Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak.

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. Lucas explores a section of the Viridian Forest and comes across a gruesome scene.

Chapter 17

Lucas' body pumped with adrenaline as he noticed the numerous Spinarak suspended above him. He dodged to the side as they shot long strings of webs at him, but he could not get out completely, and one leg became entangled. After he tripped and fell, the Spinaraks slowly lifted him into the air, suspending him upside down and cocooning him in more webbing. He tried to break free, but it was futile because the web felt like steel around his body.

His Pokémon reacted faster than he did. Icarus quickly took flight to avoid becoming entangled in the webs. Max launched a Thundershock at the Spinarak, but it only hit a few of them, causing them to fall to the ground.

As Icarus prepared to launch his attack on the Spinarak from above, he noticed Lucas was entangled in the web. He realised that his trainer was in danger. Instead of attacking them, Icarus quickly flew down and executed a Quick Attack. His goal was to cut the webs that kept Lucas suspended in the air.

Icarus successfully severed the strands, sending Lucas to the ground. Lucas grunted as he hit the ground. He was unable to brace himself due to being cocooned in the web, resulting in a painful landing. Despite the pain, he quickly began wriggling his body in an attempt to stand up.

Max was preoccupied with the Spinarak, which had fallen to the ground. They surrounded him and unleashed a coordinated attack. Their mouths opened, unleashing a hail of purple needles coated in poison, all aimed squarely at Max. He acted quickly and jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Two of the Spinaraks accidentally struck each other with their poisoned needles, causing them to cry out in pain. Max, suspended in mid-air, seized the opportunity and unleashed another Thunder Shock, which struck one of the Spinaraks. Although Max's opponent was injured by the attack, this had no bearing on the overall situation.

Rather than engage Max in combat, one of the Spinaraks on the ground targeted Lucas. He kicked out in desperation at the approaching Spinarak, but the attack had no effect on the Pokémon and only served to annoy it. Spinarak's eyes unexpectedly emitted a surge of normal-type energy. Its face underwent a terrifying transformation, resembling a creature out of a nightmare. Lucas cried out in fear. Within seconds, the visage had changed again, this time resembling that of an Arbok, evoking haunting memories of Lucas' previous near-fatal assault.

The experience was so traumatic that he failed to recognise that he was experiencing an illusion. Lucas screamed and thrashed on the ground as he felt the Arbok bite his leg again. Had Arbok returned to finish the job? Arbok opened its mouth wide and began devouring Lucas. He could only watch in horror as his legs were dragged into the snake's gaping mouth.

Lucas blinked as the illusion fell apart, his heart racing in his chest. In a panic, he looked around and saw that Icarus had returned and was now fighting the Spinarak, who had been tormenting him. However, his ordeal was far from over because the Spinarak above him was not going to go quietly. Half of them launched a web at Icarus, irritated by his interference, while the other half set out to reclaim their large prey from the ground.

A massive green figure darted out of the bushes, taking the Spinarak completely by surprise. The Spinarak cried out in alarm as the newcomer swung a bladed forearm, unleashing a slicing attack that caused a distortion effect in the air. The powerful strike nearly cut one of the Spinarak in half, while the rest were thrown off balance as the webs were sliced through. They held onto the webs as the two separate parts swung through the air like a rope swing.

Lucas looked at the scene in astonishment. The sequence of events that had occurred in such a short period of time had his mind spinning.

Species: Scyther

Level: 37

Condition: Perfect

Threat Level: High

Lucas snapped out of his stupor, realising that the Scyther's unexpected arrival had been a fortunate turn of events. It presented him with an opportunity to escape his current situation, and he couldn't afford to waste any time.

"Max! Get me out of here! Forget about fighting the Pokemon."

Max paused, having just finished one of the Spinarak. He dashed over to Lucas, grabbed a portion of the webbing that was holding him, and began dragging him away from the chaotic fight. The Spinarak, completely focused on their confrontation with the Scyther, ignored Max as he fled with Lucas.

