Chapter 3: A Spark in the Forest
Now that the two rivals, Alex and Hayden, had gone their separate ways for the time being, both young trainers had begun chasing their own goals and dreams of becoming stronger someday.
Alex and his Charmander had officially begun their very first journey through the Kanto region. The morning air was fresh, the tall trees stretched endlessly toward the sky, and the sounds of wild Pokémon echoed throughout the massive forest path ahead of them.
It was the beginning of a brand-new adventure.
And Alex could already feel it.
The excitement.
The danger.
The unknown.
Every step he took made his heart beat faster.
Compared to his previous life where Pokémon only existed inside games, anime, and manga, this world felt unbelievably real. The smell of dirt and grass. The warm sunlight peeking through the branches overhead. The cries of Bug Pokémon hidden deep inside the trees.
Everything felt alive.
And honestly?
Alex loved every second of it.
(Back to Alex's POV)
Alex walked slowly through the forest trail while Charmander stayed beside him, both of them carefully looking around for any signs of wild Pokémon.
The forest was surprisingly quiet.
Too quiet.
Alex scratched the back of his head with an annoyed sigh.
"To think finding a Pokémon in the wild can actually be difficult…" he muttered. "Back in my previous world when I played the games, Pokémon appeared every five steps."
Charmander looked up at him in confusion.
"Char?"
Alex laughed weakly.
"Trust me, buddy. This is way harder than it looked in the games."
The orange lizard Pokémon puffed out its chest proudly.
"Char! Char-mander!"
Alex smirked slightly.
"This is gonna be a pain in the ass, won't it Charmander?"
Charmander immediately nodded with confidence.
"Char!"
Even if they hadn't found anything yet, Charmander's energy alone made Alex feel better.
The two continued walking deeper into the forest.
Leaves crunched beneath their feet.
Occasionally, small Bug Pokémon crawled across nearby trees, but Alex ignored them for now. Caterpie and Weedle were common, but Alex wanted something stronger for his first catch.
Or at least something rarer.
Time slowly passed.
Twenty minutes.
Then thirty.
The deeper they walked into the forest, the thicker the trees became. Sunlight barely reached the ground anymore, causing the area to become darker and colder.
Alex narrowed his eyes carefully.
Something felt off.
It was almost like—
Rustle.
His eyes instantly snapped toward a nearby bush.
Charmander reacted immediately too, flames on its tail flickering harder as it took a battle stance.
"Something's there," Alex whispered.
The bush moved again.
Then suddenly—
A small yellow figure leaped out.
"Pika!"
Alex froze completely.
His eyes widened.
No.
Way.
"A Pikachu?!"
Standing a few feet away from them was an actual Pikachu.
Its yellow fur was slightly dirty, and there were scratches on its body as if it had been traveling alone for a long time. The electric mouse Pokémon stared at Alex and Charmander cautiously, ready to run at any moment.
Alex's breathing quickened.
"A Pikachu on this route…? That's impossible…"
His mind immediately started racing.
Pikachu were extremely rare around this area of Kanto.
Which meant only one thing.
"This Pikachu must be lost…" Alex muttered seriously. "Or maybe abandoned by its trainer…"
The thought irritated him slightly.
Anyone who abandoned a Pokémon didn't deserve one in the first place.
Alex slowly clenched his fist.
"Whatever the reason is…" he said with determination burning in his eyes, "I'm catching it."
Charmander grinned excitedly.
"Char!"
Ever since Alex had been reborn into this world, he constantly felt something deep inside himself.
Something powerful.
Something burning.
The thrill of battle.
The excitement of growing stronger.
It rushed through his veins every single time he faced the unknown.
And right now?
That feeling was stronger than ever.
Alex slowly grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt.
Then he pointed forward dramatically.
"Charmander! I choose you!"
WOOSH!
The Poké Ball flew through the air before opening in a flash of red light.
Charmander landed perfectly on the ground, flames on its tail burning intensely while staring directly at Pikachu.
Pikachu narrowed its eyes.
Electric sparks began dancing across its cheeks.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Alex smirked confidently.
"Charmander, use Ember!"
"CHAR!"
Charmander opened its mouth—
FWOOOSH!
Several small flames shot toward Pikachu at high speed.
But Pikachu reacted instantly.
"Pika!"
With incredible speed, Pikachu dodged to the side before using Agility, its body becoming a yellow blur throughout the battlefield.
Alex's eyes widened slightly.
"Fast!"
Pikachu suddenly appeared behind Charmander.
"PIKA-CHUUUU!"
ZAP!
A weak Thundershock blasted toward Charmander.
However—
Charmander crossed its arms and endured the attack.
"Charrrr!"
Alex grinned.
"Good! Now use Smokescreen!"
Charmander nodded immediately.
"CHAR-MANDER!"
Dark smoke exploded from its mouth, rapidly covering the battlefield.
Pikachu instantly lost sight of them.
"Pika?!"
Inside the smoke, sparks of electricity flashed wildly.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
Pikachu fired multiple Thundershocks randomly to clear the smoke away.
BOOM!
Several trees were hit by electricity.
The smoke slowly began fading.
But Alex had already predicted this.
A dangerous grin appeared on his face.
"Now, Charmander! Ember again!"
Charmander leaped forward through the smoke.
"CHAR!"
FWOOOSH!
