As much as I love spending my nights in forests, the bird Pokemon tend to be more of an early alarm clock than a peaceful awakening.
I sat up and let my legs dangle beneath the branch that had been my surrogate mattress. Looking down upon the deciduous canopy, I could see a nest of Spearow hatchlings in the tree next to mine, calling for their mother at a relentlessly piercing pitch.
"That's what I get for setting up camp at night," I muttered to myself.
Even from one of the highest branches of one of the highest trees, I could barely see the sun rising in the East. It had to be around 6 in the morning. I would have probably had a solid 5 hours of sleep if I could conquer my insomnia.
I stood up and jumped down to the branch where one of my Pidgeot was perched. I couldn't help but remember how terrified I was the first time I tried tree-hopping, and smiled at how far I had come. I grabbed my computerized belt that hung from an above twig and fastened it around my waist. I walked across the narrow branch to my tired Pokemon and stroked the back of her neck.
"Thanks for taking the night watch Ruby."
I could tell that Ruby was exhausted from our 4-day trek through the Sandalwood Forest, yet she gently cooed with delight and nuzzled against my chest.
"Take a good rest, I'll get us some food soon."
I flipped the black switch on my belt, pointed my buckle towards Ruby, and watched as a red beam of light flashed from my buckle to my Pokemon, returning her to her refuge. Although I carried various Pokeballs, I had no idea what I would do without my customized Pokemon storage belt. I was lucky that the Rangers didn't know the belt existed, or I would have been busted for carrying more than 6 Pokemon more times than I can count. Always thought it was a stupid law anyway.
I fumbled through my pockets, searching for my money clip.
"10 bucks," I sighed. "I can still remember a time when 10 bucks could get you more than a candy bar."
As I closed my eyes and felt the breeze run through my hair, I could faintly hear a familiar sound behind the calls of the nearby hatchlings. The sound of flowing water becomes music to the ears after living in the wild for so long.
I put on my backpack and quickly stretched my legs. Looking down from the branch, I guessed I was at least 100 feet up.
"Alright," I said. "Let's go."
I jumped across to a nearby tree, swinging from a branch to the trunk. I landed with my feet against the trunk while I supported myself by hanging from another branch. I pushed off of the trunk horizontally until I started to free-fall. As the sounds of the river grew, I quickly reached out to a nearby vine and swung across to another. Leaping from vine to branch and back to vine, I finally landed on a thick branch about 20 feet from the ground and ran the length of it in stride. At the end of the limb I jumped blindly through a blanket of overhanging twigs and tucked my legs as I fell into the water.
"Nailed it," I thought, as I swam to the shore.
I took off my shirt, and threw it on a nearby rock, followed by my pack. I let out a deep breath as I looked down at my reflection in the crystal clear water.
"Damn my hair got long," I thought. "And when did it get so blond? I guess that's what happens when you spend your days outdoors in the beating sun."
It had been a long time since I had seen myself so clearly, and I couldn't help but notice that I was starting to look older. I could finally grow facial hair, yet I could never get past the '5' O'clock shadow' type of look. Even at 17, I could almost see sparkles of wisdom behind my dark blue eyes.
I sat down in the shallows and cupped some water in my hands and drank. There's really nothing like fresh spring water. Just as I was about to turn around to let my companions out for a drink, I heard a voice behind me.
"Sup big man?" the voice shouted enthusiastically.
"Shit," I thought to myself.
I turned around to see a skinny, teenage boy wearing khakis, some sort of a fishing vest and a gold wristwatch. He had a big, stupid grin on his face, which quickly disappeared as I turned.
"Whoa, what happened to you?" he asked.
I looked down at my torso, the redness of my scars put on full display by the morning sun. I turned to the side and started washing myself.
"Long story," I replied calmly.
"Alright…" he sneered, walking closer. "That's some nice ink you've got there."
"Thanks…" I said dismissively.
"So," he started, as he jumped down to the river's edge. "What's a big, brawny dude like you doing in Sandalwood Forest? Are you some kind of Ranger? Naw, you're probably too young, huh? So what's your deal? Guys with that many scars must have a story, right?"
"Not always," I replied.
He stared at me for moment, clearly trying to size me up. He smiled.
"I like you," he chuckled, and his tone quickly changed. "And that's why I'm gonna let you walk away from this."
I stopped washing and slowly turned my head towards him. He was juggling a Pokeball in his right hand. His previous 'childish sense of wonder' overtones had evaporated, and were replaced with a serious, almost ominous expression, as he looked me dead in the eye.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he snarled. "How much money you got?"