Icarus swooped down and led them through the forest. Lucas had to endure the painful sensation of being dragged along the ground. Fortunately, the webbing provided some insulation against the rough terrain, so he did not suffer too much.

After a few minutes of running away, Lucas realised they were no longer in danger and ordered Max to stop. Max began tearing at the web to free himself, but it proved difficult and time-consuming. Icarus swooped down to assist him, carefully cutting through the strands with his talons. Lucas was soon released from his restraints, thanks to the two of them working together.

"Thanks, guys," Lucas said with relief. "That was a close one."

"Kid!

"Pidgey!"

Lucas winced as he stood up, feeling a lingering soreness throughout his body. He was confident that by tomorrow, he would have a few colourful bruises to remind him of his ordeal. He stretched in an attempt to relieve the stiffness.

"We must leave this section of the forest," Lucas told his companions. "I never expected to see such a powerful Scyther in this area. It must have strayed from its usual territory."

It was his fault for being caught off guard by the Spinarak, as he had been preoccupied with the treasure. He needed to be more conscious of his surroundings in the future. It's possible that some items were purposefully placed in dangerous locations to increase the difficulty. Maybe he was simply unlucky.

Lucas checked his compass and headed north, deciding to leave the southern section of the forest to explore the northern section instead. The recent incident had served as a sobering reminder of the inherent dangers of exploring the wilderness, so he couldn't afford to become complacent. He had underestimated wild Pokemon too much, viewing them merely as cannon fodder for experience points. Facing a single Pokemon of comparable level was easy, but he was completely defenceless when confronted with a group of them.

He shuddered as he recalled the terrifying ordeal he had suffered at the hands of the Spinarak. It dawned on him that the Pokemon had used Scary Face, trapping him in an illusion of his deepest fears. This was unlike in the games, where the move merely lowered the speed of the opponent. In this world, Scary Face could inflict the fear status effect, which was also effective on humans. Several moves used illusions to disable their opponents.

Many other Pokémon moves either worked differently or were completely different from the games. This wasn't your typical turn-based game, so it shouldn't come as a surprise. In this world, Pokemon had the freedom to evade and defend themselves from attacks as they saw fit.

When considering the effect of energy on people, several factors must be considered. Obviously, any offensive moves would cause serious harm to humans, whose bodies were much more fragile than Pokemon's. Similarly, debilitating status effects harmed both humans and Pokemon, though the severity of the effects varied.

On the other hand, healing moves had no effect on human anatomy, which was a major disadvantage. As a result, humans were forced to use either traditional medicine or alchemy. However, defensive moves like Protect could be used to defend humans against attacks. Perhaps it was time for him to acquire some technical machines to improve his Pokemon's defensive capabilities. They would be able to not only defend him but also add strategic value to their combat capabilities.

After twenty minutes of traversing the forest, Lucas emerged onto the highway and crossed into the northern section of the forest. He became more cautious and kept a close eye on his surroundings, particularly for any Pokemon hiding in the trees.

Lucas spent the next few hours searching for items, harvesting ingredients, and battling any Pokemon he came across. He was encountering level twenty wild Pokemon on occasion, but they were still manageable as he exploited their weaknesses to gain an advantage. The best part about defeating Pokemon above level twenty was that the experience he gained from them increased significantly. It shot up from earning one hundred experience points to four hundred. Given that Icarus still required a significant amount of experience for his evolution, this was a welcome change.

For reasons unknown to him, he was discovering a large number of hidden items in Viridian Forest, far more than in any other area he had visited. Every ten minutes or so, he would receive a mental alert directing him to a dig site. Although there was nothing as valuable as the potion recipe, he did discover some useful items. The most important of these were items that could be sold for a large profit. In just a few hours, he had earned an estimated ten thousand pokedollars.

Shortly before noon, Lucas came across a trickling stream that ran from east to west. He followed the stream west until he came across a pond just fifteen minutes later.

