Heey, first time writing something in like six months! Whoo! I'm actually not dead! But wow, writing a fic for this contest has been a ride. At this point, I've gone through three stories and hated them before actually writing this one and sort-of-kind-of- liking it. I also went through most of a notebook writing said stories.
TL;DR: I killed a tree.
But don't worry! We're going to be seeing a lot of those soon. Like right... Now!
The emerald grove stretched out before him, an impenetrable citadel of trees that stood between him and his home. If you checked any map, you'd find a dark blob plotted on it, just south west of the Mushroom Kingdom. There, they had many names for the place. 'The Forsaken Woods', 'The Beedrill's Nest', or, if you went by the name on the map, 'The Viridian Forest'. Regardless of who called it what, everyone tended to come to the same conclusion: it wasn't a place you wanted to visit.
Now, Luigi, as timid of a man as he may be at times, was no stranger to dangerous environments, but here, standing alone before a forest he had only heard nightmares about... A haunting shiver went down his spine. If only big bro were here... Maybe this wouldn't be so scary. He took a deep breath. He's not though. Today, I'll have to be brave on my own. For him.
Mustering what courage he could, he continued on with uncertain steps. A brown dirt path wound through the foliage, and thick, white trees surrounded him in every direction, spread thinly enough that ones branches hardly touched those of its neighbors. This would change once he got into the heart of the woods, he knew.
Glad I brought my flashlight... He blinked, noticing something up ahead. Is that a...? Can't be... Still, he quickened his pace and soon found his initial guess to be true. An aged old cottage sat in the middle of the woods. Luigi shook his head in disbelief. Who'd really want to live all the way out here...? In this forest?
"Oh, a traveler, now?"
Luigi nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice. A man, an old one by the sound of it, sat on the deck of the cottage, slowly teetering back and forth on his rocking chair. He was clothed in camo gear, complete with a hat dipped down low enough to obscure his face. A polished, silver hunting rifle lay across his lap. Luigi paled at the sight. Hope he's not crazy... He cast his eyes down.
A big, brown hunting dog with a cream colored muzzle rested at the man's feet. It regarded him lazily with droopy eyes before resting its head on its paws. Oddly enough, a brightly colored duck roosted on the dog's back.
"Not a talker, eh?" the man continued, a smile in his voice.
Finding his own, Luigi responded, "I'm... I need to get through the Viridian Forest."
"Well, ya don't need my permission."
"Um... I know that." From what he could tell, the man seemed to be a regular old hunter. It was still unnerving to talk to him, but at least he didn't seem keen on shooting him. Either way, he'd rather not stay with this man longer than he had too. But there was one thing he wanted to know."Do you live here?"
The hunter heaved a glob of spit into a nearby jar. "Sometimes."
That was unnecessary. "So you must know your way around the forest, right?"
The man furrowed his brows. "What? You lookin' fer a guide or somethin'?"
"Well... Yes." Luigi couldn't see why anyone wouldn't want a guide. "I've heard about this forest, you know. How the leaves blot out the sky, how the trees turn you around in circles, and how poisonous Beedrill swarm any who get too close to their nest. The forest is a deathtrap, and I can't let myself die in it. I have to get through."
The old man laughed, a low gravelly sound. "Boy, you haven't heard a thing about this forest." He let loose another round of laughter, one that made his dog whine and cover its ears in annoyance.
Luigi stepped away from him, certain the guy had lost his mind. Maybe this guy is a basketcase, after all... "What do you mean?"
"Let me tell you the truth about this place." It was then he finally raised his head, revealing brown eyes that twinkled in amusement along with something else. Reverence? "They say that Gods live in these woods."
"Gods?"
"Yep. Gods. Do you know that those who wish to get through always find themselves reaching the other side? No ones died in there in decades. Odd fer a forest as 'dangerous' as this one, eh?"
In decades, huh... "So someone has died in them then."
