As the winds gently pass through the scenery of Route 2, Red and Shinx continue on their path towards Pewter City, encountering a few wild Pokemon and some trainers as well who were itching for a fight.

"Tackle." Red commanded, as Shinx crashed into another Pidgey, knocking it unconscious. "Good job." The teen said, petting the Pokemon who happily purred against his touch. Taking a break and sitting on a log, he took the lunch box Nora made for him out of his bag, which was fried fish with rice, as he placed a bowl of Pokefood for Shinx, which it happily ate.

'Man, this taste so good.' He thought happily after he took the first bite of his food. As he ate his food, he gaze in the distance, seeing Viridian City and a little of Pallet Town, which saddened him immediately.

'I hope Mom's ok.' He thought as he put a spoonful of rice in his mouth. He remembered how much of a different person she was when his father was alive.

"She was so cheerful and optimistic but it all changed when Dad died. It's like… she's a shadow of what she used to be then. She's like a doll now." His thoughts continued as a tear started to form in his eye. "What would you do at a time like this, Dad?" Red said aloud, speaking to no one. As he finished his meal, he glanced towards the distance once more before resuming his journey. Once he continued, his mind was still towards his mother until something clicked in his mind which made him snap his fingers.

'Mom's birthday is soon. Maybe I can surprise her by getting her something.' He thought as he drank a bottle of water and packing his bag while he was contemplating the idea. 'But what would make Mom happy and how much would it cost? I already have another present I need to get for her.' The thought ran through Red's head as he slung his bag on his back then putting his fingers under his chin, his eyes narrowing with concentration until he shrugged.

'I'll think about it along the way. For now…' The red capped teen's thoughts finished as he picked up Shinx and put it on his hat. "Onwards to Pewter!" He announced as he sprinted ahead, the Pokemon crying happily while mimicking its trainer's pose.

After a few minutes, the two of them reached the entrance of Viridian Forest, seeing a sign that said "Beware of Beedrill" in faded writing.

"Here we go." Red said, looking at the entrance then sharing a determined glance with Shinx as he enters within the group of trees. As he entered, one thing he could think of was that the place is so quiet, he could hear his footsteps. He looked around as he saw the place being darker as the sunlight is blocked by the tall trees around the area. Red could hear numerous rustling around him, unnerved by it as his red eyes darted around, searching for anything, human and Pokemon that moved within his vision. Seeing that the coast was clear, the teen resumed on the path, finding multiple Caterpie crawling around a tree. As he observed more of the forest, his fear and nervousness started to slowly subside, being replaced with awe and curiosity. Shinx, however, was slightly unnerved as it treaded along beside its trainer, making sure to stay very close, not wanting to get lost.

"Isn't this cool, Shinx?" The red capped teen questioned, looking around him like a child who was at an amusement park, to which the Pokemon responded by shaking its head. As they continued, they heard a voice which they paid no attention to until it called again, this time a lot louder.

"HEY YOU!" Someone yelled, startling the duo as they quickly turned around, seeing a boy with a straw hat on his head, a sleeveless white shirt and shorts holding a net.

"We're gonna battle!" He declared, taking out a Pokeball from his pocket. "Battle start! Go Caterpie!" He said immpatiently, throwing the Pokeball in the air, releasing a Pokemon akin to a green caterpillar on the field. The caterpillar crawled to its side of the field as it assumed its battle stance.

"You ready, Shinx?" Red asked, Shinx responded by nodding before jumping on the field and roaring with confidence. It took a battle stance as well as it kept its gaze on its enemy.

"Alright Caterpie! Tackle!" The kid commanded loudly. The caterpillar lunged forward to Shinx who patiently waited on its trainer as the Bug-type got closer.

"Dodge, Shinx." Red ordered. Obliging, Shinx swiftly dodged the attack, surprising both Caterpie and its trainer. "Great. Now Leer." The raven haired teen said calmly, lowering his cap. The Electric type obeyed, giving Caterpie an intense glare which frightened the Bug type.

