Chapter 10

Vermilion City was situated near a sea inlet, making it the home port for many of Kanto's ships. As a result, its nickname was the Port of Exquisite Sunsets. Leaf found the Exquisite Sunsets part debatable. She had seen the sunset over the Vermilion Harbor yesterday and didn't find it any more beautiful than sunsets anywhere else. In fact, Vermilion City was so far the least impressive destination in Leaf's journey. Despite being an economic hub, Vermilion was small and relatively underdeveloped. Considering all the construction everywhere, it was clear President Ken was hoping to change that. But whatever shiny new things were built could never completely distract from the structures already in place. Other than the Pokemon Center and Vermilion Gym, which was situated at the southwest edge of the city, all the buildings were quite old. Overall, Vermilion City felt more like a modest fishing village rather than a major center for trade.

Mom laughed when Leaf told her all of this. "You sounded like your father just now. Maybe you should study economics in college."

Leaf smiled warily. Mom had allowed her to go on a Pokemon journey, but she obviously didn't expect anything too long-term. Leaf herself hadn't thought much about her future, beyond becoming Champion. She didn't know how long that would take, but it definitely wasn't happening tomorrow. And then what? Maybe after seeing Leaf's success, Mom would truly accept that Leaf was stuck in the Pokemon world.

Leaf released her Pokemon. "There's a new member of the team! Meet, Psyduck!" As usual, Psyduck gazed around in confusion and clutched his head.

"Oh, I've seen those before! What a funny creature." Mom grabbed her camera and snapped a photo.

"He's stronger than he looks," Leaf said. He doesn't have any control over his strength, though. I need to address that somehow.

"Anymore updates?" Mom asked.

"Yes! I met Bill McIntyre when I was in Cerulean and he gave me a ticket to a cruise party tonight!"

"The Bill McIntyre? My god, your journey is exciting." Mom's eyes glowed wistfully for a moment. "A cruise party? Do you need to wear something nice?"

Leaf hadn't thought about that. "Bill told me there would be a lot of trainers. I think we'll be too busy battling to notice what everyone's wearing."

"Alright then," Mom said. "Well, let me know how it is. I don't want to take up too much of your time, my little trainer, so I'll let you go. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom," Leaf replied and hung up.

Leaf returned her Pokemon and walked out of the Pokemon Center. A strong fish smell hit her immediately. She wrinkled her nose. That smell was definitely her least favorite thing about Vermilion.

She passed by a construction site. A few Machop were carrying iron blocks. The Machop reminded Leaf of the stolen Diglett. Leaf hoped she would see Red on the S.S. Anne tonight so that she could tell him about the event. She wondered if he came across more Team Rocket members.

Leaf stopped once she reached a house with a giant PokeBall sign above the door. The sign read in bubbly letters, Pokemon Fan Club. Leaf had seen this place earlier, but it hadn't yet opened for the day. Now that it was, Leaf stepped in.

It was a cozy space with red couches surrounding a table at the center. Photos of Pokemon were hung all over the walls. At the back, Leaf could see a small kitchen and bathroom. People of all ages were spread around, chatting amicably with each other and playing with cute Pokemon.

Sitting on the couch facing the door was an elderly man. With his suit, bowler hat, cane, and neatly trimmed mustache, he looked like a true gentleman. The man gestured at Leaf to come to him.

"I've never seen you before!" The man said. He had an accent that Leaf couldn't place. "What is your name?"

"Leaf. I'm here to challenge the Vermilion Gym."

"A bona fide trainer! To be frank, most people here have never battled before." The man smiled. "I'm the Pokemon Fan Club chairman! I raise more than a hundred Pokemon. Would you like to hear about them?"

Leaf had nothing better to do until the party tonight. "Sure."

It didn't take very long for Leaf to regret her answer. The chairman began to ramble at great length about his favorite Pokemon, the fire unicorn Rapidash. Leaf never knew there were so many adjectives in the English language before. She wanted to leave, but the chairman spoke with so much vigor that she couldn't cut him off.

Fortunately, someone else was able to. A man wearing a pair of Pikachu ears pointed at Leaf and asked, "Hey, aren't you the trainer who rescued that Diglett?"

As everyone in the room began to surround Leaf and bombard her with questions, Leaf glanced at the clock and nearly choked on her spit. It was almost time to board the S.S. Anne. Leaf had listened to the chairman talk for over an hour.

"Yes, that was me," Leaf said quickly. "But I can't talk about it now. I have somewhere to be. Maybe some other time."

