Beneath the Red: A Pokemon fanfic

(3rd's pov)

Mew made itself comfortable on Red's head. He even tried out many different forms using Transform, but for now, he set on being in his own form, although he took a liking to Pikachu's body as well. Mew pranked Professor and Daisy by changing into a few Pika-clones in quick succession, making them doubt their eyes. He laughed behind his small hands after he succeeded in his little joke. Also, at one point, Lopunny and Suicune left to go after Mewtwo as well, now that Mew was with Red.

Now that Mew was done with his prank and the initial surprise to him had faded out, it was time to check on Red's Pokemon, who ran away. Mainly Mewtwo and Gardevoir. The trio of humans didn't need to look for long as the Pokemon duo was speaking telepathically out loud... as strange as it sounds.

"*Have you learned your lesson yet, or do I need to punish you further? What you did today was not only an annoyance to me but could cause trouble to Red further down the road. Mew, as much as I hate to admit, is an incredibly rare and powerful Pokemon. Such Pokemon could bring the attention of greedy humans. And don't even start an argument about Suicune being the same. We both know that as much as Suicune would like to deny it, he doesn't have the same level of prestige as Mew.*"

The legendary water-type Pokemon was nearby and heard the entire conversation, at which he gave an annoyed huff but didn't argue too much.

Gardevoir, on the other hand, was forced to look up to Mewtwo, who had his arms crossed as she was forced to sit on her knees with her hands tied behind, thanks to Mewtwo's powers. There was also a large rock on her legs, and by using Gravity, Mewtwo made it even heavier.

"*What you did was stupid and immature. I don't even mind that much if you challenge me at times. You are still young, and such childish actions such as that are to be expected. What I can't forgive is for you to forget how your actions can affect Red. I'm disappointed in your lack of insight, and I hope that you'll try to be better from now on.*"

Mewtwo's rage at seeing Mew almost wholly vanished as he reprimanded Gardevoir like a mother would a child, and Gardevoir, while he hated it, couldn't escape. Mewtwo disabled Teleport and the worst part is that she knew that her fellow Pokemon was correct. Full of embarrassment as she was, she turned her head in shame. Unfortunately, by doing that, she could see Lopunny lazing under a tree, enjoying the view of Gardevoir getting chewed out, and Gardevoir knew that because of Lopunny's smirk.

At that moment, the humans and Mew arrived, and all the Pokemon noticed it. Mewtwo was the first to be acknowledged.

"*Red, Professor, Miss Daisy... Mew.*" The last name was almost hissed out, but his good manners practically didn't allow him to ignore the annoying Pokemon. To be fair, his animosity mostly came from the circumstances of his creation. Mostly. The rest came from Mew himself. The annoying little and powerful prankster. "*I see that you are done with your conversation about... the unexpected teammate of ours. I also see the need to apologize for my behavior earlier. As... shameful as it is to admit it, I lost control over my emotions. It doesn't happen too often, and I promise this situation won't be repeated.*"

"Don't worry about it, Mewtwo. If I were mad every time a Pokemon destroyed something, I would die of stress, hahaha. And yours 'fit' was the least destructive one I witnessed."

"*I appreciate your forgiveness, Professor.*" Then Mewtwo turned to Gardevoir, and as his eyes glowed, the rock vanished, and the Psychic/Fairy pokemon was pulled up. "*Do you have anything to say for yourself?*" Mewtwo asked with a raised eyebrow and waited patiently for Gardevoir to speak, and his patience paid off. Shyly, Gardevoir walked to Red with a low-hanging head as she played with her hands to ease nervousness.

"*I'm sorry, Red. I didn't mean to make it harder for you.*"

Red didn't answer immediately, but he patted the top of the head of his Pokemon, reassuring her that he wasn't mad. Mewtwo also nodded his head approvingly. Now, knowing that her Trainer wasn't angry, Gardevoir almost cried as she tightly hugged Red. At the same time, she looked at Lopunny and showed her tongue. The Normal Pokemon rolled her eyes at the childish display.

