Ethan was scared. He was afraid of cars since the accident that leaded him to that orphanage, but the others had invented to pass in Jenna's house before leaving and Jenna's older sister offered them a ride, everyone, except himself, quickly accepted. Luckily, they hadn't even left the city when he remembered he had a reason not take the whole drive to Viridian.
"Stop the car!" He shouted to Sally.
"Why? "Jenna asked. "Are you afraid? Don't worry, I ..."
"Not that. I forgot something I really need to have back."
"Where I go then?" Sally asked him.
"Stop right here, please."
"I'll wait here. Are you coming back soon?"
"I intend to." He lied. In fact he wasn't planning to come back. "C'mon Lil! Let's get my backpack." He didn't wait for the others, but was hoping them to follow him.
"We're going with them?" Vivian asked to Jenna and Luke.
"You I don't know." Jenna replied. "But I've stood too long, I'll see if I can find some Pokémon." She and her Chikorita ran to the forest after Ethan.
"So?" Vivian asked Luke.
"Do what you want. I'm staying here." The boy put in his earphones and leaned against the seat.
"Okay." Vivian shrugged, before walk to the forest with her Squirtle.
All of them! Jess thought irritated And why these particular Pokémons? What is so special about them?
Where was that boy? Johnny wondered. He can't have just disappeared with that Growlithe. We can't fail again. Where they can be?
The Rockets ran toward the edge of the forest. They had heard the sound of a car stopping there, something that wasn't common. They wanted to investigate.
There was actually a car there. A rear door was open, the seat occupied by a boy that wasn't the one they were looking for, but they had seen him in Professor Oak's lab early.
In the front seat was a woman they had never seen, but something they hoped for some reason they were there. Maybe it was really the lucky day of the two Rockets, and they didn't intend to lose it.
Sally scribbled in her notebook, checking the records of the research that she and her grandfather were doing, but she couldn't concentrate on that. The children were taking too long, and if something bad had happened?
Luke was also impatient, but simply because he thought he was wasting his time there. Alighted from the car and let his Eevee to train a bit. Sally walked to him.
"I know you want to become a coordinator, but what about a battle? I have a new Pokémon that I would like to train."
"OK." The boy replied.
Sally's Pokémon was a Sneasel, which scared Luke a little, but it was just a friendly battle.
"Eeevee, Quick Attack!" He ordered quickly.
"Dodge and use the Scratch! "Ordered Sally.
The Sneasel avoided the attack Eevee and attacked, but the Pokémon Luke was still in the momentum of the attack and was not hit.
"Sand Attack! "Shouted the boy. But before they could attack the Eevee, was overthrown by a Scyther. While Sneasel was attacked by a Hitmontop.
"What do you want? "Sally asked, seeing the man and woman who had sent the Pokémon.
"We just want answers. "Jess spoke. "Where is Growlithe?
"What Growlithe? "Sally asked, although she and Luke already knew the answer.
"The Growlithe that the boy stole and brought to Professor Oak's Laboratory."
"What do you want with him?
"None of your business, nosy!" Jess replied. "Tell me where he is or arch with the consequences!"
"Eevee! "Luke yelled, making the Pokémon back to the Pokeball."
"It seems that there are two against one. "Johnny spoke to Sally."
"So let's balance the battle. "Sally smiled. "Sneasel, come back. Charmeleon! Swelow!" She thew out two other pokeballs. "Now the battle will be fair."
Scyther attacked Swellow, while Charmeleon and Hitmontop began a fierce battle. While the last two hadn't one having advantage over another, Scyther was having a hard time trying to hit Swellow, it was when one of Scyther's blade hit Sally's car.
Jenna walked a bit through the forest, looking for an easy battle. She didn't felt very secure whatshe and her Chikorita were able to do and just wanted to train a bit.
Soon she saw a Weedle, a short distance away. Pokémon plant were not the best choice against insects, but she was willing to risk.
"Ready for your first battle Chikorita?" The Pokémon nodded. "So take him."
When Chikorita attacked, the girl climbed a tree in order to better observe better the battle. The attack caught the Weedle off guard, but did not appear to have much effect. The Pokémon insect invested with his horn toward Chikorita.
"Dodge and attack again!" The girl ordered.
Chikorita deflected the attack but missed being hit by new a new attack of Weedle.
"Are you okay? "Asked the girl.
Chikorita rose quickly and, without waiting for Jenna's command invested against Weedle with a Quick Attack. The Pokémon attack slammed into a tree, causing damage to both Pokémon, although more to the insect.
Jenna threw the pokeball and jumped from the tree check up on her stunned Pokémon. The pokeball shook a little and then stopped, but Jenna only gave attention to it when she was sure that Chikorita was fine.
"Look Chikorita, our new friend! Let's go tell others!
But Chikorita was no longer listening, she ran to some bushes in a rush and Jenna din't understand why until an Eevee came rolling out of there. The girl stood still when her Pokémon has launched a flurry of Razor Leaves toward the other. Eevee turned and launched a Sand Attack to distract Chikorita and escape, but Chikorita was no longer there, she was on the other side, grabbed Eevee with her whips and threw it away, ending the battle with a Quick Attack.
Jenna was so stunned that took a few seconds to realize what happened and throw the Pokeball, totally distracted looking at her Chikorita, who was surrounded by a silvery aura and had an unusual green glow in her eyes.
"What was that Chikorita?" She asked, picking up the Pokeball with her new Pokémon. But the brightness was already fading.
Then a loud explosion was heard through the forest and Jenna ran back out of the forest.
