Oak shuffled through Leo's latest test papers, eyeing them critically in a show that had Leo rolling his eyes. The Professor liked to put on a show before giving out the test results, but now it didn't affect him as much as he'd been taking the increasingly difficult test for the past…what was it, year and a half now? Something like that, he looked about twelve now and it was the start of Leo's third spring in this world, with the spring equinox right around the corner. Anyways, the Professor liked to put on a show.

Admittedly, for the first two times Leo had taken the test, Oak's process of going over the test made him a little nervous. Now? Now he just went with the flow.

"Unfortunately," Oak began, and Leo felt his heart sink a little as he anticipated the word "you fail." Every time he took the test it got a little harder, so Leo had been extra diligent this time around and over-studied. He thought it had paid off, he was pretty certain he got a lot of the questions right (not to mention the practical exams, which he always passed.) "I have to pass you this time. There is no reason not to," Oak said, and Leo sighed.

Then he blinked, and fixed Oak with a look, the Professor's expression a mixture of regret and amusement.

"Did you just say I passed?" Leo asked, and Oak nodded.

"As usual your practical exam was easily over par. Though you may miss the more specific details to pokemon training, and don't know the official terms for many processes, you understand how to employ them. As for your written test…well, it is passable." Oak explained, shaking his head before grabbing another stack of papers. "Not even your school tests were failing – despite your chronic absences. Even history you passed," Oak said, fixing Leo with a glare that he met with a raised eyebrow.

He told Oak he didn't need to go to school. Besides, history was interesting and Leo had researched that on his own.

"So this means I can go on my journey, right?" Leo asked, and Oak hummed.

"Yes and no," he said, and Leo frowned. Oak held up a hand to stop him from protesting, leaning back in his chair. He ran a hand through his slowly greying hair before continuing. "As you know, the official League season does not begin for another week and a half, beginning on the spring equinox. As a first-time trainer, you won't be allowed to leave until after then, and you have been registered as a trainer,"

Leo nodded, relaxing a bit at that and absently rubbing Santiago's head as the Slowpoke lounged next to him. He'd gotten a lot bigger in the past year, eclipsing Queen in height and weight. No longer was Leo able to carry the goofy creature around – not that it stopped him from demanding as much.

A wetness enveloped Leo's hand as Santiago shifted and pulled his hand into his mouth, idly gnawing on it. Leo let him, having long since given up trying to rid him of that habit. Feeding him so many treats was a mistake, Leo thought resignedly, feeling the slowpoke's flat teeth gently massage his hand. He was getting spoiled.

"So, I just need to wait for that, right?" Leo asked.

"Yes. I suppose it is best if I tell you now though – I will not be the one sponsoring your gym challenge," Professor Oak said firmly. Leo frowned and scratched his chin with his free hand. A good sponsor could be a great thing for the typical gym challenge, what with the sponsor providing access to certain training materials – like TMs – as well as food for pokemon, which was actually relatively cheap, and a number of other necessities.

Someone like Professor Oak sponsoring a trainer meant he would provide housing for a trainer's excess pokemon, so they weren't stuck in the storage system all the time, food, access to research materials, and any number of other things – the flip side to sponsorship was that the trainer was basically a walking advertisement saying "we sponsor powerful trainers," or "we sponsor trainers like this!" Which was why corporations also sponsored trainers. It provided a lot of fame and a steady income for trainers, while being good advertisement for companies.

That was, of course, mostly for the gym challenge and contests, which were the biggest "sports" in the pokemon world. Seeing as how pokemon were such an important part of the world, the gym challenge was much more than just a sport though – it was simply the best way Leo could describe its massive popularity and entertainment factors entwined therein. This wasn't to say one needed a sponsor, either. It was fully possible to challenge the gyms without a sponsor, but if you were looking for a head start in popularity, access to training equipment, and the like, it was suggested to find one.

"Ok, then I'll be on my own then?" Leo asked quizzically. He once thought that might be a problem, but that wasn't the case now. The world was full of food, and he was certain that, with enough time, he could come up with ways of making money that didn't involve battling for cash prizes. Like catching wild pokemon. Or designing T-shirts. There was always a market for both, after all. He'd just need some design software for the t-shirts.

"Not necessarily," Oak said slowly. "Victoria has decided to be your sponsor." At this Leo blinked in surprise and pulled his hand out of Santiago's mouth, earning himself a whine from the pink creature, and wiped it on his pant's leg.

"I thought she didn't like me that much," he said teasingly, trying to wrap his head around what Oak said. He and Victoria had a…strange relationship. He knew she didn't hate him or anything, but he also didn't think she liked him enough to be his sponsor. In fact, he still had bruises from their last "sparring" session.

"You certainly annoy her!" Oak laughed. "But she likes your game of hide-and-seek far more than she lets on, I assure you." Leo frowned and leaned back in his chair, wondering why Oak wasn't sponsoring him while Victoria was. He knew that Oak didn't approve of the Youngster License, and the man had already done so much for him, but…The answer struck Leo like a ton of bricks, and he sighed, shoving away Santiago's head as he vied for Leo's attention.

