Chapter 2: Team Twilight
"I told you we should've taken a left at the tree back there."
"No, we're going the right way. This takes you past the lake and to the village."
"You're wrong. We needed to take a left to get to the lake."
"What is about you and left turns?"
"I like lefts…"
Zach sighed. He had been listening to Bulbasaur and Eevee argue as the three of them walked along a seemingly endless path. Maybe I should have stayed back where I was, he thought to himself, but he quickly shook it from his mind. He had nowhere else to go and they had been eager to help him out. And they actually believe me…
Zach hadn't been paying attention to the path and nearly fell over a rock that jutted out in front of him. Quickly, he regained his composure and continued walking. Neither Eevee or Bulbasaur had noticed what happened; they were still arguing about directions.
"…I told you," Eevee said, gritting her teeth, "we are going the right way."
"But we aren't," Bulbasaur retorted, "We needed to go…"
Before Bulbasaur could finish, Zach broke in. "Could you two just stop arguing?" he asked the two of them. They stopped and looked back at Zach.
"Sorry, uh…" Bulbasaur started, but he had to stop. Zach realized why.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you my name. It's Zach."
"Okay Zach. Sorry."
"That's a nice name," Eevee said thoughtfully, "I guess your parents named you that."
"I guess," Zach replied, rubbing the back of his head as he walked over to the others. "I don't remember how I got it. I just know that it's Zach."
"Oh yeah," Eevee said quietly to herself, remembering that Zach had no memory of being human. "I shouldn't have said that."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Nothing…"
Zach shrugged and they resumed walking along the path towards what they thought (or at least what Eevee and Zach thought) was the way out of the woods. Zach decided to try and learn more about the world he was in now.
"So you guys said you were trying to find a final member for what now?" he asked curiously, remembering the conversation that Eevee and Bulbasaur had earlier.
"A Rescue Squad," Eevee replied excitedly, "Bulbasaur and I have been trying to form one for a while now."
"But what exactly is a Rescue Squad?"
"You're joking right?" Bulbasaur asked him with a curious look.
"Well remember I'm kinda new and all…"
"Right, sorry," Bulbasaur apologized. Then he explained to Zach what a Rescue Squad was. "Basically, there are disasters and accidents happening constantly around us. So there are groups of Pokemon called Rescue Squads who go out and rescue other Pokemon and try to solve what is causing the problems."
Eevee nodded. "A few years ago there were many disasters involving the weather. But that problem was solved and recently, things have been a little quieter."
"But," Bulbasaur continued, "there are still accidents and Pokemon that need to be rescued. And that's where Eevee and I come in. We are, well we will be when we get our last member, Team Twilight..."
"Cool name," Zach broke in.
"Yeah, I thought that you might like it." Bulbasaur went on to explain all aspects of Rescue Squads, from the Dungeons to the Missions and Rewards. Zach listened with great interest.
Wow, Zach thought, that sounds kind of exciting. "Maybe I could be that last person…er…I mean Pokemon," he suggested, changing the last part of what he said. Darn it Zach, you have to think like a Pokemon. You're a Pokemon now.
"I'm sorry man," Bulbasaur told Zach promptly, "but we're kinda looking for someone with a little more experience. No offense to you, but we want to get started right away."
"I hope you understand," Eevee said to consul him.
"Don't worry, I understand," Zach replied with some disappointment, "Maybe I could find another Squad later."
Bulbasaur nodded. "There's plenty around. You should be able to find a Squad
The group had now reached break in the woods. A large, crystal-clear lake spread out in front of them. The water rippled gently and the reeds by the shore swayed in the breeze.
"Ha," Eevee chortled triumphantly, looking at Bulbasaur, "I told you we were going the right way."
"Get off it," Bulbasaur replied.
But before another argument could begin, a rumbling sound interrupted them. Eevee and Bulbasaur looked back at Zach.
"Sorry," he apologized to them, "Guess I'm hungry."
"Yeah I'm hungry too," Bulbasaur said, smiling.
"Look," Eevee said, pushing past Zach and Bulbasaur towards a bush. "Oran Berries!" Sure enough, Zach could see numerous blue berries ripe for the harvest on the bush Eevee was running towards. She began picking a few off the bush. "Here, try some," offering some of the Oran Berries to them.
Zach heard something unwinding from behind him. A vine whipped past Zach head. He had just ducked at the last second to avoid being hit by it. The vine grabbed an Oran Berry from Eevee's paws and retracted back past Zach's head again. It was then that he realized that the vine had come from the bulb on Bulbasaur's back. Bulbasaur sat down and ate his Berry, a look of pleasure on his face as he savored every bite.
Zach walked over to Eevee. He took one of the Berries out of Eevee's paws. "You sure these aren't poisonous?"
She chuckled, "Of course not. They actually boost your energy and health. Try it."
Still Zach hesitated. However, he saw both Bulbasaur and Eevee eat their Berries with no ill effects. Well, I might as well. He took a small bite out of it. Immediately, he felt a rush of energy flow through his body as the sweet taste filled his mouth. "Whoa…"
"Yes?" asked Eevee, looking at him curiously.
"This…this…this…IS AWESOME!!" Zach exclaimed, and before you could say another word, he had eaten the rest of the Berry. "Man those are good…"
Eevee sighed. I keep forgetting that he's new, she thought to herself. Maybe he could join us. She decided to take counsel with Bulbasaur. "Hey Bulba…"
A loud cry of pain cut her off. Zach and Bulbasaur had heard it as well and were trying to figure out where it came from. "There," Zach yelled pointing somewhere across the lake. Sure enough, the cry came up again from where Zach was pointing, sending a few bird Pokemon flying out of the trees.
Eevee looked at Bulbasaur and nodded. "Come on, we got to see what's up."
With that, Eevee and Bulbasaur started running as fast as they could around the lake to the sound. Zach hesitated for a moment. Should I follow them? He knew that if a fight broke out, he wouldn't be able to do anything. But what if they needed help? His heart was pounding. He couldn't just stand here waiting for them. He had to see what was going on.
Zach got to his feet and picked a few Oran Berries off a nearby bush. These could be useful, he thought to himself, remembering what Eevee had told him about them. Silently, he ran as fast as he could to try and catch up with Eevee and Bulbasaur.
End Chapter 2