"Alright, one more time. Let's go over it."
"Uncle Wilton! I gots to go!"
"One more time, Yellow. Come on."
"Okay! Fine!"
"You're going to take a bath today."
"Okay."
"And brush your teeths."
"Fine!"
"You're not giving away your shoes."
"Um..."
"Or let the Caterpie sleep in your hair."
"It helps them from gettin' eaten!"
A lost battle, to be sure. Wilton gestured out the tent, releasing Yellow from her dreaded prison. Freedom! It had never tasted so sweet! She hopped out, feeling the shoes pinch her feet as she hit the ground.
Maybe she won't give away her shoes, but she might lose them.
"Yellow, make sure you read your—!" Wilton called out after her as she waved goodbye, seeing her disappear into the thicket again. He grunted, seeing her little book right outside the inner forest boundary.
He'll have to catch her on that next week. Following her would be suicide—the forest allowed no one into the heart. Wilton would get lost for a year and bury his body into the deep earth clay.
The branches creaked under the wind, alerting him he needed to leave. Mother Forest was not one for lingering strangers, especially so near her inner sanctum. If Wilton didn't know any better, he'd say that this magical presence was paranoid.
"I'm gettin' a move on." He muttered, packing up his tent. "Hold your horses."
Lurching, rolling vibrations under his feet, right through his boots. Wilton swallowed, regretting his petty comment to a goddess. The damn wood could swallow him whole, all the way to the center of the world.
"Sorry. Sorry."
Best to get a move on quickly.
x
It felt like he had been walking in circles. And it seemed like the forest was doing it on purpose. Hadn't he seen that tree already? That rock? How many streams could there be in a forest?
Gnawing fear ate at him. He knew he couldn't get lost. He had the best GPS available and easy access to an extraction team. Even if he got lost, it wasn't like he couldn't get found later.
Unless, of course, he trips over these huge roots and breaks his neck.
The sky was getting darker, even though his watch said it was only three o'clock. Maybe all the stories were true. Maybe the wicked met their fate here. Just maybe-
"Come on," The stranger muttered, readjusting his backpack, "Keep your panties on. You're just getting into your own head. Don't be a wuss. Just keep walking around."
Birds were chirping less. The wood grew thick, making it impossible to see beyond the path. An aura of panic filled his lungs. The stranger hadn't seen a Pokemon in about twenty minutes, which seemed impossible.
He lifted his radio up, "Hey. Come in. Over."
Silence. The radio crackled. Fear snorted his breath out before he regained some of his senses. Dispatch must be on a bathroom break. Lunch break. Switching shifts. Sweat beaded down his neck, pooling at the top of his belt.
"Come in. Over. This is Agent-"
Cut out. His lungs burned now. All of his training was slipping through his fingers. Panic settled in, freezing up his grey brain matter. The legends were true. This forest was taking his wicked heart and passing ultimate judgment. It would lay his bones here.
Lost forever. Lost forever. Lost forev—
"Dispatch. Agent Rigel, received a message. Over."
"Motherf-!" He swore, trying to stop his heart from racing. That scared the shit out of him. His head was bent, trying not to vomit, as the transmission came through again. Whoever was working dispatch, the man was going to strangle the punk.
"Agent Rigel, have you seen the girl? Over."
"Yeah, yeah, where were you? I called five minutes ago."
"Team shift. Answer the question. Over."
All business instead of facing mortality. Just like them. Rigel held up the radio, trying to stop his pulse from exceeding three hundred over three hundred. He regretted ever doing well on the agility tests now.
"I haven't seen her." He paused, trying to think of how he could resolve that problem. "If she's here, she's not wanting to be found. Where am I, by the way? Over."
"Keep searching. You are not to leave until you find her. As for your current location, you are two miles from the entrance. Over."
"Bullshit I am! I have been walking around in circles for three hours! You sure it's working?"
"Our GPS has not encountered difficulty. And proper radio protocol states that all transmissions must end in 'over'. Over."
Oh, he was going to strangle the sumbitch.
"Whatever. Over. Got it. Over."
"Do not repeat 'over' in the same sentence. Over."
"Fuck off. Better? Over."
"If you are too stressed to finish the mission, we will find another agent. Over."
He swallowed back his next words. That was code for 'You're useless, we'll chop you up and feed you to Bossman's Pokemon'. Now it was a good idea to tread with precise steps. Lest his head becomes a chew toy for a Nidoqueen.
"I'm fine. Sorry. Over. I will let you know when I find her."
x
"Mother Forest! Look how far I can jump now! ChuChu taught me!"
