Finally! I could not get over this road block! So I managed to get back to over 2k words and will do a few things that are probably too late into the story to do, but I hope you like them. Coincidentally, this is being uploaded on Valentine's Day...huh... Enjoy! :D
"You guys ready yet?" May called out as she equipped her waist pack and headed over to the other rooms to get her friends. The first room she went to was Brendan's who quickly closed his backpack as she came in. "Something wrong?" May asked.
"No, not really." Brendan replied as casually as possible as his backpack jumped up and down. Before either one could do anything the pack exploded, sending supplies, clothes, and potions flying before revealing a Pokémon.
May became furious, "YOU BROUGHT MAWILE!?"
"Umm….yes?" Brendan replied before Mawile saw May and looked at her with a look of hatred.
"When did you get him!?" May asked.
"Last night." Brendan replied, "I missed the little guy and thought I'd grab him while we're at a Pokémon Center with a PC inside."
"You know that he's not well! The nurse herself told you so!" May said as she took what appeared to be a cautionary step backwards.
"May, if we don't spend time with him, he'll only get worse. Just give him a chance." Brendan pleaded.
"…you…you're right, sorry Brendan. Just…keep an eye on him while I get Red and Leaf." May replied before leaving to find her friends.
May arrived at Leaf's room, but instead of wearing her casual clothes, she was once again wearing the Team Magma uniform and examining herself in the mirror. "You really did take a liking to the uniform huh?" May asked.
"Of course! It's so cute!" Leaf replied before turning to May, "By the way, what were you yelling about?"
"Huh? Oh…well…it's better if I explain when we get Red." May replied, "Is he in his room?"
"No, he said he'd be at the beach to see if he could find us a ride to Cinnabar." Leaf replied, "Let's go see if he did." May nodded in agreement before they left to get Brendan and headed off to the beach.
Upon arrival at the beach, the first thing any of them noticed was the refreshing humid air. Leaf paused for a moment to inhale the fresh salty scent of the sea.
"Feels good just being here." She said. May and Brendan agreed before hearing a familiar voice call out to them. The three of them turned to see Red approaching them.
"Well, it turns out that there's someone that will take us to Cinnabar Island." Red reported as he approached his friends before noticing the new Pokémon next to Brendan, "She said she could take us since she was going to investigate the waters nearby…umm…what's that Pokémon?"
"This is Mawile." Brendan replied as they made their way to the end of the beach, "You haven't seen one?"
"No, I don't think you can find them in this region…or Johto." Red replied.
"He's a cute little guy, isn't he?" Leaf said as she kneeled down before Pichu made his way out from under her hood to take a look.
"Pichu Pi!" he greeted, but Mawile simply looked away with a sort of resistive look on his face.
"Give him time." Brendan said as they reached a boat, "I'll explain when we're on the boat."
"Ready to go?" a female voice asked. Leaf immediately recognized the voice.
"Misty? THE Gym Leader Misty?" Leaf asked.
"The one and only." Misty replied, "Gotta say, the fact that you and Red are going out caught me by surprise. You two challenged me on different days that it felt as if you didn't know each other at all." Leaf blushed as Red hugged her close.
"S-so, what are you doing here Misty?" Leaf asked.
"There's been reports of Gyarados rampaging and attacking anything that goes to route 20." Misty explained, "They asked for Surge, but he's out of the region right now, so they got the water Pokémon expert on it instead, a choice they should have made in the first place if you ask me. I rented this boat and ran into Red just as I was about to go. Anyway, are you guys ready? " The four of them nodded, boarded the boat, and set off. Traveling down route 19 was actually pleasant as calm waves greeted them in their travel. Leaf leaned on the guard rail of the front of the ship talking with May who did the same as they enjoyed the scenery. Red and Brendan were put to work by Misty, checking to make sure everything was secure which was then inspected by herself for her approval.
"So Brendan, about that Mawile…" Red asked after about an hour at sea, "How'd you get it?"
"Believe it or not, I found him in an abandoned lab I explored a few weeks before May and I came here." Brendan replied as he looked at Mawile who was at the tip of the boat and staring out at sea, "I don't know exactly how long he was there, but it was definitely over a year as there was quite a bit of dust and cob webs around the area."
"Why did you sound kind of scared earlier, May?" Leaf asked.
"Well…the thing is that he's not…normal." May replied, "Something was done to him…something that made him really unstable…"
"He…has a tendency to get out of control." Brendan cut in, "If given the chance, he will destroy anything within his range. The mere sight of someone new makes him want to destroy the area." Red and Leaf soaked in the info with both sadness and caution.
"But then…why didn't it do just that earlier?" Red asked.
"Mawile came to trust me as I was the one to break him out…which was…an experience." Brendan replied before noticing the confused looks Red and Leaf gave him, "Let's just say the building he was in was leveled…by him…"
"So…he's dangerous?" Red asked.
"Only if I'm not there, he tries to keep himself from causing havoc when I'm with him." Brendan replied, "It's not easy for him. Even by how much time he's been with me and May, he could never get along with her."
"There was one incident in which he destroyed a building back in Hoenn while I and ten others were inside." May added.
"May…" Brendan pleaded and May simply sighed.
"You should have told me that before you got on." said an irritated voice. The four of them turned to see Misty with her arms crossed, "I have a deposit on this boat you know."
"I-I promise he won't cause any trouble!" Brendan quickly said.
"Don't worry, I'm not about to throw him overboard." Misty replied and Brendan breathed a sigh of relief, "So, how far have you two gotten?" Misty asked Leaf and Red, quickly changing the subject.
"Six down, two to go." Leaf replied.
"Wow, and to think it's been…what like two, three weeks since I first saw you two?" Misty asked, "You two are something special."
