Chapter 9

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day. For February, it wasn't too cold. The sun shone brightly, but not harshly. The sky was so blue, the clouds so white and fluffy, they looked like they'd been painted.

It felt wrong.

Elsewhere in the region, there were people happily taking advantage of the perfect weather. They were shopping or eating at a trendy restaurant or hanging out at a park. If Leaf were anywhere else, she'd probably do the same.

But here, on Cinnabar Island, hundreds of people were about to forever leave their homes. They were about to leave the place they'd spent their entire lives in. Many of the families had even been there for generations. Uproot was how President Ken, along with media outlets, referred to the evacuation. It was an apt word to use. The people of Cinnabar Island had roots here, roots that stretched deep into the earth. That same earth was now about to raze those roots with lava.

Two weeks ago, soon after Leaf had lunch with him, President Ken announced to the world that Mount Cinnabar was going to erupt. Every Cinnabar Island resident had to pack up all their belongings and evacuate. The news struck everyone like lightning. It was the only thing anyone could talk about. The poor people of Cinnabar Island; what was next for them? Some were lucky enough to have family or friends in other parts of Kanto. Most were moving into a facility built for refugees. The facility was rarely used, so Leaf wasn't sure how nice it was. Of course, even if the facility was like a resort, Leaf was sure everyone would much rather be at home.

"Isn't this depressing," Bruno said flatly.

They were all on the beach. Cinnabar Island was so small that only two, medium-sized ships were needed to transport the residents to Vermilion City, where the facility was. The Cinnabar Islanders stood in lines, waiting to register themselves before boarding. None of them looked as if they'd ever known happiness.

"I still don't get why we're here, though," Bruno added when no one replied to his first statement.

"We're helping out," Lorelei answered. "Out of everything we've done, this is probably the most meaningful."

"I just don't think our Pokemon are doing anything the army can't." Bruno glanced down at Leaf. "You spoke with the big boss himself about this. Did he explain why we were needed?"

Leaf didn't disagree with Bruno. They themselves weren't doing anything. It was their Pokemon working and their Pokemon were mostly just carrying people's luggages. A lot of their Pokemon couldn't even do that; Agatha hadn't sent out any of hers. As Lorelei said, the evacuation was their most impactful task, but Leaf couldn't see exactly how they were helping.

"We have a duty to these people," Leaf replied.

Bruno rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything.

Leaf watched the Pokemon she'd sent out. Venusaur was using his vines and Golduck, his psychic powers, to move luggage. Fearow and Ninetales were on the lookout for anything awry. Seeing Fearow in the sky, Leaf couldn't help but think that Dragonite should be with the vulture. He, too, would spot any issues. Unfortunately, the world was terrified of the dragon for losing control in the league challenge.

Personally, Leaf believed that everyone would be less scared of Dragonite if they could see how gentle and kind he normally was. But President Ken had insisted that Dragonite stay in his PokeBall. The people of Cinnabar Island were losing their homes forever. She wouldn't want to frighten them with a dragon, too, would she?

Leaf's gaze followed Lance's Dragonite and Aerodactyl, also soaring over the island. She wondered how Lance did it; let it be known that his dragons were powerful, but not a threat to society. She wished she could ask the Dragon Tamer for advice without basically admitting her incompetence. Lance barely seemed to respect her as is.

There was a shout in the distance. Leaf turned to where it came from and saw Bruno's Machamp walking over with a soldier. Machamp was carrying an old man. Carrying was the simple way of describing it. With his two upper arms, Machamp held up this man, who despite his age, flailed around vigorously.

"Put me down, you brute!" The old man cried. "You can't take me from my home! This is illegal!"

Bruno chuckled to himself and approached his Pokemon. "What's going on here?"

"We found this geezer still in his house," the soldier answered. "He refused to leave, so your Machamp had to step in."

"You can't make me leave!" The old man yelled. "It's my right to stay here!"

"Sorry, sir, but we can't have anyone here when Mount Cinnabar erupts," the soldier replied.