Lucas reached for the map that he had purchased. The map didn't show the presence of a pond, which was not unexpected. After all, the map was not particularly detailed—it primarily served as a guide for identifying the various territories of the Pokemon that lived in the forest. As he continued to explore, he added new details to the map.

"Let us stop for lunch here," Lucas said after carefully surveying the surroundings..

Because of the murky water in the pond, Lucas was unsure if any Pokemon were lurking there, so he kept a safe distance away. He removed his backpack and sat down, leaning against a boulder.

"Kid!" Max stood in front of him and rubbed his stomach.

"What does that mean?" Lucas asked with amusement. "Do you have a stomach ache? It looks like I won't be able to give you any lunch if you are sick."

"Kid!"

"So impatient."

He fed his Pokemon before eating the bacon sandwiches Delia had prepared for him. Despite not being his mother, she knew exactly how to spoil him.

After lunch, he cautiously approached the pond, accompanied by Max. He noticed a plant floating on the surface of the water and wanted to know if it was valuable. He examined it closely, noting its distinct colouring, before reaching into his inventory and retrieving a book. The book in question was called the Viridian Forest Plants Encyclopaedia. He flipped through the pages until he discovered the plant he had been looking for: the Copper Lily. This flower was named after its reddish-brown burnished hue, which looked strikingly similar to copper.

"This is a nice find," Lucas remarked.

Coincidentally, this ingredient was one of the seven required for the growth potion. While he was not familiar with all of the ingredients, he was aware of three in particular, all of which were quite expensive. Therefore, it was better for his wallet if he gathered the ingredients instead.

He had no idea how long it would take to make the potion, but he would wait until he had the essential skill for it. Since the potion was so costly to make, he wanted to make sure he had the best chance of succeeding.

Lucas took a few steps away from the pond. "Max, go ahead and use Thundershock on the pond. I'm curious if any Pokémon are hiding within the water."

"Kid!" Max grinned. He enjoyed abusing water Pokemon by electrocuting them.

Max directed a Thundershock at the water. Lucas waited for a Pokemon to appear, but nothing came up after more than a minute.

Lucas frowned. If there were Pokemon in the water, surely they would have felt the current? Then he remembered that freshwater didn't conduct electricity as well as salt water. He was aware that the water's surface could conduct electricity, but that would not help in this situation.

Max took the initiative and dove underwater. Lucas held his breath until he reappeared a few moments later. He gave Lucas a thumbs up, signalling that there was nothing to worry about.

"Don't you dare do anything like that ever again," Lucas warned him. .

"Kid!" Max waved his arms in protest.

"Forget it," Lucas sighed.

He stripped to his boxers before entering the pond. Although he could have asked Max to harvest the Copper Lilies for him and saved himself from getting wet, he preferred to reap the benefits himself. Lucas skillfully harvested over two dozen flowers and received an additional five as an effect of his Green Thumb skill.

"Now, if only I could find the other ingredients so easily."

Lucas continued to explore the forest until late afternoon. He made incredible gains with both loot and experience points. He earned enough experience points to raise his level to twenty-one. That was not the best part, though, because he advanced his Pokemon Trainer profession to level five. It also came with a new skill.

Skill: Battle Commentator Level: 1/3 Next: 3SP Type: Passive Charges: -

Description: This skill involves providing detailed and real-time commentary on a battle to help the player effectively command their Pokémon. This includes describing the Pokémon's moves, current condition, and any status effects that have been inflicted on them. As the level of this skill improves, the commentator will provide more detailed information. It can be turned on and off using the following commands: Commentator: Activate/Deactivate.

The commentator communicated directly with his mind, which was initially distracti

ng when he tried it in a battle. However, he quickly adapted to this method and couldn't deny its usefulness in comparison to the limited information he had previously received. He now had access to more information than just the Pokemon's condition, which he could only learn by reading the text above their heads.

His team had earned plenty of experience as well, and he levelled Icarus up to level seventeen. Icarus was only one level away from meeting his primary evolutionary condition.