"You're not sponsoring me because of politics, aren't you? I think I heard that the Youngster License is set to being abolished at the end of the year or something. It'd be pretty bad if you, a staunch anti-Youngster, was seen supporting me." Leo reasoned out. Victoria was a lot less restricted that Oak in that regard. Heck, he wasn't even sure where she stood on anything regarding politics – she stayed right out of most of it.

"Knew you'd get it. It's the price of being high-profile, though I still think it foolish to send you off now instead of waiting a few more years. I wanted to try to keep you here, but Victoria has no such qualms. Perhaps it is her upbringing – she was practically raised in Alola. The islands are far safer and friendlier than Kanto," Oak mused. Leo just raised his eyebrows at him, unsurprised by the Professor's admission. He was half-expecting another attempt to get him to stay, but he was getting too antsy for that. His wanderlust had been ignited in the past month or two - he needed to go explore with a passion he hadn't felt in a while.

"I suppose I owe her a thank you, then," Leo said. Oak nodded.

"I suppose," Oak said, then, after a brief pause, continued. "This does mean you will not be receiving a starter from me – not that you qualified for a Kanto starter regardless," Leo nodded, idly touching his shoulder where he had been burned from his last encounter with one of the Kanto starters. That Charmander never did like him much, and it had made its displeasure known that day.

"Can't say I'm not unhappy at not having to walk away with a Charmander," Leo said dryly, masking his disappointment with the joke. Don't get him wrong, he would've loved to have a Charizard on his future team, but…well, he wanted to get a bit of experience training less dangerous pokemon first. Like Blastoise or Venusaur.

And yet my first priority upon getting my license is to go catch a Larvitar. You just keep telling yourself that about a Charmander, Leo. Leo thought to himself, smiling wryly and standing up.

"I guess I'll get going then, unless there's something else you want to talk about. I've got a week to get everything ready, right?" Leo asked, and Oak nodded. "C'mon, Santiago," the Slowpoke looked up at him with unblinking eyes, and he sighed, recalling him into his pokeball when he showed no sign of movement. Like he said; spoiled.

The next week flew by, with Leo making all the necessary preparations. Namely this just meant making sure he had supplies, as the true "trainer" items, like pokeballs, an actual license, and a pokedex – the second generation of which was slated to come out around spring – would be given out the day he started his journey. Oak had barely managed to get the first gen 'dex completed in time for Daisy Oak's journey to start, and it was by far the man's most successful invention. Already other regions were scrambling to copy it, which Oak happily complied to help with so long as everyone could come together to form a National PokeDex. He was struggling with that last bit due to politics.

That left Leo with a backpack, extra clothes, a tarp, a sleeping bag, the survival kit he had put together, and a few cooking utensils. With room for food. It was actually a little annoying, there weren't any hammer space bags that Leo knew of, which meant he had to lug everything around. That got real heavy, real quick, especially for his stupid now-twelve-year-old body, so he packed light.

He also had his route to plan out, which was a bit more complex. As a Youngster he had to stick to the designated Routes – which wasn't going to happen, Leo was already planning ways to give the rangers who patrolled said Routes the slip – but more importantly Leo didn't know which way to go. He wanted to go to the Silver Mountains first thing, but there were…issues with that. Did he travel a bit first, and then try to go catch a Larvitar? Build up a team so he wasn't completely helpless against Tyranitar in case he pissed one off? Or did he just go for broke, because he knew Tyrus and Longinus were in the area? Longinus, Archibald's Slowking, at least was reasonable and might point him in the right direction. It was Tyrus Leo was worried about.

On the day of the official start of the League, Leo made his decision.

"I think I need to catch at least one more reliable pokemon before going Larvitar hunting," he muttered, sitting on the grass outside Professor Oak's lab, waiting for his license. The rumbling sounds of conversation echoed from the back of the lab, where Oak was handing out pokemon to the few kids in Pallet now old enough to start their journeys. For the most part he handed out basic pokemon; Oddish, Poliwag, and even the occasional Growlithe. They were easily trainable pokemon, whose evolutions could still be powerful in their own right, but were also relatively common.

But every year he did hand out the three Kanto starters as prizes for some of the best-testing trainers in the entire region. One had to apply for them, undergo an intense screening process, and even then only three prospective people were chosen to receive one of the Starters as a beginning pokemon. It gave Leo a lot of questions actually. Did Ash Ketchum actually pass that test and was just late to receiving the starters, or did he fail out of it? The latter made more sense logically speaking, but Leo wasn't sure. He didn't think you could be late to receiving a starter unless it was by days.

Sounds of cheering resounded out from behind the lab, startling both Leo and the few Spearow perched on the edge of the plain building. He listened hard for a moment, then shrugged and flopped onto the ground, petting Santiago idly as he watched the clouds.

