I do not own Pokémon. Credit goes to Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak.
Mewtwo followed close behind Leaf, Red and Gary while they climbed the slope leading into Mount Moon. By late afternoon, they could see the Pokémon Center a short walking distance ahead. Red sighed as he crouched to his knees.
"Finally!" he exclaimed, "my legs are reaching their limit already!"
Gary tsked at his rival while wagging his index finger.
"Now now," Gary chided, "you can still use those legs to get inside the Pokémon Center."
Red tilted his head up and gave Gary the stink-eye.
"Since when did you become the voice of reason, huh?" Red retorted.
Leaf took a moment to lean down and pull up her socks. She reached into her messenger bag and pulled out the Poké Ball before she brought out Cleffa. The baby fairy blinked twice as the young girl held out her arms. Cleffa jumped into Leaf's warm embrace as she rose to her full height.
"Hey, Cleffa," Leaf chirped softly, "we made it to Mount Moon! Do you see it?"
Leaf allowed Cleffa to turn around and gaze upon the mountain towering over them. The tiny star-shaped fairy's eyes lit up as she listened to some faint distinct sound coming from within the mountain.
"Cleffa!" Cleffa squeaked happily, "Cleff Cleffa!"
Leaf smiled at the sight of Cleffa's excited expression.
"I'm sure we'll find your relatives," Leaf told the baby Pokémon, "when we explore Mount Moon tomorrow."
Mewtwo raised his brows at the young Pokémon as he turned to listen for sounds within Mount Moon.
"I imagine they're somewhere within," he agreed.
Leaf gave Mewtwo a wink as they both strolled towards the Pokémon Center. Pikachu perked up his ears and tugged at Red's pants to grab his attention.
"Pika?" Pikachu reminded his trainer, "Pikapi?"
Red and Gary paused as they noticed Pikachu pointing at the Pokémon Center.
"Oh, right," Red blurted, "we should get going."
Red allowed Pikachu to hop onto his shoulder before he and Gary followed Leaf and Mewtwo through the sliding doors leading to the lobby. The psionic feline sat down at the couch and waited as the Pallet Town trio took turns placing their Pokémon on trays. One by one, Nurse Joy fed the trays through the healing station behind the counter.
"Thank you for waiting, we have fully restored your Pokémon to full health," Nurse Joy smiled, "now, would you like a room to stay for the night?"
Leaf was the first to take her Poké Balls out of their tray.
"Of course!" Red nodded, "is there one available to hold the four of us?"
"And all your Pokémon," she sorted one out and handed him the room key, "2B, available until 2 pm tomorrow."
"Thanks!" Red grinned before he went to retrieve his Pokémon.
Once Gary grabbed his Pokémon, the three young trainers made a beeline for the cafeteria. While Red and Gary bought meals for themselves, Leaf ordered tomato soup with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich for herself, along with a burger steak with a baked potato and two cups of lemonade. Shortly after making their payment, the Pallet Town trio sat down near Mewtwo and brought out their Pokémon.
"Ok," Red sang, "who's hungry?"
"Pika!" Pikachu happily waved his arms.
Red placed dishes of assorted foods for his Charmander, Pikachu, Mankey and Bellsprout. Leaf and Gary did the same for their own Pokémon before the young girl handed the plate of burger steak and baked potato to Mewtwo.
"Here you go," Leaf chirped.
Mewtwo gave Leaf a quizzical look while he took the plate out of Leaf's hands, peering at the food.
"What is this one?" he asked her.
"Hamburger steak and baked potato," Leaf explained, "you can add some butter to the insides."
Leaf pointed to the small dish of salted butter on the coffee table. Mewtwo levitated the butter knife, only to pause for a moment and scan his surroundings. He grasped the knife in his hands as soon as he stopped his telekinesis, trying to handle the utensil with his clumsy fingers.
"It does smell good," Mewtwo told her.
Leaf smiled as she watched Mewtwo shakily buttered the insides of his baked potato. While she sipped a spoonful of her soup, Pidgey perched on the coffee table to peck at her seeds. Once he finished buttering the potato, the psionic feline went to cut the burger steak into smaller bites with a fork. He blew on a bite of it to cool it down a little, and then popped it into his mouth and chewed on it. He seemed to savor the rich meaty flavor.