He would not level him up any further until he had met all of the bonus conditions to maximise his potential. Later that evening, he intended to give Icarus the growth potion. It would increase his appetite tenfold. As a result, he needed to ensure that Icarus' meals were prepared ahead of time to avoid any potential problems. If all goes well, Icarus will experience explosive growth over the next few days.

Lucas looked at his map one last time after leaving the forest to see how much ground he had covered. The area of the forest he was exploring was divided into three different levelling zones. Currently, he was mapping out the area where the highest level didn't exceed twenty. This rule wasn't set in stone, as the appearance of the Scyther demonstrated that higher-level Pokemon could venture into other territories.

He had only explored about twenty-five percent of the level twenty zone. If everything goes as planned, it will take him another three days to map the entire area. The next levelling zone had Pokemon ranging from level eighteen to thirty. It wasn't something he wanted to try without a stronger team.

Lucas began his journey back to the city. He hadn't found any clues about the man who had stolen the Pokemon Eggs, which was disappointing but not surprising. Maybe he will have better luck tomorrow.

The next day, after visiting the Adventurer's Guild, Lucas resumed his forest exploration. Eager to maximise his time, he gathered every available gathering mission—a total of twenty-five. A large number of missions had been posted, to gather a plant that could only be found deep within the Viridian Forest. Lucas had yet to come across this plant, which grew in dark underground areas. He had to keep an eye out for any caves or burrows that could house the plant. If he completed every mission, he would be promoted to a higher rank.

Now that he had reached initiate level three, he could take on as many gathering missions as he wanted. However, he would face penalties if he failed to complete the missions on time.

Nothing seemed to be different from yesterday, but that changed around midday.

"Pidgey!" Icarus flew down and landed on Lucas' shoulder.

"What did you find?" Lucas asked.

Icarus pointed his wing towards the northwest.

"Is there any danger?"

Icarus shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, let's go check it out. Max, stay by my side."

Following Icarus' instructions, Lucas arrived at a clearing in a matter of minutes. His eyes widened as he saw a small cabin in the centre of the clearing. He wondered why someone would want to live out here. Although, it wasn't unheard of for some people to live out in the wilderness like hermits. The world was filled with such individuals, and as long as you had strong Pokémon to protect you, you could live however you pleased.

The clearing was cleverly concealed among a ring of dense foliage, making it difficult to spot unless you had a bird's-eye view. Lucas stepped cautiously into the clearing. He saw that the front door was wide open. While not inherently suspicious on its own, he couldn't shake his sense of unease. He had only taken a few steps when a Pokemon flew out the door.

Species: Beedrill

Level: 22

Condition: Perfect

Threat Level: Moderate

Lucas tensed, but Beedrill did not seem to notice him. It was flying around the front of the cabin erratically as if it were confused.

"Icarus, the Beedrill will be your opponent," Lucas said, stroking his feathers. "Get ready to fight when I give the command."

"Pidgey." Icarus clacked his beak in anticipation.

Lucas used Insight on the Beedrill to get some more information on his opponent. The thing that struck him immediately was that his status listed it as being both owned and a wild Pokemon. It was something that he had encountered before with the Feraligatr, which had gone rogue and killed a few people. Did that happen here as well?

He quickly assessed the Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses while Beedrill was still distracted. Icarus' most noticeable disadvantage was that he was outmatched in terms of speed. He wasn't sure if the Beedrills' stat was high naturally or if he possessed a trait that augmented it.

Beedrill's weakness lay in its vulnerability to flying-type moves. However, its special defence was fairly high, which mitigated most of the benefits gained from the type advantage. Furthermore, Gust was virtually useless against a flying Pokemon.

While its attack power was strong, its bug-type moves were only capable of dealing half the damage to Icarus. As a result, Icarus only needs to be wary of two moves: Poison Sting and Laser Focus. The latter was a cause for concern.