He would've already left, his supplies all packed in the backpack that sat next to him, it was just a matter of actually receiving his training license now. Victoria supposedly had that, but he hadn't seen her all week. She wasn't on an assignment for the League, Oak had made that clear, but he was getting anxious.

It was already almost noon…he wanted to hit the road as soon as possible.

"Calm yourself, she will be here soon," Merri said, popping into existence next to Leo. The Alakazam peered down at him where lay on the soft grass, stroking her moustache and nodding. "I would agree with you in your assessment that finding another team member before hunting for a Larvitar is the best course of action. Santiago has come far in these past few months, but he is no match for a Tyranitar," she mused, her voice taking on a feminine edge in Leo's mind.

Leo found giving her a distinct voice made figuring out what was her telepathy and what was his own thoughts easier. Though it wasn't actually her voice, just Leo's mental representation of it…psychics were weird.

"Mm. Hey, think any of the Abra would want to come with me?" Leo asked, craning his neck to look up at Merri. A ghost of a smile twitched on Merri's lips, and she shook her head.

"Psychics, more than any other type, choose their own trainers – with exceptions among species, of course. None of my children desire to travel the world yet. They all inherited my own flightiness, I am afraid. I tried to teleport away from Oak for the first three weeks of knowing him, after all," Alakazam chuckled, passing along a few images of escape over their psychic connection. Leo smiled, but couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at that. An Abra would be a great help in traversing the wilds. Namely for their teleport abilities. Teleport would be invaluable for getting out of danger, not to mention that their species were unnaturally adept at sensing said danger.

Oh well. He'd figure things out eventually. Planning ahead wasn't his strong suit anyway, beyond broad goals. Like surviving, or catching a Larvitar.

The next few minutes were spent in discussion with Merri, the Alakazam giving him a few more tips on training a psychic type, even if it was mostly a moot point. Santiago hated training – oh, Leo could convince him to do it, and they'd worked on a little bit while at the ranch, but he was notoriously stubborn about actually training. Sure, he would battle, but train in the typical sense? As in, honing accuracy and improving power and all that? Not so much.

"I believe I have worn out my welcome though. You have visitors," Merri said abruptly, cutting Leo off mid-thought as her face scrunched up into what Leo recognized as discomfort. Then she popped out of existence with a teleport, leaving Leo bewildered. He found out why she had left five seconds later, when familiar, childish screams reached his ears.

A mop of blonde hair came tearing up the hill towards Leo, followed closely by a head of spikey black hair, and he braced himself for impact, having barely enough time before Gary Oak came crashing down upon him in a tidal wave of ten-year-old energy. Ash Ketchum followed shortly after, shouting "dog pile!"

"LEO! I heard from Gramps you're going on your journey today!" Gary screeched in his ear. Leo winced and twisted himself out of Gary's grasp, dancing away from the two menaces as they looked up at him from their pile on the ground. What was it Merri had said to Leo about not liking Gary? Something about his mind being too loud?

"How come you're leaving so early?! Aren't you too young?" Ash asked, falling limply on the ground as Gary pulled himself out from beneath him. Leo nodded and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, I am. Just need my license. And it's because I'm a special case, Ash." Leo said, shrugging. Gary frowned at him, crossing his arms and pouting.

"And you were going to leave without saying goodbye, weren't you?" He demanded. Leo laughed and shook his head, ruffling Gary's hair and grinning wickedly.

"Of course not. But I did want to get my license first," Leo said. Gary huffed and crossed his arms, clearly still miffed that he was leaving on his journey so early, and Leo grinned evilly. "Don't worry, I'll come back and say hi once I become Champion," he teased. Leo didn't actually have plans to become champion at the moment, but saying that did tend to aggravate Gary.

"It'll be a short reign. I'll take that title from you," Gary said firmly, and Leo's grin widened. The kid had fire, behind all that sass.

"And I'll become a pokemon master!" Ash chimed in, forcing Leo to ruffle his hair, too.

"Well, I look forward to it. Now I've got an idea – there's some time yet for me to kill, so I figured, why not play a little game?" Leo asked, voice taking on a dangerous edge. Gary groaned and started inching away, Ash all but vibrating in place as he, too started to back off. "It's called, 'ESCAPE THE TICKLE MONSTER!'" Leo howled, tearing off after the two kids as they darted down the hill, screaming in childish excitement.

And that's how Victoria found Leo, chasing around two little kids, dragging them to the ground where he'd tickle them without mercy or remorse, leaving them breathless until they found the energy to move again.

"Kid, get over here," Victoria called, catching Leo's attention. He froze in his assault on Ash, the kid squirming out of his grasp like a slippery eel and dashing up the hill, laughing breathlessly.

