What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you the next chapter of my Pokémon story.

Now for the disclaimer: I do not own, except my OCs, the Pokémon series. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Now let's get this party started… BEGIN!


Chapter 4: To Catch a Scyther


When daytime came, Absol and I checked out of the Pokémon Center then we continued on our way to Rustboro City.

Though there was one problem…

"WHY DID WE HAVE TO ENCOUNTER A HIVE OF BEEDRILL!" I screamed as me and Absol ran for our lives away from an angry horde of Beedrill.

Seriously, out of all the Pokémon I could have encountered, it had to be the one kind that had a short fuse when it came to travelers on the road!

Damn you, Arceus! Damn you to the deepest pits of Hell for doing this to me!

"Absol, what are you waiting for!? Use Thunder on those guys!" I shouted at my partner as I fled for my life.

"Sol?!" Absol argued.

"What do you mean you won't do it!? You zap shit every chance you get!" I cried out indignant.

"Absol." She pointed out.

"What!? Just zap them!" I exclaimed.

The Beedrill buzzed menacingly as they started to gain on us. I could hear them buzzing louder and louder…

Well, this is how I die. Skewered by Beedrill all because my partner decided to be stubborn.

At least I thought I was gonna die.

"Scyther!" A new voice interjected, causing me to look back as a green mantis-looking Pokémon attacked the Beedrill.

"A Scyther!" I said in surprise as I watched the newcomer slice and dice the Beedrill. The Scyther used its arm blades to deflect and parry away the bees' drill arms.

"Absol?" My partner looked at me in confusion.

"I'm a little surprised as well. Why would a Scyther suddenly save us?" I pondered, rubbing my chin.

Absol just shrugged, or at least mimicked it. "Sol."

"Scyther!" The Scyther slashed away the last Beedrill and, surprisingly, the whole hive fled away.

"Well, that's the end of that." I said with a grin before approaching the Scyther. "Hey, thanks for the help. We would've been toast if it wasn't for-"

The Pokemon turned around to face me directly and I froze at the sight of those blades glinting as it did so.

"Uh…is something wrong?" I asked with a sheepish chuckle.

"Scyther…" The Bug-Type approached me with a menacing glint in its eyes.

"Oh no…" I gulped.

"Absol!" The Disaster Pokémon leapt in front of me, snarling at the Scyther.

Ah man, and I thought I was safe from the Beedrill! Now I gotta deal with a crazy Scyther? Why does the Universe hate me!?

"Scyther!" The Bug-Type prepared to attack only for a green blur to step in front of Absol, stopping the Scyther in its tracks.

It turned out to be another Scyther. However, there was a fundamental difference between this one and my would-be attacker.

This one… seemed to… know me?

"Scyther, scy, scyther!" The attacking Scyther told our rescuer to step aside.

"Scyther." This Scyther shook its head. Huh, weird. It sounds…feminine. But why would a female Scyther protect me? She looked back at me and gave me a reassuring glance before it looked back at the attacking Scyther…and began to scold it.

Wait a minute…

…could these two be…mates?

Now it makes so much sense! This attacker must've only been protecting its mate. And if this female Scyther is its mate…

"It's only protecting its family." I said in realization as I looked at the female Scyther's thorax which was swollen unlike regular female Scyther.

"Sol?" Absol looked at me in surprise.

"Yeah, that's the only other reason as to why this Scyther attacked Beedrill and us." I explained. "This female Scyther is gonna become a mom."

"Scyther." The female beamed happily at my explanation before looking back at her mate, which now seemed sheepish and embarrassed. "Scyther, scy, scy, scyther!"

The male approached me and bowed apologetically. "Scyther, scy."

"Oh, uh, water under the bridge." I said with a chuckle.

"Scyther, scy." The female Scyther gestured into the woods while looking at me.

"You…want us to follow you?" I inquired.

"Scyther." She nodded with a happy smile.

Seriously, does she know me? I feel like I should know her but for the life of me, I can't remember where.

"What do you think, Absol?" I asked my partner. "Should we follow her?"

"Sol." She nodded.

I grinned at my partner before we decided to follow after the Scyther and her mate. It seemed strange how quiet the forest looked, especially since I'm following two Pokémon that have razor sharp blades for arms.

When we came to a clearing at the edge of the forest, I was stupefied by the sight of a large tree while the field was covered by different kinds of flowers. It was the perfect paradise for Pokémon.