"She won't erupt!" The old man protested. "I've lived here for seventy-five years and I'm telling you, she's not going to erupt!"

"Our scientists say otherwise."

"Even if she does, this is my home and I'm going to die here! I have the right to choose what to do with my life! Are you really going to take that away from me, you fascists?!"

"Yes, yes, we are," the soldier said. He sounded vaguely amused. "Now, lucky for you, Machamp can't hold you up forever, so we're going to skip the line and you can get right on board. We'll have your belongings delivered to you soon."

The soldier quickly saluted Leaf and the Elite Four, and headed off with Machamp. The old man continued to flail, cursing at the soldier.

Bruno chuckled again. "He's a tough one."

On a different day, Leaf probably would've found the scene funny, too. Now, she pitied the old man. He was the typical Cinnabar Islander, the one whose roots extended to the island's core. She could see why he was so insistent on staying, even if he'd be throwing his life away.

"I wonder how many had to be dragged out like him," Lorelei mused. Like Leaf, she seemed more sympathetic.

"Probably not many," Agatha said hoarsely. "Unless growing up on an island messes with your brain and makes you suicidal."

"Agatha––"

"Oh, shut it, Lorelei," Agatha interrupted. "I'm not in the mood for one of your sermons."

Lorelei huffed, but didn't say anything. If Leaf wasn't terrified of Agatha, she would've tried to speak up. While Bruno could certainly be insensitive, Agatha could be downright cruel. The Ghost Whisperer wore her contempt for everything like a mask. It was a wonder that the media left her alone, when Leaf could apparently be criticized for a bad outfit. In preparation for today, Tasha had made Leaf try on different clothes, hair and makeup styles. You have to look casual, but not too casual. There's a fine line between looking sad and looking lazy.

"Hey, Leaf," Tasha said, typing something on her phone. "I think now's the time to talk to these poor people."

Leaf had given a short speech when they all arrived, but she was expected to offer more personal condolences. "Got it."

She took a deep breath and walked over to the front of the line closest to them. Normally, when people saw her, they looked at her as if they expected something, positive or negative. This time, she was barely acknowledged. She could've been just any random girl. Leaf couldn't blame them. A celebrity meeting was the last thing the Cinnabar Islanders needed.

"Hey," Leaf began. "I know you heard my speech earlier, but I just wanted to reiterate…"

As Leaf spoke, she surveyed all the people that stood before her. This line had a lot of families with young children. Though they came in different shapes and sizes, they blended together in Leaf's vision. All the fathers were solemn, trying to appear strong. All the mothers held back tears and tightly held the hands of their children. The younger ones didn't seem to fully understand what was happening while the older ones looked more angry than sad.

When Leaf finished, a girl who looked no older than six piped up. "You're the strongest Pokemon trainer ever, right?"

Leaf knelt so that she was more eye-level with the girl. "I don't know about ever, but I am pretty strong."

The girl sincerely asked, "Will you and the other strong trainers fight the volcano?"

It took a great amount of effort for Leaf to hold her smile. "We'll do our best."

Someone let out a dry laugh. Leaf pretended not to hear it and went further down the line, until she reached the end and moved onto the next.

Unsure what to say, she gave roughly the same speech to everyone. Each time she gave it, Leaf felt worse and worse. There was nothing she could do to help these people. What was the point of her being here? Did anyone actually care if she had them in her thoughts and prayers?

"Thank you. We appreciate it," a middle-aged man with a thick beard said.

Leaf couldn't tell how genuine he was, but she was glad to receive some affirmation. "Of course. What's your name?"

The man shook her hand. "Dennis Wilson. And this is my wife, Cheryl." He gestured towards the woman beside him, who had wild red hair. Leaf shook her hand as well.

"It's nice to meet you," Leaf said. "Where are you two going?"

"We have family in Fuchsia City, so we'll be staying with them. I'm hoping to find our own place soon. Might be tough because I'm a fisherman and I don't know how many of those Fuchsia needs, but I'm optimistic."

"Whatever ends up happening, it'll be fine," Leaf said. "I believe in you."

