Chapter 8
The two friends decided to wait until morning to head out on their quest. They spent a few hours gathering provisions, then retired to bed. Felix stayed the night at the Oak residence, sleeping in Zane's room.
When they awoke the next morning, they ate a quick, light breakfast and set out again north on Route 1 toward Viridian City, Pikachu following close behind. It was unbelievable to Felix that fewer than twenty-four hours ago, he and Daisy walked this very path, but under much different circumstances. Thoughts about his mother had haunted his dreams all through the night, and continued to occupy his mind along the route. There were still so many things he wanted to say, to explain, to apologize for.
Why did Team Rocket kill his mother? It seemed so random and senseless. They could have murdered him and his mother the night before. They had been sitting Psyducks for a long time since his father died, regardless of the circumstances of his death.
The grass was still stained with morning dew. Clouds grayed the sky, giving the journey a more eerie feel than the pair's previous trip. The feeling didn't change as they entered Viridian City. The city felt sleepier, but that was likely due to them arriving earlier in the morning. One person that seemed calmer and more at peace was the man that had yelled at them earlier.
"Ahh, I've had my coffee now and I feel great!" exclaimed the old man. He stretched his arm out wide. He was as energetic as before, but he seemed to be in a much better mood. Felix and Daisy couldn't be too sure though.
"Can we come through now?" asked Daisy, sweetly.
"Sure, you can go through!" said the old man. "Where you headed anyway?"
"We're on a task for Professor Oak!" exclaimed Daisy. "Maybe you've heard of him?"
"Oh yes, I've heard of him. A young man claiming to be his grandson came through here last night. Rude fella, I'll say," said the old man as he leaned on his cane.
Daisy rolled her eyes. "That's my brother. He and my friend here are trying to fill the Pokedex for my grandpa."
The old man squinted his eyes as Felix pulled the Pokedex out of the pocket of his jacket.
"I've seen these before, however I've never seen one like this. There are ancient artifacts from times long ago written on pen and paper. An electronic one though? Now that's fancy!" said the old man leaning closer to get a good look.
"We're on a quest to catch every Pokemon to record data on them," said Felix.
"Well, that's some quest," said the old man. "I saw strange Pokemon during the war. Pokemon you can't find in Kanto. I'll tell you what. I'll show you how to catch Pokemon as my apology! It's the least I can do for being rude to you yesterday."
The old man looked around and saw a Rattata scampering out of a bush. The old man stepped in front of it and pulled a Pokeball from his pocket. He tossed it underhand with the ball landing on the Rattata from a high arc. A flash of light emerged from the Pokeball as it opened and sucked the Rattata inside. The ball wiggled once. It wiggled twice. Then Rattata escaped from the Pokeball and fled as fast as it could into a nearby bush.
"Shoot! It was so close too!" The old man shook his fist in the air. He turned around. "That didn't work! I must be losing my touch. I've run out of Pokeballs too. I have to get some at Pokemon Mart." The old man walked off without saying another word.
"Thank you!" shouted Daisy. She turned to Felix. "We ought to get some Pokeballs ourselves before we continue."
Felix, Daisy, and Pikachu headed east for the PokeMart.
"Is it true? Are there Pokemon you can't find here in Kanto?" asked Felix.
"Yes," Daisy replied. "There are many Pokemon all over the world. Some have native habitats in other regions."
"I just know about a hundred and fifty-one," said Felix. "And some of those are legends and myths. People aren't even sure if they are real." Felix looked down as he walked. "This task just got a lot more daunting."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you. My grandpa doesn't expect it to be completed today. Not even in ten years. Besides, we have more pressing things to worry about."
The two trainers and Pikachu arrived at the Mart, purchased a few Pokeballs, and headed north out of town toward Viridian Forest. The clouds started to part, revealing a blazing sun directly overhead. They drank lots of water and rested as often as they could, but the growing abundance of trees offered little shade, so the breaks were short.
After hours of walking, and as the sun was making its way toward the horizon, the pair approached a small building standing in front of thick growth. Beyond the building was the entrance to Viridian Forest. They decided it would be a good idea to pitch their tents and camp for the night before entering.
Felix tossed and turned in his sleeping bag that night. He dreamt that he was walking through Viridian Forest when suddenly a Persian leapt out of the trees and pinned Felix's chest down with his paws. Felix awoke as he looked into the maw of the large cat Pokemon. It was still dark, and Pikachu still lay tucked at his feet. He wiped the sweat from his brow and went back to sleep.
