Sorry for the large delay between updates. I hope the next break will not be as long as this, and I will try and update more frequently whenever possible. Hope you enjoy the mystery that gets built up during this chapter!
The Shadows in the Trees
June 12th 2008
"I told you that taking the left path was the wrong one!"
"Oh what would you know Leaf: just because your name is related to them doesn't mean you know forests!"
"Excuse me? I am following the map, you arrogant dick! It said on the map to go right, and you went left, and now we're lost!"
"We are not lost; we just aren't going as fast as you want! The right path would have doubled back onto Route 2 anyway!"
"If we were on Route 2, then at least we wouldn't BE LOST!"
Blue sighed and sank further into his makeshift seat of leaves and sticks. He, Red and Leaf were in an open clearing of the Viridian Forest, a perfect square marked by trees on all sides. The branches and leaves were so close together that the sun could barely get through, though the breaks in foliage showed there were grey clouds overhead. There's a storm coming alright, Blue thought as he stared towards Red and Leaf with about as much interest as he'd give to a show he'd seen several times before.
For the past four days, the trio had been travelling through the forest, traversing the wide open fields and leaf covered paths through the towering columns of trees on either side. It was actually a beautiful place, filled with trainers that they took turns with battling, and a new breed of wild Pokemon to view: Caterpies and Weedle alike climbing up trees with Metapod and Kakuna stuck there like decorations, the occasional Butterfree or Beedrill flying overhead. Red even claimed he saw a Pikachu within a bush, but by the time they had gotten there it was gone.
The first day had been wonderful: they spent the whole time exploring the new place unlike anything they had experienced before, taking in the beauty and using the long day to train their Pokemon and get them ready for the impending first gym battle. However, by the end of the second, the bickering had begun: Red and Leaf never seemed to agree on anything and they were constantly debating which path to take and if the previous one was the right one. Blue stayed silently out of things, but was starting to get annoyed with the continuous arguing that only got worse the longer they spent in the forest: they both went to sleep arguing and within five minutes of waking up there some problem that 'needed' debating. If they didn't find an exit soon, there was no telling how things would end.
"Blue, where do you think we should go?" Red said suddenly, pulling Blue out of his thoughts. His friend waved the map in front of his face, only making a tear that had occurred when Leaf had tried to take it off Red the previous day.
"Oh… sure," Blue said, carefully taking the map and examining it. He could catch Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle snickering at him over their bowls and wanted to tell them off, but also wanted to stop Red and Leaf glaring at him as if they were interrogating him. "Umm… I can't even tell where we are from here… but it looks like there might be a path up ahead? I dunno, I am not good with maps."
"Useless!" Leaf growled, and snatched the map from his hands. "Why do you both have to be such worthless little boys?" She turned the map around several times, looking just as confused as Blue had, but a smile crossed her face after a moment. "Ah-ha! I believe I have found us a path out of here!" Red and Blue leaned in and Leaf traced a path through the trees with her finger.
"Pfft, that is the longest way out of here!" Red scoffed, and quickly showed off his own path. "If we go that way, we are sure to be out of here before the end of the day, and that means we'll have some time to train!"
"Your all about training, aren't you?" Leaf growled, pulling the map away from his view. "Don't you care about getting out of here, or are you happy to rot away in this forest with all the weak little Bug types that you can easily toast!"
"Are you implying something?" Red growled, but before Leaf could reply, Blue snatched the map from her hands and moved between the two.
"I am SICK of you two fighting constantly!" He growled, staring angrily between them and saw their starters nodding along. "We are going to be travelling together for a while now, so you need to start getting use to each other. I was unsure about travelling with the pair of you as I know how much you fight, but after we got attacked I thought you two would be able to get along, so I put my worries aside. But now you have just proven my worries!" Red and Leaf both fell silent and stared away from each other, a guilty look crossing their faces. Blue kept his face serious, but was smiling inside, rather pleased with himself for being able to knock some sense into them.
"I think I will go and investigate the nearest path, alright?" He said. "You two stay here and pack up, train, keep fighting, do whatever makes you happy! I'll be back within the hour once I have found us a path that will actually get us out of here! Try and enjoy the beauty while you can: this could be our final day here!" Blue added with a confident beam, but Red and Leaf merely shrugged, going back to glowering at each other. Blue ignored them though as he moved back towards his bag and scooped it up, tucking the map away into pants pocket.
"Bulba Bulb?" Bulbasaur asked as Blue moved towards the widest space of trees, a sign they had agreed to take as meaning the path.
"I just want some peace and quiet," Blue replied in a low whisper, casting an eye back towards his companions. "If I can find a nice comfortable log or something somewhere nearby where I can just lay back and shut my eyes for a little bit, I will be satisfied." Bulbasaur rolled his eyes but gave a knowing shrug at the same time, understanding exactly why his trainer was doing it even if he didn't agree.
"See you guys soon!" Blue called waving back at them as he disappeared through the trees. Red and Leaf went to send him off at the same time, but froze when they saw the other move. Angrily, the two disappeared to opposite sides of the clearing, a vain attempt to put distance between themselves. Unfortunately, the leaf covered clearing was too small for them to get a relative distance away. They only had two tents and a small amount of supplies for making food out, and still they had to clamber over bags and plates to get anywhere. They brought all their rubbish with them, and it seemed to explode out whenever they stopped, and was currently crunching under their feet as it smothered the leaves.
"Come on then Charmander, let's try and get some training done while we wait," Red said, scooping the Lizard Pokemon off the ground and moving towards one of the only clear spaces they had left. But as he wandered what they would do, a tiny laugh sounded behind him: Red instantly wheeled around to face Leaf, who was laughing to herself as she moved Squirtle towards her tent. "Something amusing?" He asked, his tone irritable. Leaf turned to face him smiling, bouncing her PokeBalls in her hand.
"Oh, nothing much," she replied with false sweetness. "I was just thinking about how you never seem to actually battle anyone that stands a chance of defeating you. You just seem to train all day and do nothing to properly broaden your Pokemon's horizons!"
"I battled all those trainers on the first day we were here!" Red snapped, clenching his fists, his face starting to match his name.
"They only used Bug types!" Leaf laughed, her face showing her delight with the argument. "Charmander defeated them all so easily that I'm pretty sure that counts as a massacre rather than a battle."
"Just because I have the type advantage doesn't make me the lesser trainer!" Red snapped. "You and Blue will have the advantage over Brock when it comes to battling him and you don't here me calling that unfair! I need to get Charmander's strength up before those battles come!"
"Why don't you test your strength then by battling me?" Leaf said, and she let her PokeBalls fall back into her hand, a smile crossing her face. "How does a three-on-three sound? If I win, then we go my way out of here, and if you win, than we go your way out of here. Deal?" Red stared across at her, staring into her eyes and trying to see what she was playing at: her smile was making him uneasy, and there was a hint of something sneaky in her eyes that Red didn't like. He would never hear the end of it if he didn't agree to battle, and staring sideways at Charmander he could see the Fire type looked eager to go.
"Fine, we can battle, but neither of us can use our starters first," Red said, staring at Squirtle as he said this: a Water type would defeat Charmander within the first few moves, and he knew that this was Leaf's intention. Indeed, her face sank slightly at this, and when she nodded her face was grim and stiff.
"Alright, we'll play it your way," she growled, and she selected one PokeBall from her hand and placed the other two away. Red knew who she was going to send out first, and quickly grabbed his first one. "Weedle, GO!"
"Caterpie, show us your stuff!" Red shouted, and they threw their PokeBalls in simultaneously. Both burst open in the middle of the field, red energy and light pouring onto the leaves. The two trainers had both caught a new Pokemon during their travels, and it was the first time they would properly be tested. On Red's side, the small green Caterpie with its large head and big eyes almost blended into the fallen leaves and grass that made up the field. Leaf's Weedle had a similar body to Caterpie, but was a golden brown with pink feet and a sharp white horn. Both of them looked small as they formed on the field, and if Red and Leaf had been sensible they would have waited to train them properly first before battling. Yet neither of them was thinking straight as they thought of how best to defeat the other.
Charmander and Squirtle moved back towards each other as the first orders were commanded, and they settled down onto a log halfway between each trainer.
