I do not own Pokémon. Credit goes to Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak.
Once Leaf, Mewtwo, Red and Gary left Viridian Forest through the northern gate and arrived in Pewter City, they made a beeline for the Pokémon Center. The psionic feline sat on the couch in the waiting area while the Pallet Town trainers took turns healing their Pokémon at the counter. The Pokémon who happened to be out of their Poké Balls in the room gazed at Mewtwo and kept their distance but otherwise paid no mind to the unnatural stranger as long as he didn't provoke their beloved humans.
Minutes passed and Nurse Joy pulled the tray out of the healing machine, allowing Leaf to retrieve her Pokémon.
"Thank you for waiting," the nurse smiled and gave a deep bow, "we've restored your Pokémon to full health. We hope to see you again."
"Take care," Leaf smiled.
Leaf led Red and Gary to the couch, where she sat next to Mewtwo. The psionic feline relaxed at her proximity, seeming to get a sense of safety around her as he'd been trying to ignore the gazes of the other Pokémon. He was more worried about their trainers provoking him first.
"Say," Gary asked, "is anyone hungry?"
Pikachu heard his stomach rumbling as he rubbed his belly.
"Pika," Pikachu drooled.
Leaf glanced behind her shoulder and observed the cafeteria.
"Well," Leaf suggested, "I think we could all go grab some lunch before we check out the city."
Leaf gave Mewtwo a pat on the head, causing him to give her a confused look.
"I'll get something for you, too," she assured him, "don't worry."
"Thank you for your consideration," Mewtwo spoke into her mind, "but I'm rather confused about this gesture."
Leaf tilted her head with a puzzled look.
"You never received gestures of affection like this one?" Leaf paused, "not even a hug?"
Mewtwo lowered his head.
"No," he admitted, "others have been too scared to be this close. Your lack of fear is confusing, but it…reassures me."
Leaf smiled upon hearing those words and fluttered her hands.
"We'll be right back!" Leaf chirped.
When the Pallet Town trainers made their way to the cafeteria, Leaf ordered a plain pork cutlet sandwich and a can of lemonade, Red ordered an egg sandwich and a soda pop, and Gary requested a grilled cheese sandwich and a bottle of fresh water. They included an order of free food for their Pokémon while the young girl included an order of a bottle of matcha tea and a bowl of fresh yakisoba. They made their payment and returned to the couch to set the food onto the coffee table. Pikachu proceeded to eat his meal while the trainers brought out their own Pokémon. Leaf then handed the matcha tea and yakisoba to Mewtwo.
"Here you go!" Leaf chirped.
"Thank you," Mewtwo replied.
Mewtwo studied the bowl and picked up the chopsticks with his telekinesis. While the psionic feline learned how to slurp up the noodles, Leaf, Red and Gary nibbled on their sandwiches and their Pokémon began digging into their chow. He smiled to himself as he savored the meal, intrigued that he could eat more human food. Bulbasaur and Cleffa shared the dish of berries while Pidgey happily pecked at the mixture of seeds and mealworms. Charmander chewed on a meatball while Bellsprout scooped up pellets with its seeds. Pikachu nibbled on berries from his dish. While Weedle nibbled on a leaf, Squirtle happily ate his specialty salad.
Red was the first to finish eating, so he approached the counter to make guest room reservations while Gary nodded at Leaf.
"So, what do you wanna do here?" Gary asked, "they've got a museum and everything."
Mewtwo raised his brow.
"What is a museum?" Mewtwo asked.
Gary gave Mewtwo a confused look.
"I haven't had much contact with anyone outside of Team Rocket," Mewtwo spoke into Gary's mind, "so my exposure to your world is limited."
Gary stiffened as he shifted his gaze to Leaf.
"Leaf," Gary muttered, "you knew?"
"Kinda," Leaf nodded sheepishly.
Gary sighed with a shrug.