Yellow launched herself from her tall perch, reaching out for another tree limb. However, the girl had fallen short of a foot and missed the burly branch completely. Her small body flailed as she tried to slow her fall.
Several roots sprang up from the ground, entwining together to create a sturdy surface to land on. Vines shot out from above Yellow, wrapping themselves around her waist to displace her weight and reduce her fall.
With the loving gentleness of a mother, it set her down on the roots and dropped back on her feet. Yellow looked up, smiling as she tried to block the sunlight with her hand.
"Thank you, Mother Forest! But I coulda gotten it…"
A whistle through the leaves, almost laughing. The vines and roots retracted, putting Yellow back on the hard ground. ChuChu had come up from the treetop, staring down at her with an anxious worry.
"I thought it would work!"
"It's okay!" Yellow waved, still quite energetic, "Let's go fish! It's still light out!"
ChuChu's eyes brightened. "Fishing party?"
"Yes! We can have a fishing party! Mother Forest, is that okay?"
There was a long, drawn out wind gust that blew through the exposed roots. Yellow looked down, confused. Mother Forest never took so long to answer for something so simple. Was Mother Forest worried about her?
Even the Pikachu could sense it, cocking her head towards the treetops.
"Mother Forest?" Yellow called out again, twisting her ponytail around her finger, "Is everything okay?"
Silence. The looming fear had come upon Yellow, turning her stomach inside out. Did the forest sense an intruder lurking around? Nobody had ever gotten so far into the heart of the forest—even the best rangers couldn't penetrate the mystic wood.
"Mother Forest, I'll stay in the pond. I won't go to the river. Or the streams. I will stay with you."
ChuChu ran down the trunk, hiding behind Yellow's new boots.
"I have never seen Mother Forest so quiet... did we make her mad?"
"I don't know." Yellow whispered, "Mother Forest always talks to me."
Schleck!
Wet vines pulled themselves from the trees, twisting around the outer tree trunks a few feet away. After several minutes, Yellow could not see beyond a wall of bulky, rich vines. Even the most determined Pidgeotto could not peck their way through the security embrace.
ChuChu stared in awe, "Mother Forest is very powerful!"
"Thank you, Mother Forest." Yellow bowed her head, "We'll go play in the fishing pond."
More wind, blowing Yellow and her Pikachu towards the deeper sanctum. In moments, the two were chattering away about their upcoming fishing party.
x
Rigel needed a break. His feet were killing him in these boots.
"Come on, kid," He muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow, "I don't want to grow old here."
It was so dark. Sunlight could barely make it through the branches. In another hour, Rigel could not see his hand in front of his face. Time was moving so weird here too; one minute felt like an hour and one hour equaled ten hours. It made no sense, and it was driving him crazy.
Snap! His boot tripped over another exposed tree root. Rigel caught his balance in time to avoid landing on his face. He had done that six times already, and he was sick of it! Was this forest trying to kill him?
"Fuck you." He said to nobody in particular, "Fuck you. You fucking—"
A haunting, low gurgle stopped him dead in his tracks. Twisting, breaking bark, as if the trees were pulling themselves from the ground. The trees swallowed the sky up, leaving him in total darkness as the ground gurgled again.
Rigel talked smack to the wrong person or entity or whatever this was.
"I'm sorry!" It was the only thing he could think of. "I'm sorry! Just…!"
Flare. Get the flare. Rigel ignited his flare stick, giving him a measly defense against the darkness. He had maybe two minutes of light before igniting another one, making him believe he didn't pack enough.
The gurgle again. Where was that coming from?
Swinging the flare around, Rigel tried to make out anything. His foot hit another root. Fuck! Another one. He stumbled, running in his original direction. At least, he hoped it was his original direction.
Gurgle. It sounded closer this time.
Rigel heard a whizzing right past his ear. He smacked it, thinking it was nothing more than a tiny bug. But there was another louder one in his other ear. The red light of the flare wasn't helping him much to see his new-acquainted companions.
Gurgle. Now it was right near his feet.
He used the flare light towards the ground, seeing beady red reflections stare back at him. Whizzing more and more. Chittering now, as if jaws were being fluttered open and shut. Wings flapping, ready for flight.
Rigel's blood ran cold. More red, beady eyes were coming out from the ground by the dozens.
Beedrill. A massive hive was coming out of newly formed sinkholes. Big, giant, monstrous Beedrills that were rather miffed about Rigel's presence.
He couldn't scream. He could only move fast.
Thank the gods he passed his agility tests.
x
"Okay! Make sure you gather enough berries!"
