Pokémon: Smugleaf's Journey
Chapter 1: Why Do All Good Things Come To An End?
Sunlight filtered in through the leaves of the lush treetops overhead, bathing the green grass of the forest with sunlight. A light breeze caused the leaves to dance and the grass to sway gently. Cheerful birdsong echoed through the treetops. It was another beautiful day…
…but it was nowhere near peaceful.
"Stupid Rattata! That's mine! Back off!"
"Make us, lizard face!"
In a small clearing deep within the forest, a fight over territory had broken out. This was very common due to the large amount of wild Pokémon inhabiting the area. Many were common species but, on occasion, Pokémon not native to the forest will appear.
On one side was a green reptile with a cream-colored underside. A yellow stripe ran down the length of its back and tail. It had yellow markings around its large brown eyes. Yellow curved structures protruded from its shoulders and bent backward. It had slender green arms with three fingers and tiny cream feet. A large leaf with three prongs grew from the end of its tail.
On the other side, surrounding a large bush overflowing with juicy berries, was a group of small rats. They had purple fur on their backs and cream-colored fur on their stomachs. They had long whiskers and long, slightly curled tails. The most notable feature was their large teeth.
"Yeah! Make us!" one of the rats taunted.
"This is ours now!" another cried. "Go away!"
"I claimed that first," the lizard growled, small hands curling into fists. "You've got plenty of berry bushes. Leave mine alone, you stupid rats!"
"No! This one's the best! It's ours now!" one of the rats declared. "Besides, this territory isn't even yours! You don't even belong here!"
"So? I worked hard to get this place," the lizard said firmly. "I'm not letting you take it from me. Now back off!"
"Make us!" the Rattata group dared.
They began to scurry around the bush. Some started to paw at the ground while others tore the leaves. The lizard stood his ground, refusing to be goaded into attacking. His stubbornness waned when some of the Rattata dared to nibble at the berries. When the pack actually began to eat them, he allowed himself to strike.
"I said back off!" he yelled.
A pair of green vines erupted from the yellow structures on his shoulders. The twin vines began lashing out at the rats, smacking and spanking and tossing them around. All the while, the lizard let a smug smirk cross his features. The Rattata quickly began to retreat, unable to stand up against the lizard's devastating attacks.
Once all of the rats were gone, the vines withdrew into the yellow structures. The lizard approached the ruined berry bush, noting that many of the berries were either half-eaten or entirely gone. The leaves were shredded and the ground had claw marks engraved in it. It was barely recognizable anymore.
Frowning, the lizard turned and left the berry bush behind. He'd let the Rattata have it. It was worthless to him now that most of the berries were gone.
"Besides, this territory isn't even yours! You don't even belong here!"
The lizard frowned, coming to a stop by the riverbank. He stared at his reflection before smacking it with his tail. Then he began to drink, forcing the Rattata's words from his mind.
He sat up, wiping water from his mouth with his arm. "They're just jealous," he said with a smirk. "They've never left this forest. I have. They don't know what's out there. They think this forest is all the world has to offer. It's not even close. Stupid Rattata… What do they know? Their heads are full of fluff compared to mine."
He stared at his reflection again and frowned. For a moment, he was certain he had seen… No, it couldn't be. He was long gone now.
"What do they know?" he repeated firmly.
He stood up and left the river.
.o.o.o.o.
Seashell yawned, her white arms stretching above her head. She flopped down on her back in the grass, watching the clouds go by overhead. Her large dark eyes blinked tiredly, exhaustion weighing on them heavily.
Seashell was an Oshawott, the Water-type starter Pokémon of the Unova region. She looked very similar to a small otter. She had round white head with small triangular dark blue ears on the sides. There were speckles on the sides of her face, which were actually extremely short whiskers. Her torso was light blue, as were the bubble-like features that made up a collar around her neck. A pale yellow seashell, probably the cause of her name, was attached to her stomach but could easily be removed. She had dark blue feet and a slightly plank-shaped dark blue tail. If she opened her mouth, a pair of fangs could be seen.
A loud thump, followed by lighter thud, caused her to roll onto her stomach. Sitting only a few feet away was her trainer. He called himself Darren. He was the one to give her the name 'Seashell'. She was still getting used to the name, but it sure sounded nice.
They had been traveling through this forest for the past day and a half. Darren spent most of the time training her to get stronger. Seashell shivered as she remembered all the Pokémon she had been pitted against.
Why do I have to fight? she wondered, lowering her head sadly.
"Huh? Hey! Seashell, look!"
Seashell looked at Darren just as the ten-year-old jumped to his feet. He was pointing across the river. The Oshawott followed his finger and blinked in surprise.
Across the river, drinking peacefully, was a Snivy. Seashell had known one back at the lab before she had been given to Darren. She had never known there were wild Snivy.
"Perfect! Seashell, let's go!" Darren declared, already off and running toward the riverbank. "We've got to catch it!"
"Huh?" Seashell yelped, bounding after him. "But…I'm no good against Grass-type Pokémon!"
Sadly, Darren, being human, couldn't understand her. He simply kept running, deeming her cry as one of joy instead of one of fear. He had his heart set on catching himself that Snivy.
.o.o.o.o.
The lizard left the river behind, reentering the forest. A single sniff confirmed that the Rattata group had indeed taken the ruined berry bush as part of their own territory. He didn't care much anymore. He had something else to do at the moment.
It didn't take much searching to find them. It was a pair of acorn-like Pokémon and a green spider with a black face on its abdomen. He didn't hesitate to lunge toward them. The trio didn't even have a chance to cry out.
