Waking Up to an Adventure - Silver Conference

by pigeonsaurus

Book 2 of the Waking Up to an Adventure series. After his loss at the Pokémon League, Ash is thrown into a new adventure. Eager to prove himself after learning all he did in Kanto, Ash travels to Johto with both old and new friends by his side. With new Badges to earn, and brand new Pokémon to catch, nothing can stop Ash from challenging the Silver Conference. Updates Wednesdays!

7. A Sappy Ending

Chapter 7

It had been a few days since the pair had left New Bark Town behind, and now they were continuing their journey toward Violet City, the city that Nurse Joy recommended they visit for their first Johto League Gym Badge. Not only that, but seeing all the new Pokémon that Professor Elm had at his lab was only putting a fire in Ash's step.

"It was really cool that we got to see Totodile, Chikorita, and Cyndaquil!" Ash said with a skip in his step. "I sure am glad we got to see them."

"Maybe if we're lucky enough, we'll encounter them in the wild, too," Gary agreed with a smile. But his smile quickly faded when they approached a large tree, being replaced with one of awe. "Hey, look at that!" It seemed to be the tallest tree in the forest, with a wide trunk that was big enough to build a house in. However, it wasn't the trunk that was grabbing their attention, but rather the creatures that littered its surface.

They were Pokémon with a dark blue exoskeleton that shimmered like jewels in the sunlight, and their main feature was a large horn that extended from their face. Though their faces were stuck against the tree bark. "They look like Bug Pokémon."

A smile stretched across Ash's lips. It was a Pokémon he hadn't seen before, and he took out his new Pokédex that Professor Oak had given him before they left Pallet and scanned it. The covers opened, and an image of the Pokémon appeared on the screen. "Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon. Though gentle and docile, Heracross possesses great strength and power. Their favorite food is the fresh sap of leafy trees."

"I'm gonna try and catch all those Heracross!" Ash claimed, clicking his Pokédex shut and putting it back in his pocket before replacing it with a Poké Ball. "I can save the tree and get some neat Pokémon!"

As he reared his arm back to throw his choice of Pokémon, a voice behind them stopped him. "Hold it, young man." It wasn't a demanding voice, but a calm one. Both Ash and Gary turned around, and their eyes looked up at a tall, scruffy man wearing a dark orange uniform and smiling warmly at them. "You're free to catch the Heracross if you'd like, but if you do, you might be responsible for causing more harm to this forest than you know."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Woodruff. I'm a ranger for the Forest and Wildlife Bureau," he introduced.

"My name's Ash!"

"And I'm Gary."

"Well, I imagine you're both experienced Pokémon Trainers."

"Right!" Ash affirmed with a nod.

"I'm sure you're eager to catch as many Heracross as you can, but you might cause a great deal of damage to this forest if you do," Woodruff told them.

"Really?"

Woodruff's dark eyes drifted up to look at the Heracross in the trees, sucking the sap from its bark. "It's important to understand how delicate the balance of nature can be."

"What d'ya mean?"

"To survive in this forest, Butterfree need Heracross to live with them side-by-side," he pointed out matter-of-factually.

"How's that help the Butterfree?" Ash asked. They all turned around as they heard the chirping of approaching Butterfree. They flew down from the forest trees and fluttered close to the Heracross. As they got closer to the Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon moved out of the way and let the Butterfree sip from the sap that had been exposed. "I see what you mean! The Butterfree are too weak to dig into the trees!"

"And they need the Heracross to start the sap flowing," Gary finished.

"The Heracross eat their fill, and the Butterfree lick the leftovers!" Ash put simply. "Every body eats, and everybody's happy!"

"Precisely," Woodruff nodded.

"All right, Woodruff. I won't catch any of the Heracross," Ash promised.

"But if the balance of nature is fine, then why are you here?" Gary asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Is this a part of your route or something?"

"If only it were that simple," the ranger replied. At that moment, a strange gurgling sound emerged from the forest. Everyone turned their head to see a brown Pokémon with a pair of large, white claws coming out of its head approaching the tree. The gurgling sound was the cry of a Pinsir. "That is why I am here."

"What?" Ash asked, and Woodruff elaborated.

"The forest next door is home to Pinsir. Pinsir are territorial Pokémon by nature, and though they usually live in harmony with the Heracross – both knowing where their territory is – some of the Pinsir have been looking to expand their land, which results in some of them coming over here." The ranger pointed a gloved finger to Pinsir. "See that Pinsir? I've been following it for some time, and knew it would end up here."

