A/N: Hello all you beautiful people. I realize that this is probably a suboptimal time to be posting a chapter, but I'm attempting to manage something at least resembling an upload schedule. As many Mondays as possible. I've managed to get most weeks for the past few, except for one week where I was sick with pneumonia.

So guess what I have now. A proper editor. Many thanks to Vigorous Emperor from right here on this site for deciding to help me with this. He's not only editing chapters, but he's also contributing ideas, so I'm giving him credit in advance for anything he suggests in the future because there's no way I'm going to remember them all. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter.

Ever since Red had left the adoption center, Furi had been acting strange. While the small Caterpie was often snuggly, it was starting to get ridiculous. He was crawling all over Red, trying to burrow into the trainer's clothes and even Piyo's feathers one time. Not only that, but Furi was squirming and wiggling around. It made the trek rather uncomfortable, but Red had no idea what was going on. The other two weren't all that much help considering the fact that they couldn't exactly communicate effectively with Red. They might not even know what was happening. Red thought that at some point, he would need to catch a Psychic-type just to translate for the rest of the group. They went on like that for awhile, with Riza and Piyo doing all the battling. Furi stayed in Red's arms, swaddled in a blanket like some sort of squirmy, buggy baby.

After a few hours of that, Red's Pokegear went off in his pocket, buzzing a few times before going silent again. Fumbling with Furi slightly, he pulled the device out of his pocket with his free hand. Thankfully, the battery was full thanks to the stop he'd taken the night before at the adoption center. He opened up the messaging app to see that he'd been added to some kind of group chat by Kendrah.

K: Group chat!
S: Let it be known that this was my idea.
Sh: Wait, Serra, how are you even holding your Pokegear? I can see you holding Soren.
S: You'll never know my secrets.

Red quickly typed a response, sitting down and moving Furi to his lap so he could use both hands. He didn't intend to spend too long in this conversation.

R: Er… hello?
E: Eyy.
S: Yay! You do exist!
K: Wassup.
R: Pretty convenient timing here actually. Furi's been acting funny.

Red figured asking experienced trainers what was up would get him some answers. After all, Bug-types were some of the most common Pokemon, so the others were bound to have at least some idea.

S: What do you mean by strange?
R: He's been trying to burrow into my clothes.
S: Hmm…
S: I have no idea. Never trained a Bug-type before.
K: I think I know. He might be about to evolve. A lot of Pokemon act really strange right before they evolve.
Sh: Kenny is right. You need to find him a quiet, enclosed space. While a lot of Pokemon tend to act very aggressive right before evolution, there are a lot of Bug-types that actually try to find safe places.
E: What she said.
S: Do you think Finnegale is buggy enough?
Sh: No.
S: She kind of looks like a bug.
R: Thank you guys.
K: No problem.
Sh: You're welcome.

Red noticed that Serra sent a few more messages after that, but he didn't really stick around to see them. Instead, he stuck his Pokegear back into his pocket, even though it vibrated a few more times. After a moment's deliberation, he decided that setting it to silent mode would probably be the best option for now. He had the information he needed. If Furi was trying to find a safe space to evolve, then Red would set up a tent.

"Guys, come here," he said to the other two Pokemon. It looked like they'd been playing with each other. Both of them stopped what they were doing, looking to Red for further direction. The immediate compliance in both of them was almost baffling. He wasn't exactly used to it. His little brother and Green had never been ones to listen to him when he asked them to do things, so the Pokemon were an odd change for sure. "We're going to set up the tent right off the side of the path. Furi is ready to evolve, but he needs a safe, enclosed space to do it, so we're going to make one for him," he explained to the others. Then, he carefully set down Furi, still wrapped up in blankets, and pulled the capsules holding tent components out of his bag. He set each Pokemon to a task, and they started to work. A few times, Riza would get distracted by a small bug or leaf, but most of the time, they all stayed on task. Before long, the tent was fully prepared.

