Scene Five: Last Night in the Old Forest

The breath shot from my lungs as I hit the ground. Behind me, a piercing shriek cut through the woods like lightning. I spun around, scrambling for my weapon – and Snacks collapsed to the ground.

Sira got to her feet, watching us with as I knelt to pick up Snacks. Will appeared at my side and quickly looked Snacks over. Her eyes were lightly closed, her breathing a bit shallow.

"She just seems fatigued. No sign of injury," Will assured me. "What happened? I saw fire, but… did she…?"

I nodded. "Flareon," I said. "For the first time that I've seen, but… it was intense." Holding Snacks tight, I looked to the others. "Valor, Infernix – are they okay?"

Sira was just recalling Infernix to his ball, and Valor appeared over Will's shoulder with a squawk. "He'll be okay," Sira told me. "Just took a good hit, but no real injury. That was badass, by the way. Infernix is a strong fire elemental, but that blast just now…"

"She likely stepped in to protect you," Will explained. "I saw it appear before you. If she had not interfered, I shudder to think what could have befallen you."

"It's a Pokemon," I recalled aloud. Both their brows shot up. "I saw it. A… bit of it. It had to be."

"Are you certain?" Will asked. "I have never seen such a Pokemon before."

"Definitely a freaky one," Sira said with a shudder.

I briefly explained what I'd seen. Its glowing green eye, the brief silhouette of the figure. Will appeared deep in thought, staring far into the trees and scratching his stubble.

"Will it be back?" I asked.

Will shrugged. "It was likely just scared off for now. That was a powerful fire blast, but I saw it dash off into the woods. Something angers that Pokemon – if it truly is a Pokemon – and I fear we might not see an end to this until the source of its rage is handled." He clapped my shoulder. "That is why we must press on, and hopefully avoid running into it again before we are prepared. We still have time to reach the Capital – we covered a lot of ground, and it is only the break of dawn now."

I glanced up just as the sun began to peek over the heights of the Border Range, briefly blinding me. The sky above began to take on a darker blue tinge rather than the black of night we'd been rushing through before. In what had been complete silence but for the Keeper's shriek, Pokemon began to stir once more. I heard the light chirping of birds, a skitter as a Zigzagoon darted out onto the path.

"Fear's a good fuel," Sira remarked. "Still, doesn't the Capital close their gates early at this time of year? We've still got a ways if we want to get there before they shut down."

We started down the trail once more, our paces far more relaxed than earlier. I let out Glimmer again to walk alongside me, but held Snacks this time. Will kept Valor out, and Sira sent out Shadowfang to strut at her side. The tall, dark Mightyena kept close to Sira, its eyes constantly surveying the woods.

The terrain closer to the Capital changed. The trees were younger and further apart, and we spotted signs of clearcutting off the path. Compared to the outskirts of Bytold, it was near-devastating – Bytold did little to tax the forest around them. Autumn leaves showered the path around us, more so than the pine needles of the southern part. The path, after steeply descending, somewhat levelled out.

Snacks woke up late in the day, and she showed a little of her exhaustion by staying in my arms for a while. Will gave her another once-over, but she was okay.

We spotted some other Pokemon around here. Will pointed out a small pack of Deerling mulling over the corner of a creek a ways off the path. One Sawsbuck herded them, one with antlers in an impressive array around its head and laden with moss. I wanted to get a closer look, but Will recommended against it. They could be surprisingly territorial, he warned, and he didn't want to have to harm any Pokemon he didn't have to. Sira insisted Infernix wouldn't mind some Deerling shank if I wanted to, but I knew better.

Further down, Will stopped me at a set of large tracks. He informed me that they belonged to a rather large Ursaring, pursued by a few young Teddiursa. He told me the ones around here sometimes had greenish fur or were laden with moss, but no less dangerous. If we stumbled upon a Teddiursa, then a protective, likely enraged Ursaring would be close at hand. He showed me how the edges of the print betrayed how recently it had been there, which he bet was within the last 12 hours. It was with that in mind that he quickly steered us down a different trail, this one seeming to lance straight toward the Capital.

We took a brief rest around midday. Everyone sent out their Pokemon, and Will and Sira sparred with each other, an impressive feat I was sure I would never see again. Will moved like a stream, his footsteps careful and planned, his lance like a bend in the river. Sira was like fire. She never stopped moving, her eyes alight with the promise of battle. Will used Rocky for their match, and Sira chose Shadowfang. Both Pokemon fought more intensely than I would have guessed, especially the refined Herdier, Rocky. I imagined Rocky would be overwhelmed by the Mightyena, but Rocky held his ground and fought adamantly. Neither human nor Pokemon shed blood on one another, but they fought like they intended to.

I tried my hand at practicing with Will. We sparred loosely without our Pokemon. I kept trying to predict him, but I always fell short and ended up in positions that would have me killed in a real fight. Sensing my frustration, Will suggested a new idea: a Pokemon battle. He reasonably figured I might be too inexperienced to do both at the same time, so this was a good way to start. Feeling optimistic, I picked Glimmer, and he chose Blaze, his Growlithe.

