With our next stop decided, the day after Nate and I buy some rations and a pair of bedrolls for the off-chance we end up staying in the forest for more than one day (hopefully not) and then we ourselves go to the bus station and take the first to south-eastern Unova, set on getting off after the first stop.

"Wow!" Nate exclaims as he looks out of the bus' window while we traverse Skyarrow Bridge. "It's huge!"

"Hmmm," I reply, purposefully keeping my gaze to the inside of the bus.

"I've seen pictures of Skyarrow Bridge before, but the real thing is something else!"

"Hmmm."

"Can you believe they used ferries for travel to and from south-eastern Unova beforehand? Man, I wonder if someday they'll do the same for Virbank."

Hopefully…not?

"I've heard sometimes Ducketts and Swannas land on these bridges and challenge trainers. It's a shame about the sponsorship, they're pretty majestic…"

When he trails off, I risk a glance at him. I find him looking at me concernedly.

"Yes?" I ask stiffly.

"Are you alright?"

"I…" I turn my gaze back to the interior of the bus, unable to keep the window with the scenery in my field of vision. "I'm trying not to think about the fact we're several meters above ground and that one wrong move could send us to our deaths."

I'm unable to see the face Nate does next. But I can guess based on his tone of voice. "You're scared of heights?"

"...yep," I gulp. "Always have been.

"Oh!" he reacts. "Uhm…I…"

"You don't have to say anything," I tell him. "Just…just ignore me until we're on the other end, okay?"

"I…guess?"

Good, good.

Nate, fortunately, stays true to his word and doesn't talk to me after that.

When we finally get off the bus and lay foot on the bridge's entrance facing the entrance to Pinwheel Forest, I let out a relieved sigh. "Mamma mia…"

"That bad?" Nate asks me.

"Yeah."

I then turn to the bridge we just passed. It is so long I can barely see the edges of Castelia from here.

"Goddammit, how do you Unovans stand traversing that death trap?" And how do the citizens of New York stand traversing the bridges it's based on?

"It's not that bad," Nate argues. "You just…have to focus on the scenery instead of what's below you."

Yeah, right.

"Anyway," I turn my back to the bridge and look at the mass of woods that is our destination. "Ready to proceed?"

"Ready!" he declares, more excitedly than he was a moment earlier.

We strap our bags to ourselves and start our walk into the forest.

The first thing that catches my attention about this forest is… just how dark it is.

The various trees all reach out into the sky and tangle into a blanket of foliage that lets very little sunlight pass through. The result is such that while there is still visibility, it feels as though the weather was very cloudy, rather than the clear sky there was outside.

"How do the Pokémon living here find this place welcoming?" I mutter out loud.

"It's not so unusual for forests to be covered like this," Nate replies. "The leaves give a modicum of protection from the elements, and less lighting helps Pokémon who don't wish to be bothered by humans."

Huh, the more you know.

"Speaking of which, are you planning to catch both Fighting-types?"

"No. Just one will do."

"Have you already decided which you want to catch?"

I purse my lips as I shake my head. I have never been a fan of either Throh or Sawk. But between the restrictions I'm facing and the fact we'll challenge a Normal-type Gym soon, I don't have much of a choice.

"Do you have any preference for one or the other?"

"If only," I sigh, causing Nate's brow to furrow. "I'm not too fond of either of those two Pokémon."

"Then why…?"

"Because they are the only non-evolving Fighting-types we can come across before facing Cheren. There are none in Virbank. And any other can be found in areas to the north, opposite of where we're going."

Nate purses his lips. "I can understand that, but…"

He takes a few moments of consideration before saying his next piece. "One of the Elite Four of the Indigo Plateau once said this: 'Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled Trainers should try to win with the Pokémon they love best'."

Eight years after her fight with Ethan - or whoever else it was - and Karen is still famous even outside her own region. Go figure.

"That's a nice sentiment," I tell Nate. "Unfortunately, it's not always applicable. Take me for example: one mon I really like is Galvantula. And I can't have one due to my contract with your dad."

Nate opens his mouth, trying to muster a retort. He comes up blank.

"Okay, fair point," he concedes. "However, try to put yourself in a Throh or Sawk's shoes: how would you feel being with a trainer that doesn't like you?"