"Caterpie! Don't be scared! Tackle now!" The bug catcher shouted as he stomped on the ground miserably. Nodding in understanding and gaining encouragement from its trainer, Caterpie once again dashed forward, crashing into Shinx and knocking it back. Proud of what was going on, the Bug Catcher grinned then looked at Red with a smug grin on his face which the teen noticed.

"Not so cool now. Are ya?" He taunted as Shinx got up from the ground, shooting Caterpie a look of confidence.

"Tackle!" The trainers both commanded simultaneously. Obeying their trainers, both Pokemon lunged forward and crashed into each other causing them to stagger away from each other.

"Now String Shot!" The Bug catcher quickly ordered. Recovering from the recoil, Caterpie then shot a white thread from its mouth which hit Shinx, surrounding the Electric-type and sticking to its fur, delaying and limiting its movements as it tries to escape. The Bug Catcher smiled as he watch the Electric type squirm out of the white silk threads only to fail again, much to the boy delight.. "Good job, Caterpie! Now Tackle!" He ordered, as the Bug type went to bash the Electric type.

"Leer." Red ordered adjusting his cap on his head. Shinx obliged, shooting Caterpie an intimidating glare that frightened Caterpie. The Bug Pokemon started to slow down due to the effects of the leer, much to the teen's delight as he formulated a plan before he looked at his trapped partner and he commanded it to do another Leer.

'Good. It's at the zone I need it to be. Now how do I deal with the threads?' Red thought as the bug catcher ordered Caterpie to do another Tacke which it obliged as it leaped towards Shinx, getting closer to colliding with its opponent before the raven haired teen spoke up which startled the young trainer. "Dodge to the side, Shinx then Tackle." The raven haired teen commanded quickly but calmly as soon an idea popped in his head, outstretching his hand. Despite being slightly immobile from the String Shot, Shinx dodge the attack and then delivered a blow to Caterpie, knocking it unconscious.

"Aww man. I thought I got you." The Bug Catcher sighed in frustration, returning his Pokemon before handing a bunch of Pokedollars to Red. "Nice match." He said, holding his hand out to which Red nodded, giving him a handshake, a smile plastered on his face. 'This is what a Pokemon battle should be like. Fun, challenging and really testing your mettle.' As he finished his thought, the red capped teen said his farewells to the bug catcher before resuming his journey through the forest.

For hours, Red found himself fighting wild Pokemon and fighting Trainers alike as he ventured through the forest.

"Tackle." He commanded as Shinx lunged forward, knocking out another Metapod. "Nice." After Red made his comment, he then noticed a change within the Electric type as it stood still and roared, startling any unsuspecting wild Pokemon in the grass. Suddenly, Shinx was starting to glow as the electricity in the air started to get absorbed by it, making its fur spike up. "Cool." Red commented, as he made his way to taking out his Pokedex only to find out that he does not have one anymore which saddens the trainer. As he sorted out the things in his bag, his red eyes cane across something wrapped in paper which he took up out of curiosity until his face changed to a surprised expression as he realized what it he unwrapped the paper for it to reveal a blue device in his hand, similar to the old one with a note on it. Red read the note which stated.

Dear Red,

I understand that you had lost your previous Pokedex from Professor Oak so I decided to give you mine. Now like the first, it's not as advanced as the recent Pokedex that trainers today have but I know that you can find use in it when the time comes.

-Simon

The red eyed teen then scanned the Pokemon as he waited for it to process the information. As he heard a ding that signaled the process, he was rewarded with a screen on the device as a voice from the Pokedex. 'Information Unknown'

'Oh yeah. Professor Oak said his was an old model. Must be the same with this one. Guess that move wasn't discovered when this thing came out or something.' Red thought until Shinx stopped glowing, confused onto what has happened as it looked around.

"What the?" Red asked, baffled at what just happened. He walked up to the Shinx, petting it which made it respond with a happy purring sound only to be rewarded with a slight jolt through his body as he looked at his hand. 'Huh? Weird.'

