"Remind me again why I needed to come with?" Noah said in his usual deadpan monotone as he hiked awkwardly through the forest. The tall trees formed a thick canopy that prevented very little light from getting through. It made the forest cool, almost chilly, and incredibly dark. The only sources of light were the dim glow of some bioluminescent fungus and the flashlights on their phones. A slightly eerie silence filled the forest, save for the occasional snapping of twigs under their feet. A group of five teenagers kept most of the forest's regular inhabitants away.
"Because nobody will believe me if you don't see it!" Izzy exclaimed as she led the way through the trees. "You should have seen everyone at lunch when I told them about it. The only person who agreed with me was Staci! But if you see it and tell everyone, they'll have to believe me."
"I don't know why the rest of us needed to come then," Eva grumbled to herself as she smacked a tree branch away from her face.
"You're the muscle," Izzy said, "in case we run into some really nasty Pokemon that the rest of us can't handle. Like a Mega Charizard!"
"I don't think we'll find a Mega Charizard in the wild," Cody, one of the last two members of the group, pointed out from underneath Sierra's arm. The tall, purple-haired girl was hovering over Cody protectively, since there were many Pokemon in the forest that he was potentially allergic to. "But uh...a regular Charizard would still be bad."
"Don't worry Cody," Sierra said firmly, "I'll gladly take a Flamethrower for you!"
"Gee...thanks," Cody replied, unenthused.
"Shhh!" Izzy hissed. "You're going to scare it away before we even see it!" A low grumbling noise from the Pokemon at her side seemed to agree with her statement. Looking downward, one could see the wriggling mass of blue vines that was Izzy's Tangela. The Grass-type walked somewhat slowly on a pair of tiny red feet, eyes darted rapidly to try and spot whatever it was that Izzy was dead-set on finding.
Earlier in the day, Izzy had been telling a story about a strange Pokemon she had encountered in the Sasquatchanakwa Woods. A Pokemon that shimmered like a rainbow and looked like it was made of cotton candy (it was not, she said with certainty, the actual Cotton Candy Pokemon, Swirlix). She had only been able to catch a brief glimpse of it before it ran off, startled by the sight of her. Other than her admittedly not helpful description, she could only give a relative size estimate of about two feet tall (by which she had said, "about this big" and gestured).
With little to go off of, Noah had been unable to find a specific Pokemon that fit Izzy's flimsy description. There were a couple possibilities, sure, but the thought of it being a brand new Pokemon was exciting even to a self-proclaimed cynic like himself. It was because of this possibility that Noah had advised Izzy to stop talking about it to everyone at school. Well, okay, part of it was to get her to shut up in general, but he also didn't want his classmates to get the chance to find and catch it before any of his friends could. While Izzy was generally crazy, and prone to lying, this didn't fit her usual style of "truth stretching" as she liked to call it. And usually it didn't involve them hiking into a forest after school to find a Pokemon.
Or maybe it did. Izzy was known for wanting to go on wild adventures and usually gave little thought, if any, to the safety of herself or others. She had once dragged Noah and Eva into the sewer system because she had heard rumors of a massive, albino Feraligatr that lived down there. That one had actually ended up being true, and they had barely managed to get out in one piece before some more experienced Trainers were able to get in and subdue it. It had ended up actually being a Pokemon another classmate of theirs had befriended in his youth, but Noah didn't really care much about that part of the story. All he cared about was almost taking an Ice Fang to the jugular.
It was the chance of Izzy leading them into mortal peril that had caused Noah to send out his Pokemon as soon as they entered the forest, not wanting to have to trust his reflexes to send out his Pokemon and give a proper command before getting attacked. His Pumpkaboo floated just a foot away from him, a soft glow emanating from the two holes in the front of its pumpkin shell. The little guy wasn't exactly a powerhouse, but he stood a better chance against any Pokemon than Noah did. And Izzy had a point. Eva and her Timburr were a force to be reckoned with if things went south. Noah wasn't entirely sure why Cody and Sierra were there. While he and Cody were somewhat friends, he didn't really care much for Sierra. But if you had one, you had the other, for better or for worse. Izzy and Sierra were friends though, so it made sense for her to tag along.
