Chapter 19

Flutter-by-Night cuddled into the warmth of her human, the bright light of day shielded from her by the coverings he wore. She sighed blissfully, the thin membranes of her wings spreading over his furless skin, leeching his body heat. This was the life! She was warm, comfortable, and most of all, she was loved. The fact that she was stuck being carried from place to place, far from the safety of her cave, or that she was forced to be active during the day, when the hateful rays of the sun beat down on her, were small prices to pay for this level of contentment.

Her human was kind, and smart. He had taught her many things, like how to call forth the venom in her body, or how to master the air currents around her. But most of all, he let her cuddle up to him like this.

Flutter was not stupid. She knew how most humans reacted to her kind. They called her 'rat with wings', 'nuisance', even 'vermin', but her Scott was different. He treated all of his Pokémon, including her, as if they were the most precious things in the world to him. And she loved him for it.

When she sensed that they had stopped, she popped her little head out from the collar of his shirt, her sensitive ears picking up the echos of their surroundings, her mind using them to sketch a picture of the world. Something was wrong. She sensed a mass of worried Pokémon.

I was brought up short on our hike towards the cape by a small green and yellow plant, a bellsprout. Before I could even say anything, the small thing panicked, lobbing a massive purple-green gob of gunk at me. Then it screeched loudly, and a hoard of other grass types emerged from the tall grass.

Misty and I both froze as over twenty grass types surrounded us. Zubat poked her head out of my shirt, and I scratched reassuringly behind her ears. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I knew we couldn't take on the hoard by ourselves, even with all of our Pokémon.

The Pokémon behind us moved forwards, as the ones in front of us moved back. We were being herded towards the forest! I tried to resist, to break through the line on one side, but a pair of oddish waved their fronds threateningly, so I had no choice but to comply.

"Misty, where are they taking us? You don't think there are victreebel in this forest, do you?"

"I don't think so. The gym tries to keep powerful Pokémon like that farther away from the city. We aren't nearly far enough away for that. I don't know what they want, but it doesn't seem that terribly dangerous."

I looked towards the hoard. "Ok, we'll go with you, just relax."

The assorted grass types seemed to settle, and they led us into the foreboding boughs of the forest.

As the trees began to close around us, I couldn't help but feel…. Something. It was as if there was someone standing just behind me, that subconscious awareness of presence that you get.

I looked over at Misty, questioning with my eyes. "Yes, I feel it too Scott. There's something here."

We were led to a massive clearing in the woods, one lone tree growing in the center. I got a deeply foreboding feeling, because I recognized that tree. It looked like a bromeliad, a pineapple or coconut tree, with a thick rugged trunk. Green fronds grew from its base, and a large flower grew from the top, pink petals with white speckles. The tree stood twenty feet tall at least, and if my premonition was accurate, the creature it was attached to was equally massive, a veritable vegetable giant.

Sure enough, the ground shook and rumbled, rippling as the giant blue-green body of the beast lurched out of the soil.

"SAAAAAAUUUUUURRRRRRR!!!!!"

The Venusaur's deep bass bellow rumbled the very air in my lungs, and his sheer presence dropped me to my knees. The trees danced and writhed as he exercised his power. Truly, this Pokémon was the king of these woods.

As I stood in awe of this titan of the woods, hoards of abra teleported in, called by the mighty grass type that stood regally before us.

Their eyes glowing, they spread out in a circle around the clearing, encompassing all within it in their psionic net. A great chorus of voices, speaking in perfect unison, assaulted my mind.

YOU, WHO HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY THE ANCESTOR. YOU HAVE A FAE AMONGST YOUR NUMBER.

It wasn't a question. I answered anyway. "Yes. I do."

CALL HER FORTH. THE LORD OF THE FOREST WISHES TO BARGAIN.

Joy materialized in a flash of light, shaking her limbs in readiness, then immediately fell to a knee, her head bowed as she realized just who she now faced.

"Young fae, I have had your human call you forth. I invoke the old agreements. I wish to bargain. Do you accept?"

"I am Joy-of-the-Spring-Dawning, daughter of the Lady of Viridian Forest, She Whose Name Is Unspoken." Joy felt something awaken inside her, the other side of her dual nature. An otherworldly smile creased her small face. Her entire demeanor changed, from the curious, playful psychic type emerged something, other. Cruel and capricious, yet bound by word and deed. "I am a daughter of the fae. Our bargain will be fair, and once struck, it WILL be inviolable. Knowing this, do you accept?"

"I must. The need is great, and the situation is dire."

"Very well. Let us bargain."

"Some weeks ago, my subjects began to disappear. I would send them on patrols, and they would never return. Now, this is not unheard of. Every so often, one or two will choose to be captured by a human trainer. This is far and above that. Hundreds of my subjects have gone missing. Now, a week ago, my own daughter was playing in the meadow. Men in black uniforms took her AND her escort. My bargain is thus, I will show you and your human where these men are hiding, and you will tear them out, root and stem, so that they never return. You will return my daughter to me. In return, I will allow my most trusted lieutenants to join you on your journey. Is this bargain acceptable?"

"A life for a life. It is….. equitable. The deal is-"

"WAIT!" A human voice rang out and joy stopped in shock.

I had listened with no small sense of awe at the translated conversation, provided by the chorus of Abras, between the Venusaur and my Ralts. Or, Joy-of-the-Spring-Dawning, I suppose. When the Venusaur spoke of men in black, I quickly put two and two together and figured out who had taken his people. Though the idea of several powerful grass types added to my team appealed to me, I knew I would hate myself if I allowed it.

"WAIT!" I shouted. The King Venusaur looked at me in barely contained rage. Joy-of-the-Spring-Dawning also looked surprised, and looked between me and Venusaur repeatedly, as if to gauge our reactions.

"Honored forest elder," I said, falling to my knees. "I cannot in good conscience accept this bargain." The Venusaur rumbled dangerously. "I am already morally bound to defeat this group of men. I have encountered them before, and they are a blight on the good land of Kanto. I cannot accept any kind of payment for returning your daughter and your people to you. It is something I would have done anyway."

The massive monarch rumbled consideringly, then the chorus spoke again, resonant with the bass tones of the Forest King.

THERE IS HONOR IN YOU, TRAINER OF POKÉMON. VERY WELL. WE WILL HAVE OUR GENERALS SHOW YOU THE LOCATION OF THESE OTHER HUMANS. IF YOU WILL ACCEPT NO OTHER REWARD, THEN ACCEPT OUR MOST SINCERE GRATITUDE.

I bowed, formally from the waist, then turned to follow the grass types around me.

MAY THE GREAT WHEEL PROTECT YOU.

We walked for almost an hour, before we saw it. Through the trees, past the edge of the forest, stood a hardened bunker. We had found the Cerulean Cape rocket hideout.

Scott's Pokédex:

Caught: Squirtle, Caterpie, Metapod, Butterfree, Weedle, Kakuna, Beedrill, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Rattata, Raticate, Spearow, Fearow, Ekans, Pikachu, Sandshrew, Nidoran(F), Nidorina, Nidoran(M), Nidorino, clefairy, Vulpix, jigglypuff, zubat, paras, Parasect, Mankey, geodude, graveler, Pichu, Cleffa, Igglybuff, Ralts