Matt and Chen went carefully through the forest, crouching to sneak around the trees. The sun's rays gradually warmed the woods, which made Matt decide to take off his sweatshirt. The noise it made alarmed the shroomish, but he didn't object to the human's action, as it was too late for him to do so. The warmth of the forest made them pause several times in their travels to cool off. During that time, their apprehension ramped up, as they had the opportunity to see how silent the forest was. After a while, they arrived near a paved roadway. From the bush they were hiding behind, Chen could see some underground cables which had been chewed by a fellow pokémon. Looking around, they found out that they were the only one around here.
“There's nobody around,” the shroomish mentioned.
“They've closed the road after being warned of the bandits' presence,” he explained. “We'll stay in the woods. We'll be stealthier there.”
They continued their journey in the forest. There were still no pokémon to be seen. It seemed like even the wild pokémon had gone into their shelters, sensing the imminent danger that threatened them. The agonizing silence of the forest followed them wherever they traveled, as even the rustling of the verdure was muffled by their overwhelming vigilance.
There's something wrong with this place. What has happened here? A few years ago, this place was full of life and all. Where did everyone go?
One hour later, the suspense became almost unbearable for them. Suddenly, they heard someone groan, breaking the silence they had been in for so long. Chen tensed up, and Matt's hands started shaking in apprehension. This was the first time Chen saw his master show any sign of fear. He had a glimpse at his master's reality; he was powerless against the pokémon he would be facing. The human went to the nearest bush and motioned his companion to follow him. They walked carefully in the bushes until they found a group of pokémon.
In the beautiful glade, two pokémon stood in front of a wounded krokorok. The leavanny smiled at her prey cheerfully. She wore an armband with a symbol on it. However, Chen was too far away to clearly see the symbol. Her hands, acting as weapon to accomplish her deeds, were covered in fresh blood. Behind her, a zoroark with the same armband gave the leavanny an impatient look. Laying closer to them, the krokorok's body had two lacerations on his back. He wore a scarf on his neck. He was at the mercy of the two other pokémon. The trembling shroomish glanced at Matt and saw no emotion on his face. Even in the face of an imminent murder, he remained stoic.
“Finish him already,” the zoroark insisted in an annoyed tone.
“Come on, zoroark,” she said, keeping her smile. “At least, this one gave me some challenge by running away. The others were pushovers; all they did was cry. Killing them was such a bore.”
She walked slowly towards the krokorok, raising one of her blood-coated blade. Her smile slowly stretched out, giving out her sadistic inclinations. Chen closed his eyes and tears fell down his eyes. It was too much for his fragile, immature mind. However, he didn't make a sound, fearing that it would attract the attention of the two pokémon.
“I smell pokémon rangers nearby,” the zoroark said to the leavanny.
“Oh no,” she said, disappointed. “See you later, sweetie~”
After a few seconds, the shroomish found the strength to open his eyes again. Both of them were gone, but the krokorok was still lying unconscious in the middle of the flickering grass. Chen sighed, relieved that nothing went wrong. Matt looked around for a few seconds before standing up, a poké ball in his hand. He threw a poké ball at the wounded krokorok. Caught inside, the pokémon didn't have enough strength to fight back.
The leavanny was the craziest pokémon I have ever seen, Chen thought. How can you smile when killing people? I'm pretty sure that zoroark lied to stop the leavanny from killing this krokorok. I wonder what these armbands signified. Who are they working for?
Another thought crossed the shroomish's mind. Overcoming his shyness, he walked to the human who was about to grab the poké ball.
“That's unfair. He didn't have a chance to fight back.”
“I don't care what you may think,” he said bluntly. “If I leave him here, he'll bleed to death.”
Looking behind him for a split second, Matt went back into the bushes quickly, gesturing for Chen to also take cover. They waited for two whole minutes before seeing a man ridding an arcanine come into the valley. The majestic pokémon rushed quickly through the glade, his fur flowing in the wind. Looking above him, the shroomish saw a staraptor scouting the area. Chen guessed that this staraptor was another of the man's pokémon. After all of them left, the duo came out of the bushes.
“Let's get going.”