Ash and Gary gasped, and when they turned back, the Pinsir launched itself onto the tree and began to ascend its thick hide. It scuttled up to a Butterfree and clicked its spiked horns intimidatingly. Its plan worked, and the Butterfree flew away with a frightened cry. One by one, it darted to each of the Butterfree, using its horns to scare them away. "Knock it off, Pinsir! Go eat someplace else!" Ash yelled.

"Fight back, Heracross!" Gary shouted. The Heracross seemed to hear him, as their shells opened up revealing wings, and they all pushed off the tree and flew into the air. "There you go!"

"Chase that Pinsir out of there!" Ash encouraged. But with one clink of its horn, the Heracross turned around and flew away, scattering into the forest. Ash and Gary's mouth flung open as they all disappeared amongst the trees.

"But there were so many of them," the Indigo League winner stated. "They had the advantage!"

"Heracross could easily take on that Pinsir," Woodruff answered with a knowing smile. "But they're just too peaceful and friendly. The Heracross would rather take flight than stay around and fight."

"Sometimes that's a pretty smart philosophy," Ash chuckled nervously with a hand on his hip.

"But not in this case. That Pinsir is going to take over their forest, and make it so the Butterfree can't eat," Gary reminded Ash, but the dark-haired boy only responded in a gasp. At the top of the tree where the branches turned into leaves, a single Butterfree had been left behind, and was now trapped by the Pinsir, which was growing steadily closer to it.

"Looks like trouble!" he gasped. Seconds later, a single Heracross appeared and moved itself in between the Pinsir and Butterfree.

"Herlacrloss!"

"Heracross!" Ash called.

"It's trying to protect that Butterfree that got left behind!" Gary stated. But instead of fighting back, Heracross threw itself to the ground over the Butterfree just as Pinsir charged. The Stag Beetle Pokémon began to strike Heracross's hard shell with its pincers, and its exoskeleton protected Butterfree, but for how long?

"Heracross is in trouble! I gotta help it!" Ash cried, and pulled out a Poké Ball. "I choose you! Bulbasaur!"

"Bulba-zaur!" Bulbasaur announced as it was released from its Poké Ball.

"Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip attack!" Bulbasaur raised its back legs slightly, and two vines sprouted from underneath its bulb. The vines then shot out and struck the Pinsir from behind. The Bug Pokémon gurgled and cried out in surprise from the sudden attack, and it lost its grip before crashing to the ground.

With the threat of Pinsir gone, Heracross rose from Butterfree and ushered the Butterfly Pokémon off, but it looked too exhausted to escape itself. Pinsir saw this as well, and ignoring Bulbasaur and Ash, it stood back up and began to climb the tree once again.

This time, it was Gary that took out a Poké Ball, and he threw it forward. "Nidoking, I choose you!" In front of Ash's Bulbasaur, a large purple Pokémon with a row of horns starting from its forehead and trailing down its back appeared in a flash of light. The Pokémon gave a loud, thunderous cry and raised its hands above its head. "Nidoking, use your Earthquake attack!" its Trainer commanded.

Nidoking opened its maw and let out another grunt before it slammed its massive foot – the size of a tree itself – into the ground. Ash almost lost his balance from the Ground-type attack causing the earth to tremble below his feet. With the Earthquake being directed straight at Pinsir, the Bug-type Pokémon once again fell onto its back.

On the topside of the tree, Heracross slowly opened its yellow eyes and looked down curiously at the pair of Pokémon Trainers defending it. "That was a strong attack!" Ash commented. Pinsir seemed to have thought so as well, as the Stag Beetle Pokémon was now turned to face Gary and his Nidoking. It seemed to have deemed them as a threat that needed to be taken out. The Pallet Town Trainer showed no emotion as Pinsir launched itself at Nidoking with its pincers opening. In seconds, the Bug Pokémon reached Nidoking and snapped its claws around Nidoking's body, but the Pokémon barely seemed affected, and though it grimaced at first, its eyelids soon shot open.

"Nidoking, use your Horn Attack!" Gary countered. Nidoking roared and flexed its body, and Pinsir stumbled backwards with a surprised look on its face, and that was the opening they needed. Lowering its head, the Drill Pokémon drove its horn into Pinsir's hard exoskeleton, sending it flying and landing on its back. Then, much to Ash's surprise, Gary produced a Poké Ball and threw it forward. "Poké Ball, go!"

