"Hey, Leaf. C'mon. We're almost there." Red said with a smile on his face when he notices a ladder after climbing over a ledge. He then heard a groan, holding out his hand to pick up Leaf who is sweating with a disheveled look and her hair ruffled. After taking his hand and being lifted to the upper level of the cavern, she gives him an annoyed glare while they are about to walk out of Diglett's Cave.
"Red...give me a minute...probably five..." Leaf huffed, her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Red looked at her in confusion before asking. "Umm... you ok?"
Surprised and confused along with feeling a tinge of offense at the question, the brunette looks at him with an annoyed glare before she hides her feeling in a smile and looks at her friend.
"Red sweetie?" Leaf said in a tone that made the red capped trainer uneasy as he texts her. "Uhh...y-yes, Leaf?"
"You do know I'm not a hiker or a miner or an offspring of one of them, right?"
"Mmhmm." He hummed to her while nodding as well before she continued.
"Good. This means that unlike you, I'm not built for caves and mountains. I'm surprised that I was able to get through Mt. Moon so easily." Leaf stated in an annoyed tone, mumbling the last sentence while checking her shorts and shirt for any rips. Red looked at her before he claps his hands together before looking at her with a smile that almost made her blush before she hears another beep from her Pokegear. "I can help you to get more fit so that mountains won't be a problem for you...if that makes you feel better."
Leaf sighed before she gets up and continued, giving him a nod that she may take up on his offer, much to his glee.
'This is what I get for trying to be friends andpossiblydate the son of a hiker.' The brunette mentally said before she notices the exit. She then ran out of the cave in seconds and jumping before yelling at the top of her lungs. "YES! FREEDOM!"
Both teenagers find themselves outside of Diglett's Cave, enjoying the feeling and the sunlight and the peaceful wind hitting them immediately. Letting out a sigh of relief, the brunette continued treading on the path until she accidentally hit her toe on a rock causing her to fall. She braced herself for the impact to the ground but was surprised that she felt nothing, opening her eyes to see Red holding her in his grasp as much as he could with one arm which brought a blush on her face with how close he is.
'That's unfair! I'm trying to be mad! That's it!' She thought with a pout before she wraps her arms around his neck, getting closer to him. "Well, aren't you ever the helpful one, hero~?"
This caught the red capped teen by surprise when he starts to curse the fact that he can't lower his cap to his face to hide his expression, much to his companion's glee as she watches with half lidded eyes.
"L-Leaf...are y-you ok?" He asked, trying to gently push her away which was as successful as it can be for a person with one working arm. The girl just continued getting closer, not answering his question physically but mentally instead. 'Ooooh, I'm alright. Just forgot to take my reward. Now make like a Magikarp and pucker up.'
"T-this is a j-joke, r-right?" Red tried again to speak to her, not getting much response when she puts her hand on her chin, licking her lips while brushing his cap and hair from his face to leave his full face on display before answering. "Hmm, I wonder..."
Suddenly, a blast of water interrupted the duo, hitting Red in the face and sending him to the cave's entrance face first while Leaf fell on her butt. She glared angrily at the direction to see a little girl with brown hair and red ribbons in her hair and a blue bubble dress and an Azurill in her arms with a confident look on her face. The brunette could only groan as the little girl points towards Red. "Leave my sister alone, c-ca-cappuccino!"
'Cappuccino?' The raven haired teen said as he lifts an eyebrow before Leaf answers his question. "She means cap crusader, sweetie."
Hearing this, the child looks at the brunette with a mischievous look on her face, a smile showing on her face before she ran down the route, saying. "Oooohhh. Sis got a boyfriend! I'm gonna tell mom!"
"Wha- get back here, you little squirt!" Leaf shouted, chasing after the girl before she turns to notice Red not following her and instead going the other way, much to her confusion. "Red, where are you going? The brat went this way."
Leaf then hear a beep as she reads her Pokegear, her eyes widening when she sees the message. "I'll stay out here and camp."
"Oh no! I'm not letting you leave me again." The brunette said, running towards the red jacket trainer and wrapping her arms around him, using all her strength to hold him in place. Uneasy is an understatement of how Red's feeling, remembering what happened the last time he step foot into the city. He then tries to release himself from her grip and make his way to Pewter City but all his efforts was met with failure.
"Please Red. Plus, there is a reason that I want you to come with me." She said, her grip on his jacket tightened when she drags him with her, explaining. "My dad is looking up on that fire incident for a while now so maybe he can clear your name for you. Especially since he's getting a slight break, they wanted him to give an update especially since what happened at the SS. Anne was broadcasted on TV."
