"One more time, Nida!" Leaf shouted, her Nidorina's hands glowing before it punches a rock and break it into pieces. Commanding it again, her Pokemon using its hind legs to execute the move which produced the same result, much to her satisfaction. On the other side of the area was Red who was training his Beedrill and Clefairy while he was checking his Pokedex. After a while of exercise, Kim arrived to the place and approached them with a sleepy expression on her face while she yawned loudly. "You two know it's like five in the morning, right?"

"Yep!" Both of them answered before continuing, earning a sigh from the bluenette. Seeing that Leaf was too focused on training, she then decided to walk towards Red, whispering to him. "So what's she doing now with her training? Yesterday, it was Swablu."

"She's teaching Nida Rock Smash. She wanted a move that would make Nida use all of her limbs instead of her feet so Double Kick was a no go. Plus she said Rock Smash is a better move with it having a chance to lower defense and all." Red explained, giving a thumbs up to Poli who easily destroyed a boulder with its glowing foot. After they finished their session, the trio returned back to the Pokemon Center for breakfast. "Man, it feels good to get some training in the morning."

"Girl, you've been non-stop with the training. Take a break." Kim complained, eating her salad with a grumpy expression.

"Really? I feel I'm getting the hang of this battle style thing...I think. Plus, don't act like you didn't get anything out of it." Leaf said which made her friend more annoyed. The bluenette looked at her friend with a raised brow while she pointed at Red who is enjoying his meal quietly without a care in the world with Beedrill is sleeping on his back. "I got clobbered by your boyfriend multiple times. Who decides to teach their Poliwag Low Kick? Seriously, you some hidden gym leader or something?"

Red shook his head. "I'm just your normal everyday trainer."

"Pfft! Coulda fooled me. You're anything but normal. Leaf and Blue are gonna have problems with you in the League."

"I'm not going to participate in the Pokemon League." Red said, surprising everyone around the table and their Pokemon for the exception of Luxio and Beedrill. One of those people is Leaf who stood up in surprise. "Why?! You look like you have the best shot at winning it! I knew you said that you never wanted to before but I thought you were joking at the time!"

He scratched his cheek and chuckled nervously before turning to the window. "Thanks for the compliment but…I never wanted to become a Champion. I'm not a fan of being in the spotlight. Plus, could you imagine me being Champion?"

'Yeah. You might probably choke everytime a camera is on you.' Meowth commented jokingly before receiving a smack on her forehead from Luxio which earned a smile. "Plus, I've seen how passionate you guys work so diligently towards this goal. I don't want to take that from you."

After he said that, a question popped in Kim's head. "Then why take on the gyms?"

"To become stronger." He answered without hesitation, remembering the various events in his life which did not go unnoticed by his Pokemon and Leaf. "To be able to stand on my own two feet and protect the ones I care about. But most of all, I just want to be free."

Feeling Meowth cuddling with him and Beedrill tightening its embrace, he petted both of them until he heard another question from Kim. "So what, you wanna be a ranger or something?"

At that, Red's eyes widened before he looked down, his brows furrowing before he answered honestly. "I…I don't know."

"Huh? Is that so? You look like the type to have everything planned in your life."

"I wish that were true. I know that I always wanted to be an archaeologist like my dad when I was younger but now…I don't know what I want." Red sighed, feeling a hand on his, noticing Leaf who slipped beside him before taking some of his salad. "Well, we have all the time in the world to find out. Right?"

"Yeah. And give me back my salad."

For an hour, they continued with their breakfast until they decided to explore the town due to Kimberley's insistence, much to the dismay of Leaf. While they traversed, Red suggested for the brunette to take this time to take Misdreavus out of its ball. "Why though?"

"I mean, walking with your Pokemon helps with deepening the bond between them. You get to know what they like, what interests them and more. It's not gonna happen overnight but we can at least start from somewhere." Red explained, Beedrill nodding behind him while Poli hopping on his shoulder and Meowth sat on his head. The girl furrowed her eyes before Kim came beside her with a teasing grin. "Are ya scared?"

"Scared of what?" Red asked which made Leaf panic and pointing to the Celadon department store. "Hey, Red! Look there, it's a Stone merchant there!"