"Victoria," Leo said, feigning calm as he caught his breath, standing and moving over to where Victoria stood next to her Dodrio, Bran, at the base of the hill the pokemon lab was built on. The three-headed avian eyed him with one head, the other two idly bickering with each other, beaks snapping. Victoria herself looked fairly travel-worn, with dust and dirt smudged all over her face and travel gear, her hair tied up in a greasy ponytail. A perfectly ringed outline of dirt showed where her riding goggles sat over her eyes, something she wore whenever she went on long trips on the back of Bran. Her mouth stretched into a smile as Leo approached, a slightly dangerous expression that usually promised pain on Leo's end, but this time promised something else.

"Here's your license," she said simply, shoving a small metal credit-card-sized plaque into Leo's hands. He blinked and looked down at it, flipping the card over and over in his hands and scrutinizing it closely. His trainer ID number was there, the location of his hometown (labelled as Pallet, of course) as well as the region of issuance; Kanto/Johto. Technically they were two separate regions, but in practice they were the same. Same government, same League…yeah.

"Thanks, Victoria. I appreciate it, I really do," Leo said gratefully, shoving the license into his pocket. He wanted to say more, express how grateful he was that she finally helped convince Oak to let him go on a journey, but what she did next stopped him and put him on edge. She smirked and put one hand behind her back, immediately making Leo suspicious. She only did that when she was about to do something particularly evil…like that time she dumped a bucket of ice water on him, or hit him with a tree branch.

…the more he thought about it, the more Leo realized they had a weird relationship.

"That's not the best part. I know Uncle Samuel wouldn't let you have one of the Kanto starters, stingy that he is, so I took the liberty of scrounging something else up for you. If you're going to be travelling the region in my name, I might as well give you a leg up, huh? Can't have you making me look bad," Victoria said, producing a pokeball from behind her back. Leo blinked at her and stared in surprise at the pokeball, its bright red paint gleaming in the sun.

"What is it?" Gary asked from beside him, startling Leo. He hadn't heard him sneak up.

"Keep your grubby mitts off," Victoria snapped, smacking Gary's seeking hands away from the ball with her free hand. "Take it, Leo, before I'm forced to strangle the munchkin here," she said, glaring at Gary playfully. The blonde boy just giggled a little, backing off and looking ready to sprint in case Victoria gave chase.

"Um," Leo said, snagging the ball from her palm and rolling it about in his hands. Tentatively he pressed the middle button, enlarging it, and glanced at Victoria for confirmation. She made a 'go ahead' gesture and, taking a deep breath, Leo pressed the release mechanism.

"I kind of had to guess which one you'd want, but knowing you, figured this would be a good choice," Victoria explained as the blob of red poke-power coalesced into a tiny, blue-and-tan furred creature. Leo's breath caught in his throat as he examined the small, hedgehog-esque pokemon as it shook itself out, looking around curiously. Its eyes, which looked a little small for its rather large head, locked onto Leo and the two stared at each other for a moment. This was beyond what he had expected, to be honest. Mostly because he hadn't expected anything.

"A Cyndaquil?" Gary asked, a touch of disappointment coloring his tone. "They're rare, but not used that often competitively. You could find a better fire type. There's a reason they're considered second-tier in comparison to the Kanto starters," Santiago apparently wasn't too impressed by the appearance of the Cyndaquil either, if the way the slowpoke growled – a wet gurgling sound that was anything but intimidating – and eyed it was any indication.

"Be nice," Leo snapped, glaring at both offenders. Santiago didn't respond, but Gary held up his hands defensively while Ash, who had returned from fleeing, stared at Cyndaquil star-struck.

"IT'S SO COOL!" he shouted, Leo wincing from the volume.

"How on earth did you get a Cyndaquil?" Leo demanded, turning his attention back to Victoria, who was still grinning. From what he knew the Johto starters were as rare, if not rarer than the Kanto versions because they were less prized in competitive battling. Why use a Typhlosion when Charizard had air superiority? Or a Meganium when Venusaur had better typing and more potent status moves? Only Feraligatr and Blastoise were comparable, but because they were good at different things. Hence, the Johto starters were usually given away as consolation prizes or something similar. Starters for those who hadn't made the cut for the Kanto starters; still good, but not as good.

"Professor Elm owes me a few favors, and he was all too happy to 'stick it to Oak,' as he put it, by giving his pupil a starter," Victoria said with a careless shrug. "From your expression though I think I guessed right. Didn't think Totodile or Chikorita were your speed,"

"His pupil?" Leo echoed, raising an eyebrow. Victoria rolled her eyes.

"Had to play to Elm's ego a little to convince him to let go of one of the Johto starters. And you are technically Samuel's pupil, having worked on his ranch and all. Don't let it get to your head though," Victoria said, making Leo laugh a little. The Cyndaquil squeaked at his feet and Leo smiled down at it, bending over to rub its head. The short blue fur was soft and warm, and though the Cyndaquil flinched away from the initial touch, it quickly leaned into Leo's ministrations.

"It's more than I expected," Leo said honestly, looking up at Victoria, who waved it off.