…

"Let's just…focus on finding one of them for now, okay?"

Nate looks unconvinced by my answer, but nods to me nonetheless.

"Where do we begin?"

"Well," Nate replies. "Essentially we have to find one first. Both Pokémon prefer secluded places for training. They cannot be found unless they want to be. And that's usually if they're hoping to find a training partner or a trainer to follow."

I furrow my brow. "So we are going to wander around the forest, approach the first Throh or Sawk we come across and hope they're interested in joining?"

"Pretty much," Nate sighs as he looks at the trees all around us. "It's a lot of ground to cover, though,so I don't know how it will take."

Hmmm.

"If we sent out Seteth and Ruffles to scout the area around, how likely are they to be attacked?"

Nate widens his eyes at me after hearing that question. Then he looks down at the Poké Balls on his belt. And then he turns back to the trees.

"I'm not sure," he replies, lips pursed. "Most of the species that live here either are not concerned by Flying-types or try to avoid them. However, Venipedes - and their evolutions - might perceive them as threats. And when they perceive threats, they are more likely to attack than hide."

Ah, damn. "Attack and pursue?"

"Well, no," is Nate's response. "They shouldn't have a reason to chase once they know the threat has been scared away."

Ok, that's more manageable. "So if we send them out but warn them to stay clear of any of those mons they should come across it should be okay?"

Nate takes longer to respond this time around. "If possible, could we send out just Seteth? If I know Ruffles, he's unlikely to back off should a fight break out for whatever reason."

As if on cue, his small avian gets out of his Poké Ball and frowns at his trainer as he spreads his wings. "Ruf!" he squawks indignantly.

"Sorry, Ruffles," Nate awkwardly chuckles at his Pokémon. "But this is just scouting, not battling."

The eaglette still frowns but doesn't protest any further. His trainer then turns back to me.

"Well, I think it's doable," I answer his previous question before calling out Seteth.

"Sig," he greets us while I grab the notebook and pen. He instantly grabs them with his psychic powers when he sees them.

"Okay, so," I tell him. "I assume you've heard most of what we discussed. Any questions?"

What course of action should I follow if I am attacked?

"If you are attacked, run away and get somewhere safer. If you are chased or injured, get back to us immediately. Understood?"

"Sig," Seteth confirms. He then turns around in the direction of the woods. But then he hesitates.

"What's wrong?"

He writes on the notebook again. What I read afterward, however, makes me groan.

"What is it?" Nate asks.

"He has no idea what Throh and Sawk look like."

Nate blinks in surprise at my answer. But then his cheeks puff up as he tries to suppress his laughter. "Seriously?"

Seteth frowns at him. "Sig," he rebukes.

"S-sorry," he responds between snorts. "It's just...I didn't...we...you…"

Despite his best efforts, Nate breaks out laughing after that. Which only makes Seteth frown at him more.

"Ignore him," I sigh. "It's for the best."

Seteth thankfully heeds my words and wipes away his frown as he turns to me again, without another word.

"Here's what we're gonna do," I say as I pull out my Poké Dex. "I show you what they look like here and now and you go looking for them. Sounds good?"

"Sig," he responds.

"Good. Then let's do it."

After showing Seteth the Dex's pictures of Throh and Sawk, along with those of a few other mons Nate suggests to watch out for, the Sigilyph is off into the woods. That leaves me and Nate to sit down and wait until he returns.

"Just out of curiosity," I intervene, mostly to pass the time. "I know we're here for my team, but are there any Pokémon you want to catch while we're here? I don't think we'll get many other chances to come to this forest."

Nate reflects a moment on his answer before he gives it. "Truth to be told, I'm not even sure what kind of team I should be building. When I first set out on this journey, my idea was to catch just Pokémon not native to Unova."

I arch an eyebrow at him. "Really?"

"Yeah," he replies. "Between my father's jobs and my own studies on the local species, I'm quite familiar with them. I was hoping my Gym challenge would give me a chance to learn more about other species."

Huh...that's true. For me, Unovan Pokémon are more recent news. But to someone actually born and raised in Unova, they are the equivalent of the first generation mons.