Leaf rushed out of the building. It would be a long time before she set foot in the Pokemon Fan Club again.


Leaf didn't have to ask which boat was the S.S. Anne. It stood out even from a distance. The luxury cruise liner towered over all the other boats at the harbor, its snow white surface glistening under the sun. The closer Leaf got to it, the more it overwhelmed her.

Leaf handed her ticket to a sailor at the ship's entrance. He scanned it and gave it back with a nod. Leaf walked up a board that led into the ship and gasped.

The S.S. Anne's lobby looked to be straight out of a palace. Hanging above the ceiling was a giant crystal chandelier, its shard twinkling like stars as they caught the light. Printed on the marble floor was a golden insignia, with S.S. Anne written at the center in cursive, that stretched from the entrance to the base of a grand staircase. Sitting on the staircase was a red velvet carpet with a gold motif running across.

With bated breath, Leaf walked towards the staircase. When she reached it, she looked up. The S.S. Anne had several floors. Each one seemed to be glittering with gold. Leaf was suddenly very self-conscious about her appearance. She felt like a peasant standing here. At least she was wearing a skirt. Wearing jeans in such a regal space seemed offensive. Leaf mentally thanked her mom for pushing the skirt on her.

"Growlithe, use Flamethrower!" Leaf jumped as a powerful stream of fire whizzed by on her right and slammed into a pillar. When the fire stopped, Leaf saw that the pillar was miraculously not burned.

"This whole ship is Pokemon-proof." Leaf turned at the voice and saw a burly sailor. "Battles happen here all the time. The S.S. Anne needs to be built to handle them."

Leaf looked back at the battle. The fire had come from a Growlithe. His opponent was a male Nidoran, which looked like a purple, larger-eared version of its female counterpart. Leaf scanned the two Pokemon with the Pokedex.

The battle ended soon after, with the Growlithe victorious. His trainer, an old man wearing a brown suit, accepted the prize money from the Nidoran's trainer, a preteen who reminded Leaf of Joey. The preteen hung his head.

Leaf felt a tap on her shoulder. It was the burly sailor. He grinned at her. "Wanna battle?"

The sailor, whose name was Trevor, had one Pokemon, a Tentacool. It was a light blue, oblong jellyfish with two transparent red orbs on each side of its body and a smaller one in the center. It floated in the air somehow, with its two grayish tentacles just above the floor. The Pokedex said that, like Ivysaur, the Tentacool was part poison-type.

Leaf sent out Ivysaur and ordered him to use Razor Leaf. The Tentacool was too slow to dodge and the force of the attack knocked him into a pillar. Leaf's hand went to Ivysaur's PokeBall, ready to return Ivysaur so she could go get her prize money.

"Tentacool, use Acid!" Leaf blinked in surprise as the Tentacool drifted forward, as if the Razor Leaf had not affected it much, and spat a dark, thick liquid at Ivysaur. Ivysaur yelped and began trying to shake the liquid off.

"Now, use Supersonic!" The Tentacool emitted a bizarre, high-pitched sound. Leaf could faintly see transparent, wiggling rings heading towards Ivysaur.

"Dodge, Ivysaur!"

Fortunately, Ivysaur stepped to the side. He shook off the last drops of the Acid.

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"

"Tentacool, use Acid!"

The leaves melted as they made contact with the liquid. As the Acid struck Ivysaur again, Leaf understood. Poison-types had the advantage over grass-types. The Tentacool was able to withstand the Razor Leaf because his poison-type half canceled out the weakness of his water-type half. This battle was never going to be as easy as Leaf initially thought.

But that was fine. The Tentacool was still not particularly resistant to the Razor Leaf. Leaf just needed to make sure the Razor Leaf wasn't countered by the Acid.

"Ivysaur, use Tackle!"

Ivysaur charged at the Tentacool. The Tentacool continued to spit acid at him, but Ivysaur avoided each attack. Once Ivysaur was close enough, Leaf said, "And use Razor Leaf!"

Ivysaur's head rammed into the Tentacool's body. At the same time, he fired the sharp leaves. The Tentacool made a deep, throaty sound as it crashed into the pillar. It sank onto the marble floor.

Trevor returned his Pokemon and gave Leaf $544. "Nice battle. There are way more trainers to challenge around the ship. Go explore and have fun!"

