FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon or anything related to it, although it was pretty awesome i I did. However, characters and plot are mine. You can use them but let me know first and credit me for them ok?

'Viridian City. "The City of Evergreen", huh?' Leon read out loud from the sign on the city gate. 'Well, we're here! Let's find the Pokémon Center and dump our stuff!' He told Kairi and Miles as he went through the gate. The security guard took a peek at him above the newspaper he was reading and ignored him, grunting "Just another Trainer kid."

'Finally! Thought we'd never arrive! You're slow Leon.' Kairi said.

'Hey! It's Miles' fault!' He answered.

'How is it my fault!?' Miles asked, astonished.

'If you hadn't taken off like you did, I wouldn't be so tired and we'd be here sooner.' Leon answered sticking out his tongue at Miles.

Miles just shrugged. 'Whatever. Let's just go to that Pokémon Center or whatever you call it.'

'Ok, so the center oughta be... ah crap.' He muttered, looking at the huge city before him. 'Guess it's going to be harder than I thought.' He sighed. 'Let's go.' They wandered through the city for about half-an-hour looking for the Pokémon Center.

Miles, getting tired of not getting anywhere, asked, 'Why don't you just ask for help?'

'Uh... Never thought of it. Hehe...' Leon answered rubbing his head embarrassedly. He looked around, seeing a female police officer on the street corner and heading towards her. 'Hey, excuse me miss.'

She looked at him, smiling. 'Oh hello, I'm Officer Jenny. Do you need anything?' She asked.

'Actually yes, I'm kinda lost. Could you tell me where the Pokémon Center is?'

She laughed, pointing to her side. Leon looked in the direction she pointed, his jaw dropping at the building. It was simply huge, with big red dome on the center of it. The dome had a colossal "P" on it, signaling the building as the Pokémon Center he was looking for.

'Oh. So there it is! Thank you Officer Jenny.' He said, grinning stupidly. Kairi facepawed.

She laughed again. 'No problem. Pay attention next time.'

'I will. Thanks again!' He said as he headed towards the Center's double doors. When he entered, he looked around in awe. Tons of Trainers and Pokémon were inside, either sitting on the couches in the waiting area or being attended by an army of nurses, Chanseys and Blisseys. He headed for the counter, to where a nurse with pink hair was finishing patching up an Abra who had accidentally Teleported himself in front of a biker. When his Trainer picked him up and they were gone, Leon finally got his turn.

'Good afternoon and welcome to the Viridian Pokémon Center! I'm Nurse Joy, how can I help you?' The nurse greeted them, smiling.

'Hi! I would like a room for the evening and a check-up for these guys, please.' He asked her, signaling the Pokémon on his shoulders.

'Sure! Right this way!' She guided them into a crowded waiting room with a few sofas and a coffee table at the center. A drink vendor was sitting on the corner, next to a water cooler. A row of videophones lined up against the wall. Nurse Joy took Kairi and Miles from him and went through a door with a green cross on the far side of the room. Leon looked around, bored. His gaze wandered to one vacant videophone and he headed there, fishing his Trainer Card from his wallet. He slipped the card through the slit and it lit up, requesting a phone number. He dialed his house number and waited as the phone made the connection. His mother's face appeared on the screen.

'Leon!' She smiled. 'How are you? From where are you calling?'

Leon smiled back at her. 'Hey mom! I'm at the Pokémon Center in Viridian.'

'Wow really!? That's great honey!'

Leon shrugged. 'It's no biggie. I mean, it's just the next town. If I were like, in Cerulean or Vermilion, then you could be impressed.'

She laughed. 'Well, you're right. It's just I'm very excited for you! You're finally on your journey! That makes every mother excited! So, how is Kairi?'

'She's fine. She and Miles are getting checked-up right now.' Seeing Felicia's confused face he added, 'Oh, right. A Pidgey joined us. His name is Miles.'