Felix and Daisy packed up their campsite early the next morning and entered into the small building with Pikachu following close behind. The building was bigger than it looked from the outside. A woman informed them that the forest is a natural maze and that it would take a while for a rescue team to find them if they got lost. They understood the risks, but proceeded anyway.
Felix had never seen trees as large as these. Very little sunlight penetrated through the thick, green branches. The humidity was nearly unbearable as a result. The mixture of the lack of sunlight with the large amount of moisture in the air made it feel cooler than it actually was.
An especially large tree stood at the entrance of the forest with a kid standing in front of it.
"I'd be careful if I were you guys. My friends and I came in here looking for Pokemon battles. We split up and I got ambushed. I made it back here after losing to some tough trainers who call themselves Bug Catchers. It's been two days and I haven't seen any sign of my friends. I'd turn back and find another way to Pewter City. It's dangerous here," explained the boy.
Felix bowed his head. "We can't turn back." He turned to Daisy. "Phase One of my training starts now. If I can't beat forest-dwelling bug-type trainers, there's no way I can take on Team Rocket."
Pikachu hopped onto Felix's shoulder and the group pressed on. The two trainers jumped at everything that moved, but no sign of an ambush or even another peaceful human appeared for hours. Occasionally exotic Bug Pokemon and Pidgey would spring out at them, but Pikachu was prepared to defeat them. They wandered for hours coming to deadend after deadend, having to retrace their steps again and again. The dark of the forest darkened into even deeper darkness, and the party concluded that it must be nightfall and slept exposed in their sleeping bags because it was too dark to pitch their tents.
The next day continued as the previous day. And another day. On the fourth day, they found themselves at the same large tree at the entrance of the forest.
"We went west last time, so let's try going east from the tree this time," said Daisy.
"Maybe it's best if we head back. Zane can complete the Pokedex. Pikachu can power my house while I try to eat by just battling the kids at school," said Felix with his head hanging.
"Felix Unger! I won't hear any of that anymore! Magnemite is still out there! Team Rocket is still out there! You'll live the rest of your life in misery wondering 'what if' if you go back home! It may be hard now, but it's better to die trying to right the wrongs of this world than to live sadly accepting them! I'm continuing on with or without you!" Daisy turned and stomped a few paces onward before calling back, "But I'd much prefer with you!"
Felix looked down at Pikachu. She was right. Pikachu kept a stoic look as he stared back into Felix's eyes. Felix lowered his head even further before looking back up. He took a step forward following behind Daisy's footsteps in the grass.
The dense air weighed heavily on all of the habitants of the forest. Between that and the shade of the trees, Felix had a hard time keeping his eyes open. He was so sleepy all of the time. At night he slept soundly, but it wouldn't take long into the day's journey for him to want to curl back up into his sleeping bag. As he walked in a sleepy daze, a boy suddenly jumped out into the clearing, startling him.
"Haaaiyyahhhh!"
Felix and Daisy jumped backward.
"Challenge me trainer!" exclaimed the boy. He was wearing nothing but a tank top, shorts, and a wide brim hat, with a net resting over his shoulder. He threw a Pokeball and a green caterpillar-like Pokemon with huge eyes emerged. "Go, Caterpie!"
"You're on!" said Felix, gathering himself. "Pikachu, I choose you!"
"String shot, Caterpie!"
"Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!"
Before Caterpie had a chance to shoot out its organic string, Pikachu let out a thunderous clap of electricity and paralyzed him. Caterpie once again attempted to shoot out its string, but he couldn't move.
"Alright, Pikachu, Thundershock!"
Pikachu let out a surge of electricity, damaging the Caterpie greatly. Caterpie, a little fried, continued to be motionless.
"Caterpie! Come on! Use Tackle!" cried the boy.
Caterpie gathered all the strength he could muster and lunged at Pikachu, hitting him in the shoulder. Pikachu winced a little, but the hit was more unexpected than painful.
"Thundershock him again, Pikachu!"
Electricity shot once again from Pikachu's cheeks and this time Caterpie passed out cold.
"Alright!" Well done, Pikachu!" cried Felix, giving Pikachu a high five. He looked up at the boy. "We won. Since you jumped out of nowhere and attacked me, we weren't able to agree to terms, but since you already lost I'm sure you'll agree to a low wager–"
"You think this is over? This is life and death! Go Caterpie!"