"Easy for you to say," the man behind Dennis, who was bald and had a beer belly, retorted. "You're not the one losing your home."

Leaf ignored him. "Good luck," she said to Dennis and Cheryl, and turned to go down the line.

"Hey, I was talking to you!"

From the corner of her eye, Leaf saw something shoot at her. She whirled around and her mouth fell open. Dennis was grappling the beer belly man, keeping him away from her.

"Calm down, Richie," Dennis snarled. "She's just a kid."

Richie was trying to pull Dennis's arms off him. "Fucking let me go! Let me go!"

"Not until you're––" Dennis groaned as Richie elbowed his torso. His grip must've weakened because Richie shook free, turned, and punched him square in the face.

Chaos ensued.

As Dennis and Richie fought, more men leaped in. Whether they wanted to end the fight or partake in the violence, Leaf couldn't tell. Everyone around her was shouting. A couple soldiers who rushed over and tried to pull the men apart were met with punches. Another soldier, keeping distance from the fray, fired a gun in the air, but that only elicited more screams from the bystanders.

Leaf stood there, frozen. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She tried to think of something, but her mind kept going blank. Her breath and heart rate were so fast, as if she'd just run a marathon.

Somehow, through all the cacophony, Leaf heard, "Alakazam, use Psychic!"

The men suddenly stiffened. With confusion and bruises on their faces, they all floated away from each other and returned to their places in line.

Leaf looked over her shoulder.

A few meters away, an Alakazam was approaching them, holding its spoons up, eyes glowing. Walking by the Alakazam's side was Blue.

When they reached Leaf, Blue said, "You alright, Champ?"

Leaf was too surprised to ask Blue what he was doing here.

Blue glared at all the men. "I know tensions are high today, but this isn't the place to duke it out. If any of you get violent again, Alakazam will do more than just hold you hostage. Blink twice if you understand."

All the men blinked twice.

"Good. Release them, Alakazam."

Alakazam lowered its spoons and the men's bodies relaxed. Some of them frowned, clearly miffed about being reprimanded by a teenager, but stayed silent and stared straight ahead.

"Are you alright, Leaf?" Dennis asked. There was blood all over his face.

"Yes. Thank you for defending me. I hope you're not seriously hurt." After Dennis assured her he was fine, she turned to Blue, only to see him already walking away. She rushed over to his side.

Blue knew what was about to happen. "What am I doing here? Gramps thought I should volunteer. I wasn't sure what I could do exactly, but Gramps insisted that you guys needed all the help you could get. I guess he wasn't wrong. You're welcome for saving you."

Leaf flushed. "I didn't need any saving."

"Yeah you did. Not physically, maybe, but if that fight got any worse, the media would be all over your ass. It's bullshit what happened with Dragonite, by the way."

Leaf hated that she couldn't disagree with him about the media. "Thanks. When did you even get here? I didn't see you earlier."

"I came late and then I had to help move things out from the Cinnabar Lab. Also had to check people's houses to make sure no one was hanging behind."

"The Cinnabar Lab?"

"You think the government would let their precious equipment and research drown in lava? And they weren't going to store everything in the same ship as civilians."

Blue wasn't wrong. Leaf was just surprised President Ken hadn't mentioned anything about the lab to her. Or maybe he had and it had somehow slipped her mind. She had been more focused on the tragedy of the situation.

Now that Blue mentioned it, there was something else Leaf had forgotten. "What about the Pokemon Mansion?"

"What about it?"

"Is anything from there getting packed up?"

"No. Why bother? Everything there is practically ash."

Leaf thought about the secret lab, the journal. "There must still be some valuable items in there. It's a pretty significant site."

Blue shrugged. "I'm sure whatever wasn't destroyed was transferred years ago."

"Yeah, maybe," Leaf mumbled. Then, louder, "It's just sad how much will be lost."

"Sad is one way to put it." Leaf wasn't sure if she imagined it, but Blue's gaze softened a bit. "Cinnabar Islanders are tough. They're holding up well, all things considered."