"This is amazing…" I said with awe.

"Absol…" Absol agreed with me, equally surprised.

"Scyther." The female Scyther spoke, gesturing to the large tree in the center of the field.

"Is that your home?" I asked, pointing at the tree.

She gave a nod. "Scy."

"It's really nice." I commented with a smile.

"Absol!" My partner called out, drawing my attention to her. Absol was right in front of the tree, or rather, an entrance that led inside of the tree.

"Could that be the way to their nest?" I pondered.

"Scyther." The male Scyther gave Absol a warning glare.

"Sol." Absol growled at the male with a glare of her own.

"Okay, let's not start a fight." I interjected, getting in between Absol and the Scyther. "Absol, this is their home. And if they're expecting parents, we can't just enter their nest. So, we're camping in the field. Alright?"

Absol pouted but understood what I wanted. I just hope a fight doesn't break out. I'd rather not be on the sharp end of a Scyther's blades.

The female Scyther gave her life partner a scolding, who seemed sheepish before he went into the nest. The female looked at me for a moment before entering her nest.

Why does she look at me like that? I feel like I know her but my memory is blank.

"Sol?" I felt Absol's paw on my leg, getting my attention. She gave me that concerned look that was notable for when she noticed my silence.

"I'm good, girl. Just had a thought, that's all." I said with a smile before taking out my backpack and bringing out my camping supplies such as the instant tent, sleeping bag, and a portable fireplace.

Apparently, technology in the Pokémon World is far more advanced than my world. The Silph brand backpack is actually a lot bigger on the inside, which explains the massive inventory in the games. It's able to fit even large objects such as cooking utensils and camping gear. Gotta love anime and game mechanics.

"Alright, girl. How about we have some lunch?" I asked my partner, who beamed happily at the mention of food.

"Hold it right there!" A voice called out.

"Huh?" I blinked in surprise as me and Absol focused on the speaker. The speaker is revealed to be a teenage girl with wild forest green hair, hazel eyes, and tan skin. She wore a khaki vest and shorts, an orange handkerchief, and hiking boots.

"What are you doing here? Don't you know that this is a protected Pokémon preserve?" The girl shouted at me.

"Uh, no, I didn't. Who are you?" I inquired.

"My name is Samantha and I'm a Pokémon Preserve Ranger. I'm in charge of protecting this nest of Scyther from poachers!" Samantha replied. "Are you a poacher?"

"Do I look like a poacher?" I deadpanned.

"Absol." My partner chimed in.

"The hell do you mean I do!?" I exclaimed in comical anger.

"Sol, sol." Absol shrugged with a coy smirk on her muzzle.

"You're just asking for it." I growled.

I heard Samantha giggling, which made me feel a little embarrassed. "Yeah, you're definitely not a poacher. But what are you doing here?"

"I was kinda on the road to Rustboro City but I ran into a Beedrill hive. Would've been skewered if it wasn't for the Scyther here helping me out." I explained. "Oh, right. I'm Chris Holmes and this is my partner, Absol."

"Sol." Absol waved her paw in greeting.

"Nice to meet you both." Samantha said with a smile.

I returned the gesture and brought out a fire-starting kit. "Well, you're just in time for lunch. I was about to start cooking if you'd like to join."

"I wouldn't want to impose." Samantha said.

"Well, I don't mind. Plus, I kinda wanna know what a Pokémon Preserve Ranger does." I replied with a shrug, getting out a saucepan as well as a few preserved ingredients.

"Sure. No problem."

"Hey Absol, mind getting us some water from the river?" I asked, holding out a metal bucket for her to take.

"Sol~?" She was giving me this expectant look in her eyes. One I've come to understand in the small time we've been together on our journey.

"Yes, I'll give you extra treats for your meal." I said, rolling my eyes. At this point, Absol is ruining my image of Absols everywhere. The little glutton. With this, Absol took the handle of the bucket into her mouth and walked away towards the river.

"Wow, sassy much?" Samantha giggled.

"Trust me, you don't know the half of it." I deadpanned with a sweat drop. "I still smell smoke on my clothes every day."

"Why?" She asked, looking at me in confusion.

"Ever wondered what happens when a human is hit by lightning?" I inquired. "Yeah, it hurts. A lot."

"Does Absol know Electric attacks?" Samantha pondered.

I nodded, "Yeah, I think one of her parents may have been a Luxray."