"Heh. Seems like the only thing that slips by you are armed old men in rocking chairs," he jabbed, making Luigi flush in embarrassment. Even the dog seemed to be laughing at him! "Still," he continued, putting a stop to his rocking as he did, "Sometimes it's best not to focus too much on the lil' details. Might find yerself gettin' lost in them."
"I don't think someone's death is a little detail."
The man put a hand on his chin, considering this. "Hmm. 'Suppose not. It was a boy, ten or eleven maybe. Happened back when I could barely hold a rifle, anyhow. Since then, not a single other person has died in there. Work of Gods, I tell ya."
Gods, Gods, Gods. "Or maybe people just got smarter."
"Ya don't seem willing to believe in them."
"I don't." If there really were such a thing as Gods, then Mario, then his brother wouldn't be... Wouldn't be dying. A man who did nothing but help and inspire others, a hero to everyone, to him, sick and dying at home. What kind of Gods would let something like that happen? Still, even if there were no Gods, he hoped something nice waited for them on the other side. Mario deserved it, at the very least.
Rather than offended, the hunter just seemed amused with him. "Heh. You seem set in yer ways, so I won't argue wit ya. Fer awhile, I thought you were some spineless twit, but now I can see you got some fire in ya. Tell me. Just what do you need to get through the forest fer?"
"To see my brother off."
At that, the man closed his eyes and tilted the rim of his hat down. "...I see. Well, the Gods of the forest will lead yer feet on the right path." he started to rock again, the eerie sound of creaking wood filling the air. "They always do."
The trees grew thicker and thicker as he went on, their lofty branches weaving together to form a barrier not even the sun's light could pierce. He knew it was only midday, yet in just a few steps it felt as if he had walked straight into the night.
Reaching into his backpack, Luigi pulled out his flashlight and turned it on. A pillar of light flooded the area. Moist, dirty terrain made up most of the forest floor, the ground too starved of sun to support much other plant life. Gnarled tree roots dipped in and out of the ground like bleached serpents in a muddy lake. Luigi placed his free hand on one and carefully stepped over one. Better watch where I put my feet... It'd be awful if he were to succumb to the forest because of a turned ankle of all things.
He trekked on, nervously humming a tune to himself. The Viridian Forest isn't that big... I should be out of here by nightfall... I think. He hoped so. The dark always made him uneasy. At least at night he had the stars and the moon to brighten things up. Here... He flashed his light up at the canopy. There weren't any stars to keep him company.
With nothing but darkness and trees to focus on, his mind wandered back to the old man's words. Gods live in these woods, huh? Seems likely. Of course when you have a freaky, backwards forest like this one, there's bound to be some weird superstition surrounding it. He shook his head. That guy didn't really seem all there, either. He could have been talking about his dog for all I know.
Another root blocked his path. Not really paying attention, he placed a hand on a tree's trunk to keep his balance when he felt something soft under his glove. It moved.
"Ack!" he shouted, clumsily tripping over the root in an effort to get away. He pushed himself on his bottom and scooted back, shining his light on the tree as he did.
The 'something' he felt turned out to be an orange, caterpillar like creature nearly as long as his arm. It arched its body at him, waving the large, white horn on its head and hissing.
Luigi swallowed heavily, his whole body shaking. "W...Weedle," he breathed. One of the forest's poisonous insects. One stab from that horn... No, he didn't want to think about it. Idiot! Be more careful!
The Weedle continued to thrash and whine, causing a foreboding feeling to sink in the his gut. If there's a larva here, then... I-I need to go. Now. It was only when he pushed himself to his feet that he saw them. A pair of glowing, blood red eyes staring at him from the shadows of the trees. Then another, and another... Piercing right through him.
No no no no... He fought against the terror paralyzing his body and shakily raised his light at the tree's branches. The shadows melted away, revealing a hoard of giant yellow hornets, each armed with a pair of lance like stingers dripping with venom. In the instant the light flashed on them, the swarm erupted from the tree in a furious cloud of buzzing.
