Ok, let's keep this ball rolling.
I'm liking the excitement to having Cal have such a unique team and to those asking about our Padawan getting a Dark Type, I got one question for ya guys.
What is Larvitar's final evolution?
Trust me when I say this, there's a lot of planning that went into this.
From Cal's team to the overall plot of the story. As well as additional teams to come.
Hope you guys are ready for it.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Pocket Monsters Chapter 4: The First Steps.
Cal was walking through the route known simply as Route 1, his Pokedex acting as his map as he trekked through the simple road.
There were tall patches of grass here and there with a few slightly elevated ledges and trees surrounding the route.
Though for the most part it was a long winding rolling plain that was overall peaceful in appearance.
The Padawan had seen the occasional Pokémon here and there and with his Pokedex he had identified several of them.
Of those identified, Cal noted the two that seemed to populate this area in abundance.
The small purple rat Pokémon Rattata and the tiny bird Pokémon Pidgey.
Other than those two, there were several insect like Pokémon called Caterpie and Weedle here and there and another bird Pokémon species called Spearow.
The Pokémon he had seen for the most part had left him and his Pokémon alone as they seemed to rather not want to deal with him.
Kaiju and Hopper had been out of their Poke Balls for a majority of Cal's trek through Route 1.
Of the two, his Larvitar appeared to be the most alert and ready as it spared occasional looks around the area.
Hopper was nonplussed, derpy smile in place as it went from walking at a casual pace to skipping every now and then.
Along with his two Pokémon was a brand new backpack Professor Oak had bestowed to him before his departure from Pallet Town filled with supplies of all kinds and even the currency utilized on this planet.
Cal at first wished to deny this but Oak simply asked does he have money of any kind on hand.
The Padawan tried to once more but it was Daisy, who was present for his departure that snatched the money out of her grandfather's hand and stuffed it into Cal's backpack.
The look she gave him knew that they wouldn't take no for an answer.
Still, he was extremely grateful for their show of kindness.
They didn't have to do something like that but they went ahead and did it.
He owes them a great deal, as he stated before he left.
Professor Oak only laughed, telling him he was already repaying him by going on this journey.
So here he was, on what Oak described to be his Pokémon journey.
For the most part, it was a quiet little trip with him only occasionally seeing a Pokémon here and there.
In that time, Cal had pulled out a notepad that had a multitude of notes scribbled in by the Professor that gave off a litany of pointers and advice for this journey.
Multiple ones about applying a repel when setting up camp to rest in the wilderness to be uninterrupted by Pokémon to the use of items to heal Pokémon like potions and ethers.
The rest of the book had more advice on certain environments and day and night cycles about certain Mon's coming out at specific times of the day.
Yet right now, the current portion of the book that had Cal's attention was that explaining the whole concept of Pokémon battles.
Officially, the young Padawan had only been in one and that was when he caught Hopper.
The time spent fleeing from his life on Mt. Silver was not a battle but a mad dash for survival.
When speaking with Oak on this, Cal was rather uncomfortable with the idea of just having his Pokémon fight in his stead. He was someone who would rather fight right alongside his own friends and comrades than just sit back and watch.
The answer he got from Oak was a bit of a strange one.
He simply patted his shoulder and told him that in time, he will see the true meaning of Pokémon battles and the importance of forming a strong bond with them.
And therein lie another conflicting contradiction with Cal's Jedi upbringing.
In his time within the Temple and Order, he was told by many masters the importance of not forming attachments with those around you. How it was the duty of the Jedi to be neutral and concentrate on their duty to the Force and that they are to be compassionate to all rather than a select few.
But since coming here, Cal could feel it.
The Force Bond that he had formed with his two Pokémon.
It was inexplicable and completely out of left field.
And yet…
Being bonded with Kaiju and Hopper felt so natural that Cal couldn't quite understand it.
Maybe it was this planet or their own connection to the Force.
Whatever it may be, he had it now with them and that made Cal wonder whether this trend would continue as he explored this region.
Oak mentioned that it was important to build up a team of Pokémon as he traversed the Kanto region as it was important in not only having a well-rounded team but also friends for this journey.
The Padawan was greatly hesitant but he knew that whatever came his way, he would have to deal with it when the time came.
Right now, he just needed to start getting used to being on a planet filled with Force sensitive creatures of extraordinary powers where there appears to be no means of finding a way off this world.
No pressure.
Walking by a patch of grass, Cal felt a flare of warning in the Force, making him tense up.
From the grass, out came a particular large brown furred rodent with webbed feet, a spindly tail and two oversized teeth.
It let out a large threatening growl, stomping its foot in a challenging fashion as if egging him on to try to take another step forward.
Bewildered by this, he simply opted for his Pokedex and flipped it open so it can get a read on this new Pokémon.
"Raticate, the large rodent Pokémon." Spoke the artificial voice of his Dex. "Raticate is the evolved form of Rattata and can be highly territorial and aggressive to any that intrude upon its territory. It's teeth are known to be strong enough to bite through trees with ease."
And they sure looked like they could.
Cal gulped slightly as he saw the Raticate remain where it stood, glaring at the Padawan with a small growl coming out of the large rat.