"Charman Char Char Man Char," Charmander said, pointing at all the equipment they had left lying around and the tents that had not been taken down.
"Squirt Squirt Squirtle, Till Squirt Till Till Squirtle Squir," Squirtle replied, rolling his eyes and leaning back on the log to wait the battle out. Charmander turned and watched as Poison Stings and String Shots were fired across the field, wondering why his trainer and Leaf were always fighting like this, and hoping that this fight between them would end before it ruined the journey.
"Ahhh… this is why I wanted to travel…"
Blue had found a wonderfully quiet place twenty minutes from their camp: at a point where the track became slightly wider, there was a long, nearly flat log that looked just as comfortable as trying to sleep on a hard, leaf covered ground. Blue found it supported his weight, and sprawled out across it with his bag resting on his chest. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but Blue was finally able to relax away from the squabbling of his travelling companions.
There were a million different sounds to hear now that he was in a quiet place: Pidgey tweeting from the branches, the gentle flutter of wings as Butterfree moved overhead, the clicks of the Weedle evolutionary line, all coming together to make a general, gentle chorus of soft and beautiful sounds. A breeze blew through the branches, and Blue felt as if he was in paradise: no shouting, no one trying to attack him or harm him. He was finally getting a proper chance to explore a different world on his own, and being within this forest was more than he could have asked for.
"Saur Bulba Bulba Saur!" Bulbasaur said suddenly, and Blue opened a sleepy eye to see the Seed Pokemon prowling around alongside the log, looking seriously towards the bushes that surrounded them.
"What is it, is something there?" Blue asked and stared into the darkness of the trees and bushes himself. They didn't see any trainers yesterday and Blue had spotted none today, so it seemed about time for someone else to appear. However, through the bushes came only a small trio of Rattata, the group play fighting with each other as they ran briefly across the track and then disappeared into another bush, sending leaves and sticks flying.
"Look, nothing to worry about!" Blue said with a sigh, leaning back onto the log. "Just try and relax Bulbasaur: you could do with a little bit of a break as well, and this could be our only chance for a while!" Without another thought, Blue shut his eyes and began to drift off within seconds, letting the noises of the forest take him away. He began to dream of himself standing in the middle of a stadium, surrounded by cheering people in the stands and a Venusaur and Raticate on either side of him. A faceless man was handing him a large golden trophy, overflowing with money, and Blue held it high above his heads as the crowd screamed 'Champion! Champion! Champion! Bulbasaur! Bulbasaur!'
"Wait… what…" Blue mumbled, and his eyes burst open.
"BULBASAUR!" The Seed Pokemon cried, and Blue could hear his vines smacking against something nearby. But Blue's attention was focussed upon something else as he eyed the gleaming silver blade of a knife as it was pressed against his nose.
"You really shouldn't sleep in a forest, you never know who might be waiting in the trees," a female voice purred, followed by a laugh as the knife was pulled away. Blue remained pressed against the log in shock, stunned that he had let himself get attacked like this. "Ekans, leave the Pokemon along," the girl said, and there was a slight hiss from beneath Blue before a purple streak shot through the air and landed on the girl's arm. A serpentine Pokemon looked out at Blue with bright yellow eyes, and it hissed at him, spraying him for stinging spit.
"Who are you, what are you doing here?" Blue asked, drawing his legs in and moving down the log away from the strange girl. Bulbasaur quickly leapt up onto the log, two vines out from his bulb ready to use Vine Whip if necessary. The girl laughed again and moved even closer, her body finally coming into some degree of light.
"Your Bulbasaur has spunk, I like that," she said as Blue examined her: the girl was dressed in a rich purple robe that was tied together with a black belt, and this colour theme seemed to continue throughout her clothing. Her hair appeared to be either purple or black, tied back in a high ponytail, and she was wearing purple bracelets around her thin and pale wrists. The girl gave Blue a rich purple smile, and he stared into her almost black eyes as they examined him in return.
"Are you some sort of ninja?" Blue asked, unable to help himself. The girl frowned at this, and her purple snake that Blue believed was an Ekans hissed at him in retaliation.
"In a sense, yes," the girl said icily, "but I would rather not be called that. My name is Janine and I am in this forest for training. That was the information you requested, and now I ask what your name is and why you are here?"
"My name is Blue, and I am on a journey with my cousin and my best friend towards the Pokemon League," Blue explained.
"Two people you're travelling with? This wouldn't happen to be the boy dressed in red and the brunette girl that were arguing yesterday?" Janine asked with a slight scowl. "They interrupted my training."
"I can only imagine," Blue replied, exchanging a slight smile with Bulbasaur. However, several questions were still on his mind, and nothing Janine had given him properly told him who she was or why she was there. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you attack me with a knife?"
"I did not attack you," Janine said indignantly. "I merely wanted to surprise you. I saw several men dressed all in black skulking around here before and I have been trying to follow them, but they keep escaping me. I thought you were one for a moment, but you are just likely I realised my mistake before I embedded my knife in your throat." Blue was stunned at this and struggled to give his expression under control, but clutched Bulbasaur a bit too tightly in shock: so not only was she a ninja with a passion for purple, she was also an unobservant murderer… lovely.
"I think I might head back to my friends now," Blue said, quickly leaping up and holding onto Bulbasaur as some form of defence. Janine was definitely pretty and seemed like she could be nice, but her strange attitude was a major put off, and Blue wanted to get away before he was either cut by her knife or attacked by her still furious looking Ekans.
"You shouldn't travel by yourself, even if you have a Pokemon with you," Janine said, moving swiftly over the log and appearing only a centimetre next to him. "Those men I saw before did not look like the sort of people that you should confront alone. Let me walk back with you. I would probably feel bad if you turned up dead because of them."
Probably fell bad? That's reassuring… Blue thought with a touch of anger, though now that she had brought up these men, Blue knew he would jump at every snap of a twig or every creak of branch that sounded near him. "Thanks, I think, I wouldn't mind some company. But what are you going to do once you drop me off?" Janine laughed as she began to walk forwards, her mouth forming a hollow purple circle.
"You don't need to worry about me," she said, and suddenly spun around, her knife back in her right hand and pressed against his throat, "I know how to care for myself." Janine started walking ahead, her and her Ekans laughing to themselves, while Blue remained rooted to the spot in shock.
"What have I gotten us into Bulbasaur?" Blue mumbled.
"Saur Bulba Bulb," the Grass type replied with a sigh, and Blue merely nodded as he followed after Janine, hoping he wouldn't find her knife up against his throat any time soon.
"He's on the move."
From within the trees, a group of five watched the duo as they progressed. They were dressed all in black to make it easier to disguise themselves within the thick darkness of the closely packed trees. The only colour on their bodies was a red R on their chests, but it was too dark to see in the forests dim light. One stood before the others, watching Blue and Janine through binoculars.
"He is heading back the way he came, but there is now a woman with him. Will that be a problem?" He whispered as to not disturb the forest Pokemon, and turned back towards their leader for the day: his turquoise hair made him stand out amongst the rest, but Archer refused to wear a hat, seeing it as the only way to separate himself from the grunts as they all wore the same.
"No, it shall not be a problem at all," the Admin responded in his posh tones, wearing the same arrogant smile he had worn several nights ago in Giovanni's office, and he signalled with his hand for the grunts to move on: it was time to put an end to their foes, and the fact they had no idea made things even sweeter.
"Tackle, now!"
"Poison Sting, again!"
Caterpie and Weedle both gave weary nods as they made to move once more. Red and Leaf stared fiercely at each other, both hoping to finally knock the other Bug out. Their Pokemon only knew two moves each, so it had been a constant replay of Tackle for Caterpie, Poison Sting for Weedle and a mixing of String Shot from the pair of them. Both of the Pokemon were now covered in the sticky string, and it weighed Caterpie down as she tried to move forwards. She was suffering from a bad bout of poison, while Weedle was being worn out by the weak by constant Tackles that came his way.
"You should just put your poor thing out of its misery!" Leaf called out as Caterpie trudged her way through the undergrowth, the leaves barely parting for her.