The two walked until they reached Viridian City, the teen ignoring the looks sent his way by the inhabitants by trying his best to hide his face which did not go unnoticed by Leaf.
"Freeze, criminal!" They heard a voice boomed through the air, the voice immediately making Red's body shake as he looks at the source, seeing a policeman pointing a gun at him with an angered expression. "Get away from the girl. You're going to take away another father's daughter?"
"What on earth is he talking about?" Leaf questioned when she noticed the officers blocking their path, walking in front of Red with her hands on her hips. "Can we get through please?"
"Yes, however that menace behind you will have to come with us." The man said pointing at the red jacketed boy.
"Sorry. He's with me."
"Miss Green. You can't. Your safety is our top priority and we can't have you around that murderer."
Red was about to debate, tired of all the accusations but was stopped when he felt a swift and hard hit at the back of his head, knocking him out. Hearing the sound behind her, the brunette gasped in horror as she holds up Red, trying to wake him up.
"Why the hell did you do that for?!" She yelled to the police officer who had a baton in his hand.
"What do you mean 'why'? That kid is dangerous, as harmless as he seems to be. He's bad news, Miss Green."
"Alright. First of all: my name is Leaf. Leaf Green. And two: I'm trying to get his name cleared." She said, cradling Red's head as he slowly regain consciousness as he feels the pain circulate throughout his cranium. He then sees the numerous stares of fear and anger at him, making him instinctively shiver at the sight, his mind too familiar with this.
"What's going on here?" A voice resonated through the area, surprising everyone as they turn around and see a familiar muscular man with a mustache.
"Dad/Mr. Green!" Everyone said as the man walked on the street, a serious look on his face.
"It seems that this criminal was holding your daughter at knife point." One of the officers said, pointing towards Red who was dizzy on the floor, Leaf holding him and checking his head for injuries before shooting the officer a glare. The man then looked at the police officers seeing weapon out, his grip on it making his knuckles white.
"I will escort this one to the station..." Mr. Green said before he grabbed Red by the hair, dragging him along the floor, earning a worried gasp from his daughter as she tries to help the teen by wrapping his arm around her shoulders and helping him move. "However I have questions to ask him so I request some time with him and once I'm finished, I will take him to you."
"But sir-"
"Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?" The man said, his voice low and intimidating, making everyone in the area shake with fear before they nodded then moving onto doing their own daily activities. The man sighed in exhaustion, letting go of the teen and walking over to his daughter who is holding Red with a worried look on her face. The man simply patted her head before gesturing them to move which Leaf eagerly did, wanting to get away from the street as fast as possible.
After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached their destination which was a two story house located almost in the center of the city. They all then see a woman by the door looking like an older version of Leaf but with her hair in a ponytail and her hair having a more chocolate brown color, looking at the man with a smile on her face and the little girl behind her leg. "Welcome home, dear. Hope everything went smoothly."
"Papa!" The little girl said, running to her father and jump to his leg, hugging it with a smile.
"Hey, mom. Hope you're doing well. Glad that you're alright but can we get a chair for Red please?" Leaf said quickly, worry in her tone while she looks at her male companion who is saying that he is alright despite her fretting. Both parents shared a look with each other before escorting the slightly disoriented teen into their abode, getting him a chair as he holds his head and a groans. Leaf then rushes into the kitchen, ignoring everyone in the room while her mom checks his head to see if he's alright which he answers with a nod.
"I hope my daughter wasn't too much." Ms. Green said with a slight bow, making Leaf embarrassed as she mumbles under breath from the kitchen, much to her little sister's glee. The raven haired teen made a smile before he saw the same little girl with the Azurill on her head looking at him in curiosity before Mrs. Green bumps her then gestures her to speak.
"My name is Lyra and this is Azurill. What's yours, cappuchino?" She said, giving him a smile that spread from ear to ear. Red then introduced himself which the little girl instantly jumps up then states. "I'm gonna call you big brother cappuchino."
This made the house quiet as both parents look at Lyra like she had grown a second head while Red was frozen in one spot, Poliwag coming out of his jacket, jumping down and playing with Azurill.
"What would make you want to call him that, dear?" Her mother asked the young toddler who innocently looked at her and answered with a huge smile on her face. "I want a brother. Leaf is mean and there are too many girls in the house. Plus, you and Papa won't go to a Pelipper to ask for another child."