"Well, we'll find out what it does soon. Let's take a break, Shinx." Red declared which the Electric type nodded in agreement as it jumped on his head, acting as a lookout as he laid out his stuff and then called it to eat along with him which it obliged. After they took their break, they continued wandering through the seemingly endless forest in hopes of reaching Pewter City. Annoyed by the fact that it seems that he isn't going nowhere, the red capped trainer checked the map for the umpteenth time, only to find no info on which direction to go as the map just states that he is in Viridian Forest.

'I need to get this damn thing upgraded.' He clicked his teeth, putting his Pokegear in his pocket as he ventured through the unknowns of the forest.

After minutes of walking, Red started to feel his hair stand still as he felt that there is something strange. 'It feels like someone is watching us.' The raven haired teen thought as he felt crawling along his back. Thinking it was Shinx, he continued to search until he saw the Electric type beside him, licking its paw. 'Cute.' He smiled until he widened his eyes in surprise. 'Hold on. If Shinx is right here, then who is-' His thoughts were interrupted when he turned his heat only to be face to face with a yellow bug with a purple nose and a horn on its head.

"Whoa!" He yelled, falling on his rear with the Pokemon still latched on his shoulder, looking at him in curiosity. "Uhh… hello?" Red muttered, waving a hand at the Bug type who still stared at him intently. Red took this moment to take out his Pokedex, ready to scan the Pokemon. 'I'm pretty sure this is a Weedle.' He said, scanning the Pokemon. After the scan was completed, the Pokedex started to beep, which made a voice out of the device started to explain.

'Weedle, The Hairy Bug Pokemon. A Bug/Poison Pokemon. The barb on top of its head secretes a strong poison. It uses this toxic barb to protect itself.'

"Anything else?" said the raven haired trainer who got nothing else from the Pokedex. He then looked through the information on the Pokedex, searching through Weedle information page while the Pokemon in question crawl its way to the top of the Red's cap with Shinx following it, glancing around the forest. "No info on its special abilities. Oh, come on." He whined, putting the device back into his pocket. Suddenly feeling the weight on his head, he could hear Weedle and Shinx having fun sightseeing the forest on his head which made the raven haired teen smile. 'Sensing a bit of déjà vu here.' Red thought before he realized the reason, feeling melancholic before shaking it off for a look of confidence and continuing on his journey.

'…I'll save you. If it's the last thing I do…"

Red and company continued through the forest, battling wild Pokemon and trainers along the way, with Weedle participating in some of the battles, much to the Bug-type's delight and excitement. Hours passed until the red capped teen reached a clearing which he then took refuge by a tree, resting his head on the bark with his cap over his eyes as Shinx and Weedle started to play with each other. After a few minutes, he started to doze off, silently snoring as the wind passes through, carrying the leaves. Suddenly a noise echoed which caused the teen to wake up as he sees his Pokemon still playing before he then heard some people coming to the clearing which caused him to close his eyes as he tried to go back to sleep.

As the sounds came closer, he opened to see a girl who looked to be the same age as him, she was wearing a black dress with white gloves and boots with a green bag strapped to her shoulder. She was a few feet from him, seeming to be in an argument with two guys in front of her who seemed to be flirting with her.

"I said no means no. Please leave me alone."

"C'mon babe. You look like you want to have a good time wearing that dress."

"Yeah, girl. Just one date is all we ask."

"Ugh…"

The raven haired trainer seemed to be too invested in what's happening in front of him that he didn't notice that the girl saw him and was making her way towards him with a smirk on her face.

"Hi sweetie! Took you long enough!" She said, wrapping her arms around Red and laid her head on his shoulder. 'Wait. What?' He thought, as he stood up and looked at the girl incredulously as she winked at him. "I was waiting so long. You could've at least texted me." She continued, twirling her fingers around the red capped teen undershirt, much to his confusion. He then caught a glimpse of her face, seeing that her face was red with embarrassment and giving him an expression that said 'play along'. Doing so, Red scratched the back of his head and grinned at her, much to her relief.

"This wimp is your boyfriend, babe. C'mon. We can give you a better time." One of the guys said with a smirk on his face while the other gets closer to her, putting his hand under her chin which made her look at the red capped teen for assistance. Understanding her dilemma, Red then got between them, giving the guys a malicious glare from his red eyes that easily scared both of them.