Thankfully, everything was solved without any issues, and everyone was ready to return to doing whatever they were doing. The sun was starting to set after a long day. Red wanted to visit Pallet Town, but it was already too late for that, so he would need to wait until tomorrow. First, he wanted to eat something. Red may have eaten not so long ago, but he could have eaten some more. And the first thing tomorrow morning, he'll start his training to keep himself healthy. Red may like to eat, but he knew that he couldn't just eat, do nothing, and stay in shape at the same time.

"Do you have plans for tomorrow?" Daisy asked Red, and unfortunately, he froze. He thought that he had made some progress when he was able to answer her questions before, but this time, he wasn't prepared. Thankfully, Red had Mewtwo.

"*We wished to see the town. While we rode through it earlier today, we couldn't observe its characteristics in further detail.*"

If Red could, he would have kissed Mewtwo and as the Psychic Pokemon read his Trainer's mind, lightly slapped the back of his head telepathically at his stupid thoughts.

"Then maybe you would like a guide. You said that you wanted to travel. I don't know when you want to depart, but I can show you around where you can buy necessities for a good price."

"*That sounds reasonable. We appreciate the thought.*" Mewtwo, as usual, answered for Red. Daisy started getting used to it, although she knew the man and his Pokemon for only a day. It just felt... right. It doesn't mean that she gave up on getting friendly with him. That was still a work in progress, which won't be solved in one day, but she'll get there someday.

(Mewtwo's pov)

It was nighttime, but it was not time for rest just yet. All of Red's Pokemon were allowed to sleep outside their Pokeballs thanks to all the space that Professor Oak is in possession and using this opportunity, all of us agreed to discuss our next course of action.

"*As some of you already know, Professor Oak requested Miss Daisy to accompany us on our journey earlier today. We will discuss the pros and cons and decide by voting in the end.*" I took the lead in the conversation. "*With that said, I would like to comment that it would be beneficial for Red to have continuous contact with another human being.*" I added.

"*But doesn't Red have a problem with exactly that?*" Gardevoir tried to argue.

"*Then it's a good thing. Confronting his issues face-front is the first step in solving them and getting stronger. That's how we grew as well, by challenging ourselves. *Yawn**" Loppuny countered back. *Not to mention that Daisy can cook, and her food is delicious*" She added at the end.

"*That's true! Her food is great! And she smells nice!*" Arcanine was a Pokemon that wasn't complicated. If Red was happy, he was happy. If he could eat delicious food, he was happy. If he could battle to his heart's content, he was, you guessed it, happy.

"*...Right.*" I wasn't sure how to respond to Arcanine's statement, so I just acknowledged it and moved on. "*Suicune, any valuable inputs?*"

Suicune looked like he was thinking deeply with his eyes closed, and after a short moment of silence, he reopened them.

"*Lopunny's argument holds some truth to it. As she stated earlier today, humans are social animals, and even with Red's... condition, I believe Daisy would be an ideal candidate for a companion. She seems understanding and kind, or am I mistaken, Gardevoir?*" He said with a small smirk, at which Gardevoir tried to show a middle finger, which looked strange with her three-fingered hand. Despite that, she didn't deny the legendary Pokemon's claim, which was an answer enough. "*That said, it would be interesting to travel with her.*" Suicune added at the end.

"*You just want to eat her delicious, so don't act so high and mighty, water dog? Water cat? Whatever you are. If you were so important, why aren't you more specific? I know that I am dog-like. I think it makes me better.*"

Arcanine took the chance to annoy Suicune the first moment he could, and Suicune uncharacteristically took the bait. Arcanine was one of the few who could do it.

"*As if my reasoning for something as important as Red's companion would end up being my stomach. Who do you think I am? You?*" Suicune then raised his head as if to look down on Arcanine. "*And to answer your question. I am a legendary Beast, and if you don't stop spouting nonsense, I'll demonstrate you why I'm called that.*"

"*Enough!*" I stopped any further conflict before it escalated. "*It isn't time to argue about something pointless at the moment. This isn't the topic of our discussion, so let us speak about what matters, and that is our decision towards Miss Daisy.*" I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Why do I need to act like the only adult here? I'm not even the oldest one here. That would be Lopunny. *"Steelix?*"

The gentle giant lowered his head to be more on eye level with everyone. "*I think that Red could use some human contact. Even if we can talk with him and he can share everything with us without being judged, it's not the same.*" Steelix was talking slowly and carefully chose his words. He didn't say something wrong by accident.