"Focus on your own Pokemon Leaf: if it's taking Weedle this long to do a Poison Sting, than you should be worried, not me," Red snapped back. Indeed Weedle looked tired, and only a slight purple glow was coming from the top of his horn. Charmander and Squirtle exchanged bored and irritated looks as they watched their team mates try to move, but the movements were feeble and taking forever. Nearly two minutes had passed before Caterpie finally reached Weedle, yet Red and Leaf barely seemed to notice as they tensely watched them move.
"Cater Cat Cat!" Caterpie wheezed, and slammed into Weedle, forcing him to fire the purple sting off into the sky.
"Weedle Wee," Weedle whimpered, and fell onto his back, landing amongst the undergrowth. Leaf gasped as Red let out a cheer that echoed throughout the silent area, and he punched the air in delight. Caterpie turned back towards her trainer and smiled brightly, but suddenly glowed purple from the poisoning: her eyes rolled back into her head, and Red paused as he watched the Worm Pokemon tip face-first into the leaves.
"What just happened?" Red asked, looking at between Leaf and Charmander in confusion. "I thought we won…"
"That didn't mean Caterpie wasn't poisoned!" Leaf said, her own smile appearing on her face. "Looks like the first round was a tie then! How unfortunate for you: just when you thought you had won, victory just slips away from your girly little fingers and leaves you with nothing. Poor little Reddykins." Red glared across at Leaf as she laughed hysterically, and he angrily brought Caterpie back.
"Good job," he whispered to the PokeBall as he replaced it for a new one. "Rattata, let's show her some true strength!" The red energy that came out quickly formed into the curly tailed purple Rattata, who stood out much better than Caterpie and snapped his long front teeth at Leaf. Leaf stopped laughing to stare down at her new opponent, and quickly withdrew Weedle's limp body before he got any more damage.
"Alright than, let's try this match up: Pidgey, let's blow away the competition!" She cried, and threw her own PokeBall into the air. The red energy hovered high above them all, and soon the brown-and-cream feathered Pidgey was soaring, unable to fly high due to the tightly bound branches but still hovering well out of Rattata's reach. "I will be kind and continue to let you go first, best friend Red," Leaf said, smiling deviously. Red was starting to really dislike her, more so than usual, and wanted to do anything to wipe the smirk from her face.
"Flame Wheel!" Red yelled, refusing to give into Leaf's mind games. "If you can burn the leaves around you that would probably help our cause!" Leaf gasped, watching as Rattata clicked and quickly rolled into a tight ball and glowed red.
"You will burn us all!" She cried.
"Maybe, maybe not," Red said, and gave her a teasing wink that made her fume.
"Pidgey, use Gust, but wait until he is in the air!" Leaf yelled. Pidgey nodded, and she stared beadily down as Rattata spun around in a circle on the spot. The red glow quickly turned to flames, and within seconds the spinning circle was flying up into the sky, leaving smouldering leaves and twigs behind. Everyone watched as Rattata soared towards Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon waiting eagerly for him.
"PIDGEEEEEEEEY!" Pidgey cried, and flapped her wings furiously before Rattata could touch her. The Flame Wheel stopped less than metre from her, and quickly the flames were diminished as Rattata was sent falling. A storm of leaves were whipped into the air, and Red had to cover his face to stop them smothering him, and could only hear as Rattata land with a crunch on the ground.
"Rattata, are you alright?" Red cried, looking down and expecting the worse, but was relieved to see the crunch had been the leaves rather than Rattata. "Let's try a Quick Attack now!"
"Rata!" Rattata said with a nod, and he suddenly shot into the sky, a purple blur soaring towards Pidgey.
"TACKLE!" Leaf yelled. Pidgey nodded, but was knocked backwards by Rattata before she could do anything else. Pidgey spun backwards, a ball of feathers out of control, and Rattata began to spin gracefully down. Once Pidgey had regained herself though, she quickly took off after him, tucking her wings in to get a resounding speed, and stuck her beak out so it would be the first thing to touch him…
"RATA!" Rattata shouted as he was sent sprawling back to the earth, crushing another pile of leaves in the process. Red cursed his luck and shot Pidgey a glare as she flew on past, spinning around and heading back to her height advantage.
"You aren't going to win if you don't have any Special moves!" Leaf called out. "Rattata is trapped on the ground and can't do anything without moving into Pidgey's territory."
"I know that!" Red growled, irritated at being shown up. It was unfortunate that Rattata didn't know any, and Red hoped he would be able to teach him some soon, but the battle at the moment was his biggest priority. "Quick Attack again!"
"Wait until he hits you and then go for a Sand Attack!" Leaf called, and Red gasped: this was the last thing he was anticipating, and wanted to change his order, but Rattata had already gone up into the air. Pidgey groaned as she was sent crashing back into a branch, snapping it clean off from the rest of the tree, and Rattata was smiling confidently as he rode the broken stick down to the ground.
"Gee Gee Pidge!" Pidgey called and dived downwards again, though this time she didn't go anywhere near Rattata: Red watched angrily as she swooped down near Leaf's feet and swatted at the ground with an extended wing.
"Try and bury your face in the ground!" Red called, and Rattata responded with a nod, but the blast of sand and sediment came too fast. The Mouse Pokemon cried out as he was blinded, rubbing tiny white paws against his eyes in discomfort. It would be much harder for him to get a successful hit in now, and Red wanted to throw something at Leaf in his rage, as she stood there smiling wickedly at him.
"We still stand a chance Rattata! Let's go for another Quick Attack!" Red called, trying to sound hopefully and control his rage. Rattata nodded, a pained look still crossing his face, and he turned and ran towards where Pidgey had last been, trying to stay on the ground and get into the sky at the same time. However, Pidgey had flown higher than Rattata had known, and the Normal type fell back to the ground, rolling through the leaves in a painful way.
"Hit him with a Gust!" Leaf called gleefully, and Pidgey instantly swooped down and flapped her wings again. The breeze was stronger now that she was closer, and Red felt himself being pushed backwards as Rattata was tossed high into the air, squealing in discomfort as he became entangled in leaves and sticks. Red pitied his Pokemon, knowing it was all his fault he was in this situation and wished he could have trained him better prior to this situation. However, as Rattata rose higher, Red realised that the height advantage now fell to them: Pidgey was resting on the ground watching her opponent, while Rattata had taken her place in the air.
"Come back down and use Tackle!" Red yelled. "If you fall straight you will hit her!" Rattata managed to stop flailing long enough to here the order, and now he came back down, copying Pidgey by tucking his legs in for more speed. Leaf gasped at the switch and quickly turned to Pidgey.
"Get up there and use Tackle, your faster!" She yelled. Pidgey nodded and pushed upwards, arching her wings to gain speed, and the two Pokemon came towards each other. Red, Leaf, Charmander and Squirtle watched as Rattata and Pidgey collided, teeth touching beak, and they both spiralled away from the other fell and towards the ground. Red rushed forwards as Rattata landed closer to the trees, kicking leaves aside as he moved to find his Pokemon. Pidgey had landed near Leaf, and she emerged from the leaves looking only slightly dazed. Red hoped to have the same, but was stunned when he found Rattata lying in the grass before them, unmoving, eyes shut, tail hanging droopily.
"Rattata!" Red gasped, and picked him up in his eyes. The battle had passed much quicker than Caterpie and Weedle's, and Red was stunned to find his second Pokemon already unconscious. It only would have been a near loss, Red told himself and Rattata, you thought just as strongly as Pidgey did, and I will make sure we win for you.
"Good try, but not good enough," Leaf said as Red brought Rattata back and Pidgey took up into the air again. "Looks like it is going to be Charmander now: just remember if he defeats Pidgey, it is Squirtle next." Red ignored Leaf as he signalled for Charmander to join him. The Lizard Pokemon moved quickly towards him, standing taller than Caterpie and Rattata combined, and gave Red a reassuring smile.
"Charman Char Char," he said with a nod, and Red smiled back.
"Let's make sure we win," he said, and Charmander nodded back in a more determined fashion before turning towards Leaf and Pidgey, flexing his tiny but sharp claws and swishing his tail flame around. Red looked around them and began to feel more confident: Charmander had plenty of attacks that could be unleashed without moving, and while Leaf had a type advantage in Squirtle, they had the field advantage… in a way.
