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Surmount
The Twisted Forest pt 3

The Twisted Forest pt 3

Unfortunately, the trio's relatively peaceful stroll through Viridian Forest had ended with the previous battle.

Not even an hour after the encounter with the samurai kid, Pikachu and Nebula leapt back with startled yelps as two figures abruptly emerged from the bushes.

"HALT, TRESPASSERS!"

Ash blinked in surprise at the two people in front of him. Both were only slightly older than him, carrying large nets and wearing mediocre camouflage uniforms.

Irritably, he held back the urge to grit his teeth. 'Bug Catchers.

The Bug Catcher Gang wasn't known for being particularly strong, even among most rookie trainers. But they were constant. Like a swarm, any trainer passing through the forest was likely to encounter them, an inevitability that Ash had been dreading.

One bug catcher took out a Poke Ball. "If you wish to proceed further, you must either pay the fee, or turn back."

Ash glared. "We're just headed to Pewter-"

"By passing through our turf! The conditions still stand, so hand over a valuable or make yourselves scarce."

Inwardly, Ash's expression twisted. These people thought they owned the forest; like a noble governing a piece of land. Who did they think they were, trying to obstruct travelers just because-

"You're time's up; Caterpie, eliminate them!"

A green, worm-like Pokemon appeared in a bright flash of light. It gazed intently at Ash and his friends.

"This unstoppable creature shall now put you in your place! Use Tackle attack!"

Caterpie began rushing forward as fast as it could…

...Which wasn't very fast.

Ash groaned. "Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

Using Quick Attack to boost his speed, Pikachu met the incoming Caterpie head on. A loud crack sounded as the metallic tail collided with the green bug type Pokemon's head, sending Caterpie rolling backwards until it hit a tree trunk.

"WHAT?!" screeched the bug catcher in an insufferably ear scratching cry as he gazed at his now unconscious Pokemon. "But that Caterpie was supposed to be unbeatable! It never lost a fight before!"

"How many fights did it win?" Ash raised a brow.

"This was its first fight!"

… Ash hated this damn forest.

The other bug catcher stepped in front of his partner. "Take Caterpie back to the base. I will deal with the intruders."

As the first bug batcher returned his Pokemon and ran off, the second one held up a Poke Ball, releasing a Weedle.

Ash flinched a bit. Weedle were more dangerous than Caterpie due to their poisonous abilities.

"Nebula," he said, looking over to his bird-like companion. "Be careful."

Nebula nodded and flapped her wings just long enough to position in front of her new trainer, eying her opponent carefully.

Ash was confident that Nebula would be able to handle her opponent, but he knew that letting his guard down would get her poisoned. Thankfully, Weedle were very limited in terms of moveset. As long as they avoided their opponent's, they should be fine.

"Whirlwind!"

Launching herself into the air, Nebula flapped her wings as mightily as her body allowed her too. The large gust of wind created from the pressure bowled over the Weedle, sending it rolling across the dirt.

"Poison Sting!"

Regaining its bearings as the wind died down, Weedle charged forward with its stinger sticking out in front. It was a little bit faster than Caterpie, but Nebula avoided it pretty easily, driving her wing into the side of the Weedle's head.

One Quick Attack later and the Weedle was down.

Returning his Pokemon, the Bug Catcher turned to face Ash.

"You haven't seen the last of us, intruders. Turn back now before backup comes; otherwise, this'll be your final warning!"

With that, he fled off in the same direction as his partner, and Ash, Pikachu, and Nebula were left with the sinking feeling that this was only just the beginning.

/

A good deal of Viridian Forest was endless trees as far as the eye could see. Although there were plenty of clearings, they still only made up a small fraction of the massive forest and the amount of land that it covered.

The biggest clearing, however, was near the very center of the forest, and that was where the Bug Catcher Gang made it's primary base.

Several log cabins, spread out throughout the clearing, served as their primary form of shelter from within the forest. Equipment lined the outside walls of the cabin, and consisted of nets, shovels, and standard hiking gear. They were also accompanied by stolen supplies from other trainers.

Right now, a couple dozen members of the gang were out and about, while a few others were resting within the cabins. The gang had seen an all time high increase in members in the past year or so. For as many of them currently stayed at the camp, a few times more were currently prowling the forest, just waiting to pick off any "trespassers" that sunk their boots onto their turf.

Near the center of the base was the largest cabin, with a roof resembling the shell of a Cascoon. Sitting against the door was a girl dressed in a somewhat dirty uniform, stained from trekking through the forest for such a long time. A forest ranger hat rested upon her head, concealing some of her teal hair, which was tied back into a surprisingly neat ponytail.

A few leaves of a nearby plant brushed against her slightly tan skin as she fiddled with the Poke Ball in her hand, deep in thought.

Leading the Bug Catcher Gang was tiring, to say the very least. With the unbearable increase in members, she was forced to promote advisors just to help her keep track of everything. Not to mention that, "business" was especially high now that it was the beginning of the Season. These past two days, new trainers from Viridian City had been all over the forest. It meant much more work for her and her subordinates.

More intruders meant more goods to pilfer, after all.

"Big Net!"

She looked up to see two bug catchers approaching her. They were both among the newest and youngest members of the group. Granted, everybody who worked for her was younger than her.

"Yes?" as she stood up, her voice had a very… unique layer of stoicism to it. She sounded very distant, lost in thought. As though her mind was always on something else, other than the current topic at hand. Her tone was hollow with every word she uttered.

"We have just received word from our scouts: The samurai has been vanquished yet again!"

The bug catcher frantically stamped the gorund as she spoke. A common habit from her subordinates when things did not go their way.

She sighed, running a hand through her teal hair as she sized up the two in front of her.

"But that's the third time he has lost in the past two days." she stated matter of factly, tone of voice unchanging. "Who took out our mercenary this time?"

