Chapter 19

Leaf wasn't sure what to expect as they followed the Team Rocket grunt down the stairs. Maybe an army of grunts who expected their arrival and were more than prepared to wipe them out. Or maybe a horrible monster that was going to eat them alive. With each step, Leaf felt a chill run through her entire body. Every now and then, she'd peek at Red, seeking confirmation that they were going to be alright. Red never returned her gaze. He kept his stern eyes on the grunt with his fists clenched.

"I think I've heard about you two, actually," the grunt randomly blurted out. "Some of my colleagues have told me there have been a couple kids foiling our missions. They're talking about you two, right?"

"Shut up and keep moving," Leaf snapped, hoping she sounded intimidating. She had zero interest in making small talk with this lowlife.

When they finally reached the bottom, Leaf felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment.

"Welcome to our hideout," the grunt said, flashing them a smile that was just a bit too wide.

The hideout reminded Leaf of Dad's workplace, Viridian Mutual. Linoleum flooring that was an unappealing shade of brown, potted leafy plants that were half-wilted, walled sections of office spaces. Ahead of them was another flight of stairs. Leaf would never have guessed this place was the base for a criminal organization.

Especially considering how empty it was.

"Where is everyone?" Leaf asked.

As if on cue, several Team Rocket grunts leaped from behind the walls. They each tossed two PokeBalls and the sudden great burst of light blinded Leaf. When the light faded, Grimer, Koffing, multiple Raticates and Rattatas, Machop, and a yellow-and-brown tapir that Leaf knew was called Drowzee stood before them. The grunt who led Leaf and Red to the hideout had returned to his colleagues' sides.

"You really lost to these two kids, Rick?" The Drowzee's trainer sneered. Like many of the grunts Leaf had seen, he had a forgettable face. In uniform, he and the others looked like clones. "We heard you upstairs."

Rick winced. "It wasn't my best moment." He glared at Leaf and Red. "But my mistake ends here. You two are going to regret trying to be heroes."

"Now, now, they're just kids. They don't know what they're getting into," The Drowzee's trainer said. He turned to Leaf and Red. "We outnumber you greatly. There are way more of us in the hideout. Leave now and there won't have to be any trouble. We don't want to hurt you two."

Leaf didn't want to admit it, but deep down, a part of her was afraid. She'd never battled more than two trainers at a time, and they always sent out one Pokemon. Standing several feet ahead were, she counted, five grunts. She and Red would have to battle ten Pokemon at once, and who knew how many more there'd be in the hideout. Rick, that slimy piece of shit, had lured them down here by saying there were more poor Pokemon in cages. Was there any truth to that? Were they risking their lives over nothing?

Leaf looked at Red and her jaw nearly dropped. Growing up, Red was the unpopular kid who was picked on constantly. The bullies had no shortage of insecurities to rip into. Red was the lanky, awkward boy who didn't talk, was bad at sports, and whose dad abandoned him. He shrank at the slightest threat, whether it be a sudden noise or a stranger looking in his direction. Once, after Leaf and Blue drove off the bullies for the millionth time, Red had asked, How do I become brave and strong like you guys?

Now, Leaf wanted to ask Red that same question. Red was completely still, meeting the grunt's gaze unflinchingly, daring him to make a move. It wasn't an act. He wasn't trying to seem more courageous, to hide his fear. He was truly ready to take on however many grunts there were and keep all the Pokemon of Kanto safe.

Leaf shot daggers at the grunts. "Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Ivysaur stepped forward and unleashed a whirlwind of leaves. There were shouts as the grunts and their Pokemon scrambled out of the way: the slower ones screeched in pain.

"Drowzee, use Disable!"

Before Leaf could warn Ivysaur, the Drowzee leaped through the storm, eyes glowing. Instantly, the leaves fell harmlessly to the floor. Ivysaur looked back at Leaf in bewilderment.

"Drowzee, use Psy––"

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Like earlier, the yellow mouse jumped from his trainer's shoulder and let loose a blinding blast of lightning. Leaf watched, even more dumbfounded than before, as each one of the grunts' Pokemon were electrocuted. They were hit so fast that they didn't even have time to cry out. When Pikachu was finished, the grunts stared at their unconscious Pokemon in disbelief, then looked at Red in fear.

