CHAPTER 11
Through the Forest
As Zora and the team left the Gym, they returned to the Pokémon Center to heal up the team, even though they had barely been scratched.
"That worked better than I thought it would," Zora said as the team relaxed in the lounge to plan their next move. "Told you Crisper would be fine."
"Only because Scyther started out with a Leer," Fly Boy said. "What if it had used U-Turn to begin with?"
"Well, it didn't, so it doesn't matter anymore," Zora said. "We've got two Badges and no deaths so far. I think we're doing pretty well for the time being."
"So what's our next move?" Dingbat asked.
"Let's see," Zora said and brought out her Pokégear. "The next Gym should be in Goldenrod City. It's the largest city in Johto, so there are quite a few things to do there. There's a Game Corner and… Ooh, if we get 200 game coins, we can buy an Abra!"
"Buy an Abra?" Kale repeated skeptically. "Is that entirely safe?"
"Totally," Zora replied. "The Pokémon gained at the Game Corner are not wild, so they will not die nor cause any other Pokémon gained there to die. Besides, there are no wild Pokémon in Goldenrod, so we don't have to worry about an encounter there. There are two Pokémon we can get there, both of which we really want. One is the Abra, the other is an Eevee."
"Eevee?" Bambi repeated. "What do we need that for?"
"Eevee can evolve into one of five different types," Zora explained. "What we want is an Umbreon, the Dark-type Eeveelution."
"Didn't you say we want a Fire-type Pokémon?" Kale asked skeptically. "Or a Water-type? Shouldn't we evolve it into a Flareon or Vaporeon instead? Or even an Espeon, I've heard those are powerful."
"We already have a Slowpoke for a Water-type," Zora said. "Besides, Flareon is actually not a good Pokémon. It's messed up. And while Espeon is a powerhouse, we don't have any Dark-types, and having an Umbreon will be good against the fourth Gym, which has Ghost-types. Plus, Umbreon can tank a lot of hits, unlike most other Eeveelutions. Plus, it looks awesome. We want and need an Umbreon."
"Okay, I get it," Kale said. "Hey, isn't Goldenrod City the place where that Miltank is located?"
"Precisely," Zora replied. "This is where Crisper will really shine. Miltank knows Rollout, Stomp, Attract and Milk Drink. Since Crisper is a Rock-type, she resists Rollout and Stomp, and since she's a female, Attract won't affect her. All the Miltank can do is heal itself with Milk Drink. Whitney's Gym will be no problem with Crisper on the team."
"Alright then, what are we waiting for?" Dingbat said. "Let's go!"
"Not just yet," Zora said. "In order to get to Goldenrod City, we need to go through Ilex Forest first, and then we have to go through Route 34. Both are new areas with new encounters."
"So?" Fly Boy said. "We just catch them and-"
"No," Zora said. "Well, yes, we will catch our encounter in Ilex Forest, which could be either a Paras or an Oddish depending on the darkness in the forest at the moment. It's soon sunset, which means the nocturnal Oddish will come out. Whichever we get doesn't really matter, we probably won't use them anyway."
"So what's the problem?" Crisper asked.
"The problem is Route 34," Zora explained. "We can't have an encounter there right away. The reason is because wild Abra live there, and while uncommon, they do tend to appear out of nowhere. The bad thing about encountering an Abra is that Trainers only get one chance to catch it. If it gets out of the first Poké Ball, it will Teleport away. If that happens to us, that's a waste of an encounter."
"What else can we get on Route 34 other than Abra?" Omelet asked.
"We could get a Drowzee or a Ditto," Zora said, checking her notes. "But we'd much rather have a Drowzee than a Ditto, as Ditto is virtually useless to us. We can't breed, I've read online that Nuzlocke Trainers are unable to breed their Pokémon without ending up with dead babies. And that's pretty much the only use Ditto would be to us. So we need a Drowzee."
"And the Abra?" Bambi pointed out. "How do we avoid getting Abra as our first encounter?"
"Remember when I told you about the Game Corner?" Zora said. "If we buy an Abra there with game coins, we don't have to catch one in the wild. We are allowed to run from an Abra and catch a Drowzee instead."