Leaf spent the rest of the day battling. Trevor was right. There was an abundance of trainers on the S.S. Anne. It seemed as if battles were occurring in every possible corner: the hallways, the deck, even inside people's rooms. Leaf lost count of how many trainers she faced, but there were a few notable battles. One was a friendly fisherman who had a Staryu and a Shellder. Another was a sailor with three Horsea. She battled the gentleman with the Growlithe as well. His name was Lamar and he also had a Ponyta, the pre-evolution of Rapidash. Although Leaf had the advantage with Psyduck, it had been a close battle. Psyduck managed to defeat the Growlithe but lost to the Ponyta after taking a few strong kicks. It took the combined effort of Spearow and Ivysaur to beat the fire horse.

"You definitely have talent," Lamar had said as he wrote Leaf a hefty check of nearly $2000. "With some discipline, you could become a very powerful trainer."

Leaf was sitting on a bed in one of the ship's infirmaries now. The S.S. Anne had one on each floor which operated 24/7. Pokemon nurses scurried around, tending to whoever was injured. Leaf's Pokemon lay beside her, resting. They were done battling for today. Soon, the party would start. Leaf was no longer worried about her attire. Except for Lamar and a few others, everyone she saw today was dressed quite casually.

Leaf traced one of Ivysaur's leaves with a finger. She was in a very good mood. She'd won all of her battles today and made a lot of money. Lamar's praise had been playing in her head on repeat. She wanted to tell Red about it, but hadn't seen any sign of him. Did he really decide not to come? Red never liked big crowds, but she didn't think he would turn down the chance to battle. It was also possible for them to have missed each other. The S.S. Anne was way too big. Leaf had run around all day and still hadn't seen every part of the ship.

Leaf stretched her arms and yawned. Even if she wouldn't get to see Red, she still had an amazing day and she was sure the party would be fun, too. Nothing could ruin her mood. Absolutely noth––

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Little Miss Hero."

Leaf jerked, as if she'd been suddenly woken up from a dream. Or, more accurately, her dream had suddenly transformed into a nightmare, because standing beside her with his arms crossed and head cocked to the side was Blue.

"W-What are you doing here?" Leaf sputtered, before mentally punching herself. The first thing she'd said to Blue in Cerulean City was that same question, said in that same idiotic way. The memory of losing to Blue flashed through Leaf's head. She prayed this encounter wouldn't turn into an exact replica.

"This feels a bit deja vu," Blue replied with a smirk. Then, he continued matter-of-factly, "Gramps gave me a ticket. He's too old for these dumb parties. He gave Daisy a ticket, too, but she's been busy with her bakery." Daisy was Blue's sister, ten years their senior. "As for me, I figured I'd come here to get some training, make some money. What about you? How did you get a ticket?"

A part of Leaf was wondering now what this party was about. She hadn't given any thought before, but the fact that both Bill and Professor Oak were invited meant it wasn't just any random party. She didn't want to ask Blue if he knew what it was for, though. "Bill McIntyre gave me and Red tickets. Have you seen Red here, by the way?"

"Yeah, I have." Leaf couldn't tell if she imagined the edge in Blue's voice. "He's near the captain's cabin."

The captain's cabin! Leaf wasn't near that area earlier. No wonder she hadn't seen Red! Leaf stood and returned her Pokemon. "I'd love to keep chatting, but I'm going to go find Red." As Leaf began to leave, something suddenly occurred to her. She turned back and asked, "Wait, what did you call me earlier?"

"Little Miss Hero," Blue answered. "What, did you forget about that poor Diglett you rescued already?"

"You know about that?"

Blue snorted. "Of course I do. I saw it on the news. You're like a local celebrity now."

For some reason, that made Leaf flush. "I was just trying to do the right thing," she mumbled. Then, after a moment of hesitation, asked, "By the way, have you heard of Team Rocket before?"

Leaf was surprised when Blue nodded. "Team Rocket? Yeah, I did the Nugget Bridge challenge and this guy tried weirdly hard to recruit me. Cults aren't really my thing, so I said no and left. Why do you ask?"

Leaf couldn't help but smile for a second. She could picture Blue nonchalantly walking away as the Team Rocket member tried desperately to capture his attention. "No reason. I'll see you at the party."

Blue plopped down on the bed. "Sure, smell ya."

Relieved that Blue hadn't brought up their battle, Leaf exited the infirmary. There was a map of the ship. Leaf checked it and memorized the directions to the captain's quarters, which luckily wasn't far. Leaf walked up a flight of stairs and turned left. As she went down the empty hallway, she heard retching. Concerned, Leaf picked up her pace. The sound grew louder and louder.