Pikachu climbed back onto Red's shoulder, looking very pleased with himself. Red gave his ear a scratch and approached the Drowzee's trainer, who flinched. His wounded expression reminded Leaf of Dratini. Calmly, Red asked, "Do you have more Pokemon locked up in here?"

The grunt swallowed. "Y-Yes, they're downstairs."

"Any keys I would need?"

The grunt hesitated before reaching into his pocket, pulling out something Leaf couldn't see, and handing it to Red.

"Good. Now, all of you better stay here unless you want Pikachu to Thunderbolt you." The grunts nodded fervently at the threat.

Red gestured for Leaf to follow him. Returning Ivysaur, which Leaf figured would help the Disable wear off faster, she jogged to his side and the two of them headed towards the stairs. From the corner of her eye, Leaf noticed Rick huddled behind a plant, shaking.

Leaf was shocked, as if she'd been hit by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Red talk to strangers, let alone in such a domineering manner. Had she ever even seen such cold firmness from Red before? It was simultaneously admirable and intimidating. Red truly had changed since starting his journey.

What she really couldn't wrap her head around, though, was Pikachu's strength. She knew he was tough, but to take down ten Pokemon with a single Thunderbolt? Things like that happened in legends, not real life.

"Hey, Red," Leaf began, not entirely sure how to articulate her thoughts. "That was really impressive, Pikachu shocking all those Pokemon. I've never seen anything like it."

Red let out a small chuckle. Leaf couldn't tell if it was out of amusement or nervousness. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn't know how to. Pikachu recently got a bit of a power boost."

"What do you mean by that?"

Red suddenly stopped. He faced Leaf, looking her right in the eye. In a solemn tone, he said, "You won't believe me, but I battled Zapdos."

The image of the lightning bird flying into the night sky flashed through Leaf's mind. "Zapdos?"

Red nodded. "I was exploring Route 10 and found an abandoned power plant. I went inside and Zapdos was there, Leaf. I couldn't believe it. He was huge and I could feel his power, it was overwhelming. He fired a Thunderbolt at me. And Pikachu…Pikachu jumped in between and absorbed a lot of it. He shot it back at Zapdos and Zapdos took off. Pikachu's electric attacks have been much stronger since."

Leaf remembered the thunderous boom, the trail of lightning that came not from the clouds, but the ground. Red was studying her face, trying to decipher how much Leaf believed his crazy story. Although Leaf would have never predicted that the legendary bird actually existed and her best friend would be the one to discover him, there was no doubt in her mind that Red was telling the truth. He had seen Zapdos and lived. He had been touched by a god.

"Red, I––"

Leaf was interrupted by the aggressive blare of an alarm screaming, Intruder alert! Red lights flashed everywhere.

"Guess we should've seen this coming," Red said. "Come on, we better hurry."

The second floor had the same office-like layout as the first. This time, there were no hiding grunts. Two of them stood ahead with their Pokemon already sent out: two Zubats, a Koffing, a Grimer, and a Raticate. They glared hatefully at Leaf and Red.

The alarm pounded in Leaf's ears. She barely heard Red say, "Stay behind me."

Pikachu knocked out the Pokemon with a single Thunderbolt. The grunts stared at the mouse like a deer caught in headlights. Once they processed their harrowing defeat, they took off screaming.

Leaf and Red dashed down the halls, peeking through doors, searching for signs of endangered Pokemon. All they could see was office machinery.

"Find anything?" Leaf asked. When Red shook his head, Leaf noticed a door labeled Laboratory. "Let's check here."

Leaf flung the door open. The lab was a much smaller version of Professor Oak's. There weren't any Pokemon around.

"Over there!" Leaf turned and saw a few grunts at the end of the hall. The grunts charged at them, tossing their PokeBalls ahead. Zubats came out of them.

Red didn't have to say the command. The Zubats fainted and their trainers backed away.

"I think we've searched this entire floor," Red said. "I saw another flight of stairs going down. Let's go."

As they descended the stairs, Leaf asked, "Can Pikachu really keep taking out multiple Pokemon at once?"

"I don't know," Red admitted. "I've never had to battle so many Pokemon before."

I could help battle, Leaf wanted to say. But before she could, Pikachu zapped another grunt's Koffing.