"Good job guys," Red announced, holding the tent flap open for Riza and Piyo. The small bird Pokemon looked slightly uncomfortable going into such an enclosed space, but she went in anyway. Once they were in, Red picked up Furi to follow them.

"Alright, here you go," Red placed Furi on the ground, unwrapping the blanket that he was swaddled in. Carefully, the small Pokemon crawled onto the ground, observing his surroundings. He looked a bit odd, bathed in tinted light that was filtered through the bright yellow material of the tent. Then again, everyone else looked a bit odd too.

Almost immediately, Furi pointed his head up towards the sky and began to spew out threads of silk as if he was using String Shot. However, unlike the attack, he wrapped the threads around himself to create a surrounding layer of silk threads. Then, a bright white light burst through the silk, almost like a supernova, to reveal Furi's evolution into a Metapod.

"You did it Furi. I'm proud of you," Red congratulated his Pokemon, who seemed very happy with the outcome. Though he could no longer move, he did a lot of emoting with his eyes. Red hoped that it wouldn't be too difficult for Furi to adapt. He'd seen a lot of examples of Pokemon finding it difficult to adapt to their new evolution on TV, though he didn't know how accurate that was. "I think an event like this deserves a special treat."

Each of the Pokemon looked at Red curiously, Riza leaping onto his shoulder to get a better view of what he was pulling out of the bag. However, none of them could read the labels on the capsules he grabbed, so they had to wait until he opened them up to reveal what was inside. What it ended up being was a pile of colorful beans that looked a lot like oversized jelly beans. Most of them were all one color, but there were a few that had patterns on them or were even rainbow colored.

"They're called Pokebeans," Red told his partners. He'd gotten them from Professor Oak, who'd been visiting a cousin in Alola. Apparently, they were a very common treat in that region, and Pokemon loved them. He was about to find out if that was true.

Red divied up a few for each of his Pokemon, putting a few extra in Furi's pile since he was the one who evolved. "I've heard that these are really tasty, so dig in." Red pushed each pile towards the respective Pokemon. While the first few bites were a bit tentative, they all seemed to dig in with gusto once they realized how great the beans were. It made Red wonder how they tasted. He'd heard that there were some humans who liked to eat Pokebeans just as often as any Pokemon, but he was slightly skeptical about that. While the Pokemon ate, Red pulled out his Pokegear again. There were a few messages in there he hadn't seen, mostly from Serra. She seemed to love to talk a lot. Quickly, he typed out another message asking for information.

R: Metapod evolving into Butterfree is time based rather than level based, right?

After a few moments, he got an answer.

Sh: Yes. It shouldn't be more than a week. Five days is the average.
R: Thanks again.
K: That means he'll be fully evolved for your gym battle, right?
R: Yea, against a Rock-type specialist. He'll have a 4x weakness.
K: I'm sure you'll find a way around it.

Red sighed, spreading out the blanket before lying down on it. The first gym was going to be a tough one right off the bat. He'd have to figure out some kind of strategy to even have a chance. Since he was fairly sure he would only be allowed to use two Pokemon, he'd probably end up battling with Piyo and Riza. They both had more experience than Furi and only had a single Rock weakness rather than a double weakness.

All of a sudden, Riza jumped onto Red's chest, eliciting a loud 'oof' from the surprised trainer. He looked over to see her curling into a ball. She'd adjusted the heat of her flame to just hot enough to warm the inside of the tent, and her tail was curled around on top of her own back. It looked mildly uncomfortable, but Red realized that she probably didn't want to burn him again. A quick look around seemed to show that everyone else was ready for a nap as well. Furi hadn't even finished his Pokebeans. Maybe Red had given him too many.

"Hey, I thought we were gonna keep going," he said to them all. No answer. "All of you are lazy butts. One hour, then we're leaving."

It ended up being more like two hours before he was bored enough to fall asleep. They had all tired themselves out coordinating the tent.

The tiniest sneeze Yellow had ever heard sounded throughout the air as she blew dust off of an old toy she'd dug out of her crate. She hoped Chuchu didn't have some sort of dust sensitivity, but she didn't think the small Pokemon would. There was often dust in the cabin. It was probably just due to the fact that there was suddenly so much of it.