"Really? Huh… you look like you could be an expert in Pokemon Breeding."

"Heh, I wish…" I said with a chuckle while cutting up a celery and a carrot with a knife. "Breeding isn't for me. Battle is where I thrive."

"Oh, so you're a Trainer."

"Yeah. I got here in Hoenn not too long ago. Ever since then, it's just been me and Absol for a while." I shrugged.

"Finding and catching an Absol is pretty rare. They're usually only seen in mountains or when disaster strikes." Samantha said with a look of wonder.

"Well, one day, I just woke up and… there she was." I replied with a shrug, before covering my mouth. Oh shit… I shouldn't have said that.

"Wait, Absol was there when you woke up?" Samantha looked shocked. "That's bad! An Absol that personally appears in front of a human usually means that something bad will happen to that human."

"Oh."

"Oh? What do you mean, 'oh'?! It's called the Disaster Pokémon for a reason!" Samantha cried out.

"Yeah, but… not everything revolves around disaster. That's like saying certain Pokémon actually do what they have been known to do." I pointed out. "Like Sneasel for instance. They say that they like to eat Pidgey eggs. Have you ever seen a Sneasel do that?"

"W-Well, no." She admitted with an embarrassed blush.

"Then why should Absol be automatically considered as a source of disaster?"

"Uh… well…" She trailed off.

"Don't tell me you actually believe everything the Pokédex says about each and every Pokémon." I muttered.

"Wow, seriously? For someone who's a Ranger, you don't get out much, do you…"

"Of course, I do!" Samantha retorted with an angry blush. "I'm a Pokémon Preserve Ranger! My job literally entails me to be outside!"

"Hey, easy now." I held up my hands to placate her anger. "There's no need to be mad. Lot of people don't understand everything about Pokémon."

Samantha sighed, "Yeah, I guess so… to be honest, I just recently graduated from Ranger school, and I've only been on the job for a few weeks…"

"Oh, funny enough, I started my journey a few weeks ago too." I said with a chuckle as I took up a salted beef stick. "Guess we're in the same boat."

"Oh, I guess we are." Samantha admitted with a giggle.

"Absol." I heard my partner's voice as she approached me with the bucket in her mouth, which had been filled with water.

"Oh, you're back. Thanks, Absol." I smiled, as I took it off Absol's mouth.

"Sol." She beamed at the praise, especially when I gave her a brief rubbing of her chin.

With the water in hand, I set about having it boiled over my impromptu fire pit, cutting a few pieces of the salted beef. Next, I prepared a small container of milk as well as some beef stock for the stew I had prepared.

"What are you making?" Samantha asked.

"Beef stew." I replied, adding the beef stock, milk, and boiling water together. After that, I added in the meat, carrots, and celery along with some roughly chopped potatoes and onions.

"Beef stew?" Samantha looked at me in surprise.

"Something I've been practicing for quite some time." I focused back on cooking, stirring slowly so that the ingredients could get together well. Who knew watching so many cooking videos on YouTube would pay off?

"How long does stew usually take to cook?" Samantha asked.

"Depending on how it goes, around an hour or two." I answered as I continued to stir.

"I…guess that makes sense?" Samantha said, a bit confused.

"You'll find out in an hour, at least." I spoke.


(3rd POV)

"You sure what we're looking for is in this forest?"

"I've been scouting this area for the past three days. The pair haven't left their home in all that time. It's almost ready."

"Then we'll go at night. Once they're groggy and the female is exhausted from the birthing process, we'll grab the item we need and vacate the area."

"I hope that Ranger isn't still snooping around. The last time we tried doing something like this, it was cutting it too close."

"Not to worry. I managed to snag a couple surprises to deal with her or any would-be heroes."


(1st POV)

"Stew is ready." I called out to Samantha, who was giving Absol tummy rubs, evident by the Disaster Pokémon kicking her hind leg happily.

"That was quick." Samantha commented.

"Yeah, it did feel quick, didn't it?" I pondered, stirring the pot and lifting up the ladle to pour it in a bowl. "Here ya go. Careful it's hot." I said, presenting the meal to her.

"Thanks." Samantha said, gratefully taking the bowl. She slightly winced feeling the warmth of the bowl before taking her spoon to scoop a bit of everything. She blew on the stew before placing it in her lips.