"Some boy from Pallet Town, it seem." said the other Bug Catcher, who was ruthlessly biting his nails clean. Yet another common habit.

Her face scrunched up. "Another one? We already heard of his humiliation by the spiky haired kid with the Squirtle just yesterday morning?"

"And the purple haired girl with the Bulbasaur last night." the first Bug Catcher chirped in.

"We need to get a new mercenary." the second Bug Catcher deadpanned.

She let out another sigh, this one quite deep. "He has proven very… ineffective in these first few days of the Season. Perhaps he has lost his touch. His blade needs to be sharpened."

"Are you speaking of reevaluation?" the first bug catcher's head tilted. His eyes remained the same, filled with crazed fanaticism, yet innocnet ignorance.

"Perhaps." she said blankly in a very matter of fact manner. "And what of the rest of our troops? Have there been any more incidents with this new… Pallet Town boy since then?"

The second bug catcher saluted. "Yes! These past few hours, we have attempted ambushes with several of our soldiers, and all of them were quite swiftly annihilated! He's the real deal! They say that his Pikachu moves faster than the very lightning that shoots out of its tail!"

Her frown deepened. "He's been that much trouble in such a short amount of time? When was the last time someone's given us this much issue?"

"I do not recollect! For I have only been here for four months!"

"I see…"

"Big Net… what are your orders?"

The two bug catchers stared intently as their leader rested her chin in her palm. Her distant gaze was directed at nothing, reaching far out into the forest, with no target in particular.

"We can't take his success sitting down." her hollow voice was just loud enough to get her point across. She never raised it outside of the fiercest of battles. Looking up, she stared at her two subordinates. "Otherwise, we'll lose our touch, and the more people who humiliate us, the more our operations will suffer." Her scouts wre far from undefeated, but up to this point, their group still had a steady stream of goods coming in from successfuls thefts and "fees". Losing to the same person repeatedly would only make weaker intruders less likely to comply to their demands should word ever get out; this had to be nipped in the bud.

"Her wisdom is unrivaled!" The first bug catcher was gazing in awe.

"The Big Net is the supreme ruler of Viridian Forest, and the big sister to all who carry the Bug Catcher name!" The second was equally enraptured.

She didn't comment; the majority of the grunts had taken to calling her by her alias, so the odd behavior was far from unusual for her. Many in her ranks were like this; quirky misfits in need of direction.

Instead, she glanced over at an orange haired boy passing by, minding his business and not butting into their conversation. "Feral, I need you here."

The orange haired boy, Feral, glanced over to her, his movements halted. "Yes, Kimberly?"

"A boy from Pallet Town has been giving our scouts more trouble than normal. Inform all in the field that we are switching our patrol tactics to First A. Until further notice, am I clear?"

Feral bowed to his superior. "It will be done, I assure you."

Gazing off into the distance, Kimberly tightened her fists, yet no rage or emotion of any sort appeared on her face.

"Let's see how long it takes to ensnare this one."

/

The moon was high in the sky as a sighing Ash sank into the ground, leaning against the large tree stump in the clearing.

The Bug Catchers had been relentless. First the samurai kid, and now they were getting ambushed at what felt like every turn. He was almost afraid to take another step, knowing that there was a fifty-fifty chance that two, maybe even three, Bug Catchers would be bursting out of the nearest bush to attempt havoc on him and his new teammates.

So far, none of the battles had been particularly challenging; a Butterfree had nearly stopped Pikachu in his tracks with a surprise Stun Spore, but after that close call, Pikachu's Thunder Shock and Iron Tail had brought the battle to an end.

The problem wasn't the battles. It was the Bug Catchers themselves. They were like a parasitic swarm; spewing entitled nonsense with insuffesrable persistence. And after the battle, most of them didn't even pay him any money…

Their parting words were always the same too: "We'll get you next time!", "You shall rue the day you ever came here!" or, "The Big Net will never forgive you for this!" it was tiring to say the very least.

Looking over to Pikachu and Nebula, Ash could tell that they were both getting fed up with it, too. The mouse's face made no effort to hide the agitation, and the bird was glum, unenthusiastic as she consumed her food.

Honestly, he imagined the constant intrusion might have been slightly more tolerable if prize money was involved, but less than half of them had even bothered. At this point, it usually felt like they were getting harassed for nothing. After meeting Janine, he had been looking forward to interacting with other friendly trainers. The Bug Catchers clearly weren't those people.

"Sorry about the rough day, you too" he caught their attention. "But at the pace we're going right now, Pewter City should only be a few days away. Then we can leave this forest behind, and never look back."

Pikachu and Nebula weren't particularly happy, but the thought of leaving the forest was appealing enough to motivate them, even Nebula, who had just been caught in the forest itself. Ash supposed that meeting the Bug Catchers had soured her opinion on the place, outside of the sections that she was used to. He hoped that his words would heighten their morale. The sooner they left, the better.

But for now, it was time to turn in for the night, and pray to the Guardian Mew for a smoother tomorrow.

/

Nebula was flying overhead as Ash and Pikachu made their way down the path in silence. They had risen early today, in hopes of uncovering as much ground as possible. The presence of the Bug Catchers was more than enough motivation to speed up their travels in hopes of soon reaching the end.

So far, no Bug Catchers had ambushed them, but Ash wasn't about to get his hopes up. Not after yesterday.

Nebula was staying close to Ash, as was Pikachu. Neither Pokemon was willing to venture too far out, if not because of the erratic wildlife that resided deep within the forest, then because of the obnoxious bug catchers that were undoubtedly on the prowl. Part of Ash wasn't too worried about them because the battles had mostly been nuisances up to this point. They had yet to face a bug catcher that posed too much of a threat to him or his team.