Luigi snapped out of his daze, every muscle in his body commanding him to run. He bolted, running as fast as his long legs could carry him. In the dark, he stumbled on root after root, yet somehow he managed to find his balance every time. Buzzing rang in his ears, drowning out all else. Was he screaming? He couldn't even tell.
A sharp, searing pain shot through his leg, sending him sprawling to the ground. It stung me. It stung me. He dragged himself over to the base of a tree and pushed his back to it. The Beedrill were on him in seconds. Desperate, he thrashed his arms around, trying to fend off the swarm's fury. The action only seemed to anger them further. The buzzing increased in volume as they buried their stingers into the man's arms, eliciting sharp cries of pain from him. Blood gushed from his wounds, staining his green clothes red.
Between the painful stings, Luigi felt drops of cool liquid landing on him. At first he thought it was some sort of poison, but soon the Beedrill noticed it as well and halted their assault. Their buzzing quieted, allowing the sound to reach him.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
Rain. Rain slipped through the tree branches and pattered against the ground, a gentle sprinkle that violently phased into a heavy downpour.
The Beedrill around him hissed in a panic as raindrops gathered on their fragile wings, sending the weaker ones plummeting to the earth. The others fled to the safety of the trees, their attack over just like that.
For five minutes, the rain bore down in heavy sheets, soaking Luigi to the bone and even drowning the unlucky Beedrill who were stuck squirming on the ground. And then, as quickly as it began, it stopped.
Luigi only sat there, trying to process what had just happened while trying to block out the stinging pain coming from his arms and legs. As he tried to gather himself, the stinging transformed into an intense, burning fire radiating from his cuts that seemed to shoot up his spine and through the rest of his body. His chest heaved with strained breathes and beads of sweat ran down his forehead. Poison... He tried to stand up, only to fall back into the mud. Painfully, he shut his eyes and leaned forward onto his hands. I'm going to...
Before he could finish his thought, bright flashed behind his closed eyelids. Luigi's head shot up.
A ball of golden light weaved in and out between the trees. A flashlight? Another person!
"HEY!" He screamed as loud as his burning lungs would let him. "Is somebody there?! I need help...!"
The ball seemed to flicker in response, yet in continued to move further away.
"No! Wait!" Mustering what energy he could, he got up and chased after it. "P-Please!"
He followed for seemed like an eternity. While the light never strayed to far from him, it always stayed just cruelly out of his reach. He wished he could shine his own light on it, but he must have dropped it at some point while running from the Beedrill. Occasionally, he thought he could make out something, a shape in the middle of the sphere, but he could never identify in time before he had to avert his eyes from the strain. Staring at the light was like staring into the sun in this darkness.
"Ugh..." The whole forest spun. His body burned in pain. He shivered, his wet clothes leeching away any warmth. And that light... For all he knew, it could very well be just a poison induced hallucination. He hoped not. I'm going to die here. He stumbled, but kept his focus on the light. I just don't want to die alone.
The shining sphere gradually lost it's shape as it melted into a bigger wall of light pouring in from behind the trees. More light... The forest's end? Excitement flooded Luigi's veins, temporarily shutting out the poison and he made one last sprint for the tree line.
Grass met his shoes as he hobbled past the last few trees that made up the forest's final line of defense. He looked up, expecting to see rolling hills but was only met with... more trees.
He walked to the center of the clearing, confused. Left, right, front, back. Trees surrounded him, along with green bushes bearing pink, peach like berries. Through the ring of leaves above, the sun bore down strongly, unhindered by branches. Luigi sunk to his knees. "I'm still in the forest..."
The revelation drained away the adrenaline that was fueling his body, allowing the pain to slowly settle back in. Exhausted and defeated, Luigi set his backpack aside and fell into the grass. To his surprise, it felt heavenly, almost as soft as his bed back home. And then there was the sun. Never thought I'd miss it so much. Feels so warm... I'm... actually glad I found this place. It was a nice spot to die. His eyes flittered shut and he did nothing to stop them. He didn't have the energy left.
