Chapter 14

It was nearly midnight when Leaf finally arrived at the Pokemon Center. After checking in her Pokemon, she promptly went to bed, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she woke the next morning, she glanced at the wall clock and jumped. She'd slept until 10AM: far later than usual. She scrambled out of bed and rushed to pick up her Pokemon, who were already completely healed.

"I'm sorry again about yesterday," Leaf said as they ate breakfast. They were outside now; the Pokemon Center had seating by a long river that cut through the northern half of Route 10. "You three are so talented. I promise that I'll be a better trainer for you all."

Leaf meant her words, but they felt empty on her tongue. Did she not say the same thing when they'd lost to Blue before? Of course, her Pokemon showed no ill will towards her and made sounds of affirmation. Guilt squirmed in Leaf's stomach. She didn't want to let them down ever again.

But Leaf, think of all the times you've won! This is only the second out of countless battles you've lost. That's super impressive! Leaf knew the rational voice in her head was right. Her track record was overall positive and she shouldn't take any loss so personally. But each loss was a reminder that she wasn't the best trainer yet, that there was someone better out there. If that was the case, how could she ever become Champion?

Leaf forced herself to have another bite of her meal. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and was about to pass through a mountain. She needed sustenance, but dwelling on her loss was severely impacting her appetite. She tried to move her mind somewhere else, but there weren't any recent events she could latch onto that didn't connect to Blue in some way. Well, there was that encounter with Team Rocket at Diglett's Cave, but that wasn't exactly fun to think about. She wondered if Red had seen them since Cerulean City. Where was Red, anyway? He couldn't be too far, if she'd stumbled upon Blue. Leaf smiled. She hoped she'd see him soon. She wanted to show him her Thunder Badge and introduce Psyduck and Fearow. She was curious about his experience at the Vermilion Gym, too. After all, Red had an electric-type Pokemon himself.

While imagining an epic showdown between Red's Pikachu and Lieutenant Surge's Raichu, Leaf suddenly remembered what she saw last night: the lightning bird. Her mind jumped to the legendary Pokemon, Zapdos. Zapdos was one of three legendary birds, the other two being Articuno and Moltres. It was said that the combined powers of Articuno, the Ice Bird, and Moltres, the Fire Bird, were the source and cradle of oceans. Zapdos, the Thunder Bird, used its electric energy to generate currents and streams. Numerous paintings, sculptures, dances, and poems were inspired by these powerful birds.

As far as Leaf was concerned, the birds were myths. There had been several "sightings" of these birds, none of which turned out to be real. Whatever Leaf saw last night was most definitely not Zapdos. And that was assuming she'd even seen anything. She'd been so exhausted that she easily could've been hallucinating.

Leaf finished her meal. Maybe it wasn't so bad she'd gotten extra sleep today.

Rock Tunnel was a naturally formed tunnel that cut through the mountains of Route 10. The tunnel was so deep underground that it was pitch black inside. Few people traveled through as a result and when they did, they brought along a Pokemon that could light up the way. None of Leaf's Pokemon knew such moves, so the only source of light Leaf had was her small flashlight, which was barely able to penetrate the thick darkness. Whatever she could see wasn't helpful for navigating the tunnel at all: just rocks and more rocks. Rock Tunnel was a very fitting name indeed.

Leaf stopped, waved her flashlight around, and stifled a groan. She was facing a wall again. It seemed that no matter where Leaf turned, she ended up at a dead end. Frustration was quickly building up in her. Why weren't lights installed in Rock Tunnel like they were in the Underground Path? Surely enough people traveled through to warrant them. At the very least, installing lights would encourage more people to use it. It also baffled Leaf that no one had drawn a map of the tunnel yet. She had made sure to check the Pokemon Center for one and there hadn't been any.

Leaf carefully retraced her steps, returning to the fork she'd turned left on. She went right and her heart dropped when her foot didn't instantly hit the ground. Drawing back, she waved her flashlight and saw a hill so steep, she might as well have been standing over a cliff. Leaf swallowed. There wasn't a single part of her that wanted to go down that hill. But what were her other options? She hadn't noticed other trails she could take. Even if she did, she might not be able to find them again in this darkness. She should've taken her chances with the Snorlax, Leaf realized, but it was too late to have any regrets.

