“And that's how I ended up finding Dewdrop. She was half dead and about to be food for a flock of Spearows if I hadn't run in there with an emergency flare to startle them away.”

Meredith absent-mindedly passes a sitrus berry to the Surskit on her head while taking a sip of her Bluk-Banab berry shake. We had been getting to know each other for the better half of an hour or two to make sure we were actually compatible enough to journey together.

She seemed fairly capable of holding her own and our personalities wouldn't clash either. She is a bookworm in more ways than one. She had told me how she caught her Surskit when she was traveling with her mother on the road when she was younger. At first she had done it to mess with her mother who had some sort of vendetta against bug Pokémon. Eventually, thanks to her father, she grew a deep love for bug types much to her mother's despair. Her father and mother actually fought for some time and he was in the dog house for a few months, but her mother warmed up to the Surskit and forgave her father.

I couldn't get any information about them though. Every time I broached the subject she would quickly move on to another topic and refused to give anything but small details about them. A small red flag considering how she doted on both of them, I'm guessing they're big profile types in the Pokémon world and she can't divulge much else.

It's a shame for me, considering I might have known something about them to get a better picture about Meredith. It doesn't matter I suppose. I got enough information from her.

Full name: Meredith Sandcrest

Age: 18

Likes: Bug and water Pokémon to the point of wanting to be a specialist for both.

Flowers, berries, any kind of plant really. She's like a mini botanist which is pretty amusing and informative. She went crazy when she saw the pink bulbasaur.

Prefers being active and needs to be doing something or else she goes crazy.

Prefers veggies, fruits and edible plants or berries over any kind of meat. This'll make cheap meals and insure that she can survive if we run low on food supplies. She can also pick out what's edible. I definitely need that so I don't have to rely on my phone's root database.

Dislikes: Fire type Pokémon due to an incident she had when she was younger similar to the story I made up.

Eating sea animals or Pokémon of any kind

Excessive violence against Pokémon or other people. I came to find out that she is capable of handling herself in a combative situation, however it concerns me that she isn't sure if she could take a life.

Memories of countless Pokémon and people that I have killed bubble up to the surface of the festering, murky swamp that encompasses my soul. So many dead by my hands and for what? Shit, I can't even remember. I'm spared the reasons as if it is some kind of sick mercy, but the cries - the pleas for help and compassion. Those stay with me and slowly haunt me.

“You ok, Erembour?”

I feel Meredith cup her hands under mine which unbeknownst to me have been violently wringing themselves together. I look down at them and can envision thick globules of blood on my hands, Arceus the blood won't come off.

I take a deep calming breath and close my eyes before opening them again. They regain their normal appearance and I can feel a gentle warmth from Meredith's hands until she hastily moves them away from mine.

Her face turns a small shade of pink as she realizes what she did. Ah, she's blushing. Heh, perhaps intimacy isn't one of her strong suits?

“I'm ok, I had some bad memories come up. Really, I'll be ok.”

I give her a fake encouraging smile to dispel her skeptical look of scrutiny.

“Now, maybe it's time we get out of here and get to the tourney grounds?”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

She shook her head no and flagged the bulbasaur over. The cute thing comes over with a big smile as Meredith asks for a large order of sweet potato fries, a chikorita burger which was made mostly of sitrus, razz and a splash of figy berries. I ended up ordering another shake and an order of regular fries.

“I think I'd rather go somewhere else today. Not really feeling it and the tourney ain't that special. We still have a bunch of time. Besides, your face is plastered everywhere, remember?”

I can feel some of the heat hit my face as I glance away from her. By this point Champ and Beca had joined in with the group of kids and the sentrets. They collaborated in their play time performing some kind of story where the sentrets were heroes and my two lovable Pokémon were the villains. Needless to say, it was amusing.

Well, I guess that rules out the tourney for today. Perhaps I can have some fun messing with her instead.

“Alright. That's fair. Do you have a place in mind for the next part of our date?” I gave her a playful grin as I looked her straight in the eye.

She didn't so much as blink or bat an eye, but instead started tapping her lip with her pointer finger as if deliberating intensely about the ordeal.

“Actually, I do have a place in mind. It's quiet, away from the public eye and should give us some good insight on the next leg of our journey while doubling as part of our date.”

She gave me a wink as the bulbasaur came back with our orders, delicately placing it on the table before giving us a faint bulba cheer. I swear if she didn't have a trainer, I would have caught her.

For the next thirty minutes we ate in silence. It was the comfortable type of silence where we didn't have to force a conversation to be ok in each other's company. This is the type of traveling companion that I needed, so it definitely earned her points in my book.

Eventually Champ and Beca returned after their little play finished. Beca lifted herself up to my shoulder casually with a string shot before nesting into the nook of my neck. Champ sat down on the table having come back with a basket of assorted berries that came from one of the butterfrees that work at this café. Come to think of it, this place is honestly rather strange considering the entire time I've been here I haven't seen one human staff member.

