Chapter 1
Frost woke with a fright, breathing heavily. Megan, who was sleeping next to him, up against a tree, woke to the sound of his horrified gasp. She leaned over to see what was troubling the young boy. "Frost, what is it? What's wrong?"
Frost began to relax, realizing he was only having a bad dream. He turned to Megan, still bothered by what he saw. "I had a nightmare, that's all. In my dream, somewhere, out in the vast world, a neck beard and a twelve-year-old were arguing about me. The twelve-year-old was winning,"
"Well, it's okay now. You said it yourself, it was just a dream. Try and go back to sleep, the sun isn't even up yet," Megan readjusted herself against the tree. Clefairy, and Cyndaquil were laying together by a rock. Far from civilization, and yet, not even close the borders of Selthwood, they felt so melancholy and alone. Which is interesting, because they had been on their own for several months.
Still, they could not help but feel homesick. Even Megan, who was beginning to miss her family. She had, unbeknownst to Frost, was wondering whether or not to go back. She came along with Frost to see the world, and compete in contests. So far, much to her disappointment, was only able to enter one, and lost, miserably. She knew that Clefairy was more than happy to spend time with her friends.
For despite coming from a, to say the least, hostile environment, that was all she had. No matter what they did to her, they were family. Family was important to her, but she could never get any satisfaction or joy from spending time with them. Now with Frost, she was free from a home that did not appreciate her, she was ready to unlock her potential. What would she have to look forward to by going back? She would be returning to the yelling matches between the mother and father. Return to a home where she was treated like a dog on a leash. Not allowed to make a name for herself.
As long as she was with her friend, she could allow herself to be anything she set her mind to. How could she go back? That's nonsense, it's poppycock. She put it out of her mind, and closed her eyes. Come morning, she would be on the road again, and she would be fine.
They woke up later, Frost suspected that it was around noon. "Selthwood is a few hours from here, if we hurry we may yet get there by nightfall," He guessed. Before he could speak again however, several trucks carrying construction equipment came driving past. "What is going on here?" Frost pondered. He and Megan blew it off, and they continued down the dusty trail.
"Maybe they are filling potholes in the road," Megan guessed. "You know how these roads get beaten up by the harsh weather, road construction is very common,"
"Don't be silly, down here, the sun always shines. Besides, those are forest trails, not main roads. Why would construction workers want to fix them?" Even the most bumbling of fools could tell you. There were main roads that could have been taken, but most of them are only accessible by car. So traveling across them were out of the question.
East Maple Road, for example, which begins somewhere in Downtown Tougargh, and joins the freeway, which runs for several hundred miles out and around Selthwood, up past the Shuourok River, and right to Western Palendome City, is quite out of the way. In fact, despite passing Selthwood and going straight to Palendome, which is where the Pokémon League is based in, that road would take Frost past over eight different cities, each with their own gym and badges.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but avoiding collecting gym badges would not be in any trainer's best interest. So, Frost had no choice but to take the long way, and collect as many badges as he could. Besides, he needed at least eight, and the road to Palendome was long, passing by several cities and towns. Regardless, Frost already had three, and the fourth lay on the other side of the forest.
Now, Frost and Megan were moving closer to the border, and soon, they could see the tops of the trees. "There it is. Now, all we have to do is find the fastest way around," Megan said.
"Well, I suppose it would be…" Frost was about to finish his sentence, but he stopped when they saw the construction workers from earlier. From what they could see, the workers had set up a site. Bulldozers were digging and cones and signs had been put up.
"What is going on here?" Megan wondered. There is no gain in operating on a dirt path. Perhaps, as Frost and Megan guessed, they were putting in cement. "Perhaps we should find someone to ask,"
Towards the borders of the forest, they could see only one path, and that was the path that led straight through the forest. Up close, the forest had an unappealing and foreboding look. Clefairy and Cyndaquil seemed more nervous than Frost and Megan about going in. High above the ground, the branches of the trees were withered and sickly in appearance. Covering the branches, were not green leaves, but brown and dying leaves instead. Selthwood, was up until recently, a very clean cut, and friendly forest, just like any other.
Now, it is sick. Nothing grows in it anymore, leastways nothing good. Woodsmen, who had at one time, thrived in the great forest, began to leave, and are now completely gone. Even from the outside, Frost and Megan could see, that beyond the borders, was a mist. Now there was something even more to worry about. If the size and unpleasant appearance of the forest was not enough, there needed to be fog. Frost guessed that it got thicker and thicker in density as it moved deeper in the forest.
"I sure do hope the trails around the forest are not cut off," Megan began to worry. "We can't afford to get lost in that," Clefairy looked worried. She could feel that something was wrong with the forest. Pokémon, unlike human beings were more in tune with nature. They had a sort of sixth sense that alerted them when danger was nearby. Clefairys sixth sense was telling her, and Cyndaquil too, that there was something in the thick of the trees, that they did not want to come across.
Clefairy pulled at Megans hair, trying to tell her to find another way. "Clefairy, knock it off," Megan scorned. Clefairy stopped, and then hopped off of her shoulder and ran off, with Cyndaquil following close behind. The two of them ran up and started playing on some construction equipment. "Hey, Clefairy Cyndaquil! Please come back!" Megan shouted.
"Take it easy, Megan. Let them have some fun. Right now, let's talk to someone and see if we cannot get some information about what's happening here," Frost looked at her. The two of them, approached a muscular young man operating a jackhammer. He noticed the children approaching him, and he got off the machine to greet them.