Shaking from her nerves, Leaf sat and began to scoot down the hill. It was a painfully slow endeavor: any time she slid slightly faster than a snail's pace, Leaf's body would freeze until she worked up the nerve to continue. After what felt like an eternity, she finally reached the bottom of the hill.

Leaf stood and waved her flashlight. Relief flooded in her when she saw a clear path. She wouldn't have any clue what to do if she'd arrived at another dead end. Feeling slightly more hopeful, she advanced on the winding trail.

Leaf didn't know how long she'd been walking for, but at some point, whatever luck she had ran out. Her flashlight flickered a few times and then shut off. Leaf was instantly consumed by pure blackness.

"No," Leaf said out loud. She shook her flashlight, clicked the switch multiple times. "No, no, no, no!"

Leaf opened her satchel and fished for batteries––she was certain she'd brought an extra pair––but it was impossible to see.

"Shit!" Leaf snapped. Her voice echoed through the tunnel, a fading chorus of shits. When the last one disappeared, Leaf squinted and willed herself to suddenly develop night vision. Of course, she didn't, and she nearly threw her flashlight out of frustration.

Leaf shut her eyes and forced herself to calm down. Think, Leaf, think! She took Fearow's PokeBall. Before the PokeBall's light faded, Leaf saw alarm in the vulture's eyes.

"Can you see anything at all?" Leaf asked, placing her hand on Fearow's back.

Fearow squawked and moved forward. As Leaf followed, making sure her hand didn't leave Fearow for even a second, she couldn't help but smile. She should've thought of releasing Fearow earlier. Although the vulture's vision likely wasn't perfect, it made sense for it to be better than a human's. And maybe Fearow's instincts would allow her to find the way out.

Suddenly, Fearow stopped and her body tensed. "What's wrong?" Leaf asked.

Her question was soon answered by the ground shaking, making Leaf think of Diglett's Cave. Simultaneously, she felt what she believed to be Fearow's head shove her. Leaf fell onto Fearow's body and she instinctively wrapped her arms around the vulture's neck. As Fearow spread her wings, the wall near them exploded and Leaf heard a thunderous roar.

Fearow took off and the cold air whipping in Leaf's face made her tear up. Whatever came through the wall was chasing them: Leaf could hear countless heavy footsteps behind them and more roars that drowned out the sound of her racing heart. They didn't seem to be fast, but since Fearow couldn't fly at her full speed in the dark and enclosed space, she couldn't quite shake them off.

Fearow veered left, causing Leaf to cling a little too tightly. When the vulture made a choking sound, Leaf loosened her grip and nearly fell off. Ears pounding, Leaf tried to figure out a grip that was firm enough without hurting the vulture. On a different day, she would've been thrilled to be flying on her Pokemon, but with the stampede behind them and Fearow's wings beating uncomfortably against her awkwardly positioned legs, Leaf wanted nothing more than to climb into bed.

At last, Leaf saw a circle of light in the distance. "Go, go, go!" She urged.

Fearow sped up and suddenly, the world became bright and airy. The change made Leaf shut her eyes as they readjusted to the light. Fearow sharply turned right and landed by some trees, away from the stampede's trajectory.

Leaf hopped off Fearow's back and peered from behind a tree. The stampede was kicking up dust, but she could finally see what had been pursuing them: stout, rhinoceros-like Pokemon. Their bodies were covered in gray, rocky plates and they had narrow red eyes. Leaf was able to scan them with the Pokedex: Rhyhorn. Apparently, their brains were so small that they often ran without remembering why. Leaf wondered if something in Rock Tunnel had freaked them out.

Leaf turned to Fearow and, upon making eye contact, burst out laughing. "Thanks for getting me out of there! I would've been so screwed without you."

Fearow opened her beak to respond, but the sound that came out was not familiar to Leaf. It was a high-pitched whimper; it sounded like...an animal in pain.

Leaf quietly followed the sound deeper into the woods. She heard the whimper transition to labored breathing as it sensed Leaf approaching. Leaf pushed through a bush and gasped. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the creature lying before her.