Taking a better look around I could see that aside from the sentrets and bulbasaur, there were a few bellossom, butterfree and what appeared to be a moody alakazam sitting at the main café booth. He looked irritated as a floating spoon blurred at an extraordinary speed to blend berries together for a smoothie. No, not irritated. The poor bastard is absolutely bored.

I wonder what they get paid in…

Meredith clears her throat, forcing me to shift my attention to her. Dabbing at her lips with a napkin, she pushes away her empty plate and gets up.

“Are you ready to head out?” she asks.

“What? Do you mean now? I haven't even paid yet,” I reply.

“Who said you were going to pay? I already took care of it, it's on my tab. I know it's some kind of man code to take care of the bill, but I like to treat the guys I’m with,” she says with a slight blush, realizing her slip of the tongue.

“Not saying that we're together like that, I meant more like since we're going to be traveling together - Oh, you know damn well what I meant,” with a huff of finality she grabbed her stuff and started to walk away leaving me, Beca and Champ staring after her with absolute confusion.

“That was weird wasn't it, Champ? You think this might be a bad idea?”

He shrugs before popping another berry into his mouth and tossing one for Beca to catch expertly in the air with her silk before pulling it into her mouth.

I sat there staring after her deliberating on whether she was purposefully being manipulative or if this was her genuine personality.

“Are you coming or what?!” she yelled at me after she walked a good distance away and noticed I wasn't behind her. Resigning to my apparent fate, I get up with a heavy sigh and start walking away from the table. Beca lets out her typical yawn before covering her face with her leaves and Champ jumps off the table with basket in hand.

“Ok guys, let's see where she's going to take us.” I mumbled to the others. “If anything seems out of the ordinary or suspicious, be prepared.”

A small chortle came out of Beca followed by a curt nod from Champ as he munched on another berry.

We traversed a quiet dirt path that hugged the edge of Viridian Forest, enveloped by a dense congregation of pine, cedar, and beech trees. Their branches intricately intertwined, forming an impenetrable barrier, barring passage unless one possessed a Pokémon capable of slicing through or heavy machinery for clearance. Even with access, caution loomed large, as trainers were cautioned about the perilous bug-type Pokémon lurking deeper within the uncharted territories branching off from the established Route 2 roads. And if that weren't enough, the labyrinthine interior of the forest posed a mortal threat to any trainer who dared venture off and became ensnared in its maze-like grasp.

A shiver ran down my spine as the prospect of becoming lost amidst that boundless sea of verdant foliage filled my thoughts with dread.

“It's not that much further away now.” said Meredith as we passed an abandoned checkpoint. It was a series of rundown fences overgrown with ivy and purple orchid vines. It was around six in the evening now with the sun setting and casting a fiery glow across the clear sky.

A sense of foreboding came over me as I stared at the orange red sky hanging above the forest canopy. Why do I keep feeling like the forest is going to catch fire at any minute?

As we pass the checkpoint, Meredith strides up to a small decrepit shack and performs an intricate series of knocks on the door. Instantly, tension grips my body, prompting me to nudge Beca awake while Champ drops his basket and assumes a boxing stance.

Initially met with silence, the shack door finally creaks open, revealing a youthful city enforcer cautiously peering out. His face betrays curiosity until his gaze lands on Meredith, prompting an audible groan as he hastily shuts the door.

"Brandon! You can't back out now! We had a deal!" Meredith's voice echoes as her fist pounds against the door with increasing urgency.

Her fervor is met with an eerie silence.

"Brandon, damn it! Open this door! Or I swear to Arceus I'll expose your secret to everyone!"

Reluctantly, the door of the shack creaks ajar, revealing the irked enforcer, his annoyance escalating upon spotting me.

"I agreed to let you through, not bring someone else, especially a guy. Hold on... ain't he the one with the bounty on his head?" The enforcer squints at me until Meredith interjects, positioning herself in front of me to shield me from his gaze.

"He's my bodyguard. Remember the dangers you warned me about in the forest? I paid for your discretion, and I'm willing to pay extra for his passage," Meredith asserts confidently, locking eyes with the enforcer.

He gazes at her, initially expressing disgust before his face shifts through a slow contemplation, eventually settling into reluctant acceptance.

"The fee doubles. I'll escort you to the grove's edge. Follow the old forest path. Stray, and you're on your own. I won't risk my job any further. I didn't see either of you, and I have no idea how you slipped by."

Meredith's face lights up, hands clasped in satisfaction. "Perfect! Just let us know when you're set. We'll wait out here," she beams, as the enforcer grunts in annoyance and shuts the door.

Turning towards me, her smile unwavering, she remarks, "Hope you're ready. We're braving Viridian Forest to reach Pewter City."

Both Champ and I stare at her dumbfounded. Well, I wasn't expecting that.