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"Viridian Forest! I haven't been back for a long time. I feel a little nostalgic!"
After leaving Cerulean City, the three of them continued on their journey, and what appeared before them was a massive forest—Kanto's famous Viridian Forest.
"Have you been here before?" Brock asked, because he knew they had traveled from Viridian Forest to Pewter City, which meant that Ash and the others had originally come from this direction.
"Yes! By the way, doesn't it matter that you're not going home?" Ash responded after hearing the question, then turned to look at the gray city behind them.
"It doesn't matter. I've already written a letter back!" Brock shook his head slightly after hearing this.
Although he wanted to go home, he hadn't accomplished anything yet. If he didn't grow more before returning, he would be letting down his younger brothers and sisters, as well as his father who had encouraged him to travel.
"Alright! Let's go then!"
Upon entering the forest, they immediately felt surrounded by darkness. Viridian Forest was a natural maze. Even if you knew the route well, it would take a day or two to pass through it.
Misty was no longer afraid of the forest environment. When she had first come here, she had been uncomfortable around Bug-type Pokémon because of her fear of bugs.
However, under Ash's influence, and through experiences with Pokémon like Caterpie, who eventually evolved into Butterfree, as well as Scyther and Scizor, she had gradually overcome her fear. She was no longer afraid of Bug-types.
The three of them followed the normal route, but they weren't able to pass through in one day, so they made camp in the forest.
At dusk, although it wasn't completely dark yet, it was already dim inside the forest. Misty and Brock were responsible for setting up camp and cooking. Ash didn't conduct any training sessions.
Instead, he let his Pokémon rest in preparation for the upcoming challenge at Viridian Gym. He wanted them to recharge their energy.
With Ash's permission, Venusaur lay down on the grass to rest, and Pidgeotto settled on the flowers that had fallen behind it.
Charizard lay on his side with his head propped up by one hand, his other hand resting on his belly. Squirtle leaned against Charizard's belly and closed his eyes leisurely.
The only one who wasn't resting was Scizor. While the other Pokémon were relaxing, he had found a tree to practice on. It seemed like the trees here were in for a rough time today.
But in truth, Ash hoped that Scizor would rest as well. Even with hard training, Ash still believed in maintaining a balance between work and rest.
"This guy is always like this!" Ash sat on a tree stump nearby, somewhat concerned. How could he make it stop?
Charizard appeared to be asleep, but he still kept one eye open, watching Scizor.
Obviously, even though the Pokémon were usually calm, they actually became competitive when it came to battling.
"Ash, can you help me find some dry firewood?" At that moment, Brock, who was preparing to cook, suddenly called out.
"Sure! Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash stood up after hearing the request, and Jigglypuff didn't even need to be called since it was already lying on his hat.
Just as he was about to leave, Ash clapped his hands when he heard the sound of trees being struck over where Scizor was training.
"That's right! Scizor, come with me! Please protect me!"
In reality, of course, Scizor's protection wasn't needed. Ash just said that deliberately to give it a break.
But after hearing Ash's words, Scizor didn't hesitate. It immediately followed Ash's side like a vigilant bodyguard and left with him.
Although it was only for a short while, at least Scizor was getting some rest. After collecting the dry firewood and returning, Brock's meal would be almost ready.
"Aaah!!!"
Ash was gathering firewood when he suddenly heard a sharp scream coming from deeper in the forest. He paused slightly when he heard the voice. It was a girl's voice, but it obviously wasn't Misty.
"Did you hear that, Pikachu?"
"Pikapi!!"
Pikachu responded to Ash's question by nodding immediately. Seeing this, Ash dropped the firewood and ran in the direction of the sound, with Scizor quickly following behind.
As he moved forward, he heard a buzzing sound near his ears. Listening to this sound, Ash could probably guess what it was.
After pushing through the jungle, he saw many dark figures in the sky. They made a buzzing sound when they flapped their wings. At the same time, as night fell, their eyes flashed like red lights in the darkness.
The sharp stingers on their arms gleamed coldly in the night. They were none other than Beedrill, the most notorious Pokémon in the forest.
At that moment, a figure was sitting on the ground, seemingly holding something. Facing this large swarm of Beedrill, the person clutched whatever they were holding tightly to their chest and tried to shield it with their own body.
"Buzz buzz!!!"
The leader at the front was the first to attack, swinging the large stingers on its arms through the night air, stabbing forward.
"Scizor, Bullet Punch!"
Seeing this, Ash didn't hesitate. Scizor immediately rushed forward, blocking the attack by positioning itself between the Beedrill and the girl. It closed its pincers tightly and swung them out. Blue energy flashed as the power of both sides collided.
Under the impact, Beedrill let out a screech, and its body was thrown backward. The extremely hard stingers on its arms even showed cracks. Obviously, compared to its stingers, Scizor's shell was much harder.
The Beedrill was knocked into the air, struck the tree behind it, and bounced directly to the ground.
"Huh?" The girl, who had been sitting on the ground with her eyes closed, too frightened to look, slowly opened her eyes and saw a silhouette standing in front of her.
"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt to drive them away!"
After repelling the Beedrill that had launched the attack, Ash called out his next command. Pikachu jumped into the air after hearing the order, released Thunderbolt, and swept the electricity around in an arc.
The surrounding darkness was instantly illuminated by thunder and lightning. The attack didn't directly hit the Beedrill, but they were startled by the display of power and began to flee.
In truth, the Beedrill were just protecting their own territory, so Ash didn't want to harm them. He simply had Pikachu scare them away.
Just after the Beedrill retreated, Pikachu stopped using its power and landed from the sky. The surrounding area grew calm once again.
"Well done, Scizor, Pikachu!"
Ash smiled and praised them. Pikachu and Scizor each responded happily. Ash then turned around and looked at the person behind him.