FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

What was that? A rustle in the grass!

Charmander's ears perked up, but only for a moment. It was just a Caterpie.

They had made it to Viridian Forest, and there was a lot to see. There were wild Pokemon everywhere! Charmander had never seen so many Pokemon in his life. He was itching to get into a fight, but not with any of these. They were too weak. What would be the point?

He looked up at his trainer. Red was confused, fumbling with a piece of paper in his hands: a map. Evidently, they were lost. Charmander didn't really care - he had an excellent sense of direction, being a Pokemon. He was waiting patiently for his trainer to turn to him.

"Doesn't this map show anything about Viridian Forest?" Red muttered. "I guess Daisy was right. What are we going to do now?" He gestured helplessly.

Here was the chance to prove himself! Charmander grabbed his trainer by the hem of the shirt, and started to pull the boy in the direction he knew would take them to the end of the forest.

"Oh! You know where to go? Lead the way!"

Charmander instantly veered left and took off at a trot. His trainer had to jog to keep up, but Charmander didn't care. He smelled something that was unmistakeably the scent of society. Humans weren't hard to track; where there was humans, there was food, which was made so precisely, with unforetold ingredients added to the scent, and would make any Pokemon's mouth water. Of course, this was something that only a partnered Pokemon could find and distinguish. Wild creatures wouldn't even understand the idea of human food. Charmander was leading them right toward the smell. This was it, right around the corner.

Except it wasn't. They were at a dead end.

Charmander scratched his head in confusion. There was something lying in the middle of the road, obviously human-made. This must have been where the scent was coming from.

"Hey! Look, a Poke Ball!" Red exclaimed. He eagerly went to a knot of vines, where underneath was clearly an item. "Hey Charmander, did you lead me here just to find this free Poke Ball? I didn't know your nose was that good! Now you can find me more items, too!"

That was just great. Now he was a bloodhound. A freaking Growlithe. Grand. The embarrassment was overwhelming. The smell was still in the air, but now he wasn't sure which way to go. The harder he tried to pinpoint a new direction, the more smells he received. Duh, it was a forest, full of past trainer and wild Pokemon indicators. It was like a maze of scents, and he realized that he couldn't distinguish the one that would lead them out.

Charmander heard a crack of branches in the bushes behind him, and then a snicker. He tensed, ready for a fight.

"Having trouble?" said the voice that was unmistakeably Pokemon.

It was easy to understand the difference between that of human and Pokemon, and Charmander couldn't understand why humans had such a hard time.

"Of course not," retorted Charmander. I'm not lost. I just - look! I was showing my trainer this free item! I have a terrific sense of smell, you know, and could tell it was here . . ."

"Sure, sure," said the voice genuinely. "But I never implied you were lost."

Charmander's cheeks grew red as he realized he'd been tricked. "Well, in any case, I think I know where to go now. Definitely. I'll do fine on my own."

"Well, if you need my help, just give a holler!" With a rustle of leaves, the Pokemon ran off.

"Yeah, sure! Right!" he called. Why would he accept help from some strange Pokemon?

Red was retrieving the Poke Ball from underneath the cluster of vines.

"There! I think I - got it! Wait- arrgh!!" A wild Pokemon - no, two! Three! From the vines, bug Pokemon were appearing angrily, their nest disturbed. Charmander looked back and saw the hive. Oh, great.

He stood tall, facing the oncoming Weedle and Caterpie. They were weak enough for him to defeat, but he knew that where there were nests and hives, there were bound to be swarms. He waved his trainer on, urging him to run before the Beedrill came. He shot fire at the nearest bug, and they all scattered away as it dropped in flame. But now the whole hive was riled up, and more were coming back.

Red had the sense to not stick around. He started to run down the road, and yelled, "Charmander! Come on!" Charmander shot a few more Embers at his opponents, and then booked it. Cacoons were starting to fall, and he could hear the unmistakable sound of buzzing. It was a good thing he was a Pokemon, because he could use all four legs to quicken his pace.

This trip through the forest was not going to be fun.

Panting, out of breath, the two rested against a tree some distance from the hive. They had managed to escape without any injuries, but now had no idea of where to go. At least, that was to be said for Charmander. Red still had complete faith that his Pokemon would lead him through the forest unscathed.

The pressure.