Before Leaf could respond, she heard a wail. A young girl was sobbing like there was no tomorrow. Her mother picked her up and tried to console her, but the girl continued to cry and cry.

Blue whistled. "Arcanine, come."

There was a flash of orange and suddenly, Arcanine was by their side. Leaf didn't even know where it came from. Blue and Arcanine approached the girl.

"Hey," Blue said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "It makes total sense why you're crying. I would, too. But I promise, everything will turn out fine."

Arcanine licked the tears off the girl's face. His tongue was so big that he only used the tip. The girl let out a sound that was a mix between a cry and a giggle. It became more like a giggle when Arcanine nuzzled her.

"You can pet him," Blue said. The girl gleefully ran her fingers through Arcanine's mane.

"I want to pet Arcanine, too!" A young boy exclaimed.

"Me three!"

"Me four!"

Blue chuckled. "Everyone can pet Arcanine. Just take turns and don't be too rough."

The children circled the fire dog. Blue returned to Leaf's side, keeping an eye on the children. Leaf, meanwhile, had her eyes on Blue.

"What're you gawking at me for?" Blue asked.

"I didn't know you could be nice."

Blue snorted. "I'm not that mean."

"It was just the sweetest thing I've seen in a while." Leaf wasn't trying to tease him. She genuinely hadn't known that Blue was capable of such kindness. "Good job."

Blue looked away. "Yeah, whatever."

Leaf smiled to herself. Though he'd brushed her off, she knew he liked the compliment.

If you find some free time, you and Blue should grab a meal! I know you and Blue aren't as close as before, but with Red gone…I think it'd be good if you at least had each other. Daisy's voice rang loud in Leaf's head. She groaned internally. She was touched by Blue's act of kindness, sure, but that didn't mean they had to be friends. Then again, Leaf was pretty lonely and beggars couldn't be choosers.

Leaf took a deep breath. "Hey, do you want to get a meal sometime?"

Blue's head whipped in her direction. "Huh?"

Leaf hoped her face wasn't red. It was embarrassing how nervous she felt right now. "We should grab lunch or something. I think it would be nice to catch up."

Blue raised an eyebrow. "Daisy put you up to this, didn't she? She told me to reach out to you."

Leaf winced. "Well, yes, but it's not like she's forcing me to do anything," she answered, somewhat defensively. "I just thought it was a nice idea. You don't have to agree to it. I don't care."

"Sure."

Leaf balled her fists. Why was Blue so annoying? "Really, I don't ca––"

"Sure, we can get lunch," Blue clarified. "Let me know when would be best for you. Your schedule is a lot busier than mine, after all."

Leaf was taken aback. She hadn't quite expected Blue to say yes. "Y-Yeah, I'll let you know."

There was silence between them now. Thick, tangible silence. It was making Leaf antsy, so she said, "I'm going to see if there's anything I can help out with. I'll see you later, Blue."

"Smell ya later, Champ."

Leaf rushed away. She didn't know where she was going. She just needed to step away from Blue. With the awkwardness no longer clinging onto her, Leaf could think more clearly. Did she really just ask Blue out to lunch? She was definitely going to regret it. Oh well, at least she could tell Daisy she tried.

Leaf scanned the beach, searching for something to do. Truly, only her Pokemon could offer some sort of assistance. Venusaur, Golduck, and Ninetales were still working. In the sky, the flying Pokemon continued to soar.

It's bullshit what happened with Dragonite, by the way. It really was bullshit. Dragonite could help. Dragonite should help.

Leaf detached Dragonite's PokeBall from her belt and tossed it up. When Dragonite materialized before her, Leaf explained, "We're evacuating people from Cinnabar Island now. I want you to fly around and keep an eye out for any trouble. Got it?"

The dragon nodded eagerly. Leaf smiled. "Go fly, then."

Dragonite took off. Up ahead, Leaf saw that others had noticed him. They were pointing. If they felt uncomfortable, Leaf knew that would change once they realized Dragonite wasn't going to harm anyone.