"Really? I wonder if they have a Water Stone." He said, running towards the mall which earned a sigh from her before she glared at Kimberley. "Not cool, Kim."

"That was my revenge for the training."

"You…"

They were about to argue until a bag with a bunch of stones appeared in front of them, the two of them turning to Red who had a huge smile on his face like a child who got his favorite toy. "They basically have everything here~ Water Stone, Dawn Stone, they even have a Shiny Stone too. And those are difficult to get anywhere."

Receiving the basket of gifts, Leaf noticed a certain stone in the basket which made her have a deep thought as she looked at the Pokeballs on her dress. 'According to the Pokedex, a Shiny Stone is needed for Roselia's evolution. That means…I can evolve Selia into a Roserade.'

Deciding to explore more of the mall, the trio continued before Kim sped off, seeing something that interested after noticing some new clothes which made Red chuckle before he turned to the pensive brunette. 'It could be the edge I need to win against Erika.'

"Leaf?"

"Huh?" Leaf jumped before turning to him who smiled at her and laughed. "Never knew you were jumpy. So what's up? I thought you would be speeding down the clothing aisle with Kim."

"O-oh. I do need some new clothes but I'm not in the mood right now. I'm thinking..."

"About Roselia." She turned to him when he said that, seeing a serious expression on his face. "You want to evolve her and gain an edge against Erika's...Roserade, right? I mean, not a bad decision."

"I mean, yeah. You got a point."

"Yeah. And I would get access to a plethora of moves that I can use with it being a Roserade. Its increased power would help as well and-"

"But what about Selia? Don't you think that you're thinking this is too fast?" Red asked in a worried tone.

"B-but she would win. You should've seen how powerful that Roserade was. I don't have much options to fight it. Plus, Selia seems...sad since the battle. She barely even dances anymore." The brunette said, lifting Roselia's Pokeball with a melancholic look on her face. "You had the same problem with Beedrill when she was a Kakuna."

"Well, that's...true. But-" He sighed, thinking her options before he snapped his fingers. "Alright, let's try it out. See if she will evolve. I can look into some things and we can get TMs at the mall that should help with her evolution. Let's see what she wants."

"Hmm...ok." Leaf spoke quietly before she released Selia, the Pokemon looking around in wonder before turning to her trainer, bowing which earned a giggle from the girl. The brunette crouched in front of the Grass type, gripping the stone in her hand. "Selia, this...this is a Shiny Stone. It can help you to evolve into a Roserade and become stronger and you'll be able to go toe to toe with Erika's Roserade. How about it?"

Roselia's face contorted to fear as it slowly steps back from the rock, much to both trainers' surprise. Leaf was worried and wondered what the problem was when Roselia attacked, knocking the stone out of her hand with Poison Sting which made it fall to the ground. "Woah."

"Guess she doesn't want to evolve..." Red concluded, taking up the stone and putting it in his bag when he saw Roselia look at the mineral with a terrified expression. "...or she might be scared of evolving? I'm not sure."

Selia started to sit down, trying its best to calm down before it surrounded itself with Stun Spore and the vines of Giga Drain which made Leaf quickly returned it, looking at the ball with a worried expression. "She has been like this after the fight. She's willing to train but it's like she's afraid of something...but what can I do?"

"Why not check with Erika...or Nurse Joy? She could give you some tips on it. And also check on it to make sure that she's not sick."

She thought about it, biting her lips before she feels a hand on hers. "You'll be alright. Evolution doesn't mean everything...I mean, sure, it helps make your Pokemon stronger but probably Roselia doesn't want to be strong in that way."

"But..." Leaf said slowly, putting her head in her hands.

"Some Pokemon lose more when they evolve. Especially when the evolution is forced or is done too quick. If evolution was everything needed, then most wild Pokemon would be much stronger than they are. Roselia's proud. She has a lot more in common with you than you think."

"Every Pokemon has an advantage, no matter how small or big they are. Give it time." Leaf looked at Red, sighing before her head returned to her lap before she received a pat on the back from him. After a while, Kim returned, noticing the awkward aura between the two teenagers. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, you didn't." Leaf said in frustration, her voice muffled by her hands before she took her food and ate, much to Red's worry. After their excursion at the mall, the trio came into confrontation with Erika, the gym leader immediately shooting Red a deadly glare while her companions goes for their Pokeballs, the teen retreating and having to hold back his Pokemon from retaliating.