I nodded at Steelix's opinion, taking it into consideration, but after that, I sighed. I would have liked to ignore the last member of our group, but I couldn't. As much as I don't like the blue ball of jokes and unseriousness, I'll push away my animosity for the sake of Red.

I looked at Mew, who floated around looking pretty carefree, but the looks can be deceiving. The mythical Pokemon was listening carefully.

"*Mew, something to add?*"

The tiny blue Pokemon didn't answer immediately, but after a short time of thinking, it laughed behind his hands. "*Hehe, she has funny reactions.*"

I rolled my eyes. "*Of course you focus on that. I don't even know what I was expecting. With that said, I believe that everyone said their piece, and we can begin voting.*"

It's truly tiresome to be the only responsible in the group.

(3rd's pov)

It was early in the morning, and Red had already woke up, but despite the early hour, he was well rested. The bed at Professor Oak's house was nothing like the hospital bed. It was expected but, at the same time, unexpected. He read on the Internet that nothing beats a bed at home, but the only bed he ever used as far as he remembered was the aftermentioned hospital bed.

This bed may not be his bed, but Red has gained a new appreciation for sleeping. Not feeling weak the first thing in the morning was a fantastic bonus as well.

Now, to keep feeling like that for the incoming years, Red was preparing to train. A morning run sounded like a good start, but running alone could get boring. Thankfully, he knew just a Pokemon that would gladly accompany him. Of course, all of Red's Pokemon would drop everything they were doing to go with Red whatever he was doing, but one of them would be especially happy for that occasion.

Red didn't take long to find Arcanine on Professor Oak's ranch.

"H-hey Arcanine." Hearing his Trainer's voice, Arcanine turned towards him energetically, lowered his head, and wagged his tail, creating a strong wind because of his speed and power. "Do you w-want to go for a run with me?" Red asked as he patted a happy Pokemon, making even a happier Pokemon.

Without hesitation, Arcanine nodded his head vigorously.

"Then let's g-go"

While Red still occasionally stuttered, it was a slight improvement from yesterday. He was speaking with a bit more confidence.

With that said and done, Red and his Arcanine were ready for a run, but they were stopped by another of Red's Pokemon. Mew floated toward his Trainer with visible curiosity.

"Do you want to join a-as well?" Red asked, and Mew excitedly made circles in the air, which could only mean that he wanted to tag along. "Sorry, but you can't s-stay looking like this. C-can you turn into something more... common?"

The shiny Pokemon seemed to think for a moment and used Transform to turn into a non-shiny Pikachu (not that many people would notice a difference). He looked incredibly smug, pulling those off, even though it was as easy as breathing to him. Despite that, Mew earned a head pat from Red. Probably because he was cute and nice to touch.

"W-well then, let's go."

---

It was the first time Red ran in his life, so he had some difficulty with setting the right rhythm so he wouldn't get tired, but after a few minutes, he found a perfect pace. For the first run, Red had an extra difficulty in the shape of an electric rat that didn't want to run with his Trainer and just sat on his head the whole time. Although Mew, disguised as Pikachu, cheered on Red from time to time. Arcanine, on the other hand, ran circles around Red. If the black-haired young man didn't know any better, he would have thought that the Fire-type Pokemon was taunting him, but that was just a case of a lot of energy combined with the happiness from spending time with his Trainer.

After Red was done with jogging, which took about 30 minutes, it was time for another exercise. He returned to his temporary room and took his shirt off. No reason to get a sweaty shirt if one can avoid it. Arcanine left for the ranch, but Mew stuck around.

Red did nothing out of the ordinary. Just some push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. He didn't test his limits or anything like that, but he built up a sweat.

*Knock* *Knock*

At that moment, Red heard knocking on the door, but since all of his Pokemon except Mew wasn't with him, he didn't answer. Mew could probably use telepathy to translate what Red was thinking for whoever was at the door, but why would he. It would be much more entertaining to see how it plays out. As long as Red wasn't in danger or it was something of utter importance, he would just enjoy chaos.