The red and white Poké Ball spun through the air past Nidoking and landed with precise aim on Pinsir's body. The front button tapped its arm, and opened up, converting the Bug-type to red energy before sucking it inside. Once it clicked shut, it clattered to the ground and shook back and forth while Pinsir struggled to escape inside. Gary and Ash stayed quiet as could be, as if any sound they made would make the ball break open. Finally, the ball stopped rocking, and a loud ping echoed through the woods as the Poké Ball locked shut. Pinsir had been captured. "Great job, Nidoking," Gary congratulated, patting his Pokémon on the back as he walked past it to retrieve his new capture.

"That's not fair! I wanted to be the first one to catch a Pokémon in Johto..." Ash whined as if he were crying, his fingers trembling in jealousy.

"You snooze, you lose, Ashy-boy," Gary said with a smirk, and held the Poké Ball forward. "Not only did I get a new Pokémon, but I also helped protect this tree."

Running up to the tree with his Bulbasaur close behind, the boy put his hand around his mouth. "You can come on down, now, Heracross!" A happy look crossed the blue Bug-type's face, and it flew down and set its eyes on Bulbasaur. "Hey, look! Heracross wants to thank Bulbasaur!" But shockingly, Heracross dove down at Bulbasaur and wrapped its mouth around the end of its bulb. Underneath it, Bulbasaur flailed helplessly and in utter shock.

"Or it wants to make Bulbasaur's pollen a snack..." Gary muttered with an uncomfortable look coloring his face.

"Bul! Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur shouted, and soon struck out quickly with a Vine Whip that moved as fast as lightning. A loud crack filled the air and Heracross went flying backwards and landed on its back. After settling, it flailed its arms and legs like a child having a temper tantrum.

"That was... disturbing..." Gary commented. "Now I'm wondering if that Heracross was really trying to protect that Butterfree or if it just wanted to keep eating sap."

"Okay, so who cares if Heracross was just trying to protect its own food! It still somewhat stood up to that Pinsir, and now everything's back to normal, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid not," Woodruff stated, though the look on his face showed that he wasn't pleased, but concerned. "That Pinsir you captured was very close to the alpha of the group. I'm sure the other Pinsir will see this as an act of war and officially take over the Heracross's forest, now."

"Now who wasn't using their brain?" Ash teased with a sneer, earning a dirty look from his rival.

"Grow up, this is serious," Gary stated with his arms crossed over his chest. "The solution is simple: we just defeat the alpha when it shows up."

"But who's to say that it won't try and take over again after you two leave if you beat the Pinsir?" Woodruff responded with a question of his own.

"We have to at least try!" Ash said with determination. "Woodruff, can you take us to the Pinsir's forest?" Woodruff seemed to weigh his options, but knew there was no other decision, and nodded.

"Great. Let's head to the Pinsir Forest."

o 0 o

"It'll be slow-going," Woodruff warned as he led the way out to where the Heracross forest and the Pinsir's territory met. "The underbrush here is pretty thick." There wasn't exactly a clear path for them to follow, so they had to rely on the ranger.

"We'll fix that!" Ash offered, and looked down at his Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf through!"

"Bulba-saur!" The Seed Pokémon leapt into the air and sent out two spinning leaves from the sides of its bulb. The leaves – sharp as blades – easily sliced through the foliage before them, ultimately clearing a path ahead.

"See, Woodruff? We're helping already!" Ash chuckled, gesturing for the ranger to keep on leading the way. The older man smiled and carried on, but then Ash saw movement through the corner of his eye. Turning back the way they came, he saw the Heracross that had stayed behind slowly tailing them.

Gary also saw Ash's eyes lock onto something, and threw a glance over his shoulder as well. "Well, looks like we've got a tail."

"I bet Heracross wants me to be its protector!" Ash smirked.

"Or it wants to take a sip from Bulbasaur's dip," the other boy sneered back. Bulbasaur heard this and froze in spot, then spun on its heel and rushed past the three and confronted Heracross. It yelled at it, and then fired a warning Razor Leaf at the Bug and Fighting-type. The two spinning leaves spun past Heracross, but the Single Horn Pokémon still flinched. It seemed that Bulbasaur was still a little sore from Heracross's earlier greeting, and Ash didn't blame it one bit.

So they carried on ahead, with Bulbasaur staying out of its Poké Ball to occasionally help with hedge trimming. But as they moved further, the foliage seem to lessen with each step taken. "The path should be clear now, Ash," Woodruff told him. "We're through the thickest part of the woods."

"Great," the black-haired Trainer replied, and took out Bulbasaur's Poké Ball. "Take a rest, Bulbasaur." The red recall beam shot out and turned Bulbasaur into energy before drawing it inside. "Good job."