"Remember, we will keep it basic," Will told me as he sent out Blaze. "It is not about just power, but strategy and synergy between you and your Pokemon. You can give orders to her, but if you know not what she can do, it may fall short."

I nodded, clutching my wrist. Sira sat with Snacks on the sideline, chomping down on some food as though to sate her fighting spirit. Glimmer crackled with electricity at my side and pawed the ground with a hoof, surprisingly eager for the battle.

"Let us begin," Will said. With a gesture, he commanded his Growlithe to move. It bounded forward, growling softly as it circled Glimmer. The Mareep looked reasonably nervous, but determined.

"Okay, Glimmer," I said, taking a focused breath. "let's start by keeping our distance. Observe carefully, and strike when you see an opening."

Glimmer let out a determined 'baa!', her eyes focused on Blaze as the Growlithe prowled in a circle, ready to strike. Blaze suddenly lunged forward, his teeth gleaming with a contained ember, but Glimmer nimbly dodged with a quick backward hop.

"Alright, Glimmer, keep it up!" I encouraged. "Try to land a hit!"

Sparks danced across her wooly coat. With a fierce 'baa!', she launched a bolt of electricity toward Blaze. The attack crackled through the air. Will didn't say a word. Blaze effortlessly sidestepped it. The Growlithe then expelled a stream of flames from its mouth aimed at Glimmer.

"Glimmer, evade!" I shouted. "Watch your timing and wait for the right moment!"

Glimmer showed impressive agility, darting to the side to avoid the flames. The electricity surrounding her crackled more intensely, casting eerie shadows on the path. I thought the bolts looked a little darker than her last attack. An instant later, Glimmer closed the distance between them, and rammed right into Blaze with a surge of electricity. Bolts shot out of her wool with an intensity, shocking the Growlithe and forcing it back in a stumbling escape.

"Interesting," Will murmured, scratching his chin. "Keep going!"

We battled for a few minutes without much changing. I wanted Glimmer to stay defensive, but she wouldn't hesitate with another of her electric tackles whenever she got the opening. Before long, to my surprise, she had Blaze backed into a corner. She took a few fiery attacks, but they didn't seem to phase her. Her black eyes gleamed as she fought, thriving off her accomplishments.

"Alright," Will said after a time, and he called back Blaze. Glimmer looked confused for a moment, her eyes flicking back to Blaze's Pokeball, then to me. Her stance seemed to relax a little.

"That was really good, Glimmer," I told her, scratching in behind her ears. She gave a friendly 'baa!' with no sign of the startling aggression she'd started to use.

Will studied her, a curious expression on his face. "I think she may be a little more unique than just in appearance," he said thoughtfully. "We should keep an eye on her in battle."

I didn't disagree, though I wondered if Will had a better idea than I did. I gave Glimmer a curious look, but she was fully back to normal, now letting an eager Snacks climb onto her back and start kneading her fur, emitting a happy, melodic 'baa!'.

As we forged on, the path ascended again as we made the final climb toward the Capital. The sun remained a glowing red beam upon the mountains for much of our walk through the woods as evening approached. When I asked Will about how long remained in our journey, he told me the forest canopy affected how much daylight we got. Behind us, darkness already shrouded most of the forest, especially at the dip in the valley between us and the plateau of our last camp.

Before the sun finally dipped behind the mountains, Will stopped and led me through a gap in the trees. I followed, Glimmer in tow, Snacks currently in my arms under my cloak to combat the evening chill.

At the opening of the forest, my eyes fell upon the Capital of Harohto as the sun descended behind it, and Snacks emitted a wonderful set of chirps. Light reflected off the stone walls in shimmering waves like an aurora, but in a slew of warm colors like a set of summery watercolor. Brilliant waves of red, gold, orange, and white shimmered off the walls and into the sky in a breathtaking sight. It gave off a sort of shimmering mirage that clung behind us. Will and Snacks expressed similar disappointment as Sira dragged us onward, focused on getting to Harohto before nightfall. My favorite thing about Will was how he'd likely seen this a thousand times, and similar other beauties, but it never ceased to be beautiful to him.

A deeper chill set in as we climbed, and Will daydreamed of November snow in Harohto. Sira dismissed it as ridiculous, but I wondered about it. Snacks skipped between hiding in my cloak and digging into Glimmer's fur.

Our pace quickened as darkness started to fall, mostly from wanting to spend the night in a warm inn. The moon hadn't appeared to guide our path, so the way was led by an illuminating Infernix, Blaze, and some lit torches. Within an hour, though, our light dampened as clouds arrived from nowhere to start dumping a steady stream of rain upon us. Will and Sira cursed, calling their Pokemon back and abandoning their torches. I called Glimmer back and wrapped Snacks tight in my cloak, and we were forced to forge ahead in near-total darkness. I fell so many times on the path that my body felt a seemingly permanent ache setting in. I managed to keep Snacks from harm, but she was less than pleased with her unstable source of warmth. Atop the tenderness in my legs from our days of travel, it was almost unbearable. I thirsted for the end of this journey in a warm bed.