Not hearing an answer, the person behind the door opened it, revealing Professor Oak's granddaughter, Daisy, who witnessed shirtless Red standing in the middle of the room. He was kind of shining as a light from the window reflected his sweat. Red wasn't exactly muscular, but they were visible here and there.

Daisy instantly went Red and tried to cover her eyes, but there were still some gasps between her fingers as her eyes traveled up and down. She quickly realized what she was doing and practically ran out of the room, closing the door behind her with a lot of force.

"I-Im sorry! You didn't answer, so I thought it was safe to enter! I just wanted to ask if you want to go to town now or a bit later! I-I'll be at the ranch, so let me know later! Bye!"

Impressively, Red didn't even blink, but as usual, inside, he was a mess. In the meantime, Mew laughed at an amusing situation he just witnessed. With Red, he certainly wouldn't get bored easily.

(Daisy's pov)

What was that!? Why did I check him out? I hope he doesn't hate me after it, but why didn't he answer to the knocking? I know that he usually stays quiet, but to go to this extent...

Maybe he wanted to be seen by me? His Pokemon, Mewtwo, called me attractive. If that's the case, maybe he asked his Pokemon to call me that because he didn't want to say it out loud himself.

I mean, Red is fairly attractive, but we have only known each other for one day. A love at first sight? I remember that when we first met, he looked me straight in the eyes for an extended amount of time. Is it really that? No, no, no, no! I must imagine things. My gossip-loving brain just makes things up. He was probably so into his workout that he didn't hear the knocking.

In moments like this, I hate my inexperience with boys. I could easily befriend them, but they are usually intimidated by my status as a granddaughter of the famous Professor Oak, or they want to use me to get close to him, and it didn't get any better when Blue got famous throughout the entire region.

I shouldn't overthink what happened, but how am I going to look him in the eyes after I enjoyed his body!? I should act like usual, and if he brings this up, I'll apologize. Yes, that's a good plan.

With my newfound conviction, I nodded my head in determination.

(3rd's pov)

Red needed advice, so he went to the only person/Pokemon that he knew could help him, Mewtwo. The legendary Pokemon sensed that Red was looking for him, so he teleported near his Trainer. He immediately noticed that Red was feeling gloomy and down, and that worried him.

"*Red!? Is everything alright!? Did something happen!? Who do I need to send to the bottom of the ocean!?*"

Red ignored all these questions from his Pokemon as he had one of these himself.

"Mewtwo, do I look horrendous?"

That surprised the legendary Pokemon, and he needed a moment to understand what he had just been asked by his Trainer. He didn't even register that Red didn't stutter.

"*Excuse me?*"

"I asked if I look bad. Am I so bad to look at to avert your eyes?"

Mewtwo knew that he was missing a lot of context.

"*Red, what happened? I didn't take you for one to care about appearance like that.*"

"*Sigh* I usually wouldn't even think about it, but this morning, Daisy came to my room, and when she saw me, she covered her eyes and exited the room as fast as possible. I don't know why else would she do that if not because she found me ugly. The better question is why she did it only now and not yesterday."

Mew once again was flabbergasted. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that Mewtwo was the one who understood Red the most since he was inside his psyche for some time when he went through the young man's memories, but maybe the legendary Pokemon overestimated himself. He didn't take Red for being so... unversed in human interaction, although he should have expected it.

"*Before I answer that, can I ask if you were fully clothed when Miss Daisy entered the room?*"

Red was confused by this question but answered nonetheless.

"I was without a shirt... Do you think that there's nothing wrong with my face, but my body is the problem? When I looked at myself through the reflection, I didn't find any irregularities. My ribs aren't visible. No scars that I could see, nor any ugly marks. My skin looks healthier than ever. I don't know what's wrong."

Red was clearly down as he tried to find the reason for Daisy's behavior, but finding nothing was discouraging. He would rather know what was wrong with him than not.

Mewtwo put his hand over his eyes as he sighed.

"*Red, do you know the meaning of modesty when speaking of clothes?*"

"I do, but what does it have to do with anything? I wasn't naked or anything g like that. I wore more clothes than I did during examinations in the hospital. Does this world have different modesty views?"