Looking down at his own Pokémon, he saw that both were tensed and ready for a fight and he had a momentary choice to make.
Mulling about it for a few seconds, Cal used the small amount of knowledge he had thus far on Pokémon and made his choice.
"Alright Kaiju, you're up." Cal said in determination.
His Larvitar let out a grunt of anticipation, stepping forward and got into a ready stance.
Hopper let out a few woops of what Cal would equate to those of encouragement.
Exhaling, the Jedi Padawan looked down at his Pokedex that quickly listed the moves that Kaiju was capable at this time and he momentarily paused on the moves that were labeled as Dark types.
He was still trying to wrap his mind around the whole idea of Dark type Pokémon but quickly shook his head.
Now wasn't the time for something like that.
He needed to focus on what was his first true Pokémon battle.
Quite frankly, he really didn't count his encounter with Hopper as a battle as he felt as though that pink Pokémon Mew and the Force is what led him to his Wooper.
This however would be a proper fight.
He wasn't going to capture this Raticate as it was more an adversary blocking his path than something that he would form a bond with.
"Here we go, Kaiju." Cal murmured quietly, the Larvitar nodding in anticipation.
Just as Kaiju finished this motion, the Raticate seemingly blurred out of existence.
Cal's eyes widened greatly though he had been able to quickly spot a series of brown blurs headed straight for Kaiju.
Before he could shout in warning, the Raticate reappeared in front of Kaiju and bashed right into him.
His Larvitar grunted out yet only took two steps back. Shaking his head, Kaiju glared challengingly back at the Raticate seemingly undamaged by the sudden quick attack.
Cal couldn't help but grin at this, glad to see this whole type advantage part of the notes he had read holding true.
Being a Rock type Pokémon gave Kaiju a great deal of defense from a variety of attacks, Normal types being a prime example of such.
It meant that he could take a great deal of damage and keep going, save for it being an attack he would be vulnerable to.
"Let's start with a Rock Throw, Kaiju." Cal said aloud and in an instant, Kaiju dived forward horn first and scooped a large chunk of earth out of the ground.
A moment later he grabbed the earth out of the air and flung it full force at the Raticate impacting it right in the face.
"Take Down!"
Kaiju ran forward at full speed practically barreling right into the Raticate, a sickening crunch being heard as the Raticate fell over. It struggled to stand though it stumbled and fell to the ground unconscious.
Letting out a small breath, Cal found himself beaming now and pumped his fist down.
"Nice work Kaiju." He cheered. "You got him."
Kaiju jumped up and down with a wide smile of his own, proud of his accomplishment and the praise he received from his trainer.
Hopper let out some woops of joy, jumping from side to side with a goofy smile as Cal went over to his Larvitar and placed a hand atop his head.
"You did great." Cal said earnestly.
The Larvitar had a cheeky smile on now, happy to hear such words from the Padawan.
Cal then looked over to the downed Raticate and found himself frowning slightly at the sight of the still unconscious Pokémon.
He squirmed a bit at the sound he had heard when Kaiju bashed himself into the brown rodent. He had a feeling that Kaiju must be quite strong as Professor Oak had mentioned before about Larvitar's being exceptionally difficult to catch and train so him having one as his first Pokémon spoke volumes of his potential.
Still he wasn't overly fond of what just transpired.
Was this how it was going to be at all times?
Pokémon battles were a common occurrence here from what the notes had told him.
Both with wild and owned Pokémon.
Cal knew that Jedi were always meant to be able to adapt to any and all situations. He figured he'd have to do the same here if he were to get used to being here for the foreseeable future.
Letting out a sigh and one final pat on Kaiju's head Cal stood back up and with his Pokémon, resumed his walk north to the first town he truly visited.
The walk was relatively short as the distance between Pallet Town and the town/city of Viridian was relatively short.
Entering the town, Cal took the time to properly get a good look around this place as he never really had the proper time to do so when he was bought here by Professor Oak.
It was quaint for the most part though there were more buildings here than in Pallet Town and the roads were cobbled, showing a greater degree of human influence.
The first building that caught his attention was the moderately sized one that had a red roof with a Poke ball as its symbol.
He briefly recalled seeing this building during his first visit here and from the notes, this is what was called a Pokémon center. Apparently it was a place trainers go to heal their Pokémon and get some rest themselves and the healing procedure was free of charge.
That was highly convenient and really useful.
He was curious as to why that was but he wasn't going to deny such service should the need for healing his Pokémon up arise.
Other than the Pokémon center, he looked past the building and spotted another one that had a blue roof in contrast to the red one he had just seen.
This was the Poke mart that Oak mentioned and that's where he would get a majority of his needs in terms of supplies both for himself and his Pokémon.
Simple enough really.
Overall, these appeared to be the most emphasized buildings that were supposed to be situated in practically every town and city within the Kanto region.
Neat.
Cal took another look around the town, eventually turning his sights west and instantly spotted the imposing mountain that he had crash landed on less then a week ago by this point.
It was strange to think that he was just standing here and had survived such a dangerous location.
A lump had formed in the Padawan's throat as he also wished to go up to where he had buried his Master in his final resting place.
