, and her face brightened as she beheld Leaf before her. "Yeah, it is you! How's it going?"
"It's going well," Leaf said, shaking Tomo's hand. "I've caught a lot of Pokémon for my Pokédex, had some other interesting things happen to us, and, well, I was finally able to get back here."
Tomo's visage glowed so much there might have been a lightbulb under her skin. "You don't mean…"
"Yep," Leaf said, grinning. "The Fossils are now living, breathing Pokémon, and they're with me now." She rubbed her forearm awkwardly. "Um, sorry it took so long."
Her apology fell on deaf ears. "You managed to get to Cinnabar Island and do it!" Tomo exclaimed. She clasped her hands together and twirled, almost losing her balance and falling. "This is amazing! Everyone is going to be so excited, especially since we've been doing something with Brock's Kabuto… wait. Did you say Fossils? Plural?"
"I did. Um… what exactly have you been doing?"
Tomo tapped the side of her nose, her mouth practically watering in exhilaration. "Just you wait and see, Leaf."
o~o~o~o~o
Tomo led Leaf to a field a couple hundred yards behind the museum. Battles. That was what they had been doing. Battles. Leaf wanted to groan but she stifled it, instead watching as Brock's Kabuto summoned a ball of dusty blue energy and hurled it at a Bug Catcher's Butterfree. Kabuto hissed triumphantly as its foe fainted.
"It looks like another victory, Brock," Tomo said, stepping aside as the Bug Catcher left, saying he would like to have another battle soon. "Is Kabuto getting close?"
"It should be soon," Brock said, walking over, Kabuto scuttling behind him. "I'm getting that gut feeling."
"Well, you have been battling with Kabuto a lot," Tomo said. "I'm shocked it hasn't happened all ready. But that aside, do you recognise this Trainer with me?"
Brock blinked in the sunlight and shielded his eyes. "Whoa, it's Leaf," he said, striding forward and holding out his hand for a high-five. "It's been while, hasn't it? How have things been with you?"
"Good, good," Leaf said, beaming from ear to ear. "Just been busy catching Pokémon. What about you? How have the Gym Battles been?"
"They've been really fun," Brock said, tickling a purring Eevee under her chin. "They'll be some really tough Trainers at the League if they get all the Badges. Obviously, not many ever get the eight Badges, but I'm sure they'll be a decent number qualifying for the League. I'm willing to bet my Gym Leader title that Red and Blue will be there. And I hear you watched Red's battle against Erika, Leaf. Didn't get you with that battle buzz though, did it?"
"No," Leaf said. "I'll still only battle if I have to. It's honestly just not for me."
Brock nodded thoughtfully. "I respect your choice; this world is so vast, you can do anything that involves Pokémon, even if it's not battling. But it would've been useful now."
Leaf furrowed her eyebrows. "What makes you say that?"
"Because we want to go one step further with Kabuto," Tomo said, cutting across Brock, jumping up and down like she was hyped up on coffee, which she probably was. "I assume you've seen that Kabutops skeleton in the museum?"
"Yeah, I have."
"Well, Kabutops is the evolution of Kabuto, and it evolves through battle experience. We've tried the Stones and trading and all sorts, but none of that has worked, so Brock's been trying to get it strong enough to evolve."
"And it should be soon," Brock said, his Kabuto scuttling near Eevee, trying to catch her swishing tail.
"And it'll be amazing when it happens!" Tomo said, sighing dreamily. "And you said 'Fossils' didn't you, Leaf? You didn't just bring back the Old Amber Pokémon, did you?"
"No, not just Aerodactyl," Leaf said, and Tomo needed Brock to stop her from keeling over as she whispered 'We were right'. "I've got a Omanyte from a Helix Fossil too."
"An Omanyte too?" Brock said, letting Tomo fall to her feet. "You got another Fossil? From Mt. Moon?"
"Well, Red found it," Leaf admitted. "He gave it to me."
"What a good friend you've got!" Tomo squealed, jumping to her feet in a mess of frantic arms and legs. "That is amazing! And it couldn't be more perfect! I can't believe how seamlessly this all fits together!"
"Er… huh?"
"Omanyte can evolve too," Brock said, his voice sounding even calmer compared to Tomo's near delirious state. "And if it's like with Kabuto, then it'll be through battling."
