Chapter 3

Pokemon Centers, found in every major city and town, were places where trainers could gather, rest, and most important of all, get their Pokemon treated for free. Leaf handed the PokeBalls containing Bulbasaur and Spearow to the nurse at the front desk. The nurse, whose uniform consisted of a pink puffy-sleeved dress under a white apron, and a white hat with a red cross at the center, cheerfully told Leaf they would call for her once her Pokemon were healed.

Leaf sat down on a blue cushioned chair against the wall and watched the scene in front of her. Trainers filled the entire room, either walking around or sitting with their Pokemon. Some of the trainers chatted with each other. Leaf could hear snippets of their conversations. There was a lot of I'm going to be Champion! No I will! Oh yeah? Let's battle!

At one point, Leaf's stomach began to growl. She glanced up at the clock; it was past 8. With a jolt, she looked out the window and saw the sun had already set. She'd been so excited about starting her journey that she didn't realize how much time had passed. In fact, it felt surreal thinking about how she had only left Pallet Town hours ago. Did she really become a trainer with not one, but two Pokemon in a day? Leaf shut her eyes and pinched herself. When she opened them, she breathed a sigh of relief to see herself still in the Pokemon Center.

Leaf ate dinner in the Pokemon Center's cafeteria. For cafeteria food, it was quite good. After she returned her tray, the nurse from earlier called on the intercom for Leaf to come to the front desk. Once she was there, the nurse returned her PokeBalls and Leaf checked herself a room for the night.

Every room had two bunk beds. When Leaf entered hers, she saw one of the top beds was occupied. A boy, who looked to be a few years younger, was sitting on it with his legs crossed. He wore a blue t-shirt and yellow shorts. A yellow hat was placed next to him.

He gave Leaf a friendly wave. "Hi, I'm Joey! What's your name?"

"Hi, I'm Leaf."

"Is this your first night here? I've never seen you around before." When Leaf nodded, he continued, "I've been here for a week. I've been training really hard, so I'm tired now."

Leaf put her satchel down by the bed under Joey's. She took off her sneakers and lay on the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted herself.

"How long are you going to stay here?" Joey asked.

"I'm planning on going to Pewter City tomorrow."

Joey leaned over his bed to look at Leaf. "I wanted to go to Pewter before, too. But I decided I needed to get stronger before going into Viridian Forest."

"Why's that?"

"Last week, I battled this guy who was really strong. I didn't stand a chance. So I decided to train a bit more."

"That makes sense. I'm sure you're getting stronger."

Joey grinned. "I hope I can have a rematch with that guy. He was a new trainer like me, but I could tell there was something different about him." Joey raised himself back up and lay on his bed. "His name was..."

Leaf didn't hear the name of this mysterious trainer. She had tried to stay awake as Joey spoke. After all, she might one day face this trainer herself. But her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier until finally, sleep took over. Her last thought was that this trainer had started his journey around the same time as Red and Blue. She wondered if those boys had met him.

Leaf woke the next morning at around 8AM. Joey was still in bed, gently snoring. Another trainer, a girl who looked to be around Leaf's age, was at the top of the other bunk bed. The sheets of the bottom bed were pushed to the side. The undented pillow told Leaf that whoever had slept there woke up a while ago, despite going to bed later than she did.

Leaf contemplated this as she, Bulbasaur, and Spearow ate breakfast in the cafeteria. Her mom had warned her about cutting on sleep to train. She understood why, but she couldn't help but feel a pressure building up in the pit of her stomach. She remembered reading somewhere that the best trainers worked significantly longer than the average office worker. If she wanted to become Champion, she needed to pick up the pace. With that in mind, Leaf scarfed down the rest of her meal and kept her trip to the PokeMart brief, buying only three potions.

This is enough, Leaf told herself as departed from Viridian City and crossed Route 2, a short dirt path with a few patches of grass. If she'd allowed herself to see what else the PokeMart had in stock, too much time she would never get back would slip by. Besides, she didn't have a lot of money on her. She would need to win battles against other trainers to be able to afford more items.

Leaf walked through the gate that connected Route 2 to Viridian Forest. Inside its hallway were a few male trainers, resting their feet after trekking through the forest, and a gatekeeper, who sat at his desk looking mildly bored.

One of the trainers, who looked ridiculous in his entirely green attire, grinned at Leaf. "Going into the scary forest? Be careful not to let that cute skirt of yours get dirty!" His friends snickered.

Leaf was wearing a blue tank top with a black collar and hem. A black oval hung from the collar. She wore matching blue socks and white sneakers that had a thick red stripe at the center. On her head was a white hat with red details that emulated the lines of a PokeBall. Slung across her body was her yellow satchel.

And, matching the red of her sneakers and hat, was her tennis skirt.

Leaf had never been a style icon. Growing up, she never understood what looked good and preferred to wear t-shirts and shorts. It was her mom who had insisted on this outfit, saying it was both fashionable and practical. Leaf was generally not a fan of skirts, but this one was comfortable enough that she relented.