Three Pikachus nodded, bolting off towards the east. Yellow smiled, watching them go as her other Pokemon friends were preparing for her fishing party.
What luck! Plenty of Pokemon had come and help, especially the fish! Can't have a fishing party if there were no fish to catch! Yellow bubbled over at the idea of making her friends happy.
However, she was still concerned about Mother Forest. By now, Yellow would have gotten several fresh fruits and vegetables to cater to her party. Mother Forest would have even commanded her Pokemon subjects to not harm each other during this peaceful event.
But there was no word. No fruits or vegetables. Not even rotten ones!
The sunlight beamed down on her face, making her wave herself off. It was so warm in the sun, making Yellow sleepy. Maybe after the party, Mother Forest would let her sleep instead of eating dinner.
Several Caterpie wormed themselves around Yellow's legs, nibbling a little on her pants. She bent over to pet them, feeling them cozy up to her more. Perhaps Mother Forest was cranky because of the changing of seasons—even though Yellow hadn't known it to happen before.
After all, if her Pokemon were happy…
Boom!
All the Caterpie fell off her pants in shock, digging into the ground in fear. Yellow fell to her knees, covering her head.
What was that? A tree falling?
x
"Oh, fuck. Come on! Come on!"
Rigel had a few sticks of dynamite left, but it wasn't enough to stave off an endless, mindless swarm. With everything so dark and only his last flare to guide him, doom crept into the corners of his mind.
He had hit this strange vine wall that prevented him from going any further. His machete broke into two after four hard swings. Radio transmissions were not going out from the massive interference—and even then, they wouldn't reach him in time.
He felt like he had run a mile in a second. His heart was ready to burst and his intestines wanted to release everything he had inside. But they still came. They never stop coming.
The red eyes from a distance came closer and closer. Tittering. Buzzing. Whizzing. Flapping. Hungry.
"I gotta get-" Rigel swallowed, his tongue dry, "I gotta get this shit open."
Taking out another stick of dynamite, he jammed the stick between the vines and lit it. He ducked for cover. Deciding between being blown to smithereens and dying from Beedrill stings was a horrible way to go.
His flare went out. Darkness covered the area. The only sound he could hear was the fuse burning away and the hive humming.
"Blow. Blow. I said blow!"
Splash of light and explosion. Before the light gave way, Rigel could see the vines contorted and dangling off, giving him enough space to squeeze through. Scrambling to his feet, he threw himself through the opening as he trudged through.
The Beedrill swarmed outside, wanting to find a space to fit through. Some had followed him, stinging him multiple times on the arm, but Rigel only allowed himself two screams of pain. He had to keep going.
Lurching noises. The area between his chest and the other vines closed in. Rigel could feel wrapping wet vines slide around his feet and arms.
The forest was reinforcing the vines.
Rigel was going to be torn apart if he didn't get through. Pulling away what broken vines he could. He regretted breaking that machete now. In fact, he was regretting just about everything in his life until this point.
His backpack slid forward, dropping into a free space. He was close. He was so close, but so far.
The vines constricted around his head and neck. Rigel was not fast enough to beat it. He wasn't…
A hand grabbed his and pulled him right through.
x
"Mister? Are you okay?"
Rigel opened his eyes, seeing a blurry figure standing a few feet away from him. In an instant, he vomited up his morning breakfast. Chunks of food slop stained the ground, making him gag at the sight and smell.
"Am I alive?" He did not know if he was or not. Everything was a blur.
"Yes…?"
Rigel refocused his sight, seeing a young blonde girl in a pressed traveler's dress and pants. New rubber boots that gleamed in the sunlight. Her brown eyes, big and round, almost entranced by his presence.
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"Thanks, kid," He mumbled out his gratitude—he'd kiss her feet if he didn't think he'd throw up again, "I... I was a goner for a second there."
"Why?"
"... The... The Beedrill. And the... vines...I... didn't you see or hear all that?"
The girl shook her head, "No. But Beedrill are very nice! I know lots of Beedrill! They get me the apples that are really high up! Did you ask for an apple?"
If that was the winning answer to taming Beedrill, this girl was crazy or a genius. Rigel shook his head, rubbing his entire face. He lost about five pounds from sweating bullets from the whole incident.
Thank goodness this little girl was here, or he'd be—
Rigel straightened up. The girl! The girl, the girl, the girl! Sunny days, indeed! He shot to his feet, trying to summon up enough charm to make her friendly.
"That's a…" His mind was blank, attempting to bounce back from the intense trauma he suffered moments earlier, "Good idea. I'll keep that in mind."
She nodded, "Where did you come from, mister? Nobody comes this far."