"*...No, I don't believe so. For now, you don't need to worry about it. Just know that Daisy doesn't find you 'horrendous' as you described before. It was a normal reaction for a female of your species after seeing you without a shirt. You'll learn about it in the future, as, for now, you have a lot more on your plate with a whole new culture while being mostly ignorant of your own because of your condition. And to answer your question. No, you are not ugly by human standards. I would even call you handsome and exotic to some extent because of your scarlet eyes.*"

"I see... Thanks Mewtwo. I was panicking a bit. I still have a lot to learn about human interaction."

"*And you'll learn, and I'll be there if you need any help at any time. I'll flat mountains and split the oceans if that's what's required to help you.*"

Mewtwo floated closer to Red and rested his three-fingered hand on his Trainer's head.

"*Remember, I'll always be there for you.*"

Having someone to lean on was incredible for Red to experience, but in moments like this, he was happy to have Mewtwo as his Pokemon.

---

Before searching for Daisy, Red asked all of his Pokemon if they wanted to join him on his walk around the town. Steelix, unfortunately, didn't have much choice because of his size, so he stayed on the ranch. Suicune chose to stay behind as well because of his legendary status. Gardevoir was 'convinced' to not follow Red. Arcanine still had a lot of energy to burn through, and being in town wouldn't help with it. Lopunny, on the other hand, wanted to see the town. The usually lazy Pokemon wanted to tag along. Mew was really curious about the shopping as well.

"*Red, I'll accompany you, but I'll refrain from talking as much as possible. I believe this is an opportunity for training. Do not fret. I'll be nearby if you'll require my assistance.*"

Red nodded with determination in his eyes.

---

Soon after the talk with his Pokemon, Red found Daisy with Mewtwo's help. Seeing the young Trainer, Daisy panicked a bit but quickly collected herself.

"Sooooo... Red. You want to go take a look at what Pallet Town has to offer?" Red nodded. "Great! Are you taking any of your Pokemon?" Red nodded again and made a gesture with his arm to his 3 accompanying Pokemon, which nodded at Daisy as well.

"*I am aware of my... unusual appearance, which can cause complications, so I'll be out of the people's view most of the time. I'm mostly coming because of safety reasons. I don't doubt Lopunny's prowess, but I think the saying goes '2 Pokemon are better than 1'.*"

"I see... I wouldn't mind you coming with us. Most people here would probably think that you are a rare Pokemon from another region." Daisy commented. In this world, not everyone was a Pokemon expert. Most people in Kanto have never seen a Rookidee or a Pikipek in their life, and they are pretty common in Galar and Alola, respectively, so seeing Mewtwo would, at most, be an unusual sight.

"*I appreciate your concern, Miss Daisy, but I don't enjoy crowds too much either way. If I can avoid them, I will. However, I'll be nearby if either of you will be in need of my assistance.*"

With that said, Mewtwo vanished after teleporting away, leaving Red, Daisy, Mew, and Lopunny alone.

Daisy stood there in silence. She was accustomed to seeing Pokemon using Teleport, but Mewtwo was using it so effortlessly. This really was a showcase of Mewtwo's power. Two Pokemon can use the same move, but the power and effort can vary even among Pokemon of the same species.

Mew used this moment to remind everyone what they were supposed to be doing by jumping at Daisy and lightly patting her head.

"Oh, right. Let's start the tour around the town."

---

Pallet Town wasn't a big town, but despite that, it had everything everyone needed to live comfortably. There wasn't much to see there. The most popular area was a marketplace where inhabitants of Pallet Town gathered. Funnily enough, the houses were pretty far away from the center of the town where the market was located, so the locals went out of their way to meet there. It wasn't that unusual for it to happen in smaller towns like that.

"Unfortunately, there isn't much to see in Pallet Town. This marketplace is the most exciting place here, except for Grandpa's lab, of course. We have a small Poke Mart here as well, but it is mostly used for Pokemon needs and Trainer's items. It's not used much, but just enough for it to not get closed."

Daisy explained everything as she guided a human and his two Pokemon. Mew, disguised as Pikachu, was riding on Red's shoulder, looking around in intrigue and stopping himself from pranking all the people around. It was a valiant effort, and logic won over entertainment... this time. Mewtwo was... somewhere, and Lopunny looked around curiously as well but wasn't as into it as Mew until her eyes landed on a stall with berries. There wasn't anything extraordinary about it, but the berries looked appetizing. Especially the Bluk Berries that Lopunny had her eyes on.