'You mean my son just left home and has already two Pokémon!?' She squealed. 'Oh my gosh, Leon! I'm so proud!'

Leon sighed, smiling. He knew his mother would react like that. 'It's no big deal, mom. He was the one who asked me to come with us.' He heard a "ping!" from the door and turned around, seeing Nurse Joy come through with his Pokémon beside her. 'Oh, they're done already.' He turned to face his mom again. 'Well, got to go, sorry.'

'It's ok. You've got your responsibilities as a Trainer now. Call me when you get to Pewter ok?'

'Will do, mom. See you!' Felicia waved at the camera while Leon hung up the call. He turned to Nurse Joy and was tackled by Kairi, barely managing to keep his balance.

'They're in perfect shape! You're treating them really well.' Nurse Joy told him.

'Well, thanks I guess. But it's only the second day I'm a Trainer so I don't deserve much credit.' Leon told her. Kairi and Miles went to a playground in the corner of the room, were a few kids and small Pokémon were playing.

'Oh, really? Then, did you know your Pidgey has Pokérus?' She asked him curiously.

'Huh? What's that, Pokérus?' He asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Oh, you don't know about Pokérus?' Leon shook his head. 'Let me explain then. Pokérus is a virus that apparently only attaches itself to Pokémon. It helps the host Pokémon to develop its abilities while it lives inside the host. Scientists think that helps the virus survive, since the host would be more powerful. Anyway, Pokérus is passed through contact from Pokémon to Pokémon.'

'Then, why is it that Miles is the only one that has it?' Leon asked her.

'Once it infects the host, it matures for about a week. After that week, it's no longer contagious, so that's why only your Pidgey has it. It's because if it continued to be contagious indefinitely, eventually it would benefit predators that would prey on its host. If the host dies, the virus also dies, almost instantly, because it's very fragile and constantly needs the host to survive.'

'So... What you're saying is Miles is not your regular Pidgey.'

She giggled. 'No, quite the contrary! Pokérus infected Pokémon are quite rare and all become quite the fighters.'

'Well, call it beginner's luck then.' Leon smiled. 'That would explain what happened last night.' 'Thanks for the explanation Nurse Joy.'

She smiled back at him. 'Anytime, dear. Now, let me register you into the Center's log.' She said, heading towards the lobby.

'Yes ma'am! Just let me get my Poké...' He couldn't end his sentence because Kairi suddenly jumped to his arms, being chased by a herd of little kids, all wanting to grab her. 'Kairi what happened!?' He asked her, lifting her up, away from the children.

'They want to pinch me and grab me and pull my fur and help me Leon!' She yelled as one of the kids made a jump for her, with the help of another, swiping at her tail. Miles was a few feet away, laughing at the situation. The whole waiting room was also looking at them, laughing.

'It's your fault for being cute!' He told her. He turned to the children. 'Ok kids, back off! Play time is over! Don't make me call your parents!' At the word 'parents', the little kids dispersed like magic. 'Ha-ha! Parental threat always works!' He laughed, holding her close to his chest. 'Now let's go back.' Miles flew to his shoulder, still wiping away a tear from laughing so hard.

'Thanks for the support bird brain!' Kairi told him, scowling.

'Don't mention it, anytime!' He answered, still laughing a bit. 'You should've seen her face when this mountain of kids just body-piled her!'

They headed back to the lobby, which was as crowded as when they had first entered. Nurse Joy tapped a few keys into the computer. 'Please slide your Trainer Card here.' She said, indicating a slit in a small black machine. Leon did as instructed and his Trainer profile appeared on the computer screen. Nurse Joy tapped a few more keys and she handed them a keycard. 'Here you are! Room 131 is free. Just head to your right and it's the fifth room to the left.'

Leon took the keycard from her. 'Thank you for everything Nurse Joy.'

'Don't mention it! Anything you need just call me!'

