In the morning the trio broke camp after a varied breakfast and headed into the forest. It was still quite early when they entered and the overhead foliage provided enough cover from the rising sun that they were able to spot some nocturnal creatures heading toward their nests while Pokémon most spotted in the mornings were either waking up or entering the forest. Along with the usual wildlife such as birds and vermin the entrance to the forest was populated with a number of bug and grass type Pokémon. Kurishimi took notice of an Oddish family burrowing into a patch of fresh soil for the day while Chad was fascinated by some ugly bug Pokémon called Pineco. Akuma kept his vision focused on the deeper part of the forest and one eye on the sky as they continued deeper into the woods. The trees weren't so thick that the neighborhood was shrouded in darkness, but the nice weather and inability to see the position of the sun had them quickly losing track of time.

Akuma was using a map and compass to navigate the forest since there were no roads or trails where they had entered. He said that as long as they continued in the proper direction toward Fuschia City they would eventually cross a mountain range from which they could see the city at the peak. With all the hills they seemed to have to climb on their way, Kurishimi assumed they could just keep heading to whichever seemed the tallest point until something was familiar if they got lost, but Akuma assured her that as long as they followed the map and didn't go too far off course they would have nothing to worry about.

Chad was ignoring the scenery and his companions' discussion for the time being. Since they had traveled into the forest there was a wide variety of new creatures for him to discover. Because of his studying of different species in the libraries at Lavender Town Chad recognized more Pokémon than he would have otherwise. He could spy some Venonat Pokémon and its evolution, the poison moth species Venomoth, hiding amongst the trees. Despite the purple coloration of the two against the green and brown colors of the treetops they were surprisingly well hidden. He could hear others running away from the traveling group in the undergrowth as well. At one point he caught sight of what was probably a Vileplume, the final evolution of Oddish and Gloom, scampering behind a tree in fear. Nocturnal species of birds called Noctowl were sleeping in the trees. Chad remembered that the species originated in, and had probably migrated from, the neighboring Johto region. Swarms of nesting Kakuna were scattered within the forest awaiting evolution while their mild-mannered counterparts, the timid Metapod, could be found tucked away in the base of some trees.

Even after he was sure he'd seen all the native creatures in this habitat, Chad was still entranced by how alive the forest was. He began to wonder if there were any humans living in seclusion within the miles of trees somewhere or if there were any mysteries or new Pokémon to be discovered in unexplored areas. At one point he thought he saw an out-of-place Geodude climbing a tree, but when he slowed down for a closer look it became a simple Mankey. Chad assumed his eyes were playing tricks on him and ignored the basic Pokémon as his eyes drifted elsewhere. If he had looked back a moment later however, he would have seen a Farfetch'd fly off from the same location where previously there had been none.

After climbing a hill Akuma sat down on a tree stump to rest his legs. Kurishimi and Chad found their own positions sitting on the fallen tree it had once held up. Kurishimi started picking out plant life that was clinging to her socks while Akuma double checked their position on the map.

"We're almost a third of the way through the forest I think," Akuma reported. "Judging by the sun's position, or as best I can figure without a flat horizon in any direction, it should be about midday."

"If time is a real issue I can always use my pokédex to check the time, you know," Kurishimi reminded him.

"Yes, but I'd prefer to watch the sun in this case. Since we have to travel by sunlight it's better to estimate the current time by how much longer we have before the sun disappears behind the terrain instead of the horizon. Since the sun looks to be about a third of way across the sky I'd say we're making pretty decent time as long as we stay on course and don't get distracted."

"So we can't stop if we want to catch any Pokémon?" Chad asked in disappointment.

Akuma thought for half a moment before the shadow of a smile touched the corner of his mouth. "Well I suppose we might allow ourselves some distractions here or there," he concluded.

Now that the group had caught their breath they started moving deeper into the forest again. When they went downhill Chad and Kurishimi would jump over or walk across fallen logs and when traveling uphill they would give each other a helping hand over the same obstacles. They lost sight of Akuma a few times, but a snapping twig or brief crash as Akuma landed somewhere would direct their eyes further ahead or behind them where he would come into sight again. They were even lucky enough to find a persim berry bush at one point with a handful of berries left on it. They didn't take many though since it was probably a feeding point for the wildlife, but there was still more than enough for them to restock on that particular type.

At one point going downhill when Akuma was ahead of them he held up a hand until the two trailing behind him stopped, at which point he pulled out a small spyglass from one of his outer pockets and focused it off to their right. When he had taken a moment to look at the neighboring hill he chuckled and asked his companions, "When is a tree not a tree?"

"Oh sweet Arceus, he's finally talking in riddles," Chad groaned. "When it's a log?"

