The mountain behind the laboratory.
After leaving the laboratory, the two followed the staff's directions to the northwestern part of the mountain.
"Xiaoyun, where are we supposed to look? This mountain is huge, and those researchers only pointed us in a direction. When are we ever going to find the Pokémon?"
"We're pretty much there. Let's try here." Xiaoyun stood and looked around, feeling that they were roughly in the right area.
Then he took the Poké Ball from his waist and tossed it toward a clearing.
"Come on out, Sceptile!"
"Scep!"
A red light flashed from the Poké Ball, and a tall, green figure appeared in the clearing. It was Sceptile, evolved from the Treecko Xiaoyun had received from his dad all those years ago.
Sceptile now stood around 1.9 meters tall, far better developed than an average Sceptile. He trailed a branchlike tail behind him, and the leaves on his wrists were as sharp as blades, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Over the past few years, Xiaoyun had taken Treecko to challenge the various Pokémon on the mountain behind his home, as well as his dad's partners from his younger days. The experience gained had allowed that Treecko to evolve into the Sceptile he was today.
Even if he were to face Ash's Sceptile now, he was confident he could defeat him.
"I'm counting on you, Sceptile. Sorry for the trouble, but could you look around for Chimchar and Piplup? Let me know if you find them, okay?" Xiaoyun looked up at Sceptile as he spoke.
"Scep!"
Sceptile stood with his arms folded. Upon hearing Xiaoyun's instructions, he became a streak of green light, darting back and forth through the trees before disappearing in moments.
"Sceptile is so cool! He's so big, but he's still so fast. One whoosh, and he's gone."
Dawn gasped in amazement. Although she had met Sceptile many times before, she was still deeply impressed whenever she saw him.
"Of course he is! But I also believe our Dawn will raise incredibly strong Pokémon and stand at the very top."
Xiaoyun felt a little smug at Dawn's praise, but even as he basked in it, he didn't forget to encourage her in return.
"Xiaoyun, you don't need to comfort me anymore. I was supposed to happily get my Pokémon on my first day, but who knew something like this would happen? What rotten luck!"
Thinking about the day's events, a trace of dejection appeared on Dawn's little face.
First, she had been late that morning. Then, after walking all that way and finally reaching the laboratory, she had discovered that the starter Pokémon were missing...
"Huh? So even our ever-optimistic Dawn has moments when she feels down?"
Xiaoyun reached out and ruffled Dawn's lovely blue hair as he teased her.
"Well! It certainly looks like bad luck on the surface, but maybe there's an opportunity hidden in it. Like a mysterious Legendary Pokémon or something."
"That's what traveling is like. Along with the beautiful scenery along the way, sometimes you'll encounter setbacks and difficulties."
"But in my eyes, every setback is a gift life gives us. Only by facing it with courage, wisdom, and confidence and overcoming our troubles can we welcome a bright future."
Perhaps Xiaoyun's constant reassurance had lifted Dawn's spirits, or perhaps she had thought of something. A faint blush also spread across her cute cheeks.
"That's right, Dawn! You're a future top Coordinator. How could a little bad luck like this possibly stop you? No need to worry. Absolutely no need to worry!"
Perhaps that little life lesson-chicken soup for the soul-had worked.
Or perhaps Dawn was simply an optimist by nature and had only wilted briefly before becoming full of energy again.
"Xiaoyun, let's head out now! Go, go, go!"
"Wait for me, Dawn..." Watching Dawn charge deeper into the forest, Xiaoyun wondered whether that chicken soup had been a little too nourishing!
As they ventured deeper, the fog in the forest grew thicker, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
"Hold my hand tightly. Don't let go."
At first, they had still been able to see the path through the fog, but now they could only see their immediate surroundings. The fog was so thick that Xiaoyun instinctively tightened his grip on Dawn's hand, afraid she might get lost.
Rustle, rustle...
Just then, a sudden rustling from the bushes in the forest made Xiaoyun look over warily.
Countless thin streaks of purple light suddenly shot out of the bushes.
Xiaoyun recognized the move. It was Poison Sting, a move commonly used by Poison-type Pokémon.
"This is bad! Dawn, let's get out of here!"
Sensing trouble, Xiaoyun hurriedly pulled Dawn along as he began dodging.
"Aria, aria!"
Only after dodging the Poison Sting did Xiaoyun get a clear look at the Pokémon attacking from the bushes. It was purple and looked like a giant spider.
It was Ariados, one of the forest's most notorious Pokémon.
"Aria!"
"Aria!"
"Aria!"
After the lead Ariados appeared, countless pairs of purplish-red eyes immediately emerged in the bushes and among the branches.