Irritation pricked Leaf's skin, but she forced herself to ignore the boys. She had to focus on getting to Pewter City. There was no way she'd let some sexist pigs slow her down.

Green Pig continued, "I can protect you from all the gross bugs. All you need to do in return is lift up that skirt!"

Leaf saw red. Against her better judgement, she whirled on the hollering boys and pointed at Green Pig. "You. Battle. Now." Her voice shook in anger.

The trainer briefly glanced at his friends in surprise before smirking at her. "Alright. I can go easy on you."

Green Pig stood and tossed a PokeBall out of his pocket. A Mankey appeared, glaring hard at Leaf.

Leaf sent out Bulbasaur, who winced when he recognized the Pokemon that stood before him. "Don't worry, there's only one of it," Leaf promised him. "And we'll show 'em just how tough we are."

"You can have the first move," Green Pig said.

Last night, while waiting for Bulbasaur and Spearow, Leaf had gone through their Pokedex entries and found the names of their moves. She was glad that this was the opportunity she was given to first say them out loud.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"

A vine shot from Bulbasaur and slapped the Mankey aside. The Mankey's shriek made Green Pig's eyes widen.

"Mankey, use Scratch!" The Mankey, its claws gleaming under the light, leaped at Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, use Tackle!" Bulbasaur stepped away and slammed into the Mankey. It hit the ground and did not get up.

Green Pig's mouth hung open as he handed over $80. Leaf returned Bulbasaur to his PokeBall and smugly accepted the money. Holding her head up high, she marched away while Green Pig's friends tried to tell him that he only lost because they were so worn out from their travels. The gatekeeper gave Leaf a thumbs-up.

Leaf could not have asked for a better first trainer battle.

Viridian Forest was said to be a maze. Deep and sprawling, with trees so dense that little light trickled through, people sometimes went missing in it. Of course, it was home to many wild Pokemon and consequently, attracted numerous trainers.

The entrance to the forest was fairly light and airy, but as Leaf pressed forward, the world around her was suddenly engulfed in shadows. She didn't quite know if she was going the right way as she trekked the forest's winding paths. The only reference she had was the occasional sign post. She also tried avoiding the tall grass, which somehow seemed more threatening than the Route 22 ones.

Leaf suddenly heard a noise from behind. She stopped and turned, her heartbeat quickening. It sounded like someone––or something––was running. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. Leaf's hand went to Bulbasaur's PokeBall. Before she could grab it, a shape darted out of the grass, straight towards her.

"Whoa!" Leaf jerked back, bracing herself for collision. Instead of crashing into her, however, it soared right over her and Leaf saw clearly what it was.

It was as if time had slowed down. Drifting above her head was a large purple butterfly with what appeared to be a blue nose, hands, and feet. Its wings, white with black lines, spread wide and beautiful. Its bright red eyes looked down and locked with Leaf's. When it broke eye contact, time returned to its normal speed and the Pokemon zipped into the darkness.

Leaf was so entranced by the butterfly that she didn't notice the boy chasing it until he stopped by her side, panting.

"Damn it," he muttered. "I was so close to catching it." He glanced at Leaf. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Leaf. You?"

The boy wore a white tank, blue shorts, and a straw hat. In his hand was a net meant for catching bugs. "Ricky. I was trying to catch that Butterfree but it was too fast." Ricky eyed Leaf from head to toe. "You're a trainer, right?"

Leaf nodded.

Ricky grinned. "So am I. Wanna battle?"

And that was how Leaf's second trainer battle started. Ricky sent out a Caterpie, a green caterpillar with a yellow underside and red antenna. Leaf scanned the Caterpie with the Pokedex and sent out Bulbasaur.

"Caterpie, use String Shot!" The Caterpie spat a silver string at Bulbasaur, tangling his legs.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" Leaf thought herself lucky that Bulbasaur knew a move that allowed him to stand in one place until she noticed that the Caterpie didn't seem as affected by the attack as Green Pig's Mankey did.

"Caterpie, use Tackle!" Bulbasaur let out a cry, but Leaf could tell he wasn't too hurt by it. The impact broke the string around his legs, too. Leaf ordered Bulbasaur to tackle the Caterpie a couple times until it fainted.

Ricky then sent out a Weedle, a yellow worm-like Pokemon with a stinger on its head and tail. Leaf returned Bulbasaur, scanned the Weedle, and sent out Spearow. She had yet to use Spearow in battle; it was time to give her a chance.

"Weedle, use Poison Sting!"

"Spearow, use Peck!" To Leaf's pleasant surprise, the single peck knocked the Weedle out. Ricky gave Leaf $72.