"So what exactly is your plan?" Noah asked. He knew the others probably hated all the questions but he had to fill the void with something or he'd go even crazier than he already was just by participating in this entire adventure. "Are you just gonna throw Tangela at whatever this is and hope you can catch it."
"No way," Izzy said, and immediately Noah felt a sliver of hope, which was immediately dashed with the follow up of, "Tangela hates being thrown, so he'll stay on the ground the whole time!"
"I better not have to do all the work of fighting this thing only for you to be the one to catch it," Eva grumbled.
"Aw come on," Izzy replied with a huff. "I wouldn't do something like that! You're here for our protection. If anything in this forest tries to kill us. I'll do all the battling when we find this mysterious Pokemon." She then paused awkwardly. "Um, I may need to borrow some PokeBalls though if you guys don't mind..." They all groaned and begrudgingly gave her a PokeBall from their bag.
"Cody, is there anything you want me to catch for you?" Sierra asked. "All you have to do is say the word and Chingling and I will take care of it."
"Thanks," Cody said dryly, "but I can catch Pokemon on my own. Plus, isn't it kind of weird we haven't seen any Pokemon yet? I've been in these woods before, and it's usually crawling with them."
"We have been walking for a while," Sierra remarked. "Izzy, you do know where we're going, right?"
"We're going the right way," was Izzy's response and Noah didn't like how she seemed to avoid answering the question directly. "Don't worry about it guys! I was lost when I found it the first time, so being lost right now is a good sign." They all stopped walking and gave her an alarmed looked, which she didn't notice until about five paces later when she turned around to see why they weren't still following her. "What?"
Eva, surprisingly, was the one to speak up. "We're lost?" She said flatly. Izzy nodded. "For how long?"
Izzy looked as if she was thinking for a moment. "Well today's Tuesday so...since we got here?" Noah's hand immediately flew up to his face in frustration. Eva made an annoyed growl and started to look around. Sierra grabbed onto Cody even tighter. "Woah!" Izzy cried. "Guys relax, we'll be fine!"
"Izzy we've been walking for hours," Noah argued, trying not to panic. He hated the idea of not knowing where he was. "These woods are huge and we aren't prepared to spend more than a day out here. We're in actual danger!"
"M-my parents are gonna kill me if I'm not back for dinner," Cody whimpered. "That is if the Pokemon out here don't." Sierra gave him a comforting squeeze, but odds are that only made him feel worse. Eva seemed to be looking through her bag for something. Her Timburr had been called out of his PokeBall and was waiting for orders. Izzy continued to try and reassure them that they were going to be fine.
"It'll be okay!" She said, not convincing any of them. "If it gets dark we'll make a shelter and light a fire and cook berries or something! I'm sure I have some bait that I stole from the Safari Zone in my bag somewhere. Besides, this is fun!"
"Izzy we have school tomorrow!" Noah snapped. He looked at the others, who were giving him funny looks. He felt his face start to heat up. Yeah, okay, he was clearly the nerd of the group. Whatever. Pumpkaboo drifted toward him, reaching out a tendril to pat his head. The Grass/Ghost-type wasn't very good with emotional support, but clearly he was trying.
The group circled up to figure out a plan, Izzy reluctantly joining them since they refused to follow her any further into the woods. Between the five of them they had some medicine in case their Pokemon got hurt, some PokeBalls, and various snack items that would really only tide them over for the night. They all had their PokeDexes, but none of them could get any service.
"Shouldn't we just be able to go back the way we came?" Cody asked, looking nervously around the woods. "That'll take us back to where we started, right?"
Eva shook her head. "We haven't been walking in a straight line this whole time," she explained. "And none of us did anything to mark our trail. We could just end up going around in a circle. We should stay here and wait. People will notice we're gone and somebody will come and get us."
