Chapter 5
As soon as the nurse returned Ivysaur to her, Leaf went to the center's PC station, plopped down in front of the PC closest to her, opened up the video call app, and entered her home phone number. It rang twice before her mom picked up.
"Leaf!" Mom's eyes were bright. "You're in Pewter City now?"
Leaf beamed. "I am. And I beat its Gym Leader this morning!"
Mom gasped. "Already? And you've been a trainer for what, three days?"
Leaf nodded, pride swelling in her chest. "And my team has had some updates."
Leaf let out Ivysaur and Spearow from their PokeBalls. The two Pokemon blinked curiously at the PC screen, at Mom's squeal of excitement.
"You've caught another Pokemon! And Bulbasaur has evolved?"
"Yes, meet Ivysaur and Spearow! Ivysaur and Spearow, meet Mom." Leaf giggled as they pressed their faces against the screen. After a moment, she gently pulled them away to uncover Mom.
"Oh Leaf, this is marvelous," Mom said, clapping her hands together. "You really were meant to be a Pokemon trainer! If only your father was here...wait! Let me take a photo of you three."
Mom rushed away and came back not long after. She held up her pink digital camera. "Say champion!"
Leaf threw up a peace sign and said through her smile, "Champion!"
"Perfect." Mom showed the photo to them and said, "Whenever there's an update to the team, give me a call and I'll take a photo."
Leaf nodded. "I'm pretty happy with the team now but I'm hoping to catch another Pokemon soon."
"I'm sure you are. So what's the plan now?"
"I'm going to head over to Cerulean City after lunch."
"Didn't you just challenge the Pewter Gym? Don't you want to rest a bit?"
"I am well-rested. I can leave soon."
Mom raised an eyebrow. "Alright, but like I said, don't push yourself too hard. It's not good for you or your Pokemon."
Leaf waved a hand. "I know, and I won't. I'm just a pretty good trainer, I think. I haven't lost a single battle yet!"
Mom gave Leaf a small smile that she didn't know how to interpret. "I'll let Professor Oak know how you're doing. You take care."
"Yeah, tell him I said hi! Talk to you later." Leaf turned off the PC and headed towards the cafeteria. As she ate, she suddenly thought about Red and Blue. They'd been traveling for about a week-and-a-half at this point. She wondered where they were now, what Pokemon they had. She didn't know how quickly they were moving, but given Mom's reaction to her progress, they couldn't be faster than her. The thought of catching up to them pleased her greatly. She especially couldn't wait to see Red. There were too many things they needed to discuss.
Leaf ate her lunch fast. Her next destination, Cerulean City, lay past Mount Moon. It would take her a couple of hours at least to pass through the mountain and she didn't think it would be a good idea to go when it was dark.
Connecting Pewter City to Mount Moon was Route 3. It was a wide, grassy path that cut through the brown mountains. There were several ledges Leaf had to jump over and even craters, some so deep that Leaf saw what appeared to be archaeologists kneeling in them.
"Think they found anything?" Leaf turned. There was a boy and girl standing several feet from her. They were observing the archaeologists so intently that they practically leaned over the crater. It was the boy who had spoken. He wore a simple t-shirt and shorts.
"I can't tell," the girl replied. She was more dolled up than her companion. She wore a white blouse and a blue miniskirt. There was a matching blue bow in her brown hair.
"Did you know that Pokemon fossils can be brought back to life?"
"I don't believe it."
"It's true. Colton knows a guy with a Kabutops."
Leaf's interest was piqued. "An actual Kabutops?"
The two of them jolted at the sound of her voice. The boy answered, "Yeah, President Ken has been pushing for a lot more Pokemon research. Fossil revival is a part of it."
Leaf wasn't surprised. President Ken always wanted more and more for Kanto. She hadn't heard about fossil revival, but it seemed like this was a more recent development and she had been solely focused on the Indigo League. Leaf looked down at the archaeologists again. She'd like to see a real Kabutops. She had learned about the ancient Pokemon in school and thought it looked cool with its scythe-like hands.
"Hey, you're a trainer too, right?" The boy asked.
Leaf knew where this was going. A part of her told her to decline his battle request and head to Mount Moon. But Leaf could never back down from a challenge. She pulled out Spearow's PokeBall.
The boy, whose name was Ben, sent out the purple mouse Pokemon, Rattata. Leaf scanned it, though she had seen Rattata before when there was an infestation at school once. Mom had been livid when she heard about it.
"Rattata, use Tackle!"
"Spearow, dodge and use Peck!"