"Y-You've got a weird taste in guys, babe. Cause that's a damn demon!"

"Y-Yeah. You can keep her, dude."

They stuttered as they both started to quickly run away from the both of them, causing the girl to look at the red capped teen and backed away. Sighing in exhaustion, Red went over to the tree that was his resting point, he then crouched, picking up his belonging and signaling his Pokemon that they're leaving. As he was about to get up and leave, he heard footsteps coming towards him, turning to see the girl hovering over him with her hands behind her back.

"Thanks for helping me out back there." She said as she quietly eyed the red capped teen. Red nodded before standing up and continuing on the path with Shinx and Weedle on his shoulders until he heard her voice again, asking in a frantic tone.

"A-Are you going to Pewter City?" The raven haired teen turned and nodded once more, causing her to smile and say, "I'm going there too. Umm…I was wondering if we could go together." As the words left her mouth, she started to fidget, thinking he might refuse.

'Well, it doesn't hurt to have a companion.' He thought before he shrugged, nodding which made her a huge smile appear on her face as she sighed in relief and joined him on the path. "Thanks. My name is Leaf. What's yours?" she asked nicely only to see Red pointing at his jacket, making her look at him strangely.

"Your jacket, what about it?" She said, making the teen roll his eyes as he pointed at the red section of his jacket. "I know. It's a jacket, the red part-" Her eyes widened as she started to realize what the raven haired teen was implying as she muttered something. "Wait, are you from Pallet town?"

Red nodded. Leaf blankly stared at him before furrowing her brows, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Your parents named you Red, didn't they?" She asked, pointing at his jacket. Red nodded again. Leaf facepalmed, her groan muffled by her hands before her gaze fell to the floor with her hair covering her eyes.

"…I'm done with this…" Leaf said in a low tone, her shoulders shaking as Red feared the worst. 'Does she know about the incident?' He thought, starting to fidget nervously as he backed away from the girl, watching her twitch in anger before she exploded in anger, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"What is with you people and colors?!" The girl yelled to no one in particular, startling Red and his two partners. She then

"Seriously?! I don't get why the parents of Viridian and Pallet have a tendency for naming their children after plants and colors. Seriously, the only people that have normal names are everyone that is not born in Pallet or Viridian! Seriously, you got Red, my parents decided to name me Leaf, I don't even know why they did that! I mean Red, Blue, Yellow, Daisy! What else are they gonna do? Name a child fucking Indigo!?"

As she finished ranting, she panted as she took a moment to catch her breath, her hands on her legs as her body desperately gathered for air. After a few minutes, she recovered as she walked up to the red capped teen with a flustered expression.

"Can you please…keep what I said between us, Red?" She asked, to which Red shrugged, petting Shinx as he carried it in his arms. This earned a smile on her face as she thanked the teen. "Sorry about that, I kinda had some lingering emotions about my name and how lazy the people of Viridian and Pallet." As she made her statement, she let out that she didn't knew she held as she joined Red and continued through the forest.

"So why did your parents named you Red?" Leaf asked, curious and bored from walking around the place in silence for an hour. As he heard her question, Red started to shift uncomfortably as he avoided eye contact with the girl lowering his cap even more which got the girl confused. After he did that, he thought quickly as he just timidly gestured to his outfit which earned a giggle from the girl.

'He's quiet. Wonder if he's shy. Strange I can't see his face face though.' Leaf thought, stealing quick glances at her silent companion who was now busy playing with Weedle as it crawled on his shoulder. As they ventured through the forest, the brunette tried her best to make Red speak but she was unsuccessful at every attempt. Upset by the lack of emotion and words from her companion, she pouted as she furiously kicked a stone into the bushes. Followed after was a cry that startled both the teens as they turned their attention towards the bush, seeing a huge bird Pokemon ascend from the shrubs and glaring at them with an angered expression. "Pidgeooooo!" It cried loudly before opening its wings and bracing itself. Noticing this, Red quickly pushed Leaf out of the way as Pidgeotto lunged passed, barely grazing the teen's jacket.