"Hello there, Leaf and Kimberley." The woman gave both of them a smile which made the two of them completely baffled and shocked at how quickly the woman can change her demeanor.

"I told you. Call me Kim."

"We're ok…" Leaf answered involuntarily, looking to the side. Erika noticed her mood. "It's good to see the both of you doing alright. What brings you to the mall?"

"We're just shopping around. Spending till we drop."

"Oh, I see. I'm happy to hear that. It's good to enjoy life. That is also a part of training. Remember that, Leaf."

"Yeah…next time, I'll beat you." The brunette said enthusiastically which made the gym leader smile. The girls continued their conversation by a table, talking about everything from clothes to Grass Pokemon which Leaf intently listened. This resumed for a while until Erika looked at her watch.

"Well, would you look at the time. I have to go. If you ever need help, you can always ask." They all stated their farewells, the two teens looking around for their male companion before they got a message that he's at the Pokemon Center. As the two returned, Red had an idea when he saw Leaf getting ready to train with Roselia's Pokeball in her hand. He decided to act upon it when he joined her in her session, taking this opportunity.

"How about we do this? Let's switch Pokemon today."

"What? Switch Pokemon?"

"Yeah. You're going to train but this is going to be a little different. In order for you to understand what you need to change about fighting, you may need to see how someone else is able to use your Pokemon from a third person angle. It helps to broaden your knowledge once you learn from someone else." Red proposed, Leaf thinking about the idea while her Roselia has a melancholic look on her face. "I don't know."

"What's wrong? Scared I would be able to fight with Roselia better than you?" He teased, earning a glare from the brunette while the Grass type was in deep thought.

"Alright, let's go with this. I don't think anyone knows my Roselia and fight with her better than me." Scoffing, she folds her arms and sits down while her and Red's Pokemon watched as Red and Kim gets ready for their battle. Before the battle, Red walks up to Roselia who was looking down. "How about it? Would you be alright if I was your training partner, Selia?"

It looked down at the ground in deep thought before nodding, much to Leaf's surprise. 'Please train me.'

"Awesome! Kim, would you mind?"

"Hell yeah! I'll get to clobber you this time!" Kim said with her hands on her hips before she took out a Luxury Ball, throwing it which revealed a Purugly who stretched itself out before giving its opponent a menacing glare. As both trainers prepared themselves, Leaf started the match as Red stated the first. "Stun Spore."

Roselia was about to use the move until he stopped it, the Grass type looking at him before he said. "Just hold on...and control the move."

It nodded, doing as told before it heard Kim make her move. "Fake Out!"

Purugly braced itself then vanished, Selia surprised before it calmly observes the area, Red doing the same until he notices something. "Now!"

The Pokemon released a huge cloud of yellow dust which covered the entire field, much to everyone's surprise. Leaf watched in surprise as Red made Selia stay still, using Growth which made Kim panic as she voiced her order. "Mittens, find him and attack with Body Slam!"

Purugly coughed from the smoke it nodded and held its breath, looking through the spores until it saw the glow within the cloud.

"Roselia, you like to dance. Why don't you do a spin?" Roselia did as told, unwarily dodging a move from its opponent while it was still able to keep hold of its Growth which Red noticed as he made a note, looking at his Pokedex and paying attention to the fight.

"What the?" Leaf said, seeing the cloud disperse as Roselia is dodging Purugly's attacks while still using Growth, the Pokemon enjoying itself as it twirls around like a ballerina. Studying her opponent, Kim watched the Grass type's movements before she noticed a pattern, acting immediately which made her able to get a hit on her opponent with Play Rough. "Bullseye!"

"Selia!"

No one realized the smile creeping on Red's face as he watched Selia block and dodge the attack until it gets hit again. 'Perfect.'

"Giga Drain to hold it down." Roselia immediately acted upon the order, wrapping its vines around Purugly paw which held it in place before it started absorbing energy, able to heal some of its wounds. Caught by surprise, Kim tried to think of an escape which was too late when Red made his next move.