"Ember, go!" Red ordered, interrupting Leaf's attempts to make a remark. Charmander opened his mouth wide, a ball of fire quickly forming, and he fired it up towards Pidgey. Pidgey looked stunned and flew out of the way, sending the fireball towards the leaves. It exploded against them, taking out two branches and dozens of leaves, sending them falling down to the ground. Red smiled at the irony as charred leaves landed on stunned Leaf's hat, and he looked down at Charmander and winked.
"I think I'm going to like this round."
"Are you sure this is the way back to your camp?" Janine asked for what felt like the umpteenth time.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Blue growled out loud. No, not in the slightest, he thought to himself, and stared around at the thick trees that enclosed them. Everywhere looked the same in Viridian Forest, and when Blue remembered his path diverged from the proper track for a short bit, he had accidentally diverged a bit too far. He had led them down the wrong path, and was trying desperately to make it seem right: for some reason, Blue felt like he needed to impress Janine. Maybe it was a hormonal, teenage boy thing, or maybe it was the fact she had a knife on her, but Blue didn't want to upset her.
"Help me," he whispered to Bulbasaur, only just able to see his starter in the dim light and all green surroundings, but the Seed Pokemon only shrugged back, and Blue thought he caught a smirk on his face. "Gee thanks! I'll remember this when she wants to blame someone for –"
"For what?" Janine asked, and Blue gasped and jumped, stunned to find her standing next to him. The unwilling ninja smiled at his shock, and Ekans flashed a devious grin, only to hiss a moment later when Blue gave her a strange look.
"Oh, nothing… just talking about my cousin Leaf," Blue said nervously. "We seem to have damaged our map, so we can't find the proper route back!" Janine simply sighed and rolled her eyes, and she pulled a map out from somewhere on her robe, though there were no visible pockets Blue could notice.
"Let's head back towards the path and try heading a different direction," she said, exchanging glances with Ekans. "This path seems to be leading us further into the forest, and when you interrupted my training yesterday, you and your companions were heading this way."
"Ah, yes, of course," Blue said, nodding along even though he had no idea what was going on. He walked behind Janine, not willing to become the victim of any attacks, and tried to think of something to distract their minds from his forgetfulness. "So, I guess you have other Pokemon on your besides Ekans, or are you just training one at the moment?"
"Both: I have others. I specialize mostly in Poison, I've grown up all around them," Janine replied. "However, I am trying to train Ekans to learn some of the teachings I had when growing up."
"What, trying to be a snake ninja or something?" Blue asked, though this earned his a steely glare and a hiss, but who did what he wasn't sure.
"If you want to be childish and refer to me as a ninja, then fine, I'm a ninja," Janine sighed, "yet the things I have learnt are far greater than anything you'd seen on one of those cheap films from the Unova Region. I have been taught how to use a variety of different weapons, including knives, staffs, swords, throwing stars, and a few lessons in firearms, though those aren't as interesting. I can make smoke bombs and potions to knock people unconscious, I know how to disguise myself into any surrounding, how to follow people in public areas, how to swing from vines. I spent years reaching my peak fitness on various assault courses, and reaching a peak IQ through many years of private and personal tutorials on a wide range of subjects, but mostly English, Sciences and Psychology. My senses are fine tuned, specifically sight and sound, so I can always tell whenever there is a disturbance around me…" Janine continued to list things, but Blue was beginning to drift off, watching her walk and talk in absolute astonishment: she was by far one of the most fascinating people he had ever met, even though she was only listing her skills rather than showing them. But it was an amazing resume, and Blue wanted to know all about her teachings and the skills she had learnt so he could learn the same sorts of things that sounded fascinating.
"How are you teaching Ekans these skills then?" Blue asked when Janine paused for breathe.
"I am teaching her how to be stealthy in battle and how to incorporate skills like hiding in the shadows before attacking," Janine explained. "I have plans to use her in Double Battles where another Pokemon will distract our opponents, allowing Ekans to sink out of sight and then leap up to attack." Blue was impressed by this strategy, and looked down to see Bulbasaur seemed intrigued by the idea as well.
"You and Ekans must have a pretty special connection. Is she your starter?" Blue asked. Janine came to a sudden halt at this, and Blue was surprised, wondering if he had offended her in some way. Janine's face indeed looked rather stunned, a stark change from the composed glare he had come to expect from her, and she seemed unable to put a sentence together.
"Well… not really… I mean, it has been a while, but… but…" then Janine paused again, and Blue moved towards her, ready to be comforting, but she raised a hand to stop him. "Did you just hear something?" She whispered.
"You mean you talking?" Blue asked, confused, earning him the usual glare. He fell silent and tried to listen to the world around them, wondering what it possibly could be. Then he heard a snap and turned in the direction: a figure was moving in the trees behind them, trying to be subtle but the snapping twig had given him away.
"There's someone behind us," Blue whispered, fear starting to sink in. He hadn't put much thought into what Janine had said about seeing people in the forest, thinking it might just be a group of trainers or something. But now that they were silent, he could a lot of shuffling and disturbances in the earth and the fallen leaves: people were surrounding them, and Blue knew this couldn't be good.
"I am well someone is behind us," Janine whispered back. "The good thing now is that he is right where I want him." Blue was going to ask where that was, but could only watch as Janine threw a knife behind her with surprising force. There was a grunt and a cry, and suddenly someone dressed all in black fell onto the path, a handgun clattering to the ground as he clutched desperately as the knife lodged in his stomach. "RUN!" Janine yelled, but was nearly drowned as gunfire sounded around them.
"Hide Bulbasaur!" Blue yelled as he dived to the ground, the tree next to him exploding as bullets slammed into it, sending bark flying everywhere. There was a hiss, and Blue watched as Ekans leapt forwards into the darkness, and a scream sounded out from within the trees. He watched as Janine pulled the knife out of the man's stomach using a thin string attached to it, sending a spray of blood that spattered against the trees, and Blue wanted to tell her using a knife in a gun fight was not a good idea.
"I thought I told you to run," Janine growled as she expertly leaned down to avoid bullets and leapt back up again. Blue nodded, knowing it was the sensible thing, but was too afraid to move: what if he ran straight into the path of a bullet, or led Bulbasaur towards death? He would never live with himself if he let one of his Pokemon die, and Blue didn't want to risk it, even though laying here made him a sitting duck.
The forest was suddenly alive: all manners of Pokemon were screeching and calling from within the trees and the branches, trying to escape from the battle that had erupted in their home. There were flashes of light with each gunshot, making strange shadows and silhouettes appear of the frightened, fleeing Pokemon, and Blue felt terrible, especially as more trees were damaged in the gunfire.
"I've got him!" A voice yelled above him, and Blue looked up in shock to see a fat, hideous face like a chipped bowling ball looming over him, mismatched teeth beaming at him as the figure reached for a gun. Blue looked around for a weapon, but all he could find were leaves, and his bag was weighing him down now, stopping him from reaching towards some nearby sticks.
"SAUR BULBA!" Bulbasaur suddenly shouted, and Blue looked up in time to see his starter knock the man flying with two thick whips.
"Thank you Bulbasaur, thank you so much!" Blue cried, and he pulled the Seed Pokemon into a hug. Bulbasaur looked modest as always, but Blue knew he was pleased with himself for defeating the man. He looked around to see if Janine had noticed, but she was busy slashing her knife at another person cloaked in black, no longer using their gun and forced to leap around like a fool.
"Bulbasaur, I want you to take Rattata and try and find Red and Leaf, we are going to need their help," Blue said, grabbing his second PokeBall and releasing it, the red light briefly illuminating the fight between Ekans and her opponent behind the trees. Rattata quickly formed next to Bulbasaur, instantly confused by the commotion. "Rattata, you and Bulbasaur need to run, now! Get out of here before something bad happens!"
"Saur Bulba Bulba Bulb Saur Saur!" Bulbasaur growled, thrashing his vines against the ground in anger.
"I know you can fight, but this is too much, even for you," Blue said, looking sheepishly around for his last opponent to appear again. "You have to go, now!" Bulbasaur stared defiantly at Blue, his look showing he was unwilling, but a frightened and sad Rattata nudged against his team mate and began to move forwards, looking reluctant to leave but knowing he had to go. Bulbasaur finally turned around with a sad glance and rushed off towards the trees, disappearing within the bushes. Blue hoped they would get far, and turned back towards the scene, wondering what he could do.