"I understand, Lyra but you can't be calling random strangers your brother." The woman said, petting her young daughter on the head. Lyra then pouted in frustration. "I want a big brother though! It should be ok. Leaf's gonna marry him, right?"
From the kitchen, there could be a sound of clattering plates heard before everyone hears a thud followed by a yelp. Everyone looked towards the kitchen before they hear various sounds, Mrs. Green walking towards the kitchen with a worried look before she sees Leaf stomp by the doorway.
"W-W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, LYRA?" Leaf popped her head from the kitchen, glaring at her younger sister. Lyra looks at her sister with a smile on her face before hiding behind their father's leg. "But you kept calling him 'sweetie' and you were hugging him and about to kissssss~"
The little girl made smooching sounds, making the entirety of Leaf's face change to Red's namesake as she flails about, trying her best to make a coherent sentence. She then turns to her red capped partner, her eyes seeing him frozen on the spot, a confused expression. She then rushes into the kitchen, taking out a bowl of soup and hand it to the teen before she picks him up, saying.
"Hey, Red. Youshouldhangoutwithmydad?He'sawesomeandhecanhelpyouwithclearingyournameandDad,maybeRedcanalsohelpyouwithyourresearchwithyourresearch. Hopeyouenjoyeachother'scompany. I'vegottagoshowerbye!" Leaf spoke quickly, pushing both Red and her dad to her father's office before slamming the door, making sure to grab unto her sister before she drags her upstairs. Mrs. Green looks in confusion at the events that occurred, letting out a sigh before saying. "Well, she's definitely my daughter. Better go get lunch ready."
After a moment of silent and confusion, both Red and Mr. Green sighed at the elder daughter before the man of the two went to sit in his swivel chair, motioning the raven haired teenager to sit on the seat across from him which the teen obliged. "Hello, Red Fires. I hope that your injuries today in the event prior wasn't too serious."
Red nodded, taking a sip of the soup that Leaf made for him, sighing in content from the taste. The man smiled before he cleared his throat and taking up a file from one of his drawers. "I was entrusted with the case a couple years ago. I only told Leaf that I was given it when I went on my break. Let's talk."
"Nothing beats a warm shower." Leaf said, exiting the bathroom with a towel around her neck before she notices her mother sitting on the couch, reading a book. She then notices the brunette, turning to look at her before she looks down in deep thought. Both females stood in awkward silence, not daring to move a muscle or let out a sigh until Leaf broke it, walking towards her mother and sitting across from her.
"You seem well, Leaf."
"Yeah…you too, mom."
They both once again stood in quietude, their eyes darting everywhere but at each other. After a few minutes of silence and fidgeting, both women then took a deep breath before they started to speak.
"Sorry." They both bowed at the same time before looking at each other in confusion.
"O-oh, I see. W-well, mom. I'm sorry for what happened, mom. It…it was wrong for me to yell at you like that. I just wanted to be more than just 'Daddy's girl." Leaf apologized to her mother, much to the woman's surprise as she stared awestruck at her daughter who bowed in front of her.
"Leaf, it's ok. I'm…" Her mother said, pausing as she took time to inhale, making her able to produce some courage before she resumed. "…I'm sorry for what I said to you…I'm very sorry…I just didn't want you to get hurt. I know how passionate you are about Pokemon but...the situation with…Nolan messed you up which is why I wanted you to at least go on a journey next year...but seeing you now…makes me glad you rebelled against me that day."
"Well, yeah but I'm still sorry." A chuckle came from the daughter's mouth before her mother joined in, the giggles escalated into laughter before they both calmed down and hugged each other, a few tears falling from Leaf's cheek.
"I know, honey. That's why I wanted to apologize. I waaass younger than you when I left on my journey so I can't be one to judge. Plus, I want to hear all about your journey…and your 'sweetie'." The woman teased with a smirk, the results being a red faced Leaf who lightly shoves her mother in embarrassment while the lady laughs. "Mom!"
"C'mon! Let's get dinner ready. You know how your father is with his interrogation." She said, ruffling her daughter's hair before going to prepare dinner.
"Thanks, mom. Let's." Leaf said with a smile as she followed her mother into the kitchen before she spares a glance at her father's office door, hoping he and Red are ok.
Red has been in very dangerous situations before where his life is on the line, he has encountered Team Rocket multiple times, been in various life and death situations however nothing could prepare him for this. Being seated across from the father of his friend who is staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Saying that Red is nervous is an understatement as his eyes are glued to the warm soup that Leaf gave him before pushing him into the room with the older male. After what felt like an excruciating minute, the man sighs before he begins speaking, making Red jump as he did so. "It's alright, kid. I'm not going to kill you or anything."
