Chapter 2: Fried Chicken? No, Fried Pidgey

'Wait.'

"Wow, I can't believe I almost forgot." Leon stopped his next step as he turned back to the kids in desperate need of care.

"This could have been really bad." Leon wiped his forehead in relief as he walked back to the kids.

Behind him, he examined Tyson's body but instead of helping, his hands started ruffling through his pockets before pulling out a wad of currency called Pokedollars.

Leon's greedy smile formed onto his impoverished face while truly showcasing his true descent into this world.

"I almost forgot to shake them down." Leon chuckled menacingly while continuing to copy the action two more times with the other injured goons.

"2300 pokedollars!" Leon exclaimed after counting the money without taking into account what the inflation of this world is like.

"I hit the mother load!" Leon jumped up and down in complete happiness.

"I'm rich!" Leon fist pumped into the air again after again.

15 minutes later…

"I'm poor!" Leon grabbed his hair in distress after gazing at the prices for some local fried Pidgey.

'1000 pokedollars for a combo meal! What is wrong with inflation!' Leon lamented a little seeing the crazed prices that only threatened to hurt his newly accumulated wealth as the clerk gazed impatiently at what looked to be a rugged orphan.

"Hey kid I got customers-" His dissatisfied tone was about to resound fully until a sudden cold piercing gaze caused his very spine to shiver uncontrollably.

His words didn't finish with his body forcing him to take a step back instinctively as sweat furiously started to produce all around his body while his mind screamed at him to run.

The eyes of the clerk furiously search for the cause only to lock onto the figure of the supposed rugged orphan as his surprise couldn't believe it stemmed from someone so brittle looking.

"You're a clerk right?" Leon pointed at the clerk who vigorously nodded his head in fear.

"Then do your f*cking job and wait until I order, got it?" Leon sneered as his killing intent flared further, making the clerk somewhat unable to even breath.

"Y-Yes sir!" The clerk resounded as his heart threatened to burst out of his chest.

"That's better, then I'll take the combo meal." Leon then almost instantly changed his expression into a lighthearted smile which didn't even mean to convince the scared sh*tless clerk in the slightest.

However, instead of being the regular average person, this clerk was in reality an aspiring trainer who was working this job while on summer break from his academy.

Many things are taught at his academy but one of, if not, the most crucial segment is instincts.

Academies constantly try to refine and drill their students to enhance their instincts in order for exploring trainers to avoid dangerous situations more easily.

So unlike the average person, this clerk could feel this kid's immense killing intent which if not from realizing his situation would have ran for the exit.

"Y-Y-Yes, of course." The clerk responded as he continuously punched himself in an effort to break free from the hold Leon forced upon him.

At this point, the effectiveness of Leon's murderous intent didn't even make sense to him in the slightest yet here he was, completely terrified and unable to move nor speak a coherent sentence.

'What a brat.' Leon rolled his eyes at this teenangers behavior while handing the kid a thousand of his pokedollars before making his way to his seat.

'Tsk, I can't believe I celebrated without taking into account what inflation is like in this world.' Leon lamented while looking down at his ragged clothing.

'I hope I can at least buy some decent clothes.' Leon leaned back in his seat slightly.

His gaze turned to the ceiling as his mind constantly tried to rummage through the memories that he absorbed to form any sort of plan.

Gazing to the side, he saw the familiar traffic that resembled earth only to then turn his gaze to all the passing pokemon walking with their trainers.

'Still, I can't believe the old me wanted to be a Pokemon champion, what was this kid thinking? Did he really believe that if he studied hard enough, he could become the greatest trainer in the whole wide world? Idiot.' Leon sighed at the nativity of a child.

'He even wanted to specialize in dragon types, why pick the hardest type to get your hands on!' A vein appeared on his forehead but he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

'What a fool.' Leon thought of the memories of his previous self pathetic attempts at gaining knowledge.

'Man, he also took a real beating only to get those sh*tty association textbooks." Leon sighed, running his fingers through his blond hair as he recalled his old self getting beaten up in exchange for used textbooks from other kids at the orphanage. 

Having studied about the Johto region previously, the old Leon had memorized a decent amount of information about the Pokemon found here as well as their locations, characteristics, movesets, nutrition intake, and encounter rates. 

Though inwardly cringing, he couldn't help but be impressed that a twelve-year-old would go so in-depth over these mystical creatures known as pokemon.

'I need to get a Pokemon before joining an existing gang, just to see how the underworld operates here before I go solo.' Leon yawned as the clerk timidly placed a fried Pidgey on his table and scurried away, continuing to keep an eye on him. 

One might believe that this second chance at life could offer a fresh start, but for Leon, the reality was different. 

It wasn't that he had lived too long and had seen too many things, but the idea of simply getting by or settling down into an ordinary life simply unnerved him.

'But man, this world is ruthless for a supposed kids game.' Leon remarked, taking a bite of his food while lamenting at how a world, which was supposed to be a children's game, could be so intense. 

'So these so-called 'trainers' aren't just battling to become Pokemon champions but instead their main role is to be stationed in each city to prevent the onslaught of 'Poke-waves'.' Leon continued, his expression darkening as these memories made him aware of the harsh realities of the Pokemon world. 

