Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

We reached the end of Route 2 late that same afternoon, Viridian Forest looming up before us like something out of the ancient past. I’d been on the odd hiking trips, mostly against my better judgement, and even went camping a few times when I was a child, but this was no tamed national park - Viridian Forest was a dark, primordial beast of growth and rot.

It would be suicide to enter the forest at night, but thankfully we didn’t have to. At the end of the road, where the checkpoint would have been in the games, a town of sorts, catering to the bug catchers and hunters, had sprung up around the Ranger’s station that watched over Route 2.

Officially, the town didn’t exist. It showed on no maps and Viridian City refused to recognise it as a legitimate settlement, meaning they never had to take responsibility for it. Unofficially, the ever-so-creatively named Viridian Forest Town was a thriving frontier town offering everything a trainer heading into the forest might need. Including a place to stay.

“A hundred bucks for a night?” I said, shocked at the price.

“As an unlicensed trainer, you aren’t eligible to stay at Pokemon Centers for free,” the Pokemon Center nurse replied from behind her polished counter.

“It wasn’t that expensive back in Viridian City,” I argued. “This is highway robbery!”

“Please control yourself, Miss,” the nurse said sternly, like she was talking to a naughty child. “Viridian City has many Pokemon Centers and their rooms are rarely in as much demand as ours. In order to ensure trainers on the Gym circuit have a place to stay, we are forced to price our rooms so high. There are plenty of other options in town if you cannot afford it.”

“And are those places also haunted by tame Ghost-types?” I asked in a low voice, leaning in over the counter so as not to be overheard.

The nurse’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she hissed back.

Oak had let slip, back in Pallet Town, how all Pokemon Centers had League approved Ghost-types installed in them. Officially they were to protect trainers and their Pokemon from any rogue Psychic- or Ghost-types that might decide to cause trouble, but unofficially, it was hard to keep secrets when the walls had literal ears.

But, secret spy network or not, without a Psychic-type of my own, a Pokemon Center was the only place my memories were safe.

“Look, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to come across like I was blaming you,” I said with a sigh, standing back up. “I’ll pay.”

“Excellent, cash or Pokedex?”

I held out my Pokedex and she tapped her own to it, causing it to chime as the money was taken from my account.

“You’re in room 202, here’s your key,” she said.

The nurse handed me a plastic keycard and I nodded my thanks before walking away. Ace and Arashi were both still at full health, having run into no battles on the way here, so there was no need to have them seen to. Instead, we went looking for dinner.

Like most Pokemon Centers, this one hosted the usual cafeteria, though the offerings varied from Center to Center, much like a food court in a mall. Brightly lit, decently well cleaned and not too busy, it was more than serviceable for a quick meal.

Making my way over to the stalls that lined the far wall, I grabbed a plastic tray and considered my options. Pidgey burger, steamed Metapod, Caterpie Pie, Oddish Salad with Bellsprout Dressing, Peking Psyduck…

“Hi,” I said, walking up to one of the stalls and greeting the uniformed teen working behind the counter. “Do you have anything that doesn’t have Pokemon in it?”

“Hmmm, I don’t think so,” she said, tapping her chin as she considered it. “Oh, we have fries!”

“Awesome, I’ll take that,” I said, holding out my Pokedex to tap against hers.

I waited as the girl cheerily scooped fries into a large paper basket, covered it in salt and handed it over to me.

“Thanks,” I said, taking my food and walking away to find a table.

Like last time, I settled on a two person table by the window so Ace could look out. Though I’d already fed Ace and Arashi their evening Pokechow, I absently passed fries to my starter as I ate and contemplated our next move.

Viridian Forest wasn’t some simple maze made for children like in the games. Treating it as such was a sure way to end up dead.

Beginning roughly a day’s walk from Viridian City, the forest stretched west to the Indigo Mountains, east to the Ocean Road and north almost to the edge of Pewter City, a veritable wall of primordial forest hundreds of miles across and almost as deep.

It was generally considered safe enough for trainers if you stuck to the fringes, where the Bug catchers and hunters mostly frequented, but the Jewel Orchid was likely to be much deeper in. I'd bet my dwindling savings Suzie wouldn’t have picked it if it were easy to find. The problem was that Viridian Forest was simply too big to search aimlessly and I had no idea where to even begin.