Clenching his fists tightly, Cal felt his lower lip quiver before he hastily rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
Exhaling to calm his beating heart the Jedi Padawan walked towards the Pokémon center. Maybe it was better he took a moment to let his Pokémon rest up even though the Route they had gone through was a breeze for the most part.
Approaching the center, the front doors opened automatically with Cal entering the building and saw that it was a simple place.
A few tables here and there with the portion of the room to his right being what he would identify as a lounge to relax in. that appeared to be the case for the most part as he saw several individuals sitting on some of the chairs and couches going about their own means of patiently waiting for their Pokémon to be healed up.
Turning to the front desk Cal saw a young woman either in her late teens or early twenties standing behind the counter with a large machine of some kind next to her. She had bright pink hair and light blue eyes with an overall friendly disposition about her.
Walking up to the front counter, the lady behind it gave him a welcoming smile.
"Welcome to the Pokémon center young man." The lady spoke kindly, her voice surprisingly putting Cal at ease. "Are you here to have your Pokémon treated?"
"Uh, yeah." Cal nodded, looking down at his Pokémon and quickly recalled them into their balls and held them out to the lady who gently took them from his hands.
"We'll get these two back up to full health." The girl said, her voice warm and earnest.
Cal smiled slightly. "Thank you miss…"
"Nurse Joy, young man." She said chipperly.
"Cal Kestis."
"A pleasure to meet you Cal." Joy said, smile in place as she placed the two Poke balls within the machine and a moment later there was a whirring sound followed by sounds of other noises that Cal couldn't quite place.
"You must be new around here." Nurse Joy said conversationally. "Are you a traveler passing by or recently moved here?"
"Traveler." Cal answered straight away. "I got told to come up here by Professor Oak."
"Oh~ you know Professor Oak?" The Nurse asked with intrigue. "That makes you the third boy I've met to know the Professor from Pallet Town."
Cal tilted his head, rubbing his chin in thought for a moment.
"Did one of these boys have a red cap and the other had spiky brown hair?"
Joy nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, I know them." Cal said. "I met them not to long ago."
"So you're from Pallet Town like them?" Joy inquired.
Cal shook his head. "Nope. I'm not actually from Kanto at all."
"Ah, then you're from Johto then." Nurse Joy surmised.
"Johto?" Cal murmured, frowning in thought. "That's… what is that place again?"
Joy looked at him quizzically unsure if he was pulling her leg.
"Johto." Joy said as if it were obvious. "You know, the region next to us."
Realization dawned upon Cal, having heard Oak and Daisy mention this place before.
"Oh yeah, that place." Cal shook his head once again. "No, I'm not from there either."
"Really?" Nurse Joy said. "I figured you were with the two Pokémon you have with you."
"What about them?" Cal asked not really knowing what she meant by that.
"Well, I'm not that much of a Pokémon expert like Oak is but I do know that some Pokémon are only found within certain regions." Joy stated. "This is a Wooper, correct?"
Cal nodded.
"And this one… I haven't really seen a Pokémon like this before." Joy admitted.
"That's a Larvitar." Cal revealed. "His name is Kaiju. I found him on Mt. Silver. Or… he found me really."
"Oh my." Joy gasped. "What in the world were you doing on Mt. Silver?"
"I didn't go there willingly, Ms. Joy." Cal said with a sigh whilst leaning against the counter. "I actually came here due to… unforeseen circumstances out of my control."
Nurse Joy hummed aloud thoughtfully. "So are you not from Kanto or Johto then?"
"Nope." Cal freely admitted. "Believe it or not, I come from a place that has no Pokémon."
The Pokémon nurse gaped in disbelief.
"No Pokémon?" She asked in hopes that she didn't mishear. "Where does a place like that on this planet exist where there's no Pokémon."
"That's a bit of a long answer." Cal sheepishly stated. "I think we'll be here for a few weeks if I get into it."
He only got a bewildered look out of the Nurse until the machine finished its work, letting out a ding to signify that his Pokémon were fully healed.
Joy turned to retrieve the two Poke balls and handed them back to their owner with Cal letting them both out a moment later.
His Wooper and Larvitar looked greatly refreshed and well rested as they gazed up at their trainer with wide and ready-to-go smiles.
"Thank you." Cal said kindly.
Nurse Joy only smiled back before she tapped her finger on her chin.
"Hmmm."
"What is it?"
She didn't answer at first still humming to herself as she shifted from side to side for a few seconds.
"So since you're new to Pokémon, I take it you're a rookie trainer then?" Joy inquired with Cal quirking a brow at the question.
"Um… yeah, basically."
"We normally would supply up and coming trainers with simple pamphlets or books that can give them the basic knowledge they need for the start of their journey's if you would like." Joy offered with Cal simply patting one of the shoulder straps to his backpack.
"Actually, Professor Oak gave me a lot of what I already need to know about Pokémon when I left Pallet Town."
Joy's expression brightened. "Ah, so are you perhaps here for a Gym battle?"
Cal frowned slightly. "Gym battle?"
The Nurse simply nodded her head patiently.