"Rattata, use Hyper Fang!"
As Spearow closed in on the Rattata, it lunged and sank its buck teeth into Spearow's wing. Spearow wailed and tried to shake the Rattata off, but it held on tight.
"Spearow, keep pecking the Rattata!"
Spearow obeyed and began to peck wildly at the mouse. Soon, Spearow's movements began to quicken, but there was something rhythmic about them. The Rattata was unable to take them and let go.
"Spearow, use Peck!" Spearow pecked the Rattata one more time.
As Ben returned it, Leaf pulled out the Pokedex. Spearow had learned a new move: Fury Attack.
Ben's second and last Pokemon was an Ekans, a purple snake with a yellow stripe and rattle. The Pokedex said that Ekans, a poison-type Pokemon, liked to eat the eggs of Pidgey and Spearow. The Ekans hissed and Spearow stiffened.
Leaf pointed at the Ekans. "Spearow, you can beat it! Use Fury Attack!"
Spearow launched herself at the Ekans and sharply pecked at it several times. Before Spearow could pull back, Ben said, "Ekans, use Poison Sting!"
The Ekans jabbed Spearow with its tail. Leaf tensed as she waited a moment to see if Spearow would be poisoned. Though the attack had hurt Spearow, she was still able to stand straight. Relieved, Leaf told Spearow to use Fury Attack again.
It was now the girl's turn. Her name was Robin and she sent out a Nidoran. It was a pale blue rodent with big ears and whiskers. The Pokedex said this Nidoran was female. Male Nidoran were purple.
Leaf was about to return Spearow, give the Pokemon a rest, when Spearow squawked and did a loop in the air.
"You want to keep battling?" Leaf asked. Spearow nodded and Leaf couldn't help but laugh at the human-like action. Spearow must've learned it from her.
The Nidoran was like a poison-type version of Rattata. Spearow dodged all of its Poison Stings and Scratches, and knocked it out with a couple usages of Fury Attack.
Robin sent out her other Pokemon and Leaf almost gasped. Staring at Spearow with giant blue eyes was a pink ball with stubby limbs and a perfectly curled tuft of fur between its big, pointy ears. Leaf used to see this Pokemon every morning when she woke up and checked the time: a Jigglypuff.
Leaf excitedly scanned the Jigglypuff to the Dex. She couldn't wait to tell Mom that she finally saw the Pokemon her clock was designed after in real life. It was almost a shame she had to battle it.
"Spearow, use Fury Attack!" Spearow flew at the Jigglypuff.
Robin suddenly smirked. "Jigglypuff, use Sing!"
The Jigglypuff opened its mouth and began to sing a soft melody. For a second, Leaf was confused until she saw Spearow falter and then belly-flop onto the ground.
"Jigglypuff, use Double Slap!
As the Jigglypuff began slapping Spearow, now sound asleep, in the face, Leaf remembered that Jigglypuff were famous for their soothing lullabies that put both people and Pokemon to sleep. How could she have forgotten?
"Damn it," Leaf muttered to herself. She pulled out Spearow's PokeBall and returned the sleeping bird.
"Didn't see that coming, huh?" Robin taunted. "How does it feel knowing you're about to lose?"
Leaf grit her teeth. The voice Robin used reminded her of certain girls from school. Normally, she would've snapped something back, but she decided it was best to let Ivysaur do the talking.
"Ivysaur, use Vine Whip!" Ivysaur whipped at the Jigglypuff. Satisfaction flared in Leaf as Robin's eyes widened. With Ivysaur's vines, the Jigglypuff wouldn't be able to get close enough to use its singing voice.
"Jigglypuff, use Pound"
"Keep using Vine Whip, Ivysaur!"
The battle was done after a few hits. When Robin handed over $160, Leaf couldn't help but say, "So what were you saying about losing?" Robin glared at her but didn't respond.
The two trainers left and Leaf unzipped her satchel, about to take out a potion and awakening for Spearow, when she noticed up ahead, at the base of Mount Moon, a Pokemon Center.
Spearow was treated quickly and Leaf soon found herself, at 1:30PM, standing in front of the entrance to Mount Moon. For some reason, hiking over the mountain wasn't feasible. To get past it, travelers needed to go through its cave system. Staring into the dark gaping entrance, Leaf felt as if she were about to walk into the mouth of a beast.