Rigel brushed his matted hair back, "I came from Pallet Town. But I got lost. I've been lost for a day now and I'm really needing help. You wouldn't know the way to Viridian from here?"
His new friend cocked her head, as if she was thinking. After a few minutes, she nodded.
"Could you...show me?"
The trees shook, stirring up his stress again. What now? What else could this forest throw at him? Hadn't he suffered enough? Rigel will start volunteering at soup kitchens and stop stealing from charity boxes. Just let him go.
However, the girl put her hands on her hips as she huffed upwards, "Mother Forest! Imma keep my promise! You stop that!"
Rigel stared at the girl. He must have been losing his mind. This kid was acting like a bunch of trees were her actual mother. The tilt of her head was obvious, as if she was listening to a response.
The ground shook a little.
"Okay, Mother Forest. Thank you."
He didn't ask, even when they started walking.
x
When Rigel finally got the courage to see his mission through, he started off easy.
"What's your name?"
"Yellow."
"How old are you?"
"Uhm. Seven, I think. Mother Forest says so."
"What's your favorite Pokemon?"
"All of them! But my bestest-best-best friend is ChuChu, a Pikachu!"
This was definitely the girl. Rigel unstrapped a Pokeball, following the humming and bubbly little child. He put on his best 'concerned and sad' look hoping the girl would catch it right away.
She bit it like a rat to a piece of cheese, "What's wrong, Mister?"
"I, uh, used my Pokemon to defend myself against the Beedrill," Rigel said, running the Pokeball between his fingers, "And it hurt my Pidgey. Real bad. I think…"
He trailed off, putting on the dramatic effect. Yellow's eyes became enormous, filling her entire face. Jackpot. Hook, line, and sinker.
"Oh, no! I wanna help!"
Kids and baby Pokemon. No wonder it was so easy to kidnap them; they're very dumb. Rigel handed the Pokeball to her, making her inspect it with curiosity.
"Why do you…" Yellow questioned, baffled by the technology, "Where's the Pokemon?"
"Inside, Yellow. Call it out."
"But Pokemon don't live in balls." Her stout answer, as if it was the only truth. "They live in forests and trees and water. I never seen a Pokemon fit into a ball. Forest and trees and water don't fit in balls."
Rigel shrugged, "True. But we can capture them and put them in there-"
"Why? Why would you do that? You don't do that." Yellow shot back, impudent, "That's mean. You don't put Pokemon in balls. They can't play in there."
Nobody told him that this kid was one of those "Free Pokemon" types. Then again, if she had lived in a forest her entire life, Yellow had never encountered a Pokeball or even a Pokemon battle.
That'll be interesting for the boss to handle.
"You're right. I'll stop putting them into Pokeballs." Rigel simpered, enough to placate her, "But do you think you can help?"
Yellow nodded again, and Rigel tenderly plucked it out of her hands to call upon the Pokemon. In a flash, a wounded and dying Pidgey was laying at her feet. Immediately, the girl swooped upon it and ran her fingers over the bloodied feathers.
Right before Rigel's eyes, the injuries healed. It was a miracle straight from the graces of Arceus. Even the deep, oozing cuts on the belly had closed up entirely.
It was just like that other kid. Or so Rigel heard from his colleagues. One touch and battle wounds healed over, even if the Pokemon fainted. The other kid could keep Pokemon in fighting fit for as long as it took. This girl could also do the same, albeit faster.
However, she stopped, whining a little. Rigel broke out of his thoughts.
"What's wrong?"
She pouted, "My shoes. They pinch! I can't focus!"
"So... take them off?"
Yellow needed that validation to lose her shoes as she jetted them off lickety-split. Her bare toes wiggling into the dirt and she was happy once more, making Rigel think that anything satisfies these kids.
After about fifteen minutes, Yellow petted a happy and healthy Pidgey. Rigel tapped his forefinger on his chin, mesmerized by what he saw.
"That's real special, kid," He remarked, "Who taught you that?"
Yellow shrugged, "Mother Forest. I had them forever. Mother-"
The ground rumbled again, making the Pidgey flap their wings in fright. Yellow looked down, sensing something was off. Mother Forest did not want to divulge her powers and wanted him out.
"Yes, Mother Forest." She mumbled, "The path out is that way. Let's go."
Rigel lifted his Pokeball, but Yellow glared at him, huffing as any child would. He dipped his head in understanding, putting the Pokeball back on his belt. It didn't matter, anyway; he got what he came for.
However, Yellow could feel the fear vibrating from Pidgey. The poor Pokemon's heart was full of emotions, all coursing through her senses like a poison to the system. She couldn't even lift the pain off of their soul.