Leaf battled four more boys after Ricky, all bug-type trainers. She added two more Pokemon to the Dex: Metapod, a green cocoon that Caterpie evolved into, and Kakuna, a bronze cocoon that Weedle evolved into. She mostly used Spearow to battle these trainers. She had heard from somewhere a while ago that different Pokemon types were strong or weak against others. Her battles in Viridian Forest confirmed that for her. Spearow, being a flying-type, had an advantage over bug-type Pokemon while Bulbasaur was disadvantaged. Remembering how Spearow hurt Bulbasaur more than the wild Mankey, Leaf concluded that grass-types were also weak against flying.

Two days into her journey and Leaf already discovered two of Bulbasaur's weaknesses. She wondered if there were more, and what types Bulbasaur was strong against. She wondered about Spearow's weaknesses. The sooner she understood her Pokemon, the better.

Eventually, Leaf saw a light in the distance. It was a gate. Once she crossed it, she would arrive at Pewter City. Pride swelled up in her as she walked faster. She had made it through Viridian Forest without getting lost or losing a single battle. Leaf remembered that Pewter City's Gym Leader was named Brock. Watch out, Brock! The future Champion is about to challenge you!

Then there was another sound behind her. A buzzing one. When Leaf turned around, her jaw dropped.

A three-foot tall wasp with four legs. The upper ones had giant stingers, like drills. A third stinger protruded from its bottom. The Butterfree's eyes had reminded Leaf of roses. This Pokemon, a Beedrill, had eyes that reminded her of blood.

Beedrill was Viridian Forest's most dangerous Pokemon. Highly territorial, Beedrill were aggressive to anything it deemed a threat. Leaf's eyes flicked around, searching for a nest––maybe she was too close to one?––but it was difficult to see in the dark. At least this Beedrill was alone. She was defenseless against a whole colony.

Leaf slowly backed away, hand hovering over Spearow's PokeBall. The Beedrill noticed her hand's position and buzzed angrily, raising its stingers. Evidently, it didn't like Pokemon trainers.

The Beedrill lunged at Leaf. With a yelp, Leaf dived away and threw Spearow's PokeBall. Spearow jumped when she saw the Beedrill, coming towards them again.

"Spearow, avoid those stingers! Keep pecking at Beedrill's body!" Leaf watched in awe as Spearow flew around the Beedrill, pecking it all over. She was so quick that the Beedrill was unable to sting her. Finally, the Beedrill collapsed onto the ground.

"Spearow, that was amazing!" Leaf cried as she ran to the spot Spearow was flying above. She spread her arms. Spearow chirped happily and landed in them, shaking her brown head.

Leaf pet Spearow with a smile on her face. "I'm glad to have you on the team. Now, let's get out before more Bee––"

There was a sudden movement and Spearow screeched, falling out of Leaf's arms. The Beedrill had used the last of its energy to swipe at Spearow with one of its stingers. It hit the ground again and fainted.

"Spearow!" Leaf scooped up her little bird and sprinted towards the gate, blood pounding in her ears. Once safely inside, she inspected Spearow. To her horror, Spearow's body began to convulse.

"It's poisoned." Leaf turned. It was a gatekeeper who had spoken. He sipped on his coffee and asked, "Do you have an antidote on you? That would get rid of the poison instantly."

Leaf swallowed. "No. I only have one potion." She had used the other two potions on Bulbasaur and Spearow after the third battle.

The gatekeeper shook his head. "Pewter City isn't too far from here. Go to the Pokemon Center now, though your Spearow will likely faint before you get there."

Cradling Spearow against her chest, Leaf ran as fast as she could out the gate, to Pewter City's Pokemon Center. Spearow was still awake, but guilt was gnawing at Leaf. If she had given herself the time this morning to carefully look through the PokeMart, she probably would've ended up buying more than three potions. An antidote would've likely landed in her bag. Fainting was inevitable in any Pokemon battle, but if Spearow had fainted because of Leaf's lack of caution, Leaf would've blamed herself. From now on, she would need to be more prepared for wherever she went.

Two days into her journey and Leaf was beginning to realize how much she needed to learn.

Woohoo, got chap 3 done more quickly! Working from home has been really great for my writing, have so much more time.

I have a few things to say about this chap. As we all know, the Pokemon world's currency is Pokedollars. The closest symbol I found for a Pokedollar was the Russian rubel, but unfortunately this site does not recognize it so I needed to use USD. Let's just pretend $ means Pokedollars :)

On a more important note, I was asked a couple questions by yonas813 in the last chapter (thanks for your review)! "Are Pokemon past gen 1 going to be seen here?" This fic will only feature the Pokemon seen in the FRLG games, aka Gen 1 with some Gen 2 Pokemon (makes sense to me because of how close Kanto and Johto are to each other). It's kind of a pet peeve of mine when I see, for example, wild Gen 3 Pokemon in a Gen 6 game. It's like if we found an elephant in some forest in America, it's not natural.

"Also, will we see Red or Blue soon?" Red and Blue will appear soon! It's just taking a few chapters because Leaf started her journey a week late. But eventually she will catch up and I'm very much looking forward to writing about them!

That's it for now. Thanks again and please let me know your thoughts on this story so far!