And then he found a Pokemon standing before him.
Blue quivered in fear, too afraid to run away from the beast before him. It was jet black except for an orange underbelly, allowing the Pokemon to blend into the dark surroundings of the forests. White horns adorned his heads, with a skull around his neck, below his long snout of jagged teeth. The Pokemon growled as Blue desperately tried to remember who it was from all his Pokemon knowledge, and wished he hadn't sent Bulbasaur and Rattata packing.
"Miss, if you do not stop trying to murder my colleague, I will set Houndoom here on your friend and he will be dead within moments," a calm, collected voice called from the trees. Blue turned shakily to face Janine, who paused, her knife held high and only an inch for her opponent's throat. She gave Blue a foul look before lowering her arm, allowing her foe to grab hold of her.
"Good girl," the same person laughed, and Blue turned to the trees as the figure emerged. They had a shocking head of turquoise hair and a thin, long, pale face that was covered with a trickster's smile, but Blue's attention was drawn to the man's chest as he saw the red R emblazoned on his uniform, but he was still too frightened to say a word. The man walked towards him, smirking at his own private joke.
"Jones, make sure you contact base and let them know we are bringing Mr Oak and a companion of his," the man said, glancing over at Janine's captor. Blue noticed a distinct lack of thrashing coming from the trees, and he wondered if Ekans had escaped or was waiting to rescue them. But Janine was shoved forwards and signalled to stand next to Blue. "You two follow me, and don't even try to escape or Houndoom will murder you both," the turquoise headed man purred, and he began to lead them through the trees. Houndoom growled at Blue and Janine to get moving, and a reluctant Janine led them off, the man called Jones coming up behind, mumbling into his radio. Blue wanted to apologise, feeling that it was his fault they were captured, but he knew it wouldn't be allowed and Janine wouldn't care for it anyway. He simply walked forwards in silence, wondering why Team Rocket had followed them through the forest, what exactly they wanted from him, and if Bulbasaur and Rattata would be able to get away safely and escape whatever was waiting for them back at base.
Leaf watched in shock, sadness and horror as a charred Pidgey fell from the skies, the final Ember too much for the Tiny Bird to take. Smoke was still rising from her as she landed, crushing all burnt leaves and laying limp in the middle of the battle field, only a few metres in front of Red.
"I knew it!" Red whooped, his mood completely changed now that the battle was going in his favour. Charmander had only been hit by a single Gust throughout his battle with Pidgey, something that greatly irritated Leaf, but she didn't want to give Red the satisfaction of knowing how annoyed or sad she was to have lost her brave fighter.
"Good job Pidgey, that was a tough fight but you did well," she told her Flying type as she withdrew her. "You did well as well Charmander, but it is a pity your victory won't last long." Leaf had hoped to score a few more hits before Squirtle would come in, but she knew that the battle would soon come back to her: Water had the advantage, and there was no way Charmander could touch her.
"We'll see Leaf," Red said with a cocky smile. "Charmander may just have a few tricks up his sleeve." Leaf was thrown by this, but kept a resilient look up and nodded as Squirtle made his way over from the log, flexing his arms and legs as he did so.
"Are you ready?" Leaf asked as he approached, and Squirtle gave a curt nod before turning towards Charmander, smiling at his opponent. "Your not friends here Squirtle, we have to be ready to defeat him!"
"Till Squirt Squirt," Squirtle replied with a nod, and Leaf rolled her eyes, hoping he was onboard. She desperately wanted to win, mostly to prove to Red and Blue that she could. They were both able trainers already and had done much better against their opponents the past few days, but Leaf had struggled, only getting by on Pidgey's Gust and a mixture of Squirtle's moves to delay their attacks. Defeating Red was just what she needed to show her true strength.
"Ready?" Red called out, and Leaf nodded, her orders already hanging on the tip of her tongue. "Alright, good: Charmander, use SmokeScreen!"
"Bubble! – wait, what?" Leaf said, thrown. She watched in shock as Charmander swished his tail around, sending black smoke out that began to cover his entire body, disguising him behind a thin vapour of black dust, behind which only an orange outline was visible. Squirtle looked just as stunned as Leaf did, and had no choice but to fire into the SmokeScreen: several bubbles were released and quickly hovered through the screen, yet Leaf could just catch Charmander moving out of the way in time to avoid the attack. She cursed mentally at the trick, knowing that she should have expected it after her Sand Attack trick but furious all the same.
"I knew this would work, thanks for the idea," Red smirked. "Scratch, go!" Leaf's main resource had been stripped by the inability to accurately fire off Bubble, so she now had to improvise with what was left.
"Withdraw, try and protect yourself!" Leaf cried. Squirtle nodded and his head, limbs and tail retreated inside his shell as Charmander rushed forwards with his black screen following him. Squirtle's shell glowed blue, but it didn't seem to be enough to stop Charmander from unleashing a painful looking Scratch against the shell.
"Those moves won't protect you forever! Keep using Scratch!" Red commanded. Leaf was worried for a moment, but then she realized that Charmander's protection had been lost now that he was so close.
"Bubble, get him while he's close!" Leaf yelled in triumph. Squirtle's legs shot out as he leapt to his feet, ready to face off with Charmander. Glowing claws shot out from the SmokeScreen, slashing across Squirtle's softer shell, making the … Pokemon flinch, but he quickly recovered and faced his friend.
"SQUUUUIRT!" He yelled, and fired more Bubbles directly towards Charmander. Leaf caught Charmander trying to dodge, but several of the little blue Bubbles managed to hit, and he cried out as he stumbled backwards.
"Type advantage for the win!" Leaf called, grinning broadly, and Red flashed her back a glare.
"We'll see about that: Ember!" Red ordered.
"Bubble, go again!" Leaf called, though regretted it as she saw Charmander was moving back towards Red and out of range. A ball of fire emerged from the black screen and exploded at the point where Squirtle's head went inside his shell, cascading his face in flame. Squirtle stumbled backwards and tripped, flipping upside down onto his back.
"Type advantage is important, but it isn't the only thing that can be done in battle," Red said, smirking proudly at his feat, and Leaf forced herself to look away, her patience beginning to slip. She thought Squirtle would have cleaned up the battle by now, yet here he was, the one being weakened by a Pokemon he should have been stronger against. It seemed unfair to Leaf, and she desperately wanted to show her true strength.
"Tackle, get in there!" Leaf shouted.
"Tut tut, I order first," Red said teasingly, "but I will let that one slide. Scratch, but wait for him to come for you!" Squirtle leapt back to his feet with a push from his tail, and he quickly began to run forwards as fast as he could, kicking leaves up into the air. Leaf watched as he approached Charmander, and could see the claws waiting for him within the SmokeScreen.
"CHARMAN CHAR!" Charmander yelled, and swung around, the black dust moving with him. Before Squirtle could touch him, Charmander brought the Scratch down against him, smashing his claws against the top of Squirtle's head and knocking him to the ground. Leaf gasped as Squirtle skidded to a halt, hidden within the SmokeScreen.
"Squirtle, are you alright?" She called, and had to wait several moments before getting a groan. Leaf was startled that Squirtle was being defeated so easily, even with the Withdraw boost, and this only stirred dark questions in her head: was she ready for battle, was she training her Pokemon properly, was she not focussing enough on what Red and Blue were doing with theirs?
"This won't be much longer Charmander," Red called. "Hit him with Scratch again!" Leaf simply stood there, staring towards the black haze as she caught Charmander moving within it, lost within her own thoughts. The battle was already lost, she knew that, but she had no idea why she had failed so spectacularly. A single SmokeScreen shouldn't have thrown the battle like this, but Leaf had let it shake her, change and control her plan, and Charmander's defiance of type had been too much of a shock.
"Der Char Char!" Charmander cried, and swatted Squirtle backwards with a sharp swipe of his claws. The blue Pokemon rolled towards Leaf, his eyes shutting before he reached her, and Leaf knew that the battle was officially over. Red let out a cheer, and Leaf watched as he ran forwards to embrace Charmander as the SmokeScreen faltered, and the two celebrated their victory. Leaf simply picked up Squirtle and noticed how sweet and sad he looked with his body limp, almost as if he was sleeping but in pain.
