International Police Headquarters, Kanto Branch, Cerulean City...
A tall woman wearing business clothing was addressing herself to another tall, and slim man who was wearing a brown overcoat over a black t-shirt, and yellow orchid pants.
International Police, Chief Inspector, Codename: Looker.
"Detective Looker."
"Present," the detective announced with a salute. "What's the situation ma'am?"
The woman glanced at her clipboard and clicked her tongue out of anxiety before informing Looker.
"There's been criminal activity spotted in Mt. Moon which lies between Pewter City and Cerulean City. We'd like you to investigate it."
"Yes ma'am," Looker replied respectively. "Any details ma'am?"
"Yes," the woman nodded before walking over towards a computer in a room. "Come over here."
Looker obeyed his superior's commamd before standing beside her as a video started playing on the computer monitor.
The video, in description, was of an innermost parts of a cave, where a handful of people dressed in black clothing with an 'R' symbol of red on their t-shirt were controlling drills and digging parts of the cave.
"One of our spies have recorded this video," the woman informs Looker. "As you can see, a group of people are trying to find something by digging into Mr. Moon."
"Find something?"
"Yes. Our experts suggest that what this group is doing is trying to extract moon stones from the soil of Mt. Moon. As you know, Mt. Moon is one of the well-known place for the extraction of moon stones, and probably the best in Kanto. However, this group is attempting to illegally extract the Moon stones for their own benefit."
"Understood ma'am."
"Good, you can go off to your duty now "
"Yes ma'am."
Meredith, Sylvia, and Aeris were still inside Viridian Forest. They had travelled about a mile since they started this morning. However, the end of the Forest still didn't look in sight for them.
"Oh! Aeris! How much longer do we have to walk? My legs are hurting!"
Aeris sighs before turning to Sylvia. "Could you please tell your annoying friend to shut up?"
"Hey! That's rude."
"And also tell her to scotch tape her mouth, if possible."
"Pika pika," Pikachu nods along with its trainer.
Sylvia sweatdrops. She has been put into this drama for a while now. Meredith and Aeris, they have been bickering like a married couple.
"Hey, what's that?" Sylvia says all of a sudden, causing the other two and Pikachu to turn their heads.
In front of them were a whole bunch of cacoons, along with what looked like a hive in the middle of the tree.
"Is this a bee hive?"
"Bee hive?!" Meredith perks up at Sylvia's words. "Then that means there must be honey."
"Uh. Well, I guess so..." Aeris was wary of the fact that there could be danger. However, before he could say anything more, Meredith ran off in a flash and started shaking the hive.
For a while, nothing happened.
Not until a big, yellow creature with black stripes and red eyes along with needle-like arms appeared in front of them.
"Bzz!" The creature snarled at them before pulling back its needles.
"Ah! Let's get out of here," Aeris calls out, before he and Pikachu run for their lives with Meredith, Sylvia, and the creature running after them.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Meredith shouts out as Aeris takes out his Pokedex in the middle of all the running.
"Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. A Bug and Poison type.
Beedrill fly quickly and attack using poison stingers on their forelegs and tail."
"You mean, it attacks with those needles?"
"So, it seems," Sylvia answers Meredith as she pulls away the stray strands of her silver locks while running for her life.
"Next time, we're gonna wrap you with a tissue paper so you stay still," Aeris tells Meredith who immediately starts protesting.
"Hey! It's not my fault that there was something like that on the tree."
"No, Mer. I actually agree with him on that one."
"Not you too, Sylvy!"
Sylvia, Meredith, Aeris, and Pikachu were all breathless after running for so long. As it seemed, it looked like they had lost the Beedrill after such a long and tiring chase.
"*pant* Did we lose it?" Sylvia asks.
"I guess we did *pant* ," Aeris replies while panting.
"Oh my God! That was so creepy! I'd never want to do anything like that again."
Meredith earned an eye roll from Aeris for that.
"Next time, you're gonna be in a sack."