"And it's quite a pleasant taste," he added, "thank you."
Leaf smiled at him while Gary nibbled at his prawn tempura and his Squirtle happily munched on his specialty salad. Red ran a finger along Pikachu's head while sipping his soda pop.
After dinner, they all deposited their trays onto the table, and Red scooped them into his hands, making his way back to the cafeteria. After disposing of the trash, he returned the trays, plates, glasses and utensils to a counter before he began strolling back to the lobby. Along the way, he passed by a salesman with a white t-shirt and a white headband supervising a small fish tank who glanced over his shoulder.
"Psst," he whispered, "you have a moment, boy?"
Red paused in his tracks.
"Huh?" he blurted.
Mewtwo tried not to let his anxiety rise again as he looked around at the center.
"Question," he asked Leaf telepathically, "the nurse who gave us the key gave us a room for three…I notice most nurses don't seem to count me as an occupant. Do you suppose they think of me as one of your shyer, more exotic and rare Pokémon? I've resisted the urge to dig into brains since I started going along with you."
Leaf gave Mewtwo a confused look as she rocked side to side.
"I…I'm not sure, really," she stammered with a light shrug, "I guess so? Maybe?"
"As long as they believe I'm not some stranger tagging along for nefarious reasons," Mewtwo turned his head towards the cafeteria, "Red seems to be taking his time. Do you suppose there's a queue?"
After a brief moment, Red approached the salesman with caution.
"Evening, sir," Red greeted, casually waving his hand.
The salesman grinned as he placed his hand on a small tank with a Magikarp swimming in it.
"Why hello, lad," the salesman greeted, "have I got a deal just for you! I'll let you have a secret Pokémon…a Magikarp…for just 500 PokéYen!"
Red gave the salesman a puzzled look.
"A…Magikarp?" he paused, "is this some kind of joke?"
Pikachu tilted his head while Gary, Leaf and Mewtwo spotted Red from the lobby.
"Oh, come on, boy," the salesman insisted, "this is no ordinary Magikarp! This is a really special Magikarp that's like no other!"
Red folded his arms, giving the salesman a stern look.
"Define special," Red objected.
Mewtwo took a brief moment to peek into the salesman's mind, only to find no specific detail of his claim.
"Well," the salesman prattled on, "this Magikarp can learn more moves than usual, you see."
Red glanced over his shoulder for a brief moment, taking notice of the concern in Mewtwo's narrowed eyes. The salesman cleared his throat, catching the boy's attention.
"So, you'll buy it," the salesman persuaded, "am I right?"
Red held out his hand and shook his head.
"On second thought," Red declined, "I'll catch my own Magikarp. Good day."
Red made a beeline for the couch to meet up with Leaf, Mewtwo and Gary, leaving the salesman stumped.
"Oh, come on," the salesman muttered, "I'm only doing this as a favor to you…"
Once Red sat down, Pikachu immediately hopped onto his lap.
"Pika," Pikachu chirruped, "Pikapi?"
"Yeah," Red agreed, "someone's bound to catch on eventually."
Red ran his hand along Pikachu's head. All the while, Mewtwo raised his brow.
"That human confuses me," Mewtwo commented, "there are more honest ways to make money."
Gary sighed and slumped his shoulders.
"I dunno if that applies to everyone, though," he shrugged.
Leaf withdrew all her Pokémon and rose to her feet.
"Anyways," Leaf clamored, "you wanna go check out the room now?"
Shortly after Red and Gary withdrew their Pokémon, Leaf happily led the two boys and Mewtwo up the stairs and down the hallway to the door leading to their guest room. Red used the room key to unlock the door before they headed inside. Leaf took her hat off and placed it on the dresser before she peered through the door leading to the ofuro.
"I call dibs on the bath!" Leaf declared, raising an index finger in the air.
Red and Gary stared at Leaf dumbfounded while Mewtwo blinked at her curiously. Setting down her messenger bag and grabbing her pajamas, she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door, where she began showering and scrubbing off the sweat and grime in preparation to soak in the tub. With the boys having to wait, they brought out their Pokémon. Squirtle waddled up to a pillow and kneaded at it with his paws. Mankey glanced up and hopped towards the curtains, only to curl its tail around the curtain rod while perching on top. Pikachu drooped his ears and folded his arms with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Pika…"
Mewtwo tilted his head as he hung up his cloak.