With Laser Focus, the user's next move is guaranteed to be a critical hit. This is especially effective in this fight. Icarus' defence was average, which meant the Beedrill could inflict significant damage with one attack. Additionally, Beedrill has the Swarm ability, which boosts the power of its bug-type attacks when its condition drops below Fair.

Why was he giving Beedrill so much consideration? Since it belonged to a trainer, he almost expected it to be a tougher opponent, despite how it was behaving at the moment.

The Beedrill turned towards them, breaking free from its state of confusion. It swiftly flew towards them, releasing a loud buzzing sound.

[A Level 20 Beedrill has turned hostile. Battle commencing.]

The battle commentator spoke within his mind.

"Go," Lucas commanded, and Icarus launched himself off his shoulder.

Beedrill halted its advance and performed a move that caused its eyes to glow with normal-type energy.

[Beedrill has used Laser Focus.]

[The next move will be a critical hit.]

"Quick Attack," Lucas commanded.

Icarus flew through the sky at breakneck speed, intent on taking down his opponent in mid-air. Despite the Beedrills quick reaction, Icarus adjusted his trajectory to stay on target. Mastering Quick Attack enabled Icarus to fine-tune his movements without sacrificing speed.

Icarus struck Beedrill, which caused it to go tumbling through the air.

[Beedrill has been struck by Quick Attack.]

[Its condition has fallen to Excellent. (5/6)]

"Quick Attack once more," Lucas shouted.

Unfortunately, in this situation, he couldn't rely on Gust because it was not effective against flying Pokemon. The move was better suited to ground-based opponents, as the swirling winds appeared beneath them and rose into the air like a funnel. This gave flying types enough time to avoid it.

Pidgey used Quick Attack again and dove towards his opponent. His Bird of Prey trait came into play in this scenario, increasing his attack. Beedrill recovered and executed another move as Icarus was almost on top of it. It thrust its huge stinger forward.

[Beedrill has used Fury Attack]

Lucas' eyes widened. Icarus was too close to pull out of his attack.

The two Pokemon were able to land attacks on each other. They both fell back through the air as a result of the collision.

[Beedrill has been struck by Quick Attack.]

[Its condition has fallen to Fair. (3/6)]

[Beedrill's special ability, Swarm, has been triggered.]

[Bug-type moves are now fifty per cent stronger.]

[Icarus has been struck with a Fury Attack.]

[It is a critical hit! His condition has fallen to Healthy. (4/6)]

"Icarus, are you okay?" Lucas asked.

"Pidgey!" After regaining flight, Icarus angrily clacked his beak. He glared at Beedrill, enraged.

"Stay focused!"

Icarus was fortunate to have landed his attack; otherwise, he could have been struck by Fury Attack again. As long as the Fury Attack hit the opponent, the subsequent hits were faster and more powerful. It could have hit up to five times, causing a significant amount of damage.

The fight continued, with Lucas ordering Icarus to continue using Quick Attack. It was a risky tactic because the Beedrill was faster than Icarus. As a result, he was almost counterattacked multiple times. It was like an intricate dance performed in midair as they attempted to outperform each other. Icarus took two more hits, but he adapted better to the fight and maintained an advantage over Beedrill.

Icarus managed to land another Quick Attack on Beedrill, causing it to fall out of the air and land with a soft thud.

[Beedrill has been struck by Quick Attack.]

[It has fainted. (0/6)]

[Lucas and Icarus have earned 400 experience points each.]

[Icarus' Defence stat has increased by one.]

[22 Pokedollars earned from Bountiful Gains.]

"Pidgey!" Icarus returned to Lucas to receive praise following his victory.

"Well done," Lucas complimented him. He retrieved a healing gel and administered it to Icarus to improve his condition. Icarus had been significantly weakened by the battle.

"Max, we are going to check out the cabin. You take the lead," Lucas said.

"Kid!" Max marched forward and Lucas followed behind him.

Max poked his head into the cabin before turning to Lucas and giving him the thumbs up. Lucas, relieved, entered the cabin and looked around with interest.