"I'd really like for my parents not to have to send someone to come get me," Cody murmured. "I still think we should try and find our way out."
"I agree with Cody!" Sierra added, to the surprise of nobody.
"Walking has only gotten us into more trouble," Noah said, shooting a glare at Izzy. The redhead was being surprisingly quiet through all of this. "I want to stay here."
The discussion continued for about twenty more minutes, with Cody and Sierra wanting to try and walk back while Eva and Noah wanted to stay in one spot. Neither Cody nor Sierra wanted to head back on their own however, as the two of them stood a worse chance against anything they might encounter than if they stayed in the larger group. Eva seemed to be getting rather heated as a result, but just before she could start yelling there was the sound of a twig snapping. All five of them turned to look in the direction of the noise.
Staring back at them in surprise was a small white Pokemon about two feet tall, standing on four legs. It had hooves, which were covered by fluffy puffs of violet fur. It had a big, fluffy tail that shimmered pink and blue, as well as a matching mane. A small dark horn with a white ring around it poked out of its head. It seemed young, and unsure of what to do.
"Is that..." Cody whispered, practically holding his breath. They all looked at Izzy, who nodded. This was the Pokemon they had seen.
"A Galarian Ponyta," Noah whispered, not breaking eye contact with the Pokemon. "They haven't been seen in Wawanakwa in centuries..." What little he knew about the species was that it was native to Galar, but had been brought over to Wawanakwa ages ago when the region had been under control of Kalos as part of some trade deal with the more northern region. Many Pokemon that had been brought over failed to establish themselves successfully in Wawanakwa's frigid environment, and the Ponytas had been assumed to be one of them. Yet here one was. And that could mean-
A blue vine shot up from the ground, cracking like a whip and grabbing on of the Ponyta's legs. Noah looked down to see Izzy standing beside Tangela, battle ready. The startled Psychic-type cried out as Tangela began to retract his vine, pulling it closer to him and Izzy. "See," she declared proudly, "I told you that getting lost would help us find it."
"Should we help?" Cody asked, reaching for a PokeBall.
"Five on one isn't fair," Izzy said, not taking her eyes off of the Ponyta. "I'll never get it to trust me if we all gang up on it." Noah personally had his doubts that it would trust her even if she fought it on her own, as the thing was so young it wasn't even really use attacks to defend. It just pulled back against Tangela's vine, but it was a losing battle. "Alright, now to throw the PokeBall." She reached for one of the balls the others had loaned her, but stopped and turned to look off to the side. Noah turned just in time to see a large shape burst from the bushes.
This Pokemon was much easier to recognize, a native to Wawanakwa. A canine body with brown and white fur, this was a Lycanroc, a predatory pack hunter. But this one seemed to be by itself, and going straight for the Ponyta. Without having to be told, Tangela quickly released the Ponyta and swung his vine at the Lycanroc, striking it in the face. The Ponyta started to run off, but backed up as another Lycanroc appeared. And then another. Soon the group was surrounded by a whole pack. Four of the Wolf Pokemon circled them, growling as they came closer.
Noah's mind was doing rapid calculations. Rock-types. He, Izzy, Eva, and Cody had the advantage, while Sierra would at least be a neutral entity in the fight. But these were fully-evolved Pokemon. No way they could each take one on their own. And Lycanroc were pack hunters. They'd probably just gang up and pick them off one by one... Unless they acted as a pack too.
"Noah," Cody said, his voice barely above a whisper. Noah could sense his fear. "What do we do?"
Noah looked at the rest of them, and then the Lycanroc. "Izzy, Eva, you focus on damage. Cody, attack at a range. Sierra, you and I will focus on debuffing. Don't separate. Got it?" They all nodded. "Okay, let's go!"
Tangela's vines shot forward at one of the Lycanroc. Eva let out a battle cry and Timburr rushed another, swinging his piece of lumber. Cody sent out Piplup, who fired a stream of bubbles from his beak. Sierra's Chingling used Growl. That left Noah.