"Huh? What? Why?"
"Damn annoyance..." Aeris mutters as Pikachu climbs up its trainer's shoulder, resting its body.
"Anyways, where are we?" Sylvia asks, to which Aeris shrugs his shoulders.
"I've got no idea. We've been running non-stop for quite a while, and with the Beedrill behind us, I lost track of oir route."
"Oh man!" Meredith pouts while walking towards a tree and placing her hands on the trunk. "At least, I have this tree."
The next thing she knew was that the ground below her started shaking before she was carried up by a met, being caught in it.
"What the-." Aeris was pretty shocked to be honest, since the irony was too hard to believe.
"Ah! Help me!"
"What just happened right now?" Sylvia asks Aeris, to which he shakes his head.
"Frankly, I've got no idea about it."
"Hey! What are you guys doing in my place?"
A sudden voice interrupted them as everyone turned heads to notice a boy older then them in a cotton shirt, shorts, and a straw hat on his head.
"Uh. Who are you?" Sylvia asks him.
"I'm Jackson. And right now, you guys are standing over my area."
"Your area?" Aeris questions, to which Jackson nods his head.
"Yes, this is my area. Didn't you see the sign over there?"
The sign Jackson was talking about was at the far corner of the place. Although Aeris and the others did passed through it, they were too busy with the Beedrill running behind them to notice.
"Oh. Sorry. We were in a hurry, so we might've not noticed," Sylvia quickly apologised, trying to avoid conflict.
"It's okay, but you guys shouldn't enter someone else's property like that."
"We're really sorry about that," Sylvia apologised yet again.
"Like I said, it's fine." Jackson tells them. "Besides, it seems like you guys are lost."
"Yeah, we actually are lost," Aeris acknowledges his words. "Could you help us get to Pewter?"
"Sure I can," Jackson replied with a smug smirk. "I know Viridian Forest like the palm of my hands."
"That would be great," Sylvia squeals in delight. The prospect of getting out of this place was something she really hoped for.
"Hey! Have you guys forgotten about me? I'm still stuck up here."
"Here," Jackson gestured to them an open road with no bushes, or trees. "This way leads to Pewter City. It's an hour's walk from here."
"Ah! Finally, I'll be able to get rid of this horrid place!" Meredith moans, getting her goal achieved at last.
"Thanks for your help Jack-."
Before Sylvia could thank him, Aeris cut her off.
"Hey. Before we go, do you know anything about the bug catcher that's supposed to live here?"
"A bug catcher?" Sylvia questions.
"Yes," Aeris nods, "Before I met you guys, I had a battle with someone who told me that there's a very strong trainer here in Viridian Forest who uses bug-type pokemons."
"Someone that strong lives in this place?!" It was unbelievable for Meredith who was more than hating this place.
"You must be talking about me!" Jackson tells Aeris, rubbing his nose. "I'm Jackson the bug catcher, and I'm the very strongest you'll get in Viridian Forest."
"Wait, you're the strong trainer?!" Too much surprises for Meredith in one day.
Aeris on the other hand, smirks in delight. A very pleasant surprise for him indeed.
"Cool. Then, I want a battle."
"Hoh-hoh! A battle with bug catcher Jackson! I'm thoroughly delighted."
Aeris and Bug Catcher Jackson settled with a two-on-two battle as Meredith and Sylvia watched from aside.
The first pokemon for Aeris to go with was Nidoran, while for Bug Catcher Jackson, it was-
"Kakuna, let's go!"
Aeris immediately identified the pokemon as the cacoons that were hanging off the tree where they met the Beedrill.
He looked at his Pokedex for further information.
"Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokemon, and the pre-evolved form of Beedrill. A bug type.
Kakunas lay inactive, hanging off the branches of trees before they evolve and turn into powerful Beedrills."
"So, that's a Kakuna."
"Cool, we'll attack first then," Aeris said before he flicked his wrist. "Nidoran, use Tackle."