But the fact that such nuisances were so common left an overhanging sensation of dread in his mind. A few Bug Catchers here and there wouldn't be a problem, especially if they were among the ones who begrudgingly offered prize money after losing.

The constant ambushes, however, were a different matter entirely.

Did every trainer who ventured into the forest really have to deal with this? Ash found that hard to believe. Given that the Bug Catcher Gang was primarily stationed in the central portion of the forest, perhaps some trainers with a better sense of direction than him were capable of going around it, without having to take too much of a detour? That was the only explanation that he could think of. Why else wouldn't the League be cracking down on these despicable troublemakers?

Granted, Ash knew that he probably wasn't getting the worst of it. They hadn't stolen anything yet, and he'd heard stories of such events before, so he supposed he shouldn't be complaining… just yet.

For now, he would just enjoy the quiet time until they-

The ground gave out from beneath him and he let out a startled yelp as he felt the weight of gravity pushing him down below.

THUD! Just as suddenly as the descent, he felt a pain in his butt as he hit the ground.

Hearing Pikachu's startled cry, he looked up to see his starter and Nebula nervously peering down at him, the bird-like Pokemon landing by the young mouse's side as he took in his surroundings.

Walls of dirt closed him off from going anywhere else.

He had fallen into a pit trap.

Ash glared. It must have been one of the Bug Catcher Gang's tricks. What was up with these people? Did they have any motive for this? Did they not realize that halting the progress of "trespassers" would only make it take longer for them to finally leave their territory, like they wanted them to? Or maybe this was an attempt to steal-

"MUHAHA! That hole shall become your tombstone, trespasser!"

Ash groaned at the sound of retreating feet as Pikachu and Nebula chattered angrily at the fleeing bug catchers.

/

With difficulty, he was able to climb out of the uncomfortable hole, which thankfully fell just short of being too deep, but the experience had left his clothes filthier than usual.

And unfortunately, that wasn't the only pit trap that he had fallen into that day.

Ash counted about six. After the first four traps, he had found a clearing to quickly change his clothes at, only for his change of clothes to be ruined by the remaining two.

What's more? The fighting had resumed, but this time there seemed to be some kind of coordinated pattern to their attacks. Almost like they had a plan.

They had forgone ambushing him in the bushes and had instead taken to attacking Pikachu and Nebula while he was stuck in a hole. The angle was likely to steal his belongings while he was vulnerable in the hole, while also trying to pick off his Pokemon while he couldn't give orders. The move was clever, but…

They still weren't very strong.

Ash was assuming that the gang had some sort of survival instincts to carry them through the forest, because they sure as hell didn't have the muscle to survive it. None of their Pokemon had put up much of a fight.

By the time he had climbed his way out of each hole, the bug catchers were already running off, always declaring that they'll be back for vengeance. And none of them had given him any money.

Now it was nighttime again, and Pikachu and Nebula were even more agitated than the previous night. Ash had tried the same "morale raising" promises that he had before, but he wasn't sure how much longer they were going to work at this point.

It was the kind of situation where you really wanted to do something, in this case, get out of the forest, but you were so fed up that you no longer had the energy left to pull it off. Ash was starting to feel it too; even as he tried to raise motivation amongst the Pokemon duo, he wondered if he even believed his own words. The day had just been too exhausting to be viewed in optimism.

Eventually, he decided that striking up a different conversation would be the best way to go about things.

"Pikachu, Nebula." he said, his two Pokemon looking over to him as they turned their attention away from their food. "Are you looking forward to challenging Pewter's Gym?"

The mouse and bird seemed to think that question over. Ash doubted that they had put much thought into it compared to him, as they were not trainers. He wondered how a Pokemon felt about challenging Gyms so soon after being caught.

After all, the Pokemon were obviously not the ones who came up with such an idea. It was the trainers who chose to challenge the Gyms. To get the badges. The Pokemon just… went along with it.

But what were the motives that the Pokemon acted on, anyway? Did they go beyond simply listening to their trainers?

Pikachu and Nebula didn't seem to have an answer to this, but the electirc type still raised a paw and let out a questioning chatter. Ash took this as an invitation to elaborate on his question. They likely wanted to know more. It was understandable, neither Pikachu or Nebula would have any way of knowing much about the League, right?

"Well…" Ash began, considering his words. "You both already know about how I want to become the world's greatest Pokemon Master, right?"

Pikachu and Nebula nodded. How could they not know that? Their new trainer was always talking about the Conference, and how it was the first step to achieving the dreams of the most ambitious trainers. How winning the Conference was such a huge achievement. Making it to the Conference opened a brand new threshold for any trainer to experience.

Ash crossed his legs as he eyed his teammates.

"Gyms are an important part of that process, you see." he adjusted his cap. "They are the qualifiers for the Conference. They determine who is strong enough to enter it."

Pikachu returned to his food for a second before looking back up towards Ash. Nebula, while tempted, had chosen to wait for a bit. She likely wasn't as hungry, as she ate faster.

"Gym Leaders are the leaders of their respective territories." Ash explained. "Giovanni, for example, governs Viridian. He's in charge of their law enforcement, and has a hand in starter Pokemon distribution. Their main purpose is to watch over their respective territories, and protect them. They are the highest ranking League officials of where they are stationed. But they are also the ones who test the trainers trying to compete in the Conference. And they are strong; much stronger than these bug catchers, for sure."

Pikachu perked up at that. Ever since the humiliating fight against Gary, and the debacle with the Skorupi, the mouse had seemingly expressed genuine interest in getting stronger. Not to be the best, like Ash, but just to no longer be pushed around. It was a different motive, but one he seemed committed to nonetheless.

Ash had told him that battling against strong opponents was the best way to do this, however. Which of course, risked more humiliation. It was conflicting, but he would help his starter ensure that it would be worth it.