"Spare me the gratitude, I did it because I wanted to. And don't give me any of that 'you shouldn't have' crap either. Consider it a birthday present if you must," she said. "Don't think I forgot your birthday is on the equinox. I forgot last year, not this one," Leo laughed a little, having forgotten he had set his birthday as the spring equinox in this world. With a shake of his head he stood back up, scratching the back of his neck. Any words of gratitude died in his throat as he stood there, now fully prepared for his journey. He'd need to think of a name for Cyndaquil sooner or later, but first he wanted to get going.

"Well, I guess this is it then. I don't want to stick around too much longer – or else Professor Oak will make me spend the night again," Leo said, prompting a sad, lonely look from Gary and a small smile from Victoria.

"Make sure you visit him before you go, either way. He may not be willing to publicly support you, but he will give you a pokedex. Much as I don't like them, they are useful tools. And one more thing," Victoria said, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder and leaning down to eye-level. "You and I both know you've been ready for your journey for a while, but don't get cocky, alright? You've got a good head on your shoulders and I'd hate to see it ruined by arrogance or stupidity," she said bluntly.

Leo smirked, brushing the praise off because, in truth, it was a little condescending considering he was much older than twelve. Of course he had a good head on his shoulders for being twelve. Still, he took it for what it was; praise.

"I can promise humility, but not intelligence. Being stupid is too much fun," Leo said, and Victoria laughed, clapping him on the shoulder and standing upright.

"Ain't that the truth! Get going, kid, before you decide to stick around," she said, spinning on her heel and getting back onto Bran's back, who squawked at her. "I'm going to go rest and take a shower, but I expect I'll see you again soon. Later, kid!" she said, and kicked her heels into Bran's side, the Dodrio taking off at a sprint. Leo was silent for a moment, watching her go and only vaguely aware of the pestering questions of Gary and Ash, as well as the timid squeaks from the Cyndaquil.

Fire burned in his chest, and a grin stretched across his face. Adventure awaited him, and he no longer had to ignore its call.

It took Leo a little bit longer than expected to get out of Pallet – thanks to Gary being a bit clingy and Professor Oak giving him a stern lecture about following rules of the Youngster License, officially transferring Santiago and the Cyndaquil's pokeballs to him, giving him a few gifts such as pokemon food and a pokedex, gave a speech about using the pokedex, and assured him he could come back any time – but he still got out of there before four o'clock in the afternoon, so Leo considered that a win.

That did not mean, however, that Route One was very exciting either. Pidgey and Spearow chirped in the trees as he trodded along, Zuko, his newly-dubbed Cyndaquil, held in his arms so the two could bond a little. It was, in truth, a bit of a boring journey to Viridian City. Route One was heavily patrolled and kept clear of most dangerous pokemon, and it took Leo a good two days of trekking down the dirt road to get to Viridian. Granted, he had opted to take the scenic route rather than follow the paved road, but it was still a long journey. There weren't even any trainers for Leo to battle, though, unlike Santiago, Zuko took to training rather well.

He seemed good at following orders, though that made sense for a Professor-raised pokemon. Mostly Leo just worked Zuko in circles, testing his stamina and fire-generating abilities before letting him rest. At night Leo spent at least a little bit of time looking up information on Oak's pokedex, the second generation device still being rather large and clunky-looking, but Leo couldn't deny its usefulness. He'd learned a lot about the Cyndaquil line from the 'dex.

When he got to Viridian City, the large metropolis teeming with people and businesses, Leo's first instinct was to head back into the surrounding forest. But he resisted. Even Zuko shied away from the noise of the city, hiding behind Leo's legs at the sight of all the people. There weren't nearly as many automobiles as Leo was used to in his old world, most people opting to walk, use public transport, or ride on pokemon to get where they were going. It made sense, in a way, and saved Leo from having to dodge traffic every time he tried to cross a street.

"Better recall you, little guy," Leo murmured as he walked deeper into the city, recalling Zuko as he plodded through the suburbs. Even if Viridian was famously clear of crime thanks to Giovanni's presence, Leo knew better than to walk around with a rare pokemon like Cyndaquil out. Perhaps especially because he knew better. That Giovanni could still cover his tracks despite Leo outing him to Professor Oak all that time ago spoke volumes of the man's skill and careful planning.

It nearly took him until nightfall to actually find the Viridian Pokemon Center – the official one, not the small clinics that dotted the city – despite the large, red-roofed building sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the rest of the tall, grey buildings. A large, park-like area covered in trees and bushes sat in front of the building and, as Leo crossed the street dodging cars and ridden pokemon alike, he noticed the presence of a couple battlefields set up alongside the Center. Trainers filled the fields, sunken into the ground as they were, shouting commands as pokemon of all stages of evolution duked it out in the single largest display of competitive battling Leo had ever seen. Live, anyway. He'd watched a few League matches on Oak's television.

He watched that for a little bit, admiring one trainer's butterfree in particular as it picked apart all comers with an astounding proficiency with powder moves – until a man with an Arbok came along and smashed it into the ground. Satisfied, he headed into the Center to book a room for the night. It was early spring, and the air was getting chilly despite Leo's thin, Mareep-wool jacket.

