"It's unfortunate it's come to this… But I'm proud of you Ash."
Ash was sitting in the lobby of the Pokemon Center in Viridian City. He finally decided to call his mom to tell her about what had happened two days ago. He needed an entire day to think things through and build up his courage. As he held his Pokegear in his hands, he stared at her face on the screen - not sure what to say.
Seeing his face, Delia shook her head, and with a smile said, "I'm not angry honey. First, I'm proud that you stood up for yourself. Second, while I am sad, what's done is done; and in the end, we can't force either you or Maylie. We made the decision before you were born and without your consent, so this is really our fault. As for Giovanni and Maylie, people change all the time, whether for the better or worse." She paused, looking at Ash's face as small droplets of tears appeared in her eyes. "I wonder what your father would say if he was still here," she finally sighed.
In an attempt to ease her worries, Ash pumped his chest out and said, "Have faith in me mom. I would not have made the challenge if I wasn't confident."
"I do honey… Well, I've kept you for long enough. I want you to call often okay? Love you."
**Click**
Seven months. Within seven months, the Pokemon League conference will start. The conference is held every twelve months, and it was a gathering place for trainers who had earned at least eight gym badges within those twelve months. Ash, Gary and Leaf wanted to start their journey together, so they waited until all three of them were ten years old; this was the reason they were five months behind. Gary had already left for Pewter City the day before, while Leaf went off somewhere, in Viridian City, to meet with Daisy, Gary's sister. Daisy was a Pokemon masseuse, so she had her own business and knew how to get started. She was quite successful as well, with trainers from Pallet and Viridian often scheduling appointments for their Pokemon. Because of this, Leaf was hoping Daisy could help her.
"What's with the long face?"
Ash looked up from his seat and saw a familiar face; it was Michael, the older boy he had met at Professor Oak's lab.
"Do you have any goals Michael?" Ash asked the boy next to him as they walked along a dirt road. After meeting Michael in Viridian City, and telling him about what had happened, the pair had set off for Pewter City. They were currently on Route 2 and were expecting to see the borders of Viridian Forest soon.
After a moment of silence, Michael asked, "How much do you know about the Orre region?"
Seeing Ash's clueless face, Michael continued, "It's a faraway region to the West of Kanto. The entire region is roughly eighty-five to ninety percent desert. Because of this, living conditions are quite harsh. The region does not have native Pokemon, and those that do live there were imported from other regions; mostly from Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. But those are also few in numbers; without a thriving economy, we just do not have the resources to import large numbers."
"That sounds terrible! What an awful place." Ash couldn't help exclaiming out loud when he heard Michael's description of Orre. Was that where he came from? Before Ash could ask, something hit him hard from the back, knocking him forward onto his hands and knees.
Turning around, he saw four Ledyba buzzing in the air behind him. Apparently, they were woken up from his loud voice. With an embarrassed chuckle, he raised his hands to apologize, but the Ledyba in front wasn't having any of that, and tackled him again.
"If that's how you want to play, Pidgey, I choose you!" Ash unclipped the second Poke Ball from his belt, and released the small brown bird. After that, he pulled out a small whistle that was clipped to his backpack and blew two quick breaths into it. He had commanded Pidgey to fly up and loop back down into a Tackle attack. The whistle was a gift from Gary before he left Viridian City - Leaf had also received one. Gary knew they each needed a whistle to efficiently command their bird Pokemon. Unlike land Pokemon, Flying types can fly outside of range, and any voice commands would have a hard time reaching their ears. Whistles help solve this problem.
Ash still needed more practice using the whistle, but for now, a simple command for Tackle was enough. Unfortunately, the attack only made the Ledyba more aggressive and they started to gang up and attack.
"Let me help," Michael said as he threw a Poke Ball in the air, "Sentret!"
A small quadrupedal Pokemon appeared; it had brown fur, two long ears and a tan-colored bullseye ring on its belly. The tail was thick and long with three dark brown stripes.
"Jump when I say jump, and use Scratch," Michael told his Pokemon. He was waiting for the right opportunity. By this time, Ash had also called out Saur, and commanded it to use Tackle. But the Grass Pokemon kept missing its Tackle because the Ledyba were able to fly out of its reach.