"Thanks, Red." The brunette thanked him before they had to move again, dodging another attack. Landing in the bushes, the teens hid and waited for Pidgeotto to leave the area. The Flying-type Pokemon searched the area for the teenagers while they tried to escape until it hear a twig break by one of the teens' feet. Before they could do anything, Pidgeotto dove towards them, tackling Red into a tree and knocking the wind out of him. Leaf then found herself alone with the bird Pokemon who was watching her intently as it hovered in the air.

"Nice Pidgeotto. Niicee Pokemon." She silently whispered, backing away from the Flying-type as it resumed its glare on her. It then lunged to attack her until it got tackled to the side, sending it into a tree. Pidgeotto looked at its attacker, finding Shinx who met its gaze with a serious expression.

"What the?" Leaf asked before seeing Red emerging behind the Pokemon, panting as he held his stomach. She then joined him, throwing a Pokeball in the air.

"Go Squirtle!" A light came out of the ball, letting out a blue turtle Pokemon that landed on the field. Pidgeotto recovered, letting out a loud cry before ascending to the sky and flapping its wings creating a strong gust of wind that knocked everyone back, before dashing towards them.

"Shinx, Leer. Weedle, Poison Sting." Red whispered loud enough for both of his Pokemon to hear. Before Pidgeotto could reach to the group, it met with intimidating glare from Shinx which unnerved it, causing it to slow down enough for Weedle to jump off Red and hit the Pokemon with its horn. Crying in pain, the Flying-type dropped on the floor, before it got hit with a blast of water from Squirtle that send it crashing into a tree.

As Pidgeotto recovered, it fought both Shinx, Squirtle and Weedle head on in an intense battle. Despite it being outnumbered, the Pokemon held its own against its opponents and eventually started winning, much to the teens' frustration. As it dove again with it wings tucked in against Shinx, it got hit by a spray of water that made it fall to the ground. It then turned, seeing Squirtle in a battle pose with a Budew beside it glowing as it sat with a content expression on its face.

"Red!" She called, catching Red's attention. "I got a plan! We just need to fend it off a bit longer!" She yelled to which the red capped teen nodded in understanding.

As the battle continued, Pidgeotto spread its wings and slammed them into Squirtle who blocked the attack by withdrawing into its shell. As it moved away from Squirtle, it exchanged looks with Shinx, frightened as it looked into its scary eyes. As it retreated, it got hit once again by Weedle's horn, making it exhausted as its wings' flapping started to get slower. It tried to attack but it staggers and falls to the ground, breathing heavily.

"What?" Leaf questioned as she saw the Pokemon get up again and prepared to attack only to fall down on the ground again. Red's eyes widened, realizing what is going on. 'Wait. Is that-'

"It's poisoned." Leaf quickly realized. She then took the opportunity of the situation. "Squirtle, Water Gun!" Squirtle then shot a blast of water at Pidgeotto, knocking it back a few feet from when its original spot. It then charged towards Weedle, tucking it wings and enduring the poison, only to find Shinx before it, electricity surging through its fur. It let out a burst of light, stopping Pidgeotto in its tracks as it tries to find its bearings.

"Tackle it to the ground." Red ordered. Shinx obliged, jumping into the air before colliding into the Flying-type, knocking it into the ground. "Red! We're ready!" Leaf said which made the raven haired teen signal for his Pokemon to return, leaving Pidgeotto on the ground.

"Budew, Absorb." Leaf commanded, Budew's vines opened, releasing an orb of green energy that scattered to Pidgeotto. Before it could lift its wings, a green energy surrounded it, making it cry out in pain as the energy in its body starts to get drained quickly by the second. After a few moments, it collapsed on the floor, unable to move a single muscle in its body. Everyone grouped together around the unconscious Pokemon from a distance, watching for any signs of movement only to find none. Leaf then celebrated, picking up Squirtle and about to pick up Budew until she saw Pidgeotto from the corner of her eye as it leaped forward in a burst of speed, a few seconds away from attacking the Grass-type. Before it could strike Budew, it suddenly stopped, confusing Leaf and her Pokemon as they stared at the Bird Pokemon. The Flying type looked down to see Weedle's horn jabbed into its abdomen before collapsing, fully unconscious.

