37This series is currently on hiatus.
I'm really busy at the moment because... Just graduated, finding jobs, struggling for some free time, not having enough sleep and stuff xD I have 12 more chapters already done for you but... in italian. I just have to find some time to translate them.
Feel free to send me a PM if you want to ask me anything.
Special thanks to my awesome Betareader MewMewExorcist: if this chapter is here is thanks to you.
It would be great if you would like to show her your appreciation and/or have a look at her stories too: u/3246323/MewMewExorcist
Chapter 6: Canopy and carapace
Pewter City. So many times he had heard that name, yet he had never been there. It was the only 'big' city for miles around. Red didn't even know exactly where Pewter was, although he vaguely knew it was somewhere behind the Viridian Forest.
The sky had become gray and filled with leaden clouds since he left Viridian City, and Red walked along, lost in his thoughts for about twenty minutes. The terrain here was really differed from the wide grassy wasteland of Pallet Town to the fertile high grounds of Viridian City, and even if he was used to trekking, his feet ached a from the long walk.
The forest was finally in sight and Red needed walk with caution in mind; he already stumbled one time, because of the roots that made the ground irregular, and he didn't want to break a leg yet. It would be just his luck to have that misfortune.
This must be the entrance... Thought Red, looking at the map he had never given to Blue.
A brick building was in front of him, a little transitional structure that seemed engulfed by the huge branches encumbered by the heavy load of the greenest leaves he had ever seen. The young man looked at the door, and then at a route at his right.
And that's the safe and easy road...
The easy route would take him straight to the other side of the Viridian Forest, to Pewter City. He looked at the door again – he would have to come to the forest sooner or later in order to study and catch the Monster hidden in there. Red pulled a sandwich out of his backpack and consumed it rapidly, stuffing the paper it had been wrapped in back into his bag. He glanced back at the easy route one last time before entering the building without further hesitation. After all, it looked like it was going to rain soon.
The inside was quite small, the whole area measuring about five feet long and ten feet wide. On the wall behind Red, beside the entrance door, three plastic seats were fixed to the floor. It seemed classic waiting room furniture. At Red's right, a guard was nodding off from where he sat behind a counter. There were some object on it: An empty coffee cup and a walkie talkie. All the rest in the room was empty space with a turnstile in the middle. The young man got closer to the object.
"Morning... This is a toll building." The uniformed guard spoke with sleep still thick in his voice, and yawned, rubbing his eyes. It felt like he just woke up... Actually it was more than a feeling. He looked at Red like he was an alien, no one choose to pass through the Forest. "Just 50 yen." Concluded the guard, pointing at the turnstile, ready to go back to his dreams.
"..."
"Oh, but don't worry." The guard continued, almost if he had been able to read Red's thoughts. "The coin should came out afterwards." Concluded the guard, lowering his hat over his tired eyes.
Should...?
He tried. The coin went in the fissure and a tiny green LED lit up. Once past the turnstile, Red noticed that his 50 yen actually came out from another fissure. He took his coin back and looked at the guard to say a polite 'goodbye', but the man was already snoring. The automated door in front of him slid open.
A breath taking spectacle unfolded before his eyes, and any exclamation he could have possibly made petered out in his throat. Utterly silent, he stared into the forest, skin growing damp from the humid air as his eyes adjusted slowly, gaze roving over the dappled sun spots on the groundcover.
Trees loomed over Red, branches full of lush green leaves that swayed over smaller shrubs, that almost completely hid the sun that surely shone bright overtop the forest. Red couldn't quite be sure though, the natural roof was so thick that it was practically impossible to know what was happening outside. Moss and vines climbed over rocks and wound between logs and borders of the trail, showing a panorama composed almost only by shades of green fueled by the rays of sun that managed to sneak past the thick canopy. A succession of small lampposts, covered in creeping ivy, radiated a faint yellowish glow intended to make the trail more visible without interfering too much with the natural shades of the surrounding vegetation. So this was the Viridian Forest.