"AHHHHHHHH~! IT'S SO GOOOOOOOD!" Samantha squealed as her eyes literally sparkled. Yes. I kid you not, there are actual sparkles in her eyes.

"It's…just stew. It's nothing special." I said, a bit confused and creeped out. Though now that I'm feeding myself, I might as well grab Absol's food too. "Come on, girl. Dinner time." I reached into my bag and brought out a sealed jar of Pokémon food suited for Absol's particular tastes.

She approached me and I could see her drooling… ew. "Absol, manners." I chided.

She stuck her tongue out at me before she snatched the jar out of my hands.

"Hey!"

Absol didn't even hear my complaint before she ran into the tent, and I heard the jar cap pop off followed by ravenous eating that…disturbed me. Even the tent was moving around erratically. Reminds me of… nooooooope! No, no, no! I am not referencing Scary Movie 4 with that Brokeback Mountain parody! Nope absolutely not!

"Your Absol is…pretty eccentric." Samantha commented while eating her portion of stew.

"Don't I know it." I grumbled, returning to the pot to get my own portion. "Not to mention very high maintenanced…"

"Really?"

"She's female."

"That would explain it."

"Yeah, guys like me, have a hard time understanding girls." I stated. With my bowl filled, I sat down at a stool and ate. Ahhhh… the warmth of stew… can't get any homier than this. "So… what made you want to be a Ranger?" I asked Samantha.

Samantha smiled wistfully, "My grandmother. She lived in this forest since she was my age and helped protect the forest Pokémon. Overtime, my family has lived in harmony with all living things that call this forest home and it was officially named a Pokémon Preserve to prevent Trainers and poachers from taking the Pokémon that live in the forest."

"Ah, so carrying on the family tradition, huh?" I mused.

"Yeah, though it's not without its problems."

"Oh? Why's that?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I have to study the habitats of the Pokémon living here. Make sure there's no Trainers or poachers nearby. Provide aid to any Pokémon that are injured or sick. And those are just a few of my duties as a Ranger." Samantha said, sipping her bowl. "But I wouldn't change it for anything. There's so much to learn about these wonderful creatures."

"Yeah, I can understand that." I replied, thinking back to the days on what drew me to Pokémon in the first place. There's so much I don't know about them even after watching the anime, reading the manga, or playing the games. Pokémon are a mystery, and those mysteries keep growing. I'm pretty sure I'll be an old man before I can learn even half of what those mysteries could be.

"So lemme ask you." Samantha said, interrupting my train of thought. "What made you want to be a Pokémon Trainer?"

"Huh," I paused. "I don't know. Honestly, I'm doing this because there's something I need to do but, after that, I don't know."

"And what would that be?"

"It's-"

"Houndoom, Flamethrower!" A new voice decided to interrupt me, followed by a stream of fire that came at-

"DUCK!" I exclaimed, diving towards Samantha to push her to the ground, using my own body to cover her should the flames get lower. The fire soared over my head, the heat nearly blistering my skin before it began to calm down. "Who the hell-?!"

"Looks like we got ourselves a little forest couple of lovers, brother."

"Ha! Seems even a Preserve Ranger needs a good romp around the hay, once in a while."

Looking at the source of the voice, I noticed not one but two guys that looked alike. They both had dark red hair, but one had shorter hair and the other had longer hair. They had green eyes and light skin. Then there were their clothes, the long-haired twin dressed in black punk leather while the short-haired twin wore clothing fit for mountain climbing.

That was nothing compared to the two Pokémon currently standing in front of them. A Houndoom and a Rhyhorn.

"Who the hell are you two?" I demanded. They were about to answer, "Actually, don't answer that. Cause you two fuckers are dead the moment you decided to try and roast us…" I growled.

"Big mouth on this one, bro." The punk remarked.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Samantha demanded.

"Oh, we're here for merchandise. That newly arrived Pokémon Egg hiding in that hovel nearby." The mountain climber stated.

"What?!" Samantha snapped.

"Of course. A pair of Pokémon poachers. No surprise there." I scoffed. "It's one thing to steal Pokémon, but it's another to steal a Pokémon's Egg. I'm definitely kicking your asses. Absol!"

A white blur left the tent and stood protective in front of me, and Samantha was Absol, her visage clearly warning the two Pokémon in front of her that she was not to be taken lightly.

Samantha looked around until she noticed an Ariados in the distance. "Perfect." She said, before attaching something… red to her arm? Wait, is that a Capture Styler?!