Vivian stopped by a river and to drink water and wash her face. She was enjoying how the place was quiet, peaceful. Squirtle take the time for a swim. Soon the girl felt a jet of water hit her face and saw the Pokémon on the other side with a playful look. Vivian left her stuff on the bank and plunged too.
They were joking when she saw a Pidgey landed on the other side.
Squirtle put his head out of the water, indicating that he also saw the Pokémon.
"'Water Gun! "The girl ordered quickly.
The Pidgey was caught off guard by the attack. All wet he couldn't fly and was an easy target for the new attack of the little turtle. Although he tried to fight and flee, but it was useless, Squirtle quickly dominated the battle and the girl caught it easily.
Then an explosion caught Vivian's attention and she almost forgot the pokeball in her rush to find out what had happened.
The two reached the edge of the wood substantially simultaneously. They met Sally, Luke, the two Rockets and all Pokémons fainted. Sally's car was on fire.
Vivian ran to Luke, while Jenna went to the sister. When the two were almost considering calling an ambulance was when they began to wake up.
"What happened? "Asked Luke, weak but apparently fine.
"Charmeleon! "Exclaimed Sally, locating her Pokemon fainted near the car.
"He's not well" said Vivian, checking up on the Pokémon. "He should be near the car during the explosion. But Swellow seems fine."
The Rockets also apparently hade awaken up.
"Better run with Charmeleon to the Pokemon Center. We take care of that two." Jenna suggested to her sister.
"Are you sure, sis?"
"Absolute. you should to, Luke."
"No way, I'm with you 'till the end."
The kids waited for the Rockets noticed their presence before running into the middle of the forest. They haven't a plan, but they needed to get rid of them.
Ethan crawled through the small tunnel at the bottom of the burrow, then pushed himself up and reached the edge of a ledge in the rock, he hangged down and pushed Lil up too. There was his backpack with the few human things that he still had kept. Nothing of value except one thing, a Pokeball.
He had it since he could remember, but never had the courage to discover what Pokémon was there. The rest of the contents of the backpack were two changes of clothes, as small and ragged as his last, since he now wore some borrowed from Luke, a pair of shoes that no longer fit him and some of her books about Pokémon, a teeth brush and nothing more. Other things he had brought had been broken and thrown away.
Then he got up and groped the ceiling of the cave to find the exit, threw the bag out and helped Lil out before hoisting himself out.
Ethan liked that particular place, he could see a lot of up there, but that day, he didn't need to look far to find problems.
Right there, at the entrance of the cave, two girls, with a Chikorita and a Squirtle, fought against a woman and her Hitmontop. Jenna and Vivian against the Rocket woman that was behind Lil a day ago.
Despite being two against one, the Rocket agent's Pokémon was stronger, experienced and well trained, he could see that Vivian's Squirtle was tired and wounded, Jenna's Chikorita still battled, surrounded by a strange aura.
"Lil, help them." He whispered to the Growlithe, who quickly jumped ahead of the girls and her Pokémons and hit the Hitmontop with a Flamethrower.
"Look who's here!" Jess sneered. "It seems that our fugitive returned to the ring and is trying to protect the defenseless little girls and their Pokémon."
"I'll show you who's helpless here!" Jenna replied angrily. "Chikorita Razor Leaf!"
The attack struck the already tired Hitmontop that fell. Jess picked it up but said:
"Do not think that it just ended, your little brat." She pulled out another pokeball from her belt, but before she could release her Pokémon everyone's attention was drawn to a Bulbasaur who was thrown into the clearing, pursued by a Scyther.
"Stop!" Ethan shouted, jumping from where he was and protectively embracing the Growlithe.
"Give us the Growlithe and nobody will get hurt." Johnny ordered.
"Never!" Ethan yelled, but everyone could see that he was pale and trembling.
The girls knew why. Ethan had a bad encounter with a Scyther when he fled from the orphanage since then he was deadly afraid of that Pokémon.
"So, it's time for battle." Jess answered, throwing the pokeball, which he left a threatening Beedril.
"It's time for battle." Jenna and Ethan repeated, menacingly.
Jenna looked at the boy, wondering if he would let Lil participe on that battle, but saw him put his hand in his pocket and take out a pokeball, whence came a Shinx, wearing a blue collar with a pendant in the shape of a lightning.
"Scyther, Quick Attack! "Johnny shouted.
"Beedril, Poison Sting! "Jess ordered.
"Shinx, Dodge and Tackle! "Ethan reacted quickly, still protecting Lil.
Chikorita didn't even waited Jenna's command to launch a flurry of Razor Leaves against Beedril, which was forced to stop the attack to defend them. Soon both Pokémon acted on their own initiative, surrounded by silvery auras, with bright eyes and unusual powers to Pokémon that have not yet been trained.
Even after the Rockets' Pokémons had fallen, both were still ready to attack.
"Stop! "Shouted the kids together. Both Pokémon obeyed and returned with them.
The kids looked at them surprised and confused, while the auras were dissipating, nor realized when the Rockets picked up their Pokémon and fled.
"What was that? "Jenna asked.
"I don't know." Ethan said. "But I have noted it with the Growlithes and Arcanines of my group sometimes. You think Professor Oak or your grandfather know what is this?"
"We'll have to ask them when we get to Viridian."
"You think that's why the Rockets captured the others and are behind Lil?" Vivian chimed into the conversation.
"Probably. But better we get out of here before they invent to return with reinforcements. The sooner we get to Viridian, the sooner we'll find out more about this mystery.