Hunter had long disappeared through the Ilex Forest when James and Jen woke up the next day. The two trainers had breakfast before they began packing for the next leg of their journey, and Quilava was as ready to go as ever. Jen was worried about getting lost in the forest, but they managed to get a hold of a crudely-drawn map of the area. James picked up the map and scanned it briefly, scowling when he saw that the direct route was blocked by a small lake.
“So what?” Jen asked. “As long as we don't get lost, we'll be fine.”
“Yeah, but...you know,” James hated forests as much as he hated unlit caves; both had the chance of wild Pokémon jumping out at you unexpectedly, and he wasn't keen to repeat the Dark Cave incident.
“Oh, don't be such a scaredy-Meowth!” Jen teased, giving him a playful shove. “There's probably a ton of cool Pokémon in the forest, and maybe we can battle somebody in there too.”
“I guess,” James decided it was better to concede the point than argue any more, since he wanted to get through the forest before it got too dark. “Alright, the guide says that Ilex Forest has a lot of Bug- and Grass-types, so Quilava should be able to protect us. If anything, the only thing we need to worry about is getting lost.”
“Okay, then, let's grab our Pokémon and get going.”
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As they passed through the gatehouse to Ilex Forest, the gatekeeper stopped them briefly before they could proceed further.
“Be careful in there. Normally there's nothing to worry about, but some suspicious men were spotted in the area. If you see anyone like that, steer clear of them. They looked like trouble.”
“I'll bet anything it was Team Triassic again,” James muttered as they walked into the dense wood, and Quilava growled low in his throat when he heard the villainous team's name. The Volcano Pokémon obviously had a score to settle, and James put a hand on his head to steady him. “Easy, buddy, we're not going to take them on again this time. I know you want to pay Kabutops out, but you're going to have to wait.”
“Right,” Jen added. “This isn't a good time to pick a fight. We won't be very close to a Pokémon Centre for a while, and the last thing we need is for you to get beat up again.” Quilava growled reluctantly, but let the matter drop. Instead, he scouted ahead, wary of any wild Pokémon that could jump out at any moment. Both youngsters kept an eye out as well, moving quickly but cautiously along the forest floor. Occasionally, they saw a stray Oddish or Paras watching them from the underbrush, but nothing came after them.
As they rounded a bend, it became clear that the map they'd gotten from the Centre wasn't much help. It only showed the larger main route, and wasn't particularly detailed beyond a few crudely drawn forks in the path. James looked around and saw several different paths they could take.
“So...which one do we take?” Jen looked, then pointed.
“Let's take the one furthest to our right. If we don't get through, we can come back and pick another one.”
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It took the fifth time going back and forth down the various paths for the two youngsters to realize that something had gone wrong.
“Face it, Jen, we're lost.”
“We can't possibly be lost. We're back where we...started...was that bush there before?”
“No, it wasn't. We're. Lost.”
“We're not lost, we've just gone out of our way a little bit.”
“A little bit? We don't know where we are, or where we're going. I'd say that makes us pretty much lost!” Jen went red.
“Well, you were the one who wanted to take that fork on the third path!”
“I thought I saw the lake!”
“We ended up back where we started anyway!” The pair kept shouting back and forth at each other, but stopped when James noticed Quilava staring at something.
“What is it, buddy?” Quilava jerked his head, and James noticed some bushes rustling. “Who's there?” The bushes gave way to a thin man with ragged dark hair and a thin, scraggly beard, a yellow Pokémon with a brown lower body and a long snout at his heels.
“Whoa, man, it's all good. I'm not gonna hurt you guys. I was gettin' a real bad vibe from somewhere, and I thought I'd try to find the source.” Jen turned to the man and frowned.
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“Um, who are you? We didn't expect to find anyone this deep in the forest.”
“My name's Davis, and this is my best pal Drowzee. The forest's been my home for a while now.” Jen raised an eyebrow.
“You live here? Why? I can't imagine why anyone might live in this kind of place.”
“It's where I'm most at home, little lady. The big city's got too fast a pace for me, so I live out here. I can stay in harmony with nature, and for the most part nobody bothers me.” He grinned, showing one or two missing teeth. “So what's the deal with you cats? Trainers? Or just nature lovers like me?”
“We're trainers,” James answered. “I'm James, and this is my friend Jennifer.”
“Same first letter? Cool stuff. So, you guys are looking to get through the forest, huh?”
“We are. We're headed for Goldenrod City, to continue our Gym challenges.”
“You guys are collecting badges? I remember those days. Me and Drowzee, going from town to town and getting our groove on. It's been a long time since I traveled, though. What sort of Pokémon do you guys use?”