"Keep calm and take a deep breath, Selia." The Pokemon made a deep inhale, readying itself before he made it use Poison Sting which landed a devastating blow into Purugly's chest, knocking the wind out of it. Not missing a beat, he let the Pokemon let out a barrage of strikes to the cat, a little flair added from its dancing as he noticed something until he saw his opponent retaliated. "Hypnosis!"

He took this time to let Selia back away and throw back its foe to avoid the hypnotism, taking time to rethink his position as he thought about his next move. He then noticed his foe coming towards him, him commanding the Thorn Pokemon to dodge the attacks in a rhythmic motion before it spun quickly, shooting Poison Sting which knocked back the feline. The cat then jumped into the air, dashing towards the plant before Red made it aim the move upwards which hit it before the pins rain down and bombarded the Pokemon, much to Leaf's surprise.

'What the hell?' She said, watching as her Pokemon started boxing, blocking a hit from Purugly before launching a couple strikes and throwing the cat away with Giga Drain. 'It's like he's linked to her. He's fighting with her like it's his own Pokemon.'

Seeing him realizing that she's failing when she trying to go on the offensive, Red made Roselia retreat before it exploded into a spore cloud, catching Purugly off guard before it used the Giga Drain vines to shoot itself off the ground and shooting a barrage of poisonous needles which its opponent avoided. Not missing a beat, the Normal type jumped up, Roselia using the vines to pull itself to the ground before Purugly hit it with Body Slam, Red smiling as he has an idea. 'Let's hope this works.'

"Poison Sting! But through your body this time." The brunette's eyes widened when she saw her Pokemon take a deep breath before spikes protrude out of its skin which stabbed Purugly before the Grass type let a strong exhale, its attack sending the cat into the air. 'I never knew she could use her attacks like that.'

Watching Purugly beginning to fall, Red looked at Roselia who seemed to be shocked at what it can do before turning to him, the teen giving both it and Leaf a smile before he made a command. "Giga Drain."

The Pokemon quickly obeyed, wrapping its vines around Purugly before it made another order. "Use Poison Sting through the vines."

It did so, purple spikes coming out of the vines which hurt Purugly before the vines drained its energy, much to Kim's dismay. Before long, the Pokemon went down, Roselia stopping its attack as Red called the match. "Well, I guess that calls it."

Red walked up to Purugly, giving it some food as he tended to its wounds and massaged its back which earned a relaxed purr from the Pokemon. 'Thiiiiissss is liiiifeee~'

As he finished, he felt a touch before seeing Roselia, giving it a bowl of Berry Porridge which it happily took but it bowed first, confusing Red before it spoke. 'Thank you.'

"What the hell was that? I've never seen Roselia fight like that before. I never knew Roselia could fight like that." Kim asked, drinking a bottle of water while Leaf nodded, spraying a Super Potion on her Roselia who was looking at its hands with a surprised expression before a huge smile came on its face as it danced around the field with a smile. "I've never seen her this happy in a while."

"Isn't that a good thing?" She turned to a smiling Red as he petted Luxio and Meowth who both let out relaxed purrs. "Now...it's up to you to think about what you're going to do. Fighting is good but feeling good and bonding with your Pokemon is important too. Plus, it's good to learn from your enemies as well as your friends."

'Does he mean?' Leaf thought, seeing a mischievous smirk on his face as he turns to her and gives her a nod. After they had some practice matches and Kim celebrating after she was finally able to score a win against Red, Leaf decided to take the day to bond with Selia, thanks to Red, she started to understand it much better than before. As they went to the Pokemon Center to enjoy their lunch, Red smiled when he saw Leaf joking around and playing with her Pokemon which did not go unnoticed by his Pokemon.

'He's too kind for his own good.' Dusclops whispered to Red's party. Luxio sighed exhausted while Beedrill just shrugged. 'Well, that's what makes him awesome, right?'

'I'm, for one, just happy the plant got her spunk back. It's been pretty boring without the fish and messing with the rabbit isn't as much fun.' Meowth said while licking her water, getting a glare from Buneary. 'Hey!'

Meanwhile during lunch, Leaf watched Roselia enjoy itself and talk to Clefairy and Swablu, something that Kim noticed when she poked her. "What's up? You don't want your food, right?"

"Yeah. I'm just thinking."