"There are these certain places within the region of Kanto that are host to a Pokémon Gym." Joy spoke in a manner akin to a teacher. "Gym's are where all Pokémon trainers go to test themselves in their journey for personal growth and development. There are eight Gyms in total across Kanto with each Leader specializing in a specific Type that they excel at."
This intrigued Cal as he hadn't heard of this from Professor Oak.
"This town has a Gym." Joy revealed, slightly surprising the Padawan. "But unfortunately, our Leader has not occupied the Gym in some time now. No one knows where he had gone off to and nobody has heard a word about his whereabouts in quite some time now."
"Huh…" Cal crossed his arms. "Any ideas what happened to him?"
Joy held her hands up to signify her lack of knowledge on the topic.
Shrugging, Cal gave her one last gracious smile.
"Still, thanks for everything Nurse Joy." Cal said earnestly. "You've been a big help to me."
"Of course." Joy said happily. "Anything to help. We're always open to you any day and time of the week."
Cal simply grinned in appreciation.
"But, since you are going on your first Pokémon journey then the best place for you to go to next is Pewter city." Joy advised.
"Pewter city." Cal repeated.
"Mhmm." Joy said, stepping back and behind her was a map of the Kanto region plastered on the wall. "It's just north of this two, though you'll have to go through the Viridian Forest to get there."
"Right." Cal muttered, eyeing the map for a few seconds before nodding. "Got it then. Thanks again for everything Nurse Joy."
"Good luck Cal." The Nurse said with her waving her hand at the Padawan as he left the building with his Pokémon in tow.
As he stood outside the center, Cal was in deep thought for a few moments and thought about what he should do next. His Larvitar and Wooper patiently waited for him before their trainer turned to walk around the building and they followed suit.
Walking around the corner of the center the Padawan spotted the Pokemart and just past it was another, much more larger building that had the word Gym plastered above its entrance.
"So that's a Pokémon gym, huh." Cal murmured to himself.
It didn't really look like much overall.
Simple in design really.
Just a decently sized building that stood out enough from all the others here in Viridian to signify its importance but other than that, nothing special.
Squinting his eyes slightly, Cal began to walk towards the Gym. Walking past the Pokemart there was a small ledge that he easily climbed over, helping his two Pokémon up though with Kaiju he exerted a bit of a Force enhancement cause Force him he was heavy.
He wasn't sure as to how he carried the Larvitar around so easily last time but when he thought about it, adrenaline coupled with the want to survive probably trumped over this weight issue.
Now standing in front of the Gym he wasn't really sure as what to do in this situation.
The Gym was supposedly closed so really what was the point in him being here.
It was at this time that the front door to the Gym opened up and out stepped a middle aged man in a sharp black suit and equally sharp facial features yet he appeared to be humming a casual and easygoing tone.
Closing the door behind him, the man turned to face the young man and his closed eyes opened up slightly with a look of surprise.
"Oh, and who might you be young man?" The older individual asked cordially. "Haven't seen you around here before. Traveler or just moved here?"
"Traveler." Cal responded, the man nodding in response.
"I see." He said. "And I take it you're here to challenge the Pokémon Gym then?"
"Uh, no not really." Cal declined. "I just wanted to see one up close. Never really seen one before."
"Ah, I understand." The man chuckled. "Not much to look at, is there?"
Cal smirked a bit and nodded. "Yeah. I was told these Gyms are important. I figured they'd be a bit fancier really."
"Well some of them are and some aren't." The man shrugged. "The Gym Leader here chose for a more simplistic approach then an outlandish one. There are more… out there Gyms if you could call it that spread across the region that better reflect the specialties of the Leader."
"What's this one's then?" Cal asked.
The man simply shrugged. "Don't know really. I just stopped by to make sure everything's in order for the most part. Bit of an unintentional break in the other day and I'm just here to clean up after the mess."
"Right." Cal said gazing up at the Gym. "I heard that these are places where Trainers test their skills against Leaders."
The man nodded. "Indeed they do. And if they defeat the Gym Leader, as proof of their accomplishment, they are to receive a badge that signifies the legitimacy of their victory."
"A badge?" Cal said quizzically. "Are they special?"
"Well, other than their proof of your win over a Leader, rumor has it that the badges are made from special and unique materials that are known to effectively boost certain traits and abilities of your Pokémon." The Man stated. "Quite an important trinket to have on one's self if I were to say so myself."
"Interesting." Cal muttered.
"Indeed it is." The Man said. "Since you seemed intrigued by the prospect, then Pewter City is your next destination."
"Yeah, Nurse Joy mentioned it." Cal said. "Is there a Gym there?"
"Yes there is." The man confirmed for the Padawan. "Though apologies my boy. I do not remember who it is that runs that Gym."
"It's alright, you were real helpful with what you already told me." Cal said truthfully with a grateful nod.
"Glad to hear it lad." The man said cheerfully. "Best get ready then, wouldn't you say."
Cal contemplated on this manner and closed his eyes for a moment.
The man before him wasn't sure what he was doing but his eyes widened when the winds picked up around him and appeared to converge around the boy.
Kestis let out a small steady breath and opened his eyes with a determined glint to them.
"Then Pewter is where I need to go next." The boy said with a fierce determination in his eyes that seemed to catch the middle-aged man's attention.