I stood up and walked towards the shore, grabbing my shirt.
"For fuck's sake," I sighed. I put on my shirt and grabbed my backpack.
"I asked you a question Tarzan," he said, louder. "How much money you got?"
I sat on the rock and took off my shoes and socks. I twisted my socks, ringing the water out, and started to put them back on.
"About 2000," I lied.
"2000?" he shouted, clearly unimpressed. "A traveller like you only has 2000 bucks on him?"
"Yup," I chuckled at myself. "Only 2000."
"Ugh," he pouted. "Well, the way I see it, you have two options. You know the drill?"
"Nope, why don't you break it down for me chief?" I replied sarcastically.
He smirked. "I really do like you," he laughed. "Basically, your best option is to hand over all the money you've got, and then we can be on our merry ways. Alternatively, you could try to test your luck and see how fast you can unzip that backpack and grab a Pokeball. But my bet is that I can throw this one a lot faster, and my Pokémon can give you a few new scars before you can even blink. Then, I'll take your money AND all your Pokémon."
He grinned ear-to-ear, satisfied with himself.
"The choice is yours."
"Why does this have to happen so early?" I thought to myself. About 20 feet apart, we stared each other down. I finally shrugged, and slowly outstretched my arm to the side, dropping my backpack to the ground, while never breaking eye contact.
"Good choice," he said, as he started to walk towards me.
"Thanks," I said, as I put a hand on my belt. "I thought so too."
I flicked a switch and pressed the blue button. The red beam shot out from my buckle, and I smiled as I watched my oldest companion emerge from the light.
My Flygon landed 5 feet in front of the boy, stopping him dead in his tracks and causing him to fall backwards while attempting to retreat.
"How the hell did you do that?!" he shrieked, as he got back to his feet.
"The way I see it, you have two options," I started. "You can either battle me, for a 2000 dollar wager," I continued. "Or, we can both go on our merry ways."
He looked at me, confused.
"So after I try to rob you, you get the jump on me and you want to battle for money instead of just taking it?"
"Trust me," I said. "As far as I'm concerned, me battling you for the money will have the exact same outcome as me just taking it from you."
He laughed. "I like you!" he repeated. He threw his Pokeball in the air.
I was pretty surprised that a diminutive thief managed to raise a Nidoking, especially in this day and age. I wasn't really in the mood to ask questions.
"Your Flygon is pretty small," he said. "You might be better off just giving me the money now."
I smiled.
"Nidoking, use Thrash!" he shouted.
His Pokémon came charging towards my Flygon. I knew that I didn't need to say anything.
As Nidoking approached striking distance, Flygon took flight, swooping over top of her foe and stopping behind it in a blink of an eye. I had sometimes been asked how I managed to teach a Flygon how to teleport, only to explain the beauty of unmatched speed. With Nidoking attempting to stop in its tracks, Flygon unleashed a scorching flamethrower attack, instantly ending the battle.
My Pokemon landed beside me. "Thank you Amica," I said to her, as I returned her to my belt.
I picked up my backpack and walked towards the boy, who's jaw was still open. I stopped in front of him and waited. He was trying to find the words to say but just ended up stammering. Eventually, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two $1000 bills.
"Thanks," I said. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my money clip and added the bills.
"You only had 10 bucks?!" he exclaimed.
"He speaks!" I laughed. "Yea. Sorry about that kid. I would've just let you go but my Pokémon haven't eaten in days and I could really use the money."
"You would have let me go? After I threatened to take your Pokémon?"
I smiled.
"Kid, if you're gonna pretend to be a thief, you shouldn't wear a gold wristwatch in the middle of a forest. If someone has to hike through Sandalwood Forest, then they obviously don't have enough money to afford a $900,000 watch, which means you didn't steal it. You're not the first rich kid on a rebellious streak that I've run into. If you're gonna say that you're gonna take somebody's Pokémon, you better mean it."
I put the money in my pocket.
"Go home kid, your parents are probably worried sick. The world isn't as friendly as it once was, and it's only a matter of time before you run into someone who's willing to do a lot worse then you claim you will."
I looked up and gazed around at the surrounding forest.
"You know how to get to Redroot City from here?" I asked.
Still visibly distraught, the boy slowly replied.
"Yea, um. You just keep heading south down this river until you reach a bridge. Head east on the bridge and it will lead you right there."
"Thanks," I said, as I started walking away along the riverbank.
"Wait!" he yelled.
I stopped and turned my head to the side.
"What's your name?" he asked, captivated.
I looked at him, smiled, and then kept walking.