"Ok..." She was in deep thought before she turned to Red, earning a thumbs up on his face which made her smile. She then petted Roselia, giving it one of Red's Poffins which she took behind his back. "We're going to train super hard from now on. We gotta try those moves Red did with you."

It was morning when the doors to the Celadon City gym opened, revealing Leaf and Kim who entered to see Erika watering plants in the greenhouse, some of her Pokemon helping her, the brunette surprised by the immense size of the room. 'Looking at it now, this is an impressive greenhouse.'

"Oh! Welcome Ms. Green." The gym leader noticed them before she put down her Squirt bottle and Watering Can then approached them. "This is very soon for a rematch. It was just a few days since we saw each other at the mall. Did you get a new Pokemon?"

"I'm not here for a rematch. I'm here to speak about...Grass type Pokemon." Leaf said nervously which made Erika lift a brow. "Grass types?"

"Grass types."

Erika sighed before she turned around, picking up her Squirt bottle. "Alright but I will need to finish these. Is it alright to ask for help?"

The two girls look at each other before nodding, helping the woman with her plants with the assistance of their Pokemon. After a while, they took a break, the gym leader handing them bottles of water before she sat down in one of the lawn chairs. "Thank you so much. You don't know how much you've done."

"It's no biggie! I'm happy to help." Leaf said with a thumbs up, Kim nodding before noticing Erika's attire, seeing her in a sunflower hat along with a brown blouse and pants. "Huh? It's so weird seeing you like this. I'm usually used to you being in that weird dress thing."

"It's called a kimono and although I love them, it's hard to work in them." Erika corrected, folding their aprons and chugging down her water quickly. "Now…you said that you needed my help with something."

"Yeah. I wanted to know what's the correct way to battle with a Grass type. Like how to effectively use them in battle." Upon hearing this, Erika smiled before she escorted to the battlefield, seeing various women challenging each other, some using Grass types while others are using other types. Erika then clapped her hands before turning to Leaf. "Alright, let's get started. Show me Roselia."

The girl obeyed, Selia walking forward before Erika started to take out a kit. She then inspected the Pokemon, observing and checking the Pokemon's thorn, flower like arms and its skin. During the checkup, a question came up to Kim's head before she asked Leaf. "Why do you need to check its health? Isn't that something Nurse Joy does?"

"As amazing as Nurse Joy is, she is not all knowing. Also, I'm looking for something else that would is hard to notice or catch in a regular checkup. Its size and weight. We need to make sure that it's not malnourished."

Leaf was surprised by this however Kim raised a brow. "And there aren't doctors for this?"

"Yes. They're called Professors. But...when it comes to Grass type Pokemon, they can't match my knowledge. Well, apart from Master Ramos." When she was finished, she took a sigh. "Well, the good news is that your Roselia's alright physical wise. Her petals are very healthy and big. She has been taken care off very nicely. Good job."

"Thanks! My friend helped me a lot with her. He's kind of a Pokemon expert." Hearing this, Erika's expression started hardening before she put down her kit. "…sounds like he's dependable…and that you're quite smitten with him."

The brunette started blushing before she held her cheeks while her friend nudges her with a smirk. "W-well, yeah. I think. I owe a lot to him."

"Be careful and learn to help yourself. It's good to be independent." The woman said, her glare as icy as an Alolan Sandslash's quill which caught both girls off guard. "I'm not saying that it's not ok to fall in love but if worse comes to worst, learn to fight alone…some people just want to see you fall…"

"Um…o-ok…" The younger girl answered nervously. 'I wonder what happened to her in the past for her to feel strongly about this.'

"Alright then." The woman walked over to her side of the field. "Now I want to see how your Roselia fairs in battle. And only your Roselia."

"Oh! Ok…" Leaf said, a little excited then turning to Selia who walked to the field with a serious face. A lass came forward to the other side who is clenching a Great Ball, releasing a Weepinbell. As the referee starts the battle, the girl going first, making Weepinbell attack with Vine Whip which Roselia bats away with Poison Sting before spreading Stun Spore around itself and then using Growth.

"You're not gonna stop me with that. Acid!" The lass said, her Pokemon spraying a stream of liquid towards Roselia and burning the spores before using Vine Whip to attack their foe only to be surprised when it saw no sign of Selia, much to everyone's surprise.