"Typically, a Gym Leader specializes in a specific type. There is no rule that says they have too, nor do they need to exclusively use the type that they specialize in, but every Gym Leader in the Kanto and Johto Regions are type specialists." Ash explained. "They each hand out a badge pertaining to their respective Gym. Trainers trying to compete in the Conference are expected to win eight of these badges before the Season is over. Oh, but if you're not able to earn all eight of them in one Season, then any badges that are already in your possession will not be eligible for the next Season. Qualifications are as strict as they come." As they had always been; the Conference was the most prestigious event in Indigo.

He paused for a moment, allowing the information to sink in.

Nebula had finished her food, having gotten back to eating while still listening to Ash closely, and was now eying Pikachu's food. The mouse had progressively gotten tired of it over the past few nights, and Ash wondered if the electric mouse's period of extensive hunger post-evolution was beginning to wind down. Pikachu in question had stopped eating to listen to his trainer. Apparently this story was more interesting than the food was.

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"Gym Leaders have a large variety of Pokemon at their disposal." Ash explained. "The battles are orchestrated like tests for the trainers. Most Gym Leaders don't use their strongest teams against inexperienced Trainers, but that doesn't mean they go easy on them." He breathed. "It's just the first step, though. Completing the task of earning eight badges is difficult enough, but it's the Conference itself that really brings the intensity. It's a competition between the best trainers of the Season, those who have earned the eight badges. In Indigo, the Conference covers every Region under the Empire's banner. This also means that not all of a trainer's badges need to be strictly from Kanto or Johto abecause ny combination of badges from gyms under the League's authority are eligible." he was shaking a bit now. "But the fact that multiple Regions are involved also means that there is even more competition. Not all Conferences cover multiple Regions, but it goes for any League whose authority stretches past their native land. I'm hoping to break records there; be one of the few rookiesto make it there, maybe even be the first rookie trainer to make it to the top 16, where the six on six rounds are held." he chuckled. "And really, my reasons are simple. I just want to be the best. When I see Lance, Karen, Bruno, Lorelei, Agatha, whenever I see them battling, it just reminds me of what I could become. If I really push myself… they are what every dedicated trainer in Indigo strives to be, even if few can." his eyes steeled. "I want to become one of those people! Not just to prove Gary wrong…"

Nebula's face scrunched up at the sound of the name. Pikachu had told her about Gary before, and the boy most certainly did not sound appealing to her.

"...But because it's just something that I've wanted to do ever since I was a little kid! I became so fascinated by the professional side of Pokemon training… that it became my dream. Not just something that I enjoy… but something that I want…" he paused and took a deep breath, realizing that he had allowed himself to ramble. "But enough about me. I'm sure you two have something that you dream for too, right?"

Pikachu and Nebula shared unsure glances at that. Truth be told, neither of them had ever given it much thought before. Pikachu had never really imagined life beyond the environment that he grew up in, and for Nebula, Viridian Forest was pretty much the whole entire world.

Ash may not have understood what they were saying but… he enjoyed talking to them. As he began brainstorming about things that Pikachu and Nebula might want to achieve for themselves, he took note that the two had gotten more sociable with one another. Used to each other. And that Pikachu was sharing some of his food with Nebula.

The bird Pokemon, who Ash initially wasn't sure would be completely on board with them, was seemingly opening up to the young mouse little by little. It was comforting to see. Certainly much more comforting than the various sounds and cries that he could hear emitting from the trees.

But there was something else tonight. Something else that ended up making him feel even more uneasy.

Was something… watching them?

He could almost feel another presence in their midst. As though the temperature was dropping…

As though there were a pair of blazing, dangerous eyes, burning into the back of his head no matter which direction that he looked in...

/

Day four in this miserable forest. The vegetation had grown thicker, and Ash felt the leaves brushing against his skin as he made his way through the now seemingly non-existent path, which was now almost completely covered by grass blades and bushes.

Pikachu had taken to riding on his new trainer's shoulder, not too keen on walking through bush after bush. Nebula, after seeing the overabundance of low hanging branches that would inhibit her flight, had opted to stay in her Poke Ball.

Ash couldn't help but find himself… somewhat pleased by Pikachu riding on his shoulder. The young boy wasn't sure why, but he enjoyed the feeling, all the same. He could get used to this.

This was the longest that they'd gone without a bug catcher ambush. Ash had expected them to be all over him and his team at this point, but even an hour after a lunch break, there was still no sign of them.

Ash wanted to think that this meant that they were in the clear. Maybe they'd passed through bug catcher territory already? But that sounded too good to be true. He didn't want to get his hopes up, only for them to be immediately dashed the next time some random weirdo came bursting through the bushes shouting "TRESPASSER!" at the top of their lungs.

Ash felt that the safest approach would simply be to continue dreading whenever their next attack was going to be. That way, he'd be pleasantly surprised if it didn't actually happen, and not be disappointed when it inevitably did.

"Hey Pikachu," he turned his eye in the electric rodent's direction. The yellow Pokemon was steadily perched on his new trainer's shoulder, smiling lightly, but still having a sense of dread in his eyes. Clearly, the bug catchers were on Pikachu's mind, too. "If we reach another clearing before dark, would you like to get some training in? I was thinking of asking Nebula too, if we ever get the chance."

Pikachu's reply seemed positive. Ash had told him about how useful of a move that Double Team could be, and the rodent seemed to be keen on learning it.

"Good! It would be really good if we got Double Team down before challenging the Gym. To help speed up the process, I was thinking of-"

He was cut off by the sound of a scream. But this one wasn't a bug catcher.

It was a very high pitched scream… definitely a Pokemon… but he couldn't quite place it…

"You heard that, right?" Ash flinched. It was a stupid question. Of course Pikachu had heard it!

