Stroll Through the Forest, Chapter 3

With the morning, I was refreshed and ready to keep on moving! Vulpix was downstairs, happy to see me, and also looking ready to take on the world. Nurse Joy made sure I had a small breakfast before I left the center, and even let me have a few potions, just in case things got a little ugly on the way to Viridian City. Compared to the mess I made the day before, today was starting out better than right.

The day was bright and sunny, just like before. Not a cloud in sight. I looked down at Vulpix, happiness clear as day on her face. After taking a deep breath, I started my march forward. I hadn't walked more than a few minutes when another wild Pokemon fell out of the trees and into my path. It was a Mankey.

I stayed still for a moment, afraid that if I moved, the Mankey would get angry and attack me. It just looked at me, staring me down. When I finally blinked, it put up its fists and charged me. Vulpix jumped in front of me, taking the blow in my stead. I wasn't about to let my indecision from yesterday hurt Vulpix anymore.

"Vulpix, Tackle!"

She recovered from the punch quickly, and rushed the Mankey. It didn't have time to move out of the way, and Vulpix rammed the hairy Pokemon to the ground.

"Ember, now!"

Without hesitating, Vulpix followed my next order. She spun around, releasing the small fires that landed all over the fallen Mankey. It shot up, trying its best to douse the flames on its hair. As it panicked, I went in for the finishing blow.

"Vulpix, one more Tackle!"

The Mankey's back turned towards her, Vulpix had no problem ramming the Pokemon again, sending it flying towards me. The fires on its hair put out, it tried to get back up, but was too exhausted from the fight. I reached into my bag, taking out one of the Pokeballs Deneb gave me. The Mankey was too tired to resist, so the catch would be easy.

I dropped the Pokeball on the Mankey, watching as the Pokemon turned into a flash of red light and was sucked into the small red ball. It shook on the ground for a few seconds, as the Mankey tried its hardest to escape, but it quickly stopped moving, and the small red light on the release button turned off. I had caught my first Pokemon!

I picked up the Pokeball, looking at it closely for a while. It was my first true step towards completing the League challenge. It would all fall into place from here on out. I patted Vulpix on her head, and gave her my last cookie as a treat for her hard work. It was a good thing I asked Mom to bring as many cookies as she could for my adventure.

~o~

I made it to Viridian City without any other problems from wild Pokemon. That doesn't mean I didn't run into anymore, just that they were no longer a major concern for Vulpix. With some clever commands and fancy footwork, not a Rattata or Pidgey stood a chance against her! I only had one Pokeball left, so I didn't use it to catch any other Pokemon. I wanted to hold on to it, just in case something happened and I needed to put Vulpix away. The first stop was the Pokemon Center, where I told mom to meet me.

Entering Viridian City from the west was a bit strange at first. This wasn't the first time I'd ever been to the city, though. Since Pallet didn't have a lot of stores, Mom and I would take trips here to purchase things. I could probably find my way back home from the department store. If I could find the store in the first place, that is. But that wasn't my destination this time.

After a bit of wandering through the city, I found the Pokemon Center. Or rather, what was left of it.

I was shocked to learn that the Pokemon Center had been blown up just the night before. Mom was there waiting for me, just like we planned, but the center was nothing but a pile of rubble now. I asked the local Nurse Joy, the twin sister I gathered of the one at the other center, what happened. She told me the center was attacked last night by Team Rocket, a notorious gang of criminals. The Pokemon at the center were saved by some kid from Pallet Town and his Pikachu, though the building itself didn't survive the attack. Odd, I didn't recall Professor Oak giving away a Pikachu to new trainers.

At least Vulpix didn't have to worry about continuing north without proper rest. Nurse Joy set up a small camp outside the ruined center, treating any incoming Pokemon with a healthy stock of potions. While I let Vulpix rest (and handed Mankey over to the nurse in its Pokeball), I spoke with Mom about the things I asked for.

She had not only brought everything I needed, but extra stuff to boot! My bag at the time was small, hardly enough room to carry around all the gear a trainer needed, so Mom went out and bought me a brand new bag, packed with so many pockets, I could hardly count them. Extra clothes, a town map to help me find my way around the region, and she even bought me a jar of cookies for the road! Much as I liked them for myself, I decided to save them for Vulpix, as rewards for her battles on the road. Finally, Mom gave me a new wallet, stuffed with more money than I had ever seen in my entire life!

"I wish I could do more," she said, trying to hold back the tears. I got all teary-eyed myself just seeing her. She probably thought my leaving was all her fault, so I assured her it wasn't.

"I'll be back sooner than you think," I said to her. "Don't cry, Mom."

"Well, I suppose you're right. Be careful out there, and remember: if there's ever anything you need, just give me a call. I'll come running."

I gave Mom one last hug before I left. Well actually, she followed me across town, even going so far as to hold my hand until we reached the end of town. Normally, I'd be embarrassed beyond measure, but I didn't mind today. It was, after all, the last time I'd be seeing her. Not forever, but for a long, long time.