Not too far from where the trees began to part, a massive ravine swallowed the earth. Ash and Gary gasped as they looked down, and far, far below they could see a river flowing through between the two cliffs, but it would be a long drop down. It was almost nauseating just looking down. "That canyon just seems to go into the center of the planet!" Gary commented.

"Yes, it's quite a drop," Woodruff agreed. "The Pinsir Forest is on the other side of the river."

"Do we have to climb all the way down and back up to get there?!" Ash asked with horror, though trying to mask his anxiety. Woodruff only chuckled at his words.

"No. Lucky for us, there's an old rope bridge a little further up the river." However, they didn't even start to walk before more movement caught their eye, this time from below the canyon.

"Hey, what's that?" Ash asked, tilting his head to try to get a better view. Woodruff and Gary both looked down, and the scruffy ranger sucked in a breath of air.

"It's the Pinsir!" he realized. Looking more closely, Ash realized that the Pinsir were jumping across the ravine, by way of branches that had grown on the cliffsides. "So that's how they were getting to this side..." The horde of Stag Beetle Pokémon quickly made their way across, jumping from branch to branch and slowly climbing up the side of the cliff. Before they knew what was happening, a whole swarm of the brown, horned Pokémon were on this side of the forest, and all of their eyes were on them.

"Something tells me they're not here for a friendly negotiation..." Ash murmured, taking a step back nervously. The Pinsir began to part ways, and soon enough, a larger Pinsir with a pair of scars running down its body underneath its eyes came trotting up to the forefront of the sea of brown.

"That one is the alpha, and it is challenging us..." Woodruff explained as it leaned forward and opened and closed its pincers.

"If it wants a battle, I'll give it one!" Ash cried, pulling out a Poké Ball. "I choose you! Bulbasaur!" For the third time that day, Bulbasaur emerged from its Poké Ball in a bright flash of light. "Go Bulbasaur! Razor Leaf attack!"

"Bulba-saur!" the Grass and Poison Pokémon uttered, jumping into the air and sending out a flurry of leaves from its back. But its opponent lowered its head and swung its head back and forth repeatedly, using its spiked horns to block each leaf expertly as they came at it one by one. Seeing this, both Ash and Bulbasaur gasped in horror.

The Pinsir gurgled and flexed its arms, but Ash acted quickly before it could make a counterattack. "Hurry Bulbasaur! Use your Vine Whip!"

"Bulbaaaa!" Reacted as fast as it could to its Trainer's command, Bulbasaur sent out a pair of vines and tied up the Pinsir by its midsection. Giving a mighty heave backwards, Bulbasaur pulled its vines back and let the Stag Beetle Pokémon spin like a top. When it finally stopped, it was stumbling around.

"Now we'll finish it off with SolarBeam!" Ash commanded with a point of a finger.

"Bulba! Bulbabulbabulbabulba..." Bulbasaur hunched its back, and began to draw sunlight from above into its bulb, but despite the sunny day, Pinsir shook its head to steady itself, and soon glared at Bulbasaur. Suddenly, an orange ball of energy appeared in front of its gaping mouth and began to get larger and larger.

"That's Pinsir's Hyper Beam attack!" Gary warned, and Ash's eyes widened.

"Bulbasaur, look out!" But Bulbasaur couldn't finish charging its own attack in time, and Pinsir sent an orange beam of massive energy flying at the Grass Pokémon. The attack made contact with a large explosion, and when the dust and debris cleared, Bulbasaur was laying on its stomach. "Bulbasaur! Are you okay?!"

Without giving any of them a chance to rest, the Pinsir began to slowly walk forward, holding its hands up hungrily. "All right! Looks like it's my turn!" Gary declared, pulling out a Poké Ball of his own. However, as he pulled his arm back, a blue Pokémon stepped out in front of them and Bulbasaur, and quickly snatched Pinsir up in its grip by the undersides of its arms. It was Heracross!

"Herla! Herla!" the Single Horn Pokémon uttered as it struggled to fight against the massive Pinsir.

"It's Heracross!" Ash said with a smile, kneeling down beside his fainted Bulbasaur. Pinsir put its hands on Heracross's shoulders and tried to fight against it, and for a bit, the two struggled for dominance, and after some time, the Pinsir was able to push Heracross back despite its effort. It kept its feet planted firmly in the ground, and dirt piled up around it from its unwavering resolve to protect not only the humans behind it, but its forest. "Hang in there, Heracross!"