'Thanks again!' He called back at her as he headed towards the hallway she had indicated. 'The fifth room to the left... Ah, here it is!' He said, stopping in front of a wooden door with brass numbers. He slid the keycard into the lock and it opened with a click. The room was simple: a bed, a small bedside table, a desk with a computer, a chair, a tall lamp and a wardrobe filled the room. A door next to the wardrobe led to the bathroom. Kairi jumped off Leon's shoulders, dive-bombing to the bed, while Miles perched himself on the lamp. Leon dumped his pack on the chair, cracking his back. 'Damn, that thing is heavy. Anyways...' He couldn't say more since he was rudely interrupted a pillow on his face, courtesy of a laughing Kairi. He sighed. Then he pounced at her, trying to grab her. Kairi tried her best to dodge Leon's flailing arms. Meanwhile, Miles was roaring with laughter at the sight of the two of them fighting. Finally, he managed to grab her by the foot.

'Oh c'mon! Using your size advantage is playing dirty!' She protested.

'Hey, you mess with the Trainer, you get "Trained"!' Leon replied, laughing.

Kairi groaned at the pun. 'Honestly you need to "Train" your jokes a bit. They suck!'

He ignored her. 'As I was starting to say, let's grab some lunch and later we check on the Viridian Gym. How does that sound?'

'Fine by me.' Miles answered. 'I was starting to get hungry.'

'What about you Kairi?' He asked her, tickling her paw pads. She laughed hard. 'I guess that's a yes. Let's go!' He said, letting her go. She jumped at him, landing on his shoulders, while Miles perched on his head. He exited the room, locking it behind him, and they headed to the Center's restaurant.

* * *

'You sure this is the place? It looks nothing like a Gym.' Kairi broke the silence. After a quick lunch, they headed out for the Gym, only to find that it looked more like a roman temple than a place where battles were waged. Leon flipped the guide book he had bought from a small bookstore.

'It's supposed to be. The guide even has a picture, look.' He showed her the picture. True enough, the picture matched the place. They headed to the solid, dark wooden doors. 'The Gym Leader is Professor Oak's grandson, Gary Oak. You know, that old man who gave you to me, Kairi.' He pushed the door inwards and they entered the Gym. He gasped in surprise. While the exterior was inspired in the old roman temples, the interior looked like it belonged to a sci-fi movie. A black grid covered the ground, where a white digital arena was displayed. Apparently the grid was actually thousands of small little screens the size of a small square hand mirror. A battle was raging in the battlefield. A young man, probably on his mid-twenties, had his back on them. He had jet black hair and a Pikachu on his shoulder. On the other side of the field stood Gary Oak, frowning. Apparently the battle was going badly for him.

A Charizard blasted a Flamethrower at a Machamp. The Machamp rolled to the side and charged at the Charizard, aiming a Dynamic Punch. The Charizard flew up, dodging the punch completely.

'Good Charizard! You know what to do now!' The Trainer told him. The Charizard nodded at him and swooped down, grabbing the Machamp. The Machamp protested but the Charizard ignored him, looping in the air, his speed increasing. Suddenly he pulled off the loop and slammed down the Machamp into the ground, cracking a few screens from the grid.

The referee raised a green flag, pointing at the Trainer with the Pikachu. 'Machamp is unable to battle. The victory goes to Ash Ketchum and his Charizard!'

Leon's jaw fell open when he heard that. 'ASH!?' The Trainer turned around. Sure enough, Ash Ketchum stood there, smiling at him.

'Hey there Leon! How's Professor Oak doing?' He asked him. His Charizard approached them, followed by Gary.

'He-hey! If it isn't the shrimp!' Gary greeted him, smirking.

Leon sighed. Ever since he went to work with Professor Oak he had to put up with being called shrimp by Gary. 'Hey.' He turned to Ash. 'What are you doing here? Haven't you already collected all of Kanto's Gym Badges?'

He laughed. 'Who says I'm here for a Badge? I came because it's the Champion's job to test his League!'