"Would you like to be up there?" Mewtwo offered.
"Pika," Pikachu shook his head.
The electric mouse jumped up onto the bed Red was sitting on and curled up on a pillow. His trainer removed his cap and set it on a nearby nightstand while Gary arranged his shoes near the door. Mewtwo surveyed his surroundings in search of a bookshelf. Raising his brow, the psionic feline levitated a book with the title "Clash of the Weather Trio" into his hands. He sat against the wall and started reading it. The professor's grandson smiled as he saw his Weedle perching atop Nidoran. Bellsprout hopped onto the nightstand and relished in the light radiating from the lamp.
The tranquil moment continued on until Leaf emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas and carrying her day clothes, brushing a few damp locks from her eyes.
"Ok," she announced, "I'm done!"
"Finally!" Gary sighed in relief.
Gary stood up from his bed and lifted his shirt up when he noticed his Weedle started glowing, catching everyone's attention.
"Oh?!" Red warbled.
Pikachu twitched his ears.
"Pika?"
Charmander and Squirtle exchanged curious glances.
"Intriguing," Mewtwo mused.
A few seconds passed before the light faded away, revealing a yellow cocoon with black triangular eyes. Leaf set aside her day clothes while Red reached for his Pokédex.
{Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokémon. It is almost incapable of moving and it hides from predators under leaves and in nooks of branches while it awaits its next evolution. This is evident from the heat it emits when touching it. When endangered, it may stick out its stinger and poison its enemy.}
"Man," Gary commented with a grin, "bugs like these sure evolve fast, don't they?"
"You could say that again," Red tilted his head.
Leaf pulled the Poké Balls from her bag, sending out Pidgey, Bulbasaur and Cleffa. The brunette carried the grassy amphibian over to her bed while Pidgey flew up to the top of the curtain rod, perching next to Mankey.
"Welp," Gary proclaimed, "time for me to get changed!"
Gary grabbed his pajamas from his bag before stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. Leaf and Mewtwo shared a brief glance.
"Would you recommend I try this bath?" he asked her, "or is it a human activity?"
Red gave Mewtwo a puzzled look.
"You never bathed before?" he paused.
Mewtwo shook his head.
"Not to worry," Red offered, "I'll show you how to use a bath once Gary gets out."
"Thank you," Mewtwo smiled.
All the while, Cleffa waddled towards the window and jumped up, perching on the windowsill while she gazed at the grandeur that was Mount Moon looming over the center. The tiny baby fairy's eyes twinkled with awe as she continued to sense the wonderful energy emitting from the mountain…almost like she was yearning to meet the rest of her kin soon. Mewtwo couldn't help but smile upon seeing Cleffa's excited expression.
"Soon," he agreed.
Several minutes later, Gary emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas.
"Ok, Red," Gary announced, "your turn!"
Red gave Pikachu a pat on the head before he stood from the bed.
"Mewtwo," Red called, "you ready?"
Upon cue, Mewtwo placed the book on the dresser.
"I am," he nodded.
Red led Mewtwo into the bathroom, where the boy showed the psionic feline the shower, tub and the soaps on the rack along the wall.
"Basically," Red elaborated, "you first get yourself wet with this shower head. Then you scrub your body with the soap here, and you rinse off. And when you're done with all that, you soak in the tub to relax for a while. You with me so far?"
"Which one are you using?" Mewtwo replied.
Red reached for a bar of soap and pointed to a bottle of shampoo.
"You don't seem to have any fur," Red mentioned, "so I recommend a bar of soap for you."
Red handed Mewtwo the bar of soap before he checked the tub, taking care to fill it up with some hot water with the turn of the faucet.
"Make sure not to get any soap in the eyes, ok?" Red advised.
"Should be easy enough," Mewtwo carefully rubbed the soap over himself.
While Mewtwo grabbed the shower head, Red carefully stepped out of the bathroom. He took a couple of minutes to enjoy the feel of the warm water, carefully waving his tail in glee. When he was clean and made sure his feet especially were washed off, he curled up in the bath, resting his head on his arms on the side.
"I can see why you called dibs, Leaf," Mewtwo mused to himself, his chest rumbling with deep purrs, "this is enjoyable."
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.