"When it's a landmark?" Kurishimi guessed.

"I guess my question was incomplete. Actually it's a Sudowoodo."

"Okay, he's flipped. Send him to the Lavender Town funny farm," Chad declared.

"It's not gibberish, it's a Pokémon," Akuma corrected. "It camouflages itself as a tree by standing completely still. Step down here a little farther and you might be able to see it."

Chad nimbly vaulted off the small boulder he was standing on to land beside his teacher so he could look where the older man was pointing while Kurishimi opted to walk around them to search with her own eyes. He stared for a moment, but all he could see were trees on the hillside. "I'm missing it I think. What am I looking for?"

"A tree with a face on it."

"Be more specific."

"Halfway up the hill; it's standing too close to another tree. Has three green fingers that look like leaf clusters."

"Oh wait, there it is!" Chad said in excitement as he spotted the rare Pokémon. "Wow, that's pretty cool. Should we try to catch it?"

"No, let's leave it be. They aren't anything special to battle with and it's more productive to raise a Golem if you want a rock type Pokémon."

"It looks like a grass type to me."

"That's just its camouflage fooling you into fighting it with fire or flying type Pokémon. If you want to fight a Sudowoodo with an advantage you have to use water or grass types. It's good defense if the mimic fails, but if the other person knows the secret there's no advantage to be had in battle. Let's just keep going for now."

With that they left the tricky Pokémon for deeper territory. After sighting such a rare Pokémon Chad was even more excited about what other creatures were waiting to be discovered within the forest. Certainly they had all gained a boost in morale after taking a moment to just stop and observe the strange creature.

Some time after the sun had passed beyond what Akuma called midday he began leading them at a slower pace through the area. He seemed to have started looking or listening for something, but when asked about it he claimed to not know what it was either. Shortly after this the hills began to level out until they were walking on nearly level ground. It felt much more comfortable as far as their legs were concerned, but Akuma still seemed tense. After they scaled another hill they saw that there was only a single clearing before a very high hill. Akuma confirmed that this was the supposed mountain range beyond which they would sight Fuschia City. Kurishimi was anxious to arrive in the city where she would soon obtain her fifth gym badge, but Akuma held her back with a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be too hasty now. The forest has grown much tenser in atmosphere over the last few miles. There might be some danger if we go a little farther on; I'm sure that clearing is hiding something."

"The trees seem just as relaxed as all the other ones we've passed," Chad said jokingly.

"Not quite if you listen close enough. The Pokémon are pretty sparse in this area and the forest seems less alive because of it. The birds are muted and there is little to no movement as we explore now. We should be cautious between this point and Fuschia, okay?"

Kurishimi nodded. "You've got the instincts for trouble like that. I'll follow your lead. Chad, stay close, and put the pinecone down. It's better to have a poké ball for defense instead of that thing."

"Pinecones hurt more when you get hit with one though," Chad argued, but he still dropped the pinecone he'd picked up.

The three of them descended into the valley while their eyes darted between gaps in the trees whenever they saw any movement beyond a falling leaf. Even though they weren't aware of the reason for their cautiousness, they had all remembered the person they'd met on the road yesterday that had just vanished into thin air. Being without any strong Pokémon he was comfortable with, Akuma found himself to be even more nervous than usual. He was hoping he wouldn't have to rely on the others for protection if there was an emergency, but he also knew that part of being a friend was being able to rely on each other. Still, the idea didn't sit well with him. As they drew closer to the clearing they soon began to hear a distant voice. Akuma froze up for a moment as he listened, then brought the group closer to the source which was one of the few trees on the edge of the meadow. The voice seemed to be reciting Pokémon information from memory. Akuma motioned for the pair to stop moving as he looked around the tree to find a trainer reclining against the base and reading a Pokémon trainer's study book much like the one Chad had read in Saffron City before his testing day. When Akuma leaned in for a closer look the pine needles he was standing on snapped which startled the other person into leaping from his position.

"Who are… don't sneak up on me!" the person exclaimed. "Holy Shiftry, I nearly soiled my pants. What are you doing out here? Who are you?"

"We are travelers en route to Fuschia City," Akuma answered him. "Why are you so far out from town?"

"I couldn't study in the city because there's no time to rest while I'm there. I came out here so I could study in peace. My test for a trainer's license is in two days and I needed to make up for lost time."

"This isn't a good place to do it. You'd be safer studying in the city."

"There's no better place than out here though. And how would you know if you're just passing though anyway?"

"By experience and intuition I know something about this area is dangerous. There are no signs or sounds of Pokémon wildlife in a natural clearing such as this. The silence is unnatural so there is a real danger here somehow."