Eventually, she reached a room at the end of the hall. The door was half-open. Leaf saw an old man in a white suit leaning over a trash can and puking his guts out. The man wasn't alone. Kneeling beside him and gently rubbing his back was Red.

"Red!" Leaf exclaimed.

Red's head shot up. As he opened his mouth to speak, the man finished puking and weakly raised his head. "W-Who's there?"

"My friend," Red replied.

"Oh, so you do spe––" The man vomited into the trash can again. When he finished, he kept his head low for a moment, breathing heavily, before slowly standing. Red took the man's arm to keep him from losing balance.

"Phew," the man said. Leaf saw him fully from the front now. He had a bushy, silver beard and mustache. Leaf could tell from his facial structure that he had once been a strong, handsome young man. Stuck to his white blazer were important-looking badges. "I feel so much better. What did your friend call you? Red?"

Red nodded.

"Thank you, Red! I wish I had something to give you. The party's starting soon. Why don't you and your friend go down? I'll have someone else help me here."

Red nodded again and walked out. As he and Leaf made their way to the ballroom where the party was taking place, Leaf asked, "What was going on in there?"

Red smiled. "That was the S.S. Anne's captain and get this––he's seasick."

"Seasick?" Leaf laughed. "I've never heard of a seasick captain before. The ship isn't even moving."

"I think he ate something bad, too," Red said. "I was just walking around and I heard dry heaving. I followed the noise and saw the poor guy on the floor. I barely got him to the trash can before he started puking."

Leaf smiled. Even as a kid, Red would help random strangers. He was the sweetest person she knew.


Leaf expected the ballroom to be magnificent, but it still awed her. At the center was a wide wooden floor with the S.S. Anne insignia printed on it. The floor connected to a large stage at the back with red curtains. Surrounding the floor was red carpeting with the same golden motif seen on the grand staircase. Hanging from the ceiling, which was painted to look like a starry night sky, was a row of crystal chandeliers. There were also golden balcony seats, fitting for royalty.

Round tables were scattered around the red carpet. Leaf and Red sat at one of these tables, eating the most heavenly three-course meal ever and chatting with the other trainers who were with them. Well, Leaf chatted with them and she learned that the party was for celebrating the opening day of the Indigo League. Leaf had been so caught up in training that she hadn't realized today was the league's opening. Her excitement made it difficult to sit still.

Once dinner was finished, everyone was allowed to get up and mingle, though many stayed with their group. Leaf saw some Gym Leaders conversing with each other. There were also some people who Leaf couldn't recognize, but had an air of importance around them. They donned sharp tuxedos and elegantly cut dresses, which greatly contrasted with the trainers' outfits.

"I wonder who that is," Leaf whispered to Red, gesturing at a middle-aged woman. She had a bob cut and wore a simple but chic black cocktail dress.

"Let me check." Red unzipped his backpack and pulled out an oblong red device. There were four black dots on the left side of the screen and a white PokeBall-shaped button split into three parts on the right. Leaf watched with curiosity as Red clicked around for a bit and said, "That's Katherine Cleaver. She's the editor-in-chief of the Kanto Post."

"What is that thing?" Leaf asked.

"It's a Fame Checker. It has information on all the important people in the region. Blue gave it to me in Cerulean."

"Blue? Why?"

"He said he felt sorry for me for always plodding behind him. Said that he didn't need this because he doesn't give a rat's ass about others, but it would be perfect for a chatty gossip like me."

Leaf couldn't help but laugh. "You have to admit, that's a pretty good joke."

Red smiled. "What's even funnier is that he said that but he can't seem to beat me. We battled again today and he lost."

Leaf remembered the edge in Blue's voice when she mentioned Red. So that wasn't my imagination after all. Leaf glanced around the room. She couldn't see Blue anywhere. Maybe he didn't come to the party. "I did see him in the infirmary today."

"How did that go?"

"Not too awful, honestly. He told me where you were. Came up with a new nickname for me: Little Miss Hero."

Red looked confused. "Why?"

"Did you see the news? I rescued a Diglett!"

"I did not see that. What happened?"

The smile fell from Leaf's face. "I returned an abducted Diglett to its owner. The one who abducted it is a part of Team Rocket."

Red shook his head. "They're a bunch of thugs. I hope they're stopped soon." He smiled at Leaf. "That was cool of you to save the Diglett, though. You are a hero."

Leaf's cheeks warmed. Before she could respond, someone said through a microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats and let's give a warm welcome to our president, Thomas Ken!"

