A Life Before The Story, an origin of Leaf Green

Word count: 2,900+

Rating: T+

Author's Notes: I started playing LeafGreen via an emulator on my phone, so my mind started imagining headcanons and theories. Also, I named my character Leaf instead of my own name because I find her one of the most underrated female characters in the gameverse. Seriously. Kris was the first gameverse-girl, May has a strong anime counterpart, Dawn has a strong anime counterpart, Lyra gets constant hate for 'replacing' Kris which also gets her attention, the storyline in BW/BW2 includes the player more which makes Hilda and Rosa more important, and Serena has a huge role as a rival in XY. You know what Leaf is? Some chick in a remake. FireRed was my first game, and Leaf was the pair of eyes I saw the pokemon world through, which earns her a very special place in my heart.

This author note was way too long...

Disclaimer: SuperSandri does not own Pokemon. However, I do own characters Martha, Roger, and Gerry

A series of footsteps were heard in Viridian's gym. The Rocket Grunt's boots were heavy, and the amount of steps per minute could somehow translate that the grunt had some sort of haste in his stride. His hand held a cup of water and a blanket was slung on his arm.

The grunt stopped in front of a door and used his rocket pass to allow his entrance into the room. Once the door was breached however, he didn't step in. Instead, the grunt simply stood in the doorway as his glance was set onto the single containment cell.

Mr. Fuji looked up, feeling a little relieved that he was finally seeing light after being trapped in the dark for hours. He spoke nothing and simply stared at the grunt.

"I was ordered to give you this," the grunt informed, taking his rocket pass out again to open the cell door just enough for him to clumsily slide the blanket and water towards the scientist.

Mr. Fuji could not smile, but he managed to say, "Thank you."

The grunt closed the door and nodded at the prisoner. He then left the room with the same haste as before.

Mr. Fuji stood up from the little cot he was provided with and made his way to the cell door. He took the cup and drank the water gratefully. The only water he had to drink in his cell was the one in the toilet in the corner, not something he'd be fine with consuming.

Once done with that, he put the cup down and grabbed the blanket. The fleece throw was warmer than the thinner one on his cot, so the nights would be a bit warmer from now on.

As he felt the soft material of the blanket, he sensed an unidentified object. It was hard, thin, and seemed at bit bendy. When he maneuvered through the layers of throw that covered the object, he got a good hold of it. It was plastic from the feel of it, and had raised marks on the surface, possible spelling out words.

He pulled the plastic piece from the blanket, and in the dim light of his cell, managed to recognize it.

A rocket pass.

The faint lighting showed the image of the Rocket grunt that gave him the blanket and water, and revealed that his name was Roger Green.

Now, Mr. Fuji, being an intelligent man, knew exactly what to do. After extending his arms through the cell bars and waving the pass in front of the computerized lock, the scientist was granted freedom.

Roger Green the rocket grunt ran through the hideout halls with panic. Other grunts ran around him like a hoard of angry Pidgey while an alarm blared on and off repeatedly.

The same words were being said over and over again:

"The prisoner has escaped!"

"Lock down everything!"

"Don't let him go!"

"How'd get out of his cell?"

Roger would gulp every time he heard any one of these words, because all it took was one feel of his pockets to realize that it was him who let the prisoner escape.

As well as this fact, Roger also knew one more thing. He too had to escape the Viridian Gym.

Roger ran in the right direction, trying to get to the exit as quick as he could. This was cut short when he felt an arm hook around his next and restrain his movement.

"Oh Arceus, not now..." Roger muttered.

Whoever grabbed him chuckled loudly, "Oh ho ho, someone's in a rush."

"Archer, can you let me go please?" Roger begged, trying to seem natural.

Archer chuckled loudly again and slammed Roger against the hideout's metal walls, "What's wrong, Greenie? Something bothering you."

"It's nothing," Roger lied. "I'm just going home now. I promised the wife that I'd be home for dinner in half an hour."

"Your place ain't so far from here," Archer smirked. "It's just a quick walk."

"I gotta go home, okay? So please, let me go," Roger requested. An attempt to run away was made, but Roger was soon given the gift of a painful backhand to the face.

Archer's assault managed to push Roger onto the floor. The older grunt cracked his knuckles loudly, "Hey, tell me something, Green." He knelt down to Roger's level, grabbed his uniform's collar, and pulled Roger's injured face closer to his. "How much of a idiotic twit do you gotta be to drop your Rocket Pass in a fucking prison cell?"

Roger gulped loudly, "Please... I have a family to take care of. And I have to come home tonight, my wife's gonna start worrying even more." He looked Archer in the eye, "I promise, this will never happen again. I have a daughter I gotta take care of!"

Archer let go of Roger's uniform and stood up, "Oh, I know that, Green." He reached over to his waist where a holstered weapon was present. He took the weapon out and opened it, revealing it to be a baton. "And I'm gonna make sure it never happens again." He clicked a button on the baton that made the end cackle with electricity. "Never again."

Roger was beaten until he no longer looked human.