"Okay…" Leaf said, frowning as she tried to make sense of where this was all going.
Brock knelt before her. "How would you like to evolve each other's Pokémon?"
Leaf's jaw dropped. "What?"
o~o~o~o~o
Leaf studied Kabuto guardedly. She could not say she was fond of the way it moved, too quick compared to her Omanyte, and it hissed at her every so often, but not as much as when it was still under Brock's ownership. Still, thanks to the trade, she had a Kabuto in her Pokédex with a tiny Poké Ball by its name. Or his name as Missingno. told her while also whispering to her that it would one day devour her.
Just one thing at a time, right?
Another Omanyte ambulated across the floor, squeaking out to the other, the clone wishing the real one all the best.
"So, we're going to battle a bunch of times?" Leaf said, struggling to hide her distaste. "Are you sure trading does what you say it does?"
"Absolutely," Tomo said, running around with a bunch of other scientists and a clipboard in her arms. "It has been proven that traded Pokémon gain experience twice as fast as those under their original Trainers, although for what reason we're not sure. This should help us get them to their next stages sooner. It helps that Omanyte seems to have already been at a higher level when it was resurrected compared to Kabuto. Unfortunately, Aerodactyl doesn't seem to be capable of evolution."
"Okay," Leaf said. "And, um, who will we be battling?"
"I've asked my Gym Trainers to come along," Brock said, and a group of four people came filing out onto the field, all clamouring excitedly, all thanking Brock for inviting them. "Leaf, these are my pals Amara, Liam, Jerry, and Edwin. We got to Mt. Moon together every so often. Everyone, this is Leaf. She's one of the Professor Oak assistants I told you about."
A warm and cordial exchange followed, Leaf at once growing to like them, for they were Brock's trusted friends, so why wouldn't she?
And then it was time to get down to business and the vile taste of reluctance mixed with the inability to avoid the task permeated the air and wreaked havoc in her nostrils. Why did it have to be battles? If only she had a truckload of Rare Candies.
Oh wait, she was given a few by Looker, wasn't she? It was better than nothing, and she quickly shared them between Kabuto and Omanyte, who sniffed them curiously before devouring them.
"Thank you, Leaf," Brock said. "I wish I had some myself, but they're called Rare Candies for a reason."
"No problem," Leaf said, thinking to herself at least it meant less battles for her to partake in.
Brock got things started against Liam, pitting Omanyte against Geodude. Geodude barely hung on after being soaked by Water Gun and responded with a Rock Throw, which barely did anything to a Withdraw-powered Omanyte. Liam could only watch as Geodude fell to a glob of mud.
Brock gave a low whistle. "Whoa, Omanyte is incredible. Do you use her often in battle, Leaf?"
"I've used her in a few against wild Pokémon," Leaf replied, honestly. "She has been getting more confident, but she still doesn't want to do stuff without Ditto nearby." She waved her hand over at the second Omanyte. "It's nearly always in this form. But you don't mind, do you, Ditto? You're just helping out your friend."
Ditto-Omanyte waved its tentacles and gurgled, and Eevee joined in, shaking her tail. Omanyte waved back shyly.
Next up was Leaf, and she took a step forward with Kabuto, who clicked his claws and hissed at Amara and her Geodude.
"Okay," Leaf muttered to herself, taking a deep breath. "Attacks: Ancient Power, Water Gun, Mud Shot, and Harden. Same moves as Omanyte apart from the fourth. Let's do this."
"Rock Smash!" Amara cried.
"Harden!" Leaf said.
Geodude brought its fist down on Kabuto's shell, who hid himself within it, safe and sound, barely touched by the Fighting-type move.
"Mud Shot!" Leaf shouted.
Somewhere from under his shell, Kabuto spat out a glob of mud, exactly like what Omanyte did to Liam's Geodude. Amara's grimaced as it tried to shake off the muck which clung to it, making it sluggish, slow.
A simple Water Gun ended the second Geodude's short run.
"Great," Tomo said, playing back the recordings of the battle. "Getting so much footage of Fossil Pokémon in battle will help our understanding so much more. Maybe Aerodactyl can get in on the action afterwards. Have you used it in battle, Leaf?"