"I've been studying for a couple hours and haven't had any problems. Maybe the Pokémon just prefer the comfort of trees."

"Maybe so, but you should still get away from here. Find a safer place to study like an Onix nest. Even we aren't planning to stay here very long."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you the Elite Three or something?"

"The term you're looking for is the Elite Four, and no, but we're tough enough to manage on our own regardless and I don't like it here."

"Are you the guide for those two?"

"No, I'm their mentor and much tougher than anyone should have to be."

"You are traveling with a handicap right now though, Akuma," Kurishimi reminded him.

"Be that as it may I've been in trouble more than enough times to know when we should move on."

"Hey, I've got a better idea," the student said, changing the subject. "Let's have a battle out here in the clearing. "The danger will leave us alone if you're a bigger threat so I can just stay here and study. Plus I can practice for the practical exam."

"Or you can stop trying to get in over your head and leave while your Pokémon are still healthy," Akuma pressed. He was getting annoyed by this stranger's obliviousness and the sense of danger was still pressing strongly on the back of his mind.

"Hey Akuma, hold on," Chad cut in. "Wouldn't having a battle be a faster way to convince him to leave? Since you started traveling with a handicap you've wanted to find a battle somewhere and this is a good chance for you. If you win the match we'll drag him into town with us. If he wins, however unlikely that may seem, he can stay and put up with whatever's out here. That works, right?"

Akuma considered the options and the quick resolve appealed to him. "Cruel option for him if I lose, but experience will teach him to not be such an idiot I suppose. If he agrees to the idea I'll accept the terms for battle."

"If it means I can have a battle I'll accept any terms at any time! How many Pokémon can we use?"

"I'm available for a full battle of six or more Pokémon, but I want to get out of here as quickly as possible. Two on two should be suitable I think."

"More than six Pokémon? What are you… never mind, I'm sure I'll figure it out while I study. And I can use two Pokémon, sure. Are you ready?"

Akuma walked further out into the clearing, ignoring the babbling idiot who followed him. Kurishimi was thinking it would be a quick battle, but when she remembered how underdeveloped most of Akuma's Pokémon were it suddenly seemed less likely for him to make a clean sweep of his opponent. If he used Gastly and/or Dodrio the battle would be over quickly of course, but he gave himself such a handicap because he wanted lower odds for winning in the first place. Would the danger be enough for him to ignore the opportunity for training, or would he risk throwing the battle to keep them all in danger for a while longer? In any case, it seemed she would have to watch her superior fight a battle against an average lower class trainer and for once the outcome would be more of an unknown. Kurishimi knew it would be worth the danger to watch a tense fight such as this one.

Apparently Akuma already had both of his combatants in mind. He pulled off two poké balls from their locks, holding one in each hand. His opponent kept the traditional battle style: one poké ball in hand with spares securely fastened on the belt. Kurishimi counted three visible poké balls on this side of the belt plus the one in the trainer's hand. It could have been up to a four way battle and Akuma must have seen the chance. Weighing the unseen danger against the battle opportunity though, she'd have chosen the same rules if it was her on the battlefield.

Having been given the advantage of being able to choose any of his full team to fight, the idiot trainer, for lack of a name since it seemed to fit his obvious inexperience, revealed his choice of Pokémon first; a Growlithe. Akuma thought for half a moment before opening the basic poké ball in his left hand, choosing to have his first official battle with Totodile. Each trainer took a moment to size up the other's Pokémon while allowing their opponent to do the same. Idiot trainer took the initiative, commanding Growlithe to use a fire fang attack. Something suddenly seemed to catch Akuma's attention, but he was able to order Totodile to leap over the attacker. The jump was commanded early enough that Totodile bounced insultingly off Growlithe's back as it landed. Growlithe somersaulted forward until it came to a rest a few feet in front of Akuma. Kurishimi caught Akuma studying Growlithe intently and informed Chad of what she was noticing. As they studied Akuma's thinking process through his eyes they wished more and more that they could hear the analyzing his brain was up to. This would be a strange battle on one end; that was for sure now.