"Capture on!" Samantha said, as she fired a top-like spinner towards the Ariados and it spun around the spider Pokémon. She then waved her hands in certain motions before the ring closed in and enveloped Ariados in a white light for a brief moment before fading and the top retracted back to her Styler.

"Capture complete!"

No way, she's that kind of Pokémon Ranger?!

"You're that kind of a Pokémon Ranger?!" I exclaimed, shocked and bewildered by this revelation.

Samantha stuck her tongue out playfully, "I did say that my family protected this forest. We are just honorary agents of the Ranger Union."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" The punk gawked.

"Alright Ariados, use String Shot to tie these crooks up!" Samantha commanded.

"Houndoom, Fire Blast!" The punk ordered.

"No, you don't! Absol counter with Thunder!"

"Rhyhorn, intercept with Rock Tomb!"

Ariados shot a thread of webbing at Houndoom, but the canine responded by unleashing a blast of fire in the form of its Kanji symbol, burning the threads. Absol tried to use her electric attack to stop the hellhound, but Rhyhorn stood in its path, using its Typing to negate the Thunder attack while sending out a plethora of large rocks that surrounded both Ariados and Absol.

"Damn…" I cursed.

"Hah! All bark and no bite!" The punk laughed.

"Absol, Extreme Speed with Psycho Cut!" I quickly ordered.

Absol dashed out of the rocks, coated in an aura of wind as she approached Rhyhorn with her horn glowing with purple Psychic energy.

"Rhyhorn, slow it down with Bulldoze!"

The Spikes Pokémon stomped on the ground then charged recklessly towards Absol with abandon.

"Now jump!" I ordered.

Absol didn't waste any time as she did as ordered and jumped. Rhyhorn skidded to a halt to look up, before Absol released the pink energy in the form of a crescent energy blade, striking true to her target, sending the Spikes Pokémon skidding backwards.

"Now's your chance Ariados, tie it up with String Shot!" Samantha commanded.

The arachnid Pokémon burst out of the rocks and shot a string of webbing from its mouth, ensnared Rhyhorn until its legs were bound up nice and tight. It then decided to use the String Shot on its trainer/poacher, wrapping him in the sticky web like a mummy, before falling down as the guy flailed about like a Magikarp out of water.

"Now's a good chance for you to surrender." I smirked.

"I've got a better idea." The other poacher growled. "Houndoom, use Flamethrower on the trees!"

WHAT?!

Without hesitation, Houndoom reared its head and breathed a stream of fire, sweeping it across the trees and they started burning.

"What are you doing?!" Samantha shouted.

"What else?! I'm burning this forest!" The other poacher shouted. "I'm getting that Pokémon Egg one way or another! This is the only way I can! And I am not letting some Pokémon Ranger reject and some unknown loser get in the way between me and my paycheck!"

"You're out of your mind!" I exclaimed, looking at the flames as the forest began to burn.

"No, I'm an opportunist." The thug said, before running off with his Houndoom. What the fuck?! He's even ditching his own partner to die! "See ya, suckers!"

"Samantha, take care of this guy and his Rhyhorn!" I told the Ranger as I grabbed my water canteen from out of my bag.

"Where are you going?!" Samantha asked.

"Going after that poacher! He's trying to steal Scyther's egg and I'm not letting it happen!" I spoke.

"But the fire-!"

"Do what you can to stop the fire from spreading further! Find Pokémon that can help!" I said, before dashing off with Absol following.


That crazy bastard!

Does he even care what happens to the Pokémon that live in this forest?! When I get my hands on him, I'll make him regret the day he was born! I rushed past the flames where left and right, I'm already seeing Pokémon fleeing from the fire. Damn, this is worse than I thought. And there are no Water-type Pokémon in the nearby area!

"Scyther!" A cry of distress reached my ears.

Oh, no…

"Absol!" I shouted as I got on her back. "Double time!"

"Sol! Sol!"

"Hey, I'm not that heavy!" I argued. "Anyways, we don't have time! Use Extremespeed, so we can get to Scyther's nest fast!"

"Absol!" The same aura of wind shrouded my partner before she took off faster than I expected, forcing me to tighten my grip onto her fur.

The smoke posturing the air was slowly starting to choke out any form of oxygen. If this continued, the whole forest would be destroyed and so would the Pokémon.

It wasn't long before we finally arrived at the entrance near Scyther's nest… and… it was smoking… no no noooo!