"That sounds efficient," Kale remarked. "So in other words, we catch a Pokémon in Ilex Forest, then we avoid encountering any in Route 34, get to Goldenrod City, buy an Abra, return to Route 34, find a Drowzee and catch it?"
"Exactly," Zora said with a smile. "Alright, one more thing. Whitney's Miltank is her ace, and it is at level nineteen, just two levels above Bugsy's Scyther. I don't remember if I told you this before, but we can't fight Gym Leaders with Pokémon stronger than their ace either."
"We can't?!" the team exclaimed in unison. "What happens if we do?"
"I don't know," Zora said. "Most Nuzlocke Trainers avoid using Pokémon in Gym Leader battles when they are higher leveled than the Gym Leader's ace, but it doesn't seem like it has a death penalty. Most say it has something to do with honor, I think."
"Honor?" Kale repeated with a frown. "Who cares about honor when there are lives at stake here?"
"I don't want to risk it," Zora said. "So after we've caught our encounter in Ilex Forest, we should run away from any other wild Pokémon there."
"What about Trainer battles?" Bambi asked.
"We can't run from those," Zora reminded him. "We can fight the Trainers we meet on the way to Goldenrod, along with the Gym Trainers in the Gym. If everyone's not at level nineteen by the last Gym Trainer, we'll go out and fight wild Pokémon until you are."
"So if the next Gym Leader's ace is two levels above this Gym's ace," Fly Boy said, "how high level is the fourth Gym Leader's ace?"
"Let me see," Zora said and looked through her notes. "The Gym Leader in Ectruteak City has a Gengar at level twenty-five, a good six levels above Whitney's Miltank. We should be good with training after beating Whitney and getting our third Badge."
"Well, that's good to know, at least," Fly Boy said.
"Can we go now?" Omelet asked impatiently. "I wanna go in the forest already!"
Zora smiled at the Togepi and put her Pokégear away. "I suppose we've spent enough time here. Oh wait, old man Kurt should have our Poké Balls made from Apricorns ready in a while. We could go to Ilex Forest, get out encounter there, and then return and get the Poké Balls. Then we'll move on to Goldenrod City."
"Sounds like a plan," Dingbat said. "Let's go!"
Zora got up and put every Pokémon away except for Omelet. They left the Pokémon Center and went towards the west gate of Azalea Town, leading to Ilex Forest…
Zora heard someone shout, and she stopped up, as did Omelet in confusion. They turned around and saw Silver heading over to them. He stopped up right in front of Zora, with Omelet standing close to her leg.
"…Tell me something," Silver said quietly. "Is it true that Team Rocket has returned?"
"It is," Zora said. "But I took care of them."
Silver looked mildly surprised, then barked a laugh. "What? You beat them? Hah! Quit lying."
"I'm not lying," Zora hissed. "They invaded the town and took the Slowpoke, so I went down the Slowpoke Well and put them out of commission. They ran away after I beat them."
Silver's smirk faded, replaced by a frown. "Are you serious?" he said. "Then let's see how good you are."
Silver pulled out a Poké Ball and sent out a Gastly. Zora looked astonished at it, then down at Omelet.
"Omelet, take it out with Extrasensory," Zora said.
Omelet looked from Zora to the Gastly and stepped forward. "Okay," he said.
The Gastly gave Omelet a Mean Look, making his legs unable to move. Despite this, Omelet called forth an Extrasensory, which took out Gastly in one hit. Silver scoffed at the tiny egg Pokémon.
"You think you're so strong," Silver said and returned the Gastly to its Poké Ball, bringing out another. "But I remember you have a Grass-type on your team. Come out, Quilava!"
Silver sent out his Quilava, apparently having evolved from Cyndaquil since last they met. Zora smirked at the sight. She called back Omelet, instead sending out Crisper.
"You think you're so smart," Zora said. "But I remember how I crushed you last time. Crisper, use Magnitude!"