"In battle and as a couple," May said as she pulled them both close to her, "right? Who's a cute couple?
Leaf blushed and was about to say something before May continued, "It's Brendan and myself!" she said as she let Red and Leaf go before throwing her arms around Brendan's neck.
"Pff, yeah sure." Misty joked.
"Hey!" May snapped, but her retort was drowned out by the laughter of her friends.
The voyage towards Cinnabar had quickly turned sour as while they had been out at sea for a day, they were just barely about to reach the halfway mark down Route 19. The sun had already set, the winds and water had calmed, and even the clouds had cleared allowing for a spectacular sight of the moon and stars, amplified by their reflection in the currently calm ocean. Out on deck were Red and Leaf, who seemed to have made a habit of watching the stars together before going to sleep, laying relaxed on a blanket and exchanging stories of their time back home, pausing for a moment to simply enjoy the scenery and each other's company. Something that had caught Red's attention though, was the fact that Leaf, while still wearing the Magma uniform, had her hat next to them yet refused to wear it.
"Red…I have to tell you something…" Leaf said, cutting through the gentle rhythm of the waves.
"What is it?" Red asked. He could see that whatever she wanted to tell him was definitely serious as she hesitated to say what was on her mind.
"I-I…I know why you stopped talking…" Leaf replied. This surprised Red as even he himself didn't really know why he stopped talking for so many years, how could she know something about him that he himself doesn't? Red began to fill with worry as Leaf's eyes began to water.
Red quickly took her hand in his and held her close with his free arm, "Leaf, its ok." He reassured, "That doesn't matter.
"It…it was my fault…" Leaf managed to choke out, "I did that to you!" Red froze in surprise as Leaf pushed herself away from him, "I remember it clearly Red…it was a few years ago…."
"Leaf!" Leaf's mother called out, "Are you ready yet?"
"Yes!" a younger Leaf replied as she quickly grabbed her white hat, however the size was slightly larger to the point that when she put it on, it would cover her eyes. Leaf pushed her hat back as she quickly made her way downstairs.
"Leaf, I told you to not to run with that hat on." Her mother scolded.
"I pushed it back." Leaf whined before the hat covered her eyes again. Her mother could do nothing but laugh at how adorable her daughter looked. "Mom, can I just stay home?" Leaf asked as she pushed her hat back.
"No, Leaf. I need your help with the groceries." Her mother replied, "Now just wait a bit while I get a few things."
"Fine." Leaf sighed, "I'll be outside."
"Stay where I can see you!" Her mother called out as she closed the door behind her. The morning air was fresh and cool. Leaf took a moment to inhale a lung-full before she pulled down her hat over her eyes and began to walk with arms outstretched. Her amusement was clear as she giggled with each close call she had from losing her balance due to the fact that she blindfolded herself with her hat. After about a minute, Leaf pulled her hat up and examined her surroundings only to have fear spill into her body like an icy liquid. She had unnoticingly walked out the northern part of town and into the tall grass, an area clearly prohibited for the children of the town. Leaf quickly turned around to go back home, but strangely enough she could not see the entrance to the town. Things quickly got worse as a Rattata popped out of the tall grass, looking none too happy with Leaf's presence. Leaf took a step back as the rat Pokémon bared its teeth as a warning, but before Leaf could fully turn to run away, the Pokémon tackled her to the ground. Leaf cried out in pain as her fragile body, caught off guard, intensified the pain of the blow to the point the she couldn't get up. The Rattata slowly crawled up to her, seemingly ready to bite her as she pushed herself back with her hands and feet. The rat Pokémon suddenly jumped and Leaf shielded herself with her arms, but no pain came from them. Looking up she saw that (young) Red had shoved the Rattata away just before he could bite her.
"Leaf, the town is that way!" Red directed as a Pidgey and another Rattata emerged from the tall grass. Leaf looked at them then back at Red with fear clear as crystal in her eyes. "GO!" Red snapped. Leaf quickly jumped to her feet and ran towards town, speeding up to find help as she heard the fainting sound of Red in pain as the Rattatas tackled him and the Pidgey pecked his head.
"MOM!" Leaf cried out in tears as she nearly snapped the door in half even with her small size.
Her mother jumped in surprise and quickly ran over to her daughter, "What's wrong!?"
"Mom, its Red!" Leaf quickly replied, "He's in trouble! There are Pokémon attacking him!"
"Oh my goodness! I need to get his mother and the professor! Stay here!" Her mother quickly ordered before she ran out the door.
Silence fell upon Leaf's home once the door clicked shut with the exception of the ticking of a clock and Leaf's sobs as she stood in the center of the living room, trying to wipe away all of her tears as they fell like an endless waterfall.
"You were taken to the hospital and they said you had amnesia," Leaf explained, "and that you would probably never be the same…that you would act and be different." Red sat silently as he soaked in all of the information. "I was told not to be near you…that it could send you into shock…but…I had to tell you!" Leaf's eyes began to water like they did those few years ago, ""I-…I-I'm sorry! It's my fault for going out into the tall grass! It's my fault for not leaving my stupid hat behind!" Leaf continued to cry out of regret and frustration, going as far as slapping herself. Red quickly stopped her hand from repeating the action and with his free hand he directed Leaf's face towards his before leaning in and planting a gentle and heartfelt kiss on her lips. While it lasted only a second or so, it was enough to snap Leaf back to him.
"Leaf, that's all in the past." Red said as he grabbed Leaf's hat from beside them, removed her hood, and placed her hat onto her head, "What matters is now, you and me." He added before Leaf threw herself at him, tear's still falling, and bombarding Red with kisses that begged for forgiveness, which he gave by returning said kisses.
Feel like I might have copped out on the ending because its Valentine's Day...anyways, how'd you like the explanation? Let me know what you think! XD