Leaf sighed in relief as every Pokemon cheered happily at their success. During the celebration, Red walked towards Pidgeotto, checking on its condition. After he was done, he took up the Pokemon, putting it under a tree as he put a bunch of berries by its wings as he petted it. 'Sorry about this. Hope you'll accept this as an apology.' He thought as Leaf crept behind him, watching him silently.

"I see that you're a nice person, Red." She said with a smile which frightened the red capped teen as he quickly hid it and responded to her with a nod, earning a look from the brunette as she put her hands on her hips.

"You know you can talk, right?" Leaf stated, raising a brow at Red who remained silent and nodded again causing her to pout. She was about to say something until she was interrupted by a loud cry, both of them turned to see Weedle glowed with an intense light. The two trainer stood dumbfounded with their mouth slightly agape as the Pokemon changed form and got bigger before the light start to subside. A yellow cocoon with black eyes and small pincer started to appear as the white light ceased, causing Leaf to marvel and Red to hold back a huge grin. "It evolved. It's now a Kakuna, right?" Leaf asked, taking a Pokedex out of her as it scanned the new Pokemon.

"Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokemon. Kakuna remains virtually immobile as it clings to a tree. However, on the inside, it is extremely busy as it prepares for its coming evolution. This is evident from how hot the shell becomes to the touch."

"Long description. Right, Red?" Leaf commented, looking over to the raen haired teen to see him not on the spot. "Red?" She searched until she saw him petting Kakuna who was completely stagnant. After he was finished, he turned his gaze to Budew, confused to what it was. Turning his attention, he raised a brow and pointed at the Pokemon, Leaf looked at him and then at the Grass-type.

"You want to know what Budew is?" She guessed which received a nod from the red capped teen. She then smiled deviously as she got an idea. She gave Red a mischievous gaze before walking up towards him, looking up at him with a knowing smile.

"How about a deal?" She said which earned an eyebrow raise from the red capped teen. "You get to know Budew info and I get to see your face." She concluded which got the raven haired teen confused and nervous. 'Why the face? Why does she want to see my face?' Red thought before looking at her Pokedex. 'I want to know what that Pokemon is so badly but…' He resumed, touching his cap that concealed his face and rubbing the brim of it.

'I'm sorry. I had too much of a good day and I'm not ruining it by going through another episode again.' Red then turned around, and shook his head which caused Leaf to angrily pout as she walked in front of him.

"Why not? Is there a scar on your face or something?" She asked excitedly, getting more interested as she continued imagining. Red, however, had enough and was walking away until he felt a hand on his arm. "You're acting like some rogue criminal from a detective show. Now I'm interested. Please, Red?" She asked sweetly, giving a puppy face. 'What the hell?' Red thought, trying his best look away at the face that she was making only to see her back in his face. 'Stop doing that face. She looks too cute. Do not falter, Red. Oh yeah!' He closed his eyes and looked away, holding his cap to his face. Surprised, Leaf cursed under her breath. "Damn it!" The red capped teen secretly pumped his fist in the air. 'Thanks, dad. Your struggles with Mom were not in vain.'

Red was interrupted out of his thoughts as he felt Leaf tried to swipe to get his cap but failed. "Damn it." She cursed before trying again, getting the same result. The raven haired teen continued to dodge her swipes until she grabbed his arm to hold him in place, using her free hand to pry his cap off. Their Pokemon watched the struggle, Squirtle and Shinx betting on which trainer will win the bout while Budew slept on Kakuna.

"C'mon. Show me!" Leaf begged, struggling to knock the hat off. Red shook his head the best he could as he tried to wiggle his hand out of the brunette's grip. Their conflict continued until Red tripped on a rock and falling backwards with Leaf descending with him to the grassy ground next to the teen. Exhausted and gasping for air, they both started to laugh heartily as they got sat upright.