Another Caterpie emerged from another Pokeball, fully healthy.
Felix groaned.
"You got this, Felix!" cheered Daisy behind him.
"Pikachu, Thunder Wave!"
A second Thunder Wave shot forth and paralyzed this Caterpie. Pikachu then finished off this Caterpie with two Thundershocks without taking a hit from him.
"Got any more Pokemon that want a piece of this?" asked Felix with furrowed brows and twisted smile.
"Er, no," sighed the boy with his shoulders drooping. "You may pass. Here is seventy Pokedollars."
Felix accepted the money and put it in his pocket. As he did so, the boy quietly started to make his way back into the brush.
"Oh no you don't!" cried Daisy and lunged at the boy's net. She grabbed the wide rim and pulled down, easily yanking it out of his hands.
"Hey, give that back!"
"Not until you tell us who you are, why you cheated, and how to get out of here!" said Daisy firmly. Felix really admired Daisy's assertiveness. It was a quality he wished he would utilize more consistently.
"We are the Bug Catchers. We are orphans who find refuge in the forest from the evils that plague our region. We attack all who invade our forest. We must protect it from the crime and greed that plague the eastern cities. Viridian Forest is the last bastion of nature and beauty in Kanto," explained the boy.
Felix and Daisy looked at each other and hung their heads. Until recently, their hometown went relatively unaffected by the corruption of Team Rocket. It was sobering to see a stranger finding a different way to cope.
"I lost and am at your mercy. Please, tell me, are you from Team Rocket?" asked the Bug Catcher, a tear forming in the corner of his eye.
"Goodness, no," said Daisy. "We're on a quest to rescue a Pokemon from them."
The Bug Catcher smiled. "Good. Then we're on the same side. You don't look like you're from Team Rocket. My name is Anthony."
Felix and Daisy introduced themselves.
"We're on our way to Pewter City. Can you guide us through this forest?" asked Daisy.
"For as noble a cause as this, it would be an honor," said Anthony.
Pikachu hopped onto Felix's shoulder and the three trainers continued on through the forest. While thankful for Anthony's help, Felix and Daisy thought it would be wise to keep their guard up by taking shifts staying up at night to watch for any funny business. A few more days passed as Anthony guided them through the forest, often commenting on knowing where the patrols were and how to avoid them. At last they made it to the final stretch.
"Straight through this tree tunnel with the tall grass leads to Pewter City," said Anthony. "However, there is an unavoidable patrol waiting for you. He's a tough trainer named Sammy. He waits here because he feels Team Rocket is most likely to enter from Pewter and he wants to be the first to greet them."
"I understand the feeling," said Felix softly.
They continued on for another few hours when another boy wearing the same outfit as Anthony emerged from the trees beside them.
"Hey…Wait up… What's the hurry?" sneered the Bug Catcher.
"I'm granting them passage, Sammy," said Anthony. "They are friends."
"Not until they challenge me!" Sammy bellowed. He threw a Pokeball and another Caterpie appeared in a flash of white light. This Caterpie looked bulkier than the ones Anthony had.
"You're on!" shouted Felix. He motioned for Pikachu to step forward and Pikachu leapt out from behind him. "Thunder Wave!"
Caterpie was immobilized like Anthony's a few days prior.
"Tail Whip, Pikachu!"
Pikachu slapped the paralyzed Caterpie in the face with its tail shaped like a bolt of lightning. Pikachu continued to do that a few more times, with Caterpie only able to lunge at it occasionally.
"Hit him with a Quick Attack now, Pikachu!" commanded Felix.
Pikachu shot himself at full speed at Caterpie. He looked like a blur as he jumped a short distance to smack the Caterpie across the face with his tiny hands. Caterpie was out cold in an instant.
"I give!" said Sammy. He grinned. "You're good at this."
"Thanks," said Felix. He felt he had to justify himself again so he blurted, "I hope to be able to rescue my stolen Magnemite from Team Rocket. I know eradicating them completely is a tall order, but I'll do whatever it takes to trip them up in the process."
"I detect no deception," said Sammy. "After you find your Magnemite, you are always welcome to dwell with us in the forest."
"That's a kind offer. Thank you," said Daisy.
Anthony stayed behind as Felix, Daisy, and Pikachu continued north toward the exit of the forest. They thanked him for his help and Sammy gave them a hundred Pokedollars for the road. While what perils lay ahead was unknown, it was nice to know that there were allies amongst the trees.