"But mooooom!"
"No, Mira. It's just too dangerous for a girl your age."
The pink-haired girl let out a disappointed groan and flopped onto her back dramatically. "This isn't fair! All of the other kids get to go have adventures with their Pokémon!"
"That's because they're all older and actually have Pokémon, Mira," the girl's mother explained calmly, though the strained look on her face suggested she was growing irritated.
"So? And besides," Mira argued, "I have Kadabra with me!"
"The same Kadabra that was unable to teleport you back home when you got lost in Wayward Cave?"
"That was one time!"
"One time too many," Mira's mother stated, her voice sounding grave. "Besides, even if Kadabra could properly protect you, who's to say that it would be any match for that awful Team Galactic? Or even a simple thug on the streets?"
"Kadabra can protect me just fine," the pink-haired girl protested. "And besides, just because you're too scared of Team Galactic to even step outside doesn't mean that I have to be!"
It was true that Mira's mother lived in fear of Team Galactic ever since her husband had gone missing and that she'd been trying to raise her daughter to not be so reckless, but the words still stung nonetheless. To think, her own daughter…
"That's quite enough, Mira," her mother responded coldly. "You've asked me a thousand times and the answer will never change. You are simply not to wander around on your own!"
Mira couldn't take it anymore.
"Ugh! You're the worst mother ever! I hate you!" she cried, tears now flowing from her eyes as she got up from the dinner table and ran to her room, shutting the door loudly. Mira's mother sighed and let her face fall into her hands. She couldn't blame her daughter for being the adventurous little kid she was, but… She just couldn't understand. Was it so wrong to be so protective of her only daughter in such a time of peril? Even now, Team Galactic had established their presence in multiple cities in the Sinnoh region. It was only a matter of time until they came here.
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As Mira awoke, she felt herself being carried in someone's arms. Her eyes nearly jolted open in shock before she realized that it was only Riley, the kind man who had rescued her from those Galactic goons, and settled down.
"Good morning, Sleepyhead," he chimed with a friendly smile. "Are you alright? I noticed you seemed to fidget a bit in your sleep."
"It's nothing," Mira spoke softly, rubbing her eyes. "Just a bad dream…"
"Hmm. Well, there's not much I can do about bad dreams, but I can tell you that we've almost reached the Eterna Forest."
"Eterna Forest?" Mira asked warily. "You mean… where the Old Chateau is?"
The man chuckled a bit. "Well, yes, but we certainly don't have to go there if it frightens you."
"Actually… I'd kinda like to see it," the girl perked up. Even though they were supposed to be looking for a way to get Mira home, the pink-haired girl still wanted to see what her home region had to offer. Even after being chased down by those thugs in what could have very well been her last escapade, the spirit of adventure within her never backed down. Besides, with Riley protecting her now, what could go wrong?
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. Hearing this, Riley instantly quickened his pace and held Mira to his chest protectively. The duo eventually arrived at the entrance of the forest, where a young boy was all but freaking out.
"What's wrong?" Riley asked.
"I… I saw it!" the boy screamed, eyes wide open in fear.
It was now Mira's turn to ask. "What's 'it'?"
"It was green and slender… Like it was made out of vines or something," the young trainer shuddered. "It snatched up a dozen Galactics with its arms and strung them up like puppets! I swear I've never seen a more sinister Pokémon…"
"I see…" Riley muttered, staring off into the forest. The treetops practically touched the sky; it was easy to get lost in there. Realizing that whatever was in there could be a serious threat, Riley put Mira down and she stood next to the boy. "I'm going to take a look around. Stay here with him, Mira."
"What?"
"If what he's saying is true, whatever is in there is serious business. I can't risk you getting hurt."
"But-"
"Mira, no. Please," Riley cut her off. "Just stay put until I get back, okay? If I don't get back in twenty minutes, I need you to run to the nearest Pokémon Center and fetch help."
Before the pink-haired girl could argue any further, the man in the blue suit took off into the forest, running at an almost superhuman speed.
Sighing, Mira plopped onto the ground. Not this again…
"So, your name's Mira?"
"That's right," she replied in a chipper tone of voice. "And your name?"
"Joey," the boy replied with a smile, shaking her hand. Mira couldn't help but notice how red Joey's face was and how sweaty his hand seemed... Speaking of which, he still hadn't let go.
"Er…" the girl hesitated, awkwardly freeing her hand from Joey's grip and wiping it on her shorts. "Right. So… Caught any Rattata lately?"
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Riley slowly and quietly crept through the forest, keeping an eye out for anything particularly suspicious. Looking all around him to make sure no one was watching, Riley took a deep breath as his eyes began to glow a deep azure. Tapping into his aura vision, he was able to see the spiritual energy of every living thing in the forest. Among the abundant plant life, Riley was able to make out several aura signatures belonging to humanoids in the treetops. Treading onward with caution, the man eventually found several unmoving Team Galactic grunts hanging from vines in the treetops, now looking very much like puppets on strings.
"At least they're still alive…"
Suddenly, Riley heard a twig snap behind him. Turning around quickly, Riley saw nothing but the flora surrounding him. Then he heard rustling behind him. Again, the man turned to find nothing behind him. Even with his aura vision, he couldn't seem to spot anything… Just the aura of the plants in the forest.
"Is this some kind of sick prank?" Riley questioned aloud. That was when it hit him. Literally. Riley felt something charge into him and knock him off his feet, sending him tumbling to the ground before forming several Grass Knots around his wrists and feet. Opening his eyes, he could see the slender figure before him, indeed looking as if it was made almost entirely of vines with some bark and moss scattered about its form. A bulb had sprouted where the creature's head should have been, and it had a gem in the middle of it that seemed to glow with power.
"What the hell…?"
Suddenly, Riley felt a vine snare around his neck as he was lifted from the ground. With no time to think, Riley's hands flew to the vine and began to glow with aura. Within seconds, the entirety of the vine was disintegrated by Riley's flaming aura. The vine creature let out an unnervingly human-like scream before swinging a thick branch-like appendage into the man's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Vines snaked their way around Riley's ankles and lifted him up into the air, hanging him upside down. The more he struggled to get free, the more the vines traveled down his body and bound his limbs together. Opening his eyes, Riley could see that the strange creature was now walking towards him. As it did so, the vines comprising its right arm began to shift and tighten around each other until they formed the shape of a hammer.
'Crap,' Riley thought. This was going to hurt.
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'What's taking him so long?' Mira pondered in her head, pacing back and forth outside the forest entrance. It had felt like hours and Riley still hadn't returned. The little girl knew Riley had told her to go get help, but it seemed wrong to just leave him in there! Especially considering that he had risked his own life earlier by saving her from Team Galactic…
Mira shook the thoughts from her head and looked at the path ahead with a determined expression on her face. She was going in after him.