"Well," Gary elaborated, "Pewter City has the greatest science museum in the Kanto Region. I've been itching to see it for myself since I was younger."
Mewtwo lowered his head.
"Science museum," Mewtwo commented, "I may decide to leave you to enjoy it. Otherwise, it sounds intriguing."
Just as Leaf and Gary finished their lunch, Red returned to the waiting area.
"Ok," Red announced, "I got a guest room reserved for us!"
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up and down.
Mewtwo simply gave the boy a polite nod. Some more time passed before the psionic feline and the Pokémon finished up their lunch. Leaf and Gary stood from the couch.
"So," Red offered, "you wanna check out the city?"
Leaf nodded as she fluttered her hands.
"I guess I could give the museum a visit," she smiled.
"I'm ready to leave when you are," Gary added.
Leaf withdrew Cleffa, Bulbasaur and Pidgey while Gary withdrew Squirtle and Weedle. Red withdrew Charmander and Bellsprout while Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder.
"Ok," Red proclaimed, "let's go!"
Red led Leaf, Gary and Mewtwo out of the Pokémon Center as they began exploring Pewter City a little. Passing by some blocks, they arrived at the entrance to the Pewter Museum of Science. Pikachu tilted his head upwards and stared in awe, impressed by the size of the building, while the young girl tilted her head.
"Uhm," she whispered, "are you sure you don't want to go in?"
Mewtwo examined the attempted hidden building next to the museum. It carried the same sort of scent as the lab, making his skin crawl slightly.
"I'll go in if you wish," Mewtwo spoke into her mind in a soft tone, "but I can't promise I'll want to stay, as I told Gary. If I may be honest, I detect Rocket scent emanating from this side building and I'm already uncomfortable. Humans do remarkably poor jobs at hiding secret plans."
Leaf slumped her shoulders with a sigh, aware of what he meant.
"Ok then," Leaf offered, "if it gets too much for you, I can take you outside. Is that fair?"
Mewtwo nodded.
"Much fair, thank you," he told her, "may I tap you on the shoulder as an indicator I need to leave?"
Leaf nodded with a grin.
"It's a deal!" she winked.
Red, Leaf, Gary and Mewtwo stepped into the museum and paused at the counter where the curator stood.
"Afternoon, kids," he greeted, "are you here to have a look at our wonderful exhibits?"
Red stepped closer to the counter.
"Yeah," he nodded, "how much for tickets?"
"All right, then," the curator replied, "it'll be 50 PokéYen per child 12 and under."
The curator raised an eyebrow at the hooded figure behind the Pallet Town trainers.
"And adults?" Red rifled through his wallet.
Mewtwo averted his gaze.
"100 PokéYen," the curator simply answered.
Red didn't hesitate to pay the entrance fee for all four of them.
"Thank you," the curator smiled, "please enjoy yourselves."
Leaf, Red, Gary and Mewtwo set foot into the main gallery exhibit with the young girl staying as close to the psionic feline as possible. Gary sauntered over to examine a statue of a fossilized Kabutops while Red allowed his Pikachu to examine some fossils in a glass case display. Leaf dug into her messenger bag and placed some noise-canceling headphones over her ears before she readjusted her hat. The young girl spotted an accurate sculpture of an Aerodactyl out of the corner of her eye. Sitting next to the model, a glass display held a large fossil of an Aerodactyl.
Mewtwo watched Leaf curiously as he followed her around, examining the displays they passed by. They examined a few rows of fossils in a case, reading the labels next to each fossil, the psionic feline rubbing his chin with intrigue. By the time the Pallet Town trainers finished viewing the exhibit on the first floor, Red approached the stairs.
"Hey," Red called over, "there's a space exhibit upstairs! Who wants to join?"
Gary brushed a stray hair from his eye and sprinted up the stairs ahead of his rival. Mewtwo focused his gaze on Leaf for clarification. With a smile, she led him up the stairs to the second floor. The first thing they noticed was a display case hugging the wall while holding a Moon Stone and its larger cousin. Mewtwo's eyes wandered until they found Gary standing next to a little boy examining the Moon Stone.