"I have," Leaf said. "He's really powerful. But if you want to see one in battle, you might as well wait for the Indigo League. Lance has one too."
Tomo almost dropped the camera. "What?"
Brock, his Gym Trainers, and the surrounding scientists did a doubletake. "What?"
"Oh, yeah, Lance has an Aerodactyl too," Leaf said with a nervous chuckle. "Um, I guess he still isn't bothering to tell anyone."
"Lance has a Fossil Pokémon, and only now are we hearing about this!" Tomo exploded, clenching the camera as tightly as a Pinsir using Vice Grip. "Where on earth did he get an Old Amber? Why hasn't he told anyone? Why didn't he nor the Fossil Restoration people not tell us? This is our field of expertise for Pete's sake!"
"Now, now, don't get worked up, Tomo," Brock said softly, hands raised in a calming manner. "It was probably Lance wanting to keep things quiet. He probably asked them to not say anything while he adapted to using his Aerodactyl." He grimaced. "Still, they should've at least told us. Oh well, you can never know what goes on in Lance's head."
o~o~o~o~o
Many miles away, Lance's Dragonite raked its glowing, purplish claws against a wild Onix, felling it in a single hit.
His ears burned as more wild Pokémon gathered around, eager to have a go at the formidable creature and the human it was partnered with. "Why are people always talking about me?"
o~o~o~o~o
The battles waged on as Leaf and Brock recycled the Gym Trainers, going from Liam to Amara to Jerry to Edwin and back to Amara. Revives and Max Revives, Ethers and Max Ethers, Elixirs and Max Elixirs were the name of the game as the Gym Trainers' Pokémon kept coming back for more, mostly falling easily again and again, but occasionally catching Leaf and Brock unawares, making the result that much tighter.
Omanyte and Kabuto grew more confident with each opponent they trounced, the change in the former being more drastic. She still looked over towards Ditto, and even shot some glances towards Eevee and Leaf, as though she still considered herself a member of their party.
"Whew!" Brock said, taking a swig of water. "Man, we've been on a roll!"
"Yeah, we have," Leaf said, munching on a Berry Bar, sounding as far away from enthusiasm as possible. Granted, she was as excited as a Clamperl at high tide at the prospect of seeing two new Pokémon that have not existed for eons, but to have to do all these battles really took the shine off it for her.
Brock poured the rest of his water over his head, dripping down his chest and back, soaking his t-shirt. "I know, it's been a long day, especially for you, Leaf. But can you feel it?"
"Feel what?" Leaf responded, balling the Berry Bar wrapper and slipping it into her rucksack.
"Evolution is near," Brock said, his voice hushed, his eyes glittering. "Kabuto and Omanyte are so close. I know that you can feel it too."
Leaf hid the frown that fought to make its way onto her face, and she ordered the retort of 'That's crazy!' to stand down because that would have been impolite. Instead, she looked to Omanyte and Kabuto who were ravenously scoffing down as much food as they could, and something triggered within her. It was minor, and she most likely would not have noticed it if she was not searching for it, but it was there.
It grew. It grew and grew, like her Jigglypuff using Stockpile, until it was not strange, not out of the ordinary, but familiar, friendly. When Caterpie was about to evolve into the Metapod; when Bulbasaur was a day away from becoming an Ivysaur; before Spearow took on a new form; this sensation was always there, always around when her Pokémon were about to evolve.
Oh gosh, Brock was right!
Omanyte and Kabuto were next. They just needed that one last push…
"Edwin," Brock said. "Jerry. This is it. I want you both to use your strongest Pokémon against Leaf and me in a Double Battle."
It took Leaf a few seconds to contemplate what Brock was saying.
"A Double Battle?" she said, unable to hide her grimace. "And against their strongest Pokémon? Really, Brock?"
"Yes," Brock said, clenching his fists and flexing his wrists. "We have to keep pushing our Pokémon, and I feel a battle against super strong opponents will be enough. We can do this, Leaf. We're so close."
Leaf mulled it over. It did make sense to take on tougher Pokémon to make Omanyte and Kabuto's evolutions arrive faster, but wouldn't a few more battles against weaker foes suffice? They would not get much from a loss. Then again, if they did win, Leaf would be done and dusted with these fights, and that was always a plus. And it was not like she did not have any experience in Double Battles.