"Don't just attack like that!" Michael yelled as he looked at Ash in disbelief.
"Not just the typing, but you have to think about the Pokemon's characteristics as well! Think back to your battles against Gary and Maylie." He turned back to his Sentret, and saw one of the Ledyba had charged at it with a Tackle attack. "Jump!" Michael yelled.
His Sentret leaned back and shifted its weight onto its tail. It was now balancing its entire body and stood on its tail. With a quick movement, the tail constricted before straightening out, pushing Sentret into the air. It had used its tail like a spring! Now above the Ledyba, it stretched out its claws and swiped at the stunned Bug type Pokemon.
Thud! "Poke Ball, go!" Michael threw an empty Poke Ball at the unconscious Ledyba on the ground.
Without missing a beat, Michael commanded Sentret to use Scratch on the Ledyba that was caught in a Sand Attack from Ash's Pidgey. "Poke Ball, go!" In quick succession he had caught two Ledyba!
Following Michael's lead, Ash thought about what he could do. "Use the vines!" Michael shouted as he saw a Ledyba charge at Ash's Bulbasaur.
"Saur, use Vine Whip to jump into the air!" Seeing his Bulbasaur in the air, another idea popped into Ash's head. "Grab it with Vine Whip and throw it higher into the air towards Pidgey!" With two breaths blown into the whistle, Ash commanded Pidgey to use Tackle on the Ledyba that was thrown towards it. The attack connected and Ledyba was sent flying down and slammed into the ground with a loud thud.
Seeing that they could not win, the two Ledyba quickly ran away before the boys had a chance to catch them.
After waiting to make sure the Ledyba were gone, Michael pulled out the two Poke Balls he had used earlier to catch the bug Pokemon. Looking at Ash, he said, "My goal is to catch as many Pokemon as I can. I want to bring these Pokemon back to Orre, and hopefully breed enough of them so they become native to the region. Grass Pokemon will be the priority, because they can help us grow more plants and trees." He then registered the two newly caught Pokemon with his Pokedex before putting them away.
Ash thanked Michael for his advice earlier. Without that, Ash was sure he would've lost again! Smiling at him, Michael placed a hand on Ash's shoulders, "Not just characteristics, but abilities too. Your Saur has the ability Chlorophyll; once you learn how to use that, you will become a stronger team."
The duo trekked along Route 2 for a bit longer until they were finally able to see the borders of Viridian Forest. Standing at the edge, the forest looked daunting to them; there were no sounds at all, as if the entire forest was sleeping. Before leaving Viridian City, Ash and Michael had stocked up on antidotes and potions, so they were not overly afraid of the many poisonous Pokemon that were said to live here. They were more afraid of getting lost.
There was a part of the forest that looped back towards Viridian City before branching out towards the mountains. This mountain range was Mt. Silver, and aside from the Indigo Plateau that was nestled nearby, it was all wilderness. The area around Indigo Plateau was relatively safe because the Pokemon League conference was regularly held here. But if a person unknowingly stumbled beyond that, they would find powerful Pokemon like Ursaring and the domineering Tyranitar. This area was left unchecked, and even experienced trainers would have trouble against these Pokemon.
The outer perimeter of the forest was extremely quiet, and coupled with the density of the trees and leaves that barely allowed sunlight through, the forest had an eerie atmosphere. Perhaps the Pokemon are hiding, or maybe they reside deeper in the forest, Ash thought. As they continued deeper into the forest, more Pokemon appeared, and the forest was bustling with life. Ash saw a Caterpie crawling on the forest floor; a few Weedle suctioned to tree trunks; some Kakuna and Metapod hanging from tree branches. He excitedly pointed his Pokedex at each of them, he wanted to catch them all!
Caterpie, the worm Pokemon. A Bug type. For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antenna on its head to drive away enemies.
Weedle, the hairy bug Pokemon. A Bug/Poison type. It has a sharp, toxic barb of around two inches on top of its head. Its bright-colored body is intended to warn off its enemies.
Metapod, the cocoon Pokemon. A Bug type. A steel-hard shell protects its tender body. The Pokemon quietly endures hardship while awaiting evolution.
