Chapter 9

Just as Leaf expected, the story of how she rescued the Diglett appeared in the news. The media sure knew how to tell a story. They started the segment by showing every inch of destruction in the house before dramatically stating that the property damage was far from being the worst part of the crime. They cut to an interview of the couple, who said they were preparing lunch when a man they'd never seen before broke in and demanded they hand over their Diglett. When they refused, a battle ensued and the man won, taking their beloved Pokemon away. The wife grew emotional as she shared how their Diglett had been by their side for years, so the possibility of never seeing him again devastated them.

There was another dramatic transition, this time to a video of Leaf returning the Diglett while the police handcuffed the man. Once the video ended, the man's mugshot hovered on screen. Leaf thought before the man had looked so normal, even harmless, but his eyes in the photo were so cold, it sent chills down her spine.

"The culprit, whose identity and motive are still unclear, is currently in custody. The police are hoping to find some answers soon."

"Some crazy people out there, Brenda. To think this happened in Cerulean City, too!"

"Oh yes, Tom. The world can be unpredictable and dangerous. It feels good to know, though, that there are Leaf Greens out there helping people."

Leaf turned off the TV. It hadn't taken the reporters much time or effort to identify her. They'd reached out to her for an interview, but Leaf had planned on leaving Cerulean as soon as her Pokemon were healed. It wasn't like she saved the Diglett in hopes of becoming famous, either. Why make a big show of it? She had to admit though, it felt damn good being acknowledged. Everyone at the Pokemon Center had been noticing her. The more outgoing people would say something nice to her, even ask her to hang out with them, while the shyer ones gazed at her from afar in admiration. For her last meal in Cerulean, the cafeteria lady gave her and her Pokemon extra food. In Leaf's opinion, there were few things that were better to be recognized as than a hero. It also wiped out the stain of her TV debut, though unofficial: her humiliating defeat to Blue. Arguably, that was the best outcome of the news segment.

Leaf walked out of the lounge. She passed by a few trainers, who smiled at her and began to whisper to each other. Once Leaf exited the Pokemon Center, she unzipped her satchel, pulled out a map, and unrolled it.

Leaf's next destination was Vermilion City. There were two ways to get there from Cerulean. She could go through Saffron City, the largest city and capital of Kanto, or a tunnel called the Underground Path that went directly to Vermilion. The Underground Path was the quicker route, but also by far the more dangerous one. It rivaled Viridian Forest and Mount Moon in darkness, in addition to being in an isolated area. Anything could happen there, and basically anything did. The majority of Kanto's crimes occurred in the Underground Path.

While waiting for her Pokemon, Leaf had agonized over which route to take. She didn't want to waste any time and fall further behind Red and Blue. The S.S. Anne party Bill had given her a ticket to was tomorrow as well. If she didn't want to miss it, she would have to reach Vermilion soon. As a result, Leaf had decided on the Underground Path, but a part of her had been, and still was, anxious about it.

Leaf rolled up the map and tucked it into her satchel. She'd hoped that at the last minute, she would find that going through Saffron was quicker after all. But of course, it wasn't, so Leaf needed to commit to the Underground Path.

Leaf moved south, eventually leaving the city and reaching the wide grassy plain that was Route 5. There wasn't much on Route 5. Leaf didn't even see other trainers. It was a peaceful walk, until the wind began to pick up greatly. Leaf had to hold onto her hat to keep it from flying away. As she trudged through the gale, she was reminded of when Blue's Pidgeotto pinned Spearow down with its Gust.

An idea popped in Leaf's head. She released Spearow right in front of her. Spearow squawked in surprise as the wind pushed her into Leaf.

"Remember your battle with the Pidgeotto?" Leaf asked, holding the little bird. Spearow chirped. "What really got you was the Gust. You're not used to flying through strong winds. I was thinking you could practice now." Leaf gestured ahead. "Try to fly as far as you can. Go straight so that if you're pushed back, I can catch you."

