It took me a while to leave the town proper after leaving the inn. People moved about, unhurried in their slow days. The sun shone through thick clouds in the sky, a beautiful sight.
I smiled as I looked around, walking through the familiar dirt road out of town, passing a few people I knew. Buildings and homes gave way to large farms with open fields in the outskirts, where Pokémon grazed peacefully. Tauros lifted their heavy heads to watch me pass, tails flicking lazily. A flock of Pidgey burst from a wheat patch and flew overhead.
It would take me a couple of hours to reach Viridian at a decent pace. Looking up at the sun, I figured I should be able to reach the city by evening. I could try to get a bunk bed at the Pokémon Center for the night.
If not, I'd have to camp out somewhere.
I traced the fence with a finger as I walked down the dirt-packed road, thinking about my next steps. The League season had started a week back. All aspiring trainers, those with years of experience, and the fresh ones like me would be making their bid for the conference.
I'd like to think I had a good lead on them, even some of the experienced ones.
From all my reading up on the conference, I knew I'd have to go through eight gyms to get there. They could be from either Kanto or Johto, and didn't have to be from the 16 main gyms of the region. There were eight more minor gyms spread throughout the region, and most trainers get at least one or two badges from them just to meet the cutoff. The last two gyms were known to be almost impossible to beat; they were the gatekeepers that distinguished the elite trainers of the region.
Not that any of the other gyms were easy to clear. Each gym was storied, and the gym leaders held some form of power over their fiefs and were very powerful trainers. Getting through them all and reaching the Indigo Plateau would not be easy.
There are a lot of trainers who reach the Plateau in their first year, but there has never been one that has won it.
We'll see about that.
An hour had passed as I crested the low hill that marked the edge of Route 1 proper. I paused as below me, the valley opened up, endless green fields folding into one another, lined by fence lines and old stone walls, until the land met the dark wall of the forest in the distance.
My PokéNav buzzed against my hip.
I pulled it out and thumbed the screen awake. A message from Mira.
I had messaged her after her win in the Goldenrod tournament more than a week back. Honestly, I wasn't hoping for a reply, but she had replied enthusiastically the next day, asking about me and my plans and being excited for my journey.
I smiled with fondness. Even though all of us had grown apart, it was nice to connect back with one of them.
Mira: Hey!! I'm back in Vermilion. Planning to stay put a couple months, rest up, train without rushing. Then back on the road. Have you left yet?? Tell me you're out there already!!
I tapped out a quick reply while the breeze moved through the tall grass around me.
Me: Yeah, I'm out. Left Pallet this morning. Heading to Viridian now.
I shook my head at myself, chuckling under my breath, and kept walking.
___________________________________________________________________
Sunlight barely filtered through the canopy. My legs felt heavy and tired by now. I had been traveling for nearly half a day. Orin padded next to me, with his snout held high, ensuring that none of the Pokémon in the peripheral forest tried to attack us, like the first time we crossed this route.
I smiled in tired amusement as I felt his pride through our bond.
He did get stronger,I thought.
I had thought about going off the main route, into the forest, maybe explore and train in the wild. This area was dangerous, but not exceedingly so. It would have been an off-road trip, and we were more than strong enough for it, but I looked up. Through the shifting gaps in the leaves, the sky had turned the color of grey. Clouds stacked thick and dark, even though it was barely past noon.
A storm was brewing.
I blew out a long breath. I had the gear for a storm: tent, tarp, everything. But the thought of spending my very first night on the road soaked, cold, and miserable...?
No thanks.
"Let's pick up the pace, Orin. We're barely an hour away from Viridian," I said to him. Looking at my RangerNav's map, I could use the map feature in my Pokédex, but my RangerNav had more intricate data, like criminal activity, hotspots for dangerous Pokémon that have harmed people and Pokémon alike, and most importantly, ranger outposts.
"There's a storm forming..." I was cut off by
"AHHH!!"
A child's scream sliced through the trees.
My head snapped toward the sound. It didn't sound too far out.
"Orin, Odor Sleuth," I called out, my mind snapping into action. "Find the kid."
He barked out in affirmation and launched forward, ears perked up. His little black nose lit up with that soft, creamy-white aura, the glow spreading in faint ripples along his snout. Then he was gone, crashing through the underbrush.
I raced after him. Branches whipped my arms, and roots tried to trip me every third step. Through it all, I kept my eyes locked on the flash of brown fur weaving through the undergrowth. My heart hammered in my chest as my breathing picked up.
Then the trees opened just enough for me to...
There...
A small girl in a wide-brimmed straw hat, yellow shirt, brown pants, and scuffed boots, running flat-out, arms pumping, breath coming in panicked little gasps. Behind her, six, maybe seven Rattata. Lean, red-eyed, lips peeled back from yellowed teeth. They moved like a pack of starved rodents who had already tasted blood.
Orin saw them the same second I did.
He didn't hesitate.
He jumped, launching himself up, and opened his snout.
Dark Pulse.
A wide beam of black-purple energy ripped out of him in a vicious arc.
Three of the Rattata caught the full brunt, screamed, flipped ass over end, slamming into tree trunks, and didn't get back up. The others scattered in every direction, shrieking, tails tucked, disappearing into the brush like smoke.
I ran the last length and dropped to my knees beside the girl.
She'd ducked under Orin at the last second. Now she was curled on the forest floor, arms wrapped around her head, straw hat fallen beside her, long blonde hair spilling everywhere.
She looked up with huge, wet, and terrified eyes.
And in the tiniest, shakiest voice:
"M-Mr... save Marrie... please..."
For a heartbeat, I thought she was still talking to Orin. Then I followed the direction of her trembling finger, the way she'd been running.
Deeper in the trees.
There was more noise now, crashing branches, a high-pitched squeal that wasn't human, the unmistakable crackle of electricity splitting the air. A sudden yellow-white flash lit the undergrowth like a camera bulb going off in the dark.
Thunder Shock.
My stomach dropped.
There's someone else.
"Orin, stay with her. Don't move."
He gave one firm nod, ears flat, body planted between her and the rest of the forest.
I stood, already reaching for the second Poké Ball at my belt.
The ball burst open in a flare of red light.
Caesar materialized with a low, bone-deep growl that vibrated through the ground. The massive Fraxure towered over us, tusks gleaming, scales shimmering, muscular tail lashing once like a whip. His draconic head snapped toward the commotion further into the forest, the instant he felt the urgency pour through our bond:
Trouble; danger. Search, protect.
I didn't have to say a word.
He roared.