There was a round of applause. Leaf was too shocked to join in. President Ken was here? The curtains rolled open and indeed, Kanto's president stepped forward. President Ken was a tall middle-aged man with sharp, strong features and sleek black hair. His metal-gray suit matched his piercing eyes that seemed to notice everything. Without needing to speak, he made it clear that he was someone to pay attention to.

And when he did speak, he commanded the room with his deep, silky voice. Leaf found herself captivated as President Ken recounted the many unforgettable battles that took place at the Indigo Plateau. He spoke of how, despite the ferocity of the challengers, they proved in the end to not be more powerful than the Elite Four. When he said this, the Elite Four appeared on stage. Lorelei, the Ice Queen, a curvy woman who had long red hair and wore thin glasses over brown eyes. Bruno, the Iron Fist, who looked more giant than man and had thick black hair tied into a ponytail and prominent eyebrows. Agatha, the Ghost Whisperer, an old woman with short blonde hair and a crooked nose and smile. And lastly, Lance, the Dragon Tamer, a tall and handsome man who had spiky scarlet hair and wore a black cape. Being in the same room as the trainers she admired most took Leaf's breath away.

"We are still waiting for our first Champion," President Ken said. "We know that whoever that person is, male or female, old or young, from Kanto or from Johto, they will be like no other."

There was applause, then cameras flashing and reporters asking questions. Leaf felt a fire raging within her. She was imagining herself becoming Champion again. She saw the epic clashes against the Elite Four, saw herself standing at a podium afterwards, cameras flashing like they were here. Afterwards, she'd defeat numerous challengers, proving over and over again that she was the greatest. Leaf wanted this so badly and she knew she was meant for it.

Once the questions were done, President Ken and the Elite Four were escorted to the balcony seats. There were dancers on stage now, dressed to resemble the legendary bird Pokemon, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.

Red tapped Leaf's shoulder. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

Leaf nodded and stood. "I'll be out on the deck. I can't sit any longer."

Leaf walked out of the ballroom, onto the ship deck. The chilly night air nipped her nose. She crossed her arms and decided she would buy a jacket when she could.

The deck was empty. Leaf was alone except for the stars above and the city lights ahead. The music from the party was muffled.

Leaf strolled towards the tip of the ship. As she neared it, she saw she wasn't alone after all. Someone was leaning against the railing. By the time Leaf realized who it was, it was too late to turn back.

"Is that Little Miss Hero I see?" Blue asked.

Leaf groaned internally and joined him. "How come you're not at the party?"

"How come you're not?"

"I just came out to get some fresh air. You haven't been at the party at all."

Blue smirked. "What, were you looking for me?"

Leaf snorted. "I only thought about it because Red mentioned beating you again today."

Blue's amber eyes glinted for a split second. He looked away for a moment, then looked back with a lazy grin. "He did beat me today. Lucky guy."

The atmosphere seemed to change, but Leaf didn't know how. The air suddenly seemed to feel thick. Not knowing how to directly respond, Leaf said, "You didn't answer my question. Why are you skipping the party?"

Blue shrugged. "I was hanging with some girl in her room earlier, then came out here. Seemed more fun than schmoozing with people I don't care about."

"Well, you missed out on great food. President Ken and the Elite Four are there, too."

Blue waved a hand. Leaf wasn't sure what that meant. She gazed ahead, at the stars twinkling over the black water.

There were footsteps coming towards them. Leaf turned and saw Red. His smile faded when he noticed Blue.

Blue smirked. "Hey, Red. Long time no see. Did the Fame Checker come in handy at the party? I bet you enjoyed sticking your nose into other people's business." Red said nothing, only stared back solemnly. Blue's smirk faded and he added, "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Smell ya."

Once Blue was out of earshot, the air seemed easier to breathe. Leaf hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath. She said, "I think he's bitter about losing to you." She slid closer to Red. "We still need to battle some time."

"Sure," Red said. "Hey, it's cold out here. Let's go back inside."

The party was just about done when Leaf and Red returned. The two of them, along with anyone who wasn't sailing away on the S.S. Anne, were escorted out to the dock. Red went to the Pokemon Center, but Leaf wasn't tired yet. She sat by the harbor, watching the S.S. Anne sail to wherever its destination was, until it became a tiny speck of light in the distance.


Another longer chapter! I really like writing Leaf's interactions with Blue and Red. It's probably so far my favorite type of scene to write.

Thanks to all who have been reviewing/following! Appreciate any feedback.