Every Step Counted

"Starly, use Gust!"

At the command, Starly beat his wings hard, sending out a powerful gust that hurled Ekans away.

"Ekans!"

Realizing Starly was no easy opponent, Ekans lost his nerve and swiftly retreated.

"Star!" (Not so fast, little snake!)

Still spoiling for a fight, Starly wanted to chase Ekans down and settle the score.

"Wait, Starly. Let it go!"

At Bai Shi's command, Starly paused, and his hot head gradually cooled.

He remembered that his most important job was to protect his Pokémon Trainer.

Only then did he give up on chasing the snake.

"Well done, Starly!"

Seeing how quickly Starly had calmed down, Bai Shi nodded with approval and praised him.

Starly was still impulsive and hot-tempered.

But he was much better than when Bai Shi had first caught him.

Since they had left Twinleaf Town, Starly had not once acted on his own.

He was even willing to rein in his temper for Bai Shi's safety.

That left Bai Shi both relieved and deeply moved.

Once we're out of this forest, I'll find you an opponent and let you fight to your heart's content.

Bai Shi watched Starly remain on guard and made himself that silent promise.

As Bai Shi ventured deeper into the forest, he encountered Wild Pokémon more and more often.

Most of them were not aggressive.

But there were always exceptions.

Like the Ekans that had suddenly sprung from the grass.

Bai Shi was too cautious to let it get close, so he had ordered Starly to drive it off.

To conserve their strength for unexpected trouble,

Bai Shi generally kept Starly from fighting Wild Pokémon to the bitter end unless they had no choice.

If a Pokémon was weaker, he tried to make it back off.

If it was stronger, he took a detour.

Bai Shi also wanted to use the opportunity to find a suitable Pokémon to catch and gain wilderness survival experience for future travels.

A forest an ordinary person could cross in less than half a day had taken Bai Shi nearly two full days.

It was precisely this caution that had brought him this far without a scratch.

The only disappointment was that Bai Shi still had not caught a new Pokémon.

Either the Pokémon he encountered did not appeal to him,

or one did, but various circumstances prevented him from catching it.

Take the Drapion he had encountered not long ago.

Bai Shi had liked that Drapion a great deal.

Unfortunately, he doubted that he and Starly together were any match for it.

So Bai Shi had reluctantly given up and taken a detour.

Besides that, Bai Shi had also happened upon another Pokémon Trainer.

The moment they met, the Pokémon Trainer had challenged him to a battle, and Bai Shi had flatly refused.

After several more attempts got him nowhere, the Trainer had left in a sulk.

Before they parted, the Pokémon Trainer had given Bai Shi a contemptuous look, clearly thinking him a coward who did not dare battle.

Bai Shi had ignored him.

With only one Pokémon, how could he waste his precious fighting strength on a meaningless battle in the wilderness?

Winning would bring him no real benefit.

If he lost, or even won narrowly and Starly was badly hurt,

Bai Shi would lose his only means of defense and might well die in this forest.

If Bai Shi had several Pokémon, he would not have minded a friendly match.

But under the circumstances, that Trainer could go bother someone else!

Haste makes waste.

I'll have plenty of chances to catch Pokémon and battle other Trainers later.

I've gained some wilderness survival experience. It's about time I left.

With that thought, Bai Shi quickened his pace, hoping to cross the forest before dark.

According to a map he had obtained from another Pokémon Trainer, a Pokémon Center lay not far ahead.

Once he reached it, he would be out of danger and would have successfully crossed the "Beginner's Forest."

"Help! Somebody help me!"

Just when Bai Shi thought he could reach the Pokémon Center without trouble, a cry for help came from up ahead.

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, too.

Could it be the Trainer who wanted to battle me?

Wondering if it was him, Bai Shi crept forward cautiously.

Sure enough, the person calling for help was that Pokémon Trainer.

Gone was his earlier swagger. His face was full of panic as he shouted desperately for help.

In front of him, a Seviper had a Poochyena wrapped tight in its coils. The Poochyena was nearly suffocating.

Not far from them lay an unconscious Cherubi.

Clearly, Poochyena and Cherubi both belonged to the Pokémon Trainer.

But Seviper had nearly beaten them both.

And the Pokémon Trainer had no other Pokémon left that could fight.

Unless something changed, he would soon share their fate.

That Seviper looks badly hurt too. It hasn't come through this unscathed.

If I catch it off guard, I should be able to beat it.

Hidden from view, Bai Shi studied the situation closely.

He held back the eager Starly and waited patiently for a chance to strike.

"Poochyena!"

The Pokémon Trainer, meanwhile, had fallen into despair.

He bitterly regretted provoking Seviper in the first place.

"Starly, use Quick Attack!"

As Poochyena was about to pass out, Bai Shi made his move.

He struck at the very moment Seviper thought victory was within reach.

Starly became a streak of white light and slammed hard into Seviper's body.

The blow forced Seviper to release Poochyena from its coils.

Poochyena finally had a chance to breathe.

"Hiss!"

Enraged by the attack, Seviper raised its purple-glowing tail and lashed out at Starly.

But Starly had anticipated it. He shot skyward and dodged Seviper's Poison Tail.

"Starly, use Gust!"

Taking advantage of his height, Starly beat his wings hard and sent powerful gusts down.

They battered Seviper on the ground again and again.

"Poochyena, use Mud-Slap!"

Seeing a glimmer of hope, the Pokémon Trainer came to his senses and ordered his Pokémon to join the attack.

Poochyena flung clumps of mud onto Seviper's face.

Its vision was badly obscured.

"Now, Starly! Go for its eyes!"

Bai Shi's eyes lit up as he gave the order.

Starly seized the opening, swooped in, and raked his sharp claws across Seviper's eyes.

"Hiss!"

With its eyes injured again, Seviper cried out in pain. Forgetting everything else, it turned and fled.

Before long, the Seviper had vanished.

"Too bad. It got away!"

Bai Shi sounded disappointed as Seviper disappeared from sight.

He remembered that Seviper's two venomous fangs were worth quite a bit.

Even if he did not catch it, he could have knocked out those fangs and sold them for a good sum.

He had only his own lack of strength to blame.

Otherwise, how could he have let that Seviper escape?

"Are you all right?"

Only after making sure Seviper would not return did Bai Shi step out of hiding and ask the Pokémon Trainer.

"You... aren't you..."

The Trainer froze at the sight of Bai Shi, his mouth hanging open. For a long moment, he could not speak.

He struggled to accept that the "cowardly" Pokémon Trainer he had looked down on had just saved his life.

The reversal left him so ashamed that he could not bring himself to meet Bai Shi's eyes.

"...My name's A Lin. Thank you for saving me!"

A Lin's face flushed red. After struggling for words for ages, that was all the boy managed to say.