A moment later, what looked to be a dozen or so Ariados slowly emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust as they stared at Xiaoyun and Dawn.
"Damn it, what kind of rotten luck is this? We walked straight into an Ariados nest!" Xiaoyun cursed under his breath.
"Xiaoyun, what should we do now?" Looking at the Ariados surrounding them, Dawn nervously clutched Xiaoyun's arm.
After all, she was a girl who had encountered a scene like this right at the start of her journey. Being afraid was only natural.
"Come on! Let's get out of here first!" Without another word, Xiaoyun grabbed Dawn and started running.
Sceptile wasn't with them right now. If the Ariados really caught them, it would be an instant game over.
"Aria!"
The Ariados clearly had no intention of letting their two prey escape.
At their leader's command, the Ariados sprang into action all at once. Some chased along the ground, while others used String Shot to swing through the trees and leap toward them.
A tense, thrilling chase officially began. Driven by their desire to live, Xiaoyun and Dawn unleashed their potential, successfully dodging the Ariados as they lunged at them again and again.
But with the fog so thick, they were practically running blind. In the end, they stopped in front of a lake.
"Xiaoyun, what do we do? There's nowhere to go!" she said in a panic as she looked at the lake ahead.
Standing before the lake, Xiaoyun looked at the water, then back at the Ariados still pursuing them. Steeling himself, he was just about to jump into the lake with Dawn when-
Bam!
"Aria!"
What was this? A green figure blocked their path. A blade flashed, sending an Ariados that had been about to attack flying before it crashed heavily to the ground.
"Scep!"
It was Sceptile, arriving just in time, with an injured Chimchar cradled in his arms.
"Thank goodness, Sceptile! You're finally here."
"If you'd come any later, your Trainer would've had to throw himself into the lake in tears..." Xiaoyun pretended to have tears in the corners of his eyes, instantly turning into a whimpering mess.
"Scep!" (It always comes down to me, huh? What would you do without me!)
Sceptile gave Xiaoyun a reassuring look, then set down the Chimchar in his arms and took a battle stance facing the Ariados ahead.
"Aria!" (Twelve against one. We have the advantage!)
The Ariados leader looked disdainfully at the big green lizard blocking their way.
What a joke. We're a whole spider squad. You're just one lizard. What have you got to fight us with?
We're practically dropping dragons right on your face here. You think you can take on our entire spider squad alone?
"Aria!" (All spiders, attack!)
At the Ariados leader's command, every Ariados behind it opened its mouth at once.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Countless purple poison needles then shot from their mouths, pelting toward Sceptile like a torrential rain.
"Sceptile, use Detect!"
Xiaoyun switched into battle mode and gave Sceptile his command.
Sceptile was a classic high-speed, high-attack fighter. A wide-ranging Poison Sting was a terrible matchup for him, so they would dodge this volley first and wait for an opening.
"Scep!" As Xiaoyun finished speaking, blue light filled Sceptile's eyes, and his body became a streak of light. The cramped battlefield did nothing to restrict his speed.
Only streaks of green could be seen darting back and forth through the forest, perfectly avoiding every poison needle.
Looking at the thick fog around them, Xiaoyun frowned and called out again.
"Sceptile, find an opening and use Sunny Day!"
"Scep!"
Sceptile steadied himself and spat a red orb of light into the sky.
The sunlight immediately intensified, shining through the forest and successfully dispersing the thick fog around them.
"Aria?" "Aria?"
The Ariados began to panic. As the dense fog dispersed, they lost the terrain advantage they excelled at using and could only turn their eyes toward their leader.
"Here's our chance, Sceptile! Solar Beam!"
Xiaoyun didn't waste Sunny Day's boost, unleashing a big move the instant the Ariados faltered.
"Scep!" With Sunny Day's boost, the small orbs on Sceptile's back quickly finished charging.
Then a white beam of energy blasted toward the Ariados leader.
Boom!!
Clearly, these Ariados weren't very high-level.
Sceptile's Solar Beam not only blasted their leader away, but also sent five or six Ariados nearby flying. The remaining few were all swept aside by the shock wave.
"Sceptile, press the advantage! Use Leaf Blade on those Ariados at the sides!" Xiaoyun hurriedly called to Sceptile.
Today, he was going to wipe out these big, colorful spiders that had nearly sent him off to reincarnate again. Not even Jesus could save them. He said so!
"Scep! Scep!" The leaves on Sceptile's arms became razor-sharp blades. Then his body blurred into afterimages as, like the Grim Reaper, he cut down every last one of the remaining low-health Ariados.
Bam, bam, bam, bam!!!
Team wipe!