"Okay, Brock," Leaf said. "Let's do it."
Who were the Pokémon Edwin and Jerry were going to use in this Double Battle, who was going to make Omanyte and Kabuto struggle to achieve a new plateau of power?
The four-armed stone beast known as Graveler was Edwin's pick.
Jerry called forth a Pokémon Leaf recognised as a Rhydon. It was a bipedal thing covered in grey, armour-like plates, a cream-coloured horn, red eyes that were as harsh as its pre-evolutions, spikes that seemed as if they could skewer you by barely touching you running down it back, and a thick tail that might have been able to send a truck flying with a careless swish.
Rhydon, a dual Ground and Rock-type Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rhyhorn. They begin walking on their hind legs after evolution. It can punch holes through boulders with their horn.
"Whoa," Brock said, grinning. "Rhyhorn finally evolved. Good for you both, Jerry and Rhydon. Caught me by surprise."
"I bet we did," Jerry said, puffing out his chest. "We've been training hard, haven't we, Rhydon?"
A deep rumble travelled from the pit of Rhydon's stomach and flew out of its great mouth, a rumble of agreement.
"Hey, Jerry," Edwin said, nudging him. "Whenever you get a Protector, how about we do a quick trade? Graveler's been waiting ages to evolve."
Jerry pretended to think about it a moment. "Hmm… yeah, that's cool."
"I hope you get that sorted soon," Brock said. "I want you guys to get even stronger, okay? You too, Amara, Liam. We'll keep showing everyone how amazing Rock-types can be." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, we've got two other Rock-types here we need to help grow. How about we get this party started?"
Edwin and Jerry got the party off to a rocking start as Graveler and Rhydon formed multiple rocks from dust that rose from their bodies and fired them like cannon balls at the tiny Fossil Pokémon. Withdraw and Harden did enough to mitigate the damage from Rock Blast, but the follow up from Graveler's Rollout knocked them into the air, where they were left vulnerable to a Megahorn from Rhydon, whose horn extended and turned from cream to dark green and pummelled them back down to earth.
"Kabuto!" Leaf shouted. "Are you all right?"
"Let's go, Omanyte," Brock said. "Shake it off and use Water Gun."
"Water Gun too," Leaf said.
From their ancient orifices, Omanyte and Kabuto blasted Graveler and Rhydon with jets of water. Despite being evolved and durable, the duo cowered and winced as their unwanted shower tore through them like fire through a dry field.
Rock Blasts were next, the Fossil Pokémon hiding within their shells as the rocks bombarded them like bombs on a tank, making them hiss in pain, making them desire retribution against their foes.
They got a little of it by spitting out globs of mud at the two stone monsters, thick and sticky, making their limbs heavy, their bodies glacier slow.
"Water Gun!" Leaf and Brock cried together.
Soaked once again. It did not seem very enjoyable for Graveler and Rhydon, did it? They had battled Brock many times before, only defeating a few of his Pokémon occasionally, so to be struggling as they were was to be expected. But this girl too? Who was she? They needed their Trainers to push them forwards.
And one of the best ways for Graveler to do that was to use Rollout again, and it sped from one side of the field to the other, gaining momentum, tearing through the earth, even Withdraw and Harden struggling against the escalating power.
However, what was Rhydon to do? How could Jerry have it continue to contribute to the battle? Wait a minute… Rhydon knew Earthquake! Ground-type moves ate Rock-types for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was no way Omanyte and Kabuto would have it within themselves to endure such a mighty technique. He smirked. It looked like this would not be the battle the Fossil beings evolved in.
So, with great aplomb, Jerry shouted, "Rhydon, use Earthquake!" and Rhydon stamped its heavy feet and whacked its colossal tail against the ground, calling forth shockwaves that ripped through the terrain, knocked the scientists to their feet, and crashed against Omanyte and Kabuto like tidal waves, slamming them onto their shells, their scuttling feet and waving tentacles frenzied.
Jerry scowled. Oh, how was that not enough to finish them off?
Yes, that was a fair question, wasn't it? However, he did not have to be dismayed because Earthquake did take out a Pokémon. Or maybe he should have been a little dismayed for that Pokémon was Edwin's Graveler. The poor thing was sent careening off course, overwhelmed by the shaking ground, and lost consciousness.
