Uh I promise eventually we'll eventually get to life together but for now pls deal with the life apart
121. byproduct: a side-effect; something produced in the making of something else
Green found that a byproduct of yesterday's buoyancy was a heavy lethargy that utterly consumed him the next day. He'd forgotten to set the alarm on his phone and consequently woke up at nine; even with the extra hours of sleep he was overcome with apathy and could not find the spirit to even eat breakfast. Brock had been... disappointing to say the least. According to Leaf's itinerary, the next stop would be Cerulean, and he should have left an hour ago...
122. liable: legally obligated; likely (with reference to an unfavorable outcome)
Green hastily checked out of the hotel, grabbing a muffin and an apple from the breakfast table before speed-walking out. He called out all the pokemon and hurriedly dished out their food. Pidgeotto was at first awkward and uncomfortable with joining, but eventually was convinced by his hunger. After a quick feeding, Green recalled everybody and climbed onto Pidgeotto's back, commanding it to fly.
Green soon discovered that not all pokemon of the same species were at the same level of flying; this pidgeotto in particular was particularly liable to making sharp turns, nothing like the graceful flight of his Pidgeot. Holding on to Pidgeotto's feathers tightly, Green forced his stomach down as it churned with a sudden drop in speed as Pidgeotto a second to assess the best path around Mt. Moon.
123. august: inspiring awe or admiration, especially because of high rank or character
Pidgeotto began flying even slower to join a flock of enormous pidgeotto also flying east. Green was at first twitchy in the august presence of at least twenty huge pidgeotto surrounding his relatively small one, but gradually became frustrated as Pidgeotto began flying slower and slower to accommodate the flock's slower pace.
When their course diverged from that of the flock, Green sighed in relief as Pidgeotto began picking up speed at last. About thirty minutes later, the inlet from the north sea became visible, and he picked out the Pokecenter's bright orange roof as they grew closer. Cerulean located in a fairly flat area with nothing to block the smell of ocean blowing over from the northeast.
124. discreet: careful about what one says or does; circumspect; done, said, or placed so as to attract little notice
As Green studied his itinerary, he idly noticed that Leaf had planned two days for each city with a female gym leader (Cerulean, Celadon, Fuchsia, and Saffron) and one day for each city with a male leader (Pewter, Vermilion, and the Seafoam Islands). He was unsure if Leaf was trying to keep him away from men or just thought women were tougher to convince or what... However, it was a really discreet way to show gender bias, so he had to hand it to Leaf. Women were sometimes frighteningly acute and incomprehensible.
125. egregious: outstanding for undesirable qualities; remarkably bad
Having arrived fairly early, he decided to kill some time exploring the water's pokemon with Blastoise. Leaf had planned a visit with Mewtwo, but the intense aura made Green fairly uncomfortable; he decided to put that last on the list of things to do. Besides mildly traumatizing sledding with the turtle, Green hadn't had time to spend just relaxing with Blastoise. Blastoise was fairly casual about Green hopping on his back as they swam around in the inlet. The water's diversity was egregious - there was literally nothing but goldeen, magikarp, and the occasional seaking swimming about. Green ended up stopping outside Cerulean Cave and walking in to check on Mewtwo.
126. benevolent: characterized by doing good
Unlike the first time he'd entered the cavern, the wild pokemon were fairly benevolent and didn't bother him (maybe it was just Blastoise scaring them all off like Charizard did at Viridian Forest). Green vaguely recalled the path Red had shown him through the winding cave, and after an hour or so of negotiating dead ends and underground lakes, he found Mewtwo, eyes closed and seated between the exact same two boulders he'd been waiting at the previous visit.
127. idyllic: pleasing and simple
Though the cave was certainly dark and not the most homey place, light from luminescent mushrooms reflected off large, translucent blue crystals, bathing the cave in fluorescent light. Green let out the rest of Red's pokemon, and together they sat a respectful distance from Mewtwo and joined in the quiet meditation. It reminded Green of quieter days with Red, and he felt a sort of peace just sitting beside some of the strongest pokemon in all of Kanto. It was oddly idyllic, and as Mewtwo seemed content with silence, Green did not think to offer any noise.
128. preposterous: absurd; ridiculous, senseless; irrational
Green didn't realize when he'd fallen asleep, leaning on Venusaur, but when he woke up, Mewtwo was staring right at him - not threateningly (he was fairly adept at reading stares, credits to Red), but not exactly in a completely welcoming manner either. Green blinked sleep from his eyes; it'd been a remarkably peaceful, dreamless rest. His rear end was probably frozen solid from the cold ground, but hey, at least he hadn't been ripped to shreds by psychic powers in his sleep.
"Preposterous." The sudden presence of Mewtwo's voice in his head startled Green. And then it clicked; Mewtwo was a legendary and a psychic; of course he could speak telepathically.
"I would not hurt a friend of Red."
"...cool."
"But I would like my space to myself, thank you very much." Mewtwo huffed as he cast a disapproving glance at Red's pokemon sprawled out over his floor.
"Sorry, we'll leave." Green stood slowly, and recalled Red's party. "Anything you need to tell Red?"
Mewtwo paused in thought. "...Tell him 'thank you.' It was nice to see his pokemon, if not he himself. I am doing well."
Green nodded and left quietly. It was somehow incredibly... soothing, or inspiring in a way to see such a tortured pokemon reach such peace and content in solitude.
129. sanction: to give official approval to; to penalize for violating a moral principle or international law
The magic of Cerulean Cave faded as Green exited the cavern and was blinded by late afternoon sunlight. The innocent calls and bustling of the city could be heard even across the inlet, and Green felt his thoughts and worries piece back together when remembering that he had a challenge to make.
Misty had been one of the leaders most opposed to his idea. Her no-nonsense email kind of worried Green that she'd refuse to sanction and sign the petition even if he beat her in a battle.
130. shirk: to put off or avoid performing (a duty or responsibility)
Green arrived at her gym around 5:30 PM, hoping to make the battle as quick as the one he'd had with Brock. However, his hopes were dashed when she saw him went into an all out rant.
"See Green, this is why I can't agree that you're the strongest because you do whatever you please, shirk your duties and ignore the rest of our feelings..." Green deadpanned, letting her words flow over her head. He only tuned back in when she got into battle posture. "You can't hope to beat me! My style is an all-out offensive that'll rip your sneaky strategies apart! Go Golduck!"