This time the flames hit directly.
"Pikaaaa!"
The attack exploded against Pikachu's body.
BOOM!
Dust and smoke filled the area.
Alex didn't waste a second.
"Follow up with Smokescreen again!"
"CHAR!"
More smoke covered the battlefield before Pikachu could recover.
Alex watched carefully.
His eyes glowed faintly red for a brief moment.
Almost unnaturally.
As if some strange hidden power inside him had slightly awakened.
"There!" Alex shouted.
Charmander immediately launched another Ember directly into the smoke.
BOOM!!
A louder explosion erupted throughout the forest.
Bird Pokémon flew away from nearby trees in panic.
The smoke slowly cleared.
Pikachu collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and weakened.
Alex breathed slowly.
Then he smiled.
"You did amazing, Charmander."
"Char…"
Charmander proudly stood tall despite being tired.
Alex reached for a Poké Ball.
This moment felt surreal.
His first capture.
His first real team member besides Charmander.
He softly tossed the Poké Ball forward.
"Poké Ball… go."
Click.
The Poké Ball struck Pikachu gently, opening instantly and pulling the Electric-type inside.
The ball landed on the ground.
Shake.
Alex stared intensely.
Shake.
Charmander leaned forward nervously.
Shake.
Then—
Ding!
Silence.
Alex blinked.
Then a huge grin spread across his face.
"I caught it…"
He actually caught a Pikachu.
A rare Pikachu.
On his very first day.
Alex quickly picked up the Poké Ball, excitement rushing through his body.
"This is insane…"
Charmander jumped happily.
"CHAR! CHAR!"
Alex laughed loudly.
"Looks like our team just got bigger, partner."
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!!
A loud explosion echoed deeper throughout the forest.
Alex's smile disappeared instantly.
His eyes narrowed.
"…What was that?"
Charmander immediately became alert.
The ground trembled slightly.
Something was happening nearby.
And whatever caused that explosion…
Was strong.
(Yellow's POV)
A young girl carefully walked through the forest alone.
Her blonde hair slightly swayed in the wind while her nervous eyes constantly looked around at every sound she heard.
This was her very first Pokémon journey.
And honestly?
She was terrified.
Yellow tightly held onto the straps of her bag while nervously walking forward.
"T-There's s-so many P-Pokémon…" she whispered shakily.
A wild Oddish suddenly popped out from behind a tree.
"Oddish!"
"Eeep!"
Yellow nearly jumped in fear.
The Oddish blinked before casually walking away.
Yellow placed a hand on her chest, breathing quickly.
"S-Scared m-me…"
Traveling alone was far harder than she imagined.
No family.
No guidance.
No one to protect her.
But even so…
She wanted to become stronger.
She wanted to help Pokémon.
And she wanted to prove she wasn't weak.
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!!
A massive explosion echoed throughout the forest.
Yellow froze instantly.
Smoke rose into the air far away between the trees.
Her eyes widened with fear.
"A-A-An explosion?!"
Her body trembled.
"O-Oh no… s-someone m-might b-be hurt!"
Even though fear filled every inch of her body…
Yellow still forced herself to move.
Because helping others mattered more.
"I-I gotta h-help them!"
Despite trembling legs and nervous breathing, Yellow ran deeper into the forest toward the smoke.
Her heart pounded loudly.
Every shadow scared her.
Every noise made her flinch.
But she kept running anyway.
Completely unaware…
That her fate was about to cross with someone who would change her journey forever.
(Alex's POV)
Alex stared toward the distant smoke rising through the trees.
That explosion definitely wasn't normal.
Charmander growled slightly.
"Charrr…"
Alex slowly narrowed his eyes.
"…Let's check it out."
He began running deeper into the forest alongside Charmander.
The deeper they went, the stranger the atmosphere became.
Broken branches littered the ground.
Scorch marks covered nearby trees.
Something big had definitely happened here.
Then suddenly—
A scream echoed through the forest.
"AHHHH!"
Alex's eyes widened.
"Someone's in trouble!"
Without hesitation, he sprinted forward.
Charmander followed closely behind.
The forest around them became darker.
Colder.
He could feel tension in the air itself.
Then—
Alex finally arrived at the scene.
And what he saw shocked him completely.
A massive purple Pokémon stood in the middle of a destroyed clearing.
Its red eyes glowed menacingly while poisonous gas leaked from its body.
Trees around it had melted slightly from acid.
And standing frozen nearby—
Was a terrified blonde girl.
Alex's pupils shrank.
"A Koffing…?!"
But this wasn't normal.
The Koffing looked furious.
Wild.
Completely out of control.
Yellow trembled in fear as the Koffing floated closer toward her.
"T-T-This i-is b-bad…"
The Koffing suddenly opened its mouth.
Purple energy gathered inside.
Alex's eyes widened instantly.
"Move!!"
Without thinking, Alex rushed forward.
He grabbed Yellow's arm and pulled her away just as—
BOOOOM!!
Sludge exploded against the ground where she had been standing seconds earlier.
Yellow stared at Alex in complete shock.
"A-Ah…"
Alex stood protectively in front of her while glaring at the raging Koffing.
Charmander stepped beside him, flames burning fiercely.
The Koffing growled loudly.
Alex smirked slightly.
"…Looks like things just got interesting."
TO BE CONTINUED.