Pikachu's ears were twitching. Sticking straight upwards, they wiggled around as the mouse looked in the direction of the voice.

Ash bit his lip.

"Should we… check it out?"

Pikachu wasn't so sure, but… something was compelling Ash too look. Suddenly, it was as though his body was moving on its own.

Ash didn't know it yet, and probably wouldn't know it for a while, but he would eventually come to be very, very, very thankful to himself for doing what he did.

/

A frustrated Feral ran a hand through his bright, orange hair. How had this happened?

In front of him was a rope hanging from a nearby tree branch. And dangling upside down from said rope, was a Pokemon.

It was definitely foreign. Most certainly not a Pokemon that you would normally find in Indigo, or even in a forest in general. So that begged the question that the bug catcher continuously found himself asking: What was it doing here?

Two bug catchers stood by either side of him; one boy and one girl. They each turned to him for instructions.

"Well, Feral?" said the female bug catcher. "This wasn't what we were expecting…"

The Pokemon looked like it could be humanoid, but didn't look very human, nonetheless. It was about a foot tall. Red horns on top of its head. Most of its body was white. Green hair obscured much of its face.

It was currently flailing about in a panic, startled by the trap. Desperation was in its tone of voice as its small arms flew around all over the place, the rope swaying from side to side as its prisoner struggled.

Humanoid Pokemon weren't common in forests… there was clearly a reason why this Pokemon was here.

"I was hoping that this trap would catch the Pallet Town intruder that we've been chasing after." said Feral as he continued to eye the suspicious Pokemon carefully. "Instead we get a creature that I am unable to identify."

"Would our leader know what it is?" the male Bug Catcher inquired.

"Most certainly. Which is why we should probably take it back to the base. Could be another intruder."

The sound of frantic footsteps and snapping twigs interrupted them before they could make another move, however.

Ash emerged from the wide array of leaves that had previously been obscuring him. Pikachu was on his shoulder. The trainer stopped to take in the scene before him.

"Hey!" he called out angrily. "What are you doing with that Pokemon?"

Feral tilted his head towards the trainer. "So you're the intruder, I suppose." He fully turned to face Ash and Pikachu. "It was like this when we found it. This trap was meant for intruders like yourself, but it seems a Pokemon has found its way in instead."

"You'll let it down?" Ash asked carefully.

"And take it to our leader." said Feral cooly. "As the patrol advisor, I have a responsibility to carry out."

"And what's your leader going to do with it?" Ash asked, his brow furrowed.

"Who knows?"

Ash grit his teeth. Who did these people think they were? Pit traps were bad enough, but rope traps that held you upside down? And they weren't just going to let the Pokemon go free?

"You're not taking that Pokemon." Ash was somewhat surprised by the amount of backbone that he had put into that statement. At least, he hoped that it qualified as backbone.

"You have no say in that." said Feral, taking out a Poke Ball. "But I suppose we can battle to decide who claims it."

The male bug catcher pumped his fist. "A challenge from Feral himself! Nobody outside of the Big Net can beat him in a fight!"

Emerging from the orange haired boy's Poke Ball was a round, purple bug with large, red eyes.

"Venonat is my partner. If you can get past her, then you get the mysterious Pokemon that we caught." the Bug Catcher advisor crossed his arms. "Otherwise, you'll be out of luck."

Well, Ash could credit this one for not being as annoying as all of the others. He wondered if that meant he would be more difficult to defeat.

Nebula appeared in front of him in a flash. Turning to him, the young bird seemed quite irritable, chirping to Ash and Pikachu angrily about how she had told them that she had wanted to stay in her Poke Ball.

"Heads up, Nebula." Ash raised his hands above his head in hopes of calming her down. "We're in the middle of a battle, here."

Perking up at that, Nebula turned to face her opponent. The bug watched her closely, almost as cool headed as her trainer. Said orange haired trainer snapped his fingers as he declared his first order.

"Venonat has dealt with birds before. We shall now commence our anti-flight strategy. Tackle!"

With surprising speed, Venonat charged forward. Nebula immediately flapped her wings, propelling herself into the air and avoiding the attack. However, Feral didn't seem too surprised as he responded.

"Supersonic!"

Ash's ears suddenly felt a blazing pain as the most horrific of sounds emitted from Venonat's body. He could hear Pikachu crying out while the mouse desperately tried to close his own ears as Nebula recoiled from the sudden shock, knocking her out of the air.

As Nebula landed back first into the dirt, Ash tried to regain his bearing in the midst of such a horrible shrieking noise. Gratefully, the sound began dying down.

Ash growled. Nebula's options were limited. He doubted that the Starly had complete control over Aerial Ace, and Double Edge was most certainly out of the question. Either way, that Supersonic would be a problem. If Nebula wasn't prepared for it, it would continue to knock her out of her flight attempts. Even then, he doubted that it would be easy to concentrate with such a horrific noise in your ears… he certainly couldn't.

Feral nodded in approval. "Perfect, Venonat. Now Psybeam."

A small beam of narrow, rainbow light emitted from Venonat's face. A loud SHING! noise sounded off as Nebula was struck square in the chest by the attack, right as she attempted to get up.

Ash squirmed as his bird teammate was sent tumbling backwards, stopping at her back yet again. This new bug catcher was quick on his feet. He hadn't had a challenging battle since the samurai kid and his Pinsir, but this one would be a problem…

"Now, Confusion."

Venonat's eyes began flashing furiously, as if the Pokemon was struggling to properly use the attack. Nevertheless, its eyes eventually began to glow a steady, albeit faint blue. Nebula started as a thin blue outline appeared on her body. Against her will, she slowly but surely began lifting into the air.