A spark seemed to come from bushes not too far from Red, reminding him that there were a lot of creatures living in the forest. Nothing that should or would take him by surprise, though. Routes between cities were considered dangerous, but that was nothing compared to this forest, where nature displayed her sovereignty.
Listening carefully to every rustle, Red slowly advanced in the grass taller than his hips.
He absolutely didn't want to lose track of the roped posts that outlined the trail. Although, truth be told, he wasn't so sure he was even on the right path anymore, since the posts blended with the grass, being as covered in ivy as they were. The Viridian Forest wasn't a forest at all, but a dungeon.
Sometimes the grass was so tall that it managed to tickle his chin, a wide sea of green surmounted by a similar spectacle. It looked almost like if there was a mirror between the ground and sky, making the two very different things seem identical. Just a few steps ahead the tall grass ended, and he could already see wide dusty area. A sudden rustle took the young man by surprise, seeing as he was lost in his thoughts. The noise came from a branch above his hand, and Red reflexively looked up.
A big, fat, one-foot long caterpillar fell onto his forearm. Without thinking, Red shook his arm, throwing the Bug Pokémon onto the ground. It wasn't like he was scared of bugs… but everyone would have that reaction in the same situation, right? Looking at it more closely, Red huffed in relief. It was still chewing on some leaves that it had found on the tree, and it wasn't dangerous nor poisonous. It was solid green and could perfectly merge with the forest. Everything in there was of that color, any exception could potentially be an easy target. Just like the caterpillar's pink antenna and the black spots around its eyes?
Red took his PokéDex and scanned the bug: it turned out to be a male caterpie, only at level three.
Not so useful as always, battle aside. This Dex only has precise data on charmander... Maybe if I catch it... he thought. Even if it didn't seem like a Monster useful in battles.
In an instant the Fire salamander materialized in front of the caterpillar, causing him to panic and slowly sneak away.
"Scratch," he ordered. Charmander rushed at the opponent, sending him flying upwards, and in an instant, the caterpillar had fallen back on the ground.
Red looked at his Pokédex, it was almost a miracle that the caterpie hadn't fainted yet. He reached for one of his empty PokéBalls while the caterpillar squirmed in the dust, trying to get back on his feet again. Red smiled, he felt pity for that tranquil creature. Suddenly, something was sprayed at charmander's left foot. It looked vaguely like a cross between a spider web and a thick and sticky string of dense saliva. It had shot out of the caterpie's mouth, and with each step, charmander's foot acted like a shoe with a chewing-gum stuck on the bottom. The salamander was surely slower due to that sticky substance.
String Shot... thought Red, smiling. This could actually be useful. He walked past the salamander, towards the caterpillar that was barely moving. The trainer pressed the button on the empty Ball and a lettering appeared on its display. 'Aim', and then '5... 4... 3...'
"Stay still..." He always enjoyed those kind of classes back at the Lab. They had a basket full of fake, rubber PokéBalls to throw at a target. He was pretty good at that. The young trainer aimed and the pokémon got hit.
It happened in an instant. The PokéBall emitted a buzz while opening and radiating a magnetic field, a shimmering sphere of distorted air surrounding the Ball. It engulfed the caterpillar, and in just an instant, a flash of pure light occurred, leaving no trace of the bug behind. The turbine inside the Ball started to whistle, compressing the halo of light into a tiny luminous marble, like a star on the verge of collapse. The complex mechanism closed and fell on the ground, beginning to shake lightly. The caterpie inside the PokéBall was trying to escape. Even if he was sure of the outcome of his catch, Red could only anxiously stare at the shaking sphere. He knew that it was a critical moment: if the Pokémon had enough energy to break free, everything would have been for naught, and the PokéBall he used would be broken.
The ball stopped, caterpie was caught.
"Yes...!" An excited murmur came out of his lips, his right fist clenching unconsciously with excitement, his eyes sparkled. Red almost couldn't believe what had just happened.