They didn't spend too long searching the third floor. Leaf soon noticed large glass sliding doors. Behind the doors were cages full of Pokemon.

"Hey!" A few grunts sprinted towards them. They sent out Machops, Raticates, and Drowzees. Pikachu once again electrocuted them, breathing heavily afterwards. The yellow mouse, it seemed, was reaching his limit. Red patted his small head.

The grunts cowered away when Red and Leaf reached the doors. At the center, where the two doors met, was a built-in lock. Red lifted the item he received earlier. It was a standard-looking key. Its base was a black half-circle with a red R printed on it. Even their keys have to be branded, huh.

Red stuck the key into the lock and twisted it. The doors slid open and they stepped inside. The Pokemon were frantic, screeching and scrambling in their small, rattling cages. Leaf saw some of the same Pokemon as upstairs. She also spotted more common Pokemon, like Nidoran and Pidgey. As Red unlocked the cages and the Pokemon sped out, Leaf thought of the grunts who tried to capture all those Clefairy, the grunt who abducted that couple's Diglett, the grunts who tried capturing wild Diglett, the grunt who tried to force Vulpix to evolve. She clenched her fists at the thought that all those Pokemon would've been trapped in this underground compound, with their best shot at freedom being a prize for a random gambler.

And that was when Leaf understood.

"Team Rocket really is just made up of thugs," Leaf said.

"What?" Red asked as he unlocked the cage of an orange insect with red mushrooms growing on its back. It scurried out, its short legs doing its best to keep up with the other fleeing Pokemon.

"They're traffickers. They're doing this just to get rich. That's really all this is."

Red didn't respond, though his lip was curled in disgust. He unlocked the last cage, which housed a Spearow. Leaf watched as it flew out, heading towards the stairs.

"Well, that's everyone," Leaf said. They were on the last floor. There wasn't another set of stairs going down.

Red shook his head. "No, something doesn't feel right. There's definitely more to this hideout than just this."

Leaf blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know how to explain it. I just know we've missed something." Red glanced at the corner the grunts had crawled to, but they were no longer there. They must've snuck away while Red was freeing the Pokemon. They'd left behind their own Pokemon. Assholes.

They ran through the halls, with Red scanning every room they passed. Every now and then, he'd place his hand on a wall or table, feeling for clues. Once, they heard some grunts nearby and Red slid behind a tank, pulling Leaf towards him. Leaf's heartbeat quickened as they, pressed against each other, waited for the grunts to be far enough. When the coast was clear, Red moved away and Leaf found her heart was still racing.

Leaf had no idea what Red was searching for and when she asked, he couldn't answer. She wanted to support him, but each time they hid from or faced grunts, she began to increasingly believe they were better off leaving the hideout now.

Eventually, Red stopped in front of an orange elevator and frowned.

Leaf joined his side, panting. "What's wrong?" The elevator looked normal to her.

"This elevator has a lock," Red said. He was right. Where there should've been buttons, there was a lock instead. "Now, why would this elevator require a key when the stairs have free access?"

Red stuck the key inside and the elevator doors opened. They stepped inside and Leaf read the buttons: B1F, B2F, B3F, and…B4F.

"There's another floor!" Leaf gasped.

Red didn't gloat, which Leaf appreciated. Instead, he pressed the B4F button. It glowed orange and the doors closed. Leaf felt a pit in her stomach as the elevator slid down. She didn't have any predictions as to what they would discover on this secret floor. After what felt like an eternity, the elevator came to a stop and opened.

They were facing a wall. Turning right, they saw another office space. Laptops sat on top of tables, their screens black. On their right again was a hallway. When they reached the end, they came face-to-face with two grunts standing in front of a door. The grunts wasted no time: they both immediately sent out their Pokemon. The Pokemon on the left was a dusty yellow rodent with thick brown quills on its back. It had a narrow muzzle, almond-shaped blue eyes, and massive claws. The one on the right was a giant purple cobra. Its hood had two red and yellow eyespots outlined in black, a wide black streak resembling an upturned mouth, and a black V-shaped stripe above the eyespots.

Leaf glanced at Pikachu, perched on Red's shoulder as usual. Electrical currents sparked off his red cheeks. Did the mouse really have it in him to knock out these Pokemon?

It seemed that Red had doubts because he swiftly tossed a PokeBall. His Ivysaur appeared, gaze as solemn as his trainer's.