Hopping off Absol's back, I search for any sign of the two Scythers and the egg. "Come on. Where are you…"

When I went further into the nest. My eyes couldn't be prepared for what I saw next. It wasn't the fact that the egg was missing. It wasn't the fact that the male Scyther was gone… it was the fact that the mother Scyther's corpse was laying there, her organs ripped out and her body ripped to shreds beyond recognition and burned into a crisp after.

"No…" I fell to my knees.

I…

…I wasn't fast enough.

I couldn't save her…

…I couldn't…

I emptied the contents of my stomach onto the ground, coughing and wheezing. Either from the smoke or the bile choking me, I didn't know nor did I care.

But… I do know one thing…

THAT MOTHERFUCKER IS DEAD!


"Hahahahahahaha!" The poacher cackled as he and Houndoom were running through the burning forest with the Scyther egg in tow. "This was an easy job! That bug stood no chance! And now I'm gonna be living the good life once I get this egg to the client! They'll be really happy!"

"YOU BASTARD!" A voice called out, surprising the poacher.

"Huh? What the-" The poacher said surprised as Absol landed in front of him with me on her back, before I got off. Absol, like me, was very very pissed off. Look no further than the crackles of electricity being larger than normal.

"YOU! ARE A DEAD MAN!" I roared.

"Arceus, what's your problem?! It's just a damn egg!"

"You murdered that Scyther! Return the egg and I promise to make your passing quick!"

"Hell no! This egg will make me a fortune!"

"All this?! For a Scyther Egg?! You're burning this entire forest for one Scyther Egg?!"

"Relax, nature will take its course and the forest will regrow itself! No harm done!" The poacher said.

"No harm done…" I said softly before snarling, "You think depriving the Pokémon that have lived here their whole lives, a home is no harm done?!"

"I fail to see where that's my problem."

"Absol… what I'm about to tell you… you do it once and never do it ever again…" I muttered. "Once we get the Scyther Egg…"

"…Kill him…"

The Disaster Pokémon looked at me for a moment then gave the poacher the evilest grin I had even seen on a Pokémon ever.

"SCYTHERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Ohhhhh, this poacher is fucked now…

Landing in front of us was the father of the Scyther Egg. I saw the residue of tears in its eyes. And I don't blame him. He was now a single father thanks to the poacher and now he's going to get what's coming to him.

"You want the same thing, don't you?" I inquired, keeping my gaze upon the poacher.

"Scytherrrrrrrr… Scyther, Scytherrrrrrrr…"

"Good. Then we're all on the same page."

"Grrrrrrr… Houndoom, use Flamethrower!" The poacher ordered.

"Intercept with Extremespeed and Air Cutter." I told Absol.

Absol reared back and with an unseen signal, moved at Extremespeed towards Houndoom, its horn glowing light blue as Flying-Type energy gathered around it. Before Houndoom could breathe fire-

*SLASH!*

Absol was already on the other side, her form, behind Houndoom. At first, the Dark Pokémon couldn't figure out what happened. But then its eyes widened as a large cut bisected the dog lengthwise and the top half of Houndoom fell on one side and the bottom half fell on the other.

"NOOOOOOOO!" The poacher shouted, before he was suddenly face-to-face with the Scyther Egg's father. And he did not look pleased.

"The egg. Now." I told the poacher, menacingly.

"N-No! No way! This is my meal ticket!" The poacher said, before attempting to make a run for it… that is until-

*SLASH!*

"Eyaaaaaaaaargh!" The poacher's legs were cut off by Scyther. The egg was involuntarily thrown up, but Absol managed to catch it with all four paws and landed on her back to cushion her fall.

"Good girl, Absol." I nodded, as I looked to the poacher lamely dragging himself across the ground.

"My egg… give back my egg…!" The pitiful man tried to reach out to the egg until the male Scyther stomped on his arm.

"This is merely karma. You've caused pain and now you reap what you sow." I told the poacher, looking at him without a care in my eyes. "You murdered this Scyther's mate and now you left his child motherless."

I then went over to Absol and held the egg in my hands and Absol approached the whimpering poacher. "Any last words before Absol puts you out of your misery? No? Good. Because the only thing I want to hear is you screaming in agony. Absol? Do it."

Absol leveled a cold glare upon the poacher, stepping on his back as she pressed her claws deep enough to puncture flesh and spilling blood.