Kakuna, the cocoon Pokemon. A Bug/Poison type. While awaiting evolution, it hides from predators under leaves and in nooks of branches. When endangered, it sticks out its stinger to poison its enemy.
As Ash pulled out an empty Poke Ball, a loud voice boomed behind him, "Greetings!"
Nearly falling on his butt from surprise, he turned around to see a boy his age. This boy was dressed in a suit of armor, and carried a large bug catching net on his back and a sword on the left side of his waist.
"Are you a trainer from Pallet Town?"
With a blank look on his face, Ash replied, "I am, but I'm kinda busy right now. What do you want?"
The armored stranger pulled out the sword he carried and pointed it at Ash, "My name is Samurai, and a battle is what I want."
Ash was not expecting to have a trainer battle while he was in this forest, but since one fell onto his lap, he was surely not going to turn it down! Grinning, he replaced the empty Poke Ball in his hand with another one, "Saur, come out!"
Seeing Ash send out his Pokemon, Samurai did the same, "Pinsir! Assume battle position!"
In a flash of light, a ferocious Pokemon appeared. It stood about a meter and a half in height; it had dark brown skin and two large spiked horns on its head. Its eyes were fierce and its large mouth made it look especially frightening. "Oh wow, he has a Pinsir," Ash exclaimed worryingly as he pulled out his Pokedex.
Pinsir, the stag beetle Pokemon. A Bug type. It grips prey with its pincers until the prey is torn apart. What it can't tear, it tosses away.
We have to avoid or control its pincers, Ash thought as he looked at the clamping horns. As Ash was deep in thought, Samurai ordered the first attack, "Pinsir, use Vise Grip!"
If this was the old Ash, he would've lost at this moment. But after he had received guidance from Michael earlier, Ash was better prepared. "Saur, use your vines to jump behind Pinsir!" As soon as the attacking Pinsir reached Saur, the Bulbasaur used its vines to propel itself up into the air, and with a twist of its body, it changed the trajectory and landed behind Pinsir. Ash didn't waste a moment, and yelled, "Tackle!"
The attack landed and pushed Pinsir two yards forward, causing it to fall over and skid for a few more inches before it stopped and supported itself back up. "Hmph, lucky move," Samurai said. He then raised his right arm, "Harden, then Fury Attack!"
The beetle Pokemon crouched down and grunted before standing back up a split second later. Its body appeared sturdier and heavier, and with a loud growl, it charged at Saur in a crazed manner; swinging its two large horns wildly. Ash's heart was beating loud and fast. If Saur was hit by those spikes, the damage would be heavy and possibly life threatening. By attacking wildly like that, it was akin to an all or nothing attack, but luckily that was also the attack's weakness. It traded accuracy for power, and Saur was able to dodge the attacks by a hair's length.
"Grab its horns, Saur! You have to stop it from attacking," Ash yelled out to his Pokemon.
"Wha," Samurai couldn't believe his eyes. His Pinsir was overpowered by the smaller Pokemon, and now its pincers were tightly held from moving. What strong vines! With a threatening glare, he pointed his finger at Ash, "Don't think it's over yet, Pinsir use your Tackle attack!"
Gotcha ya, Ash thought. "Saur, move to your left by five inches and hold your ground!"
With a single step, Saur was bathed in bright sunlight. Ash had commanded his Bulbasaur to step into the small patch of sunlight that managed to sneak its way through the dense trees. Waiting until the last second, Ash shouted out, "Saur, dodge!" He had taken advantage of Saur's Chlorophyll ability; the Pokemon's speed was increased in sunlight, otherwise, waiting until the last second was a suicide move. As soon as it dodged Pinsir's attack, Ash yelled out again, "Quick! Use Pinsir's momentum and swing it around in circles!" As Saur rotated its body in the same direction that Pinsir was moving, its bulb started to glow, and Saur felt a rush of power surge through its body. In the midst of battle, it learned Growth!
One cycle.
Two cycles.
Three cycles.
On the third spin cycle, Ash shouted, "Release Pinsir and send it flying!" Boom! Pinsir was released from Saur's vines, and flew and crashed into the nearby trees. It landed unconscious on the ground. Proud of its win, the Bulbasaur stomped its two front feet on the ground, and turned to Ash and motioned its head towards Pinsir a few times.