5 year old Leaf watched cartoons in her parent's apartment, playing with a wooden spoon in her hands. Her mother was in the kitchen, cleaning up some dishes from dinner, and unaware of the current situation a few miles away from them.

"Leaf, sweetheart, do you want something for dessert?" Martha Green asked.

Leaf perked up considerably, got to her feet and ran towards the kitchen. She slid on her socks and came in like a shadow ball, "Can I have cookies?"

"You can have a cookie," Martha informed, emphasizing on the 'a' as she handed her daughter a single chocolate chip treat.

Leaf was satisfied, never-less, and took the cookie happily before running back to the television.

Martha knew her daughter was forgetting something though, because she grabbed the back of Leaf's shirt to stop the child's dash, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Oh, sorry," Leaf admitted as she stopped running. "Thanks for the cookie, mama." Once that was said, Leaf ran off again without being held back.

"You're welcome," Martha replied under her breath.

The young girl leapt onto the floor in front of the TV with her precious cookie once the cartoon she was watching returned from commercial break. It was at this time that Leaf heard the phone ring from the kitchen. Her ears also happened to absorb the sound of her mom picking the phone up.

Leaf's eyes remained on the colourful cartoon on the television before her, but she managed to keep an ear on her mother's conversation. What she heard was definitely different than the usual, 'No, he's working, this is his wife.'

Martha's tone started out calmly, "Green residence, may I know who's speaking?"

From there, the tone took a darker edge, "What? Where is he? Can I speak to him?"

There was a pause.

"I can't? Why can't I? Wait, is he...?"

Another pause followed. Then silence. Then all of a sudden, weeping. Leaf turned her head away from the cartoons and focused all her attention on the kitchen, "Mama?" She pushed herself onto her feet and made subtle steps towards the sound of agony.

Leaf had not experienced many emotions in her few years of living, but she understood that people usually cried when they were in pain. With that in mind, and the sight of her mother in complete distraught with the phone clutched in her hands, she formulated the possibility that something terrible had happened.

"Why are you crying, mama?" she asked, with an unhealthy amount of innocence.

Martha didn't look her daughter in the eye for the solid minute that it took to collect herself, and spoke once she had cleared up her voice, though, not her mind. "Leaf... um, we have to go."

Leaf's expression was quizzical. Before she had time to answer, her mama stood up and hustled out of the kitchen. Leaf followed her mother slowly, and once she made it the kitchen door way, she could only stop and stare at the older's woman's erratic and clumsy movements.

Martha's speed could put a Dodrio to shame, as she filled a suitcase and a duffle bag with anything that seemed important. Mainly clothes with a few other necessities like toothbrushes and such, but the most peculiar thing Martha put into the case was something from a tough plastic box. The box was heavy and thick, burdened with memories of Leaf attempting to break it open to see the goodies inside. What Martha pulled out looked like papers, ones with lots of printing on them. It was quite a shame, as Leaf expected something like diamonds or pearls in there.

"Put on your shoes, Leaf. NOW," Martha demanded.

Leaf obeyed, mainly out of fear, but partly out of curiosity. She wanted to know what was happening, whether it be bad or good, and obeying her mother would be a big part of her discovery.

Once her sneakers were strapped on, Leaf felt a jacket being shoved into her face.

"Put it on," her mother demanded again.

Her nod was silent, as so were her actions. Leaf was only in mid-zip when her mom wrapped a single arm around her waist and lifted her daughter out of the apartment.

What happened next, Leaf could barely take in. All she could make out was panicked dashing, a scenery change from a quiet apartment hallway to a cloudy Viridian sky, and finally, the darkness of slumber, which derived from the boredom of being carried.

Leaf was woken up by erratic knocks on a door, and the discomfort of sleeping in while your mother was carrying you with one hand.

Her sage eyes opened and focused on the door of a small townhouse with the numbers 151 stamped onto the surface. Leaf managed to recognize it to an extent, as it was her paternal Uncle's house.

She recalled a memory or two of her visiting this place, and a memory of her father informing her on what this town was called. The latter memory was not as clear as it could be, but she could remember that the town's name started with a 'P.'

Leaf's Uncle, who went by the name Gerry Green, opened the door, eyes tired, body clothed in a nightrobe, and hair messed up.

"Martha? What are you doing here?" he asked.

Leaf waved to him with her little arm, "Hi, Uncle G."

Martha walked into the townhouse hastily, "Gerry, I know it's late at night, but I need you to watch Leaf for me." Martha set Leaf down on Gerry's couch and faced her brother-in-law.

Gerry was confused, "Erm... I don't follow. You want me to do what?"

Martha shoved a small duffle bag into his arms, "Her stuff's in here, legal documents and all. Just talk to social services and-"

Gerry interrupted her, "Wait, wait, are you just dumping your daughter on me for the rest of her life? Kids don't take well to abandonment."

"No way, I'd never do that," Martha defended. "It'll just be for a while, a few months tops, I promise."