"Why did you do that?" Edwin bellowed, chucking his pith helmet on the ground. "You took out Graveler!"
"I… I was trying to take out those two," Jerry said, his voice small.
"Don't you have a Fighting-type move or something?" Edwin snapped. "Graveler was going to take out at least one with Rollout, and you could've ended the other one."
Jerry, flustered, mumbled hurried apologies to Edwin, so caught up in his embarrassment that he was ill-prepared to do anything to save his Rhydon from being made unconscious by two more Water Guns.
Consequently, Leaf and Brock won the battle by the skin of their teeth.
There was no time to celebrate the victory nor any time to comfort the mortified Jerry for something quite splendid began to occur. Omanyte and Kabuto began to glow in a blinding light, their silhouetted forms growing and changing shape: evolution.
The scientists all whooped and cheered, giving each other high-fives and hugs; Brock tried to keep his face impassive, stoic, but his lips could not resist the temptation to take the form of a smile; Leaf gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, the achingly long (to her) battles already a distant memory.
Two new Pokémon replaced Omanyte and Kabuto, Pokémon that Leaf's Pokédex told her were called Omastar and Kabutops, showing her ancient carvings with their likenesses, illustrations from ancient books, skeletons from other museums around the world, not a single real-life photo of them to be found.
Omastar still looked very much like Omanyte, only being bigger, having spikes in a row on her helix-spiralled shell, pupils that were now slit-like, longer tentacles, and an eldritch mouth with fangs that looked as though they would fasten upon something and never let go until it was entirely consumed, bones and all.
Kabutops, on the other hand, underwent the more drastic changes. He stood at over four feet in height upon two spindly legs, mostly brown like his pre-evolution apart from his grey chest and stomach. Six flat spines were set on a ridge that ran down his back, three either side of it, which ended at a pointed tail. It had a flat head, two beady eyes, and much like a Scyther, instead of having arms or any kind of normal appendages, it had two razor-sharp blades instead.
Omastar stared at its tentacles and then at Ditto, who remained an Omanyte. Omastar slithered over to Ditto listlessly, as though struggling with its new body, and towered over its friend, and she whimpered.
Leaf started to make her way towards Omastar, but Brock's strong grip stopped her. He shook his head.
Ditto cooed and cosied up to Omastar, who recoiled and backed away, as though ashamed.
Kabutops, meanwhile, had no interest in Omastar's struggle, and ran to the other side of the field, swinging its blades so quickly they became blurs. It squealed in delight.
Ditto said something to Omastar.
Omastar replied to Ditto.
Ditto said something else to Omastar.
Omastar replied once more to Ditto.
Silence.
The humans watched with bated breath.
With a sound that might have been a sigh, Ditto turned back into its true form before transforming itself into an Omastar. It waved its tentacles as if saying 'Okay, okay, I'll keep using Transform if it makes you happy. But promise me you'll keep trying to become more confident, okay? I keep forgetting I'm a Ditto not an Omanyte'.
Fossil Pokémon evolving. Who would have ever thought it? There was always something new to discover in such a strange and remarkable world. Leaf's return to Pewter was more rewarding than she would have ever believed.
o~o~o~o~o
"Where are you headed next?"
"Huh?" Leaf said, looking up from her Pokédex, where the five Fossil Pokemons' names now all had that tiny Poké Ball next to them.
"Have you decided where you're going next?" Brock said.
"Hmm," Leaf said, pursing her lips. "I think I should go get some Electric-types next. I haven't got a single one. It's weird, I've got all Bug-types apart from a Venomoth and all the Kanto Ghost-types, but not even a Pikachu."
"Then you'd best be headed for the Power Plant," Brock said, keeping a close eye on his Kabutops, who was getting a little too stimulated testing out his new Slash attack. "You can find lots of Electric-types there. You know, on Route Ten."
That triggered something in the back of Leaf's mind. "Route Ten? Oh yeah, I needed to go there anyway; apparently you can get Dratini there. It's by Rock Tunnel too, isn't it? I need a whole bunch more Rock and Ground-types as well."