It was one of the cutest Pokemon Leaf had ever seen. It reminded Leaf of a small fox with its pointed ears and narrow snout. It was red-brown with darker paws and a cream underbelly. On its head were three locks of curled orange fur. Curled in a similar fashion were six orange tails.

The Pokemon snarled at Leaf, large brown eyes blazing. Leaf saw what was hurting it: a silver trap that was clamped around one of its hind legs.

Leaf held up her hands and smiled warmly. "I'm not here to hurt you," she said gently. She gestured at the trap. "Let me remove that from your leg."

Leaf took a step forward and the Pokemon barked. As Leaf tried to think of a way to let it know she wasn't a threat, she noticed Fearow lift her head. Leaf turned to see what Fearow sensed and froze.

There was a man standing several feet away from them, appearing just as shocked as Leaf to see another person. He was wearing the Team Rocket uniform.

Leaf tensed. "What do you want?"

At that moment, she noticed the man was holding an orange stone. It glinted under the sunlight. "None of your business, kid," he answered. "Stay away from that Vulpix. I caught it. It's mine."

Leaf clenched her fists. "You didn't catch it! You hurt it!"

"What's the difference? You have to weaken wild Pokemon to catch them."

"Not like this," Leaf argued. "That Vulpix could be seriously injured."

"It's fine and it's not your problem anyway."

The man began to move towards the growling Vulpix. Leaf immediately stepped between them and glared hard at the man, who chuckled in amusement.

"Don't worry," he said and raised the stone. "I'm only here to help the Vulpix, really. With this Fire Stone, I'm going to evolve it and it'll become ten times stronger."

Leaf remembered Bill telling her about evolution stones. That had happened not long after her first encounter with Team Rocket, where she saved all those wild Clefairy from them. This encounter felt eerily similar, except there was only one of them this time.

Leaf could handle that.

"You're going to have to get past us, first," Leaf said. Fearow glided in front of her.

The man's hand went to his belt. Leaf saw he only had one PokeBall. He released a giant blue bat with purple wings and a gaping mouth nearly the size of its body. It stuck out a long purple tongue.

"Golbat, use Wing Attack!"

"Fearow, use Aerial Ace!"

The two Pokemon flew at each other. As soon as they collided, the man yelled, "Use Bite!"

The Golbat sank its fangs into Fearow's shoulder. Fearow cried out as she tried to shake it off.

"Fearow, use Fury Attack!"

Leaf blinked in surprise when the Golbat let go of Fearow before she could attack. It drew back and after the man ordered it to use Supersonic, it screeched in Fearow's face before Leaf could tell her to dodge. Fearow's eyes rolled back and she began to teeter in the air.

"Now use Wing Attack!"

Leaf grimaced as the Golbat began to knock Fearow with its wings. She tried to tell Fearow to use Aerial Ace, but the vulture didn't obey, nor do anything to remotely defend herself. Leaf thought of her battle with Misty. Fearow––then Spearow––had been confused as well and was able to avoid getting hit. This Golbat was too fast and precise for Fearow to accidentally dodge its attacks. Should she switch to Ivysaur or Psyduck? Neither of them could probably keep up with the Golbat, though.

Leaf suddenly felt a chill down her spine. What if she actually lost to this Team Rocket member? The poor Vulpix would be forced to evolve, and then what? What would happen to her?

Leaf shook her head, hoping to dispel the thoughts. At Mount Moon, she was able to remain calm despite the challenges of a double-battle. She'd been in plenty of other tough situations and came out just fine, too. This battle against a single trainer and his single Pokemon wasn't unique. Why did her mind jump to losing?

"Fearow, use Aerial Ace!" Leaf said again, hoping to eventually reach her Pokemon.

Fearow continued to get beaten up by the Golbat, her eyes showing no awareness of her predicament. Either the Golbat's attacks weren't strong, or Fearow was extremely sturdy, because she also showed no sign of losing consciousness soon.

The Golbat struck Fearow. Reflexively, Fearow swung her left wing, striking the Golbat's side. The Golbat drew back, momentarily stunned.

"Aerial Ace!" Leaf cried.

Shaky Fearow suddenly grew still. Almost instantly, she darted at the Golbat, slashing her beak across its entire wingspan. The Golbat screeched and fell, its wings in too much pain to keep it up in the air.