"Sandslash, use Fury Swipes!"

"Arbok, use Bite!"

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Whenever Leaf had Ivysaur use Razor Leaf, there were two outcomes. Either the leaves spread wildly everywhere or stayed in a fairly tight line. She hadn't considered other possible formations. Red's Ivysaur spun his leaves around into a perfect twister. It swept the Sandslash and Arbok to their feet.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu's lightning-shaped tail became a glistening silver as he leaped through the center of the leaf twister. Moving so fast that Leaf's eyes could barely keep up, Pikachu swung his tail into the Sandslash's face. As soon as his paws touched the ground, he jumped up again and swung at the Arbok. Red's Ivysaur stopped shooting out leaves and Pikachu proudly returned to his trainer.

The grunts gawked at Red. "W-Who are you?" One of them asked.

Suddenly, the alarm and lights shut off and the door opened. The grunts tensed when a man with teal hair and eyes stepped out. He looked to be somewhere in his thirties. His sharply angled eyebrows gave him a harsh look. Unlike the grunts, whose uniforms were entirely black, this man's uniform was white, except for the black turtleneck he wore under his V-neck shirt. The shirt had a black pocket with a red R stamped on it.

The man's gaze flickered to the fainted Pokemon on the floor, then to Red and Leaf. There was disgust in his eyes. "So the ones causing all this trouble are just a couple of kids? And no one was able to deal with them?"

The grunts stiffly saluted him. "Archer, sir, please forgive us for failing to apprehend the intruders!"

"Do you really think this is acceptable?" Archer spat, face reddening. The grunts flinched. "They're children! There's no excuse for losing to them. I should––"

"Archer, calm down." A deep, soft voice spoke from inside the room. "No need to throw a tantrum now."

The redness disappeared from Archer's face. He glanced back over his shoulder and in a meeker tone, replied, "My apologies, sir."

The voice itself caught Leaf off-guard. She hadn't expected there to be someone else behind the door. The sudden shift in Archer's demeanor, however, got to her more. She'd figured Archer was the leader of Team Rocket. But whoever was in that room made Archer sound like the grunts he scolded.

"Let these…guests of ours in. We must be polite and welcome them."

Archer blinked. Leaf had a feeling he didn't quite agree, but he didn't show it. He dipped his head. "Yes, sir."

Archer gestured for them to enter. Leaf briefly glanced at Red before they stepped inside.

It was an office: a significantly nicer one than the others in the hideout. The floor was made of red velvet carpeting. The plants stood taller and healthier. Ahead was a large mahogany desk. A man was sitting behind it, hands folded on the smooth top. He had dark, short hair and strong features. His crisp black blazer had a red R on the pocket.

This man was the leader of Team Rocket. Leaf would've known even if Archer hadn't shrunk at his voice. The cunning eyes, the self-assuredness. They were the qualities of a man with power. It made Leaf think of President Ken.

"The…guests…sir," Archer said.

The man smirked and a chill crawled down Leaf's spine. "You two really are children. I must say, I'm impressed you made it this far." He stood and moved in front of his desk. He was tall and had a strong build. "My name is Giovanni. I am the leader of Team Rocket. What are your names?"

Red didn't reply. Leaf decided it was best to stay quiet as well.

"A bit shy, I see. That's alright. I do need to know what you're doing down here, though."

Red steadily met Giovanni's sharp gaze. "We freed the Pokemon here. We're going to make sure that you crooks don't hurt any Pokemon ever again."

Giovanni chuckled. It was a strangely pleasant sound. "Crooks? We're businessmen. We don't harm Pokemon. They're important tools that keep our enterprise going."

"And we're going to take down your enterprise."

"Children always have such strong spirits. I have work to do, so I must kindly ask you to leave now. It was a pleasure to meet you."

Red grit his teeth. "We're not leaving until we stop you. We'll do whatever it takes."

Giovanni's face darkened and the entire room seemed to grow cold, as if he had sucked out all the warmth in one breath. "Because of your age, I was going to let you go peacefully. If you insist on getting in our way, then I'm afraid I'll have to take care of you."