"Leech Seed," he told Pumpkaboo.
"Boo!" his Pokemon cried, firing seeds at the Lycanroc that had taken the Bubble attack. It had been slowed by the bubbles, allowing Pumpkaboo to land a hit. The Rock-types seemed to be caught off guard by how swiftly they had fought back, but now it was their turn. It seemed their pack instincts had been disrupted by all taking hits at once, but they were still strong. And they had Accelerock, their signature move. They rushed forward, scratching and biting at their Pokemon.
"Get up," Eva told Timburr, who shakily got to his feet. "Noah, they're going to break through soon."
"We just have to get them to realize it's not worth the effort," Noah reasoned. "Everyone, switch targets. Keep it up!" They repeated their attacks, this time targeting different Lycanroc. Pumpkaboo managed to get seeds on a second target, doubling the healing he was getting. With Sierra and Cody reducing Attack and Speed stats, he hoped this would buy them all some time and maybe discourage the Lycanroc from attacking. Izzy and Eva were still dealing damage the best they could.
We're still not doing enough damage- One of the Lycanroc howled in pain as it was hit with a weak wave of psionic energy. Noah turned to see the Ponyta joining the fight. Now it was six on four. Maybe they'd stand a chance after all. So they repeated their previous strategy, rotating targets and continuing to deal damage and debuffs as a team. The Lycanroc fought back, of course, and their Pokemon were taking heavy damage, but they all held on. And it was all thanks to Noah's strategy.
That is, until, one of the Lycanroc had grown impatient. "ROC!" it snarled, before rushing forward with Accelerock, straight for Noah. Pumpkaboo moved to intercept, but there was no way he'd make it in time. Noah closed his eyes, waiting for the claws and teeth to end him. His plan had been solid, but not perfect. And now he'd die and soon his friends would suffer the same fate. Not even Eva would be able to hold off a Lycanroc long enough to get away. This was all his fault. There was nothing he could do but wait for death.
But death never came. Instead, a bright pink light illuminated the area. Noah opened his eyes as it faded, and saw the Lycanroc knocked out on the ground. The three other Rock-types turned to growl at a new Pokemon entering the area. Tall and shimmering with a rainbow of colors, it had a white equine body and a massive black horn in the center of its head. A Galarian Rapidash. It lowered its head and fired another blast of pink light, causing the Lycanroc to flee. The one that had tried to attack Noah slowly came to and limped away. Once they were gone, the Ponyta ran toward the Rapidash.
"Is this its mom?" Cody asked. The two Pokemon nuzzled one another.
"Awww," Izzy said, "that's so cute. She looked sheepishly at the empty PokeBall she had been holding. Putting it in her pocket, she stepped toward the Ponyta. "There's no way I can keep you away from your mom. Sorry for trying to catch you earlier." The Ponyta made a happy noise. "Uh...I don't suppose you guys know the way out, do you?"
"Izzy," Noah said, rolling his eyes. "They're Pokemon, they don't-" He was cut off by the Rapidash raising its head high into the air. Its horn flashed and soon the group found themselves standing at the edge of the forest. They could see the school building off in the distance. The Ponyta and Rapidash were nowhere to be found.
"I can't believe we made it out of there," Cody remarked. Sierra grabbed onto him in a tight hug. He checked his PokeDex. "Oh geez, I need to get home now! Why couldn't Rapidash have teleported us all back to our houses. I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" He started to run off in the direction of his house, Sierra trailing behind him.
Eva moved to leave as well. "Timburr and I need to train," she explained. "I'm not gonna let some puny Rock-types get the jump on us like that again."
"I'm going to," Noah agreed. "I have homework." He looked over at Izzy. "Don't tell me you want to go back in there."
Izzy shook her head. "Nah, I'll let that Ponyta grow up and get stronger. Then when it's time I'll come back for it. Tangela and I need to get stronger too." That was an oddly reasonable answer for her. "But I can't wait to here what everyone at school says about this!" Noah just rolled his eyes.