Taking a deep breath, Leaf stepped in and despite the summer heat, was immediately met with a chill. She shivered and wished she had a light jacket on her. The cave was silent, save for the water dripping from stalactites. She passed by stalagmites that stood taller than her and craters that looked like ones found on the moon. There were many twists and turns, paths splitting into two with no indication of which one was the correct one. Everything looked exactly the same to her.
Leaf stopped when she arrived at yet another crossroad. Both paths seemed to stretch on endlessly. Her feet were beginning to ache. How long had she been walking? And she still had no clue if she was headed in the right direction. How did anyone get through the mountain? Was there a map at the Pokemon Center that she missed?
Eventually, Leaf decided she would take the path on the right. Right, for the right way. She wished she had stronger logic, that she could be one of those hikers who detected the most subtle details in the earth, but she didn't and she wasn't, so for now, she would have to settle for instinct. It worked for her in Viridian Forest anyway. Why should Mount Moon be any different?
Leaf trudged on, shaking out her exhausted feet every now and then. She would get to Cerulean City soon, she knew it. And once she was there, she was going to go to a spa and get a well-deserved foot massage.
All of a sudden, Leaf's left foot, the one she had injured when she jumped from her window, cramped, sending a shocking wave of pain. Leaf cursed and plopped onto the cold, stone ground. The sound of her satchel hitting the ground echoed as she waited for her foot to uncramp.
The echo died down and Leaf was met with total silence. A chill crept down her spine. There was something discomforting about the atmosphere, but she had no idea why. She looked ahead at the vast emptiness. She could hear something now...screeches, paired with violent flapping.
Her foot was back to normal just in time. Leaf screamed as she ran from the flock of Zubat flying towards her. The blue bats were small, but with so many of them packed closely together, they looked like a giant wrecking ball.
Leaf reached the crossroad again and sharply turned onto the left path, nearly slipping in the process. She turned a few more times when suddenly, the ground disappeared from beneath her feet.
Leaf tumbled down a hill, the dark world spinning around like a wheel. She was gasping for air when she hit the bottom, her entire body feeling like it had been punched multiple times. Her arms and legs were wet with blood.
When she recovered enough, Leaf groaned and sat up. She was about to check if the Zubat were still pursuing her when she noticed two men, dumbfounded by her rather inelegant arrival. They were dressed identically to each other: black shirt and pants, long steel-gray gloves and boots. Despite being inside a cave, they wore a black cap on their heads. Stamped across their chest was a big, bold, scarlet R.
Behind them was a large net. Inside the net were Pokemon, pink and round with a curled tuft of fur like a Jigglypuff, but with small black eyes and dark ovals on their cheeks that looked like a blush. These Pokemon were Clefairy. They were found only in Mount Moon and even then, were rarely seen. Now, Leaf saw at least ten, and they all stared at her with fear in their eyes.
One of the men sputtered, "W-Who are you? And what're you doing here?"
Leaf slowly stood, wincing at the ache in her back. Trying her hardest to sound calm, she answered, "I should be asking you that. What're you doing with those Clefairy?"
"It's none of your business, kid!" The other one snapped. "Now, move along. Shoo."
Leaf looked at the Clefairy again. Their anxious gazes were fixed on her, as if begging her to save them. That's right, save them. Leaf didn't know who these men were, but she knew they were going to harm the Clefairy and she was not the type of person who could just stand by and watch.
"First, tell me why the Clefairy are in nets."
The man's face reddened. "Like I said, it's none of your business, so go."
Leaf's heart was beating so fast, she thought it might burst out of her chest. "And what if I don't leave?"
The man pulled out a PokeBall. "Then things aren't going to look so pretty."
The man sent out a Koffing, a floating purple sphere with a cream-colored skull-and-crossbones marking beneath its smiling mouth and vacant eyes. Mustard-colored gas squirted out from several geyser-like protrusions. The man's partner sent out a Pokemon as well: a slimy purple blob called Grimer.
Leaf swallowed as she sent out Ivysaur and Spearow, who looked around quizzically. This was her first time doing a double-battle. She tried searching through her memory for tactics she saw on TV, but her nerves were causing her mind to blank.
"Koffing, use Smog!"
"Grimer, use Sludge!"
It was an explosion of purple. Koffing fired a purple smog and Grimer spat out a purple sludge. Spearow flew over the mess while Ivysaur jumped to the side.
"Ivysaur, use Vine Whip on Koffing! Spearow, use Fury Attack on Grimer!"
Ivysaur whipped the Koffing, though it didn't seem too bothered by it. Spearow dived at the Grimer and to Leaf's horror, her head slipped into the slime. Spearow's wings flapped about as she tried to extract herself.