I'd noticed stores selling plants and herbs in town. Maybe I could ask around, see if anyone knows anything? Hell, maybe I'll get lucky and I'll find some for sale. I doubted I’d be that lucky but I wouldn’t know if I didn’t try.

Stuffing the rest of my fries in my mouth, I scooped up Ace and my pack, and headed back out.

—

“Jewel Orchid?” the elderly herbalist repeated. “I’m sorry, dear. A nice young fellow from Viridian Gym came around and bought me out a few hours ago.”

Fuck! This was the third shop I’d been to that had already been bought out. That bitch Suzie must have sent her minions to make sure I couldn’t just buy a Jewel Orchid!

“Do you know if anyone else in town has any?” I asked, though I had a feeling I knew the answer.

She shook her head and patted my hand with a crooked smile.

“Don’t worry dear, one of my boys will fetch some more when they return from the city in a few days,” she said in what I assumed was supposed to be a comforting tone but came across condescending.

“I can’t wait a few days,” I told her, pulling my hand free. “Do you know where they find them?”

“Mmm, let me think,” she said, rubbing a chin covered in white bristles. “Jewel Orchids like places that are warm and damp. You could try looking among the roots of the yakusugi.”

“I’m sorry, the yukasucki?” I asked. “Is that another plant?”

“The yakusugi are the ancient guardians of the forest, dear. They have been here longer than humans have walked this land,” she said. “They say the yakusugi roots hold the very world together.”

I stared at her blankly.

“Trees, dear,” she said. “They’re very old trees.”

“Oooh! Well why didn’t you just say that?” I said. “Thanks, you’ve been a big help!”

I returned to the Pokemon Center and retired to my room. It was getting late and there was little else I could do tonight, we'd be better off resting for what was to come. Releasing Arashi, I set Ace down on the floor beside her and sat on the bed so I was facing them.

“Tomorrow, we enter Viridian Forest,” I told them. “This won’t be anything like our training on Route 1. Viridian Forest is dangerous. One wrong move and we’re dead. I need to know you both understand that.”

Both Pokemon voiced their understanding, Arashi adding a crackle of electricity through her wool for emphasis.

“We have to be back in Viridian City in four days so we can crush that bitch of a Gym Leader for insulting us. That means we have just three days to find this flower and get out of the forest.” I held up a picture of the Jewel Orchid flower on my Pokedex for the pair to see. “This is our goal. If you spot any white flowers, you let me know immediately.”

Ace yipped and Arashi nodded. I grinned back at them. It felt good knowing they had my back.

“Good. Now, before we turn in for the night, I’d like to go over the Pokemon we are likely to encounter in the forest,” I told them.

We spent the next hour or so going over possible Pokemon encounters and how to deal with them, paying extra attention to Poison-types. The last thing any of us wanted was to get poisoned miles from help and worse, let down the rest of the team.

I slept fitfully that night, staring at the ceiling and listening to Arashi snore from her bed on the floor. Ace was curled up in his customary spot on my pillow. Burying my face in his fur I inhaled the pleasantly spicy scent of his shampoo and pulled him in close for a cuddle.

Part of me still couldn’t believe it was all real. Every morning I half expected to wake up back in my bed in my apartment, the past few months nothing but a dream. So much had happened since I’d woken up in the woods outside Pallet Town. The Rattata attack, being rescued by Oak and Queenie, meeting Lance, training with Penny, meeting Ace, capturing Arashi.

Becoming a Pokémon trainer.

I also couldn’t help but wonder if I had over reacted back in Viridian City, if maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut. We probably could have found some battles at the Trainer’s School or back at the Pokemon Center. There were always trainers looking to train. Hell, I hadn’t even thought about Xaiver’s psychic protection until we were hours out from the city. I’d been extremely lucky to find a Pokemon Center.

I’m not sure when I finally fell asleep, my thoughts chasing one another around my head, but the next thing I knew it was morning.

—

We didn’t stick around Viridian Forest Town long, just long enough to grab breakfast and what was likely to be my last shower for a good while. After that, a quick stop to stock up on over-priced Antidotes and Bug-type repels, plus top up our supplies, and we were off.