Leaf looked at Red once again. How many grunts have they, or more specifically Red, battled at this point? Leaf wasn't even sure if they counted as battles. Red took them down as if he were stepping on some bugs. Although it was very admirable how boldly Red looked at Team Rocket's leader, Leaf could tell Giovanni was no bug. What if he proved to be too strong? What would happen to them?

Red sensed Leaf's anxiety. He returned Leaf's gaze with a small smile. "I got this," he said. "Don't worry. We'll be out of here in no time."

Leaf wanted to help, to battle alongside Red. She didn't want to watch from the sidelines. But she believed Red. He could win on his own. Reluctantly, she stepped away. Archer did as well. He smirked at Leaf and murmured, "Enjoy your last few moments as best as you can."

Red's Ivysaur moved in front of Red. Giovanni stuck a hand into his blazer and pulled out a PokeBall. When the PokeBall's light faded, a rhinoceros-like Pokemon appeared. A Rhyhorn. Leaf remembered the stampede at Rock Tunnel, the slow but powerful steps.

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"

"Rhyhorn, use Protect!"

A translucent green dome covered the Rhyhorn. The leaves bounced off it.

"Rock Blast!"

The dome vanished and the Rhyhorn spat large stones at Red's Ivysaur, who was still firing leaves. The stones cut through the leaves, hitting Red's Ivysaur in the head. The impact sent him flying back. Leaf saw Red wince and rub his forehead. Whatever pain his Pokemon felt, he felt too.

But that didn't deter Red in any way. In a calm voice, he said, "Formation 2!"

Ivysaur dodged a stone and used Razor Leaf again. Instead of forming a twister, the leaves shot out from the left and right, as if he were using Vine Whip. The Rhyhorn tried to cut down both with its stones, but it was too slow. The leaves rammed into the Rhyhorn and it let out an explosive cry of pain.

"That was clever," Giovanni said, his face showing no sign of distress. "But you did have the type advantage. Rhyhorn is both rock and ground-type, giving him a quad-weakness towards grass. Let's see how you fare with this next Pokemon."

The PokeBall's light stretched several feet taller than Leaf. A kangaroo-like Pokemon stood in its place. It had a black plate on its head, epaulets on its shoulders, and spikes on its back. On its stomach was a pouch: a small, light purple head poked out. Its baby?

"Formation 2!"

The leaves launched towards the kangaroo's sides. Instead of trying to dodge or ward off the leaves, it simply raised its arms. The leaves barrelled into them. Although there was strain in the kangaroo's face, Leaf could see it wasn't taking too much damage.

Red saw that too. "Grab its arms!"

Red's Ivysaur switched out the leaves with vines. They wrapped around the kangaroo's arms securely.

"Razor––"

"Mega Punch."

The kangaroo jerked its arms. Red's Ivysaur yelped in surprise as he flew towards the kangaroo. In one smooth motion, the kangaroo pulled its right arm back and hurled its now glowing fist at Red's Ivysaur. Red's Ivysaur flew back to his trainer, his vines no longer holding onto the kangaroo.

There was cold satisfaction in Giovanni's face as Red sullenly returned his Ivysaur. Leaf wondered what her friend was thinking. He tossed a PokeBall and his Wartortle popped out, head raised defiantly.

"Rapid Spin!"

Red's Wartortle retreated into his shell and spun. Like a bullet, he launched himself at the kangaroo, battering it at all sides. The kangaroo flailed its arms to try to knock him away, but he was too fast.

"Kangaskhan, use Protect!"

Red's Wartortle ricocheted off the green dome. With a groan, he reappeared from his shell, hands on his head.

"Mega Punch!"

With surprising speed, the Kangaskhan charged at Red's Wartortle, fist glowing white. It swung, hitting Red's Wartortle in the abdomen. The turtle careened across the floor, eventually stopping on his back, hyperventilating.

"Now use Stomp!"

"Ice Beam!"

The Kangaskhan loomed over Red's Wartortle, its giant foot raised over him. As it brought its foot down, Red's Wartortle opened his mouth and a blue beam of light shot out. The Kangaskhan let out an ear-splitting roar as it stumbled back. As it shifted its body and flailed its arms out to maintain balance, Leaf noticed that the foot was now covered in ice. Craning his neck, Red's Wartortle fired another Ice Beam, this time at the Kangaskhan's abdomen, as if seeking revenge for the punch. Leaf watched in awe as ice spread across the Kangaskhan's entire torso like a spider web. The Kangaskhan's baby squealed and buried itself into the pouch.

