So, while my friend RubyDaSquirlz are going in to revamp The Mindwave Chronicles, I somehow got inspired to read through another Pokémon fanfic that stars an autistic trainer a second time. In case you're wondering, I'm recommending Pokemon: A Marvelous Journey by SaoirseParisa as it's awesome.
I do not own Pokémon. Credit goes to Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak.
Later on that afternoon, Leaf, Red and Mewtwo returned to the Pokémon Gym to watch Gary challenge Brock to a match. The young girl stared nervously as Squirtle faced off against Onix in the arena. Just as the Onix charged at Squirtle, the tiny turtle leapt out of the way. The giant rock snake followed it with its eyes and tried another Tackle, spreading across the field.
"Try another Wrap!"
Onix started to move its tail to try and catch the turtle between two sections of its body. The attack didn't work as Squirtle jumped up fast shortly before Onix coiled itself.
"Ok," Gary instructed, "get him with a Water Gun!"
The Onix tried to shield its head with its tail, though the sharp edges of its rocks grew duller as its health depleted rapidly. Squirtle jumped onto the tip of the rocky snake's tail and sprayed water at his opponent's head. In a matter of seconds, the Onix collapsed to the floor while the tiny turtle jumped off and landed gracefully on the ground.
"Onix is unable to battle," the referee announced, "the winner goes to Gary Oak of Pallet Town!"
Leaf's face lit up as Red stood from the bleachers and raised his fist into the air briefly.
"All right!" Red cheered, "way to go!"
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu happily hopped up and down.
Mewtwo couldn't help but smile as he nodded in approval.
"You've all learned well," he commented, "I'm impressed."
Leaf stood up before she, Mewtwo and Red made their way down the bleachers. They watched as Gary placed his first badge into his badge case before making his way to the door.
"So, do we just head back to the Center?" Leaf mentioned.
Gary placed his arms behind his head.
"Only to bring Squirtle back to tiptop shape," Gary answered, "maybe we can head on to Route 3."
Red placed a finger on his chin while Leaf shifted her weight onto one foot.
"Will we have enough time for that, though?" Leaf pondered.
The Pallet Town trio and Mewtwo stepped out into the lobby.
"I'm sure we'll reach the Pokémon Center near Mount Moon before nightfall," Gary assured her, "no sweat."
Even when Pikachu stayed close behind his trainer, he twitched his ears when he made a brief glance at Eloise, Blake and Omari at the receptionist's counter. The electric rodent tilted his head in confusion as the Kalos Baroness's face reddened with seething anger.
"What do you mean all the matches are booked for today?!" Omari demanded, "we want to challenge Brock now!"
The receptionist let out a disappointed sigh.
"I'm sorry," he replied, "but I don't make the rules. You'll have to come back tomorrow, alright?"
Eloise folded her arms with a huff.
"Well," Eloise protested, "I'm not here to challenge the gym leader. I just want the gym badge."
"Pika?" Pikachu blurted.
Red glanced over his shoulder and noticed that Pikachu paused in his tracks.
"Hey," Red called over, "what is it, buddy?"
Leaf turned her head and felt a chill down her spine the instant she spotted Eloise.
"Her again?" Leaf muttered under her breath.
Mewtwo huffed before he hovered around to shield Leaf.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," the receptionist declined, "league rules say badges are given by the Leaders after they lose an officially supervised battle. Trainers don't earn these things on a silver platter. You can't face him today, but you're more than welcome to see if there's a slot open in the training room to pass the time."
Eloise's frown turned into a smug grin while she coyly lowered her arms and clasped her hands.
"I'll give you money," Eloise persuaded in a singsong voice.
The receptionist couldn't help but facepalm.
"They're not for sale, ma'am," he insisted, "just come back tomorrow."
Eloise furrowed her eyebrows and her hands balled into fists.
"Ugh, you are so stupid!" Eloise whined, "my precious little Eevee is not supposed to be fighting Pokémon battles! I don't want her to get dirty!"
Leaf covered her ears with her hands to shield Eloise's shrill voice as the brat stomped her foot.
"Rules are rules, ma'am. Flinging insults isn't going to get you anywhere. Carry on like that and we won't let you earn it at all."
Mewtwo nudged Leaf with his concealed tail. Just as Pikachu jumped up onto his trainer's shoulder, she took the hint and led him, Red and Gary outside the gym. She lowered her hand and sighed in relief.
"That was close!" she exclaimed.
"Are you alright?" Mewtwo asked her.
Leaf shifted her gaze towards Mewtwo and nodded while she adjusted her hat.
"We're lucky they didn't spot us this time," she told him.
Leaf, Mewtwo, Red and Gary continued their stroll to the Pokémon Center.
"Well, Red," Gary pointed out, "I think we have seen the next contender of the most immature trainer out there."