After the Quilava leered at Crisper, the Geodude shook the ground with a Magnitude 4. It didn't do much damage to the Quilava, as it was the weakest of the Magnitudes.
"Use another Magnitude," Zora said. "And make it stronger this time! Let's make him cry!"
Quilava leered at Crisper again, who landed a good Magnitude 7 at the Quilava, making it fall, get bruised and faint. Silver swore and returned the Quilava to its Poké Ball.
"Say, you've got a lot of nerve, coming here," Silver said and took out his last Poké Ball. "Zubat! Go!"
As Silver sent out his Zubat, Zora called Crisper back, instead sending Omelet forth again.
"Omelet, sic 'em," Zora ordered with crossed arms and a smile on her face.
But before Omelet could use Extrasensory, the Zubat out-sped him and used Bite. It didn't do much damage, but it did make Omelet flinch in surprise. Zora's smile fell, and her arms fell to her sides, her hands clenching into fists.
"Try again, Omelet," Zora said. "You can do it!"
Before Omelet could try another Extrasensory, Zubat landed a Supersonic, confusing the Togepi. Omelet broke through the confusion, however, and landed an Extrasensory. The Zubat was not knocked out, however, but almost.
"I'm getting tired of you!" Silver hissed.
"Touché!" Zora replied. "Omelet, use another Extrasensory, and please don't hit yourself!"
The Zubat bit Omelet again, but luckily the Togepi snapped out of the confusion and landed the final Extrasensory which took out Silver's Zubat. Silver snarled and called his Zubat back.
"Humph, useless Pokémon," Silver hissed. "Listen, you only won because my Pokémon are weak. I hate the weak. Pokémon, Trainer. It doesn't matter who or what. I hate to see them hanging around. That goes for Team Rocket, too. They think they are big and tough as long as they are in a group. But get them alone, and they're weak. I hate them all."
Silver walked closer to Zora, almost sticking his face into her face. She leaned back at the movement, and she heard Omelet growl below her.
"You stay out of my way," Silver spat in Zora's face. "You won't be an exception if you get in my way."
With that, Silver backed off and left Azalea Town through the west gate, into Ilex Forest. Zora relaxed and stood straight again, letting out a deep sigh.
"That guy is getting on my nerves," Zora said. "But he's also kind of creepy at the same time… Anyway, good fight, Omelet, you did great."
Omelet smiled up at Zora, now that the mean boy was gone. "Can we go play in the forest now?" he asked.
"Let's heal you guys up in the Pokémon Center first, shall we?" Zora said.
After getting the team healed up, Zora decided to have Bambi out front, so they could paralyze the first encounter they had in Ilex Forest. They left the Pokémon Center, Zora double-checking if they had what they needed for the next leg of the journey, and then they went to the west gate and entered Ilex Forest.
"Alright, so there's no tall grass in this place," Zora explained to Bambi as they prepared to step into the forest. "There are trees everywhere, and it's dark in here, so they can come out from anywhere. Oh, and it seems like the sun has set now."
"Which means we could run into an Oddish," Bambi concluded.
"Yes," Zora said. "Now, let's go and see what we find."
They walked through the forest, until they encountered… an Oddish. As predicted.
"Okay, just use Thunder Wave on it," Zora said. "It will get paralyzed and easier to catch then."
"Alright," Bambi said and used Thunder Wave, paralyzing the Oddish.
The Oddish used absorb, but it was practically useless, as it hadn't lost any health nor did it do any damage to Bambi. Zora took out a Poké Ball and threw it at the Oddish. It shook three times and clicked for capture.
"Excellent," Zora said and picked up the ball, inspecting the Oddish inside. "Hmm, another female. I will call her… Blueberry."
The ball materialized itself away to the Pokémon Center. "Alright, let's go back to Azalea Town and see if Kurt is done with our Poké Balls," Zora said.
They left Ilex Forest and returned to Azalea Town, immediately wandering over to Kurt's house. They walked inside, and Kurt seemed pleased to see them.
"Ah, Zora!" Kurt greeted. "I just finished your Poké Ball. Here!"
Zora was given five Heavy Balls by Kurt, which she put away in the Poké Ball pocket.