Somehow, in Gerry's tired mind, he agreed, "Fine, I'll watch her, but only because you married my brother and I never thought marriage was possible for him."

Martha smiled, "Thank you, you're very kind." She hugged him briefly and separated just as quickly.

Martha then turned around and made her way over to Leaf, who was tired, but still had the ability to listen to what was going on.

"Mama, what's going on? Are you leaving?" Leaf wondered, fearing what the answer may be.

"Leaf, I'm going to be gone for a little while," Martha answered.

"Why?"

Martha struggled to think of an answer, "Because... I'm going on a little vacation."

Leaf found herself interested, "To where?"

"Around the world," Martha answered. "Just for a little while, then I'll come back for you, I promise."

"But I want to come with you, mama," Leaf whined, not seeing the deeper meaning in her mother's tone.

"It's not a kid-friendly place, and Uncle Gerry will take care of you," Martha foretold.

"But Uncle Gerry sucks!" Leaf complained loudly, to which the present Uncle Gerry grumbled at, saying words that couldn't be said in front of a 5 year old child.

"You'll be in safe hands, I promise," Martha confirmed, kissing her daughters forehead and giving her a hug for the last time. "Remember that I love you, Leaf."

"I love you too, mama," Leaf said, holding her mother tightly.

Soon, Martha let go of her daughter and stood up, "Stay safe, sweetheart, I'll be back soon."

"I'll miss you, mama," was the last sentence that Leaf said to her mother.

Martha stepped away from Leaf and looked to Gerry, "Keep her safe."

"Will do," Gerry said.

With all goodbyes over, Martha approached the door, opened it, and left.

Once she was gone, Gerry looked at his niece, "Come on, kid, you can sleep in the guest bedroom upstairs. You'll be fine in there for a few months."

Years later...

Age twelve wasn't one of Leaf's favourite ages. For starters, her voice sounded too boyish for her taste, her hair became greasy, her figure became gawky, and worse of all, her confidence was taking constant blows from all the people to teased her. Mainly Blue, which made her regret the fact that she beat the crap out of him when they first met, as all his teases most likely derived from revenge.

But at least she didn't have to spend the entirety of this awkward phase in Pallet, now she could spend it in all of Kanto. The only thing that shined as a benefit to her situation was the fact that she'd get a pokemon out of it.

She thought about the three possible starters as finished tying her shoes in her bedroom and walked down the stairs of her Uncle's home.

Uncle Gerry was sitting at the table with a coffee and paper in hand when Leaf came into the kitchen.

"Mornin', Uncle G," Leaf greeted as she grabbed a handful of energy bars from the kitchen drawers, opening a single one to enjoy as her breakfast.

"Right back at you, Leaf," the caretaker responded, looking quizzically at his niece. "Um... Leaf, don't you think that a proper breakfast would be more appropriate for today?"

"I don't have time for breakfast, I gotta go," Leaf replied, stuffing the energy bars into her yellow shoulder bag. "Don't wanna be late."

Gerry nodded, "If that's how you see it. Oh, and don't forget." He stood up and made his way to the couch, where a white and red-accented fedora hat sat before tossing it towards Leaf.

Leaf caught it with one hand, "Right, thank you." She put it on her head with the confidence necessary for any pokemon journey. "And also, thanks for putting in a word about me for Professor Oak."

Gerry smiled, "No problem, and he knew who you were anyway, you and his grandson are friends."

Leaf rolled her eyes while a low grumbled was heard from her throat, "Unfortunately... at least he introduced me to Red though."

"Didn't you beat Blue up when you first met him?" Gerry recalled.

Leaf shrugged, "Well, yeah, he kept on giving me shit."

"Don't curse," the older man lectured. "And Red's going on a journey too, right?"

"Yep," Leaf replied once she put her bag on. "At least there'll be someone I like around."

"That's good," Gerry smiled, watching his niece reach for the door. "Got everything you need, Leaf?"

She nodded and looked into her bag, "Yep, food, water bottle, blanket, flashlight and all that jazz. I'll be fine, Uncle G, you know I will."

"Got your pepperspray?" Gerry asked.

Leaf smiled, "I don't leave home without it."

Gerry beamed with pride, "Good girl." He then embraced Leaf in a caring hug, "Good luck on your journey, Leaf. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I can't wait to finally start travelling the world," Leaf daydreamed, thinking about all the possibilities that would open up to her with time. She pulled away from her Uncle and let her voice take a more hopeful tone, while still holding an ounce of seriousness, "Think I might find my mom?"

Gerry took a deep breath, making his tone more steady, "I can't promise that, Leaf."

Leaf sighed, "It's still worth dreaming of." She let go of her Uncle and opened the door to the vast world that was the Kanto region, "See you, Uncle G."

"Stay safe, Leaf," he said as his farewell.

Leaf nodded sternly, walked out of the townhouse she had spent so many years in, and shut the door behind her.

"Here's to adventure," she whispered to herself as she imagined what wonders would happen in the adventure that lay in front of her.

So... what do you think?

Reviewers get ultraballs.

Stay super, y'all.