Cal bowed before the man. "Thank you for your help. I hope to see you again."
Blinking, the man chuckled and waved him off. "No need for such grand gestures, my boy. Just your name will do."
The Padawan looked up to the man. "Cal Kestis sir."
"Giovanni." He offered his hand which the Jedi took and the two exchanged a firm handshake. "I look forward to hearing your name in the future, Cal."
The young boy only chuckled slightly not wanting to deny such a thing as he was only stating it in good faith.
"Who knows." Cal said. "Guess I'll have to see what happens."
Giovanni only chuckled again and waved goodbye as the boy and his Pokémon turned to walk away and headed to the northern exit of Viridian.
Once the boy was out of sight, Giovanni's features shifted into a more analytical and dangerous tint as his eyes held a dangerous look to them.
From behind a man wearing a blackish grey uniform with a cap that shaded his eyes and bright red R was displayed upon his shirt approached him.
"Mr. Giovanni sir." The man spoke in the utmost respect. "You ride is ready for you."
"Very good." Giovanni said, whirling about with his jacket flapping in the wind slightly. Beneath his jacket was a vest and on the upper left portion of it was the same red R as the one on this grunts shirt.
As he followed this man to a limousine waiting for him, he turned to the grunt before entering the car.
"Start looking up the name Cal Kestis." Giovanni instructed with a tone that brokered no arguments. "He… interests me."
"Right away boss." The Grunt replied, going to the front of the car and getting in the drivers seat.
"Cal Kestis." The man repeated to himself with a great degree of intrigue. "We'll see if we are to cross paths once more."
-Scene cut-
Cal had walked through Route 2 in order to reach the entrance to the Viridian Forest and on his way up this new path he had experienced his first ever Pokémon battle.
He was challenged by only three trainers, all boys that were younger than him for the most part and he wasn't exactly sure about the ethics in beating back those who were younger than him and receiving a monetary compensation for his victory.
The Padawan was well aware of this rule as it had been explicitly stated by Oak in the notes that he had received. But really? Taking money from kids after beating their Pokémon into unconsciousness.
This was gonna take some serious time to getting used to.
Of the three first challenges, they had all had mainly Pokémon he had already seen on his through Route 1.
Mostly Pidgeys, Rattatas, Caterpies and Weedles.
The only new Pokémon Cal had seen was a pinkish purple quadraped with darker patches. It had large, spiny ears with teal insides, oversized front teeth, and red eyes. Its back was covered with three lines of large spines with the center line of spines being the tallest of them.
It's name was Nidoran, being the male gender of its species. From what his Pokedex had told him, Nidoran's were distinct from one another in their differing looks in regard to their sex.
Fascinating as they were, Cal didn't realize how luck he had been since this Pokémon had an ability known as poison point which if struck physically can sometimes have the off chance of his Pokémon getting poisoned.
So, good first showing much as he still wasn't full on board with these Pokémon battles just yet.
Regardless he stood within a small structure that served as the entrance to the Viridian Forest and saw it was completely empty.
Checking over his gear, making sure he was fully equipped for this foray into the forest Cal nodded to himself and patted his two Poke balls where his Pokémon rested. On the other side of his hip was his Masters lightsaber, something he hadn't used since the first day in coming here.
He knew that it would greatly serve him in a place such as this but…
Cal shook his head.
Right now, he had to focus on getting through this forest.
Psyching himself up for a few more seconds, the young Padawan placed his hand upon the door and pushed it open to step into the Viridian Forest.
-Scene Cut-
The place was beautiful for the most part.
Very scenic with the light of the sun coming through the trees which gave off quite the atmospheric air.
Of course, there was also what Cal could only describe to be an unusually strong pressure of the Force emanating over the Forest.
He wasn't quite sure as to what it was supposed to be but he did feel the Force had a more pronounced presence here. And that was saying something considering just how much of a presence the Force already had on this planet.
There was something very special about this forest in particular.
Naturally, Cal wanted to investigate this place a little further.
But that was not to be unfortunately.
The moment he had stepped foot into the Viridian Forest, he felt his senses sharpen to an insane degree making him extremely tense.
At first he thought it to be some sudden warning from the Force that told him danger was ahead but normally these sorta of sensations dissipated quite quickly.
This one did not.
This feeling not only doubled after a few steps, it proceeded to triple upon the rustling of some nearby bushes.
Now… well, Cal was finding out that this place was just as if not more dangerous than Mt. Silver.
"HOPPER WATER GUN." Cal shouted, holding his Wooper with the water Pokémon's head popping over his shoulder as he ran for his life.
Pokémon that appeared to be made of rocks, large hulking brutes and flying insectoids that had on some mean spear like hands were all buzzing, rumbling and sprinting right after him.
How in the Force did this happen?
Hopper all the while kept on a steady stream of water that struck a number of the Pokémon pursuing them but it barely seemed to slow them down. Just get them a bit wet with a few tripping over and falling only for a Pokémon from behind to take the place of the fallen.
Quite honestly, if he could utilize some of the lingo of the Clone Troopers, this was flat out bullshit.
Cal dashed by some trees and without even thinking about it, activated his lightsaber and cut right through the trunk.