"That turned out great," Kurt said. "Try catching Pokémon with it."
Zora smiled. "Thanks, Kurt," she said. "Uh, I actually want some more Poké Balls…"
"You have Apricorns for me?" Kurt asked. "Fine, I'll turn them into Poké Balls. Which ones?"
"The green ones," Zora said. "I have four of them. Here."
Zora handed over her four green Apricorns to Kurt.
"I'll have them done in a day," Kurt said. "Come back for them later."
"I will," Zora said. "Though it may take longer than a day. I'll return when I get the time. See ya!"
Zora and the team left Kurt's house, returned to the west gate and went back into Ilex Forest.
"Well, now it's time to move on," Zora said. "Let's get through this forest and head for Goldenrod City!"
Zora kept Bambi out in front as they walked through the forest.
"Hey, Zora," Bambi said. "How exactly do we avoid our first encounter in Route 34 when we get there?"
"Easy, we use a Repel," Zora said. "That's why I bought three. If we have to go through any tall grass to advance, we'll use a Repel and prevent wild Pokémon from jumping out at us."
"Oh, okay then," Bambi said. "Just wanted to be sure."
"Of course."
They walked on in silence, until they came across a guy wearing glasses by some trees. They stopped and greeted him.
"Hey, what's up?" Zora asked.
"Oh, man," the guy said. "My boss is going to be angry…"
"What happened?"
"The Farfetch'd that cut trees for charcoal took off in the forest. Can you catch them for me?"
"Uh, sure thing. How do I do it?"
"Farfetch'd have sensitive ears. If you step on a branch, they will face toward you. That's your chance. Sneak up from behind and catch them… Do you think you can do that?"
"Yeah, I think I can handle that," Zora said. "I'll find them and bring them back here. See you soon!"
They walked on, until they spotted a Farfetch'd behind a boulder. They stepped on some dry branches, making them crack. The Farfetch'd immediately looked in their direction, staring vividly, but not seeming to be able to directly see Zora or Bambi.
Zora gestured for Bambi to follow her, and they sneaked around another pile of branches, around the trees and ended up behind the Farfetch'd. Before the Farfetch'd noticed what was going on, Zora caught hold of it. They walked back to the guy with the glasses.
"Wow! You found a Farfetch'd!" the guy remarked with joy. "Thank you! But… there is one more missing. If you step on a branch, it will face that way, remember? That's your chance to catch it. Sneak up on it slowly from behind."
"I know," Zora said. "I'll get the other Farfetch'd back for you. See you soon."
They moved on through the forest, finding a useless Revive on the forest floor on the way, then they spotted the other Farfetch'd up ahead. They tried sneaking up behind it, but they accidentally stepped on a branch just a meter away. The Farfetch'd quacked and looked at them. This one spotted them in the darkness and ran off. Zora sighed.
"We'll need to be smart about this," Zora said. "Let's follow it."
An Oddish jumped out at them, but they shooed it away and followed the Farfetch'd. As they approached it, it ran off again and ran around a corner. Zora smirked. They got it now. They walked the other way, stepping on some branches, making the Farfetch'd look their way.
They kept moving north, until they found some more branches and stepped on them to make a noise. As they walked back around the trees and saw the Farfetch'd, it was staring through the trees at north. They still couldn't sneak behind it though, so they returned to the northern branches, then turned to the east and stepped on more branches.
They walked back the other way, avoiding the branches at north and tip-toed their way back to the Farfetch'd. It was now facing away from them, and they could now sneak up from behind it. Before the Farfetch'd could react, Zora grabbed it from behind and carried it back to the guy with the glasses and the other Farfetch'd.
"Wow!" the guy exclaimed at their return. "You got me both of them. Thank you so much!"
"No problem," Zora said, though a few twigs and leaves had gotten stuck in her hair and hat.
"My boss's Pokémon won't obey me, because I don't have a Badge," the guy explained. "Phew. You saved me."
Suddenly, another man appeared from the south path of the forest.