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Stepping into Viridian Forest for the first time was like stepping into a different world. One moment we were standing in bright morning light, the sounds of the town waking behind us, the next we were plunged into darkness, the sounds cut off.

I stopped, blinking my eyes as I adjusted to the gloom. On my shoulder, Ace let out a low whine that caused Arashi to snort from beside me, though I noted her shuffling uncomfortably.

“First time?” a raspy man in bug catcher garb asked, pausing beside me. “Take it slow, get your bearings and keep your head on a swivel. The forest is a cruel mistress, but if you show her respect, you’ll be fine.”

I tried to thank him but he was already moving on, trudging along what I could now see was a narrow dirt path winding away between the moss covered trees.

“Ace, you’re on lookout,” I told the Eevee, trying to force confidence into my voice. He yipped and I felt him shift from my shoulder to the top of my pack to get a better vantage point. “Arashi, I want you to stay close and keep your Static ready.”

On its surface, Viridian Forest is just like any other old growth forest. Trees reach for the sky and the promise of sunlight, their gnarled branches drooping beneath the weight of age. Dark green moss crawls across everything, uncaring if it clings to a tree, a rock or the bare earth, always seeking water and nutrients to absorb. Overhead, bird Pokemon shriek and squabble, dancing around the shafts of sunlight that pierce the canopy, casting the forest in perpetual twilight and the almost musical sound of rushing water carries faintly through the still air.

But that’s only the surface. The things you picture whenever you conjure to mind the image of a forest. What you can’t imagine is how the forest feels, the oppressiveness, the nagging feeling that you do not belong, that this is not a place for humans. How it makes you want to turn around and flee back to the safety of the city walls.

Pushing those feelings aside, we pressed on, hiking pole in hand and following the well worn track deeper into the forest. We passed several early rising Bug catchers that greeted me warmly so long as I kept moving, less so if they felt I might decide to try to bully in on their hunting spot.

They were a solitary lot, bug catchers, always competing with one another to meet the demands of the tailors and seamstresses of Viridian City for more Bug-type Pokemon. Weedle, Wurmple and Spinarak could all produce the valuable silk that fueled Viridian City’s economy, but they were also dangerous to handle, being venomous and prone to aggression.

No, the real prize of Bug catchers everywhere were the timid and docile Caterpie. Able to produce far more silk, and of a higher quality, than Weedle and Wurmple, and lacking any type of Poison-type moves, Caterpie were always in demand.

When learning about the various cities of Kanto, I’d asked Oak the obvious - Why not just breed Caterpie? Why risk human lives capturing wild ones all the time? That’s when I learned of the Butterfree Rampage.

While a Caterpie could spin its cocoon and become a Metapod at any time it wished once it reached maturity and had grown strong enough, Metapod evolved only when enough of its kind had gathered and reached a critical mass, upon which they would all evolve at the same time. This swarm of Butterfree would then mate and seek out safe places to lay their eggs and start the cycle over.

Unfortunately for those wanting to breed Caterpie, in order to keep the newly evolved Pokemon from being picked off by predators, Butterfree had developed a clever defence. On emerging from their cocoons, Butterfree releases a cloud of spores and pheromones that send all nearby Pokemon into a temporary craze, including other Butterfree.

This swarm of crazed Pokemon became known as a Butterfree Rampage, and are the reason Metapod are required to be either culled or returned to the forest on their evolution from Caterpie. Similar laws were also in place to prevent swarms of pissed off Beedrill popping up in cities.

As well as bug catchers, wild Pokemon were also everywhere one looked. Pidgey and Spearow flitted between the branches hunting Weedle that scurried about eating the leaf litter or Caterpie clinging to tree trunks, sapping nutrients from them. Kricketot sang to one another and Spinarak waited patiently in their webs for a juicy Butterfree or Venomoth.

Whenever the trees were less densely packed and grass was able to take root, we saw Oddish and Bellsprout and even the rare Budew, soaking up the sun’s warmth. Where the trees grew closer and the forest even darker, Zubat hung from curving tree branches like caves and Shromish clustered together, puffing plumes of spores into the air if we got too close.