"Is something wrong?" A faint whisper.
"Bad man. Bad man. Don't let me go back to him."
Yellow eyed him. "What's wrong with him?"
"He hurt me. Bad man. Bad man. All bad men. Let me go. I'll fly."
Nothing further to be said. If Pidgey belonged to him, he'll come back. She opened her arms and released the bird, letting it fly from her grip. Rigel jumped towards her with his Pokeball in hand, rather pecked that she had let his Pokemon go.
"Hey! You…!"
Another stare. Rigel clenched his fingers around the ball. Whatever. It was a worthless Pidgey. Get fried in fatback and served on a platter when he got back. No need to blow it by getting upset at her.
"...You know what? That's excellent. I'm inspired." He smiled, his lie sitting on his teeth, "I don't think I'm ever catching one again. Thank you, Yellow."
She'll be real fun for Bossman.
Yellow pointed towards the path that led to a shimmering light, "That leads out of the forest to Viridian. You hafta walk a little over a field. But it's there."
Rigel would have kissed the ground, but she would suspect something. He wanted to curl into his bunk and cry into his pillow for a year. He motioned towards her, as if he was encouraging her.
"Why don't you come with me? We could go to Viridian together. We could even travel together! There're nice toys in Viridian. Even more Pokemon!"
Yellow shook her head, "I'm not supposed to leave the forest."
"Who said? Mother Forest?" The man's lips curled slightly upward, showing a set of teeth under the sweet smile, "I'd protect you, you know. I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Shivers went down Yellow's spine. Bad man. Bad man. They're all bad. She needed to leave now and run back to the safety of Mother Forest's bosom. Or this man might do something terrible.
"No," Yellow hummed, trying to think, "See, Mother Forest needs me to stay. She says that... that…"
"Don't you want to live in a house? In a warm bed?" Each question became longer, drawing her attention closer and closer, "Have nice, pretty clothes? You could even have all the Pokemon friends you want…"
That jolted Yellow out of her memory. Her friends! They must be still waiting for the fishing party! Her head shook again, much harder as she hurried off to her pressing appointment. A rather good excuse to leave!
"No, thank you!" She called out behind her, "I already have lots of friends! Bye!"
In moments, Yellow ran into the loving embrace of her Mother Forest's arms and headed into the deepest parts of the wood. Hopefully, that stranger will find his way out quickly!
Rigel growled, shifting his backpack. He took a step to chase after her, but the ground shook again. Trauma rose to his brain like a mist before he sprinted to the safety outside the forest. Dropping the smile, the stranger picked up his Gear and hit the 'transmit' button.
"Target took the bait. Went into the forest."
One collected, bored reply drawled through the waves:
"Tracker started. Executive standing by."
Just the thought of an Executive being involved made the agent fix himself up, as if his sloppy posture could be zeroed in from miles away. Right before he could perfectly coif his collar, another voice broke through the radio waves:
"Was the target able to heal the bait?"
It was that Executive. This mission must be a chief priority to be involving the top brass—that girl made the upper echelons ruffle their feathers at the very idea of getting their hands on her. Suddenly, Rigel wished he had done a better job convincing her to escort him back to Viridian so he could get a promotion.
"Yes," His desire to please the boss overwhelmed the common senses, making him jump at the chance to prove himself, "Quick. Faster than the boy, I think. Didn't even get tired. I can try to bring her back and—"
"No need. Rosso Team will extract her."
"Yeah, okay, but," Trying to think, trying to remain relevant to the mission at hand, "The forest is dense. Even with our hunter-trackers, they can still get lost. I had a real bad time getting through. Almost died. It gets dark and there's—"
"That, agent, is why we'll be using the Houndooms. You had retrieved a personal item of hers, correct?"
A smile. Now he was relevant. He was the most valuable player, the savior of the mission, and the guy who had it all.
"Yeah. I got her shoes."
"Good."
Maybe Rigel was riding high. Maybe he was an arrogant prick with his ambitions aimed towards the sun. But right now, the world was in his fingertips and he had the top Executive's ear as close as he ever had it in his life.
"You think...your Houndoom is going to track her? These woods go for miles… you know, the Bossman really likes this place... even though it's a fucking nightmare..."
The long pause was the worst thing to hear. It meant that someone, somewhere, was going to eat their words with a red-hot poker shoved down their throat. Someone like Rigel.
"What we cannot find, we will smoke out. Trees regrow—even our master understands that."
Maybe it was best if the agent "forgot" his way back to headquarters for a few days. Or a few months.