The tree toppled over behind him and fell, stopping the ground based Pokémon. The same couldn't be said for the striped insects that were making a literal beeline in his direction.
"Oh come on." Cal bemoaned.
Without wasting a single moment, Cal recalled Hopped back into his Poke Ball and jumped up into the trees above.
As a youngling and Padawan in the temple, during his years of early training, Cal had discovered he had a natural aptitude for free running across many surfaces and environments.
Many of his early lessons revolved around him using both his athletic prowess and the Force to enhance his already natural physical abilities.
His Master Jaro told him that this was a great gift from the Force and in time he would become as fluid and free as the flowing Force itself.
He recalled how the Force was always in motion, always changing and shaping itself to better match the times and wherever it was across the galaxy. As a Jedi, Cal was to harness what the Force can do in making him as free as a leaf on the wind.
If only the wind didn't have a swarm of crazed Pokémon that quite literally looked like they could kill him in one go, that'd be real nice.
Landing on a tree branch, Cal quickly flung his hand out for an instinctive Force push to one of those bugs that managed to catch up to him.
Dropping down to the ground and landing in a role to resume his sprint, Cal was rapidly trying to figure out a means in which that would escape this place.
He activated his lightsaber once more and began cutting down large trees in quick succession with one toppling down after the other.
Now at first Cal thought that this was enough to finally get them to slow down or at least get them off his tail.
And that seemed to be the case for a few seconds.
Cal screeched to a halt and immediately leaned up against a tree to take in deep gulps of air as the buzzing sound that echoed around the forest subsided momentarily.
He let out a short laugh of disbelief and placed a hand over his chest as he tried to steady his heartrate.
"I *PANT* don't know if *PANT* this is the Force *Pant* or some really bad luck." Cal said to himself, wiping sweat off his forehead.
*Bzzz*
Cal pulled out a small canteen from his backpack and took a big gulp of water.
*BzzZZ*
The Padawan froze in mid gulp as his ears picked up on something.
*BzzZZ BZZZZ BZZZ*
Cal's face paled considerably as he gazed over to the trees he had just cut down watching in dread as the leaves and branches shook about violently.
"Oh no." Cal croaked aloud.
A moment later, multiple lights were seen and what followed after them was yet another large swarm of very, very angry insect-like Pokémon.
And they all had their sights set on him who could only gaze in a slightly dazed stupor as his canteen fell from his hand.
"Sorry." Cal croaked out.
The only response he received was the sound of some extremely aggressive wings buzzing and flapping about.
And he was also quite certain that there was some sort of sharpening metal sounds that came off each of those spear like hands.
It's official.
In the short time he had been here, the Force bought him here for punishment.
As to what… well… he had a few ideas.
Springing up to his feet, Cal dashed away at full speed with the Pokémon chasing right after him once more.
He would like to call upon Kaiju and Hopper to assist him in this matter but they were only two Pokémon compared to a literal swarm. Cal would very much like his only two companions to be alive rather than stung to death.
Making a turn around into a more thicker looking area of the forest he ran headfirst into the darker foliage but the buzzing was still hot on his tale.
Without even bothering to look where he was aiming, Cal began to use the Force to grab whatever rock or branch were before him and threw it back at the Pokémon.
He had managed to take out a few in rapid succession but he didn't really care to check cause the buzzing was still loud and not getting any quieter. Which meant they were still on his ass.
"Come on!" Cal bemoaned aloud, ears starting to vibrate from the nonstop buzzing. "There's has to be some kind of exit here!"
Cal turned about to another pathway and without realizing it, bumped into something right in his path.
Groaning aloud the Padawan rubbed his face as he looked up to see just what it was that he ran into. His blurry vision cleared quickly to allow him to see quite the imposing sight.
It had a brown hide with several raised patches and a cream-colored belly. There were large, cream-colored ears, narrow, red eyes, and a short, rounded snout with two fangs in the back of its upper jaw. On top of its head is a thick, black plate. There are epaulette-like growths over its shoulders and a row of spikes down its back. It has three clawed digits on each hand and foot and a thick tail. On is belly was a pouch and in that pouch was a baby looking Pokémon that was light purple and has smooth skin.
Cal looked up at the large Pokémon in stunned awe, marveling at its size while it gazed down at him with suspicion and a guarded expression.
That was not to last as it caught something lying next to the Padawan with its eyes widening slightly, almost as if it recognized what it saw.
Seeing this reaction, Cal looked down to his side and saw that his Pokedex had been knocked out of his pocket when he ran into this Pokémon.
The large bipedal creature then tilted its head up with its eyes narrowed. Cal was confused by this action when once more, he heard the incoming sounds of the buzzing Pokémon that were still chasing after him.
"Sorry." Cal jumped up to his feet. "I need to get oughta here now."
The Pokémon squinted at him for a few moments before nodding to itself. Placing one of its clawed hands on the boys shoulders, it nudged him aside and then stood up and puffed its chest out as the oncoming swarm were visibly seen once again.
Cal gaped at the size having only now just realized how big it had gotten but the large Pokémon next to him was completely undeterred.
