Leaf

**Leaf** is a tertiary protagonist in Pokémon Red (Animation Series).

## Biography

### Early Life and time with Team Rocket

Leaf grew up at an orphanage at the Sevii Islands, living a peaceful life with the other children and Pokémon. However, her life changed when Team Rocket, led by Archer invaded the Islands and captured everyone. Leaf, along with several other children, was drafted into becoming a Team Rocket Grunt, but hated seeing Pokémon get imprisoned and tortured. She tried to escape at one point, but a higher rank person caught her and threw her in a cell as punishment.

### Meeting Red

As Leaf grew older, she snuck aboard a Team Rocket ship and made her escape to Pallet Town to start a new life. She first saw Red while hiding from the trees as the former was saying goodbye to Blue. Days later, Leaf made her move to try and stop Team Rocket herself. To do so, she stole the last remaining Starter Pokémon Professor Oak had, Bulbasaur, and tried to run away. Red's Mother tried to stop her with Poliwag, but Leaf used Bulbasaur to defeat the latter.

Before Leaf could exit Pallet Town, Red, who had returned from Celadon City, stopped her at the pathway. Leaf tried to fight off Red, but the latter's Doduo easily defeated Bulbasaur. After the battle, Red took Leaf and Bulbasaur's Poké Ball back to the Lab. As Red and Professor Oak looked at her and wonder what to do, Leaf told them her story. Feeling sympathetic to Leaf's story, Oak taught her how the Pokémon world works and allowed her to keep Bulbasaur as her starter. Red remembered that he saw Team Rocket was at Celadon City, and Oak suggested they go to the police and report the criminals there. Before Red and Leaf left, Red's Mother gave her a travel bag and puts Red's leaf pin on it. In turn, Red receives a fire pin to put on his hat.

### Rocket Game Corner

Red and Leaf head to Celadon City and visited the Celadon Mansion. After they received an Eevee each from a resident, Red and Leaf noticed two Team Rocket Grunts entering Route 7 and follow them. As they train their Eevees, they saw a Growlithe and a Vulpix. Leaf slyly took one of Red's Poké Balls and used it to catch the Vulpix. Annoyed that Leaf stole a Poké Ball from him, Red pushed her to a Trainer so she can get money to buy things. Returning to Celadon City, Red and Leaf saw Team Rocket discussing the Game Corner and how it was making them a profit, along with the secret switch in the building to enter the Hideout. With this knowledge, Red and Leaf try to warn the authorities, but they fail as Team Rocket has bribed them into looking the other way. The two get dejected, but a woman tells them not to give up and suggests they go to the Department Store to buy some Evolution Stones.

Red and Leaf enter the Department Store, Leaf buying a new hat. As they get to the Evolution Stone area, Leaf buys a Fire Stone for Vulpix, and a Water Stone for Eevee. On the roof, Leaf evolved Eevee and Vulpix into Vaporeon and Ninetales respectively. The folowing day, Red and Leaf train their Pokémon, preparing themselves for their attack on the Team Rocket Hideout. The two discretely push the button and enter the Hideout. Immediately, two Grunts attack, but Red and Leaf quickly defeat them. Then, Leaf took the Grunts clothes and had herself and Red disguise themselves so they can sneak around the place. However, Red blows their cover after he sucker punched a Grunt for ripping off the skull of a Marowak.

With their cover blown, Red and Leaf go on the offensive and begin attacking the Grunts. As Charmeleon and Bulbasaur deal with the Grunt's Pokémon, two more Grunts appear and use Koffing to suffocate Leaf with Smog. Leaf tried to call the police, but she and Ninetales are knocked out and Petrel tells the officer to stand down. After Red and Charizard defeat the Grunts, the former propped Leaf against a wall before he went after Giovanni. After Red drove out Giovanni, he collapsed next to Leaf after an exhausting battle.

### Celadon City

With their success at driving Team Rocket out of Celadon City, Red took Leaf outside the Hideout and gave the keys to the prize Pokémon over to the International Police, freeing them. Red and Leaf told the International Police and the news everything they learned from their adventures under the Game Corner, all while getting medical treatment for themselves and their Pokémon. The news makes all the way across Kanto as the bribed police officer is arrested, and Red's Mother and Professor Oak watch in delight. Both Red and Leaf became heroes for their bravery, though she took the exposure better than the former. As Red and Leaf met up, the former gave her his Old Rod and explained that he would go back to challenging Gym Leaders for their Badges. While Red fought Erika, Leaf continued fishing, only to see fire coming from the Celadon Gym. When Leaf got to the Gym, the place was coated in flames as everyone tried to put the fires out.

After Leaf and Vaporeon put out the fires, and the interior was repaired, she sits down with Erika and the Gym Trainers. Leaf explained her history with Team Rocket and how much guilt she had, but Erika took her under her wing to talk through things. Erika explained that like the leaves fall off a tree, the flowers bloom anew and begin a new beginning for someone. Taking the message to heart, Leaf trained Bulbasaur some more and evolves him into Ivysaur. Erika was pleased by this and rests for a bit, while Red heads out to continue his journey.

Left to her own devices, Leaf fought Erika in a Gym Battle, where the latter also used it as an opportunity to teach her the basics of Pokémon battling. Once Leaf learned how type advantage and disadvantages worked, she defeated Erika's Bellsprout and Gloom and won the Rainbow Badge.

### Traveling Alone

Days later, Leaf reunited with Red after she captured a Snorlax he was about to capture. Red was annoyed that Leaf stole his capture, but she instead showed the former what she was up to after they split up. As Leaf bragged about winning the Rainbow Badge and being on the cover of Bulbapedia magazine, Red left her after recalling about another Snorlax at Route 12.

## Milestones

### Badges

* Rainbow Badge
* Bolder Badge
* Thunder Badge