It felt like forever until the trees cane to a sudden halt around us. One moment we were carefully navigating around the roots and trees. The next, we stumbled out into a clearing. The atmosphere immediately changed when the great walls of Harohto's Capital stuck out before us, lit by a pair of sheltered torches alongside an iron gate. The walls no longer shone and looked like normal stone, slick with rain. What had appeared majestic and stoic at sunset now looked cold and foreboding in the storm's fury. The walls stretched along the edge of the forest with no clear end in sight. The forest curved alongside us, meaning we either looked at walls or back into the bleak woods.

I felt intimidated before the great city, hugging Snacks closer. Would they let us in, or were we sentenced to another night in the woods? Even if we were, the Capital was right in front of us now. It felt criminal not to enter, to escape this rain.

The rain only picked up as we crossed the plains. Puddles formed quickly in the mud, reflecting the bright glow of a late moon that started to poke out among the western clouds.

"They could easily refuse us at this hour," Will said nervously. "This season is wrought with thieves and bandits. Without writs, we could be dismissed without reason."

"They won't," Sira reputed. "We're two international soldiers and a new League Trainer. If they've got half a brain between their ears, they'll let us in."

Will cleared his throat. "An unregistered League Trainer, a deserter, and a member of a squad who could still be back in those woods. I do not like our odds."

Guilt gripped my chest. In the excitement of traveling with these two, catching Glimmer, and dodging the Keeper at seemingly every turn, I'd almost forgotten about the missing members of the squad. I didn't dare voice that realization.

Lightning snaked across the sky. The resounding boom came almost instantly after, scaring the wits out of both me and Snacks, rocking the earth like a cradle in a storm. A bold flash of light shone across the stone walls of the kingdom, shedding light on a pair of soldiers winging the gates.

When we closed in, Will raised a gauntleted hand in greeting. The guards stood resolute under the shelter of the stone archway that marked the city's only entrance. A beefy Granbull and a stoic Weavile, equally bedraggled, were at their sides, growling softly at the intrusion.

Will stepped ahead of us, his voice raised over the din of the rain and winds. "We seek entry to Harohto Capital! We have traveled through this accursed forest for half a week, and we must find shelter for the night."

One of the guards, eyes narrowed against the rain, exchanged a glance with his companion. The second guard, his Weavile standing protectively before him, raised a hand to silence Will.

"Strangers, ye come at a perilous hour," the guard said, his voice laced with caution. Raids and thievery plague these woods at night. We've been instructed to admit none without proper clearance."

Sira, her fiery gaze unyielding against the rain, spoke next. "We can explain ourselves to the authorities. We've been through enough trouble in these woods."

The guards exchanged another glance, seemingly considering their options. The Pokemon by their sides remained vigilant, their senses heightened by the tension in the air. I held my breath, rain cascading down my face as we waited.

"Tell us why we should admit ye, then," one of the guards said.

"I am Will Ramun of Syaoto, Lancet Cooper's field regiment," Will introduced himself, his voice firm despite the fatigue clear in his eyes. "This is Sira Jessura, and the young one is Ryoku Dragontalen. Ryoku is here to register as a League Trainer, and we come to seek aid in a mission."

The mention of my registration clearly piqued their interest, and they exchanged a knowing glance. The one with the Granbull nodded thoughtfully while the one with the Weavile watched us keenly.

"We faced the Keeper of the Old Forest, multiple times," Sira added, her tone steady. "It's a danger not only to us, but to all the people in this land. We came to seek refuge, and aid in hunting it."

Their faces showed a hint of unease. "We know of the Keeper," the one with the Granbull said. "It's been killin' travelers in the forest for months. Greatly agitated as of late."

"I heard reports of some of Lancet's regiment passing through here a day ago," the other guard added, glancing back to the gates.

Will perked up almost immediately. "How many? We were split up at the first appearance of the Keeper."

The guard shrugged. "Didn't hear how many, only that there were some. At least one was mightily injured. They'll be at the Grand Hospital now, surely."

They exchanged glances one more time before the guard with the Granbull finally relented. "Very well," he said, his voice still cautious. "Ye can enter, but don't expect a warm welcome. These are troubled times, and we can't vouch for your safety within the city walls. The army's taxed as is."

I felt a great weight lifted from my shoulders. A great roll of thunder shook the field and battered my eardrums so loudly that I thought I might faint. The Granbull and Weavile approached a great lever behind the guards. The next sound was the resounding roll of grating steel, almost as aggravating as the thunder. The gate was lifted by great black chains, folding up somewhere above us in the stone portcullis, revealing the dimly lit and rain-slicked path into Harohto Capital. Will, Sira, and I nodded in understanding. Will looked determined and grateful, Sira barely sated. We stepped through the gates, enjoying a second of brief respite from the rain.

As the gates shut behind us, I couldn't help but feel an odd sense of foreboding. Harohto Capital, shrouded in darkness and drenched by the relentless storm, held both potential refuge and unknown dangers ahead. I kept close to Will and Sira as we started down the path into the largest city I'd ever seen, wondering just what awaited us.