"Woah! What just happened?" Kim said in surprise, not seeing Leaf's Pokemon anywhere on the field. Erika then finding the Pokemon behind Weepinbell, the lass noticing as well about to say her command but was too late when her Pokemon was swiftly defeated in one strike. "What's going on? Roselia's speed is impressive, especially in the short amount of time that it improved."

"Selia was never this fast." Leaf commented when her Pokemon walked back over to her side, holding a stoic expression. 'The training's paying off.'

The lass returned her Pokemon with a defeated look on her face before Erika shouted for another opponent who fought Leaf, their Pokemon easily getting beaten by the Thorn Pokemon. This continued for a while, Leaf continued with her fights, surprised at Roselia's increased strength. 'I'm happy that it's getting stronger but this is odd. It shouldn't gain this much strength.'

After a while, Selia defeated a Sunflora with a barrage of strikes with Poison Sting before turning to Roserade, pointing towards it with a shaky hand. Leaf then noticed the shift in the mood as she saw the gym leader stand up.

"Hmm, it looks like it wants to battle you. How about it, Roserade? This could help with me getting more information on its battle style." Erika asked, her Roserade looking at the pre-evolution before it went to the battlefield, everyone excited to see the battle but Leaf noticing her Pokemon started shaking. As soon as the battle commenced, Roselia rushed forward, its speed surprising everyone until its attack was easily smacked away by Roserade before it was blasted away with Hidden Power.

"Darn it, it's still strong. Roselia, Giga Drain to grab unto it!" The Pokemon did as told, plunging its vines into the ground before they appeared underneath Roserade, binding and immobilizing it. Leaf was about to continue its assault until its move was destroyed by an intense wave of energy, the two seeing Roserade brush itself off. During the fight, Erika's expression becoming serious as she watched the fight, seeing a short clash between the two as Roselia was holding its own against her Pokemon. 'Her Pokemon is definitely much more powerful than last time but...it's fighting more aggressively than the last match. Is it ok?"

After a while, Roserade was able to stop its opponent with its own Giga Drain before using Weather Ball which blasted Roselia into a wall. Getting up, Roselia got angry then rushed forward, thrashing about until it was knocked back by Roserade who then started to charge a Weather Ball, Erika closing her eyes. 'It is over. There's no use fighting.'

Seeing the attack about to be unleashed towards it, Roselia started shaking which Leaf noticed before the Pokemon started to slowly back away. "I understand now. You're afraid, aren't you?"

The Pokemon looked at its trainer with tears in its eyes before turning to the attack. "It's alright! You can do this! It's just a bigger you! You've defeated worse! I'm pretty sure Red's Vulpix is much terrifying than this. Plus, we've trained and spend so much time these past few days. And no matter what, I will be right here with you! Now let's show them our strength!"

Roselia looked at its trainer before slowly getting up, its legs still shaking before it outstretched its arms and closed its eyes, its body glowing brightly before a white sphere formed in front of it which surprised Leaf. While its sphere grew bigger, Roserade shot its attack as Selia's orb got bigger until it shot its own move as well, both connecting before creating a huge explosion, surprising everyone.

"Woah!"

"What power!"

After the explosion subsided, everyone saw Roserade standing tall while Roselia is on the floor, trying its best to stand. It was able to get up until it heard a voice pierce through the air. "That's it! That will end the battle today!"

This caught Leaf by surprise before Erika giving her a wink while holding her throat before pointing down at Roselia who was looking at its arm. "We will continue this tomorrow. For now, take the time to rest."

Hearing that, Leaf thanked the woman who give her a smile and a wave. Once she was able to administer a Super Potion to Roselia, the two sat down and then took the moment to enjoy the breeze from the opened windows.

"Are you ok?" She asked, the Pokemon looking down on the ground before it felt a hand on its head, turning to its trainer. "Rose…roselia…"

It then pointed at Roserade, its hand started shaking which made Leaf understood what's happening. "You're afraid?"

It shook its head, much to her confusion. She lifted a brow, taking out a bunch of berries and Poffins to feed it with as she thought deeply before she made another guess.