This made the teen calm down a little, letting out a breath of relief then drinking some of his soup bthhhefore Mr. Green took a folder from one of his drawers which made the youth jump, earning a confused stare from the man.
"Man, you're jumpy. Much different from what Leaf described of you." He smiled, letting outilent chuckle at the teen's reaction. He then open the folder, taking out a few pictures before showing them to the teen who almost choked on his soup when he sees the photos showing him in the scene of the crime, looking at the fire with a smile on his face. As Red was looking through the photos, one caught his eye which was showing a static picture of him being around the back of the school before he looked at the commissioner with a confused look on his face.
"It seems that the information was true about you suffering amnesia from the incident. It was taken by one of the damaged security cameras during the event. The footage was mostly destroyed and we could only recover that from the rubble. I do know that it does show you in both spots that the fires were caused. Do you know anything about it?" The man answering the youth's unmentioned question. Red could only gaze on the photo before seeing several others similar to it, confusion taking his mind but he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
"Don't worry, kid. The case is still ongoing however no matter how much I inform the people of Pallet that some things are not adding up, they still do not believe me. It's like they're under a trance which is another thing I'm looking at." The man explained, scratching his hair while letting out a frustrated sigh. Standing up and looking through his window, he made sure to look at Red's expressions, observing the teen's reactions in case of anything that could give him a lead on the case.
"I'm going to cut to the chase, young man. Do you remember anything from the accident, boy? Anything at all?" Mr. Green asked, turning to the raven haired teen as he took another sip of his soup with furrowed eyebrows. He wanted to remember his past but he's scared of it, the screams that ring in his head when he recalls any memory from that day haunt him even now. Just following him wherever he goes, whenever he does something right, whenever he has a friend or has accomplished something.
Whenever he feel any piece of happiness.
The teen would feel conflicted as the shadows follow him, not wavering. Making him afraid to confirm his past. What if he was as guilty as they said he was? What if he actually did it? He couldn't live with himself if he did. He couldn't look at his Pokemon in their face. He couldn't look Leaf in the face again after all, she did this all for his name to be cleared.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Mr. Green looking down on him with a smile. "It's alright, young man. Just take a deep breath and try to remember. Anything would do."
Nodding at the request, Red looks down at the soup, watching his reflection while trying his best to remember the event, going past the screams and shouts of pain and help until something popped up in his mind. He musters all the courage however it all came to naught when he feels a massive headache, clutching his head while panting heavily, trying his best not to calm his thunderous and speeding heartbeat. The teen made several attempts to force himself to remember the events of that night however every time that he does, the results comes in a excruciating headache that cause him to feel dizzy, much to the Commissioner's confusion before an idea popped into the man's head as he takes out a capsule.
"Medicham, your assistance is needed." He said as the Great Ball opens, releasing a pink and gray humanoid Pokemon that looks like a yoga practitioner who turns to the red jacketed teenager while Mr. Green starts to speak. "Alright, let's try again. Chammy is going to help you with this, she helps with these types of interrogation processes. She'll help you through this and soothe your mind. You alright with this?"
Red was nervous, gripping his bowl of soup that was almost finished, his reflection showing through the liquid and contemplating his options. He can't deny and lie, he was scared. Scared of what the people said were true. Scared if he was the monster that they said that he was. The voices and screams are resonating in his mind for a reason, right? Why would they be haunting if he was not the killer? Thinking of the possibilities of him finally being free of the shadows, there was one way he could find the answers to all his questions. One chance to clear his name. If he was the killer, so be it. He then downed the rest of the soup before turning his gaze at the older man in the room, nodded to him.
"Alright…good." Me. Green smiled at the boy before turning to his Pokemon. "Medicham, you can start now. Mind Reader."
The Psychic type nodded, placing its hand on Red's head, the hand glowing as the young trainer tries once again to recall the events. After a few seconds, the teen would experience the same aches before Mr. Green noticed, telling his Pokemon to use Psychic to soothe the pain, making the teen able to hold his own until something popped up in his brain.
"The day was alright...went to school like normal...I was meeting someone after school, he was my friend then…" The teen then felt a huge headache spread across his brain, his mind in shambles as it strained to recall the events that happened years ago. Mr. Green looked in worry as he ran over to the boy's side, the raven haired trainer holding his head as he screamed in pain. The man wanted to stop however he was finally able to find something, an answer at least so he made Medicham continue the session as the teen continue to speak his revelations.