"Well, look here," He smiled. "You two must be Pokémon trainers. Am I not correct?" Frost and Megan exchanged looks.
"Yes," Megan answered quickly. She could see the confusion on the mans' face.
"Yes, I'm wrong, or yes, you are trainers?" He asked. He was only kidding of course, but Megan and Frost did not know this, and he wanted to see how far he could push this.
"Yes, we are trainers. Yes, you are correct," Frost answered. "We happened to be passing by, and we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions,"
"I suppose I could spare a few minutes," the man answered. "Frost off, call me Ron, and who might you two be?" He asked.
"My name is Frost,"
"I am Megan,"
"Well, it's very nice to meet you. What has been on your mind?" Ron shook both their hands.
Frost looked towards the forest, just waiting for them a few yards away. "We were wondering about all of this construction work going on here was all about. Also, we were curious about the trails through and around the forest,"
"Well we are putting in cement roads down here. Just your luck that we are blocking out the best route around Selthwood. The only other route around takes you almost a hundred and thirty miles out of your way," He apologized.
"So, I suppose our best bet to get to Kelivarth, is to go straight through the forest," Frost sighed.
"I'm afraid so, but be careful. Lot of strange stuff has been happening in there," Ron warned. "Be careful to not to get lost,"
"We certainly will," Megan assured him. "Thank you for your time,"
"Don't mention it, you may want to reacquire your Pokémon, before they get hurt," He smiled, and went back to work.
"Okay, I guess we are going to have to face the untold perils of Selthwood," Frost groaned. "I'll go collect Cyndaquil and Clefairy," He went off to get them. Cyndaquil, was climbing on a stack of cement blocks, and Clefairy was jumping in a mud puddle.
"Clefairy, you need to stay close. How many times do I have to tell you? It's dangerous out here, and I'm trying to keep you safe," Megan scorned as Clefairy returned with Frost and Cyndaquil. Clefairy frowned, and climbed up on her shoulder. "We best be off, we can get pretty deep in the forest by nightfall,"
"Yeah, I guess so," Frost said nervously. He did not want to let Megan on, but he was very afraid of the forest, based on what Professor Maillak and Master Hu had said about it. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he would meet up with Professor Maillak, who had talked to Hu about studying something in the forest. Then, Frost began to wonder about Master Hu. He had left in a hurry, and was not too concerned with divulging information. Frost was sure that, despite his curiosity, this business of his was of no concern to him. So he took a deep breath, and decided to focus on the forest that lay at his feet.
Master Hu, was still in town, if you must know. He was busy investigating the rumors and speculations surrounding the forest. If the Monks would not give him aid, then he would be forced to handle the situation on his own. So, he made his way to a bar, where people are always gossiping. Inside, the bar was somewhat steady. Several patrons were dancing to the music over the radio, and the bartender was stocking liquor on the shelf.
Master Hu approached the bartender. "Excuse me, may I have a moment of your time?" He asked. He smiled his usual smile as the bartender set down the booze on the counter.
"Sure thing buddy, what do you need?" He asked.
"I have come to get some information; do you know of any woodsman in the area?" Master Hu looked around at the people.
"There," The bartender pointed to an elderly man in a far corner, far from the others. "His names Karter. He used to live in the woods, whatever information you seek, he can help you with,"
"Thank you," Master Hu smiled and approached the elderly man. He sat down across from him at the table. "Mind if I join you?" He asked rhetorically. "I'm sorry, my name is Hu, I'm a monk," He kept on smiling as the old man looked up to him, and set down his mug.
"I can see that, what is it that you want?" He asked glumly, obviously not interested in who he was or what he wanted.
"I can see that you are not in the mood for talking, so I won't beat around the bush. What can you tell me about Selthwood?" He asked.
"Selthwood? Why would you want to know about that god forsaken place?" He was fully surprised by Hus' question.
"I understand that there have been some issues surrounding those wicked trees. I understand that those who used to live there, have either left, or disappeared," Master Hu took a drink form the mans' mug, but he took no notice.
"I can agree with that," The old man chuckled. "Just a few weeks ago, my family and I went hiking through the forest. That was, of course, back when Selthwood was still beautiful, before all this terrible stuff started happening to it."
"What do you know of this…person. The one they call The Zetigrah?" Master Hu slowly began to feel a great sense of urgency and fear.
"When my family and I went hiking, we got lost in the thick fog. We became separated, I managed to find my way out, but they did not. Several days went by before a search party found them. There before my eyes, I could see my wife, and son and daughter, drained completely of their blood, their skin dry. Something had been feeding on them,"
"What about the Zetigrah, is there someone in that forest?" Master Hu was getting stern and impatient.
"All I can say to you Master Monk, is beware the Zetigrah, his reign over the forest is just beginning. Beware the Zetigrah, he is not what he seems," He warned. Master Hu smiled, and looked out the window to see the forest. Even this far from the forest, it still had a dizzying and threatening appearance.
Master Hu thanked the man for his time, and made his way to the exit. He was stopped by the bartender, who offered him a drink before leaving. "You get what you need?" He asked.
"Why yes, I must say, I'm sorry to hear about his family," He sympathized.
"Yeah, he never quite got over that, never remarried either. Thirty years is a long time," The bartender frowned.
"Thirty years? No my friend, he lost his family just a few weeks ago," Master Hu corrected him.
"His family has been dead for thirty years," The bartender reassured him. Master Hu turned back to Karter, who got up and left in a bit of a hurry. Whatever was going on in the forest, was just the beginning. That creature in the forest was tightening his grip, and Master Hu was well aware he could not overthrow him alone.