The sliding glass doors opened with a whoosh, warm air washing over Leo's chilled extremities and giving him another appreciation for civilization. He loved the wild, but things like heat and AC were a godsend.

Inside was busier than Leo expected, dozens of trainers of various ages milling about in the waiting room, lounging on chairs to watch one of the many TV's hanging from the wall or talking to their smaller pokemon companions. Three pink-haired Nurse Joys stood behind the counter on the far wall, pink blobs Leo recognized as Chansey waddling around behind the counter, only the tops of their round heads visible.

Leo ducked beneath one trainer's Zubat as it flitted about the room as he approached the counter, one Nurse looking up as he approached.

"Hello! I'm here to book a room," he said. She smiled at him as he pulled out his trainer ID card, handing it over before she could question his age. Her eyes narrowed at it for a moment, eyes locking onto the words "Youngster License" printed on the metal, then at Leo before she shook her head and handed it back.

"Alright sweetie, I'll get you a room. Do your pokemon need looking at?" she asked in a too-sweet voice, like she was talking to a much younger child. Leo ignored it and plucked his pokeballs from his belt, idly realizing he had yet to mark them so they were easily identifiable, and placed them on the counter.

"Please. The slowpoke's last checkup was a month ago, so he should be good, but I'm not too sure about the other," Leo explained. The Nurse smiled at him and passed a key over, Leo accepting it and pocketing it immediately.

"If all is well it should only be a few minutes until your pokemon are ready, until then please wait in the lobby, okay? And remember to turn in your key again after you've stayed the night. Hope you don't mind rooming with someone else, we're a little crowded at the moment," she explained slowly and carefully, making Leo smile wryly. He'd gotten used to being spoken to with at least some level of respect for his maturity, and this was…different. It wasn't even what she said, what she said was fine; it was how she said it.

"Thanks. I'll wait over there then," Leo said, accepting his ID once more and plopping down in one of the plastic chairs along the wall. He only had to wait a few minutes before he was approached by someone – a young man, probably eighteen or nineteen – with a patchy beard and messy brown hair. Leo watched him approach from the corner of his eye, more interested in the TV.

"Where you from, rookie?" The man asked immediately. Leo blinked away from the news station – it was an interview with the current Gym Leader of the Saffron City Gym, a fighting-type specialist with snow-white hair and a wrinkled, old face – and smiled at him. Immediately his eyes locked onto the Ranger badge pinned to the left breast pocket of his faux-leather jacket.

"Pallet Town. I'm Leo by the way, what's your name?" Leo responded politely.

"Richard. You a Youngster? Look a little young to be hanging out in a pokemon center." Richard said, crossing his arms and smiling tightly. Leo laughed.

"Do I? Probably do. But I suppose you could say I am – just a little early though. Couldn't wait the last few months to start my journey, and passed the Youngster and official trainer exam," Leo lied smoothly, implying that he might be a bit older than he looked, and that he didn't have far to go until he was fourteen. Joke's on you, I'm actually twenty-five by now. He thought to himself. Richard visibly relaxed upon Leo's admission, his smile loosening up a bit.

Being a Youngster is more frowned upon than I thought. Guess there's a reason the bill will be repealed by the end of the year. Leo thought to himself. The comm dinged on then, announcing that Leo's pokemon were done, and he stood.

"Gotta go get my pokemon," he said, dipping his head to Richard.

"Ah, hold on a sec. You just started your journey recently, right?" Richard asked.

"Two days ago. That's how long it took me to get here from Pallet," Leo answered.

"Have you done much battling yet? I've got a new teammate that hatched recently; just got into training two weeks ago. Care to see how you match up?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Leo considered this for a moment. He hadn't had an official battle yet, just some mock-battles with Santiago against other pokemon, but it wasn't the same as real battling from what Oak and Victoria told him, nor from the stories Daisy told when she called back.

Speaking of, he wondered how she was doing? Last he heard she'd finally gotten her fifth badge after only a year of training. Quite the feat, from what he knew.

Leo banished those thoughts from his head and refocused on what was in front of him. "Sounds like fun," he said with a grin.

Leo stood across from Richard in the well-lit arena, spotlights illuminating the packed-dirt field. The two trainers stood on small, metal platforms that stood a good five feet above the field itself, a safety measure so most attacks wouldn't hit trainers – assuming the fighting was limited to the ground. Low concrete walls surrounded the arena, and despite the sun having gone down a few minutes ago a few people were still watching the battle from the metal bleachers on the right side.

It was to be a two-on-two battle, so Leo could test out both of his pokemon in battle. Zuko would, of course, go up against Richard's newest member, while Santiago would take on one of his older teammates.

Richard grinned at Leo and held up a purple ball.