"Chuchu, are you alright," Yellow popped back out of the chest. She brushed her hand across one of Chuchu's ears just to make sure, feeling the connection between them open up briefly. It was just enough to be sure that she was ok. Despite that fact, Chuchu still shook her head in a denial that she had sneezed at all. "Are you sure about that?"

Chuchu crossed her stubby little arms and turned her head in denial. It was kind of funny, especially with how Yellow knew the truth. There was just no way uncle had made that sneeze, and all the other Pokemon were outside or in the freezer. That second one was referring to Glacier of course, who spent a lot of time in there and kept it cold. He had some sort of sensitivity to bright lights, so he slept in there during the daytime.

"If you really want to say so, I guess you might not have done it. I think whoever did do it has a pretty cute sneeze, though," Yellow grinned, lifting the toy she'd wanted out of the crate. It was a little model of a boat that they used to play with a lot in the water. She didn't really play with toys as often as she used to, since she spent most of her time around Pokemon, and she wanted to know if it still floated.

At the cute comment, Chuchu looked up again. Compliments were always a good way to get her attention. Not that she was vain, but they just made her happy. It was always good to see when Chuchu was happy, though sometimes she got a bit zappy.

"I knew you'd come around. Now let's see if Epona will bring us to the river," Yellow stood up, letting Chuchu climb onto her shoulder. Again, she smiled as she felt Chuchu's presence, a connection that she had with Pokemon and one that she'd never seen in anyone else. The small mouse Pokemon hopped around on her shoulders, urging her to go, so they went outside into the forest. Epona was a fairly easy Pokemon to spot considering she was on fire and all. She seemed a bit busy, though, being brushed by uncle. Yellow had forgotten that he'd come out to think over some things. Going to groom Epona when they wanted to do some thinking was a habit that they shared. Of course the eternally messy Rapidash never complained about that habit.

"Hello there Yellow. What brings you outside?" uncle held a second brush out to Yellow, who gratefully accepted it. Since it made her so happy, brushing Epona happened to be one of Yellow's favorite things to do. It was always enjoyable for everyone.

"We were thinking of going to the river to see if the old toy boat still floats, but Epona looks too content to ask for a ride," Yellow explained. She put the boat in the basket with all of the grooming brushes so it wouldn't get lost.

"That's a good observation. She's rather tired," uncle paused for a second before continuing. Yellow took the opportunity to begin brushing on the other side. Chuchu also moved, leaping up to sit on Epona's back. "I want to talk to you about something." An almost haunted look came over his face, as if he was thinking of something tragic, maybe a memory that he didn't want to remember or a decision he didn't want to make. That's kind of what it looked like. It made Yellow feel concerned.

"What's that?" Yellow was kind of hoping it didn't have anything with the Team Rocket news that Blue had brought earlier. Since Blue had left, she'd been doing her best not to think about it. She'd heard so many bad things about them from people who came to visit the cabin. Just the mere thought that they might discover her existence and want to capture her was very unnerving.

"How do you feel after hearing what Blue told us about Team Rocket?" uncle asked. Yellow made a bit of an odd face upon hearing about the topic. She really didn't want to think about them at the moment. Or ever for that matter. That sense of worry that Blue might've been right gnawed at her like a Rattata, and she didn't like that feeling at all.

Yellow kept brushing, resting her hand on Epona's flank to center herself. The older horse Pokemon wasn't bothered by many things, and not even the mention of people as bad as Team Rocket shook her. "I don't like the idea of them coming here. I've heard so many terrible things that they seem kind of scary." She wondered if she should say how worried she was about them finding her, but uncle probably already knew. It was almost as if he had powers of his own.

"That's a perfectly fine way to feel about them. Any news of Team Rocket should be met by a healthy dose of concern, but you must not let that fear dictate what actions you take to deal with it," uncle responded to Yellow's worries with his usual brand of wisdom. As usual, Yellow didn't completely understand what the meaning was, but she understood enough to know that it was important advice. "That is why I'm going to follow my own advice. This might be hard for both of us, but I don't think you can remain at home during this crisis."