'At least I don't have a problem with the idea of fighting to protect my well being.' Leon shrugged, grabbing his drink and taking a long sip. 

*SLURP*

"Ahhh!" Leon let out a refreshed sigh, smiling from ear to ear while stuffing some fires into his mouth after slurping up the cold drink.

'Enough with all these nagging thoughts, let's dig in.'

5 minutes later

*BURP*

"Oh yeah, that hit the spot." Leon said, hopping off the chair and disposing of the remains in the garbage before leaving the place. 

A napkin didn't fully enter the trash as it floated to the ground as Leon wanted to leave before letting out a humongous sigh.

"I might be trash but I don't litter." Leon mumbled, pacing back while throwing the napkin back into the trash while unbeknownst to him, the clerk quickly followed him, trying to get his attention. 

"Wait!" The clerk called out to Leon, who turned back with an annoyed expression. 

"What?" Leon replied bluntly, not trying to hide his irritation as he absentmindedly picked his teeth with his middle finger. 

The clerk hesitated for a moment, unsure how to proceed before finally mustering up some courage.

"How did you do that earlier?" The clerk finally let go of his pride to ask this small child who looked as if he had been cosplaying as a malnourished skeleton.

 "Do what?" Leon pretended not to know, putting both hands behind his head. 

The clerk bit his lip since had been struggling at the academy, dealing with bullying and poor grades. 

But after feeling Leon's overbearing presence, he knew he had to find out how this kid managed to exude such confidence and control. 

Maybe it was due to his inferiority complex, but deep down the idea of being worthless tore his insides and this child who looked nothing more than a bottom feeder showed traits that even he, as a pokemon trainer, never could and above all else the clerk needed to know if it was natural or related to psychic abilities or aura. 

"Please." The clerk clenched his fist and bowed, prompting Leon to smirk and decide to play along. 

"Fine, I'll tell you," Leon shrugged as the clerk raised his head with excitement. 

"Thank you-" 

"For a Pokemon," Leon interrupted, and the clerk's excitement turned to confusion, gazing down at his waist instinctively. 

"Not your Pokemon, dumbass." Leon clarified, shaking his head before pointing towards the outskirts of the city. 

"I want a wild Pokemon that is easier to mold-"

*COUGH* 

"Grow with." Leon corrected himself, coughing to cover up his true intentions with a smile.

"That's illegal. If the association finds out-" The clerk nervously spoke, twiddling his fingers around with clear heistance.

"Then don't tell them. Anyways, do you want to be a schmuck for the rest of your life, or do you want to know why a mere ten-year-old almost made a teenager almost shit his pants?" Leon's words surprised the clerk, who noticed that this kid didn't act his age; instead, he seemed more like a middle-aged man. 

The clerk was about to turn away, but his inferiority complex flared once more while pushing him to consider the consequences and the potential rewards. 

"Listen, kid." Leon figuratively pounced, catching the clerk's attention as he wasn't oblivious to see he was struggling on the right decision to make. 

"I'm guessing you want to be a trainer, right?" Leon held out his hand, waiting for the reply of any sorts as the clerk nodded. 

"Well, you're never going to make it far if you leave here today without my help," Leon bluffed, seeing through the clerk's clear self-conscious nature and directly targeting his weak point along with his aspirations about his skills as a trainer. 

"You don't know-" 

"I know you're desperate if you're asking for help from a mere twelve-year-old orphan and don't try to hide it." Leon rolled his eyes as the clerk flinched, shaking his head with a smirk. 

Leon then used the opportunity of awkward silence to discreetly observe the clerk's expression, seeing his hesitance but not complete denial of what was presented towards him. 

In that second, he knew he had to create some distance to show the clerk that he didn't need him as much as he assumed. 

"We're getting nowhere with this, and it's just wasting my time, which is money, and I don't waste my money." Leon then suddenly turned away from the clerk, who flinched at this immediate gesture. 

"Good luck, kid. I hope my words were wrong, and you do become a strong trainer, but I doubt it." Leon waved while rubbing salt in his metaphoric wounds, throwing out the juicy bait of hope.

Truthfully, Leon had no idea whether the clerk would take his appearance seriously, but he didn't want to return to the Blackthorn Orphanage where his memories had suggested he was a part of. 

He preferred to set off on his own as Leon had an innate difficulty in truly trusting people in a world where getting stabbed in the back was common. 

However with the prospect of pokemon everything changed as he wanted a Pokemon to have his back. 

Humans were fickle creatures, but from what he read from his own memories, Pokemon seemed more upfront and loyal, which Leon greatly appreciated 

"Wait!" The clerk called out from behind Leon, a mad grin forming on his face before changing it to an innocent smile. 

"My shift ends in an hour. I'll help you catch a Pokemon in Blackthorn Forest afterward, but you have to wait for me, alright?" The clerk desperately asked, hoping to discover the secret behind Leon's presence as their conversation made it seem like it was his last hope.

"I'll wait in that alley over there," Leon pointed with his thumb, and the clerk nodded eagerly. 

"I'm Gabe."

"Leon." 

The introduction was finished with a short greeting as they shook hands as Leon flashed a toothy smile.

"Pleasure doing business with you."