What followed afterwards were the dying screams of a man and the ripping of flesh.


"You're back!"

Samantha's voice reached my ears as me, Absol, and Scyther met up with her. I spotted what seemed to be Water-type Pokémon as well as a few Ground-type Pokémon working together to put out the forest fire. Luckily, it seemed to be working and all that remained of the fire were embers.

"Yeah…" I said, my thoughts on the matter before clouding my feelings.

"And the Egg! You saved it!" Samantha sighed in huge relief.

"Yeah… but… the mother…" I trailed off.

Samantha realized what I meant and gasped, "No… You mean she's-"

I nodded in confirmation.

"What happened to the poacher you were chasing?"

"…Scyther killed him."

Samantha looked at the male Scyther that was beside me as he cradled the egg. "I see…" She said softly.

"Samantha, could I ask you a favor?" I inquired.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Look after him and his child. He's gonna need all the support he could get." I spoke.

The young woman looked at me for a moment before nodding, "Sure, I can-"

"Scyther." The male Scyther interjected as he approached the Pokémon Preserve Ranger…and held out the egg to her?!

"Scyther?" I gawked. "You… are you sure?!"

He looked at me and when I looked into his eyes, I knew what he wanted. So, I had no choice.

"Alright." I replied.

"What? What is it?" Samantha looked confused as she accepted the egg from the lone parent.

"Scyther wants you to take care of his egg. He wants to get stronger so he can protect his child…as penance for failing to protect his mate." I answered.

"Scyther, scy." The Mantis Pokémon nodded in agreement as he looked at Samantha as if hoping she would accept his request.

"I see… then…" Samantha trailed off before putting on a resolved face added with a smile. "Leave it to me! I'll take good care of your kid!"

Scyther nodded then he turned to face me. "Scyther…"

"You want to travel with me to get stronger, huh?" I theorized then closed my eyes. "It might be a long while before you can return to your kid. You might not even be the same Pokémon anymore."

"Scyther! Scy!"

Yeah, he's really determined. I could tell. And that fire in his eyes…

"Alright then." I nodded, reaching to my belt to pull out an empty Poké Ball. When I pressed the button, the small device grew. "From now on, we'll get stronger together. Poké Ball, go!" I threw the ball at Scyther, which bounced off his head before he turned into red energy and was sucked into the Poké Ball.

It bobbed once.

Twice.

Three times.

*DING!*

I grinned, approaching the Poké Ball and picking it up. For nostalgia, I raised it in the air. "Alright, I caught a Scyther!"

"Hehe… you really are a Pokémon Trainer at heart." Samantha giggled.

"Yeah." I chuckled. "So~ what now?"

"I'm going to have to call in the Ranger Union. The fire did a huge damage to the ecosystem." Samantha sighed, before looking at the still tied up Rhyhorn and his poacher. "And take those two to Officer Jenny."

"Well, I hope you're able to keep this place safe." I told her, holding out my hand to her. "The Pokémon that live here are all counting on you."

"Yeah, and I promise, just like my mother and grandmother before me, I'll protect the forest Pokémon from a tragedy like this." Samantha said, grasping my hand in a firm grip. "Good luck on your journey and I'll take good care of Scyther's egg."

"I'll hold you to that." I smirked then looked down at my partner. "Ready to go, Absol?"

"Sol. Absol." The Disaster Pokémon nodded.

"Take care, Chris! Absol!" Samantha waved at us as we continued on our journey. I waved back at her with a smile…

…and yet, all I felt from this whole experience was regret and futility.

I realized that death is all too present in this world. Even when I initially thought of it as minimal, the darkness of humans will always be relative no matter where I go.

And somehow, I had a feeling…

…this would not be the last tragedy I would see.


A/N: And that's the end of the chapter.

So yeah, dark stuff happened. Originally, it was supposed to be a happier ending but then I realized this is a side of the series that we've yet to see. Ash's adventures usually have a more light-hearted story. This will showcase the darker parts.

Anyways, the MC has now gotten a Scyther. As for the female Scyther seemingly knowing him, it's actually a play-on to a Scyther I caught when I played Emerald. She became part of my main team and helped me crush a lot of opponents.

But now that our hero has two Pokémon on his team, we might have more trainer battles. What sort of adventures will he encounter next?

Review and comment on this chapter. Love it, hate it, but just know that you've read it.

Peace out, everyone!