"Thank you for trying so hard… sorry for letting you down," Leaf whispered, and she brought him back inside his PokeBall, putting it with her other two and grasping all three in her hand: she had let them all down with her lack of training and encouragement, and Leaf struggled to hold back tears as she thought back on her first failure as a trainer.
Team Rocket had set up camp only ten minutes from Blue's own camp, and he was stunned to think of how close they had bee, but relieved that they hadn't been found during the night. Rocket didn't seem well prepared for an assault anyway: only four tents scattered across another leaf strewn clearing, though there were more moss covered logs and rocks here that had equipment piled high. It didn't look like a place you'd expect well known villains to be, but Blue was hardly going to point this out to the turquoise haired man, not while his Houndoom stood snarling alongside.
Janine's captor and the man Bulbasaur had attacked followed behind them, and Blue knew they had guns pointed at his spine, ready to kill them if they made any move. He and Janine had walked calmly and without fuss, and kept this up as they spied two men with bodies like wrestlers sitting outside one tent as they entered, identical ugly glares on their faces. Another man was typing at a laptop when they entered, and only glanced at them briefly before going back to his work, his pace becoming a lot quicker.
"I do hope you enjoy our view here," the turquoise man said, turning suddenly but gracefully towards them, causing Blue and Janine to come to a halt. "This is the last place you will ever see, I am sorry to say… well, I'm not actually sorry in the slightest!" He added, and began to cackle with laughter for several seconds before clicking his fingers. "Tie them to one of these trees and leave them there to suffer for a little bit. We need to work out where the other two are."
"Come on then, midgets!" Bulbasaur's victim snarled, and he shoved Blue and Janine up against the nearest tree, and kneed Blue in the stomach for good measure. Blue groaned and clutched at his rapidly forming bruise, his abdominal feeling like it was going to split open, but only got jeered at by the men as one of the burlier minions grabbed a thick rope and set to tying the two to the tree.
"Two little love birds, isn't it just adorable?" Janine's captor sneered, and the men all laughed again before turning away from them, clearly not seeing them as threats now that they were weakened. The Houndoom continued to watch him though, peering at them as he sat next to the turquoise man, who loomed over the technician's laptop.
"I am trying to track electronic devices from within the forest, but so far I am getting nothing," the technician explained, showing the admin something Blue couldn't see. "I might try and hack into any satellites, but you know the barrier will only get in the way."
"Hmmm…. Very irritating…" the turquoise man mumbled. "Give it to me for a second, I may have something." As he immersed himself in the laptop, Blue noted all the other men were becoming distracted; the two they had fought with reloading their guns while the wrestlers were cleaning their boots. He quickly turned to Janine, though she flicked her purple hair around into his face as she turned away from him.
"I am sorry, I should have run," Blue whispered, trying not to attract anyone's attention but her own. "Maybe we wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't stayed, but I am not some bloody knife throwing ninja who can just accept being shot at as being normal! And I had to make sure Bulbasaur and Rattata stood a chance of getting away, so excuse me for caring about my Pokemon! Even you should be able to relate to that!" Janine quickly turned back around and gave Blue a look that he knew would have come with a slap if her hands hadn't been tied. She stared at her with fire burning in her eyes, but her expression quickly softened as she glared around at the Rocket members around them.
"Staying was a stupid move, but I can forgive it as your stupid mistake may have saved us," Janine whispered. "You say Bulbasaur and Rattata escaped?" Blue gave a quick nod, though was confused as to what it meant. "Good, then we may be able to get out of here alive after all." Blue was thrown by this, and was going to ask for a meaning when a bark sounded across the clearing, and they both turned as Houndoom leapt towards them, steam issuing from his nose as he continued to growl at them.
"Ah, it appears my loyal servant has caught some gossiping," the turquoise man said, stirring laughter up amongst his men, and he quickly pranced over towards them, pulling an ornately handled knife from his pocket as he did so. "Maybe I should kill you both now and be done with it, but I need to have all my Mareep in one paddock before I start slaughtering them. So tell, Mr Oak, where can I find Edward and Leaf?" Blue stared defiantly back at the man, trying his best to put on a brave, strong face, but his defences were weakening: his stomach still felt like it could be bleeding, and he was tied uncomfortably to a tree with no rescue in sight. Blue wanted to protect Red and Leaf, but he had no idea what this man would be willing to do in order to find the right information.
"They are in the forest, but I have no idea where!" Blue said, hoping this would delay him. "Everything looks the same here, it is so hard to tell exactly where they are!" The turquoise man pondered this, his Houndoom growling at his side, and Blue cast a nervous glance back over at Janine.
"That is not the information I was looking for," the man said with a sigh. "Such a shame: it seems I am going to have to start spilling your blood now!" He raised the knife up to Blue's arm, and the trainer yelled as it felt it press against his skin.
"PLEASE, NO, YOU CAN'T!" He yelled, trying to wriggle himself free, but he could feel blood dripping down his arm and yelled out in pain again. Laughter rose up from the henchmen, and Blue told himself not to cry, knowing it would make matters worse, but the pain was becoming too much.
"Now, Mr Oak, are you going to tell me the truth, or should I cut your other arm?" The turquoise man purred as he clasped Blue's face with his free hand, twisting him around so they could face each other. His eyes were glinting with delight and Blue wanted desperately to harm him, but the pain in his arm and stomach was too much, and the threat of the knife and Houndoom had him shaking in fear. If only Blue had been smarter, than maybe none of this would have happened…
"What the hell was that?" The technician suddenly yelled out behind, just as the turquoise man had begun to lower the knife towards Blue's left arm. All of the Rocket members were on their feet, looking around in shock. "Archer, I swear I something just ran past here! It was small and purple, and –"
"We're in a forest full of Pokemon you fool!" The turquoise man, apparently called Archer, snapped. "There is no wonder that one of them might run by! It was probably a Rattata or something. Bother me when it is something important!" Blue looked over at Janine and shock, and she gave him a purple smile: their saviours had arrived.
"SAUR BULBA BULBA SAUR!" Everyone turned again as a Bulbasaur leapt out from the bushes besides the technician, flinging his vines around and sending the laptop crashing to the ground. The burlier men yelled and lunged for their guns and knives as Blue smiled brightly despite his bleeding arm. Archer roared and threw his knife towards Bulbasaur, but it was easily knocked aside with a single whip.
"DOOM HOUN DOOOOOOM!" Houndoom barked and leapt forwards, embers dancing from the end of his nose. But before he could get close, a purple flash emerged from the bushes, and Archer growled as Rattata slammed into Houndoom with a Quick Attack, knocking him to the ground.
"Remember what I told you about using Ekans in Double Battles?" Janine whispered, and Blue nodded, beginning to feel dizzy from the blood loss but trying to stay focussed on the battle for Bulbasaur and Rattata's sake. He didn't fully understand what Janine meant until he heard a slithering sound behind him, followed by a yell. Everyone's attention turned again as one of the wrestlers screamed in pain and wrestled with Ekans, trying to pull her away from his throat. Blue gasped as Ekans wrapped her tail around the mans right shoulder and suddenly pulled out: a hunk of his neck came out in her teeth, spraying the other with blood that dyed the leaves, and Ekans leapt away as the wrestler collapsed to the ground.
"KILL THEM!" Janine yelled, and suddenly she swiped upwards, the ropes falling away. Blue saw she now held a stick in her hands with a bayonet-like point on top that must have been hidden within her robe. She smiled at Archer as she flicked something, and suddenly the stick became a staff that was nearly as tall as Janine was, and she carelessly swung it around, striking Archer on the forehead and sending him crashing to the ground.
"What is that?" Blue asked, staring at the pointed staff in shock.
"It's magic," Janine said with a simple smile, and she suddenly pulled a throwing star out of her pocket and threw it towards the technician, hitting him in the back of the head as he picked up his laptop. Blue gasped as the man fell dead before them, and turned to watch as Ekans left the second wrestler to twitch on the floor, purple bubbles forming in his mouth. It was brutal and maliciously planned, and Blue was stunned to be watching something like this unfold before him. After four days of stumbling around the quiet forest, it was quite a shock to be standing bleeding next to an intense battle. But then he remembered his Pokemon, and turned in shock towards where he had last seen them.