Totodile rushed Growlithe on command with a scratch attack. Growlithe tried to evade, but the claws caught its side. While Totodile was still up close, Growlithe fired a tight ember attack in its opponent's face. Totodile backed up a step before Akuma commanded it to use water gun. Surprisingly Totodile launched a powerful blast of water through Growlithe's oncoming embers and into its face. Akuma grinned victoriously as the attack was executed perfectly. It seemed the specialist doctor he had requested was able to cure Totodile's imperfect water gun attack. Growlithe's next attack was not of fire, but of simplicity. A bite attack at Totodile's chest cut off the water gun while Totodile flailed helplessly. Quickly Akuma ordered his Pokémon to grab Growlithe's jaws and pry them apart if possible. Totodile was able to successfully do so, but the puppy Pokémon's jaws were too strong for such stubby arms to fight against. Akuma's eyes swept over the deadlocked pair instantly while he searched for an escape point as Growlithe turned its bite attack into another fire fang. Suddenly he found an out for his Pokémon, and it was fortunate that he was using this particular creature in this battle or he could not have pulled it off.

"Totodile, aim straight up. Fire a low velocity snot bubble attack!"

Kurishimi snorted in trying to hold back her laughter as Totodile launched a glob of water straight up into the air which came back down to splash over Growlithe's face. The surprise attack loosened Growlithe's grip just enough for Totodile to retaliate with an actual attack of its own. The water Pokémon struggled against the fangs of its opponent until it managed to clamp its jaws around the puppy's ear in a powerful bite. Growlithe yelped in fear and shock before jumping around the grassy plains trying to shake its opponent off. It was in vain however, since Totodile were known to never release their grip on anything if they didn't want to. It was also a damaging case though, as Totodile's chosen grip on such a loose part of Growlithe's body caused it to be tossed around through the air violently. Akuma was about to tell Totodile to release its grip when his Pokémon suddenly and surprisingly flew into the air. When it landed, Totodile shook its head and swatted at its mouth, hacking and spitting until something came out. Akuma came over to investigate the object immediately and quickly became disgusted.

"Okay that is just… oh dear, I'm sorry. I didn't think Totodile's grip was that strong!"

Idiot trainer rushed over to his Growlithe who was rolling around on the ground and whimpering painfully. His jaw dropped in shock and his face paled when he saw what damage had been done.

"His ear!" he exclaimed. "Totodile ripped off my Growlithe's ear!"

"Akashi, get over here!" Akuma called out. Kurishimi ran over at full speed having heard what happened. "Do you have Chansey?"

"No, you saw all my Pokémon in camp yesterday."

"Right, I forgot. Okay, call out Vaporeon. Use its cooling waters to soothe Growlithe's wound. If there's no way we can heal it we have to do what we can for its health.

Kurishimi quickly did so and even tried to reattach the ear to Growlithe's head with Vaporeon's ice beam, but it soon became apparent that the damage done would be permanent. Growlithe's trainer continued to panic the whole time, but when he began to calm down his hysteria shifted into anger directed at Akuma and Totodile.

"You did this to my Growlithe, Hunter! I'll kill you for that!" With that he grabbed another poké ball and summoned a Golbat to attack Akuma.

Akuma grabbed Totodile instantly and leapt out of the way as a slicing gust of wind shredded the grass where they had been standing. Now Akuma's expression had changed from sympathetic to determination as the last piece to the puzzle fell into place.

"I knew something was wrong here. Akashi, Chad, battle positions! Leave the Growlithe and prepare for an attack. We're targets of an ambush!"

Chad had already brought out Pidgeotto and Ivysaur when he saw the Golbat appear. He'd figured it out seconds after Akuma and knew they were in trouble right away. First a high level Growlithe had fought with a Golbat waiting in the wings. This was no amateur trainer Akuma was facing; it was a member of Team Rocket and one he knew personally. Niklos, the enemy he had faced during his capture of Wooper. And where there was one Rocket, there would be more to come soon.

They were correct, but their enemies were not Rockets as they had predicted. When Niklos called for support a legion of bandits poured from the forest ahead. It seemed even Team Rocket had to hire help from time to time too; even more so when Akuma was an enemy. Kurishimi quickly finished off Growlithe with Vaporeon's water gun, now battle ready, then used her Magnemite to paralyze one of the charging bandits from a distance before retreating to Akuma's location.

While they were preparing for battle Akuma was fending off the attack from Golbat. With Totodile still at a low level he had less of a chance to win than Chad did before entering Saffron City. Quickly he opened the second poké ball in hand causing Golbat's pressing attack to be briefly halted by Sableye's fake out attack. After attacking with night shade Sableye was aided by Pidgeotto's quick attack and together they struck Golbat enough times to ground the annoying enemy. As Kurishimi joined them and the bandits approached their location Niklos brought out a Sudowoodo. Chad offered to fight the deceptive rock Pokémon himself while Akuma and Kurishimi faced the approaching army. His fight with this enemy had been interrupted once before anyway and now it was time to show everyone his new power in battle. With the approaching bandits preparing poké balls of their own and Akuma fighting at half strength it was guaranteed to be a long and very difficult battle for everyone.