"Ready? We'll release at the same time. Three, two, one, release!" he called, and tossed the greatball onto the field. Leo pressed the release button on his own pokeball, the device not needing to be thrown as it had a point-and-release function, masking his nervousness behind a mask of calm as Zuko appeared on the field with a shake of his head and a tiny cry from the fire-type. On Richard's side of the field a small blue elephant appeared, trumpeting happily and prancing about.

"We're going to battle, Zuko. Let's see what you can do, ok buddy?" Leo called with confidence he didn't quite feel. If he remembered right that other pokemon was a Phanpy, a ground type. Had no idea what its move-pool was, but he was nervous. This was his first battle.

Zuko, on the other hand, growled in determination, fixing his attention on the rambunctious Phanpy, the little red dots on his back sparking with fire.

"A Cyndaquil?" Richard asked, raising an eyebrow. Leo shrugged, hiding his sweating palms and the tiny bit of pride he felt at Richard's surprised expression.

"I did good enough on the tests to receive one," Leo said back.

"Right. Well, start off with tackle!" Richard snapped. The Phanpy immediately halted its exuberant dancing and charged Zuko with surprising speed, kicking up dust as it bore down on the smaller Cyndaquil. Leo hesitated for just a moment, indecision wracking him, but he swiftly cast that aside.

"Evade!" Leo called, "evade" being one of their set orders for a move. Zuko belched out a thin screen of black smoke as he dashed to the side, a blur of blue and tan as he ran on all fours, trailing the smoke out of his mouth. It wasn't a perfect smokescreen, just the beginnings of the move, but it was enough to confuse the young Phanpy. "Ember," Leo ordered. Immediately after Zuko belched small balls of flame, the fire pelting Phanpy's side as it searched wildly for Zuko in the smoke.

A yelp of surprise and pain came from the Phanpy and Leo winced, his heart clenching at the sound. He knew that pokemon battles were essential in this world, and had seen his fair share by now, but being in a battle and watching them were two different things.

"To your right! Good, now rollout," Richard called, his voice exceedingly calm as he pointed Zuko out to the Phanpy.

"Dodge and ember, keep it up" Leo responded, watching as Phanpy trumpeted and curled into a ball, bearing down on Zuko with far greater speed this time. He leapt out of the way faithfully, the spots on his back glowing a dull red as he opened his mouth and unleashed another, unfocussed barrage of embers. Only a quarter of the small fireballs hit their mark, making no noticeable difference this time as the Phanpy continued around the arena with increasing speed.

This same sort of scenario continued for a few rounds, Richard calling out Zuko's position with simple, abbreviated commands and Phanpy charging, getting closer and closer to Zuko every time, while he retaliated with ember attacks. The Cyndaquil was panting from the exertion, not yet having the stamina for an extended battle like this. Phanpy, however, showed no signs of tiring or slowing down, curled into a rollout ball though he was. Leo frowned slightly, trying to think of a way out of the situation and letting Zuko battle autonomously when suddenly everything was flipped on its head.

"Ancient power!" Richard called firmly. The Phanpy stumbled as it came out of its rollout, nearly falling over as it skidded to a halt.

"Evade!" Leo responded, and Zuko spit out more of the black smoke, but it was far thinner now. Not even enough to fully obscure him. And certainly not enough to throw off Phanpy's aim as it summoned ghostly chunks of rock out of thin air and hurled them at Zuko. "No!" There was nothing he could do, though, as the Cyndaquil dodged the first rock but failed to see the second, allowing a clean hit. The ghostly rock shattered upon impact and sent Zuko sprawling, the Phanpy trumpeting a victory cry and charging in.

Leo leaned forward and gripped the railing of the platform, palming Zuko's pokeball even as he stood up, firing another ember into Phanpy's face, his back flaring up with fire right as it crashed into him. The Phanpy knocked Zuko out, but cried out in distress when it stuck its face into Zuko's back fire, singing its trunk and making it stumble backwards. Leo hastily recalled the Cyndaquil, gripping his pokeball in a white-knuckle grip. That had been better than he expected, but not what he wanted.

Battling was intense, and despite the cool night air Leo felt a bead of sweat run down the back of his neck.

"Good job, Zuko," Leo murmured almost as an afterthought, watching the Phanpy as it tossed its head and tried its hardest to look fierce. It was still just a baby elephant though, so despite the beat-down it had given Zuko Leo couldn't help but find it a little cute.

"Mind if I keep Oli here out? I want him to get as much practice battling as I can," Richard said. Leo paused, considering this.

"I mean, yeah, but I would suggest switching out. This next one I've raised since he was three months old," Leo tried to warn. Richard waved it off and, with a sigh, Leo palmed Santiago's pokeball, pressing the release button.

When the pink pokemon appeared on the field, flopping down on his belly with a huff as he gazed dopily around the arena, Leo suddenly realized just how big he had gotten. Whereas he used to be the size of the Phanpy, smaller even, now he was at least two and a half times bigger – wider, longer, and bulkier.