Though the forest offered a fantastic opportunity to further hone our skills, we chose to avoid battles wherever we could, opting to go around any nests or groups of wild Pokemon we encountered, even if it took us away from the path, or try to talk our way past those we couldn’t avoid. Not every fight was avoidable though, and both Ace and Arashi saw their fair share of action as we pressed ever deeper into the forest.

We stopped only briefly at noon for lunch, spraying the area down with a can of Bug-type repellant. I’d have preferred to push on till dusk, but I could tell the constant need to be on high alert combined with regular battles was taking their toll on my team.

“Rest up,” I told them, setting out their bowls in a small clear patch between a boulder and a fallen tree, and filling them with Doc Brock Pokechow. “I’ll keep watch.”

Ace and Arashi set to their meals with relish while I remained standing, slowly turning on the spot to make sure nothing snuck up on us. Thankfully, it seemed the repellant was doing its job and only a curious Sentret poked its head up to see what was going on before spotting me and dashing away once more.

Once my Pokemon had fed, I let them rest on the soft grass for another half hour before we set out once more. By now the track we’d been following had begun to grow thinner, even disappearing for short distances before reappearing, and I knew we were getting closer to the heart of the forest and the yakusugi trees.

“You!” a voice called out, causing us to freeze.

A Bug catcher, no, a child in bug catcher garb, came barrelling out of the trees, skidding to a stop in front of us. Responding like they would to any threat, Ace and Arashi leapt in front of me, electricity crackling and fur bristling.

“Our eyes locked!” the kid declared, pointing a classic red and white Pokeball at me. “Now we have to battle!”

“No thanks,” I said, brushing past him to continue on my way. Seeing the kid was only a human and posed no real danger, my Pokemon relaxed and returned to their positions, watching for actual threats.

“Wait! You can’t say no, I challenged you!” the kid called, chasing after me. “If someone challenges you, you have to battle! It’s the rules!”

“Not in any rulebook I’ve read,” I said, refusing to stop and engage with him. The last thing I needed was some loud mouth kid bringing the entire forest down on us.

“But you’re a trainer!” he shouted. “Where’s your battle spirit?”

I stopped and turned to him. He was short, barely coming up to my chest, with light brown hair and simple cameo-print canvas bug catcher garb, the thick material meant to help prevent poison stings.

“How old are you, kid?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

“I just turned twelve!” he declared, still waving his Pokeball about. “That means I’m old enough to set out on my Pokemon journey!”

“Yeah, no. The Youngster Initiative was axed years ago after all the kids that thought they could be Pokemon trainers went and got themselves killed,” I told him. “Go home pipsqueak, try again in four more years.”

“Not until you battle me!” the kid demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Fine, you've got what? A Rattatta? Ace, you're up,” I said, kneeling down for a second so Ace could jump down from my pack.

“Wow, an Eevee!” the kid said, genuine awe in his voice. Had he not seen Ace riding on my pack? “I’ve heard those are super rare!”

I shrugged. I honestly hadn’t looked into it. I knew Eevee weren’t super common in the games but it wasn’t like they were legendaries or something. I kind of figured they were only uncommon because everyone evolved them pretty much as soon as they could.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, hurrying the kid up. “This is the part where you send out your Pokemon.”

“Oh, right! I almost forgot,” he admitted. “Mr Wiggles, I choose you!”

The kid sprinted away so there was space between us to battle, and threw his Pokeball up into the air where it burst open in a flash of red laser light, releasing its occupant before flying back to his hand. Mr Wiggles, as the kid had named it, turned out to be a small, snub nosed, white furred bipedal Pokemon resembling a monkey.

“Huh,” I said. “I didn’t expect a Mankey.”

“Yeah! Mr Wiggles is the best!” the kid declared. “We’re going to be Pokemon Masters!”

“Before we start, I have to ask, why Mr Wiggles?” I asked.

“Wha? ‘Cos he’s my only Pokemon?” the kid replied, confused.

“I mean the name, kid,” I said dryly. “What in the world possessed you to name your Pokemon Mr Wiggles?”

“Um, duh, he likes to wiggle?” the kid replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mr Wiggles proved the point by doing a little dance, shaking his hips from side to side like he was spinning an invisible hoola hoop.