"But when it comes to what my team will ultimately look like…" he shrugs. "I don't know. Does Mister Jaw's final evolution share a type with Braviary?" I shake my head. "Okay, so I'm not becoming a type expert," he says half-heartedly.

"That's arguably for the best. Not focusing on one type gives you more flexibility on how to handle what's in front of you."

"I guess that's true," he shrugs. "But it doesn't help my case." He crosses his arms. "I suppose I will just make it up as I go."

Honestly not that bad of an idea. However… "If you manage to get sponsored by the Terra Foundation, what restrictions do you think they'll give you?"

"I suppose what I'm already doing: travel around with Pokémon not native to Unova so I can bring attention to their goal."

Yeah, that sounds like the most plausible possibility. And if that is the case, it could be a match made in heaven for him.

"Well, I know that won't mean much here," I then say. "But back in my world, with those games, my strategy for building a team was usually choosing Pokémon that could give me a large coverage of types of moves."

"Hmmm," Nate murmurs. "When we're finished with Throh and Sawk, could we explore the forest some more? Maybe that way I'll be able to see for myself what-"

"Mar?"

We both turn in the direction where that sound came from. To our surprise, there is no one there.

"Mar?"

When it comes again, we look down and are greeted by a small..rodent with a spherical shape, two round ears and a zig-zagged tail that ends in a small ball. It is mostly blue, save for its white belly and black tail.

"Marill?" the Water-type repeats.

"Holy Arceus!" Nate loudly exclaims, almost giving me a heart attack in the process. He then crouches down, as close as possible to the Marill's eye level. "It's so cute!"

The Water-type smiles and waves at him with its tiny arm. "Mar!"

"Hello you too, little fellow," Nate says, bopping the Marill's nose. The water mouse giggles at that. "Watcha doing here?"

"Mar," it replies, pointing at the Poké Balls by Nate's waist. "Marill mar. Mar."

"You…want to come with us?" Nate tentatively asks. "I'm a Pokémon trainer. You sure about this?"

I blink confusedly when the Marill nods again. Just like that?

"Alright then," Nate replies as he pulls out a Poké Ball and points it at the Marill. The blue mouse taps it and then Nate catches it.

Well, that was easy.

Although, maybe too easy, judging by Nate's next words a he smiles awkwardly at me. "Uhm, I forgot to ask what Pokémon it is and it's typing."

Geez, buddy.

"It's a Marill," I tell him. "A Water/F- a Water-type native to Johto." Can't believe I'm slipping up like that still.

Unfortunately, that's not enough to sate Nate's curiosity "Really? What else do you know?"

Uhm…"They're good swimmers and their flexible tail keeps them afloat when going underwater. Somehow. That's…all I remember."

"Is there a way to distinguish males from females?"

…is there? I don't remember right now.

"SIG!"

Seteth's panicked cry interrupts my musings and I turn in the direction it came from. He's rushing back to us at a high speed, his wings moving frantically to coordinate what I think is a Tailwind and his eyes widened.

As he reaches and hides behind me, though, I notice he doesn't have any kind of injuries. What rattled him like this?

"Are you alright Seteth?"

Before the Psychic-type can answer me, I hear a buzzing sound approaching from the direction he came from. I turn to it, bracing to see just what kind of Pokémon is so territorial they chased him all the way back here.

"Hera!"

The answer comes in the form of a blue bipedal beetle bigger than he is, with an elongated horn coming out of its forehead and a pair of antennas above its yellow eyes. Its spiked arms and legs are long and thin, but I know they're more muscular than they seem.

The humanoid beetle stops mid-flight when it sees Nate and I and narrows its eyes at us. After a bit of that, it retracts its wings and lands on the ground. And then it stretches its arms and takes a fighting stance, a challenging smirk on its face.

"Hera."

While I'm still registering it all, Nate asks me, "What's this Pokémon?"

"It's a Heracross," I answer, without breaking eye contact with the Bug-type. "A female Heracross," I add when I see the heart-like shape of the tip of the horn.

What the hell is a Heracross doing in this forest? I checked before, it wasn't said anywhere that its species could be found here.

I spend the next few moments without doing anything in particular besides glancing left and right, half-expecting some other trainer to show up looking for their Pokémon.

But no one does.