"Are you two alright?" Blue called out. They were looked in battle with Houndoom, Bulbasaur jumping to avoid Flamethrowers that set the log and leaves ablaze while Rattata shot out of the bushes with multiple Quick Attacks.
"Bulba Bulb," Bulbasaur grunted back, firing a seed towards Houndoom that wrapped him up in vines the moment it touched his head. Blue smiled, knowing his Pokemon were able to handle it, though wishing he could do more. He wanted to walk forwards, but Blue only began to feel dizzy and had to lean back against the tree. He finally stared down at his arm and felt sick just at the sight of it: the wound was just next to his shoulder and below his sleeve, not appearing to be deep but still causing crimson blood to engulf his arm and stain his shirt. His bag had been left on the ground and Blue pulled it forwards with his leg and rummaged inside for the medical kit, knowing he had to do something or he faced death.
"Houndoom, return!" Blue paused in his hunting at the sound of the command, and watched as Houndoom was brought back inside a black PokeBall. Archer was back on his feet, a gash across his forehead and his twisted smile gone, replaced with an angry sneer. Blue wondered if he would shoot or stab at him, but Archer merely grabbed a metal briefcase from besides the flaming log and began to walk past. "Kill as men of these fools as you want, but it won't stop me and it won't save your friends! I will find them easily, and by the time you've managed to stem your own death, your friends will be dead, and I will come back for you."
"TACKLE, QUICK ATTACK!" Blue yelled, hoping the cry would attract Janine's attention. Bulbasaur and Rattata made to move, but Archer took off, running in a graceful yet speedy manner towards the trees and disappearing into darkness. Blue stared towards Janine, who whose currently trying to defeat her previous captor with her staff while Ekans wrapped her body around the final man's neck. He wanted to call out to them and warn them about Archer, but his eyes suddenly began to sag, and no noise could escape from his mouth. Blue turned to see Bulbasaur and Rattata running towards him, yet the ground seemed to be moving, tilting to the side… or maybe it was Blue, he couldn't tell… all he could see was darkness, and Blue projected fears for Red and Leaf into the universe before he blacked out completely.
There was no greater awkwardness than that following a battle. Red sat alone besides the tent he and Blue shared, feeding Charmander a mixture of berries and Potion to help him regain his strength, but his attention was more on Leaf as she sat alone and silent next to her tent, staring towards the trees with her back to her opponent. Guilt had quickly dampened Red's delight as he watched Leaf move silently and sadly into her tent, and he wondered if it had been something he'd said that had offended her. But as the time ticked on and Leaf remained silent, Red knew it was something a lot more than that.
"Should I say something?" Red whispered to Charmander as the Lizard Pokemon ate his mushy berries. Charmander and Red had become good friends quite quickly, and Red knew that his loyal starter would be able to help him. Charmander glanced back towards Leaf with a curious look across his orange face, and gave Red a nod of approval.
"I just wanted to say that you fought brilliantly today," Red said a moment later as he walked across to Leaf. "You were a tough opponent, and the battle was a lot better than any of the ones I had with those bloody bug freaks. So…. yeah, thanks for encouraging me to battle! I learnt a lot and you really tested my skills, so thanks!" Leaf didn't say anything, though Red distinctly heard her sniff. He felt like he should console her, but nervously turned around and looked at Charmander for advice, having no experience in this field. Charmander waved his hand, signalling for him to turn back, and Red blankly turned back to Leaf, trying to think of something nice to say.
"It was a good battle, wasn't it?" Leaf said suddenly, her voice a notch higher than usual but otherwise sounding fine. "I was impressed at Charmander's skill: you must be training him well."
"Barely, I think he just came this way," Red said with a smile, and Leaf laughed, finally turning around. Her eyes were red and blotchy but she wore a smile, a signal that she didn't want to discuss the fact she had cried. Red was curious as to what had upset her, but with years of experience with dealing with his mother, he knew better than to question her about it. He simply sat down next to her on the dry, dead leaves and smiled warmly. "You should train with us when we get out of this wretched forest. Squirtle and Pidgey are actually quite strong and would go well against mine, and Caterpie and Weedle could probably go up against each other until they get their strength up."
"Yeah, that sounds like it could work," Leaf said with a smile, and Red realised this was probably the most relaxed conversation the duo had ever had in all their years of squabbling. Everything seemed a lot more peaceful and quiet now, and they could hear the Pidgey tweeting in the trees and the sweet call of Butterfree tending to their young Caterpie. Red began to appreciate the surreal green beauty they were surrounded with once again, and it suddenly seemed a lot better than it had only a few days ago, and Red was only slightly sure of why this was.
"Charmander Char Char!" Charmander suddenly cried, and Red and Leaf both turned around to see the Fire type pointing off into the bushes. Something was crashing around within the trees, and Red quickly leapt to his feet, wondering if it was an injured Pokemon or lost trainer trying to come towards them.
"Is it Blue?" Leaf asked, standing up behind him.
"No… I think its turquoise…" Red replied, too confused and surprised to realise what he had said. But he stared in shock at the violent hair as it emerged from the trees, barely noticing the black clothing or pointed elfish face of the man beneath the colour. However, it was easy to tell something was wrong when the man stared up at Red and Leaf with a murderous glare, and he dropped the metal suitcase in his right hand to the ground while reaching into a pocket with his left.
"Red, there's an R on his chest!" Leaf gasped, and she screamed as their assailant pulled a gun from his pocket, pointing it directly towards Red. His lips twisted into a smile and his vicious eyes gleamed with delight but kept the general viciousness within them.
"Scream all you like, but you'll be dead before anyone can help you!" The man hissed. Red desperately searched around for a weapon, wondering if he could reach a tent and grab a pole before the man would fire at them, but fear grounded him, and Red could only stare at the gun in stunned silence.
"MAN CHAR MAN!" The Team Rocket member turned around as Charmander leapt forwards, black smoke billowing from the tip of his flame as he slashed down at the man's left arm. The gun fell to the ground as the mysterious figure yelled out, and Red quickly pushed Leaf forwards into the mouth of her tent as the black SmokeScreen began to cover them. Charmander seemed to be releasing more of the smoke as the cloud was quickly getting thicker and bigger, and Red was impressed with his starter as he thought of what to do. Charmander was yelling and the man was yelling painfully, but Red couldn't leave the Lizard Pokemon to fight on his arm and impulsively ran forwards. He caught a blur of green and aimed a kick towards it, feeling his foot connect but had no idea where it hit.
"You children are fools to think you can stop Team Rocket!" The man roared. "We will crush you eventually, and it will only stop your suffering if you forfeited now, and then we may let your deaths be quick and painless rather than what we truly wish to do with you!"
"I will never give up!" Red shouted, trying to find where the man had gone but found the SmokeScreen was starting to impair his own vision. "Why do you want us dead anyway? We have done nothing wrong!"
"It is not what you have done, but what you are going to do!" The turquoise man roared, and Red wheeled around, aiming several more kicks in the direction of the voice. Suddenly, more crashing sounded from within the trees, and the man swore under his breathe before lunging towards the metal suitcase.
"SOMEONE HELP US!" Leaf screamed, but her cry was pointless: Red forced himself out of the SmokeScreen and saw the man press a large button within the suitcase. He looked up at Red and smiled, even though blood was pouring down from his nose, and began to glow white.
"CHARM!" Charmander yelled, and fired an Ember towards him, but their foe suddenly disappeared, the white glow that he had become being sucked inside the suitcase, which flashed white and disappeared as well. Red stared at the blank space left behind in shock, startled at the fact someone who had just threatened them with a gun had just simply vanished before his eyes.
"BULBA!" A cry called from within the trees, and Red turned as Bulbasaur leapt over a bush, quickly followed by Blue's Rattata. The trainer himself appeared next, but Red and Leaf both gasped when they saw his right arm was covered with blood and he was leaning against a girl with purple hair.
"What happened?" Leaf cried, rushing forwards and grabbing hold of her cousin, lowering him to the ground.