Rearing its head back with its mouth slightly open, the Jedi noticed a glowing light appear within the Pokémon's mouth that seemed to only glow brighter and brighter.
Seconds later, the Pokémon flung its head forward with its mouth wide open.
A large pure white beam shot out from its mouth at tremendous speeds and impacted dozens upon dozens of the Pokémon that were pursuing Cal.
The Padawan's jaw could only drop in stunned disbelief with him not fully comprehending just what he was seeing.
This steady beam of light and power kept going until a good number of the Pokémon chasing him were either knocked out, knocked back, sent flying far off into the distance or simply fled after that display of power.
The buzzing all but ceased in a matter of seconds with only the charred unconscious bodies of the insectoid like Pokémon that were left of the swarm that were hellbent on catching the Padawan.
"Whoa…" Cal said in open shock, having never witnessed anything like that before.
He looked up to the large Pokémon that had a very pleased and even proud look on its face. It then turned its head down to Cal and gave him a happy, almost motherly smile.
Within the pouch of the Pokémon, the baby that rested within happily cooed at him and waved one of its hands at the Padawan.
"Th-thank you." Cal said in relief, a wide shaky smile appearing on his face. "I… I don't know what to say."
The Pokémon only leaned down and nudged its snout against Cal's chest. He laughed aloud, patting the Pokémon on its head before realizing he was missing something.
Looking down at the ground around him, he spotted what he was looking for and picked up his fallen Pokedex.
What Cal did not expect was the Pokémon to lean forward in a curious manner as it gazed down at the red device in his hand.
Confused by this action, Kestis couldn't help but turn on his Pokedex to get a read on this Pokémon.
"Kangaskhan, the Parent Pokémon. A Normal type, Kangaskhan carries a little one in the pouch on its belly and will protect it at all costs."
"Parent Pokémon, huh." Cal murmured looking up at the curious faces of the mother and its child within its pouch.
They kept their eyes on the Pokedex and occasionally looked between it and its owner.
Squinting briefly, Cal held up the Pokedex for Kangaskhan to look at more clearly.
"Do you know what this is?" Cal asked, unsure of this question. "Have you seen others with it?"
The Motherly Pokémon nodded her head and held up two claws.
"Huh." Cal felt a small smile appear on his face. "Red and Blue already passed by here, huh?"
The Kangaskhan appeared to brighten up at the mention of the formers name with a happy smile appearing on her face.
"So you know Red real well I take it?" Cal asked with the Mother Pokémon nodding. "Did he help you with something?"
The Kangaskhan patter its pouch where its young resided with a content hum.
"He helped your child?" Cal said in slight awe. "Well… glad he did so. Next time I see him, I guess I owe him one."
Kangaskhan simply nudged her head against Cal one last time before leaving the boy be and walked away.
Seeing that he was at long last in the clear, the Padawan immediately collapsed onto the floor in a heap of himself. Quickly tossing his backpack off, Cal lay on the ground and let out a long pained groan as he began to feel his muscles ache to great degree.
"Ow~" The Padawan moaned aloud. "Everything hurts."
Without having the need to even bring them out, Kaiju and Hopper managed to come out of their Poke Balls on their own as Cal inadvertently pressed the center buttons against the ground.
Both came out and looked around for a moment until spotting their trainer laying prone on the ground.
They came right up to his with Hopper hopping onto his stomach which elicited a huff of air escaping from Cal's mouth.
Kaiju placed his hands on Cal's face in concern while the boy opted to remain unmoving.
"Urgh… sorry guys." He let out a grunt and opened his eyes to gaze over at his Larvitar. "Didn't mean for that to go down as it did."
Larvitar only shook his head, leaning his face against Cal's cheek whilst Hopper plopped down on its stomach on top of Cal's chest.
"I think we're in the clear." Cal's tone was devoid of energy. "So let's just… rest here a while… then we'll set up camp… and rest some more."
His two Pokémon whole heartedly agreed as the trio just lay there for good number of hours until they saw the sun was starting to set.
Getting back up, Cal got to work setting up several repels and pitch his packed tent up that was given to him by Oak.
He was real glad that there were two canisters of water rather than one having left the other behind when he was running for his life.
Some food bars to serve as a meal and Poke food for his two Pokémon coupled with a small campfire was soon setup where Cal had laid for a majority of the day.
Now he sat with his Pokémon happily munching on their meals whilst Cal reviewed the notes and books Oak had given him.
He was trying to see whether or not there was anything that would help him in explaining why Viridian Forest was so dangerous yet to his surprise he found none.
This kinda didn't make sense to him.
Professor Oak appeared to be a man well versed in understanding a great deal of knowledge about the Kanto region considering he was a supposed renown intellectual across the region.
So why wasn't there anything here that warned him of the dangers of the Viridian Forest.
He made it clear how dangerous Mt. Silver was so it would be reasonable that Oak would do the same for this place here.
Something wasn't quite adding up or really didn't make sense to him the more he thought about it. Cal was attacked right out the gate and he barely got a warning from the Force until it was nearly too late.
At the time, he was too focused on the strange pressure and presence of the Force within the forest to even register the Pokémon that would torment him for a majority of his day.
There was something about this forest that didn't quite sit well in Cal's gut the more he thought about it.