Leon looked at him, astonished. 'You mean... You were that guy who beat the hell out of Lance!?'

Ash nodded. 'Yup! But don't tell anyone, the official announcement is only next week.'

'Oh dammit! Now this has just become ten times as hard!' Leon sighed.

'Don't be so demoralized! I'm sure that by the time you reach Indigo Plateau you'll be strong enough to put up a good fight.' He paused. 'By the way,' Ash turned to Gary. 'you've passed.'

Gary nodded. 'Thanks Ash. Now if you'll excuse me I've got to take my team to the Pokémon Center. You beat them pretty good.'

'Hehe sorry.' Ash apologized, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly. He recalled his Charizard, thanking him as they followed Gary out of the Gym. 'Now, when did you become a Trainer, Leon?'

'Actually this is just my second day. Oh right, these are Kairi and Miles. Kairi was my starter.' He said, introducing the Pokémon on his shoulders. They both said hi to them. Pikachu answered back. Ash seemed interested in Kairi.

'I see. That's a Riolu, right? They're very rare around Kanto. Even in Sinnoh, that's where they come from, they are rare.' He patted her on the head. 'Well you're lucky. I didn't even know Professor Oak had one of them.' They walked back to the Center, talking about the League.

'Are there going to be changes on the League lineup?' Leon asked.

'Sorry, can't tell! You know the rules, Leon. But you already know that Gary is going to be part of it.'

'Oh, right.' Leon pointed at him. 'I want to challenge you once your team is healed!'

Gary looked at him and laughed out loud. 'You can't be serious, shrimp! I only accept Trainers with all the other seven badges of Kanto!'

Ash shook his head, crossing his arms. 'Besides, no offence, but even if he accepted your challenge you'd be sent packing as soon as your Pokémon were called, even if the both of them were in battle at the same time. Gary's just too strong for your level. And, even if you could stand your own against him, you wouldn't win a badge. The battling season only starts next week, the League's lineup is announced at Indigo Plateau. ' He thought for a bit. 'So, you'd better start off in Pewter City. My friend Brock runs the Gym there. I'll give him a call.' They had arrived at the Pokémon Center and Gary went to the counter, handing Nurse Joy six Pokéballs.

'Yeah, I remember Brock.' Leon said, going back to when Brock had once visited Ash in Pallet a couple years back. Leon was working with Professor Oak when this bulky tower of a man with spiky brown hair showed up at the Lab's door, effectively scaring Leon when he opened it. 'How far is Pewter from here?'

Ash shrugged. 'About five, six days tops. You have to go through the Viridian Forest and keep heading north. That gives you plenty of time to train and wait for the season to begin.'

Leon nodded. 'Alright then, today we rest and tomorrow we head to Pewter! What do you say?' He asked Kairi and Miles. They both nodded.

'Then it's settled.' Ash said. 'I'll call Brock tonight to tell him of you. He'll be pleased. And, you'd be one of the few first Trainers to battle him.'

Gary came back, clipping his team to his belt, and both he and Ash showed Leon around Viridian. They even went to the east gate to show Leon Indigo Plateau through some binoculars on the observation deck. As they went back to the Pokémon Center, Leon noticed a Silph Co. shop selling some weird-looking machine. It was black, with Velcro straps coming from the sides and a touch screen on the front. Below the touch screen there was a small button. He asked Ash about it.

'Oh, that's a TM Loader. Trainers use it to make Pokémon learn a move with a TM. Usually there's one at each Pokémon Center but Silph decided to start manufacturing portable ones for Trainers to use while in their journey. There's a slit on the bottom where you insert the TM, you strap it to your Pokémon, turn it on, wait and done! Your Pokémon knows a new move.'

'Cool! Wish I could afford one though.' Leon said, noting the somewhat big price tag.

Ash clapped him on the back. 'You know what? I'm buying you one!' He said, entering the store.

Leon's eyes widened. 'WHAT!? You can't be serious!' He yelled, entering the store after him with Gary, who was rolling his eyes upward.