"We were attacked by Team Rocket, it is a long story, but he was stabbed and has passed out from the pain and blood loss," the girl explained. "I have sewn the injury up though and giving him some of my personal medication, so he should heal soon." She then turned towards Red, startling him with the serious look on her face. "We must pack up and leave this clearing straight away, or we risk being found by more Rocket members. I believe my Ekans and I stopped all the ones within this forest, but we cannot be too careful."
"That turquoise haired guy just disappeared," Red said, not sure if it was relevant but wanted to point it out.
"Fascinating, now pack up your tents," the girl said. Red wanted to argue, still stunned by everything that had happened in the last few minutes and wanted to know properly what was going on. However, he heard the leaves rustling and looked down to see an Ekans coiling around the girl's feet, blood dripping from her teeth as wide yellow eyes started directly at Red.
He packed up the tents within five minutes without any argument.
The grey clouds Blue had noticed earlier lived up to their promise as nightfall came: strong winds and heavy rains bombarded their tents, threatening to blow them away or drown them in their sleeps. Janine had led the group to a flat, raised area of land just before the forest ended, with a large gatehouse less then fifty metres away from their camp and freedom from the confines of the forest closer than they had ever been.
In return for all her help that day, Leaf had offered Janine a place in her tent to escape from the storm, which the unwilling ninja happily accepted. However, she had currently taken over the tent as she tended to Blue's needs: Ekans had gone and collected a tatty green bag from a hiding place, and Janine was currently whipping up a stronger medication to help Blue deal with the pain, and it was supposed to help with his blood loss as well, though Janine was unsure of this part.
"You have to teach me how to fight like you at some point," Blue whispered as he lay on Leaf's bed, his injured arm raised up above his head. "I have seen experts on TV that couldn't even pull those sort of moves off."
"I will take that as a compliment, but I do not usually watch TV," Janine said as she crushed herbs and berries together in a foul smelling purple juice. "I have spent too much time trying to perfect my ninja moves that I never get to do anything fun." She and Blue both laughed, and silence fell within the tent as Janine mixed together the last of the medicine, though the wind continued to roar outside and tug at the tent flaps in rage.
"Here you go," Janine said, passing her china bowl over. "Drink from that while I redo you're dressing, and then we can send you back to your actual bed." Blue nodded sleepily and quickly down the purple potion, screwing up his face in distaste in a way that made Janine as she reassessed his bandage. "You have a nasty wound here, you'll need to find a doctor or nurse in Pewter City."
"You're probably better than any doctor in that entire city!" Blue mumbled, his eyes flickering as he struggled to stay asleep, tiredness and the medicine overpowering him. "You are just that amazing Janine! I am glad you tried to cut my face off this morning, it was probably the best thing to happen to me all week!" Janine smiled and laughed, but the joy quickly died. She had never spent this much time with someone outside of her training, and the fact she was starting to form a connection was a strange and new experience. Janine liked Blue, just as she was beginning to like his friend and cousin, and as Blue struggled to stay awake long enough for her to help up, the purple haired trainer began to wonder if she had finally found some true friends… or if she would just be hurt like last time…
"I should probably head back to my own tent in a minute," Leaf said, yawning slightly as she glanced down at her watch. "I wonder if Blue and Janine are finished with their little doctor-patient scenario yet."
"I am sure Blue would want it to go on for a little while longer," Red laughed as he started up at the rain lashed roof of his tent. "Whenever he was actually conscious, he couldn't take his eyes off her." Both Red and Leaf laughed at this, and they turned towards each other, smiling. The boy's tent was more cramped due to the number of stuff spread out, and it felt quite intimate with the storm roaring outside. Leaf looked across at Red, realising that for the second time that day they were alone together in quiet, slightly relaxed setting: they had never gone this long without arguing or fighting, and it felt quite strange for the two to actually be becoming friends.
Yet more pressing issues were weighing down on Leaf's mind, and she turned and glanced towards her tent to the right: even though she couldn't see it, she could imagine Blue in there, one of the last family members she had left, with his brutally scarred arm and the blood that remained on his arm.
"Why do you think Team Rocket is targeting us?" Leaf whispered, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "We have never done anything bad to them, yet they have suddenly decided to attack us. Do you think this has anything to do with the war, like… like something our parents may have been involved in?"
"What? No, of course not!" Red gasped, and Leaf realised she should have minded her words: Red was sensitive about his father and the topic of war, and she didn't want to have upset him. "They are just dumb criminals, it isn't anything for us to worry about! If they try and come after us again, we will be able to get through it because we'll stick together and fight side by side! We'll train our Pokemon so we can easily crush them, just like we have before!" Leaf turned back towards Red, a smile creeping onto her face, and she couldn't help but notice his smile as well, and quickly thought of why she had never noticed it before…
"I need to go and check on Blue," Leaf said quickly, and pounced up and grabbed her bag without another word, leaving a stunned Red behind. She emerged out of the tent and into the pouring rain, feeling her hair and clothes instantly get soaked, but Leaf paused for a moment, staring back into the pitch black forest, hearing the startled and frightened cries of Pokemon fleeing the area, almost as if they were fleeing from them. No matter what Red said, Leaf knew there was a reason they were after them, and she wanted to know what it was. But, as tears began to mix with the rain streaming down her face, Leaf could only wonder if any of her Pokemon would be ready for the next battle that faced them, and, worse yet, if she would be able to handle Team Rocket when they next came searching for her blood.
The storm stretched down to Viridian City. Giovanni watched as rain lashed his windows, another glass of wine in his hands as he stared out at the trees struggling against the power of the wind outside. Giovanni found the image amusing. If you cannot stand up to this storm, than you will never survive the storm I have coming for you. He laughed dryly to himself and sipped at his wine, enjoying the vintage taste and savouring the flavours in his mouth.
"Sir," a timid voice said at the doorway, and Giovanni swivelled around in his chair. His receptionist, a female Grunt with a short black bob for a hairstyle, held the door ajar, and Giovanni could see a figure standing behind her.
"Let him in Amanda," he said, getting to his feet and moving over towards his drinks cabinet. He heard the door swing open and glanced up briefly, registering Archer's turquoise hair that stood out in the semi darkness of his office. "Drink?" He asked.
"Yes sir, please… something strong…," Archer said with a sigh. Giovanni nodded and poured him a brandy that he had stolen from his father, and passed the tumbler over to his Chief Admin. Archer smiled in thanks and quickly downed it, and Giovanni noticed that the man seemed shifty and uncomfortable, with blood stains around his nose, a gash on his forehead and sections of his clothes torn.
"You didn't kill them, did you?" Giovanni whispered, his hand frozen over pouring himself a top up of wine. He sensed Archer freeze and knew that he was correct.
"We tried sir, and we managed to successfully capture Blue Oak, but he was with this unfamiliar girl that we were forced to capture as well. We didn't realise their Pokemon had escaped and they attacked us, allowing the girl to free herself and attack the others. I managed to stab Oak but was forced to flee and find Edward and Leaf, and I –"
"ENOUGH!" Giovanni roared, the single word ringing around the office, and Archer fell silent. "You insult me with your grovelling and attempts to cover up your mistake. I will punish you for this failure eventually, but we have more important matters. You wasted four days hunting them down in that forest, and now I need you in Pewter. Go and make sure everyone and everything that is going is ready before dawn tomorrow."
"Sir, I just want to say –"
"GO!" Giovanni yelled, turning to face Archer with a face like a furious Nidoking. Archer nodded and scuttled out of the office, closing the door quietly behind him. Giovanni watched him leave, his anger rising up, and furiously he threw the wine bottle after him. It shattered against the door, spraying the floor with green glass and purple wine. Giovanni placed down the last of the wine in his glass and collapsed into his chair, groaning and clutching at the arms, listening to the painful sound of the rain.
He knew the children were his threats, but the only problem was he did not know how just yet. Giovanni knew they had to die in order for his plan to work, but they continued to defeat his best servants, and even his Nidoking had failed to weaken them for long. Giovanni stared out to the grey storm outside and growled to himself: if he couldn't kill them before his plans began, he would simply have to kill them during them. Giovanni slowly began to relax as he thought of four roles that needed to be filled by tomorrow evening: one for Edward, one for Blue, one for Leaf and one for their new friend, the perfect way to finish them off, get his revenge and let everyone know that Team Rocket meant business and nothing was going to stop them.