"Hera," the Heracross insists, her smile less broad now.

"...Seteth." The Psychic-type comes out of hiding and hovers next to my face. "Do you feel up for a fight?"

In response, Seteth gives the Heracross a concerned glance.

"Wait, you're going to fight her?" Nate intervenes. "Are you sure?"

"She's part Fighting-type," I reply. "She doesn't evolve and I like Heracross much more than Throh and Sawk. So I'd say she's perfect."

"Oh," he replies. "I see, I see."

I give him a nod of acknowledgement and then turn back to Seteth. "So what do you say?"

Seteth stares at me for a bit, but then he gives me a half-hearted "Sig" and turns to the Heracross, ready to fight.

"Okay," I huff out. "Let's start with Tailwind."

If I've learned anything from my fight with Burgh, it's that Seteth must avoid being hit by physical attacks. And a Heracross hits like a truck on that front. Dodging will be the key here.

The Heracross is less than impressed, though, as she gives me a half-lidded look and lets out a disappointed "Hera".

Just you wait, lady.

The Heracross decides to take the initiative after that and takes off from the ground, charging straight at Seteth with her horn.

"Keep some wind at the ready," I whisper to Seteth. I then let the Heracross get closer and closer to him, the Psychic-type moving hsi wings all the while. Only when I feel she's too close to dodge do I order "Psybeam!"

Without too much preamble, Seteth shoots the pink beam from his top eye and hits the Heracross straight in the face. She's pushed back by a few meters as a result.

"Now, Air Cutter!" I then command and Seteth unleashes the wind blades of the move on to the beetle. The Heracross is hit by all of them, but even after taking that barrage, she's still able to stand back up. She smirks as she glares at me and Seteth.

Girl's got spirit, I'll give her that.

The Heracross' next move is stretching out her arms as a dark aura envelopes them, forming some kind of blades. The bug takes off again and tries to charge Seteth again.

"Try Psybeam again!"

To my dismay, this time the Heracross parries the beam with one of its arms, against which the Psybeam bounces harmlessly. And then the bug slaps Seteth away with the other.

"Careful, with that move," Nate whispers to me. "I think it's Night Slash."

It is? Alright.

Seteth has just enough time to get up again before the Heracross charges with the Night Slashes.

"Use Confusion!"

Seteth's eyes glow at that command. And unlike with Psybeam, the Heracross is unable to parry the direct attack to his head, as she stops mid-flight to clutch her head.

Strangely, though, the Heracross then watches Seteth with an...absent look.

"Did Seteth just confuse her?" Nate asks.

"He did?" I respond.

The Heracross conjures another Night Slash, but instead of going at Seteth, she uses them to punch the ground. The only result of that is that she hurts her paws in the process, if the way she massages them is any indication.

"Huh, I guess he did."

The blue beetle then lifts one arm as it starts glowing white and runs toward Seteth instead of flying. Confusion got her bad, huh?

"Get back," I tell Seteth, and he hovers backward, easily dodging the Heracross' arm, which hits the ground again.

"Hera!" she whines as she starts stomping her feet. Bit of a sore loser, isn't she?

"Hypnotize her!"

Seteth gets close to her and his eyes flash purple. The Heracross lets out a yawn, blinks her eyes and then falls fast asleep.

Right on top of Seteth.

"Sig!" the Sigilyph protests, shaking his wings and paws from beneath her. And I can only look at him with a mixture of sympathy and embarrassment.

"Sorry, buddy."

"Sig!"

Okay, time to end this.

I reach into my bag and grab the first Poké Ball I find. I'm not sure how I'll be able to distinguish this one from Annette's, but I've only got these.

I toss the Poké Ball at the Heracross. It bounces on her and opens up, its red beam turning her into data and freeing Seteth. It shakes three times before letting out its signature click.

I let out a sigh of relief at that. "Caught."

"Yey!" Nate cheers.

After healing Seteth up and apologizing to him again, Nate and I decide to call out all of our Pokémon so we can make all the various introductions.

There's one slight problem, though.

"How do we wake her up?" I ask as we all look at the sleeping form of the Heracross.

"I'm not exactly sure we can," Nate replies. "Moves-induced sleep is not like actual sleep. It's more of a trance during which Pokémon keep a level of consciousness and they have to snap out of it on their own. Or wait for someone to use the appropriate items."