Ash grimaced. Confusion was a fairly potent move for beginner level pokemon. It allowed the user to manipulate objects and even living things with their mind, freezing them in place and moving them about on their own.

But much like most non-psychic type Pokemon, at least those at the beginner level, this Venonat was having trouble using it. It was a difficult move to master for just about any experienced Pokemon that was not a psychic type itself.

"Fight back, Nebula! Break free with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu was shouting his own words of encouragement as Nebula struggled against the psychic hold that Venonat had placed on her. Looking over to Venonat, Ash could see that the purple bug was struggling to maintain the move. As long as Nebula won out in a war of attrition…

Venonat's eyes blinked, and after a few seconds, the flashing went away. Nebula, caught off guard, found herself abruptly rushing forward with the power of Quick Attack. A startled screech escaped her beak as she slammed beak first into the Venonat.

Ash could hear Feral grunting in frustration as Venonat tumbled away, but Nebula too recoiled from the attack, tumbling backwards in midair before just barely regaining her bearings with a forceful flap of her wings. As she continued flapping her wings in place, hovering just above the center of the battlefield, Ash took notice of the light shaking of her head. She was likely hurt from the sudden impact.

Feral maintained his composure for the most part as Venonat returned to her feet. "Poison Powder!"

Ash flinched. Poison Powder was exactly what it sounded like, and as the purple substance emitted from Venonat's body and made its way towards Nebula, he reacted immediately.

"Use Whirlwind!"

The wind kicked up as the hurt, but still battle ready Nebula flapped her wings as furiously as possible, letting out a mighty, albeit high-pitched, battle cry as the large, sudden gust repelled the powder back to its source.

Venonat struggled against the wind, as did Feral and his two companions, but all remained firmly in place as the powder harmlessly sprinkled over Venonat.

"Impressive. It was clever to use Whirlwind to blow the attack back to us. I figured you might try something like that, but Venonat is immune to Poison Powder. It's a good thing I didn't have her use Stun Spore." Ferak remained stoic. "But let's see how your bird friend handles another Supersonic!"

Ash and Pikachu both instinctively covered their ears as Nebula shrieked in displeasure at the noise that once again invaded her sense of hearing. Ash could see her concentration slipping as she began to slowly descend from the air…

Although he wanted to look away, as though it would somehow make the horrible sound go away too, Ash steeled himself as he stepped forward. "Nebula! Use Whirlwind to propel yourself in the air!"

Putting all of her resolve into flapping her wings, Nebula created the largest gust that she had ever managed before. Her mind was jumbled by the horrific noise that invaded her hearing, but somehow, she managed to ascend high above the battlefield, gliding in the air, away from the noise, and trying to regain her bearings.

She felt somewhat dizzy for a second, but it soon settled as her eyes focused on the large tree leaves ahead of her. Taking a deep breath, she found herself returning to normal, a calm mood entering her mindset as she looked downward at her opponent, who was now far below her.

"Speed yourself up with Quick Attack and use Wing Attack!" Ash had to raise his voice as high as possible in order to ensure that she heard him. Thankfully, she did, but he hoped that he hadn't disturbed any wild Pokemon with the sudden noise…

Nebula flew straight downward, putting all of her might into Quick Attack as she shrieked down towards her now fast-approaching opponent. The wind pressure against her face had her feathers swaying backwards against the resistance as she plummeted downward towards the ground. She raised her wing as she prepared to attack…

CRACK!

The impact of the blow was practically as loud as the Supersonic itself. Venonat had no time to react, and could only let out a startled cry of pain as Nebula's wing collided with her forehead, immediately pinning her on the ground, back-first, as the painful blow to the head immediately registered, the large bruise that it produced rivaled only by the pain that she felt just before losing consciousness.

A moment later, Feral returned Venonat to her Poke Ball, and Pikachu nervously made his way to Nebula as the young bird nursed her now sore wing. Ash would have to apply some potion to both her wing and her head afterwards…

For now, his attention was on Feral as the orange haired boy approached him, both of his bug catcher companions in tow.

Surprisingly, he didn't seem to be too upset about how the battle had turned out. Ash couldn't say that he was the biggest fan of this bug catcher, given that he was planning to take advantage of a Pokemon that was caught in a trap, but he could at least respect the apparent good sportsmanship.

If only they were all like this one.

"Impressive…" said Feral. He was attempting to sound blank, but his tone clearly had a layer of surprise to it. "I wasn't expecting that last trick with your Whirlwind."

Truth be told, Ash had thought that one up at the last minute. Looking over to Nebula, he was amazed at how she managed it. The adrenaline rush from being startled by Supersonic, perhaps?

Either way, he would definitely be excited about new ways regarding how to utilize Whirlwind in the future.

But now was not the time to be trying to think of new ideas for the move. That could come later on, after they had left this dreaded forest.

To his surprise, the orange haired boy reached into his pocket and held out a surprising amount of money.

"Here, this is yours. Don't think too much of it."

As Ash quickly took the money (a bit excited about one of the rare instances where a bug catcher was actually willing to pay him for winning) Feral continued.

"Well, a deal is a deal. The Pokemon is yours. Do what you want with it. I'm leaving now." Turning to the bug catchers, he pointed in a separate direction. "Let's go."

Ash watched the group walk off, a bit confused about what had just gone down. That particular bug catcher wasn't like the rest of them. He was still trying to wrap his head around there being a member of the group who was not completely obnoxious, but pushed those thoughts aside as he turned to Pikachu and Nebula, the duo currently heading on over to him. Pikachu was supporting Nebula a bit, and Ash suddenly realised that her wing injury was worse than he thought.

Guilt washed over him

"Sorry…" he said, kneeling down and lightly patting his bird companion on the head. "That was reckless of me."