Leaf had never trained her Pokemon outside of battling before. To her, battling was the best way to gain experience, and she hadn't lacked the opportunity to do so. But nature had just given her the perfect lesson for Spearow and she suspected her journey to Vermilion City would be relatively quiet anyway.

Spearow nodded and began trying to fly. Leaf watched the bird strain against the wind, making barely any progress before falling back into her. After a few more failed attempts, Leaf suggested, "Maybe don't spread your wings too wide? Try to be as narrow as possible."

Spearow was panting, but she nodded and took off again. She kept her wings as close to her body as she could and Leaf was happy to see Spearow flying a little further than before. Eventually, exhaustion took over and Leaf had to catch Spearow.

"That was good!" Leaf complimented. "We'll need to work on stamina, too. Not just you, but also Ivysaur and Psyduck."

Leaf released her other Pokemon. She drew a line on the dirt where she stood and pointed to a ledge about fifty feet away.

"Spearow, keep trying to fly against the wind. Ivysaur, Psyduck, and I will run some laps from this line to the ledge."

Ivysaur and Spearow nodded determinedly. Psyduck cocked his head to the side. He'll figure it out. Leaf lightly tossed Spearow into the air and she and Ivysaur took off, with Psyduck frantically waddling behind. Leaf made sure to keep an eye on Spearow. Whenever Spearow couldn't fly any further and Leaf wasn't close enough to catch her, she returned Spearow to her PokeBall and sent her back out. Meanwhile, Ivysaur ran diligently to the ledge and back, only slowing down a few times. Psyduck wasn't quite as fit, huffing for most of the training session. Leaf couldn't tell if he even understood why he was running, but he did his best to keep up with Ivysaur. When he became too exhausted, he collapsed onto the ground, wheezing.

"I think that's good enough for now," Leaf said after catching Spearow for the last time. The bird Pokemon did show great improvement, but it was clear from the way she was breathing that she was done as well. Ivysaur probably could continue, but he'd received a decent workout already. "We'll do something like this again another time."

Leaf returned her Pokemon. She took her water bottle from her satchel and drank a few gulps. Fortunately, she didn't push herself too hard. She could keep moving. As she continued her way down Route 5, she felt a flicker of pride for her Pokemon. They had just demonstrated that they were willing to work hard and become stronger. She was confident that the next time she battled Blue, she would win.

Over half an hour later, Leaf arrived at the northern terminus of the Underground Path. As she expected, her walk to it had been largely uneventful. She didn't come across anything, save for a small Pokemon daycare where trainers drop off their baby Pokemon.

The Underground Path's entrance was just as intimidating as Mount Moon's. A flight of stairs led underground. Although there was a dim light, Leaf felt as if she were about to descend into an abyss. Swallowing, Leaf stepped down. When she reached the bottom, her anxiety intensified. The path seemed to stretch on to eternity and the lighting was so poor, Leaf could barely see anything. One of the lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling flickered ominously. It was truly a scene from a horror movie.

Leaf felt goosebumps on her arms as she walked. It was unnaturally quiet down here. Her footsteps and breathing were the only things she could hear. It didn't help either that all the reports of theft and assault in the Underground Path were flashing through her head. At one point, a movement from the corner of her eye nearly made her jump, only for her to realize stupidly it was her shadow. Although there was no one else around, Leaf was embarrassed with herself. She sent out Ivysaur to walk with her.

After some time, Leaf saw a flight of stairs. Relief flooding in her, Leaf dashed to it. Once she was safely above the ground, she returned Ivysaur and exited the terminus.

She was on Route 6 now. There were trees and tall grass everywhere. The path between them was rather curvy. On the map, it almost looked like an S.