For the first time, he'd caught a pokémon. It wasn't a titan, just a caterpie... Like rattatas, those caterpillars were known for being among the weakest pokémon. Yet a faint warm sensation was filling his stomach… satisfaction.
On the tiny LED screen appeared three pixelated stars that started to blink while on Red's PokéDex a lettering was shown.
Would you like to give caterpie a nickname?
Lots of trainers gave names to their pokémon. But Red wasn't among those trainers. He pressed a button to decline the offer. In that moment the name "CATERPIE" compared on the Ball's display.
As taught, impatiently, the young man decided to consult the PokéDex to get info on his new teammate. Now he was one step closer to cataloging all the species on Kanto Island.
'Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls.'
I had to wait hours after I left Pallet to start feeling like a real Trainer... thought the young man while picking up his caterpie's Ball.
Hours passed rapidly since the caterpillar was caught and Red had various opportunities to train his 'team'. Surprisingly enough, even if he wasn't as good as charmander, the new green arrival had surprised the young man, proving to be at the very least a mediocre pokémon.
Shrubs seemed to multiply minute by minute. When he first stepped into the Forest, Red was amazed by the sheer nature, but now all that green was starting to irritate him. Not to mention that forest was, surprisingly enough, the playground of some kids that defined themselves as 'Trainers', and demanded to engage in Pokémon Battles using useless larvae and caterpillars. Meaningless challenges to his charmander. At least, thanks those kids, he now had 200 more yen in his pockets.
A brick building was in front of him, identical to the one encountered hours before.
That's it, I'm out... He thought, huffing in relief.
Once Red stepped in he found another guard, with the same uniform as the man he saw earlier. Yet something was off, this guard wasn't behind the counter: the man was frenetically walking up and down the room, he was holding a walkie talkie.
"I'm sorry, I can't let you through," said the man as he saw Red. He started to walk towards the young man, trying to push him back. "This part of the forest is closed."
"Why?" Red asked, moving a step back.
"Because it's dangerous!" Snapped the man. He nervously glanced at the door behind him only to stare at Red once again. He really seemed troubled by something. "There's a crazy Bug out there, you'll have to wait until Brock came to take care of it..."
Pewter's Gym Leader...
"When?"
"Tomorrow! Now, please, go away. You're not allow..."
"No problem." Interrupted Red, waving a hand to gently push the guard's forearm off his shoulder. "I've defeated dozens of Bugs out there."
"Absolutely not." Answered the guard trying his best to stay calm. "A colleague got told the same thing by two kids before." He gestured wildly with his walkie talkie. "And they're still outsi..."
"AND YOU LET THEM THROUGH! HOW OLD ARE THEY!?" Red roared, shocked.
"How... How could I know...!?" The guard voice was shaking, his face contorted by nervousness. His head hung between his hands, he seemed on the verge of crying.
A scream tore through the air, the sound of dearly frightened children. Silence. The guard was petrified by terror. Red jumped over the turnstile, bolting for the outside of the building. Against all of his predictions, the forest extended beyond the brick edifice, this area he entered seemed far less hostile then the previous. A glade.
Red was starting to running out of breath searching through all those trees when he finally saw them. His heart raced, a staccato of rapid beats. Two boys, both about six years old, hid in fear behind a big tree with their only defenses being a fainted caterpie and a rigid bronze cocoon, a pokémon called kakuna. Red had fought against lots of those, and knew how weak they were. He reached out for a tree's branch to pass over a huge root while getting closer to them. Then he saw it.
A harsh shiver ran down his spine. In front of him stood a monster, a real, true monster. Brown in color, with an elliptical body, completely covered in a burnished exoskeleton that gave it a grim, slippery appearance. The bug's carapace constituted a fortress, not even a cannon ball would have been able to breach that mahogany shield. Its two arms waved menacingly, thin but strong, with three hooked claws meant to grab and tear away at flesh. Its stump-like legs stomped, ripping at the grass beneath it. Its tiny beady eyes seemed saturated in tar. Its mandibles clicked angrily, a grotesque vertical slit in an infected crusting scab, emanating a strong smell when opened, revealing tiny and irregular sharp teeth inside, similar to broken shards of glass.