Charmander was grumbling to himself about how absurd this whole thing was when he heard a familiar sound behind him, just out of sight of where Red could see.

"Well that went well, didn't it?"

"What do you know?" said Charmander irritably, realizing it was the same voice as before. "You must've known that hive was there. Why didn't you warn me?"

"You didn't want my help," said the voice simply.

"My trainer could've been hurt."

"Worried about your trainer now, are you? He seems like a big boy to me. He can take care of himself. Or maybe he can't," the Pokemon chuckled at his own joke.

"Who are you, anyway?" Charmander growled, temper rising.

"Let's just say I'm the, ah, manager, of this forest."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"What it means," said the voice smoothly, "is that I can tell you where to go. That is, if you would just admit you need my help."

"I don't need your help!" repeated Charmander.

"Heh, so arrogant. Pity. I really think you do."

"I can do this on my own! And I don't need creeps like you butting in!"

There was a giggle from the bush and then Charmander was shocked by a burst of electricity. "Suit yourself!" the voice replied, as the Pokemon - whoever it was - ran off. "But if you want to get away from that hive, I would advise taking the road off to the right."

Charmander would have given chase, but Red was still there. He turned around as his Pokemon yelped from the shock.

"Are you okay, little guy?"

Charmander nodded, his pride struck. Well, he hadn't wanted help, but it had just been given to him, and Charmander knew he needed it. He had probably tricked the Pokemon into telling him where to go, anyway. Hey, that was it! Purpose renewed, he jumped up and beckoned Red to come.

"Aww, already?" Red complained, still weary from the run.

Charmander grinned and started walking.

What? Hadn't they passed this tree before? And that boulder looked oddly familiar . . . And then -

"Hey, aren't we right back where we came from?"

Red was right. The two were back to where they had started, at the beginning of the forest, and Charmander had a funny fealing he'd just been played for a fool. That Pokemon had lead him in a circle! But he had to seem like he knew what he was doing, for his trainer's sake. He continued down the road without even a hint of recognition, and lead them down a path they had not taken before.

"Are you sure you know where we're going? We could always stop back at the entrance house and ask for directions."

Charmander growled and shot a small flame at Red's left foot.

"Oww! Ouch! Okay, okay, I get it! No directions." Red hopped up and down on one foot, holding the other. Charmander would have felt a bit of sympathy, but he was too riled to care.

They continued to a patch of long grass and took another rest. Charmander lied back with his eyes closed, thinking of what to do next. He was confident that they would find their way out, eventually, but how this would happen was still unclear. And while he could manage on berries and certain grasses, he knew that his trainer would need food soon. And the deeper he lead them into the forest, the further away they would be from sustenance. If they got lost again . . .

Charmander knew they should probably go back and start this adventure fresh tomorrow, but he was too stubborn to give up. He had to do this!

"So you followed my directions, huh? I figured you would."

Charmander jerked around and bared his teeth. Standing at the edge of the clearing was a Pikachu, with the fur on top of its head ruffled and spiked. It seemed pretty pleased with itself and stood with a cool posture, leaning against a tree, that infuriated Charmander.

"You lead me right back to the beginning of the forest!" he growled.

"Duh. There was no way you were going to find your way out the way you were going," the Pikachu laughed. "Good thing you listened to me, huh?"

"Okay, fine. But then, which way do I go now?"

"Oh now you want my help? Heh, well like I said, I know this forest pretty well. I could tell you where to go, but then where would the fun be in that?"

"Pretty well? I thought you said you were the 'manager' of the forest?"

"At least you have a good memory. Yeah, that's right, I'm practically king of the hill here. No one messes with me."

"A small mouse like you?" Charmander said skeptically. "But I could practically eat you for breakfast."

"You watch your mouth!" the Pikachu snapped as it let loose another Thundershock to Charmander's side. "I might be small, but I sure pack a punch. Haha, get it? Pack a punch?"

Charmander didn't get it. He rubbed his side and muttered under his breath before saying, "Well? Are you going to help me or not?"

"Back to that now?" the Pikachu said innocently. "Well . . . I could tell you where not to go. Don't go back the way you came. Hee hee! How about that?"

"Are you serious? C'mon, Pikachu, just help me out here. Please. See that? I'm begging now."