"S-s-someone w-w-was t-t-there at back, h-h-he wa-was m-m-messing wi-th t-th-the c-c-controls a-a-and t-t-the fu-furnace." The teen recalled, clutching his head in he started to scream in pain, Mr. Green writing down and recording the kids mumbling.
"Do you know what he looks like?" The man asked, his pen on his note, reading to write anything that could be a lead.
"C-c-could n-not s-see face, too dark. Don't go! S-s-stop him!" Red said before he starts zoning out, slipping out of consciousness as he starts to descend to the floor, veins forming at his temples. "F-fight it! T-t-take him down with Psychic!"
'Psychic? What does that mean?' The man thought before he notices the teen's eyes glowing eerily, his pupils flickering from black to red while he started punching the air and flailing. Leaf and her mother rushed into the room with worried expressions, seeing Mr. Green on the floor calming down a screaming Red on the floor, rolling around before the kid stopped and starts breathing heavily.
"Dad, stop! You're killing him!" Leaf yelled at the top of her lungs, seeing blood spilling out of the raven haired teenager's nostrils and his eyes becoming bloodshot as he continued screaming. The process was stopped when Meowth struck Medicham in its face, stopping the move and releasing Red from the telekinetic hold. The girl ran over to her friend, cradling his head on her lap and patting his hair and calming him down by whispering that he's alright with the assistance of Meowth and his other Pokemon as they hug him. After a while, he started breathing normally before Leaf sets him down on the couch, sitting beside while Poli and Vulpix sit on his lap. In his sleep, the teen muttered a chilling message came out of his mouth.
"You shouldn't…wake up…Su…ra…"
When these words were said, Mr. Green stood still, frozen by the words before he took a few steps back, only able to regain balance on his desk. He then wrote down that information, knowing that he got something bigger than a lead.
"The boy said Sura?" Simon stuttered, his voice coated in disbelief.
"Yes, sir. He was not fully clear so I'm not even sure if that is how the word is pronounced. What does he mean? Do you or professor Oak know about this person?" Mr. Green said searching for the word through a book however not able to find anything connected to that name. Simon gave a grunt for a response while he was looking through the various history books that he has but found no results. Both men was researching on the name for days along with the aid of Professor Oak but nothing came up.
"It's so odd."
"Hm?"
"It doesn't add up, Mr. Simon. My little chestnut was in the accident but after they checked her at the hospital, all they reported that she suffered was burnt wounds...she had received no concussions or hits to the head or anywhere on her body for that matter...but she said that someone came over her and attacked her with a weapon after she was stuck under a column. It's so strange." The man said, rubbing his chin as he looks at the various documents and newspapers about the event. "They found her outside of the establishment on that night. She was never inside of the school…"
"What…" Simon said in disbelief as Mr. Green continued.
"She was not the only one. Multiple people in the accident that were found with burnt wounds but they were nowhere near the school. Even weirder that they were located at the same place."
The man tapped his pencil on his desk, trying to find some way to wrap his head around the mystery of the event. It was then that Simon decided to speak. "At least we got one good piece of information from this."
"And what's that?" The commissioner asked, spinning his pen between his fingers.
"The event was planned. Very well."
"That's true. Another thing is that the kid knows something about the event but something or someone is preventing him from remembering anything about that day." Mr. Green said, recalling what happened a few days ago with the teen's freak out as he watches the boy outside with his Luxio who is training with the man's Manectric.
"This is more difficult than I thought." The man said, scratching his scalp while looking at a photo of Red with a sinister smile on his face as he looks at the fire.
"Very difficult...but I checked Chammy with what she saw from his brain and I was able to find another piece of evidence today...a very disturbing one."
"What is that?" Simon asked, not liking the tone of Mr. Green's voice. The man hardened himself before he explained his thoughts. "I saw a Pokemon."
"Wha-"
"It was an Electivire."
I'm done. Wow. This was some heavy story writing. How do you like the introduction for Lyra Green? So we learn a little bit about that fire event. I honestly feeling kinda happy about this chapter because it was not originally supposed to be like this. I wonder who the person that Red was mumbling about was. Who knows? I've rambled on enough. It took a while to write this chapter and provide insight on Leaf's relationship with her mom as well as a reveal for parts of Red's past in the event. Well, I'll be getting another chapter out soon. Thanks for your support and questions, you don't know how much I really appreciate it. Let me know how you feel about the story so far For now, Ciao! Enigma out!