In that moment before he lost consciousness, a weight landed on his chest. He opened his eyes to see... "A berry? Must have followed me... Haha..." He started to laugh, only to break out into coughs. Walking berries. Probably another hallucination. Still, he reached for it, only to be surprised by how real it felt. Was it?
"No... Hurt in trying it out... I guess." It wasn't like he had long to live anyway. Luigi bit into it and found himself enjoying its taste. Peachy and very sweet, but not too sweet. Suddenly realizing how hungry he was, he greedily devoured the rest of the berry, even the leaves at its base.
Somehow, the burning in his arms and leg faded. He was thankful for that. At least he won't be in pain when he went. "When I wake up... I hope I'll be able to meet up with you, big bro." The thought putting him at peace, he closed his eyes and let the soft rays of sunlight whisk him away.
...
...
Warm.
Something felt warm.
Slowly, he regained consciousness, expecting to see clouds or flowery meadows or whatever waited people after they passed on. Instead, he saw a starry sky, trees, bushes of berries, and a shadow. His shadow. With a gasp, he jolted to his feet and spun around.
The ball of light was back and brighter than ever. It floated back and forth urgently, as if begging him too follow.
He reached down to pick up his backpack, and that's when he noticed his injuries. Leaves covered the cuts on his arms and legs, likely held in place by a poultice. Who...? He hardly had time to dwell on it when the light began to dim. Shaking his head, Luigi gathered his things and hurried after it.
It was the same routine as before. The sphere darted ahead, never letting him catch up, never letting him fall behind. Just what is this thing? At this point, he doubted it was a hallucination. Gods... The word rung in his head like a bell. He remembered the old man from yesterday talking about Gods. That light... Is it really...?
Yesterday, he hardly even entertained the thought of Gods. Now, after all that had happened to him... The life saving rain, the mysterious orb, the berry (that most likely cured him, he realized), and his treated injuries. He had been on the brink of deaths a few hours ago, yet now he felt as if he had never been attacked in the first place. Could this light really be a God?
Luigi thought about asking it when, without warning, the orb vanished. Startled, he took off to were it had been, grass crunching under his feet. "Wait! You're the forest God, right? You can't just abandon me like-" He froze in realization.. Grass? He scanned his surroundings. Grass and bushes grew in thick clumps, just like they had at the forest's entrance. Above, he noticed the trees had thinned out considerably, faint starlight breaking through the gaps in the leaves. And ahead, less than fifty feet away, he saw the edge of the forest. This time, he knew it was the forest's end. Tears pricked at his eyes as he increased his pace, his missing guide forgotten.
As he passed the final few trees that marked the forest's end, he fell to his knees, laughing and crying as he took in the sight before him.
The rolling green hills he knew that waited for him stretched out endlessly into the horizon. Purple streaks bled into the sky from the east where the morning sun lay hidden behind a hill. He did it. He'd actually reached the end of the forest. Home is just a half a days walk from here. He thought, a smile breaking out on his face. It dimmed slightly as he remembered his brother. I hope you're still hanging in there, bro. Just wait a little bit longer. Do I have a story to tell you! He knew Mario would love it. He always loved adventures, even if he was only hearing about one. Just wait until you hear it. The old man, the Beedrill, the berries, the... the Gods. He started.
That's right! He looked back at the forest, searching between the trees for any signs of life or light or anything. Nothing. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled,"Hello? Are you still there?" No response. He let his arms fall loosely to his sides.
It didn't feel right for him to leave without a word. Something in there had saved his life. An animal, a person, or a God, he wasn't sure. An indescribable feeling settled in his chest at the realization. I almost died in there. No. He couldn't going to leave without doing something. After a moments consideration, he shrugged off his backpack and rooted around in it, pulling out an apple and a partially crushed sandwich. He flinched at its shape. Well, it's better than nothing.