"The name's Sparky," the Pikachu said casually. "And I did help. I told you that you're going the right way. But okay, here's a little more. Keep going and you'll come to a place in the forest's path where you can go two ways. One will be the short way to get out of the forest. That would be the left side. The other is safer, but much longer. That's the right side. I would tell you to take the right path, but surely a big, tough Charmander like you can handle a few wild Pokemon?"

Pride stung, Charmander said, "I should take the left path, then. We want to get out of here as soon as possible. That's perfect, Sparky. Y'know, maybe you're not so bad, after all."

Sparky shrugged carelessly, and then posed. "Just like me to help out a fellow Pokemon in need, isn't it? Have fun, chief," he winked. Then he shot another burst of electricity at Charmander and ran off laughing.

"Man, I'll never get used to that," Charmander grumbled as the shock wore off. But it didn't matter. They were on track again!

As soon as the two were rested up and Red had eaten a few snacks from his bag, they headed back on the road. They came to a split, just as Sparky had predicted, and without a second thought Charmander headed down the left path.

"Wait!" called Red from behind. Charmander stopped and turned around to see that his trainer had stopped. He cocked his head, the universal gesture of confusion. Red muttered, "That path looks kinda scary . . . Can't we go this way?" He pointed to the right.

Charmander looked up. It was true that the trees overhead seemed to close and block out the sunlight to the path, making it seem dark and forboding. The many roots in the ground and thorns to the side would make walking difficult. Insects seemed to swarm the place, but Charmander could handle those, right? It was just random bugs. He could take them, he was sure.

He shook his head at his trainer. No, they weren't going to take the easy way out. This was an adventure, after all! Plus, this way was much shorter. Sparky had said so himself.

Charmander started walking down the path again, confident with his decision. "Hey, wait for me!" Red called, and, regretfully, he followed his Pokemon.

"Are you sure you know where you're going, Charmander?" Red asked dubiously.

The path had gotten treacherous. Red was constantly getting bitten by bug Pokemon, and on more than one occasion, Charmander had to use his flames to save them both from small smarms or whipping branches.

Though the path was relatively straight, Charmander felt more lost than ever. He realized that, once again, Sparky had tricked him. Sure, he had given the option for Charmander to go the safe route, but the way he had slyly egged the Pokemon to take the dangerous path now filled him with rage. He had a funny feeling that he could've gotten to this point earlier without walking in circles, too.

Once again, he had been drawn into the Pikachu's game. It made him furious.

For another hour, the two battled vines, branches, Pokemon, and what could only be described as poison ivy, until, finally, the path began to clear. Eventually it merged with another path coming from a similar direction. Charmander turned and looked down it. As he predicted, this path was clear as far as the eye could see. The sun shone brilliantly onto the soft, inviting grass, and Charmander was positive that he had been tricked. Again.

"Yeah, I suppose that way would've been much nicer, huh?" said a coy voice.

Charmander didn't even flinch. He had learned not to be surprised by the rodent's sudden appearances. He had expected that the Pikachu would be there to gloat, and he was not wrong.

"What are you playing at? Why do you keep making me jump through hoops?"

"I'm astounded!" Sparky said with fake bewilderment. "I really thought you would be able to handle it! After all, such a tough, stong Charmander like you?"

"How about we go at it right now and see how tough I really am?"

"I don't think so," the Pikachu laughed. "It wouldn't be worth my time. Anyway, you've almost made it to the end of the forest! I'm actually surprised. I thought you'd just give up."

"I'll show you something you should give up . . ." muttered Charmander.

"Ha! Don't be such a spoiled sport. I'll tell you what: I'll be honest. Follow the path straight. All the way. That's it. Just don't go off the path or there'll be trouble. Simple enough?"

"Who asked for your advice? I'm done listening to you. In fact, you see that?" Charmander pointed to the silhouette of a building in the distance. "I can see the exit to the forest already. If I cut through the land off-route, we'll be there in no time!"

"You know there's a reason why they tell you to keep on the path, right? Don't be dim. You're sure to run into trouble if you go off-road."

"Aha! That right there. You just gave me all the encouragement I needed to go my own way."

"But it's dangerous to go off the path!"

"Yeah, just like it wasn't dangerous to walk through that nightmare of monsters you just made us go through? No thanks. I think I can handle it."

"Maybe I should go with you, then. Just in case?"

"No way! You'll probably just make us get lost again. No, mister 'manager,' I think I'm fine. And if you follow us again, we'll see who really wins in a fight."