They walked for another hour before arriving to a pokémon center. Since the sky was clear and the air, comfortable, a bunch of seemingly experienced trainers were resting with their own pokémon near the building. Next to the automatic door was a poster portraying Matt. The human rushed to it, took it off the wall and tore it apart quickly. As Matthew threw the torn paper to the garbage. Chen looked at him, trying to understand why he did that. His thoughts quickly got interrupted by the sound of Matt's footstep. Noticing the human entering the pokémon center, Chen followed behind. Unlike the last one they visited, it had trainers in the hall who were watching some pokémon battles on the television. They cheered loudly for one of the contestants. Matt walked to the desk, trying to be as quiet as possible, Chen following behind. They arrived to the nurse, who didn't seem to recognize him despite the poster at the entrance.
“Could I get these pokémon healed?” Matt asked.
“Sure. Just get them in their poké balls.”
He turned to the shroomish and searched in his bag for Chen's poké ball. After he found it, Matt pointed it towards the shroomish and pushed the button, causing Chen's vivid perception of reality to tarnish as he got absorbed.
The shroomish was forced outside of his poké ball. Looking around him, Chen noticed that they were in another forest. Unlike the forest he grew in, this one was mostly populated by pines, which he picked up on rather quickly because of the distinct scent it had. Matt also got the krokorok out of his poké ball. When he saw Matt, he first raised his eyebrows. The element of surprise fading, the new member of their team crossed his arms and held his head high. The shroomish backed off, intimidated by the krokorok's hostile attitude.
“Who are you?” the krokorok questioned firmly.
“The name's Matt,” he replied. “I saved you from that psycho leavanny.”
“Thanks for that. Now, I'll be able to get the revenge my friends deserve.” He turned and started walking away from the human and the shroomish.
“Killing her won't bring your friends back,” Matt argued. Hearing him, the krokorok stopped on his track.
He's right, Chen thought. But it isn't about bringing them back. It's about justice. I'm sure I would act like him in that situation. If my parents-
The shroomish immediately repressed that thought from his mind.
Turning his head back at the human, the krokorok gave him a menacing look. “This is what my friends would want me to do. Besides, she deserves to die.”
“Look, I won't stop you. But what makes you think that you'll kill her by running at her foolishly?”
He thought about what Matt had said for a few seconds. “Points given. But then, what should I do?”
“You could follow us,” he proposed. “I'll make sure you get your revenge.”
“Fine. My name's Guts, by the way.” Walking towards Matt, he showed him his hand, waiting for a handshake to seal the deal.
The human crossed his arms, giving him a stern look. “Wait. How can I be sure I could trust you? I mean, I've got no idea who you are and where you're coming from.”
“I could ask you the same question,” Guts said.
“Good point,” Matt acknowledged. “In that case, let's get going.”
“You've got something to hide?” Guts asked.
The human waked away, not answering his question. Despite that, the krokorok decided to follow him. Chen slowly approached the krokorok and looked at him nervously. He saw in Guts an opportunity to make a friend, someone he could rely on. After a while, Guts noticed the puny being for the first time.
“Hello,” he whispered. “I'm Guts.” Chen gave him a fearful look.
Guts waved his hand and smiled at him. “No need to be afraid, little one. How're you doing?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“I'm doing great, now that you're there.” Chen smiled back at him. “Matt wasn't that friendly.”
“I feel you.” He glanced at the human right in front of them. “He doesn't seem trustworthy.”
Looking in front of them, Chen had the feeling that Guts' reluctance to talk had something to do with Matt's presence, as he seemed to be listening to their conversation. They continued for about four hours, taking several breaks in the process. The last hour felt like a chore to Chen, as each step he took felt a bit more painful than the last one. As the sun slowly settled down, Matt took out his flashlight. In the darkness, Chen grew more afraid, as he wouldn't be able to see possible predators. However, he didn't say a thing, as he thought Matt already knew how risky it was. They had to walk around for another thirty minutes before finding the best spot to camp. It was a collection of bushes that formed a circle, hiding a spot of grass. After Matt decided they would be sleeping there, he looked at his device, searching for some information. Chen showed some reluctance to the idea of sleeping outdoors, as he was accustomed to predators lurking in the night. He preferred to sleep in caves or on branches, as it was harder for most predators to get him in such sleeping spots.
“It won't rain tonight,” Matt mumbled to himself before turning to Chen. “We'll take turns to guard you. You'll be fine, I promise.”
He got his sleeping bag out of his backpack and laid his sleeping bag on the ground before turning to his two companions again.
“Someone wants to sleep in their poké ball?” Matt asked, pointing his flashlight in their direction.
They both shook their head.
“Okay. We'll take turns guarding four hours straight. I'll go first.”