Nidoran dug its feet into the ground and sprayed behind some dust before charging at the Cocoon pokemon.
Bug Catcher Jackson smirks.
"Harden, Kakuna!"
Kakuna's body glowed momentarily as Nidoran crashed into it. Turns out, Kakuna was as hard as a rock with little to no damage taken.
"Huh? What just happened?" Meredith asks Sylvia.
"Harden is a move that raises a pokemon's defence stats. Which means that Nidoran's attack didn't do much to Kakuna."
"So, that's Harden," Aeris says in excitement, seeing it for the first time in real life. "Then, we'll do this- Nidoran! Use Poison Sting!"
"Nidooo!" Nidoran's horn glowed purple before it dashed towards Kakuna.
"Use Tackle Kakuna!"
Kakuna started its own march towards Nidoran.
Both pokemon locked heads. Nidoran was able to penetrate through Kakuna's defense and deliver a critical hit, causing the latter to flung back out and on a tree.
"No! Kakuna!"
"Alright! Nice job, Nidoran!"
"Nidoooo!"
Jackson sighed and returned his pokemon, muttering words of encouragement to its pokeball before throwing another pokeball which revealed a pokemon that was very familiar to Aeris, Sylvia, Meredith, and Pikachu.
"Bzz!"
"Ah! It's that pokemon again," Sylvia announced while Meredith facepalms and cowers behind her.
"Why are there so many Beedrills in this Forest?!"
"A Beedrill, huh? This should be interesting." Aeris smirks while calling out to his Pokemon. "You ready for a battle Nidoran?"
Nidoran grunts and blows its nose, signalling its trainer that it was ready for what was to come.
"Alright then, let's start with Poison Sting!"
"Nidooo!"
Nidoran's horn glows purple yet again as it jumps and skips towards its enemy.
"Fury Attack Beedrill!"
Beedrill's eyes turn deep red as rage and anger decapicates its body.
As enraged as a rhinocerous, Beedrill started pulling its needles back before attempting to strike Nidoran with it.
"Bzz!"
"Nidoo!" The first attack, Nidoran was able to dodge smoothly by jumping to its right.
"Bzz!"
"Nidooo!"
Nidoran was successful in dodging the second one too, albeit barely.
"Bzzzzzzzz!" With more fury then ever before, Beedrill stretches its right arm before hitting Nidoran right in the face.
"Nidoooo!"
"Don't give up Nidoran! Now's the chance. Use Poison Sting up close and aim for its belly."
"Nidoo!"
Nidoran endured the pain before jumping and pushing its horn right in the middle of Beedrill's belly.
"Bzzz!"
"Nidooooooo!"
Nidoran screams as it forces all of its power on its horn.
"Go for it, Nidoran!" Sylvia started cheering too, Meredith joining soon after as the Poison Pin pokemon finally did the deed and smashed Beedrill into the ground, eventually landing victorious on the ground.
"Nidoooooo!"
"Alright!"
"Ah! Finally! Pewter City!" Meredith was in tears right now. She couldn't express how delighted she was to reach their destination.
"Yay! We're here!" Sylvia joined in the celebration.
"Well, that's it for me," Aeris says as he stretches his arms. "My job was to get you guys here in Pewter. I guess, it's goodbye for now."
"Aw! I really enjoyed our time though," Sylvia pouts. "Ain't that right, Mer?"
"Like hell!" Meredith stucks out her tongue at Aeris, though he had already turned hus back and was walking the opposite way with his hands in his pockets.
"Eh? He's gone?"
Although she'd never admit it, Meredith in realitt was quite saddened by the seperation.
Sylvia smiles at her friend before shouting out to Aeris. "Goodbye Aeris, goodbye Pikachu!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu responded to Sylvia's farewell, though Aeris seemed unlikely to do anything.
In the end though, he did raise his arms and waved back though he didn't turn his face to see them.
"Guess, he really was annoyed by us..." Sylvia mutters as a final response.