The forest felt different after the explosion.
Not just louder.
Not just more dangerous.
It felt… wrong.
Like something had been disturbed deep within it, something that shouldn't have been awakened in the first place.
Smoke still lingered between the trees, curling upward in slow, toxic spirals. Burned grass cracked underfoot, and the once-lively forest now carried an uncomfortable silence broken only by faint crackling energy in the air.
Alex stood between Yellow and the floating Pokémon ahead of them.
A wild Koffing.
But something about it wasn't normal.
Its body trembled violently as purple fumes leaked from its spherical form in uneven bursts. Its eyes weren't just angry—they looked panicked. Unstable. Like it wasn't fully in control of itself anymore.
Charmander stood beside Alex, tail flame flickering intensely.
Yellow was still shaking behind him.
"I-I'm s-sorry…" she whispered, "I d-didn't mean to g-get in the w-way…"
Alex didn't look back at her.
"Don't apologize," he said quietly. "Just stay behind me."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it was firm enough to stop her trembling slightly.
The Koffing floated higher.
Then—
"Koff… FFF!"
It released a wave of thick purple gas.
Alex's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Poison gas…"
He stepped sideways quickly.
"Charmander! Don't breathe it in!"
"CHAR!"
Charmander covered its mouth as it backed up.
The gas spread through the clearing, eating away at grass and leaves on contact.
Alex clicked his tongue.
"This isn't just a wild Pokémon rampaging…"
His eyes sharpened.
"…Something is forcing it."
Yellow looked up in confusion.
"F-Forcing it…?"
But before Alex could answer—
The Koffing suddenly spun in place and fired a burst of Sludge directly at them.
"Move!"
Alex grabbed Yellow's wrist and pulled her to the side.
BOOM!!
The sludge exploded where they had just stood, leaving a smoking crater in the ground.
Yellow stumbled but Alex held her steady.
"You good?" he asked.
She nodded quickly, still shaken.
"Y-Yes…"
But her eyes were locked on Koffing.
"B-But it looks s-so p-painful…"
Alex glanced at her for a moment.
Then back at the Pokémon.
"…Yeah. I see it."
Koffing wasn't attacking like a normal wild Pokémon.
It was desperate.
Uncontrolled.
Almost like it was being pushed beyond its limits.
Alex slowly exhaled.
"Charmander."
"Char."
"No holding back."
Charmander's eyes sharpened.
Alex pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt.
Then another.
Pikachu's Poké Ball.
He hesitated for half a second.
Then shook his head.
"No. Not yet."
He put it away.
"This one's yours, partner."
Charmander stepped forward.
Flame burning brighter.
Alex raised his voice.
"Use Ember! Continuous fire—don't let it breathe!"
"CHAR!"
Charmander unleashed rapid bursts of flame.
FWOOOSH! FWOOOSH! FWOOOSH!
The Koffing twisted in the air, trying to evade, but the Ember attacks forced it backward through the clearing.
Alex didn't stop.
"Keep pressure on it!"
Charmander advanced.
But suddenly—
The Koffing's body inflated.
Alex's eyes widened.
"Charmander, back—"
BOOOOOM!!
A massive explosion of gas erupted outward.
The shockwave sent both Alex and Charmander sliding backward across the ground.
Yellow screamed.
"A-Alex!!"
Alex planted his foot into the dirt, stopping himself.
He looked up sharply.
"…Self-Destruct?"
No.
Not quite.
It was unstable.
Inconsistent.
Like the move wasn't fully controlled.
Charmander slowly pushed itself back up, coughing slightly.
"Char…!"
Alex narrowed his eyes.
"Still standing? Good."
Then his gaze sharpened even more.
"Then we end this now."
He stepped forward.
And something changed.
For a brief moment—
The air around Alex felt heavier.
Charmander noticed it instantly, glancing at him.
Yellow felt it too, though she didn't understand why.
The Koffing hesitated mid-air.
Alex lifted his hand slightly.
"…Charmander."
"Use Ember."
A pause.
Then—
"Now."
Charmander inhaled deeply.
And released everything at once.
A concentrated stream of fire shot forward instead of scattered embers.
FWOOOOOSH!!
The flames cut through the smoke and slammed directly into Koffing.
BOOM!!
The explosion this time was controlled.
Focused.
Precise.
Koffing screamed as it was launched backward, crashing into a tree and finally losing its balance in the air.
It wobbled.
Trembled.
Then slowly began to fall.
Alex didn't hesitate.
He pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Poké Ball—go."
The ball struck Koffing mid-fall.
Click.
It dropped to the ground.
Shake.
Yellow held her breath.
Shake.
Charmander stayed ready, just in case.
Shake.
Then—
Ding.
Silence.
The forest went still.
Alex exhaled slowly.
"…Got it."
Yellow's shoulders dropped in relief.
"I-it's over…"
Charmander let out a soft breath of fire.
"Char…"
But Alex didn't smile.
Not fully.
Because his eyes were still scanning the forest.
Something about that fight bothered him.
That Koffing wasn't natural.
It was pushed.
Forced.
Like something had been experimenting with it… or controlling it.
Yellow slowly stepped forward.
"T-Thank you…" she said softly. "I-I thought I was g-gonna—"
Alex finally looked at her.
"You're fine. That's what matters."
She nodded quickly, still nervous.
Then her eyes moved to Charmander.
"And y-your Pokémon is r-really strong…"
Charmander puffed its chest proudly.
"Char!"
Alex smirked slightly.
"Yeah, he tries."
But before the moment could settle—
A sudden rustling echoed from deeper in the forest.
Both trainers froze.
Charmander turned instantly.
Alex's eyes narrowed.
"…We're not alone."
Yellow stepped back nervously.
"W-What is it now…?"
The trees shifted.
And then—
A slow clap echoed from the shadows.
Clap… clap… clap…
A figure stepped forward.
A boy.
Around Alex's age.
Dark outfit.
Cold expression.
And a Poké Ball spinning casually in his hand.
Alex immediately recognized the energy.
Not friendly.
Not lost.
Not scared.
This was someone used to battles.
The boy smirked slightly.
"Well… that was interesting."
His eyes shifted from Alex to Charmander… then briefly to Yellow.
"Didn't expect to find someone interfering with my test subject."
Alex's expression hardened instantly.
"…Test subject?"
The boy tilted his head.
"That Koffing was supposed to evolve under pressure. You ruined the timing."
Yellow's face turned pale.
"Y-you… did that?"
The boy didn't answer her.
Instead, he looked directly at Alex.
"Name's irrelevant."
A pause.
Then—
"But you can call me someone who doesn't like interruptions."
His Poké Ball clicked open slightly in his hand.
Alex stepped forward.
Charmander moved beside him again.
The air between them grew tense.
Alex's voice lowered.
"…You're going to explain what you've been doing here."
The boy smiled.
Cold.
Calm.
Dangerous.
"Or what?"
Silence fell over the forest.
And for the first time since arriving in this world…
Alex felt it.
A real threat.
Not wild Pokémon.
Not accidents.
But a human enemy.
And something told him—
This was only the beginning.
TO BE CONTINUED.