Creepy…

"So…we just wait for her to wake up?"

Nate nods. "Pretty much. I don't have an Awakening on me. Or anything else that can work."

I let out a sigh. "Fine." I turn to the Marill. "I guess we'll first introduce…ehm, are you a guy or a gal?"

"Mar. Marill."

Seteth thankfully writes down what she said right away.

Female

"Ok, we'll introduce her first." I turn to Nate. "Want to do the honors?"

"Certainly," he eagerly replies before turning to his new Pokémon. "Welcome to the team, Mary. I'm Nate." He gestures to his other two Pokémon. "These are Ruffles and Mister Jaw. Say hello guys!"

Mister Jaw smiles as he greets her with a 'Tra'. Ruffles is less warm, but not as dismissive as he was to Annette. And the water mouse takes it better than her.

Although one thought twirls around in my head while that happens.

'Mary'?

"You're nicknaming her Mary?"

"Why not?" Nate chuckles. "I know it may feel uninspired, but I think it fits her."

As uninspired as it may be, it's also the least silly out of the three he's come up with so far.

"What do you say?" Nate asks the Water-type. "Do you like it?"

"Mar!" the Marill chirply replies.

I guess Mary it is.

"And here's Eugenio," Nate then introduces me, at which I wave at the blue rodent.

"Pleased to meet y-"

A yawn cuts me off mid-sentence and I turn to see the giant beetle stirring up and stretching her limbs.

After blinking her eyes for a bit, she focuses her gaze to me. Then she briefly eyes Seteth. And then she glares at me.

"Hera! Hera hera heracros hera!"

I look to Seteth. He writes on the notebook again.

She is complaining Hypnosis is a cheap tactic

Seriously? That's what she's pissed about?

"Unfortunately, lots of others don't agree with you on that. You'll find lots of other trainers that rely on status effects."

The Heracross crosses her arms and pouts at me.

"If you're so unhappy, I can release you if you prefer."

She widens her eyes. "Hera? Heracros cros hera hera cros heracros."

"Uh…" I turn to Seteth. "Can you give me the short version?"

She wants you to make her stronger and not release her.

"Ok, that's doable." I turn back to the Heracross. "Although don't think it will all be punching stuff. There's more to being strong than that."

The Heracross smirks at me. "Heracros!"

Good. "In that case, welcome to the team…" Petra? Ingrid? Lysithea? Catherine? "Leonie?"

The Heracross nods and flexes her arms in response. Guess she likes it.

"Okay, now for introductions…"

We start by introducing Leonie and Mary to each other. Both Pokémon greet each other jovially, thankfully without any kind of drama.

After that, we take the chance to introduce both to my other Pokémon. Things go well between them and Mary - even though I have to stop her and Annette from hugging each other. Same goes between Annette and Leonie, whose exoskeleton I find out protects her from spikes (the more you know).

Leonie and Seteth, though…

"Sig," Seteth says indignantly.

"Hera?"

"Sig lyph sig."

Leonie rubs the back of her head and lets out a nervous chuckle. "Hera."

Seteth narrows his eyes.

Oh brother…

Either way, Nate handles the last introductions for Leonie, presenting himself, Ruffles and Mister Jaw to her.

Nate and Mister Jaw go smoothly enough. The former gushes over her for a bit while the latter lets out a nervous "Tra" before Leonie pats him on the head, which he seems to like.

As for Ruffles…

"Ehm, what's up with them all of a sudden?"

The two are now staring at each other with neutral expressions. At least at first. After a bit, Ruffles frowns at the much larger Pokémon and lets out a challenging "Ruf". Leonie responds to that with a frown and a challenging "Hera" of her own.

"They're…not going to attack each other, are they?"

"I hope not."

Just as we say that, Ruffles spreads out his wings and Leonie raises her arms and pulls out her own wings.

Okay, time to stop- !

Before I can do anything, both Pokémon relax and give each other a knowing smirk. Or as much of a smirk as a beak can allow in Ruffles' case.

"Ruf."

"Hera."

Okay…? Not really sure whether I should be relieved or worried about whatever understanding the two came to.