'Watch me!' He replied, turning to the clerk behind the counter, smiling at her. 'Hey there! I was interested in purchasing one of those fine products you have to sale.' He told her, pointing at the "fine product" with his thumb.

The shop clerk giggled like a school girl. 'Certainly! I'll just pack one for you right now. And, as an added bonus, you receive three random TMs and a TM Case free of charge!' She said, holding a bowl with small plastic capsules with different colors in it.

'Hey, Leon! Come and choose will ya? I never had luck at these kinds of things.' Ash called over his shoulder.

Leon approached, saying, 'Thanks, I still think you're crazy ok?'

Ash shrugged. 'Fair enough.'

Leon picked a red capsule, a yellow capsule and a gray capsule. He opened them and showed the clerk the papers that were rolled up inside.

'Huh... TMs 24, 47 and 50. That's Thunderbolt, Steel Wing and... oh wow! You've won our only Overheat! Congratulations!' She squealed, throwing a handful of confetti to the air. Leon and Ash exchanged a somewhat uneasy look. 'I'm going to the back to fetch your products. I'll be right back!' She said before leaving through the door behind her. They heard what sounded like a herd of Tauros rampaging through a china shop.

'She's mad!' Kairi burst out.

'I couldn't agree more.' Leon answered.

The clerk came back, holding a box, a case and three disks, all precariously balanced in one of her hands while she slammed the door shut. She started to run to the counter.

'Oh that is such a bad idea.' Said Gary between his teeth.

Sure enough, she somehow managed to trip on a flat floor, sending everything flying. Leon managed to catch the box inches before it smashed on the floor. Kairi jumped off his shoulder and caught the case in mid-air while Miles managed to catch the yellow Thunderbolt disk. Ash almost failed to catch the metallic-looking Steel Wing and Gary rushed to stop the clerk from falling, catching her on his arms on what intended to be a gallant pose.

'Phew that was close!' Leon started to say but flinched along with everyone at the sound of something crashing loudly on the floor. Looking around, he saw ember-colored shards littering the floor. No one remembered to catch the Overheat.

The clerk took her hands to her mouth. 'Oh no! I'm so sorry!'

'It's okay, really.' Leon said, starting to catch the shards.

'No, it's not okay! Here, take another one! And let me do that!' She said, handing him the capsule bowl and making way with a broom.

'If you say so... I choose this one!' He took a black capsule and extracted the paper inside. It bore the number 79. He showed it to the clerk.

'Oh TM 79... 79... Ah, that's Dark Pulse! Be right back!' She said, dropping the broom and coming back a few seconds later holding a black disk. 'Here you are!'

'So, how much do I owe you?' Ash asked, pulling out his wallet.

'15,000 Poké-dollars and 99 cents please!' She said brightly, presenting to him the Trainer Card machine.

Leon started to protest but Ash made gesture for him to shut up and nodded at the clerk, sliding his Trainer Card through the slit.

A few minutes later they were heading to the Pokémon Center, Leon still protesting that Ash shouldn't have bought the TM Loader for him.

'At least tell me why you bought it!'

'Pipe down shrimp! If you don't want it I'll chuck it into the next garbage bin I see!' Gary said, annoyed.

Ash smiled. 'Well, if you want to know, it's because I want you to get to Indigo as fast as possible so I can battle you. And what better way to help you get far than buying you that? It's a very useful tool once you learn how to use it correctly. Think of it as a journey starting gift.'

Leon sighed. 'Fine, if you insist.'

After a quick dinner, they said goodbye to Gary, who went back to his Gym, and then went their separate ways to their bedrooms.

Leon strip down to his jeans and flung himself into the bed, effectively managing to bang his head into the wall. Groaning loudly, he sank into the sheets. Kairi shook her head sadly and jumped after him. Miles perched on the lamp and hid his head under his wing. Soon after, three sets of snores could be heard on the bedroom.