"Reckless" being a pretty big understatement, of course. Since Nebula wasn't very durable yet, she was obviously going to be much more prone to injuring herself from stunts like that, and Ash was cursing himself for not realising this. He would never become a Pokemon Master if he kept being this negligent.

"Let's cut that Pokemon down." Ash was attempting to stop his guilty frown from spreading too much, trying not to think about it. "I'll look at you right away." They needed to find another clearing quickly.

/

"You don't seem to be very upset about the loss, Feral." the female bug catcher pointed out.

"Of course not, I'm looking at this from the bigger picture." the orange haired boy declared. "We at least have more to work off in terms of gauging their abilities. I'll report the battle to Kimberly and go from there."

"What do you think that Pokemon was anyway?" the male bug catcher wondered aloud.

/

A tiny clearing was thankfully nearby, allowing Ash to tend to Nebula's injuries more safely after having Pikachu cut the mysterious Pokemon down with Iron Tail. Seeing that yet another one of his Pokemon had been hurt because of his own choices had brought back very unpleasant memories of the Spearow flock, but Ash tried to convince himself that this wasn't the same thing. Nevertheless, the parallels wouldn't stop running through his head.

After healing Nebula's wing and head with some potions (and apoligizing for the upteenth time) Ash returned her to her Poke Ball in order to allow her time to rest up. Between the struggle to break free from Confusion, and the damage that she had taken from the battle, she was still quite exhausted even after the healing. He was guilty that she wouldn't be able to properly meet the Pokemon that she had saved, but he knew that her rest was important. At the very least, Pikachu was still around, as he had freed the Pokemon from the trap.

The Pokemon in question was quite quiet, but seemed to be grateful.

Currently, Ash was seated on a small rock as he observed the small Pokemon. Pikachu was cautiously approaching it, doing his best not to freak it out too much, to his trainer's gratitude.

The Pokemon was eying Pikachu carefully, not necessarily seeming distrustful, but still appearing nervous. Its green hair was blocking out its eyes, meaning Ash couldn't really get much of a read on its emotions apart from the movements of its mouth.

Pikachu slowly raised his paw, a smile gradually forming on his face. Ash couldn't help but wonder if he should just leave this to the mouse. Although Pikachu's more nervous qualities were still present, his evolution had certainly given him a confidence boost, especially since he was actually winning most of his fights now.

His starter seemed to be getting along better with Nebula, now, too. Although there had never been conflict between the two of them (outside of their battle, obviously) the mouse and bird seemed to have grown closer over their travels. No doubt that that had encouraged Pikachu to try and interact with some more Pokemon as well.

The Pokemon was approaching Pikachu now, looking up at the slightly taller mouse and crossing its arms defensively, as if just in case. Pikachu offered a squeak, seemingly asking a question.

As the two conversed, Ash looked back to the forest from where they had come, hoping that they wouldn't have to deal with any more bug catchers anytime soon. They thankfully hadn't attacked them while they were resting or at camp yet, so Ash was hoping that it would stay that way.

Hearing Pikachu call out to him, Ash looked to see the two Pokemon approaching. Pikachu had his paw on the mysterious Pokemon's back. A friendly contact that actually seemed to be easing its nerves a bit.

Since when had Pikachu's social skills been so on point? Perhaps the situation with Nebula really had boosted the mouse's confidence.

Kneeling down, Ash slowly reached out his hand. The small Pokemon flinched, but didn't move away as Ash patted its head.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there. You must have been scared. We're your friends though, so you don't have to worry."

The Pokemon tilted its head a bit, before looking back at Pikachu, who just nodded with a cheerful smile. Looking back to Ash, the Pokemon seemed to ease up just a bit, and nodded with acceptance.

Ash could have sworn that he'd heard the name of this Pokemon before… so why couldn't he place it?

However, something else was on his mind right now.

Something was compelling Ash to say what he said next. Ash didn't know why he was jumping into this so quickly, but… something inside of him… really wanted to…

"I know this may sound sudden, but would you like to come with us?"

The Pokemon seemed surprised by the question. Pikachu released it and simply crossed his paws non-threateningly, giving the Pokemon an encouraging look as it turned back to him.

After some careful consideration, the Pokemon turned its attention back towards Ash and nodded, to the rookie's surprise. But looking at the Pokemon now, it almost seemed like it found the thought of being with them… comforting. Ash couldn't see its eyes, but he could have sworn that its body had eased up just now as it accepted Ash's offer.

Ash smiled. "Great! I'm sure we'll all get along just fine! My name is Ash, by the way. And this is Pikachu." he gestured over to the small mouse, who seemed to be quite pleased by the turn of events. "And the one who fought off those bug catcher people for you was Nebula. I'm sure she'll be delighted to meet you once she's all rested up."

The Pokemon scratched its head but said nothing.

Ash took out a Poke Ball. "Would you mind going in here real quick? It won't take long, I promise, but I would like to be able to identify you and see your moves. But I need you to be registered first." Otherwise, he would only know the Pokemon's species and some additional information, but nothing about its actual capabilities.

The Pokemon complied and was sucked into the orb. Afterwards, Ash quickly released it and took out his Pokedex to scan the newcomer.

"Ralts, the Feeling Pokemon of the psychic-fairy type. It is highly attuned to sensing the emotions of people and Pokemon. If it senses hostility, it hides.

"This Ralts is male and knows the moves Disarming Voice, Confusion, Hypnosis, Teleport, Psybeam, Light Screen, Confuse Ray, and Shadow Sneak. Its ability is Telepathy, which allows the user to anticipate the actions of its opponent in a battle."

Ash's jaw almost dropped.

Okay, so the Pokemon was a Ralts. Ash had a feeling that he knew something about this species, but the name had slipped away from him for some reason. What really intrigued him, however, was the Pokemon's moveset.

