Settling down for the night, the trio sets up camp. Even with a guide, it will still take a couple of days to get through the forest.

According to the ranger, without a guide, it could take as long as a week. Zane had found it interesting to talk to Wayne, learning about a path that was related to Pokemon but wasn't a trainer or researcher was novel to him. Despite his interest, however, his stories had made it clear that the field wasn't for him.

While Zane was trying to get the fire started to cook dinner, Zane noticed Maylene doing something he couldn't identify with a tree.

"What are you doing Maylene?" Zane asked, curious about her actions.

"I'm spreading some honey that I bought from Floaroma town to try to attract a Pokemon I want to catch."

"Oh? What are you trying to lure?"

Maylene giggles before replying, "You'll just have to wait to find out."

Although Zane could likely deduce what she wanted with relatively little effort, he decided he would wait and play along with her game. With his mental age of 24+10, Zane had learned from his many torturous years of school that it was best to just go along with what kids say.

Although Maylene was more mature than your average 12-year-old, she still showed traits of her age.

Since they hadn't really done anything to celebrate their first Gym victory, Zane wanted to do something special for dinner for his team. The dish he decided on was roasted garlic Magikarp.

Meat in the Pokemon world is a very complex topic. Generally speaking, what a person is comfortable eating tends to come down to individual preference. The majority of the population tends to agree that eating Pokemon with very low levels of intelligence like Magikarp is ok, but some people swear off eating Pokemon entirely.

As the dish began to cook, the rich aroma of the garlic began to cause Zane and his team to salivate. Although the food from the Pokemon Center is fine, nothing really beats a freshly cooked meal you made yourself.

Suddenly, a rustling noise is made at the edge of the clearing, causing the group to jump.

Motioning for their Pokemon to ready themselves, the trio were on high alert.

Finally, a circular brown head pops up out of the bush, making a small "Hoot."

Zane let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Although a Hoothoot isn't a dangerous Pokemon itself, there are several deadly species in the forest that trainers have to watch out for. Between Scythers and their incredibly sharp blades and Dustox and their deadly poisons, only a fool would let themselves be caught off guard.

These concerns were one of the main reasons that having a ranger like Wayne travel with them was such a relief.

No longer too concerned with the threat, Zane decides to pull an anime moment and try to make friends with the wild bird.

"Hey there, did you smell the food?" Seeing the Hoothoot nod, Zane continues, "We were just about to eat, do you want some?"

Zane does his best to hide a small smirk after catching a glimpse of the incredulous look on Maylene's face at his actions.

The owl nods again, prompting Zane to put a portion on a plate for the bird.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Watching the bird begin to dig ravenously into the dish, Zane begins to ponder, "It is a flying type Pokemon like I was looking for, but it's also a normal type. If I catch this, I might as well just commit to becoming a specialist."

Zane signs to himself in a silent resignation to his fate. He was actually really interested in the Noctowl species. Despite being a Flying Normal type, the birds have been recorded to have latent psychic abilities. If trained well, you basically get a psychic type without the dark, bug, and ghost weaknesses.

Additionally, despite the relatively low base stats, Zane believes that he could train it to become an absolute demon in terms of speed. With access to both tailwind and agility, the species could have a chance to thrive now that it's no longer limited to the turn-based format.

Now resolved in his actions, Zane begins to attempt to convince the bird.

Waiting for the bird to finish, Zane starts, "Did you like that dish?" The bird nods, "Do you want some more?" The owl's eyes go wide at the offer before it quickly nods again, "I'm sorry but that was the last of it."

The crushing look of disappointment on the bird's face almost made Zane feel bad for using this tactic.

Holding out a Pokeball in his palm, Zane continues, "But if you're willing to travel with me, I can make that for you again in the future."

The Hoothoot pauses to consider for a moment before pecking the button on the ball and allowing itself to be captured.

'Flying type get.' Zane thinks to himself.

Before Zane could send Hoothoot back out, a large roar caught the group's attention.

Taking a moment to process what exactly is happening, Zane falters when he sees a wide grin begin to spread onto Maylene's face.

Turning to look at the source of the roar, Zane is able to identify the Pokemon - Heracross.

Maylene belts out a declaration, "Heracross! I challenge you, if I win, you'll let me capture you!"

The large bug lets out a roar of acceptance as it begins to charge at her.

"Meditite, get between us and Meditate, and then Detect to dodge!"

Floating forward in a well-practiced movement, Meditite's eyes glow a soft blue as she begins to gather strength.

The bug diverts its target from Maylene to her Pokemon as it lowers its horn during its charge

The horn begins to glow as it nears the levitating Pokemon who manages to finish her setup and dodge out of the way at the last second.

Now behind Meditite, it manages to turn around and launch a series of green projectiles at it.

Wayne yells out, "Watch out, that's Pin Missile!"

The Heracross isn't done there, however, as it runs just behind the attack using it as cover to approach.

"Stop them with confusion!"

Using her boosted Special Attack, a clear expression of determination etches itself onto Meditie's face, as she manages to stop the Pin Missile in mid-air.

Heracross, not expecting this, is unable to stop its momentum and runs into its own attack. Now stunned, Maylene calls out an order to take advantage of the newly found opportunity.

"Force Palm - Quick!"

In a single fluid movement, Meditite plants her feet on the ground, shifting her body weight as she thrusts her palm into the bug's chest.

The pain, however, snaps Heracross out of its daze. At a speed their eyes could barely track, it lets out an Aerial Ace, knocking Meditite out cold.

"That's the alpha of the area, you aren't going to defeat it that easily," Wayne chimed in.

"Riolu, you're up next, get behind it and use Aura Sphere."

In a flash of white that Zane assumes to be quick attack, Riolu quickly joins the fray, positioning itself behind the horned bug.

Although it began to spin around, it was too slow to act, as Riolu manages to hit it with an Aura Sphere in the back of the head.

Anticipating the Bug's next move, Maylene lets out her next order.

"COUNTER!"

Heracross' claw glows a teal blow as it attempts to slash across Riolu with another Aerial Ace. Suddenly, Riolu catches the slash mid-swing with a paw coated in a reddish-brown aura. Now swinging at the bug itself, Riolu slams the aura-coated paw into the bug, throwing it back.

Finally knocked out, Maylene catches the Heracross.