"Ah! My Far and Fetch'd!" the man said. "You found them for us, kid? Without them, we wouldn't be able to cut trees for charcoal. Thanks, kid!"
"Again, no problem," Zora said with a smile.
"Now, how can I thank you…? I know! Here, take this."
The man handed over an HM to Zora, labeled HM01.
"That's the HM Cut," the man explained. "Teach that to a Pokémon to clear small trees. Of course, you have to have the Gym Badge from Azalea to use it."
"Well, good thing I have it then," Zora said and put the HM for Cut away. "Only Kale can learn Cut on my team though, but Cut isn't worth using on my core team. We'll return to the Pokémon Center and teach it to Dummy or Bushy. Come on, Bambi."
They returned to the Pokémon Center and took out Dummy the Rattata, putting her in Fly Boy's spot. They would put Fly Boy back on the team once they had gotten to Goldenrod City, or the first PC they stumbled upon on the way there.
After teaching Dummy Cut, they returned to the forest and cut down the small tree blocking their way through the rest of Ilex Forest. They went through the rest of the forest, running from any wild Pokémon they encountered. They found an X Attack on the forest floor and ran around through the many, many trees. They ended up in a glade where a man was ramming against one of the trees, taking Zora and Bambi by surprise. They walked over to him to see what was going on.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Zora asked the man, who noticed their presence.
"What am I doing?" the man repeated. "I'm shaking trees using Headbutt. It's fun. Here, you try it with your Pokémon, too!"
"Uh, no thanks," Zora said. "Or, actually, okay, will you teach it to one of them?"
"Sure," the man said. "Which Pokémon should learn it?"
"Hmm…" Zora gazed at her team members. "Hey Kale, wanna learn Headbutt?"
Kale got out of his Poké Ball and stood beside Zora and Bambi. "Sure, it seems better than Tackle anyway."
"Teach Headbutt to my Bayleef, please," Zora told the man. "He'll forget Tackle."
"Alright then," the man said. A moment later, Kale had forgotten Tackle and learned Headbutt. "There. How do you like it? Your Kale looks stronger!"
Zora smiled at the man. "Thank you," she said. "See ya!"
The team left the Headbutt Man and jumped over a ledge. They walked around the trees and up between another two ledges, when suddenly a dance girl like the one from Violet City approached them.
"Kimono Girl, Kimono Girl, lost and all alone," she sang. "Poor girl lost in the dark Ilex Forest."
She spun around in an elegant little dance. "Hey, I remember you from Violet City," Zora said. "You're that dance girl who asked me about my Togepi egg."
The Kimono Girl stopped and gazed at Zora in wonder. "What?" she said. "You remember me from Violet City? You must be imagining. Anyway, will you show me how to get out of this forest?"
"Uh, sure?" Zora said. "Wouldn't hurt, I guess. Come on."
"You will? Aren't you lost in the forest as well? How do you know how to get out of here?"
Bambi sighed and walked up ahead, surprising Zora. He jumped up and down and pointed in the west direction. The Kimono Girl and Zora both gazed at him.
"Wow! Are you going to show me how to get out?" the Kimono Girl asked Bambi with a sweet voice. "You are such a smart Pokémon!"
Zora rolled her eyes but smiled. Bambi was a smart little guy. The Kimono Girl turned back to Zora and gave her a giggle. "See you," she said and walked off in the direction Bambi had pointed out.
"So, did you think she was nice?" Zora asked Bambi and pat him on his wooly head.
"Yeah, she seemed nice," he said. "And she seemed capable of getting out on her own."
"So you know the direction out of here?" Zora asked curiously.
"Well, yeah, I can smell it," Bambi replied. "Can't you?"
"Human noses are not very acute. I never thought one of the things I would be relying on Pokémon for would be a GPS function."
Bambi cocked his head in confusion. Zora chuckled. "Just joking," she said. "Let's move on."
They found an Ether in the grass and went on, running from the rest of the Pokémon that jumped out at them on the way out of Ilex Forest. They eventually found the gate out and left the forest, instead entering Route 34.
"Alright, everyone," Zora said. "Let's get to Goldenrod City!"