"Hello, Leaf."

Blaine stood next to her, luggage in hand, wearing a white suit. He was also wearing sunglasses, so she couldn't see his expression.

"Hi, Blaine. I'm really sorry about all this."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault." Leaf remembered how lively Blaine was during her Gym challenge. There wasn't a hint of that man now.

"Where will you be going?" Leaf asked.

"I have a colleague in Saffron City. He's trying to get me a research job there."

"That's good."

Blaine sighed. "I'm certainly luckier than a lot of people. Many aren't suited to life outside an island." He looked back at Mount Cinnabar. Leaf hadn't thought anything of the mountain when she first came, but now it seemed dark and ominous. "Nearly seventy years I've lived here and that volcano has never erupted. Humans think they can control everything, but we are at nature's whim."

Leaf didn't know what to say.

"Thank you for coming to help out," Blaine said. "I have to get in line. Hopefully, we can see each other in much better circumstances next time."

Blaine trudged over to the nearest line. Certainly because he was once an esteemed researcher, the journal flashed through Leaf's mind. It was definitely still in the secret lab and based on what Blue said, no one had retrieved it. She could go get it. She could tell everyone she was going to inspect the neighborhood. But what would she use that barely legible journal for? Why did she even care?

After what felt like an eternity of agonizing, Leaf sprinted in the direction of the Pokemon Mansion. The journal was important. She couldn't explain why even if her life depended on it, but she knew she had to preserve it.

The Pokemon Mansion was as decrepit as she remembered it. She winced when the door screeched. Though Leaf made sure no one else was around, she was paranoid about getting caught. There wasn't any excuse to be here.

The burnt portrait of Schroeder still hung on the wall. Leaf gently lifted it up and her heart sank.

She remembered there being a switch. She'd forgotten that the switch was behind the wall. Behind the portrait was a keyhole. Leaf didn't know how to pick locks and she obviously couldn't ask anyone else to do it.

She needed another way.

Leaf sent out Gengar, the only Pokemon on her. The purple ghost looked at its surroundings in awe.

"Gengar, can you make items you touch…" Leaf couldn't think of the right word. "Not solid? There's a lab behind this wall. In that lab, there's a journal on the floor. It's pretty fragile, so you'd have to be very careful. Can you bring it to me? If you don't think you can get it through the wall, then we'll just have to break the wall open."

Gengar cackled and slid through the wall. Leaf took that as a yes. After some time, Gengar returned, journal in hand.

"Thank you, Gengar." Leaf took the journal from it and read the passages: July 5…e discovered new Pokemo…Mew…Feb 6…We obtained a new Pokemon from Me…Mewtwo…Sep 1…Mewtwo…too powerful…cannot control…

Yup, this was it. Leaf gingerly tucked the journal into satchel, praying it wouldn't disintegrate. That was, after all, the reason why she didn't keep it originally. Leaf returned Gengar and made her way back to the beach.

"Where were you?" Tasha asked when Leaf arrived. "A few reporters just arrived."

"I went to inspect the neighborhood real quick." The lie came out so easily.

"Return Dragonite, now."

Leaf looked up. Dragonite was still flying around. "I don't see him bothering anyone, do you?"

"I don't care. Return him right this instance!"

"Respectfully, Tasha, I won't be doing that. I'm going to talk to more people." Leaf rushed off, not bothering to see Tasha's expression or hear what she had to say.

When it was confirmed that everyone had boarded, the ships began to sail. Everyone was at the railing, gazing longingly at the home they were abandoning. Leaf could only imagine what they saw. On the beach: her, the Elite Four, Blue, their Pokemon, Tasha, some soldiers and reporters. Behind them, a ghost of a town.

On March 27th, 2006 at about 15:00, Mount Cinnabar erupted, smothering the island in all its fury.

I was mildly disgusted typing out the "2006." FRLG came out in 2004, that's nearly 20 years ago! Absolutely insane.

I'm unlikely going to post the next chapter soon, so wishing everyone happy holidays! Thanks everyone for reading.