"Crisis? What do you mean? Didn't you tell Blue that there wasn't anything to worry about?" Yellow was shocked by the news. She'd thought that he wouldn't want her to leave. After all, part of the reason they lived so deep in Viridian Forest was to protect her. Having her leave seemed like the last thing uncle would do. In response to the sudden shock, Yellow felt Chuchu's weight settle into her hair, the small Pokemon's anxiety only adding to her own.

"I believe something dark is coming to Kanto, and Team Rocket is only the beginning. We need to be ready for it, and I feel that this is the best way for you to be safe until you're strong enough to protect yourself," uncle seemed to be trying to explain it all in as few words as possible, but it seemed like there was so much to explain. Most of what was accomplished was Yellow getting more scared.

"I can't get stronger here?" she asked. By this point she had stopped brushing Epona and was standing with the brush loosely resting on the Pokemon's side.

"In a place like Viridian Forest? No, you need to learn and grow. You need to experience the word to find your true potential, and you can't do that cooped up here. It might be a bit sooner than expected, but I've always known you would have to take a journey of your own," uncle walked around to where Yellow was leaning on Epona. He looked pained, as if sending Yellow away was the last thing he wanted to do. She understood, though. There were quite a few people who knew about her, enough that she wouldn't be safe if Team Rocket came.

"If you think that's what's best, then I'll go. I'll make the best of it too," Yellow took a few deep breaths before standing on her own again. She wasn't going to let herself be afraid of what was coming. After all, the world was big and exciting, with so many Pokemon to meet. Fearing it wouldn't do her any good.

"I will give you some time to prepare," uncle said, gathering all the brushes together before placing them into the bucket. "I will stay out here to finish Epona's grooming. I haven't cleaned her hooves yet."

"Wait, am I leaving today? I thought it would be a few days from now," Yellow was yet again left shocked, leading Chuchu to start getting staticy. She was often attuned to Yellow's mood like that, more so than the other two Pokemon that lived with them.

"Blue gave us the news several days after she found out about it. It's entirely possible that Team Rocket is already beginning to move more members to Kanto. The sooner you leave, the better," uncle explained, retrieving a tool that looked more like a pick than a brush from the bucket.

"How will I know what to bring?" Yellow knew that was probably a silly question, but she wanted to be as ready as possible. This would be her first time without uncle. There wasn't much room for mistakes.

"Just enough for you and your partner," uncle said again. Yellow frowned. Sure, she loved her uncle, but he was so cryptic at times. It could make things tough to manage.

Yellow darted into the cabin, grabbing a bag along the way. She'd need to think carefully about what she wanted to bring. A change of clothes, some food to start with, treats for Chuchu. Treats were always a must. She'd have to find a map of Kanto at some point because it didn't look like they had one anywhere. A few other things went into the bag until Yellow's eyes landed on her sunhat.

"Disguise as a boy, eh?" Yellow echoed, remembering Blue's words from earlier in the day. She wouldn't be comfortable doing something as drastic as dying her hair, but disguising as a boy was something she could do. It barely took a second to wrap her hair up into a ball and stuff it underneath the hat. It was hard to tell how good it looked since there weren't really any mirrors nearby, but she thought it would be convincing enough for her to pass as a prepubescent boy. She was certainly small enough for that.

"Chuchu, what do you think?" Yellow turned to her partner, adjusting her hat slightly to cover her hair better. Now, only her bangs should really be showing.

Chuchu let out a bright squeak, indicating that she thought Yellow had done a good job. Then again, Chuchu always seemed to think that was the case. She walked up, nuzzling Yellow's ankle, which is what she usually did to ask Yellow to pick her up. With her hat and partner, Yellow looked every bit the traveller she was about to become.

They were almost ready to go with only a few things left to take care of. First, she went over to the freezer to say goodbye to Glacier, stopping to close the blinds before reaching it. When she opened it up, Glacier immediately noticed her, letting out a catlike mewl. He coated the inside in a layer of ice before leaping out to rub against Yellow's legs, wobbly on only three legs.