"It makes you uncomfortable. That explains why every Roserade we come across, you fight it." Slowly, the Pokemon nodded, starting to feel frustrated before feeling arms around it. "It's alright to be afraid. It happens to all of us. I'm afraid of ghosts. But no matter what, we will get through this together."

Hearing that, the Pokemon relaxed in Leaf's embrace as she cradled it. The Pokemon's eyes slowly closed, the both of them enjoying the quietude of the area before dozing off. After a few hours, Leaf and Kim left the gym, Erika sitting down on one of the chairs, her Roserade laying on the floor. "This is interesting. I just…hope her friend has good intentions."

"Rose!" Her Pokemon before they both turn to look to the sky. "Such a peaceful time!"

Leaf returned to the room with a smile on her face with Kim, the both of them met with silence along with the absence of their third roommate. Almost immediately, they heard a sound before turning to see a bruised Red who shakily waved at them.

"What the fuck happened?!" The two said in unison before Leaf get a message on her Pokegear. 'I had a bad run-in with a group of Primeape. But it's ok, I'm alright.'

"Red! Your cheek's swollen. Let me help you with that." The brunette said while Kim went to get dinner which left the two alone in the room. Leaf then took out a health kit out of the cabinet and dressed Red's injuries, starting with dabbing a cotton of alcohol which made him twitch, earning a giggle from her. "C'mon, sweetie. You've dealt with worse."

For a while, she inspected his face for any injuries, the room enveloped in silence before she broke the silence.

"Thank you and I'm sorry."

This made Red look at her in confusion before she put a bag of ice on his swollen cheek before checking his arms. "Thanks to you, I was able to see what was bothering Selia. I couldn't have done it without you. I never knew how strong she was until today. You made me realize how much I have been holding it back."

Red smiled upon listening Leaf speaking about her rematch and the other events that happened during the day until she was finished tending to his wounds, feeling a little better. After she finished, he told her to sit down while rummaging through his bag. After a minute, he was able to find what he was looking for before running back to her.

"Here you go." Red said with a smile, giving her two small boxes which made her feel excited and confused. "What? Is it my birthday?"

He gestured her to open it which she did, looking at the gifts with a mixed reaction as she picked up one. "A tiara for Misdreavus? Why?"

"Because she would look good in it. Let her try it out when you get the chance. Don't tell her I gave you this." He smiled before she checked on the other gift which is a black chained necklace with a shimmering green gem at the middle. "That…is for you. The bracelet I gave you was destroyed in Lavender Town. It's-"

He was cut off when she gave him a hug, the teen felt like she could squeeze the life out of him if she used her full strength. "Oh! I'm repaying you back for this."

"You don't need t-"

"I'm repaying you back. The Chestnut detective always repays back." Leaf said with a smile and a fist in the air, Red sighing before he nodded, realizing that he can't stop her.

"Where did you get that necklace from?" Kim said while she and Leaf were eating breakfast, Red in the bathroom. The brunette smiled before she pointed to the bathroom which surprised her friend. "Huh? Never knew he had it in him?"

"Yeah, right? I…oh wait." She remembered something, releasing Misdreavus who looked at her with an annoyed expression. Seeing her trainer motioning it to come closer, it sighed before coming closer only to be surprised when something was put on its head, seeing Leaf smiling at it.

"Here you go. Now…there, it looks good on you, you little brat!" The Ghost type look in the mirror to see a silver tiara on its head, a cream like stone in the middle that glitter which made a huge smile come on its face as it posed in the mirror. As it glittered, Leaf noticed something before she reached into Red's bag and took out one of his mineral books, skimming through the pages until she found something which made a smile come onto her face. 'That dork. He didn't think I would notice the Eviolite.'

They then got themselves ready, on their way to the gym before she sent a message to Red's Pokegear that she's leaving. Exiting the Center with a new resolve and a more confident Selia beside her, the two girls decided to run about the city before going to the gym.

Hello there. Another chapter done. I'm not gonna lie, I love humanizing some of the Pokemon and showing them in a perspective that isn't Red who can understand them. Honestly, I love writing Leaf in the story and we barely get any Leaf centric chapters. She needed some character development after what she had to go through in the last chapters. I love fleshing out the world as the story goes on. Well, I hope that you enjoy the story so far and let me know y'all thoughts. Keep safe guys and Enigma out!