Seeing that the fire wouldn't be dying anytime soon, Cal crossed his legs and sat up more straighter as he rested his hands atop his knees.
Taking in a number of deep and calming breaths, the Padawan began to focus himself on the Force within and around him.
Breathing in a slow fashion that matched his heartrate, he began to feel the Force flowing through him as it did the last time he meditated.
Inclining his head down slightly he angled his head left and right several times and took in the sounds around him.
For the most part, it was quiet.
Nothing like the hectic pandemonium that he had survived no less than a few hours ago.
Which meant he was able to better concentrate on his meditation and the forest around him.
Beginning to feel the swelling feeling of the Force, Cal let out a hum as he began to stretch his senses out.
Briefly, the wind kicked up around him which made the flames flicker momentarily and his Pokémon look up from their meals.
They gazed up at their human trainer in interest and slight concern as they… felt something unusual coming from him.
Actually, now that they thought about, their human always had this very strange feeling about him.
Not that it was negative or anything but when they took the moment to think about it…
Their human wasn't like other humans.
He had strange abilities that made him comparable to that of other Pokémon.
They had seen it.
He was able to use some sort of invisible power to levitate rocks, sticks and items of all kinds and either bring it to him or throw it at enemies. Then there was the literal bond they felt with him.
As in at times, they felt a strange feeling within that seemed to link with their trainer himself.
They weren't exactly sure as to what it was but their human trainer was undoubtedly different from the other humans they had heard of and now seen and met.
That Professor Oak was certainly one that held an air and wisdom to him and a great degree a knowledge of their kind. And that pretty girl Daisy held her own knowledge with her personality seemingly putting any Pokémon at ease in an instant.
But their human was very different from them.
Not only did he have these strange abilities but there was also the way in which he carried himself.
Their human was battle weary and aware about the dangers and ins and outs of combat.
Its why that most of the Pokémon they had battled up to this point other than that stampede were ones their human had directed them into very quick and decisive victories.
The two Pokémon had a lot to learn about their human trainer as he had of them it seemed.
As the duo gazed upon their trainer with growing curiosity, the Jedi Padawan simply sat there and continued in his meditation.
Eventually, Cal began to sense the overwhelming pressure of the Force that seemed to permeate the air of this Force.
He was thrown off by this for a brief second as he scrunched his face up in order to refocus his intentions as to why he was doing this.
Allowing the Force to flow through him, Cal's brow twitched as he began to feel the unique air of the Force settle in and around him.
There… was something really off about this place.
What was it?
Reaching out further into the Force, the Padawan began to feel an underlying additional existence within the Force here and the Forest itself.
For a moment… Cal wasn't sure what to make of it.
What was this supposed to be?
He didn't understand what it was he had detected.
The best way that he could describe what it was he had sensed was some kind of signature that resided within the Forest.
Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he began to analyze this Force signature in the Viridian Forest.
As he concentrated, Cal began to discern several variables about this signature he had picked up on.
At first, this signature he detected didn't feel wholly natural. That this was an intrusive presence that had found a home here in this Forest.
But the more he took the time focus and concentrate on it the more Cal began to realize that it was a lot more complicated than it appeared to be.
The Force signature he had sense was both a natural part of the Forest and yet it wasn't at the same time.
Confused, he tried to delve deeper into this presence to get a more proper understanding as to what it was he had just found.
…
…
…
This… this wasn't… was it the Dark side?
No…
No, this was not like the Dark side of the Force.
This was an entirely different existence yet it was a part of the Force.
What in the world was this supposed to be?
He hadn't found the Dark side but what did find was… malicious.
A sinister intent behind it.
And it was affecting the Pokémon in this Forest.
Eyes snapping open, Cal didn't realize that he had developed a sweat and shakily ended his mediation.
In an instant his two Pokémon were by his side to show their concern with Cal simply placing his hands on their heads.
"Didn't mean to make you worry guys." Cal said apologetically with a strained smile.
They looked on in an unsure manner with their trainer chuckling slightly.
"It's alright guys." Cal assured. "I'm fine. We're fine. Just wanted to make sure of it."
Whilst they wanted to reject this statement they did feel that their trainer was being honest for the most part.
So they chose to simply nod their heads at him with Kestis giving them both a grateful look.
"Come on. Let's get some sleep." Cal suggested. "Feels like we got a long day tomorrow anyway."
His Pokémon agreed whole heartily and the trio kept their fire going whilst they simply went into their tent.
The repels were up so no Pokémon should be bothering them tonight. On top of that, the place they had chosen to rest was still the same place where the Kangaskhan had annihilated a swarm of Beedrill's, Cal having identified what they were afterwards.
Right now, a good nights rest was what they needed after this harrowing day through the forest.
Tomorrow would be a brand new day and with it, a slew of new challenges.
Alright, we'll end it here then.
So Cal has gone through a lot in a few short amount of time and this is only the start of his journey.
A lot more shit to handle coming his way but that comes with the territory of being a Pokémon trainer to be and Jedi Knight to be. Lot on our young Padawan's plate.
So, I won't waste your time any further than I already need to my comrades.
Thanks again for reading.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.