Based on Ash's limited knowledge of the species, he could have sworn that Ralts had difficulty learning Light Screen, Confuse Ray, and Shadow Sneak conventionally. It was quite surprising to hear that he had known those moves already. Was this because of Egg Moves? The only other explanation that he could think of was TMs, which didn't make any sense. This Ralts was a wild Ralts.

Furthermore, what was a Ralts even doing in the forest, anyway? Based on what little that he had known about them, he was pretty sure that they usually favored urban areas. And they were pretty deep into the forest by now.

Clearly, there was a lot that he did not know, but he tried not to focus on that right now. Instead, he and Pikachu happily welcomed their new teammate.

"Do you want a nickname?" At the small Pokemon's nod, Ash began to think, his hand on his chin.

He tried to think of a name suited for the Ralts. So far, he seemed to be quite timid, almost reminding Ash of both himself and Pikachu prior to Evolving.

Suddenly… that gave him an idea.

"How about… Valiant?"

The Ralts tilted his head in confusion at the suggestion.

"It means to be bold. To have a lot of courage." Ash explained simply. "You kind of remind me of myself and Pikachu. He's getting better, but I'll admit that I'm not the most confident person out there. You seem to be… nervous. Easily startled." Ash smiled, thinking back to Professor Oak and Janine. "But some talented people have told me that our starting points are not what define us. Just because you're the way you are now doesn't mean you always have to be. Think of it as a goal of sorts. What do you think?"

The Ralts seemed taken aback by Ash's explanation, but nodded nonetheless.

"Good! Valiant it is, then!" Ash turned to his starter; Pikachu seemed to be quite happy about the choice too.

The Ralts, now Valiant, smiled at Pikachu and his new Trainer.

And with that, Valiant became the group's newest addition.

/

Deep within the forest, a part few even knew existed, Kimberly took her steps carefully, calculatingly.

Feral's report had been rather surprising. The intruder from Pallet Town was much stronger than she thought. Clearly, drastic measures needed to be taken.

The moon was high over the forest, but she couldn't see it; no sky was visible where she was right now. A lantern in her hands was all that lit her path as she carefully stepped on the series of twigs and grass blades that lined her path, which was simply of her own choosing right now, as no clear, definitive path was visible where she currently was. If she were to look up, the leaves high at the top of the trees were all that she would see. This was by far the thickest part of the forest. And it was where she needed to be. Very few had ever ventured this far into Viridian Forest before, it was rare for even her to make this trip. But tonight, she had a reason to do so.

Up ahead of her was an altar. As she approached it, some more light filled her line of vision. The light that emitted from her golden lantern was now accompanied by the light of the various purple torches that lined the altar.

The last time she had come here had been months ago. It was a rarity when it was needed, but a special occurrence when it was.

Whenever guidance was needed, one being would always be there to provide her with exactly what she needed.

Placing the lantern down carefully, the Kimberly made her way to the altar. Taking off her backpack, she unzipped the bag, taking out various sour fruits and a smoothie. This being loved sour stuff.

Taking a deep breath, she continued to step forward, placing them in the center of the altar. She rolled up her sleeves, barely paying any attention to the now revealed scars on her arms. Kneeling down, she spoke softly, but still just loudly enough to be heard.

It was time.

"Ghost of Viridian Forest. In exchange for your unrivaled wisdom, I give you these offerings."

At first, she was only met with silence, but it would not last forever.

After about a minute or two of kneeling, the… temperature changed.

Kimberly knew what it meant when the temperature dropped at this rate, with such suddenness. That was the sign.

Slowly but surely, she stood up, as each present began to go out, one by one, leaving only the light from the golden lantern nearby.

A slight breeze went through her hair. Through her clothes. She could feel the chill slowly but surely creeping up her spine, grabbing hold of her, as her hair moved along with the wind, flowing through the air as the breeze suddenly began to grow, first slowly, but then fast.

As quickly as it had begun, it was over. Now, floating in front of her...

Few knew that he existed, but many believed it. Few had confirmed it, but many had heard the stories.

Viridian Forest was haunted. But only by one, single ghost.

The being gradually descended in front of her.

What was the forest to him? No, what was he to the forest? He was everything. He saw everything. He heard everything. He knew everything. He did everything and anything. Because that was what he was capable of.

The one who watched over the forest that many trainers feared, was right before her eyes.

He was quite a bit bigger than her. Larger, stockier, greater. An incredibly dark shade of purple, an extreme, strong color that bore its way right into the human eye, yet glowed all the same. His eyes were large, as was his mouth, which was occupied by the large tongue inside of it.

The ghost finished his descent, standing over the bug catcher leader. She said nothing. She did nothing. All she did was take in his presence. He was a dominating force, one who took over the area the moment he touched down. The moment he was there. Simply by existing. That was what the ghost did, because that was what the ghost was. None could compare to him. Not in this forest.

The location was silent. Not a sound. No wind, no wild Pokemon crying in the night. There was nothing else to take in.

Removing her hat, her teal hair now fully exposed, Kimberly bowed down before the ghost, closing her emerald eyes. A purple hand reached out and rested upon her head. Comforting, soothing, yet authoritative.

"Your knowledge is much appreciated, one who observes the forest. Please, hear of my plight." Kimberly gathered her words before continuing, realizing that it was unnecessary as she raised her head to look up at him. "You already know why I'm here, don't you?"

The Ghost didn't need to respond for her to already know the answer.

"I see." She was unsurprised. "Then what do you propose as a solution?"

Eyes flashed bright red. First the Ghost's. And then hers. Knowledge was transferred. Messages were received.

As the Ghost's eyes returned to normal, so too, did the Big Net's. As he rose back up, the wind returned, only to die down again just as quickly as before.

The purple torches on the altar were suddenly lit again.