"Hey there Glacier. I'm gonna be going away for awhile. Can you keep an eye on uncle for me?" Yellow asked. The Glaceon had a very relaxed personality and was often found cheering people up. That was going to be a must for uncle with Yellow leaving.

Though he looked sad about the whole situation, he nodded. He was a very good Pokemon to rely on, always being the best to ask for help of some kind as long as he was able to. Even with one leg missing, he easily pushed himself up onto his hind legs to paw at Yellow's leg with his front paw. It meant that he wanted to be pet, so Yellow reached down to scratch the fluffy fur around his ears. They were cool to the touch but not quite as cold as some other Ice-types. With the touch, Yellow could tell that he was sad to see her go, but there was also a sort of contentment there, as if he had known that it was coming. It seemed that everyone had known that Yellow was going to leave except for herself.

"Goodbye Glacier," Yellow also held Chuchu so that she could say goodbye to Glacier as well, which she did by touching her tail to his side, letting loose a very weak electric shock. Glacier never seemed to mind it, since he knew it was how many Electric-types communicated. It showed how patient and thoughtful he was with the others who lived in the cabin. He didn't even understand the specifics of what the shock conveyed, but he knew enough to be understanding about it with Chuchu. This wasn't something the mouse Pokemon could do with Epona either. Although there wasn't much that phased her, she didn't do well with sudden pain, even if she saw it coming. Chuchu happened to have a bad habit of standing in her blind spots, which made it worse. She got scared whenever Chuchu tried.

Then, with determination in her step, Yellow walked back outside. It was late afternoon, and the sun was close to setting, but that wouldn't be a problem. Yellow often didn't sleep much. She could keep going well into the night, able to navigate the darkness just as well as in daylight. Plus, the cover of darkness might do her good considering she was trying to stay away from people.

"I'm ready," she said to her uncle, who was still with Epona. He was sitting beside the now laying Pokemon, with his legs crossed. Most of the light in the area was being provided by Epona's flames.

"Not quite you aren't," uncle said as he stood up. He retrieved a small pouch from one of his pockets and handed it to Yellow. "Now you are."

"What's in here?" Yellow emptied the contents of the pouch onto her hand. What was revealed was a light blue gemstone that almost looked like it was made of ice, with a darker blue core at its center. It reminded her greatly of the yellow stone that Blue had shown earlier.

"It's a gift from Ice Island," uncle said, referring to the island that was home to the legendary Pokemon Articuno.

"Why would an Articuno give something like this to us," Yellow had never met a legendary Pokemon before, so she had no idea what to expect.

"It will act as a guide for you when you are ready, just as Blue's will do for her," the explanation was vague, but Yellow knew that was all she was getting. Plus, it was more than Blue had gotten. She looked down at the stone, the idea that she might someday get to meet one of the legendary birds exciting her.

"Well, I guess now I'm ready to go then," Yellow carefully stowed the stone back in its pouch. She would have to keep it safe.

"Indeed you are. Make sure you come back to visit once in awhile," uncle enveloped Yellow in a hug, and she sank into it, letting his larger mass support her.

"Goodbye uncle. I love you," Yellow smiled, returning the hug. She was going to miss him so much and knew that the feeling was reciprocated.

"I love you too. May Arceus guide your path," uncle's face lit up in a sort of somber way with a smile. It was like candlelight rather than sunlight. There was a goodbye in that smile, but it wasn't an entirely sad one. It was more of an, 'I'll see you later,' type smile, and that made Yellow feel more secure in this decision they were making.

For the first time in her life, Yellow turned away from the cabin for good, the place she had grown up in and lived all her life. Chuchu stood up on her shoulder to wave goodbye. As they went, Yellow hoped that Arceus really was going to watch over them, since she wasn't sure if they could do it alone. Only time would really tell, she kept thinking to herself as the cabin was gradually hidden by the trees of Viridian Forest.