But its most characteristic trait were the pincers. Long, thick, sturdy, and sprinkled with spiked growths, that could easily slice Red and the kids in a single snap.
It was a monstrous beetle, a so called Darwin's Beetle to be exact, that sometimes even stood up like bipedal creatures, proving to be taller than 4 foot. The young man knew that creature well, and the danger it brought. It was a pinsir, a carnivorous Bug pokémon. And if Elm's teaching was true, the animal had already identified the kids as its prey, and Red was just an obstacle to ward off.
The Monster's beady eyes were locked on the young Trainer. It could attack at any second.
Red took his backpack off his shoulder. With trembling fingers he reached for a sphere that contained his only hope: charmander. A caterpie was already on the ground, using his would simply be useless.
A thousand of jumbled thoughts ricocheted through his mind, amplified by the loud and nervous beats of his heart. But he had to think straight. The monster had the strength of dozens of men; Red's only hope was to beat it with his brain. Red's eyes were determined, not even a single movement of the beast escaped him while he tried to identify the existence of a weak spot in that armor. He couldn't afford a single mistake – any misstep in his movements would surely cost him a limb.
The monstrous brown insect emitted an excruciating whine that froze the blood in the Trainer's veins, and sent the two kids into a fresh round of uncontrollable crying. The animal moved towards Red. Step after step the horrid slit opened, showing the dripping teeth soaked in the creature's viscous drool. It almost looked like it was following something specific, something the monster could clearly feel: Red's fear. A few more steps, just a few more steps, and it would've been just an inch from him. But it stopped.
Instants became endless minutes. Absolute silence rang clear. The whole Forest felt mute.
Suddenly, a powerful snap of the pincers shattered the delicate silence. Red startled, the volume of the children's crying increased, and everything disintegrated into chaos. Red noticed that one of the kids passed out in the other's arms before the Pinsir charged him, narrowly missing. Trainers were educated in close-quarter combat, and Red boasted excellent reflexes, but the tension of the moment clouded his mind and knotted his muscles. During the charge, the sphere containing his charmander had slipped from his hand, landing in the short grass. Between him and his PokéBall, there was an insurmountable obstacle that shrieked and snapped its mighty pincers.
Shit! Shit! HOLY SHIT! How the fuck am I supposed to reach the Ball!?
He was a nervous wreck and Pinsir knew that Red wasn't a threat, it was aware it could kill him in any moment. But animals have precise needs, and in that moment the ominous insect only wanted to eat its prey. It uttered a guttural shriek once more to the Trainer before turning back to its nutritious prize.
The young man leapt forward with his arm outstretched and his hand grasping desperately at the Ball. His fingers were less than an inch from the gleaming metal sphere. But the noise of his wild leap attracted the pinsir's attention, who gave out a piercing scream while snapping together its pincers and waving its arms about. The monster ran wildly, but Red already had his PokéBall back in his hand. He rolled on the ground, avoiding the pinsir's charge, and sprang back to his feet, pressing the button on the PokéBall while throwing it at the horrid beetle. A bright marble of light exploded out of the PokéBall, which recoiled back to Red's hand.
The salamander was free, on all fours, immobile, it recognized Pinsir as a danger.
Charmander hissed strongly, Red had never seen it like that, but the bug wasn't intimidated and whined in return.
He looked at his PokéDex. The device indicated his opponent as a female pinsir and... He almost had a heart attack, level 19?! Charmander was only at level 11.
Between the kids and the pinsir, there was only a kakuna, and a beaten up one at that. No strategy came to mind that he could seemingly use. That big animal blocked his way completely to the trembling kids. He had to fight. But that monster seemed to have no weakness, and even if Fire moves were 'super-effective' against Bugs, the one in front of him seemed to have no fear.
