After packing up, I did some light morning stretches with Lopunny and Meowscarada jumping, running in place, and a few playful things that made them really happy and energized. Then we left Viridian City behind, stepping onto the forest path.
Lopunny stayed right beside me the whole time. Every few steps one of her long ears would brush my arm soft, warm, like she just wanted to stay as close as possible.
Meowscarada walked a little ahead, graceful and quiet, tail flicking with every step.
Whenever I looked at her, my eyes always landed on the gentle sway of her hips, that perfect, teasing curve under her sleek green fur.
The way she moved smoothly, confident, and just a little playful made me smile every time.
She knew I was watching. Her tail would lift a tiny bit higher, flick once like a wink, and she'd throw me the quickest glance over her shoulder, pink-red eyes sparkling, tiny smirk on her lips before looking forward again.
Then, I glanced back at my Pokédex, hoping its navigation feature would help, but dense forest made it nearly useless. Sighing, I carefully put it back into my bag and pulled out a map I had prepared for emergencies like this.
Meowscarada and Lopunny came closer as I stopped. I studied the map, tracing a finger along the routes before pointing at a spot. "We're probably here," I said to them. "And we need to get to Mt. Moon."
"According to this," I continued, "if we follow the normal path, we'll reach Pewter City in about three days. Then we'd need another two or more days heading northeast to reach Mt. Moon."
I paused, pulling a pen from my pocket. "But if we go diagonally, we could get there even faster."
Both of them tilted their heads, ears drooping a little. The path I had chosen was dangerous, dense, tangled, and untraveled. They had been through this area before, back when we had faced Ariados and Spinarak, and they knew just how challenging it could be.
I caught the worry flickering in their eyes and gave them the softest smile I could manage.
"I know," I whispered, crouching so we were all on the same level. "I know it's risky. The tangle, the webs, the things that live where the light doesn't reach..."
I reached out, resting a hand on each of them, warm cream fur on my left, green on my right.
"But there's a reason I want this path. Look."
I turned toward the endless green ahead, where sunlight spilled between the leaves in slow, golden rivers.
"Not many really walked here. It's still waiting to be put on the map. Our map."
I let my voice drop, low and steady.
"We're strong enough now," I said, voice low, steady, the words settling into the hush of the forest. "Stronger than we've ever been. This… all of this… is what we dreamed about on those quiet nights back in Viridian City, lying on the rooftop looking at the stars."
I let my eyes drift upward, past the leaves, chasing the memory of that wide, glittering sky.
"Do you remember what I said?"
"How I want to see every Pokémon… every single one that walks, flies, or hides in the deepest places. And every mystery around the world… every legend, every forgotten ruin, every shadow no one's ever dared step into."
Lopunny's ears lifted, trembling at the tips, then flopped forward as she pressed her warm body against my side.
"Lopuu~"
Meowscarada leaned in close from the other side, her cheek brushing my arm. "Nyaa~"
They remembered.
Every single word I'd said back then, how I wanted to travel together with two of them, to see the whole world, every corner no one had ever seen.
And that night on the rooftop, they had both happily nodded, ears bouncing, eyes shining, already promising without words that wherever I went, they would follow me.
To them, this wasn't some grand new leap. It was just the same thing we'd always done, walking beside each other through the green dark, trusting each other to catch us if we fell.
Only now the forest stretched forever, the sky was wider, and every shadow might hold something no human eyes had ever seen.
Soon, we began walking through the forest, sunlight filtering through the trees in warm patches. Lopunny moved alertly beside me, ears twitching at every rustle, while Meowscarada's sharp eyes scanned the area.
The path was familiar enough to avoid getting lost, yet wild enough that danger lingered in every shadow.
We passed through Ariados territory without incident, but now deeper in, Rattata and Ekans started showing up.
A purple-scaled Ekans moved across the path, tongue flicking… then froze when it saw us. Its eyes went wide, and it quickly slipped back into the bushes.
A pack of Rattata burst out of the grass, chattering… until they spotted Lopunny's calm stare and Meowscarada's confident tail-flick. They squeaked once, turned tail, and vanished just as fast.
The forest path twisted deeper, sunlight thinning until it came down in soft golden beams through the leaves.
Then the bushes ahead shifted, slow, heavy.
A moment later, a huge Arbok emerged.
Easily four meters long, thick-bodied, scales dark violet with a faint metallic sheen. Its hood spread wide, revealing a sharp, threatening pattern.
It hissed, low and dangerous.
"Arbooooook…"
Both of my Pokémon reacted in an instant.
Meowscarada slid forward a single graceful step, shoulders low, tail flicking once, sharp, unmistakable warning.
Lopunny tensed at my side, fists tight, one foot set back, ready to strike.
The Arbok rose higher, hood flared wide, fangs glinting, body tensing ready to strike.
It never got the chance.
Meowscarada moved like a shadow. Flower Trick burst from her paws, a whirl of pink petals and pure power, smacking the Arbok in the jaw.
The huge snake spun once, hit a tree with a heavy thud, and dropped to the ground, unconscious…
Seeing the Arbok for the first time, I couldn't help but stare.
Although I'd seen plenty of Ekans and Rattata before (I'd even touched them), but this was different. An Arbok was huge, powerful, and completely new to me. My heart raced with curiosity. Before I knew it, I was stepping forward.
I knelt down slowly and reached out, running my fingers along its tail and head.
The scales were cool, thick, and surprisingly solid beneath my fingertips, nothing like the smoother, softer Ekans I had touched before.
"…Wow," I whispered. "You're built like armor."
That's when I noticed the deep bruises blooming along its side, a few stray petals still clinging to the scales. Meowscarada's Flower Trick had landed harder than I'd realized.
I quickly pulled out a Super Potion and sprayed the wounds carefully.
The medicine stung at first.
Arbok's eyes snapped open wide in pain. It hissed loud and sharp, hood flaring, mouth opening to show long, dripping fangs like it was ready to bite.
Meowscarada stepped forward and shot it a sharp, jealous glare.
Lopunny tensed beside me, ears flat, ready to jump in.
Arbok froze, hood lowering a little.
I kept spraying, calm, gently and rubbing its head.
The pain faded fast. The hissing stopped. Its whole body relaxed, eyes half-closing in relief.
"There you go," I whispered, giving its scales one last soft pat. "All better."
It looked at me for a long second, then quietly turned and slid back into the tall grass, disappearing without another sound.
Meowscarada let out a soft little "nyaa," tail flicking, clearly waiting for her pat.
Lopunny's ears flopped forward, looking up at me with those big soft eyes.
I smiled and gave them both a gentle pat on the head.
Meowscarada leaned into it with a happy purr.
Lopunny closed her eyes and nuzzled my hand, completely relaxed.
"Okay, you two," I said softly. "Let's go."
We turned and started walking again, deeper into the forest.
The forest felt a little calmer after that. It was like the Pokémon knew we weren't here to hurt anyone, and that we were strong enough to handle ourselves.
I smiled to myself, though part of me felt a tiny bit disappointed.
No new Pokémon had shown up…
But as soon as we left, the forest seemed to breathe again. Pokémon hiding nearby began to move, chirping, rustling, returning to normal.
I glanced at the peaceful path.
"…Looks like that Arbok was the ruler of this area," I said quietly.
Lopunny nodded.
"Lopu."
Meowscarada nodded, agreeing with me.
"Nyaa."
As night approached, we reached a small clearing and started setting up the tent, the first stars already pricking through the canopy overhead… and somewhere deeper in the dark, something big was watching.
****
Only 40 Power Stones Left for 1 Extra Chapter! 🔥