"Koffing, keep tackling the Ivysaur!"
"Grimer, fall on top of the Spearow!"
Leaf felt like her brain had been split into two. She didn't know which Pokemon to command first, and what the command should be. During her moment of hesitation, the Koffing barreled into Ivysaur while the Grimer sank on top of Spearow, trapping her.
Leaf looked back-and-forth between her beloved Pokemon; the Koffing was continuing to knock Ivysaur off his feet. The Grimer had gone very still, resting comfortably on Spearow. Spearow was stuck somewhere inside that slimy body, completely immobilized. Leaf thought about Spearow suffocating in all that slime and finally, she knew what she had to do.
"Ivysaur, use one of your vines to keep the Koffing away from you, and use the other to shake Spearow out of Grimer!"
It was a risky move. Ivysaur had never lifted up anything heavy with a single vine, but she had to try. Ivysaur obeyed, knocking the Koffing away with one vine and wrapping the other around Grimer. Leaf watched in anticipation as Ivysaur lifted the Grimer up and began to shake it like a salt-shaker. She could see the strain in Ivysaur's face. His blue face was gradually turning red and sweat trickled down the side. It must've been challenging to keep the Koffing at bay as well. Like her moments before, his mind was at war with itself.
But Ivysaur was stronger than her. He kept swatting the Koffing away and shaking the Grimer, even when the Grimer began to spit purple sludge at him. At last, Spearow slid out. Before Spearow could hit the ground, her eyes opened and she began to flap her wings.
Leaf let out a cry of joy before saying, "Ivysaur, throw the Grimer as hard as you can! Spearow, use Fury Attack on the Koffing!"
Ivysaur tossed the Grimer hard against the wall. It landed on the ground with a thud and didn't get up. Spearow lunged at the Koffing and furiously jabbed at it. Already weakened from multiple Vine Whips, the Koffing was knocked out as well.
The two men were flabbergasted. They had just been beaten by a random teenage girl who fell down a hill and were at a loss for words.
Finally, the one who had snapped at Leaf said, "Fine, you win this battle! But don't you dare think for a second that this is the end of it. Team Rocket will prevail and you'll be sorry to have ever laid eyes on us!"
The men dashed off, leaving Leaf with more questions than she originally had. Team Rocket? Was that what they called themselves? And what did he mean by this not being the end of it?
Ivysaur and Spearow approached her and Leaf was snapped out of her thoughts. Grinning, she knelt down and hugged her Pokemon.
"I'm so happy you're alright, Spearow! And Ivysaur, I'm so proud of you for how you dealt with the Koffing and Grimer. The both of you deserve a vacation." Leaf returned them to their PokeBalls and rushed over to the Clefairy. When she freed them from the net, the Clefairy began to bounce around her and sing in gratitude. Their voices were like soft bells; it was the loveliest thing Leaf ever heard. Giggling, she scanned them with the Pokedex.
Suddenly, the Clefairy bounced away. They stopped at the opening of another path, glanced back at Leaf, and chimed at her.
"You want me to follow you?" When the Clefairy chimed again, Leaf followed them down the winding path until she saw a light in the distance.
The Clefairy stopped and beamed at her. Leaf smiled back. They had led her to the way out. She could cry tears of happiness.
"You're so sweet! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Leaf cried. The Clefairy simply bounced and then left.
Forgetting how tired she was, Leaf raced out, laughing when she felt the warm sunlight on her skin (a part of her was surprised the sun was even still out). She ran down a grassy hill, leaped over a few ledges, and at last, was at Cerulean City, the Floral Lagoon City. She could feel the breeze coming from the nearby sea as she went straight to the Pokemon Center. Once Ivysaur and Spearow were treated, Leaf thought, they were going to rest for real this time. She was seriously looking forward to that spa day.
Leaf handed her Pokemon to the nurses and made her way towards her room to put her stuff down. As she walked down the hall, the door to a room opened and a boy stepped out, blocking her path. He was her age. He wore a black collared t-shirt and purple cargo pants. There was a white fanny pack around his waist and a blue teardrop necklace around his neck. He had amber eyes and spiky auburn hair. Leaf recognized him immediately and nearly jumped.
Blue Oak flashed her his signature cocky smirk. "Yo, Leaf! Long time no see."
Aaaaaand Leaf has met Team Rocket! And bumped into Blue! I was really excited to start writing about them- I hope you all liked the way they were introduced (and just this chapter as a whole). Do let me know your thoughts and thanks to those who have been following and reviewing!