"Kangaskhan, get out of the way!"

But it was too late. The Kangaskhan was too frozen to move properly. It howled as its limbs froze over, then its neck, then its head. It stood at the center of the office like an ice sculpture, its mouth still open, red eyes clouded in frozen rage.

For a moment, everything was silent and still, as if the Ice Beam had frozen the world.

Giovanni returned his Pokemon. Though he tried to hide it, Leaf saw a mixture of disbelief and anger in his dark eyes.

"I know exactly what type of trainer you are," Giovanni finally said. He managed to maintain the same coolness in his voice as before. "You raise your Pokemon with utmost care, as if they are your equal. You would never understand what I hope to achieve." He turned so that his back faced them. "I concede defeat this time, but nothing will stop Team Rocket. I wonder if we'll meet again."

In that instance, Leaf became aware that Archer was no longer next to her. A split-second later, the office was filled with smoke. Leaf shut her eyes and raised her arm over her nose, doing her best to ignore the burning in her throat. When the smoke faded, only her and Red were in the office.

"What the fuck?" Leaf blurted out.

Red patted his Wartortle's stomach before returning him. He turned to Leaf. "Are you alright?"

Leaf gawked at Red. "I wasn't the one who battled Team Rocket's leader! I should be asking you that. Or more specifically, your Pokemon."

"Just answer my question. Are you alright?"

Red's eyes were so sincere, Leaf's heart fluttered. She looked down at her feet. "Y-Yeah, I'm alright."

"Good. And to answer your question, I'll have to go to the Pokemon Center of course, but otherwise we're fine." Red's expression grew more serious again. "Why am I not surprised that Team Rocket's leader is a douche? I wonder what he meant when he said I wouldn't understand what he's trying to achieve."

The butterflies in Leaf's stomach were replaced with anger. "He just means that he's going to keep hurting innocent Pokemon," she retorted. "Of course you wouldn't understand that."

Red didn't reply. He appeared to be deep in thought. "I wonder where they went, too."

Leaf had been wondering the same thing, but couldn't come up with any theories. With a sigh, she responded, "I'm sure they'll turn up somewhere."

Red pointed at Giovanni's desk. "What's that?"

Sitting on top of the desk was a pair of white binoculars. They were bulkier than normal binoculars and had a circular strap, as if they could be worn around the head.

"I wonder why it's just on his desk," Leaf said. "Do you think it's important?"

Red lifted the binoculars and peered through them. "I'm not sure, but I'll take them just in case." He stuck them in his backpack. "Now, let's get out of here."

It was like magic. The entire hideout was completely empty. It was hard to believe that moments ago, the place was swarming with Team Rocket grunts. On their way to the Pokemon Center, Leaf and Red discussed whether they should report the hideout to the police. But there was no evidence of nefarious activity: it truly looked like the interior of an office building.

"We'll need to start building a case," Red said. They were sitting in a lounge in the Pokemon Center, now. Red had just checked in his Pokemon. "From now on, we have to collect whatever evidence we can find about Team Rocket."

Leaf nodded. "We can bring up the hideout once we have more information. Should we talk with anyone else about this?"

"Who?"

"I don't know. Professor Oak? Maybe we can at least ask about the binoculars."

"Yeah, maybe." Red stared into the distance. "I wonder what else Team Rocket has done. If they're doing something awful as we speak."

Leaf didn't know what to say. Team Rocket likely was committing a crime at this moment, but it wouldn't do any good to acknowledge it. Though she didn't want to think about it, she found herself also staring ahead, going through all the possible atrocities.

All of a sudden, realization struck Leaf like lightning.

"What's wrong?" Red asked as Leaf stood.

Leaf couldn't believe she hadn't thought about it when she was still there. "We have to go to Lavender Town."

Here it is! One of the biggest moments of any Pokemon game, infiltrating the villain team's hideout! This chap took me a while to finish because it was so hard to write. Honestly, I'm not 10000% satisfied with this, but I figured I was going to go insane if I spent any longer on it.

Leaf took a bit of a backseat in terms of battling. Red is just too OP. We've met the big bad Giovanni as well! What are your thoughts on this chapter?

Thanks again for reading!