Siting against a tree, Matt took out a piece of bread from his backpack and started to eat it. Tired by their travels, the shroomish yawned and laid on the grass, falling asleep almost instantly.
Chen felt someone poking him on the side. Quickly opening his eyes, he looked for the source of the touch, driven by his survival instinct. All he saw was a krokorok looking into his alert eyes.
“Wake up,” he whispered, pointing Matt with his finger.
“What is it?” Chen asked.
“I wanna talk to you without having Matt eavesdropping on us. I feel I can trust you.”
“Oh.”
“Do you know anything about this man?”
“Well, he seems quite reserved. He spends some time on his device and-”
“Yeah, yeah,” Guts interrupted him. “ I know all of that. I was looking for something which I may not know.”
“Hmm... Oh, yeah. Yesterday, he told me that he is making this journey because he 'needs money'.”
The krokorok glanced at Matt for a second before turning back to the shroomish. “Do you know what money is?”
“No,” the shroomish replied.
“It's something both humans and civilized pokémon use,” he explained. “It is used to obtain more personal possessions. Sadly, those who seek money are self-absorbed. It means that Matt doesn't care about us. Maybe he's like my old trainer, after all.”
“You had a trainer?” Chen inquired, surprised by this revelation.
Guts sighed. “Yes. All he cared about was catching pokémon and selling them for money. Most people call these people pokémon hunters. At that time, I knew no better and followed him blindly.” He looked to the sky, a bit of gratitude shown through his eyes. “One day, a group of pokémon saved me and showed me the way. They called themselves an explorers' guild. With my fellow pokémon, I have gone through numerous trials, and they always stayed by my side.”
Tears came down from the krokorok's eyes. His sadness slowly turned into anger as he clenched his fists.
“Now, because of her, everyone that I loved and cared about is dead. She'll get what she deserves.”
Guts curled up on himself and continued sobbing, knowing his friends' fate was sealed. Walking towards him, Chen felt the krokorok's pain and knew he couldn't leave him in his misery. Solitude was a pain that would heal only when shared to one another.
“I'll stay by your side. I, too, lost all that I cared about. I know what it's like. I'll always be there with you. If you want to leave, just ask.”
“Thank you,” Guts simply said. “I may not be good at supporting people's pain, but I sure can help those in need. If you ever need me, simply tell me.”
Chen stayed by Guts' side until he stopped crying. Knowing that he would have to be in good shape tomorrow, he returned in Darkrai's realm.
Waking up his slumber, the shroomish saw Matt who was leaning on the tree, doing his own things. Captivated by something on his device, it took a while for Matt to notice the shroomish. Seeing that Chen was now awake, Matt put his device in his pocket.
He seems tired, Chen thought. He has only slept for four hours tonight. Will he be able to stay awake? Maybe we should've slept a little longer.
“Let's get going,” he said.
“Wait. Where's Guts?”
“He's in his poké ball, taking a rest,” he said dryly.
They continued on their way with the morale at its lowest. It didn't seem like they were making any kind of progress, as every tree they came across looked the same. The monotony settled, making their whole journey feel like an eternity. For some reason, no pokémon was around; it seemed as if they had all disappeared. Three hours later, they arrived at another pokémon center. As they entered calmly by the automatic doors, some trainers inside glanced at them before turning their head back to the television, where someone was making an announcement on the news channel. His curiosity piqued, Matt stopped on his path to watch it.
“Our nation is facing a crisis,” he acknowledged. “By committing terrorist attacks, the members of the Pokémon Liberation Front have crossed the line. We won't back down. We won't bow down to their threats. We will stand as one nation against this menace to our democracy. In this time of great crisis, we can't stay indifferent. There's no middle ground. You are either with us or with the PLF.”
Matt remained silent and turned away from the screen, motioning the shroomish to follow him to the front desk. Some of the trainers whispered; others stood there in shock.
“We'll stay here today,” he decided. “I have to-”
“Wait, you with the blue shirt. I challenge you!” some trainer announced.
Matt turned his head towards the one who challenged him. He was wearing a red and white striped t-shirt and a cap.
“Nah.” He waved his hand in dismissal.
“I understand. Who would want to fight with a weakling like that?” he taunted Matt, pointing the shroomish with his finger.
They laughed at his expense, relieving the tension that had been created by the speech. Blushing in embarrassment, he closed his eyes. He didn't want to hear any of their mockery; more than anything, he wanted it to stop. Suddenly, a force pulled him inside the comfortable haven of his poké ball.