~o~

I read in the League brochure that first time trainers from Pallet or Viridian City usually had a bit of trouble starting out. This was because of the Viridian Forest, a large part of the road between Viridian and Pewter City, where one of the gyms was located. It was easier for people to travel between the two cities through a road that went completely around the forest, but that would take a trainer on foot a few days. Not to mention there were fewer Pokemon on the road, and let's face it: the entire purpose of the trainer is to be looking out for new critters to collect and raise.

I wasn't the only person in the forest. As I pushed through the tall grass and through the trees, I could hear other trainers around me, shouting commands to their Pokemon. The brochure said that simply locking eyes with another trainer was grounds for a Pokemon battle, and saying no wasn't exactly possible most of the time. I didn't quite get why not, but who was I to argue with the rules?

At one point, the grass got as tall as me, and since I was already getting tired of the itching sensation all over my legs and arms, I chose to cut through a pair of trees nearby. Other Pokemon no doubt would've done the same, which is why I walked straight into a spider web of some kind. Naturally, I started to scream and try to get the web off me, when a big, yellow bug attached itself right to my face. I stared at it for a full five seconds before I let out a screech that echoed throughout the forest.

As I scrambled to get the rest of the web off me, I sent the bug flying away, and my Pokeball fell off my belt, releasing Mankey. I wasn't paying attention to him, as I continued trying to get that web off me, with Vulpix's help. I'm guessing Mankey saw I was in trouble, saw the bug nearby, and jumped to my rescue. Once enough of the web was off my face, I just barely caught the end of the pummeling Mankey had given the bug, it trying its hardest to run away from the rampaging Pokemon. I reached for the Pokeball on the ground, and called Mankey back, saving the bug from one final blow.

Ignoring my sticky problem, I crawled over to the bug, which I could finally identify as a Weedle, and saw that it was hurt pretty badly. Not that I didn't appreciate Mankey's desire to help me out, but he really did a number on that poor Weedle, so I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. I reached into my bag for a potion, but the first thing I found was the Pokeball Deneb gave me the day before. I wanted to help the Weedle recover, but since it was down already, there was no harm in catching it first. I whispered an apology to it, then tapped it with the Pokeball, watching as the small bug was sucked inside. The ball didn't even shake once before the red light turned off.

Weedle now officially mine, I released him from the Pokeball, taking him in my arms as I sprayed his body with the potion. He was still very tired, but at least the pain was mostly gone. Rather than force him back into the Pokeball, I carried him in my arms for a little while, so that he could rest. I asked Vulpix to keep an eye out for me. I didn't want to run into any Pidgeys or Spearow, have them swoop down on me and try to eat Weedle.

Fortunately, thanks to that little run in, I found a shortcut through the forest, and could finally see the light from the outside just past the next bunch of trees. I picked up the pace a bit, trying to get Weedle to the center as quickly as possible. Then I felt someone grab my arm and hold me back. It was another trainer.

"Where you off to? I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Commanded a high pitched voice. I turned around to face the boy.

My first instinct was to deny and continue on towards Pewter City, but I knew he'd never let me go. Like it or not, I was going to battle this kid. I agreed to his challenge, and ordered Vulpix out first. From the look of the boy's clothes, he was a bug catcher. I had been studying the encyclopedia, and bugs were weak to fire.

"Go, Caterpie!"

From his Pokeball, a small green bug emerged, a pink antenna on its forehead. The boy knew this battle wasn't in his favor already, but he started the fight, so there was no going back now. I cradled the Weedle in my arms, letting the boy get the first move. It would only take one Ember from Vulpix to end this fight, so I figured I'd at least let him play ball for a moment.

"String Shot!"

The Caterpie shot forth a bunch of white string, covering Vulpix from top to bottom. The stuff was sticky, but I knew it wouldn't hold up against fire.

"Vulpix, use Ember!"

Vulpix heard my voice, and started to shake as hard as she could. From within, the fires burned away the string, and before long she was free. I shouted the command again, and watched as Vulpix charged the bug before slapping the bug into the air with her tail. Covered in burns, the bug crashed onto the ground, completely knocked out.

The boy called back his Caterpie, unsure if he should send out another to take its place. No doubt his only selection was of more bugs, and not a one would stand a chance against Vulpix. The air was tense for a few seconds, until the boy raised his hand. He threw in the towel.

"Guess I should've been more careful," he said as he walked up to me. There was something in his hands.

"It's okay," I said, "I didn't want to hurt your Pokemon too badly."

"Here." He gave me a handful of money, which I took, of course. I just wasn't sure why, and I guess the boy noticed.

"League rules, loser has to give the winner a small sum. Not everyone agrees with this rule, so don't be amazed if some stingy people try to run off."

I nodded and thanked the boy for being honest. I still hadn't read through the whole brochure, so I made a mental note to finish reading it when I got to the center. After saying goodbye to the boy, I called Vulpix over, and ran out of the forest. As I did, I heard some more screams behind me. I looked into the sky behind me, and saw a bunch of bees floating around. I sure didn't want to be anywhere near those things.