"Grr… Pinsir return! Clever, quite clever."
Samurai pulled out another Poke Ball and threw it into the air, "Poke Ball go!" Seeing a Metapod appear, and feeling confident, Ash recalled Saur and released Pidgey from its Poke Ball. He wanted to give his Pidgey more battle experience.
Despite having the type advantage, Pidgey had trouble breaking through Metapod's hard shell. Ash kept repeating the same command, the two breath whistle for Tackle. As both trainer and Pokemon began to feel frustrated, Pidgey gave a loud cry before it started to flap its wings rapidly. This movement created a small tornado that enveloped Metapod. This was Gust, Pidgey had learned a flying move! With the super effective attack, the battle quickly came to an end.
"Our battle ends here," Samurai sighed as he recalled his Metapod before running off.
Ash and Michael stood there staring in the direction Samurai ran off to. He left as quickly as he came.
"SCREECH!"
At that moment, a loud high shrill piercing cry filled the air and the trees shook in response. As sudden as the cry had come, it quickly disappeared, and the forest was quiet again.
The two boys were stunned. They had no idea what could've made such a terrifying cry.
Before Michael could assess the situation further, Ash suddenly remembered the bug Pokemon and cried out, "Oi, they all ran away!" He wanted to catch a new Pokemon, so he frantically looked around, trying to see if any had stayed behind. It was dusk now, and he wanted to avoid hunting for Pokemon at night; the thick trees would also block out most of the moonlight, so nighttime in the forest was especially dark, and they still had to set up camp.
Ash heard a rustling sound nearby, and saw a few Pokemon that he did not recognize; one looked like a large acorn nut while the other was a dirty-yellow and green plant bulb with small stubby legs. He wasn't exactly sure what this one was, but it also had small green dots on the upper half of its body. They must be migrant Pokemon from other regions. It was not uncommon for some Pokemon species to migrate to different regions depending on the season.
Michael must've recognized these Pokemon, as he stepped forward with excitement in his eyes. He quickly pulled out his Pokedex and pointed at the acorn looking creature.
Seedot, the acorn Pokemon. A Grass type. When it dangles from a tree branch, it looks just like an acorn. It delights in surprising foraging Pokemon.
He needed Grass Pokemon to help the Orre region grow more vegetation. A Seedot was perfect for this! While hanging from tree branches, Seedot absorbs nutrients from the tree. As it moves around, the nutrients are released, thus allowing plants and trees to grow in new areas.
As if sensing Michael's intentions, the Seedot dropped from the tree branch, and ran off. You're not getting away that easily, Michael thought as he chased after it, with Ash following behind.
**Rustle**
**Rustle**
Michael chased after the Seedot through thicket after thicket, until he finally arrived at a small clearing. The Seedot stood there, with its back towards him. As he walked closer, it finally turned around, and he could see it had a frightened look on its face. He unclipped a Poke Ball, and threw it into the air, "Bing'er, use Shadow Ball at its feet." A purple-colored ball of energy shot out at Seedot's feet and knocked it off balance.
"Nest Ball, go!"
That was quite easy, a little too easy, Michael thought as he picked up the green Nest Ball from the ground. The moment he stood back up, the ground shook and a loud crashing sound was heard before a stampede of Pokemon rushed out from the thicket in front of him and ran past him. By this time, Ash had also arrived and was frozen in place as the groups of Pokemon ran past him as well.
They were running away from something. Michael squinted his eyes and looked at the thicket. Soon the air around them started to heat up, and smoke started rising into the air. Suddenly, a raging inferno of flames burst out from behind the thicket.
"Fire!" Ash cried out in shock.
The pair quickly turned around to retreat, but a look of shock and fear appeared on their faces. Fire, there was fire everywhere. Just a moment ago, the forest was calm and now it was like hell on earth.
Notes
Ash: Saur (Male Bulbasaur), Pidgey (Male)
Leaf: Charly (Male Charmander), Spearow (x3)
Gary: Shellshocker (Male Squirtle), Pidgey (Male)
Michael: Bing'er (Female Eevee), Sentret, Ledyba (x2), Seedot (Male)
Maylie: Medusa (Female Silicobra)
Please read and review, thanks!