Once more Red found himself in the need to fight to free his mind from nervousness and useless thought. His breath came heavy due to stress, he was cold sweating because of agitation and his heart seemed like a drum gone crazy by now.
Not much to do... Only 'Ember'...
As soon as he thought about that move, his charmander, with the same speed with which one performs his own thought, opened its jaws while using its tail to spit a blaze at the enemy. Everything happened so fast that pinsir barely hinted a movement before the attack exploded on its body in a golden shower of sparkles. The creature whined strongly, Red seemed puzzled, but then he remembered.
'Mental Impulses'… Oak said so back this morning when I gave charmander an order without talking… Now I'm far faster than that insect!
Smoke, sparkles, without anything being said the battle almost seemed to autonomously happen. The salamander had a clear disadvantage, that pinsir's level was simply too high. But Red was now, once again, calm and controlled as ever.
He looked at his PokéDex : charmander was losing.
The young man smiled, now he was the one with a sinister aura. He adjusted his cap and stared at the pinsir with his eyes glassy, expressionless… Cold. The reddish hue in his irises now felt more sinister. The colossal Darwin's Beetle bent and rocketed at his opponent with its pincers open. Charmander slid to his right to avoid the enemy's charge.
Red was looking at the battle as a spectator, it was far too easy for him to give precise orders like that one.
The salamander instantly followed each of his orders, avoiding with perfect timing the enemy moves: now the insect's left side was at his mercy. A blaze sent the whining Bug rolling on the ground. Satisfied, Red lifted a corner of his lips. The enemy wasn't taking much damage from a Pokémon a lot weaker than itself, but it couldn't even manage to touch it anymore.
Following its Trainer's order, charmander jumped on its opponent, clinging with its sharp nails.
You're not worth anything. Red thought, mocking his opponent.
The back of the insect split in two, revealing two glassy, veiny wings. Despite its size, it managed to jump back on its legs and grip the salamander in its Bind attack, fiercely swinging the Fire Type around.
"WHAT!?"
Red had been so silent until that point that his sudden scream scared the kids.
The salamander started to wiggle uncontrollably, moaning under the crushing grip of those powerful enemy pincers. Tiny drops of animal blood were falling onto the dusty ground and on the thin blades of grass beneath them while the screaming became unbearable.
The young Trainer stayed paralyzed. He never even imagined these scenes in Pokémon Battles. To stop being a Trainer, to run away and leave everyone else in that forest. Those were his thoughts. Being before such a show, the two kids burst into tears, and Red felt his stomach churn and a pit open up in his chest, seeing the ground and those pincers being dyed a vivid scarlet hue.
"It doesn't matter how much intense a Pokémon Battle is." Elm had said. "Pokémon have a skin so tough that's difficult to see one wounded and, even if it happens, their outstanding regenerative skills prevent them to suffer serious injuries even from the deepest wound."
Elm's words echoed strong through his thoughts, he was hoping with all his heart that his teacher had told him the truth, but the image of that poor salamander chopped in half by those pincers just couldn't go away from his mind. He shook his head.
"Charmander, Ember…" Started Red faintly. "Fuck! I've said Ember!"
This is not the end… I still have to kick Blue's ass!
The young man words were heard by the salamander that squirmed to reach its tail, but the more it moved the more those spiky growths tore its skin. The pressing Bind wouldn't allow charmander to breathe correctly, yet that fire breath still managed to free the animal from the deadly grip.
The dark and sinister aura had left the young Trainer, but the situation was critical.
The PokéDex was brutally showing it: the health gauge of the salamander was almost empty, it was on the verge of fainting. Nevertheless, trembling and bloodied, its will to fight was still there. But pinsir's stamina wasn't still even halved from the beginning of the match, and it seemed irritated too.
"Stay back, wait for my orders." Red said to his Pokémon, waving his left hand to his side.
Damn… What I did wrong?
The young man thoughts were roughly interrupted by the umpteenth excruciating whine of the Bug. Golden sparkles went through a bush, it was happening frequently and for some reason this was irritating the monster. It glanced one more time at its opponent and then it went away, disappearing the resistant carapace beyond the luxuriant canopy of the Forest.