A single swipe of his tail tossed the green spider, a Spinarak, against a tree trunk. Vines emerged from his shoulder structures, wrapping around the two Seedot and throwing them around. Something sharp hit him in the back, causing the lizard to whip around and set the acorn Pokémon loose. The Spinarak was back on its feet, throwing purple needles at him from its mandibles.
Poison Sting, he realized.
He dodged the next few, avoiding getting poisoned. The vines emerged again, grabbing the spider and throwing it into the Seedot. All three collapsed into a pile, defeated. The lizard smirked triumphantly before walking away.
His next opponent came from above. A Pidgey, flanked by two Taillow, shot down from the treetops to ambush him. He easily dodged them before catching the two dark blue and red birds with his vines. He pinned their wings to their sides, preventing them from flying away. Then he spun around, using the trapped pair as makeshift weapons against their Pidgey leader. The little brown and white bird was quickly knocked from the sky, crashing to the ground.
He dropped the Taillow duo, hitting them with his vines before proceeding to do the same with the Pidgey. All three were defeated just as easily as the Spinarak and the Seedot were. He was actually beginning to grow bored defeating them.
"These guys are weak," he muttered. "They were a challenge when I first came here, but now…"
He shook his head in disappointment, walking away. He headed back toward the river, wanting to clean the dirt off of his body. Once the shore came into sight, he smirked and left the trees behind.
"Now, Seashell! Use Water Gun!"
A human? Here? Impossible! The lizard quickly jumped back, dodging a blast of water. Why are humans this deep in the forest?
He turned to face a young boy, no doubt a new trainer, and an Oshawott. He did a double-take at seeing the Water-type. It had been a long time since he had last seen one of those. He smirked upon seeing that she was trembling. She was scared…
"Seashell, use Water Gun again!" the boy ordered. "Don't let it escape!"
"Too bad, kid," he muttered. "I'm not about to be caught."
"Sorry, mister Snivy," the Oshawott, obviously a female from the voice, apologized.
The lizard, a Snivy, frowned. "Keep your apologies. I don't need or want them," he said coldly.
The Oshawott, Seashell as the human seemed to call her, responded by shooting water at him. The Snivy dodged again, lunging forward this time in retaliation. Vines erupted from his shoulders, whipping at the Oshawott and sending her sailing backward into her trainer's legs. They both fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
The vines withdrew. "Leave," he said firmly.
The boy stubbornly sat up, eyes widening in shock as he watched the Snivy begin to walk away. "Oh no, you don't! Seashell, time to use our secret weapon!"
"Secret weapon?" the Snivy chuckled, stopping in his tracks. "What else could you possibly throw at me, human? Your little otter is no match for me. You just refuse to admit it."
The Oshawott nodded, getting back on her feet shakily. "O-okay!" she said, trying her hardest to sound brave.
She's terrified, the Snivy thought. A smirk crossed his lips. This'll teach her to try winning a battle that she's already lost!
He whipped around, leaves emerging from his shoulder structures. They floated in front of him, apparently refusing to fall to the ground. With a flick of his tail, the leaves suddenly shot toward the Oshawott. She didn't even have time to cry out before she was overwhelmed. The boy cried out in shock but sat on the ground, paralyzed. The Snivy frowned.
"This is why I hate humans so much," he muttered. "They try to act like our best friends but when we really need them, they abandon us to save themselves. Humans can't be trusted to do anything right. You were better off leaving when you first had the chance, Oshawott. I hope you choose your path more wisely next time."
The leaves suddenly dispersed, fluttering to the ground. The battered Oshawott lay sprawled on her back. The Snivy could see blood staining her fur. So she bruised easily, huh? Pathetic…
He turned his back on them, walking back toward the forest. That battle… It was the first truly exciting one I've had in quite some time. That thrill… It's good to feel that again. Too bad it may be the last time...
He suddenly realized that the human was talking. He tuned in, wondering if maybe the boy had another Pokémon for him to fight. Not that he'd care if the human didn't, but…
"There we go, Seashell! Now let's hit him!"
"Huh?" The Snivy whipped around, blinking in shock upon seeing the Oshawott back on her feet.
"Again, I'm sorry," she apologized, pulling the seashell off of her stomach.
"Wha—"
"Seashell, hit him with Air Slash!" the boy yelled, eyes gleaming in triumph.
No, the Snivy thought. A Water-type…with a Flying-type move?
"This'll hurt a bit, mister Snivy," the Oshawott said, raising the seashell and pointing it at him. "But everything will feel better when you wake up, I promise."
"Keep your promises. I'm not going anywhere," he said calmly, forcing himself to keep his cool. She's bluffing! She's got to be bluffing! How could she know Air Slash?
"I'm afraid you are," she said solemnly.
She tossed her seashell high into the air, slashing it in the Snivy's direction the moment she caught it again. The Grass-type stepped back in fear as three gray shuriken covered in blue energy erupted from the shell, shooting straight at him. He dodged the first one by just an inch but failed in dodging the other two. Pain erupted from his back and his chest as the two energy blades hit him. He crashed to the ground on his front.
He struggled to stay conscious. The human boy stepped forward, pulling out an all-too-familiar red and white sphere. No, he thought. Not again… Please, not again…
"Poké Ball, go!" the boy cried, tossing it at him.
No… The Snivy's eyes fell closed in pain. No…
Something hard bonked his forehead, causing him to groan. He struggled to open his eyes but the pain kept them closed, blinding him to his fate. The ground seemed to melt away beneath him, making him feel dizzy and sick. All that combined with the pain forced him unconscious, reluctantly surrendering to the human boy's Poké Ball.
No… Why? I was free for so long… Why did I have to be captured again? Why…?