"Looks like you'll have a productive time there, then," Brock said, chuckling. "And are you sure you're all right to leave Omastar and Aerodactyl here? You're not going to need them in catching more Pokémon?"
"I mean," Leaf said, twiddling her fingers, "they're both super powerful – Omastar really shocked me – so they would be super useful, but this is for science, right? This is to help everyone learn about what Fossil Pokémon are like, and I like the fact that I can help by letting them stay here. Besides, it's not like it's forever. Tomo said they can re-join my party soon."
Brock's smile was pure. "That is very mature, Leaf. You've honestly been a great help in this whole thing. And, on a personal scale, you've given me an even more powerful partner in Kabutops." He turned his head towards the Shellfish Pokémon. "He's grea – no, Kabutops! Don't test Slash on humans!"
As Brock ran off to stop a frisky Kabutops, Leaf relaxed on the grass, Eevee curled up on her lap. After so long, she had returned to Pewter, and it was totally worth it. Yes, it was slightly soured by the fact Tomo and the other scientists wanted to conduct tests on Omastar and Aerodactyl, but she would get them back soon. And at least Ditto had offered to stay as well to keep the former comfortable, so she did not have to worry about either of them acting out while staying in Pewter.
But now she could put one hundred percent of her focus back on her primary goal: catching all the Pokémon in Kanto.
o~o~o~o~o
Goodbyes are usually quite sad, aren't they? You never know when you are going to see the other person again, if ever. It is especially bad when you actually like the person you have to say it to.
"Thanks for everything, Evan," Red said, shaking the Move Tutor's hand. "You've been an awesome help on my journey. Good luck in whatever you're doing next."
"Thanks, Red," Evan said, his tailcoat fluttering in the chilly night air. "And thank you for allowing me to teach Pikachu my special moves and for being such a good student yourself. Like I said earlier today, you can teach any Pokémon you catch any technique they are capable of learning. That's how incredible you are. You and Leaf, I should say. It's a pity our farewell was so rushed. But we all have places we need to be, the next stops on our own adventures. And my time in Kanto has come to an end. So, Red, Hopeful Future Champion, I wish you well and bid you goodbye. And goodbye to you too, Pikachu, I hope those techniques will be useful to you."
"Goodbye, Evan," Red said, as Pikachu gave the man a salute.
And there he went, disappearing into the dark, heading out of Fuchsia to wherever his next destination would take him, and Red would focus on his own.
The Fuchsia Gym.
o~o~o~o~o
Giovanni studied the footage intently. It was not the best quality, a tad fuzzy, but it did the job, it told him what he needed to know: Mewtwo was at Cerulean Cave.
"You say we did not suffer any casualties, did you not?" Giovanni said to Petrel.
"No," Petrel said. "We sent in my Slowpoke with a camera attached. This Slowpoke." He gestured at his feet to the pink creature that was blithely staring off into space. "We figured Mewtwo doesn't attack Pokémon, at least those that don't antagonise it, so we thought of sending in one that isn't intimidating and can swim through the underground lake that's there. We also thought that sending in a Pokémon who, well, doesn't really, um, think might be the best thing too, you know, in case Mewtwo reads its intentions. We all concluded that sending in a Slowpoke with a camera on its back would be preferable to sending a lot of us in and risking our lives, and I signed off on it."
"I see," Giovanni said lightly. "Well, I would have been happy as long as we got this evidence. I was expecting losses, but this is the best possible outcome. Petrel, you and your squad will be commended and rewarded."
"Whoa, thanks, boss," Petrel said, flushed with pride. His Slowpoke rolled on its back and yawned.
"And now begins the next stage of our plan," Giovanni said, leaning forward on his desk, tenting his fingers together. "We can finally move forth with it. Petrel, I need you and Archer to call in the Rocket Siblings. We need all of our most skilled operatives as soon as possible."
"I'll get right on that, boss," Petrel said. "Um, what about Ariana? She checked in yesterday, and she thinks Biruritchi can handle the Sevii Islands branch by himself now."
"I need her back too," Giovanni said. "But I'll call her personally."
Petrel bowed to Giovanni and rolled his Slowpoke out the door.
When the door shut, Giovanni caressed the still, fuzzy image of Mewtwo.
Soon. Oh, so soon.