Red said nothing. He didn't know how to read what happened.
His charmander curled up and was napping, the battle against Pinsir really wore it out. And as luck would have it, the young man had picked up a berry before that now was filling his pokémon stomach. With its belly full, and the wounds already recovering, the only thought of that Pokémon was to have a deserved long rest. It was sleeping tranquilly.
That's incredible…
During class in Pallet Town, Wild Pokémon had been depicted as savage beasts, but Red wasn't so sure anymore. That pinsir had been disturbed. Maybe it didn't even want to eat those children… The idea of the Bug abandoning the fight started to make sense to him. The idea of a monster, hassled, venting and going away really seemed plausible. Even humans did that if teased. Red huffed while sitting on the ground, tiredly leaning his back on a tree trunk.
But that Monster was already creating havoc… Maybe I'm wrong, that thing even tried to kill me!
While Red was deep in his thoughts, and charmander in its Ball, the kids, now calmed down, get closer to the young man.
"Thank you… Thank you so much, sir…" Said the shorter of the two.
"What were you thinking?" Continued Red. "Do you get in what kind of danger you put yourself into!?"
"Yes… But…" Sobbed the other one.
Red shook his head and inhaled a good amount of fresh air.
"Don't cry, everything is ok now," He said while trying to cheer the kid up, tiredly patting his head.
How do they came all this way… Wait… Maybe they're from Pewter? Maybe I'm near the exit of this fricking maze!
As soon as the young man realized this he felt incredibly lighter.
"I would be really mad if someone stole my house!" Started one of the kids.
"Well, of course! Me too!" Answered the other.
They seemed to feel better now, Red knelt up while getting his hat off. Dense lightning got his attention, those came from a passage between some trees. The young man stood up to check it.
No, I'd better mind my own business. He thought putting his cap back, walking away to get his backpack. Under the dense trees canopy in that Forest it was impossible to notice as the hours passed, but Red knew he had lost enough time. It could have been 6 PM. He need to hurry up to the gym, he need to hurry.
Suddenly the kids ran into the passage.
"This is Mr. Pinsir's nest!" They shouted with one voice.
The hell are they doing!?
Silence then came, but lasted only an instant, then the children came back, running and screaming, now holding tight onto Red's waistcoat. Following them there was a little pack of six rodents running on all fours that surrounded the three of them.
Each of them measured three or four inches more than one foot. Yellow-amber fur, those rodents seemed a cute cross between a squirrel and a hamster. Their bunny like ears seemed longer than they actually were because of wisps of black fur at the tip. The dense fur on their squirrel-like tails faintly resembled the shape of a lightning while bluish electric sparkles was coming out of their reddish, plump cheeks.
Pikachus… Red thought, relieved, happy to not be facing another scary monster.
Five of them advanced still emitting sparkles from their cheeks, while their tail started to pump up due to static electricity. Red had to fight once more. He took the PokéBall on whom display was written "CHARMANDER".
Oh no… He thought while remembering the physical conditions of his monster. I can't use it now… But caterpie can't do this…
In a flash the salamander appeared at his feet, once again. The rodents started to slowly move under the Red's watchful eye.
"Sir, no! Charmander's hurt!" Said the shortest of the kids, while yanking his waistcoat.
He knew, but he saw no other options.
"Stay behind me." Red indicated them to move back with a gesture of his arm.
I'm sorry, that berry was my last card… I have nothing left to heal you. Please, hang in there…
NOTES
No Mega-Evoulution happened in this chapter! XD
I know it's strange to think about a Pinsir showing wings without mega evolving... But it simply didn't existed back when I first thought about this story. Yet I decided to keep that in... That was one of the most epic predictions ever! xD
Qestion Of The Week
Pokémon have crazy powers, and a 'realistic' battle between those creatures can be pretty scary! What do you think? You would still go and catch them if they were, well... Real?
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