The cabin was a complete wreck, as if a whirlwind had ripped through it and upended everything. It appeared that someone was looking for something and had no regard for the damage they caused. He stepped over a bookcase that had been pushed over, its books scattered across the floor.

It would have been a cosy little home if not for the mess. The cabin was rather spartan, lacking the space required for many modern amenities. Its furnishings were basic, and a small kitchen featured a wood-burning stove. There were also some appliances, so the cabin needed to be powered by electricity in some way. He noticed that the roof had some solar panels, which could be enough to power the appliances if the owner was careful with their usage Furthermore, if the owner had an electric-type Pokemon, the appliances would be easy to use, as most of them these days are designed to be charged with electricity.

Just as Lucas was about to open the bathroom door, he paused. A pungent metallic odour filled his nostrils, which he immediately recognised as blood. He was unsure whether to open the door. Did he want to see what was on the other end?

"Kid," Max patted his leg in encouragement.

Lucas took a breath and opened the door. A man lay in a pool of blood, clearly dead. His lifeless eyes gazed up at the ceiling. He quickly shut the door, feeling a wave of nausea at the sight of the dead body.

Only after taking a few breaths was he able to regain his composure. He pulled out his phone after a thought occurred to him. The man's face seemed familiar. Gloria sent him a picture of the employee who had stolen the eggs, and the similarities to the dead man in the bathroom were striking. He opened the door again to make sure he had the right man before closing it again.

Paul, the employee, had been found, but the location of the eggs remained unknown. Moreover, there were questions about how the man had died. Did someone take his life, or did his Beedrill turn against him? The latter possibility seemed unlikely, given that it would be hard for the Beedrill to close the bathroom door behind it. If someone had killed him, then what was their motive? Had they known about the eggs and taken them for themselves?

The cabin was now a crime scene, so he shouldn't stay any longer. Given the mess, it didn't appear that he would find anything of importance here. His Pokemon followed him out of the cabin and around to the back.

Except for a small garden and a woodpile, there was nothing of interest. His Itemfinder alert went off in his head as he took another step. Following the sound, he approached the base of a tree about fifteen feet away from the cabin.

"Keep an eye out," Lucas instructed his Pokemon before grabbing a small shovel from his pack.

He dug the ground in front of the tree until his shovel struck something hard. Lucas dug for the item, which turned out to be a small metal container. Every hidden item he had dug up so far had been stored in a wooden chest, so it was a little unusual.

"Why is it different?" Lucas frowned.

He shrugged and pried open the lid to look inside. Lucas whistled when he saw the pokedollars in the container. He quickly removed the bills and started counting them. Every one of them had a Charizard image on it and was red, representing a hundred pokedollar bills. There were a total of three hundred of them, which added up to thirty thousand pokedollars.

Lucas looked around before quickly depositing the bills into his inventory. The pokedollars might have been obtained illegally, given the man who most likely placed them here. Nonetheless, he refused to give up the prize. If he added it to the value of the items he planned to sell, he earned fifty thousand pokedollars in the last two days. It was a staggering sum, and it was enough to purchase the Vulpix Egg.

There was another item in the container. He took out the journal and flipped through the pages to the most recent entry, which was only two days old.

Am I going paranoid?

I feel like I am being followed after leaving the city. I should be celebrating after swindling Gloria, but I cannot sleep easily. I decided to bury the majority of my savings and my journal in the backyard in case I get any unexpected visitors. I do not want them to discover my greatest secret after all.

I have hidden the Pokemon Eggs inside the mine. I can not afford to lose them because the proceeds from their sales will be used to buy the equipment I need to begin mining. I am so close to becoming filthy rich. Not such a bad outcome for a child born to a prostitute, right?

The black market will be open in a few days. I simply need to maintain a low profile until that day arrives. Everything is going to be fine.

Lucas lowered the journal. What was Paul talking about when he mentioned a mine? Had he stumbled across an even better opportunity?

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Lucas searches for the mine and the missing Pokemon Eggs.

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Thanks for reading.