“I've got a Magby, Togepi and Zubat.” Jen answered.
“And I have Quilava, Pidgey, Geodude and Gastly.”
“Lot of variety and style there, man. It's the spice of life.” Davis turned to Jen. “Your Togepi, it's happy? Did you teach it any new moves yet?”
“Not really,” Jen said slowly. “I've kinda been relying on her Metronome attack...”
“That's one way to battle. But you don't want to make it her only attack. Relying on chance will only get you so far.” Davis grinned. “I can help you out, if you want. The move I can teach you guys is basic, but it's strong, and Togepi will be less predictable. You want to give it a try?” Jen thought for a moment, then smiled.
“Let's do it. I'm all for teaching my team new skills.”
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After Jen let Togepi out and got her focused, Davis motioned to Drowzee.
“Okay, this move may be a little scary to try at first, but don't worry too much. That tree there is strong enough to take a hit, but not so stiff as to hurt anyone. Drowzee, show us your Headbutt!” Drowzee ran up to the tree and drove its forehead into the tree trunk, making the wood bend from the force.
“Togepi, ready to try?” Togepi squealed, and skipped up to the tree. She tried hitting the tree, but simply bounced off. “Is that normal?”
“More or less. It'll take a while for Togepi to get used to the attack. Maybe if she gets a running start, she'll build enough power.” Jen nodded, and looked down at her Spike Ball Pokémon.
“Okay, Togepi, I want you to run at the tree as fast as you can before you attack.” Togepi skipped a little faster, but bounced off the same way.
“Keep going! Tap into your inner groove and slam that tree!” Togepi tried a third time, and this time drove her face into the tree trunk. The tree pushed her back again, and Jen looked worried, but Togepi simply got up and skipped back to her.
“Alright, Togepi!” James called from nearby. He was looking over the map again, knowing it was pointless but still hoping it might not be this time.
“Togepi's doing really well, Jennifer! She'll have the move down in no time!” Togepi kept headbutting the tree, and gradually drove more force into the attack. On one attack, though, they heard a splintering noise.
“What's that?” Jen shouted.
“The tree's gonna fall, man! We gotta split fast!” Davis ran toward the entrance to the clearing, Drowzee behind him. James hurried after him, and Jen scooped up Togepi before following them both. The tree she'd been practicing on snapped close to the ground, and fell harmlessly away from them.
“Is...is everyone okay?” Jen held Togepi close, hoping she hadn't scared her. James nodded, wide-eyed, and Davis grinned.
“We're all alright. Man, I didn't think that tree would go. One too many hits, I think.”
“Yeah.” Jen smiled, and noticed the shadows getting longer. “We'd better get moving, Davis. Thanks for all your help.” Davis' grin broadened, and he handed her a rolled-up sheet of paper.
“There. That map should help you guys find your way out of here. I've been drawing it for years, but since I know the forest inside-out and backward by now, it's more use to you than me.”
“Thanks, Davis. We really appreciate it, and it was nice meeting you.”
“Same to you, Jennifer. Best of luck to you and James on your travels.” James and Jen started down a path shown by the map, and Davis waved until they were out of sight.
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For the next few days, the rest of the trek through the forest was relatively uneventful. They stopped for a quick break near a small building that looked to be a shrine of some kind, but they were both mystified as to its function. As they approached the exit gate on the other side of the forest lake, they noticed a few men in familiar desert camouflage standing near the gatehouse. They hid in a clump of bushes as the grey-haired Admin stood in front of a larger group, obviously giving orders. Quilava started to growl menacingly, but James quieted him with a hand on his snout.
“We have gathered what information we can from the Forest Shrine.” the Admin said, his cold voice penetrating the gloom. “It appears that we may be able to draw power from the Shrine to accomplish our goal, but we will need to find more powerful sources of energy to complete the project. Rest assured, our efforts will bear fruit! Team Triassic will rise, and none will stand in our way! Now, move out!” After a quick shout, the mass of black- and tan-uniformed men marched into the gatehouse, presumably to their next research mission. As the last stragglers tramped through, James and Jen emerged, with Quilava fighting to control its fire.
“Man, those guys are crazy!” James remarked, shaking his head. “I don't know what they think they're going to accomplish, but it's obviously nothing good.”
“Don't worry about it.” Jen told him, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. “We've got enough problems, you can't let yourself get worked up by this.”
“I know, I know,” James said, then regained his composure. “Alright, let's get out of here! I've had enough of dark, quiet places to last a lifetime!” With that, he sprinted towards the gatehouse, with his traveling companion and starter Pokémon racing to catch up.