Red ran his finger along Pikachu's cheek, letting the rodent nuzzle into his touch.
"Didn't we see them back in Viridian City?" Red asked.
"We had a run-in with them while you two were taking turns challenging Brock," Mewtwo spoke.
Gary's eyes widened while Red frowned.
"So…what happened exactly?" Gary pondered.
Leaf hugged her arms to her chest as they passed another block.
"Ellie thought it was funny to make fun of my Bulbasaur," she explained, "before she had Blake try to use me for his Growlithe's target practice."
"So you do know them!" Red gasped, "were they your bullies from back then?"
Leaf nodded sheepishly.
"Sheesh," Gary drawled.
Mewtwo lowered his head.
"I fear I may have revealed myself a little too much in an attempt to scare them off before removing us from the situation," Mewtwo sighed, "considering she was struggling to cope with that loud noise the other girl likes to use. Was she protected when she was around you two?"
"I don't think we know much about them," Red shrugged, "all we know is that she attended the school in Viridian with them before she moved to Pallet Town four years ago."
By then, they turned the corner and headed through the sliding doors into the Pokémon Center.
"Gimme a moment to heal up, ok?" Gary said.
All Leaf, Mewtwo and Red could do was wait while Gary approached the counter and deposited his Poké Ball onto the tray. A few minutes later, the professor's grandson returned while holding the Poké Ball nestling a fully healed Squirtle inside.
"So, you wanna do a last minute supply run before we go?" Gary grinned.
After a quick trip through the Poké Mart, Leaf, Mewtwo, Red and Gary set off into Route 3. Mewtwo was attempting to relax since he didn't have to worry about being in a human area, and would occasionally crouch to examine different types of flowers. Granted, Leaf squared off against a lass trainer where her Pidgey defeated the lass's Oddish rather easily before they continued further into the route.
So far, Leaf documented an Ekans and a Mankey into her Pokédex, though Gary meandered into the tall grass, ready to send out his Squirtle as soon as he spotted a wild Pokémon. Red also had the same idea, but he had a specific wild Pokémon in mind.
While the boys searched the patch of tall grass together, Leaf pulled out an extra water canteen she purchased from the mart and filled with water and held it out before Mewtwo.
"Hey," she called over, "are you thirsty?"
Mewtwo blinked before he gazed into the brunette's eyes.
"I was starting to feel that way," he admitted, "thank you."
Mewtwo levitated the canteen towards himself, taking a moment to examine the lid. Leaf pulled out her canteen and unscrewed its lid before she took a sip of water. The psionic feline imitated her gesture before he took a drink.
"There are some lovely flowers here," he spoke.
Leaf took a moment before laying her eyes on a few red flowers nearby.
"Maybe I should get you a book on flowers," Leaf smiled softly, "that way you can identify the different types out there."
Mewtwo blinked twice before he slowly nodded.
"I suppose a book would be nice."
Pushing some tall grass aside, Gary spotted a male Nidoran nibbling a berry on the ground.
"Nido?" the Nidoran perked his head up.
Gary grinned and sent out his Squirtle. The tiny turtle widened his battle stance and scratched at the ground.
"Squirt, Squirt, Squirt, Squirt, Squirt…"
The male Nidoran narrowed his eyes and shifted into a battle stance.
"Ok, Squirtle," Gary commanded, "let's get 'im with a Water Gun!"
Squirtle sprayed a quick blast of water which flipped the purple Nidoran onto his back. Gary took a hint and tossed a Poké Ball at it. Once the Poké Ball opened up and captured the stunned Pokémon, it dropped to the ground. The professor's grandson shook nervously as he watched the Poké Ball shaking rapidly. After it shook three times, its release button flashed a green color. Gary scooped up the Poké Ball and raised it high into the air.
"Yes!" Gary cheered, "another Pokémon joins the team!"
"Squirtle!" Squirtle happily jumped up and clapped his hand, "Squirtle!"
Red paused in his tracks to lock eyes onto his rival.
"I assume you mean your team, right?" he remarked.
Gary folded his arms while tilting his head.
"Then maybe you should quit dawdling and get a move on if you want to catch a Pokémon from this route," Gary teased.
Red narrowed his eyes in annoyance while he clenched his fist.
"And what makes you think I'm not searching the tall grass?!" he retorted.
Leaf watched Red and Gary with a blank expression as both boys lobbed obnoxious remarks at one another.
"There they go bickering again," she sighed as she closed her canteen.
Mewtwo took a moment to close the canteen in his hands, making a brief glance at Red and Gary before returning his gaze to Leaf.
"Are you hoping to find another Pokémon for your team?" he asked her.
Leaf tilted her head as she took the canteen out of Mewtwo's hand. She took out her Pokédex and took a moment to review her entries.