“Fair enough, sorry I asked. Anyway, you ready, kid?” I asked.

“Yeah!” he shouted back. “Me and Mr Wiggles have been practising all week!”

“Cool, then begin!” I called.

“Use Scratch!” the kid shouted right away.

The Mankey shrieked and leapt into the air to grab a low hanging tree branch and launch itself forwards.

“It’s a Fighting-type, Ace,” I warned my starter. “That means you need to keep your distance. If it catches you, it’s game over.”

Ace yipped, signalling his understanding and, white Normal-type energy surrounding him, dashed out of the way of the Mankey’s attack before dropping into his favourite pose of head down, ass up, his tail wiggling above him like some kind of fluffy snake.

Did he just use Quick Attack to dodge? Was that even possible?

“Growl!” I called, deciding to leave that little revelation for later.

Mankey hit the ground where Ace had been, balancing on one leg with his hands held high above his head ready to use Scratch but unsure how to proceed now that his opponent had moved. Taking advantage of that uncertainty, Ace let loose a menacing Growl that made Mankey’s fur stand on end as a shudder ran through its tiny body, its going wide with fright.

“It’s over there!” the kid called, pointing frantically at Ace. “Use Scratch again!”

“Sand Attack!”

Without turning, Mankey bounded across the ground sideways, bouncing and hooting with each jump like a lemur. Unbothered by its antics, Ace let Mankey close on him, patiently waiting for the right moment before digging his paws into the soft soil and flinging debris into its eyes.

Mankey shrieked and fell back, frantically swiping dirt from its eyes and hoping about trying to avoid an attack it couldn’t see coming.

In the Pokemon games, Pokemon were limited to a pool of moves they learned either by leveling up, through TMs or by breeding. This was likely due to balancing and attempts to not make every Pokemon feel too samey, but that wasn’t the case with real Pokemon.

“Ace, show it what a real Scratch looks like,” I said.

Taking advantage of its blindness, Ace jumped onto Mankey, his two forepaws glowing with Normal-type energy as they tore across the little monkey’s face. Scratch wasn’t a move you’d find on any moveset list for Eevee back home, but here it was just another basic Normal-type move that almost any Pokemon could easily learn.

Screeching, Mankkey slammed the edge of a hand into Ace’s side in a desperate Karate Chop, forcing Ace to leap off of Mankey’s body and dealing super effective Fighting-type damage. Ace hit the ground hard but managed to keep his footing, refusing to give his opponent an opening.

Panting, Ace and Mankey stared at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Mankey was clearly exhausted and on the verge of fainting, but it refused to go down, its shoulders heaving with barely restrained rage. If I were to guess, it had just triggered its ability Anger Point, greatly increasing its physical strength.

Though the real world didn’t use levels or experience points, if I were to assign a level to the pair after seeing them both fight, I’d put Ace somewhere around thirteen and the kid’s Mankey at seven, maybe eight. Even with the type advantage, their power and skill weren’t even close.

“Ace, return,” I ordered, calling my starter back to my side. Ace yipped and, without a second glance, happily turned his back on Mankey to trot back to me in one of the coldest dismissals of an opponent I’d ever seen.

“What? But we’re not finished!” the kid shouted, stamping his foot, his Pokemon mimicking the action.

“You said it yourself, Mankey is your only Pokemon,” I said, scooping Ace up to set him back on my shoulder and feed him an Oran berry. “Ace could have finished Mr Wiggles with a Quick Attack or a Swift, but then you’d be alone in Viridian Forest without a Pokemon to defend you.”

The kid seemed to think about that for a moment.

“I get it,” he said, a grin spreading across face. “You knew you couldn’t beat Mr Wiggles and me, so you gave up!”

“Yep, you got me kid,” I said. “Congratulations, you’re just too good for me.”

Adjusting my pack slightly on my shoulders, we started walking along the increasingly thin track once more while the kid and his Mankey danced about in their “victory”.

“Wait!” the kid called out, realising I was leaving. “Where are you going?”

“Go home, kid,” I called over my shoulder without stopping.

“I-I’m lost, okay?” the kid shouted. “I don’t know how to get home.”