Leaf strolled along Route 6, enjoying the warmth from the sun. She could hear the buzzing of bugs and chirping of birds. The wind, which had long calmed down to a breeze, gently rustled the grass. This was what felt natural for Leaf. Leaf didn't feel alone or unsafe here. The darkness and silence of the Underground Path had really put her on edge. Not just the Underground Path, but also Mount Moon. There was something so isolating about being at a mountain. Such an area would be the perfect place to hide if Leaf never wanted to be found. That was probably part of why several Team Rocket members were there. What exactly did Team Rocket want, anyway? Leaf mentally listed what she knew of them so far. They tried searching for fossils, capturing Clefairy, and stealing that Diglett. Maybe they ran some sort of black market? She thought about how they had tried to recruit Red and began to wonder how large they were.

Leaf was so occupied by her thoughts that she almost didn't notice two trainers sitting by a pond. One of them called out to Leaf, breaking her train of thought.

"Heading to Vermilion?" The trainer asked. She wore green camping attire. Her companion, a boy, wore similar clothing.

"Yes, I am."

"You're almost there. Hey, do you want to battle? We're pretty bored."

Leaf shook her head. "I would, but my Pokemon and I are exhausted."

"Did you not rest up at Saffron?"

"No, I took the Underground Path."

There was a mixture of awe and horror in the girl's eyes. "All by yourself? You're so brave!"

The boy rolled his eyes. "The Underground Path isn't that scary, Isabelle. I think people really exaggerate how dangerous it is."

"Easy for you to say, Jeff! You're a guy!" Realization suddenly dawned on the girl's face. She looked back at Leaf. "Wait a second, aren't you the trainer from the news? The one who saved that Diglett?"

Leaf smiled. "That's me."

"Wow! You really are brave!" The girl stood and moved closer to Leaf. "We have to battle some time. How long will you be in Vermilion?"

"Not sure, probably just a couple days."

"Well, before you leave, you should battle me and Jeff! We're here a lot of the time. You can't miss us!"

"Alright, sure! I'll see you soon." Leaf left Isabelle and Jeff, figuring out when she should battle them. Maybe she could come back here later today, after resting a bit in Vermilion. The S.S. Anne party was tomorrow night. She could spend tomorrow morning and afternoon exploring the city.

Not long after making this decision, she arrived at Vermilion City. She went straight to the Pokemon Center, got a room for herself, and leaped into bed. She dreamt during her nap. She would wake up only remembering a pair of cold eyes.

There was still light outside when Leaf woke from her nap. Feeling that her and her Pokemon were well-rested, she headed up north to Route 6. There were more trainers around now. Leaf passed by a few battles. She reached the pond and as Isabelle said, she and Jeff were still there. They were doing exercises with their Pokemon.

Isabelle's face lit up when she saw Leaf. She stopped doing high-knees. "Ready to battle now?"

Leaf nodded. "Battle you first, then Jeff?"

Isabelle nodded eagerly. She moved several paces away from Leaf while Jeff stepped to the side. Isabelle's Pokemon, a Pikachu, scampered in front of her. The Pikachu reminded Leaf of Red.

Leaf sent out Psyduck. It was a risky move, since the Pikachu had the type advantage, but Psyduck needed more battle exposure. Psyduck's attacks wouldn't be weak against it, either. Leaf had checked his Pokedex entry earlier and saw he knew some decent water and psychic moves.

"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!" The Pikachu fired a bolt of lightning at Psyduck.

Before Leaf could tell Psyduck what to do, Psyduck squawked in fright and leaped out of the way. The Pikachu kept redirecting the attack, but Psyduck dodged every time. Leaf was astonished by how quick his feet were now, compared to their run earlier.

"Psyduck, use Confusion!" To Leaf's dismay, Psyduck didn't listen. "Psyduck, use Water Gun!"

He still didn't listen. Psyduck was too trapped in his fright to notice anything but the Pikachu's Thunder Shock. Up ahead, Leaf noticed Isabelle's blue eyes flicker. Leaf felt her cheeks burn. She must be wondering how I beat that Team Rocket member!