The vote of encouragement was just what Heracross needed, and finally, it stopped being shoved by the Pinsir and was able to push back with its own strength. "You're doing great, Heracross!" Gary cheered. Now that it had the advantage, Heracross dipped its head down, and dug its horn underneath Pinsir's body. Using all of its strength, Heracross jerked its body upward, lifting Pinsir in the air. The alpha Bug-type's eyes widened with fright as it was lifted off the ground, and flailed its arms wildly and uselessly. The three onlookers gasped at the display of strength, and finally, Heracross threw Pinsir high into the air.

"All right!" Ash yelled excitedly, following with his eye as Pinsir crash landed on the ground in front of all the other Pinsir. They all looked at their leader and didn't seem quite sure on what to do at this point. Slowly standing back up on its feet, the leader turned its back to them and quickly retreated the way that they had come, and the others followed in its path.

"Herlacross!" the Single Horn Pokémon cheered, flexing its arms happily.

"And Heracross wins the match!" Ash declared, pumping one of his fists in the air.

"That was quite a fight," Gary commented with a small smile on his face.

"And now that Heracross defended its forest, those Pinsir will definitely think twice before trying to invade their territory," Woodruff said, resting a hand on his hip.

o 0 o

Back at the Heracross's sap tree, all of the Bug Pokémon that had scattered from the Pinsir attack had returned – both the Heracross and the Butterfree – and both were happily sipping away at their sap once again. "Now the Butterfree and the Heracross can live in peace again. Here in their own forest," Ash stated as he watched this.

"That's right, Ash," Woodruff agreed. "The trees are safe, and the balance of nature has been restored and back to the way they should be."

But there was one Heracross not sipping from the tree. The same Heracross from earlier slowly approached the group hesitantly, and twiddling its hands together. "Herlacruh..."

"You were awesome, Heracross!" Ash told it. "You stood up to the Pinsir and everything worked out perfectly!"

"See what happens when you put your foot down?" Gary asked it rhetorically, and it responded with a wide grin.

"You're a great Pokémon, and we'll really miss 'ya!" Ash said to the Bug-type, and both him and Gary turned and waved to both it and Woodruff. "Good-bye!"

"See ya!"

"Thank you!" Woodruff called back. "And good luck on your Pokémon journey!"

"Thanks, Woodruff!" Ash shouted over his shoulder, and the group of two gave one last wave before turning their faces to the path ahead.

o 0 o

The forest was now behind them at long last, and it was good to be back to a clear path, and a stretched out plain. But it wasn't too far out of the forest that they could still hear something snapping branches as someone followed close behind. Or something. Slowly turning around, Ash glanced behind them. "What's the matter, Ash?"

"I thought I heard something..." he muttered, and saw a lone, blue Pokémon following the path with its yellow eyes locked onto them. "Hey, what's Heracross doing way out here?" Once it realized it had been discovered, it stopped and twiddled its hands in front of it nervously.

"What's up, Heracross?" Gary asked it. "Don't you want to stay with your friends in the forest?" And Heracross shook its head back and forth.

"Herla..."

"Does it... want to come along with us?" the younger Oak questioned with a raised eyebrow, and Ash quickly pushed himself in front of Gary with a wide grin on his face.

"Is that what you want, Heracross? Do you want to come and be with me?!"

"Herlacruh, Herlacrah!" Now it was Heracross that wore a happy look on its face, and it nodded its whole body in excitement. Unable to contain the giggle that bubbled from his throat, Ash quickly took out an empty Poké Ball and threw it forward.

"All right!" The ball tapped the Bug Pokémon on the chest and opened, converting it to red energy and drawing it inside. But unlike any other captures, the ball soared back to Ash, and clicked shut automatically. When the ball landed in Ash's palm, he raised the red and white sphere up in the air. "Heracross... chose me!"

---

Ash:

Party:

Blastoise (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder

Charmeleon (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash

Heracross (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Horn Attack

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Tauros (Safari Ball) x2 (m)

Moves: Fissure, Horn Attack, Take Down

Kingler (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Water Gun, Bubble, Crabhammer, Hyper Beam

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves: Poison Gas, Sludge Bomb

Primeape (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball) (f)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge

Kanto Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Volcano Badge

Earth Badge

Diamond Badge

Indigo League Rank: Top 4

Johto Badges:

Gary:

Party:

Venusaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Mega Drain

Arcanine (Poké Ball)

Moves: Take Down, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Flamethrower

Nidoqueen (Poké Ball) (f)

Moves: Strength, Hyper Beam, Mega Punch, Double Kick

Nidoking (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Horn Attack, Earthquake, Tackle

Pinsir (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fury Attack, ViceGrip

At Professor Oak's Lab:

200+ Pokémon

Kanto Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Rainbow Badge

Seven unknown Badges

Indigo League Rank: Winner

Johto Badges: