The Johto Region Forest Guard Unit operates under the Fiore Ranger (Pokémon Ranger) Union.
Its members are primarily composed of regional Rangers who failed to pass the final assessment, along with a very small number of Trainers who have received special recognition.
The so-called final assessment refers to the evaluation of a Ranger's ability to use Capture Stylers.
Those Rangers who are unable to use Capture Stylers to calm panicked Pokémon, release controlled Pokémon, and communicate with Pokémon through the Styler are only allowed to join the Forest Guard Units of various regions as reserve personnel, tasked with maintaining forest peace.
They are unable to advance in rank or take on more difficult missions.
It has to be said, this is something of a regret.
Of course, most Rangers hold no complaints about this, because they are people who truly love the forests and are willing to devote everything to them.
That much is beyond doubt.
Otherwise, they would never have passed the entrance exams of the specialized Pokémon Ranger Academies.
Normally, after completing their studies at a Ranger Academy, Rangers are dispatched as regional Rangers to the Ranger Unions located in Fiore, Almia, or Oblivia.
Compared to other regions, these three areas are far less urbanized and retain much more of nature's original landscape, making them ideal for Rangers—who must stay close to nature to spend their initial adaptation period.
However, failing the final assessment does not mean there is a gap in strength between the two groups.
Simply put, what people usually refer to as "Rangers" typically work with only one partner Pokémon, relying primarily on Capture Stylers to request assistance from wild Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Forest Guard Unit Rangers operate much like standard Trainers, raising and battling alongside multiple Pokémon.
Each approach has its own strengths, and both are formidable in their own ways.
Do not underestimate the role of Pokémon Rangers and Forest Guard Units.
Their duties include resolving conflicts of all kinds, and even confronting criminal organizations. In practice, their work covers everything from community assistance teams to a large portion of what police forces handle in cities.
It is no exaggeration to say that while urban order is maintained by the Officer Jenny family, order in the wilderness is largely upheld by the Ranger Union and the Forest Guard Units.
Members of the Forest Guard Unit are stationed in both Heracross Forest and Pinsir Forest across the river, with the goal of protecting the forests' ecological balance.
According to information provided by Nurse Joy at the Cherrygrove City Pokémon Center, the area recently received a new person in charge named Morinan.
He is around thirty years old, works with steady precision while remaining bold and attentive, and is considered someone worthy of trust.
"If you run into any trouble, you can contact him at any time and he'll help you resolve it."
As Silas walked along the road, he recalled Nurse Joy's tone of praise when she spoke about the man.
To earn Nurse Joy's approval in interpersonal conduct within such a short time after taking office, he must truly be an outstanding Ranger.
That said, Silas had no intention of meeting him this time—there was simply no need, and nothing major had occurred.
As long as a Trainer doesn't start a forest fire, capture multiple herd-type Pokémon in large numbers, or provoke battles between Pokémon groups, the Forest Guard Unit does not interfere with ordinary exploration activities.
After all, humans are also a part of nature.
What the Forest Guard Unit seeks to stop are those who deliberately cause destruction.
"Hah… I've arrived."
After walking along the main road for quite some time, Silas finally saw a roadside sign reading "Heracross Forest."
Ignoring the adjacent sign marked with a large crossed-out word "EVIL," he calmly walked straight inside.
The moment Silas's right foot stepped into the forest boundary, his Alliance Trainer identification data was transmitted via computer network to the Forest Guard Unit's local command center.
"Direct-line Trainer. No criminal record. Threat level extremely low."
A bespectacled man wearing the standard red uniform made the assessment in a flat tone.
"Mhm. Light observation will suffice."
Another man, sporting a thick beard so dense it seemed to blend into his hair, nodded calmly.
"Boss Morinan, isn't this the strongest rookie produced by the Kanto League this year?"
Another Guard member leaned in curiously to ask.
Daily life in the Forest Guard Unit is both monotonous and tense.
Their operational model closely resembles that of firefighters—whenever something happens, they must mobilize immediately.
Under such circumstances, Silas's identity and performance naturally became a perfect topic to pass the time.
"He doesn't look like much. Just a reckless rookie."
The Rangers gave their judgment as they watched the young man on the screen glancing around.
"Not necessarily."
Morinan's brief response immediately sparked curiosity among the unit members.
They held genuine respect for their new leader, respect earned through both ability and attitude.
Still, Silas's behavior really did resemble that of an inexperienced rookie.
"Look carefully at where he's observing."
A sharp glint flashed in Morinan's eyes as he addressed his subordinates.
The locations?
Everyone stared at the screen for a while.
"Is he… confirming where we placed the surveillance cameras?"
One member said uncertainly.
"More than that. The directions he's watching also coincide with areas where Heracross groups have been most active recently."
Another member, who regularly rotated into field duty, added.
It wasn't that these seasoned veterans lacked experience, it was simply that Silas's eye movements were too fast and too subtle, giving the impression of aimless wandering.
Once might be coincidence.
Every time is inevitability.
The team members were astonished.
These surveillance devices used the latest technology, and their placements were chosen by veteran Rangers as the hardest locations to detect. On top of that, Rangers followed a specialized placement methodology.
With all these factors combined, it should have been impossible for an ordinary person to discover them.
"Who installed Camera No. 8?" Morinan suddenly asked.
Uh-oh.
Everyone stiffened—questions like that never led to good outcomes.
"I—I did."
A timid voice answered.
"After this, move it slightly upward. There's probably a subtle color-tone discrepancy at that position."
Unexpectedly, Morinan offered no harsh criticism, simply giving instructions before letting the matter go.
That was completely unlike the new boss's usual style.
The team exchanged glances.
In a forest of this size, with so few personnel, surveillance cameras were crucial.
They were the unit's eyes.
If even one had an issue, it could lead to forest damage. Being detected was already a serious problem.
Normally, someone would be thoroughly chewed out for this.
"Watch carefully. This guy has already identified every surveillance position you've set up. Take this chance to check for any remaining blind spots."
Morinan offered no explanation under his subordinates' gazes and instead issued another order.
Clearly, the young man on the screen fell well outside the bounds of "normal."
"Yes, sir."
Recognizing the seriousness of the matter, the team immediately devoted more attention to their respective monitors.
"Camera 22 needs a leftward tilt."
"Camera 78 needs to be lowered."
"Requesting relocation for Camera 96."
For a time, the small command center was filled with reports from the team members.
Errors were normal—after all, they were human, not machines.
But errors had to be corrected.
Previously, they had been blind from within the system.
Silas's appearance provided them with a perfect reference for error correction.
The more they watched, the more unsettled they became.
They had already lost track of how many times this young man had vanished from camera coverage.
If he had been a member of a criminal organization with malicious intent, today would have turned into a nightmare and lives might even have been lost.
"Thankfully… thankfully."
One of the Forest Guard Unit members muttered under his breath.
"Boss, could it be possible that—"
The bespectacled man from earlier was the quickest thinker. He looked toward his superior with a questioning expression.
Morinan shook his head solemnly.
He knew exactly what his subordinate was about to suggest, but it wasn't realistic.
Silas's reconnaissance ability had clearly exceeded normal limits. This meant he must possess some kind of extraordinary capability; no amount of experience alone could achieve this.
The Forest Guard Unit simply didn't have the budget to hire someone like that for assistance. All they could do was take advantage of this opportunity to pay closer attention and correct their mistakes as quickly as possible.
"…Sigh."
Everyone in the command center let out a regretful sigh.
At this moment, Silas—who was steadily moving deeper into the forest—naturally had no idea what Morinan and the Forest Guard Unit were discussing, nor that they were treating his scouting behavior as a live reference for error correction.
Right now, he was still marveling at just how tight the forest's defenses were.
"Good thing Viridian Forest is ridiculously huge. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have survived there from the start."
Silas smacked his lips quietly.
Of course, Viridian Forest does have Forest Guard members and even higher-ranking Rangers, but compared to its sheer size, their numbers are negligible.
Aside from a few high-priority zones under direct protection by the Ranger Union, most areas of Viridian Forest are no different from ordinary wilderness.
"Almost there."
Silas muttered to himself as a blue interface suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
Using a 'cheat' to locate Pokémon—just standard procedure.
"Come out, Serperior."