"I want to make sure I find one of a different type before I make up my mind," she admitted, swaying her torso side to side, "I guess I just like to diversify to cover type advantages."
"A reasonable tactic," Mewtwo agreed, observing the rustling blades of grass around them.
All the while, Pikachu was keeping vigilant when he spotted a Mankey swinging tree to tree until it perched on a branch, staring at Red's backpack with an intense stare. The electric mouse sniffed their air and twitched his ears while Mankey curled its tail. After a brief moment, Pikachu scampered towards the tree and perched his paws on the trunk.
"Pika! Pikapi!"
Red and Gary paused in their minor squabble and focused their eyes on Pikachu. The professor's grandson tilted his head in confusion while his rival approached the tree.
"Hey, Pikachu," Red called, "is something the matter?"
Taking a few more steps closer to the tree, Red didn't have enough time to look up when the Mankey pounced off the branch and grabbed hold of his backpack to break his fall. The boy let out a startled yelp as the weight of the assailing Pokémon yanked him backwards. His eyes widened as he struggled to regain balance. Pikachu spun around and tried to tackle Mankey off his trainer's backpack. The electric rodent may have rammed into the pig monkey and made it nearly loosen its grip, but not before Mankey undid the fastenings of Red's backpack.
"What the—?!" Red warbled.
Gary rushed over and grabbed his rival's hand before he could fall over, pulling him to his feet. Red glanced over his shoulder as Mankey pulled out his berry pouch and leapt off of him.
"Hey!" Red shouted, "you give that back!"
Mankey made a brief glance at Red only to blow a raspberry at him before it climbed up another tree, clutching onto its prize. Pikachu narrowed his eyes and sprinted after Mankey as electric sparks began generating around his cheeks.
"Pika…"
Leaf and Mewtwo rushed towards the boys, having noticed the commotion already. Mankey paused before it could open up the stolen berry pouch and frantically glanced around in search of a quick escape route.
"Chu!"
Pikachu launched a Thunder Shock which sent a painful jolt onto the Mankey, loosening its grip on the berry pouch before it fell out of the tree and crashed into the ground. Mewtwo and the three young trainers stared as the mischievous monkey Pokémon slowly staggered to its feet, angry eyes locking onto the electric rodent. Mewtwo's eyes glowed as he levitated the berry pouch off the ground and pulled it towards him. Red made a brief glance at the psionic feline as he held out the berry pouch.
"Thanks!" Red smiled.
Red took back his berry pouch and stashed it into his backpack just as Pikachu leapt out of the way before Mankey could land a Scratch on him.
"Now tackle!" Red ordered.
Pikachu charged after Mankey, but it leapt out of the way. Without warning, the electric mouse covered his head with his paws as the pig monkey battered him with a series of Fury Swipes. Less than a minute later, Mankey paused to take a breath. Pikachu used this chance as his tail glowed white and he slammed the Iron Tail onto the pig monkey hard. Now that the mischievous Pokémon was stunned, Red reached for a Poké Ball.
"Poké Ball," Red declared, "go!"
Red threw the Poké Ball at the downed Mankey, its body materializing into particles which allowed the Poké Ball to pull it inside before it fell to the ground. Leaf watched carefully as it shook slowly, gesturing her hands to count in sync. Three more shakes and the release button flashed green.
"Finally!" Red let out an exasperated sigh.
Red sauntered over to pick up the Poké Ball while his Pikachu licked his fur.
"Thanks, Pikachu," Red smiled, "maybe we can teach this guy some manners."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed with a wink.
Leaf sighed in relief while Mewtwo relaxed his shoulders.
"Now," Mewtwo asked, "do you need the berries replaced?"
Red took a moment to check the contents in his berry pouch. He returned his gaze to Mewtwo and shrugged. All the while, Leaf spotted a nearby bush with ripe Oran berries, so she went to gather some which caught Gary's attention.
"I might want to grab some more myself, anyway," Gary said.
Mewtwo smiled softly as Red and Gary joined up with Leaf in gathering some Oran berries. Pikachu picked one off the bush and started nibbling on it. By the time they finished, they stashed their berry pouches back into their bags while returning to Mewtwo's side. Leaf reached for her Pokégear and opened up its map, taking some time to read the topography.
"So, how much longer before we get to Mount Moon?" Gary raised his eyebrow while he looked over Leaf's shoulder.
Leaf paused for a moment as she adjusted her hat with her free hand. Mewtwo shifted his gaze between the map and the area around them, trying to calculate the time and distance in his head.
"We kinda got a bit to go to reach the slope at the end of the route," Leaf stated, swaying her torso from side to side, "maybe even come across some more cute Pokémon along the way."
Feel free to drop a review, because Leaf and Mewtwo could use them to offer each other emotional support!
Fanart for this fanfic is also welcome.