"Again!"

Fearow flew down towards the Golbat and struck it again. On Leaf's command, Fearow used Aerial Ace a third time. The Golbat hit the ground unconscious.

The man was in shock. "H-How? You're just a kid!"

Leaf crossed her arms. "A kid who's beat Team Rocket more than once already!"

The man leered at her before eyeing the Vulpix. Realizing he was trying to find a way to it, Fearow cawed and loomed over him threateningly.

He winced and grit his teeth. "Damn it!"

The man ran away, the Fire Stone glittering in his hand. Leaf didn't know where he was going, but she knew he was going to force the stone onto another defenseless Pokemon.

"Get that stone!" Fearow charged at the man and snatched the Fire Stone with her beak.

"Hey, that's mine!" The man protested. As he extended his arm, Fearow swung her talons at him, causing him to shrink back immediately. He took off again, cursing. Leaf considered asking Fearow to restrain him so she could ask some questions, but decided against it. Her top priority right now was not interrogation.

Leaf knelt down beside the Vulpix. The Vulpix seemed to finally understand Leaf's intentions, because it didn't snap at her. Carefully, Leaf opened up the trap and tossed it aside. She took out a potion and sprayed it on the Vulpix's wound. The Vulpix licked her hand as she did so.

"There, that should help for now," Leaf said gently. She studied the Vulpix's leg again. Was the potion enough, or did it need more professional care? Leaf checked her map. Lavender Town wasn't too far from here. She could bring the Vulpix to the Pokemon Center.

Leaf pet the Vulpix's back. Its fur was the softest, warmest thing she'd ever touched. "I know a place where you'll get even more help. Once you're feeling better, I'll bring you back here. Does that sound good?"

The Vulpix snuggled against her. Leaf gently lifted her up. Turning to Fearow, she took the Fire Stone from her beak and shoved it into her satchel.

"Let's try flying again," Leaf said.

They arrived at the Lavender Town Pokemon Center quickly. Leaf checked in Fearow and Vulpix and ate a very late lunch––practically dinner––in the cafeteria. There was a TV, turned to the news channel. Someone had recorded a battle between Blue and some random trainer. Blue defeated the trainer with such ease that the reporter joked how the trainer must be questioning their life.

Leaf's stomach squirmed. Did her loss to Blue look that bad? If someone else witnessed it, would they think Leaf should quit being a trainer? No, they wouldn't. She beat two out of his three Pokemon. That counted for something. And again, she reminded herself, she'd won most of her other battles. Hell, she just won one today and rescued a wild Pokemon! It was stupid of her to doubt herself.

A voice on the intercom called for Leaf. She dropped her tray off and went to the front desk. Vulpix and Fearow's PokeBall were brought out.

"It was so sweet of you to help out this wild Vulpix," the nurse said.

Leaf shrugged. "It's only normal. How could I leave it to be in pain?"

The nurse smiled. "Not everyone has that mentality, unfortunately. You do have a big heart."

"T-Thanks," Leaf said, cheeks warming. She took the Pokemon away from the nurse. With Vulpix securely in her arms, she departed from the Pokemon Center.

Once she reached Route 10, Leaf placed the Vulpix on the ground. "You can go home now."

The Vulpix didn't move. It simply blinked its brown eyes at her. Leaf turned and began to leave when she heard the Vulpix following her. It brushed itself against her leg before plopping down on her feet.

Leaf smiled. This was like when Psyduck went after her. "You want to come with me?"

The Vulpix barked and licked her leg. With her smile growing, Leaf scanned the Vulpix with the Pokedex.

Vulpix, the Fox Pokemon. When it is born, it has just one snow-white tail. The tail splits from its tip as it grows older.

Leaf couldn't picture the Vulpix, which was female, with only one tail. The six tails suited her perfectly. Leaf took out a PokeBall and knelt down.

Shorter chapter this time! I find writing about the dungeons difficult; at a certain point it just drags a bit for me. On a more fun note, Leaf has added another member to the team: Vulpix! Iconific- it looks like your wish came true haha (dw, Leaf was always going to get one).

Thanks again for reading!