His right hand moved to his waist, and he smoothly tossed out a Luxury Ball.
No matter how gentle Heracross might be, Silas believed caution was still necessary—he needed protection.
That kind of raw power was no joke. One punch would be enough to turn him into minced meat.
Besides, in a forest, it made sense to deploy a Pokémon that thrived in that environment. The rest of his team were either too large or unsuitable.
"Ser~"
After emerging, Serperior took a deep breath of the long-missed forest air and let out a satisfied sigh.
Then its upper body suddenly rose upright.
Sniff—sniff.
Its nostrils twitched rapidly, and its eyes lit up brilliantly.
"Smells good, doesn't it?" Silas asked with a smile.
Serperior nodded vigorously.
To it, this scent was like Slowpoke Tails to Blaziken.
"Let's go. We'll harvest a bit."
Silas strode confidently toward the source of the scent hidden behind the bushes.
"Ser—!"
Serperior panicked.
Smelling good is one thing, but rushing in like this is basically asking to die! Something like that is definitely guarded by powerful Pokémon—shouldn't we approach slowly instead?
"It's fine, it's fine. Just keep up."
Silas waved without even turning his head.
Watching the Trainer already pull ahead, Serperior could only sway its body helplessly and chase after him.
Honestly… are we really not going to get beaten up?
Serperior was deeply worried.
"Yep, another one here for the Honey."
The Forest Guard Unit members in the command center had already expected this.
This forest didn't have many things capable of attracting outsiders, this was basically the only one.
"Just follow the rules. He doesn't look inexperienced."
A team member who was still frantically recalculating the angles of his surveillance cameras spoke without looking up.
"To be honest, it wouldn't even be a big deal if he took a bit extra, since—"
"Eight thousand words of self-criticism. On my desk before dinner tonight."
Morinan's cold voice cut him off.
No reason ever justified breaking the rules.
"Sorry, Captain. My mistake."
The team member who had spoken immediately realized his error and lowered his head in shame.
"Captain, something seems wrong in Water Zone No. 3. Please take a look."
At that moment, a voice called out from the other end of the command center.
Morinan immediately hurried over.
"You… how did you study forest protection back then?"
An older Guard member shook his head helplessly at the younger one. Still, it was only human nature, he had once thought the same way himself.
"Good luck. Eight thousand words. You've got a little over six hours."
Another teammate offered his uniquely schadenfreude-filled encouragement.
The command center soon returned to its usual state of controlled chaos.
Meanwhile.
"So, like I said—no need to worry. They won't attack us."
Silas spoke calmly as he used a knife to scrape a layer of Honey from the tree trunk.
All around them, Heracross—one or several per tree were clinging to the trunks, happily feeding.
Serperior scanned the surroundings as if facing a formidable enemy.
It knew it was strong but not strong enough to fight dozens of Advance- and normal-tier Pokémon at once.
This place was far too dangerous.
"Relax~"
Silas chuckled as he reassured it.
This was his first time truly witnessing just how gentle Heracross could be, it was honestly a bit excessive.
Even as he spoke, his hands never slowed.
Before long, the container specifically used to collect Honey was filled to the brim.
"That should do it."
Silas sealed the container with satisfaction and placed it into his spatial backpack.
There were strict regulations regarding Honey collection in Heracross Forest.
The container he carried represented the maximum allowed amount under those rules.
This was done for sustainability.
If one person took everything at once, it wouldn't just affect future collectors—the entire forest's Pokémon ecosystem would be endangered, and the closest human cities would be the ones to suffer.
Watching Silas climb down from the tree, Serperior—whose nerves had been tightly wound, finally relaxed a little.
It looked up at the spot where Silas had just harvested Honey, now quickly occupied by another Heracross, its mind full of confusion.
Togekiss would fight with it all day over a single snack.
Serperior genuinely couldn't understand Pokémon that didn't even compete for food.
Or were they so foolish that they treated a human Trainer as one of their own kind?
"Bzzzz—"
Suddenly, a harsh crackling sound rang out, like faulty machinery.
Silas's expression changed instantly as he looked at the wrist device flashing red.
"Emergency Mission — Temporary Conscription."
...
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