Beryl Dreams: Part 6

Let's post two things out of order as well!

Part 6: Afforest and Deforest

The team crept into the forest.  The trees turned sunlight into a broken patchwork of light and shadow.  The air smelt damp and musty, the scent of decaying leaves in the air.  Our footsteps squelched on the wet, fallen leaves as we walked deeper into the woods.

"Hey, you!"  a Bug Catcher shouted, running at us as we entered the forest.  "Let's fight!"

I sighed a little bit.  "Alright.  John, let's go."  I said as he jumped off my shoulder.

"Go, Wurmple!"  He said, throwing out the bug Heather had just evolved from.

"Tackle, John."  I said as he knocked out the Wurmple.  The Bug Catcher recalled it and sent out a second Wurmple.  John then knocked it out, as he did with the third, fourth and fifth ones.

"Alright, John.  Let's wrap this up."

"Not yet!  Wurmple, Poison Sting!"

The worm shot a long purple barb that embedded itself in John's side as he knocked it into the nearest tree, unconscious.

"John!"  Tyler said, running out to him.  John rolled over onto its back, turning a sickly shade of lavender.  I picked him up and started to run out of the forest.

"Matt!"  Daniel screamed as he ran beside me.  "I don't think he'll make it!"

"We'll make it!"  I yelled back.  I saw the edge of Petalburg.  My heart leaped a bit.

"Matt..."  John weakly murmured.

I shoved a Potion into his mouth.  "J-just shush, okay, John?  Y-y-you'll be ok-kay..."

A few hours later, John jumped into my lap.  I hugged him close to my chest, a few stray tears falling down my cheeks.  Everyone else crowded around, ecstatic.

"You ready to get going?"  John asked, smiling.

"Yeah, let's go."  I said.

We walked back into the forest, a couple Antidotes in my backpack.  We strolled through the tall grass as the sun began to set, some of the wild Pokemon settling down to sleep.

As we rounded one of the bends, I heard a fight breaking out.

"Hand over the goddamn goods!"  someone yelled.

"Please, don't hurt me!"  someone else responded.

I heard a loud smack, followed by a thud onto the wet ground.  I ran out of my hiding place, team behind me, to help.

A young man in a black and white striped shirt with a blue bandana and blue pants was standing over another man in a lab coat.  His glasses were askew, and his nose was bloody.  The thug's hands were covered in the sticky red liquid, and it looked like his Poochyena was about to draw some more.

"Hey, you!"  I yelled.  He looked at me and snarled.  His Poochyena leaped towards me.  Tiffany swooped down in front and spat a Water Gun at it.

The small dog blinked at her, one of its eyes with a massive pink scar across it.  It rammed into her, knocking her onto the ground and pinning her.

"Tiffany, Water Gun!"  I yelled.  She spat water into its face, knocking it off of her.  I ran up to her with a Potion.  She sprang back up into the air and began again spraying water into the opponent's face.

Eventually, it fell down, knocked out.  The goon looked up at us, panic across his face.  He recalled his Pokemon and ran back the way he came.

I ran to the scientist, who was just putting his papers back into his briefcase, and helped him up.

"Are you okay?"  I asked.

"Yes."  he said, wiping a red streak on his coat.  "Thank you for getting rid of him.  I'd be swamped if I'd lost these goods."

"Well, I just didn't want to let someone get hurt and not help them."

He pulled a small blue and red Poke Ball out of his coat.  "This is a Great Ball.  It's significantly better than a normal Poke Ball.  I'd like you to have this as a reward."

I took it.  "Thank you so much, sir."

"Don't mention it."  he said, smiling.  "Now, I need to get back to Rustboro.  Goodbye!"

He walked off the way the goon went.  I started to walk that way as well when a small bird flew directly at my face.

Daniel jumped in front of me and Scratched it out of the air.  It fell, unconscious, to the ground.

"What was that?"  John asked.

"I think that was our catch."  I said, dejected.

Daniel winced.  "Sorry."  he said.

"Good going, Foghorn."  Tyler muttered.

"Don't worry, I didn't really want a Taillow, that would have evolved into an awesome Swellow..."

"We should get going."  Tiffany said.

"Right."  I said, sighing a bit.  "Let's go."

Pokémon: 5       Badges: 0         Deaths: 0            Current Location: Petalburg Woods