Food in hand, he faced the trees. "Gods of the forest," he started out unsurely, "Or whoever you are, if you're listening right now, I owe you my life. Thank you. Thank you so much. These are all I have to give. They're not much, but I hope you'll accept them." He set the apple and the sandwich on a nearby rock and waited for a moment, expecting some sort of divine signal like the wind picking up or the sun suddenly peeking out from over the hills, but everything was still. Feeling a little disappointed, Luigi slung one strap of his backpack over his shoulder and left. Even if he didn't get an answer, he'd never forget what happened.
Halfway up a hill, he gave the forest one final look, glancing just briefly over to the spot where he had left his 'offering', and dropped his backpack in shock.
The food was gone.
He watched as the green man left, him occasionally looking back to the forest, eyes wide and filled with wonder. Silently, he thanked the man for the food before returning to the forest's depths, to a place only he and his companion knew, hopping from branch to branch, through bramble and up walls of stone.
A God. The green man had called him a God. He was not the only one. Many of the folk they had guided over the years often called out to them, referring to them as everything from fairies to holy spirits to Gods. It was odd for a simple creature such as himself to be likened to the divine, though over time, he began to enjoy the new title. Not for its connotations, but rather for the fact that it made him feel recognized. Appreciated.
But soon... The forest will no longer have any Gods.
And that scared him.
A sunlit clearing greeted him at the end of his journey. From atop a tree, he surveyed the area. In its center lay a crystal clear pond surrounded by grass and wildflowers. Butterfree hovered idly, sunlight gilding their scaled wings.
His eyes found a pile of stones near the pond's edge. Wheezing from exhaustion, Greninja clambered down from his tree and approached the Stone Pile. Moss had overtaken many of the rocks, leaving them dark green and soft to the touch. A patch of red, blue, and yellow wildflowers, ones he had picked and planted himself, bloomed at the pile's base. It was a yearly tradition of his to plant flowers there, though it was only this year that he decided to add blue and yellow ones to the usual reds. He bowed his head in respect, just as he had done every day for decades.
Nearby, strong beams of light poured out from behind a bush. Greninja raised his head, though he already knew who it was. His friend always liked flashy entrances.
Just as he expected, a Pikachu pushed his way through the leaves, stretching tiredly as he did. After dismissing the light, he nodded to Greninja, a gesture the frog Pokemon returned, before padding his way over to the Stone Pile. His pace was slow, almost aching, and more than once did he almost lose his footing. Not that it was very surprising. They had both grown so old now... Pikachu's fur showed more grey than yellow, and even Greninja's skin, once a youthful azure, had faded to a cloudy blue.
Greninja met the mouse behind the Stone Pile, where their most precious treasures were stored. An old backpack mottled with brown, its true color lost to time and even to him, sat propped against the rocks. Next to it lay a worn hat of similar appearance. It was red once, he knew. He'd never forget the color. And finally, resting before both were a pair of Pokeballs, long since rusted shut due to the elements.
With a tired yawn, Pikachu circled the hat for a few seconds before easing himself down, curling his lightning bolt shaped tail lovingly around it.
Setting the food the green man had left him aside, Greninja joined the mouse, legs buckling from underneath him as he rested his back against the soft moss.
They made a vow, once, a long, long time ago. They vowed to watch over the forest. To make sure it took nobody else.
Breathing out a long sigh, he closed his eyes.
They kept their vow for as long as they could.
Originally, I planned on leaving it off with Greninja and Pikachu just resting, knowing they were living out their last days but not actually living out their last day. I changed it cuz too many happy-ish endings I guess. Still, I guess with the way I wrote it, it's kinda up in the air whether or not they died.
That said, this was an interesting piece for me to write, though I feel like some areas could have went better. Like... the entire story for example. Ah well...
Thanks for reading!