"A Marill and a Heracross?" Dawn asks from her side of the line. "Those are some pretty good picks."

"Really?" Nate eagerly asks.

"Yes. Marill and its evolution Azumarill have this ability called Huge Power. It doubles their actual physical strength in combat."

OK, so abilities are an actual thing, I guess. Good to know.

"As for Heracrosses, they are pretty strong Bug-types. Being part Fighting-types makes them some of the strongest physically and they can learn quite a lot of types of moves."

"Wow," Nate comments. "They sound, like, really powerful."

"A friend of mine once trained one. I can tell you from experience that they are."

A friend of… oh, that's right. Barry got one in the games.

"That said," Dawn continues with a more grave tone. "I checked out which Pokémon species inhabit Pinwheel Forest yesterday. Heracrosses weren't one of them."

So I didn't miss anything. Finding one was an abnormality.

"So what does that mean?" I ask.

"It could be one Heracross that ended up in the forest for a reason or another. Or it could be that a colony of them has settled in."

Uh-oh.

"But either way, I'll have to report it to the local rangers in Nacrene. Speaking of, if you two have already got your Pokémon, you can take the next bus for Nacrene and we'll rendezvous there."

I furrow my brow. "What about the Pokémon you were after?"

"I got lucky and already found two of them," she replies. "I'm following the trail of the third right now. I can go to the rangers as soon as I'm finished."

Huh, lucky indeed.

"I think that's doable." I turn to Nate. "What do you say?"

He nods. "Sure thing."

"Good. See you at the Ranger Base, then."

Considering we didn't have to get that far into the forest, getting back to the bus station is fairly easy. Unfortunately we end up having to buy another ticket, as the previous ones turn out to no longer be valid.

We also end up having to wait quite a bit before the bus actually arrives, picks us up and takes us through the entirety of the forest and to Nacrene.

Once we've actually arrived, the Ranger Base is thankfully easy to find, as it is right on the western outskirts of the city.

And as luck would have it, Dawn comes out of the base shortly after we arrive.

"Hey there, guys," she says as she waves at us, a smile on her face. "It's been a while."

I smile right back at her. "Hi Dawn. It's good to see you again."

Nate is right after me. "Hello, Miss Hikari!"

…really, Nate? You've taken to a first name basis with me and you're still going with Miss Hikari with her?

"How did it go with the rangers?" I ask Dawn.

"Not bad," she replies, sparing the red structure behind her one more glance. "They said they'll look into this and decide how to proceed once they have a rough estimation of how many Heracrosses are in the forest."

So it's their problem now? Okay, good. We already have enough stuff to deal with it without this.

"So we're good to set for Virbank tomorrow?"

At that Dawn bites her lips. She then looks around and then gestures for us to follow, before walking away back in the direction of the forest.

Nate and I exchange a concerned look but then follow her.

"Ok, so," she says after we've walked some distance away from Nacrene's entrance. "We are good to set for Virbank. However, there is one other thing we will need to take care of before we can go to Aspertia."

Huh? "What is it?"

"It's about the Terra Foundation. They-"

"They're no longer interested in sponsoring me?!" Nate asks alarmed.

"Oh no, they still are," Dawn reassures him. "And they're willing to wait as long as you need."

Nate lets out a sigh of relief. "Ok, that's good. They can wait until we've made sure Miss Whitley is safe."

"Actually, we're going to meet them as soon as we get to Virbank."

"What?!" Nate and I ask at the same time.

"Do you remember the man I said was in charge at Virbank? Mister Ottavio?" We both nod. "The people promoting the Terra Foundation in Striaton showed me a poster with him. When I saw him, I thought I recognized him from somewhere. And after cross-checking with a friend, he confirmed I was right."

I furrow my brow. "Who is he?"

Dawn lets out a deep breath. "Team Magma's Admin Tabitha Harlan."

WHAT?!

So, this took a bit longer than usual to come out. Sorry about that folks, but I started a couple of other fics in the meantime.

Anway, here we get Eugenio and Nate's new team members and some hints at what to expect going forward. Hope you're looking forward to it!

Thanks to Softandhappy and Geolight164 for betareading. You can find us at the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at: 9XG3U7a

See you all next time!