"That was honestly a lot of fun." Leaf said, panting as she looked at Red to see him nodding. Realizing his hands are not on his cap and his guard was down, she took the opportunity and pounced on the raven haired teen, bounding his arms to the ground and knocking his hat off.

"Finally! Let's see that f-" Leaf paused as her eyes caught sight of Red's face, seeing scarlet orbs looking back at her. She started going closer to his face, checking to see if she was seeing an illusion or if they were contacts. Entranced, Leaf stared intently, blocking everything from her mind as she wholeheartedly concentrated her gaze on Red's face.

'They're so pretty. How can someone be born with such beautiful eyes?' She thought, not realizing that she was so close that she could basically feel the boy's breath on her face.

Feeling confused and a slight bit comfortable, Red snapped his fingers in the brunette's face which barely snapped her out of her trance. When she came to, she blushed as she hopped off Red, hiding her face in her hands and holding back her blush.

"Sorry, Red. Your eyes. They're…" She paused, her face stuck on a dazed expression as she tried to find the right words. 'Here we go, again.' Red looked down, taking up his cap and putting it on his head and concealing his eyes as he feared the worst. 'She's gonna say they're freaky or scary. Here it com-'

"…beautiful." Leaf finished, making the raven haired teen look at her surprised, not believing what he has heard. 'Wait, what?'

Her blush concealed, Leaf then looked at him, completely focused on his face as she went to the raven haired teen and lifted his cap to reveal again his scarlet eyes.

"Your eyes look like red marbles. Are these natural?" She asked which Red, still surprised, barely responds with a nod.

"You were born with these?" He did another nod.

Leaf continued staring, going into another trance until Red cleared his throat, snapping her back into reality. "Oh, sorry." She said before she remembered something as she looked around and found her Pokedex. "Well! A deal is a deal!" she said as she opened the Pokedex and went on a certain page then giving it to Red who happily took the device.

"Budew, the Pokemon. When it feels the sun's warm touch, it opens its bud to release pollen. It lives alongside clear pools."

'Cool. Need to note some of these extra notes. It shows special abilities as well. Nice.' Red thought as he looked up from the device and at Budew who was sleeping on Kakuna. Leaf smiled as she watched the raven haired teen marveled while he was using her Pokedex before she yawned then looking at her Pokegear. '7:30PM?!' Her eyes widened as stared at it with her mouth agape.

"Woah! I can't believe it's so late!" She yelled, startling Red and frightening Budew out of its slumber. The raven haired teen looked at his Pokegear and his face held an astonished expression.

"Why don't we call it a night and camp out, Red?" Leaf yawned and stretched, seeing the red capped teen answer her with a swift nod. They both then set out for a spot to camp, along the way eating their dinner until they found a spot. Red then hang Kakuna by a nearby tree, remembering the Pokedex entry stating what it needs in order to grow and evolve. After he had done that, he began to take out camping supplies before the brunette walking up to him, fidgeting.

"Umm…If you don't mind, I only have a sleeping bag, could we share your tent?" She asked, eyes glued on the ground to hide the small blush that is creeping across her face. Feeling sorry for the brunette, Red nodded which caused a smile to emerge on Leaf's face as she raced to get her stuff in his tent after he finished making it. As they both got themselves ready and got in their respective sleeping bags, the brunette uttered something that could not be heard before she said to Red.

"Goodnight, Red."

"…night…" Red whispered which went unnoticed by Leaf because she quickly fell asleep. He then petted Shinx as he closed his eyes.

'Tomorrow is another day.'

Yes, everyone. She's here. She's finally here. Leaf has made her appearance. You guys have no idea how long it took me brainstorming to know how to introduce Leaf and where to introduce her. Honestly, this chapter was supposed to be put out along with chapters 7 and 8. This didn't take long than expected, it's just that when chapter 8 was finished, all of a sudden, I got busy. Not to worry though. Hope you love the holiday. Also, thanks for the reads and I hope you like the chapters and the story so far. Enigma out!