The female Pokemon grabbed the hem of Red's shirt, stopping him. Red tilted his head in confusion until Lopunny pointed at the stall. The Trainer understood his Pokemon immediately and, not wanting to disappoint his Pokemon, went to the owner of the stall. In the meantime, Daisy didn't notice that Red stopped and was talking to herself as she walked away.

Red was determined to buy the Berries for Lopunny and said Pokemon had stars in her eyes. The young but socially anxious Trainer approached the owner of the stall with his signature expression that seemed like he was completely calm and in control, but he was anything but. However, for his Pokemon, he will try.

"Hey, young man. Does anything catch your eye?" The older man, who was the owner of the stall, asked in a friendly manner, but Red didn't answer and just stared at the older man from underneath his cap.

The seller wasn't discouraged. He met many people, and a silent treatment, while unusual, wasn't anything new.

"I see..." The man rubbed his chin as he thought. "I know that look in your eyes... You aren't satisfied with the prices! Aren't you. You want to haggle, but let me warn you. I'm not one to drop my prices easily. Unless you are a pretty girl of course, hahaha! ...Please don't tell my wife that I said that."

Red didn't answer and only looked at the Bluk Berries.

"Ah, I see the Bluk Berries caught your eyes. Excellent decision. The batch I just got was one of the best in some time. These ones come from Hoen. They are mostly used to make Pokeblocks, but when eaten as is, they are sour. Also, they dye the mouth black when eaten. Normally, I would sell them for 30 Pokedollars, but for you, I'll drop to just 20 per Berry. How about it?"

Red remained silent but turned to Lopunny, who was locked on these Berries. Mew, however, was staring at Lum Berries.

"Your Pikachu looks like he wants some Lum Berries. They have a well-balanced flavor, but that's not the best part about them. They can also heal status conditions such as Paralysis or Burn. They are useful and extremely common despite their long nurturing period. These ones were even grown in Kanto, and just like Bluk Berries, I'll sell them for 30 Pokedollars.

Red looked at the owner and said nothing. However, for the old man, it felt like Red released some kind of pressure.

'Is... is he not satisfied with the prices? Did he realize that I tripled the normal price? I thought that he was just a tourist who didn't know any better. I know everyone who goes here, and he is a new face. There also aren't many shops around here, so the prices I give are the prices you are gonna get, but he looks like he is going to kill me.'

"H-how about I lower the prices for a handsome young man like yourself? 10 Pokedollars for every Berry. N-not a bad deal, huh?"

The stall owner started sweating from nervousness, but the only answer he got from Red was silence with a signature stare, and he could swear he could see a glint in Red's eyes.

"Y-you know what? I-I'll give you 10 of Bluk and Lum Berries for free. I-it's a once-a-day offer!"

The old man quickly shoved all 20 Berries into a bag, gave it to Red, and left the stall.

Red looked at the bag in his hand in confusion. Was he lucky today? But now in his ownership were Berries, so he gave Bluk Berry to Lopunny, who happily sunk her teeth into it, and Lum Berry to Mew, who first gave it a lick before slowly eating it.

"Here... you... are..." Daisy was out of breath as she finally found Red. After realizing that, Red stopped following her, which took longer than she would like to admit since she tried to avoid looking at him as much as possible out of embarrassment. She didn't want to think about- No, stop! She won't think about it. "Sorry, I... lost sight of you..."

Red shook his head as if saying that it wasn't her fault. Daisy understood his intention and smiled gratefully.

After finding Red, Daisy continued guiding the young Trainer.

---

In the meantime, Mewtwo looked down from one of the buildings on the Berry stall that Red used and thought to himself, 'Did I release too much pressure?'.

---

(A/N Mewtwo becomes more and more like a mom every chapter. Also, Mew likes Lum Berries as an easter egg. In Pokemon Emerald's Mew event, when you encounter Mew on Faraway Island, it always holds a Lum Berry. In other events, it can also hold Salac Berry, but I choose Lum Berry for one reason. It was the only event where you encounter Mew, and it's not gifted to you.)

END

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