"A Moon Stone, huh?" Gary commented, his finger on his chin.
"What's so special about it, anyway?" the little boy shrugged, "looks like an ordinary rock to me!"
Mewtwo sniffed at the air slightly and moved closer to the stone, staring at it. He seemed to have picked up something within the rock. Perhaps it was a scent undetectable by the human nose. Red came up to the boy's other side.
"Well, it's supposed to be from space," Red drawled, "maybe it's a secret spaceship, for all we know?"
The little boy ignored Red's response and skipped over to a display of a model space shuttle.
"What do you think, Gary?"
In the meantime, Leaf focused on a holographic projection displaying the map of the universe. Mewtwo glanced at her and moved back to stay close to her, studying the technology which projected the hologram as well as the hologram itself. Something far away in his mind was nagging at him the stars were missing. He couldn't remember how he knew about stars, though. The moon seemed familiar, too, though he wasn't sure why.
Mewtwo snapped out of his thoughts and glanced over his shoulder when he heard footsteps from the stairs. Strangely enough, a young man with dark spiky hair arrived at the second floor, his eyes never seeming to open for some reason. An elderly man standing in front of a poster displaying the origins of the universe shifted his gaze towards the young lad and his face lit up.
"Ah," he marveled, "if it isn't Brock?"
Red almost gave himself whiplash turning so fast.
"Brock as in the Gym Leader?" he whispered to Gary.
Pikachu gave an expression which amounted to just as amazed. Mewtwo studied him briefly, sensing his powerful aura. He heard others talking about Gyms and Badges, and perhaps this was one of the suppliers. He placed his hand on Leaf's shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"W-What is it?" Leaf asked softly.
"I have a feeling things are about to get hectic, I believe a local celebrity has arrived," Mewtwo explained, "also the smell is in here too and I'm starting to have too many thoughts to concentrate on staying calm for much longer."
Leaf tilted her head when she laid her eyes on Brock.
"So you wanna leave now?" she whispered.
Red took a breath and started to walk over, Pikachu at his heels.
"Hi, Brock, sir?" Red greeted.
Brock paused in his tracks and shifted his gaze towards Red.
"Well, nice to meet you," Brock greeted, "what's your name?"
Red grinned before he bowed his head.
"You can call me Red," he greeted, "and I come from Pallet Town."
"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked happily and waved his hand.
Gary harrumphed and walked over to stand next to Red.
"And I'm Gary Oak," Gary added, "what brings you here?"
Brock smiled at the two boys.
"Just taking a break from battling," he explained, "just need to look at stuff other than the rock field, y'know?"
"I may as well before the crowds gather," Mewtwo nodded, "you're welcome to return and I'll wait outside."
Upon cue, Leaf led Mewtwo downstairs and gestured him to the front door.
"Stay safe," Leaf advised softly, "ok, bud?"
The psionic feline gave a small smile and nodded.
"And you," he replied, walking over to the door.
From there, Leaf made her way back upstairs and stood closely behind Red and Gary as they and Brock observed the holographic projector. The Pewter Gym leader raised his eyebrow when he spotted Leaf out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, this is Leaf," Red nodded at her, "we're all traveling together."
Leaf waved her hand nervously and kept her gaze glued to the floor as Brock folded his arms.
"Cool, I expect I'll see you all in battle at some point," Brock said, "for now, you get a little behind the scenes of a Gym Leader's relaxation."
Red turned his attention back to Brock.
"Let us know if we're bothering you."
"No, not at all," Brock reassured them, "it's nice to be remembered as a normal person that leaves the Gym once in a while."
Leaf smiled as she brought out Bulbasaur and Cleffa.
"Hey, guys," Leaf chirped softly, "wanna see some cool stuff?"
Bulbasaur perked up and nodded.