"Alright, Oli, start things off with a rollout!" Richard called. Leo didn't bother giving Santiago a command – he wouldn't listen anyway. So instead he watched with morbid curiosity as the Phanpy bore down on Santiago, picking up speed once more as it curled into a ball. Santiago lazily turned his head to face Oli, ever so slightly pointing his muzzle towards the ground just in time for the Phanpy to roll full-steam into his skull – only to be launched skyward by the impromptu ramp the dense Slowpoke had made with his own body.

Richard cried out in shock and Leo's eyes widened as Santiago leapt up with surprising speed, spinning around and blasting his opponent with a pinpoint jet of water the moment his opponent hit the ground. Leo winced as the Phanpy crashed into the wall, unmoving.

"Return, good work Oli," Richard said, surprise coloring his voice. He eyed Leo closer then, taking a good look at Santiago. "Y'know, that was a pretty well thought out thing to do. I'm honestly surprised you've trained your Slowpoke that well, they're notoriously difficult to train,"

"He's impossible to train. I've had him for nearly two years now and I still haven't gotten a completely successful training session out of him. But he loves to battle," Leo said with a long-suffering sigh. Santiago was a bloody natural at battling, though it might have more to do with him hanging around the Growlithe for too long – the fire-puppies play fought incessantly, which Santiago got into far too often – than anything else.

"Huh. I'll keep that in mind," Richard said slowly, reaching for his next pokeball. "Either way, let's get on with the battle," he said and, without warning, released his next pokemon.

The Golbat winged through the air with a furious screech, its too-big mouth opening wide and revealing its gleaming fangs. Leo winced slightly and Santiago whimpered, burying its forehead into the ground and rubbing it against the dirt. Pain finally kicking in, huh? That's what you get for taking a rollout head on. Leo thought, but didn't say.

"Santiago, you need to listen to me a little on this one," Leo warned, watching the Golbat as it winged through the night sky. It was almost impossible to keep track of in the dark, and near silent in its flight.

"Three, two, one…begin! Mega drain," Richard called, and Leo cursed silently.

"Water gun!" Leo ordered and Santiago complied, firing a jet of water into the air harmlessly as the Golbat winged around the other side, sinking its fangs into his side. A green energy enveloped the Slowpoke, though he didn't make a sound as he promptly fell onto his side and squished the Golbat before rolling off. The Golbat shrieked indignantly and hopped to its feet, baring its fangs angrily only to receive a water gun to the face in response.

"Quit taunting it – drain it," Richard ordered. The Golbat winged into the air in a burst of speed, vanishing for a split second before reappearing behind Santiago, sinking its fangs into the fleshy, nerve-less tail. He didn't even appear to notice the Golbat's presence, his head swiveling around and searching the sky for threats.

"Santi! Fish!" Leo roared, the slowpoke immediately reacting, swinging his tail violently around and twisting his whole body up in a suplex-esque slam, swinging the Golbat up and over his body to smash into the ground. Santiago lay on his back and Golbat groaned as it let go of his tail. "Pin it!" Leo ordered, desperation seizing his body as a chance of winning showed itself. If they could keep the Golbat out of the air, then –

Golbat shrieked and spat a blob of poison in Santiago's face, winging up into the air and proceeding to rain attacks down onto the slowpoke from a distance. Air slashes, swifts, and blobs of poisoned rained down on the practically immobile Santiago, and though he tried to retaliate with a water gun or two, Leo quickly realized they were fighting a losing battle. So, with a sigh, he recalled his pokemon and waved at Richard, who waved back and held out an arm for Golbat to land on, the bat looking none the worse for wear.

Leo walked down the steps calmly, forcing his heartrate down and trying his hardest to not just run to the Nurse and give her his pokemon. That had been…something. Far more thrilling than Leo had thought it would be, but different too. Different how, he wasn't sure.

"Hey, that was a good battle kid," Richard said, extending his free hand for Leo to shake as he approached, having descended from his own perch in the arena. Muted applause came from the audience, and Leo shook Richard's hand with a smile. The Golbat hissed at him, though Leo ignored it as Richard recalled the bat. "Much better than I was expecting. Your pokemon are young, but so are you so I'm sure you'll get better. That slowpoke was a surprise for sure, I wasn't expecting it to be so vicious. Lacked the power to actually do solid damage to Bats, but still,"

"Thanks. I'm going to go get my pokemon healed now though," Leo said, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. Richard stopped him.

"Don't worry about it, I'm not mean enough to take cash from a rookie. C'mon, I'll walk you to the Center," Richard said. Leo nodded and, after a moment of walking in silence, started drilling the boy with questions which he answered all too happily, seemingly enjoying the chance to teach someone else.

Leo took it as the gift it was, and that ended up being how he spent the rest of the night. Listening to Richard regale him with stories of his own journey, and his days as a ranger. It was, in all, a good start to his journey and after calling Pallet Town on the Center video phones to ensure Professor Oak he got to Viridian safely, he fell asleep feeling satisfied and excited for the future.