"I've had enough," Isabelle declared. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

The Pikachu stopped shooting lightning. In a blink of an eye, the Pikachu tackled into Psyduck, whose arms flailed as he lost balance.

"Again!"

Leaf couldn't count how many more times the Pikachu used Quick Attack. The yellow mouse was too fast; it was impossible to keep track of its movements. Psyduck was getting knocked around, careening in a different direction before he could hit the ground.

"Psyduck, use Confusion!"

Psyduck's eyes glowed blue. The glow expanded and the Pikachu let out a high-pitched squeak as it was tossed forcefully into the pond. The Pikachu was able to swim back up and climb out, but it had used a lot of its energy. It collapsed onto the ground, panting, and Isabelle returned it.

"Wow, that was a strong move!" Isabelle exclaimed.

Leaf smiled awkwardly and returned Psyduck. She had a feeling that Psyduck's Confusion was triggered by the pain of taking multiple Quick Attacks. It was just a coincidence that Leaf had shouted out the move right before. Of course, she wasn't going to let Isabelle know that. She made a mental note to work on Psyduck's listening skills.

"My turn!" Jeff said and switched places with Isabelle. His Pokemon was a Raticate, the evolution of Rattata. It was a large, tawny-colored rat with long whiskers and incisors. It stood on its hind legs and glared at Leaf with narrow black eyes.

Leaf sent out Spearow. "Use Fury Attack!"

"Dodge and use Hyper Fang!"

The Raticate avoided the attack and sank its giant teeth into Spearow's wing. Spearow screeched and instinctively tried to shake off the Raticate, but it held on tight.

Despite the pain Spearow must be feeling, Leaf saw a good opportunity. "Spearow, just keep using Fury Attack!"

The Raticate was too close to dodge this time. Spearow jabbed at its head. Even when it released her, Spearow continued to furiously peck at it.

"Raticate, use Scratch!" The Raticate swiped at Spearow, hitting the wing it had bitten. Spearow drew back with a wince.

"Hyper Fang, again!"

The Raticate latched onto Spearow's other wing. Leaf returned Spearow before the wing could take too much damage and released Ivysaur.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang!"

"Razor Leaf!"

Ivysaur fired a barrage of sharp leaves at the Raticate, knocking it out. Jeff and Isabelle each gave Leaf $320.

"You're pretty good," Jeff said. "Wanna go to the Pokemon Center with us?"

The three trainers headed towards the Pokemon Center. On the way, at Jeff and Isabelle's insistence, Leaf recounted the tale of her saving the Diglett, enjoying the enraptured looks in their faces.

"I wonder who that man was," Isabelle mused.

"Probably just some psycho," Jeff replied. "He had those crazy eyes in his mugshot."

Leaf hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should tell them the man was a member of Team Rocket. Had they even heard of Team Rocket before? Leaf had no clue they existed until she actually met them. Before Leaf could make a decision, they arrived at the Pokemon Center's reception desk and handed over their PokeBalls.

"I'm starving," Isabelle said. "Wanna get food with us, Leaf?"

Leaf shook her head. "I'm not hungry. I'll stay here."

"Alright. Well, it was fun battling you! We should do it again some time." Isabelle smiled. "You know where to find us."

Leaf smiled back and waved the two trainers goodbye. Once they were out of sight, it suddenly occurred to Leaf that she wasn't as stressed about her Pokemons' health as she had been in the past. In fact, although Spearow and Psyduck's injuries, though not severe, weren't the most minor, Leaf had given them barely any thought. Even now, Leaf was relatively calm thinking about them. She wasn't quite sure yet if that was good or not, but she knew it meant something.

Chapter 8 had a lot going on so here's a chiller/shorter chap! In the next one, Leaf will explore Vermilion City and go on the S.S. Anne.

Thanks to everyone who's been following and reviewing the story so far!