"Saur!"
"Cleffa!" Cleffa jumped up and down, "Cleff Cleffa!"
Leaf scooped Cleffa into her arms while Bulbasaur peered at the holographic galaxy. After a moment, the young girl and her starter followed Red, Gary and Brock as they went to examine a model of a space shuttle and then a case displaying a few meteorites. Bulbasaur tried standing on her hind legs to see the meteorites, which caught Red's attention.
"Hmm," Red pointed out, "they should make it so smaller Pokémon can see from underneath…or something."
When Leaf overheard a few words from Red's sentence, she set Cleffa onto the case while she scooped up Bulbasaur, letting her starter get a closer look at the meteorites. Bulbasaur nuzzled her gratefully and looked over the cases, mumbling curiously.
"Yeah," Red shrugged, "that works, too."
After a minute, Brock led Red, Leaf and Gary over to the case displaying the Moon Stone, Bulbasaur following her trainer close behind while Cleffa relaxed in the young girl's arms.
"Is this as fascinating to you guys as it is to me?" Brock asked.
Cleffa's eyes lit up in excitement before she smiled and clapped her paws together.
"Cleff Cleffa!" Cleffa chirped.
Brock laughed gently upon seeing the tiny Pokémon's enthusiasm.
"Glad to hear it, little guy!"
Leaf smiled softly as her torso swayed side to side.
"Well, Cleffa," Leaf proclaimed, "I'll be sure to help you grow strong and healthy so you can become a wonderful Clefairy. Right?"
"Maybe even a Clefable," Brock added, "that explains her excitement."
Leaf nodded in agreement, not paying attention as Bulbasaur tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at the stairs.
"Bulba," Bulbasaur whispered.
Outside, the scent had strengthened in Mewtwo's vicinity and he was attempting to stay discreet while he searched for the source. At the moment, he hid behind a thick tree. The psionic feline fixated his gaze on the badly hidden building. A moment passed before he heard the sound of shattering glass from within. Mewtwo growled quietly to himself and flew towards the entrance. With any luck, the humans would be too preoccupied to notice. Making his way inside the museum, he snuck past the curator's counter. He spotted a few Team Rocket Grunts stashing some Moon Stones in a lightweight crate while the scientists on staff watched in horror. He moved to stand behind the scientists, eyes glowing with anger at the Rockets. At the same time, Bulbasaur could be seen racing down the stairs with Leaf following her.
"Bulbasaur," Leaf called, "wait! Where are you going?"
Red, Gary and Brock showed up downstairs seconds later. The scientists glanced over their shoulders as they noticed Mewtwo emitting a purple glow. The psionic feline levitated the Grunts off the floor and immobilized them, their eyes widening in horror. Leaf, Red, Gary and Brock noticed the commotion behind the counter.
"Is that…Team Rocket?" Red gasped.
Pikachu folded his ears back.
"Pika," Pikachu growled.
"Hey!" Brock yelled, "put those back!"
While Brock sprinted to leap over the counter, Mewtwo glanced over his shoulder as he continued to hold the Grunts in place. The Pewter gym leader sent out a Geodude to knock the box out of one of the Grunts' hands. Mewtwo moved to block the window and let them drop, having started to feel the strain from holding up several people. Brock reached up and caught the box midair. The Rocket Grunts stared at the hooded figure, eyes widened in fear as they scrambled backwards towards the wall. He continued to glower at them, waiting for any indication of authorities coming to contain them.
After handing the box back to one of the scientists, Brock made a beeline for the phone on the desk.
"Drop anything else you may be holding," Mewtwo threatened, sending the telepathic message into the Grunts' minds.
Without hesitation, the two Grunts reluctantly emptied their pockets. Mewtwo huffed approvingly, shifting his gaze to Brock. The Pewter gym leader nodded and dialed the emergency number.
Feel free to drop a review, because Leaf and Mewtwo could use them to offer each other emotional support!