Ha! He knew it! Charmander had lead his trainer off-path (to his obvious dismay), and there were no problems to be found. He could still see the shape of the exit gate in the distance through the trees, and the ground was clear. There were bugs, mostly Weedle, but they were easy to avoid. They were going to be out of the forest in no time!

"You see how the Weedle population is increasing in number? Do you see those Kakuna hanging on the branches every few yards? This could be trouble, you know."

Sparky had come along anyway, even though Charmander had told him not to. Whatever. Secretly, Charmander enjoyed the company, even if it was a bit annoying.

"And those branches! You see how they're arranged? That could be the sign of a nest coming up!"

Very annoying.

"I thought you were the manager of this forest," said Charmander cooly. "Surely you can't be afraid of a few bugs? Even if there were Beedrill, you could just launch a Thunderbolt to wipe them out. Right?"

"Well . . . Yeah. I mean, yes. I could. But wouldn't it be so much easier if it didn't have to come to that? And, I mean, I'm concerned for your well-being, too. There's no way you could hold up against a swarm of Beedrill. I would have to cover your back as well. And then . . . Well, I just think it would be better if we went back."

Meanwhile, Red was going on about how cool the whole situation was, unbeknownst to what the Pokemon were saying, because he was, of course, human.

"Wow! I can't believe we actually found a Pikachu! They are so, so rare! Of course, I saw it first, but you were the one who convinced it to come along, Charmander. I wonder why you won't let me catch it? I have a Poke Ball, a few, actually, and it shouldn't be too hard for you to weaken it, Charmander . . . A Pikachu would be so cool to have. I could show all my friends. And I could tell them about this forest! Look at the trees! And how the sun is shining through the branches! That is so cool! And look at the shadows!"

It was getting close to dusk now, and the sky was turning a brilliant pink. The shadows along the ground grew long and dark, and they were now close to the exit to the forest. Not far at all, maybe twenty minutes, in human-time.

Red continued to gush at the scenery, every now and then returning to his desire to snatch up that Pikachu. Sparky continued to complain about how he was forced to come along on this fool's errand, and Charmander just walked along quietly, enjoying the forest for the first time.

The Pokemon seemed to disappear as it grew later, and the environment quieted. Charmander was the first to notice this, being the only one who wasn't distracted. He wondered why this was. He mulled it over, and then he heard something, something faint. But it was unmistakable. It made him stop in his tracks.

He held out his paws to both party members, gesturing them to be quiet, and listened intently. Silence, aside from that ominous hum. And then - Sparky yelled, and Charmander's heart dropped. It was the sound of Beedrill, drawing nearer by the second.

"You see?" Sparky hissed. "I told you this wasn't a good idea! What are we going to do now?" Charmander could tell that he was terrified.

"Can't you, I don't know, make lightning come from the sky and electrocute them, or something?" Charmander asked quickly.

"Yeah, you know all that stuff about me being 'manager' of the forest, and all? I lied. I'm . . . Er, well I'm just a plain old, low leveled Pikachu. I can't use Thunder, or even Thunderbolt!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Charmander swore. "Figures. I should have guessed as much. Well, what do we do, then?"

"I wasn't lying when I said I knew this forest inside and out. I've lived here all my life. If we go . . . Erm, this way, we might be able to escape."

"Might? That doesn't sound too confident!" Charmander exclaimed.

"What do you want me to do!? I've never been this far off the path before! I've never even seen a Beedrill more than once or twice in my life, and then it was only one!"

"I say we stand and fight. With my fire and your electricity, we might be able to hold them off long enough to make a gap, and get away."

"There's that might again!" Sparky cried as the Beedrill came into view. "You know what I think? I say every Pokemon for himself!" He turned and started to sprint backwards, but was stopped by another swarm coming from that direction. They were surrounded.

"So what do we do now, chief?" Sparky asked as he hurried back to Charmander's side.

"We fight," repeated Charmander "All of us. On the count of three. One, two -"

"Ya'hh!!" Sparky yelled as he sent a burst of electricity toward the nearest Beedrill. It dropped like a stone. "Hah! I did it!"

"Don't celebrate now - look out!" Charmander yelled as more Beedrill swarmed in.

The sound of buzzing filled the air. Beedrill came in from all sides, stingers out, attacking the group. Charmander shot flames of Ember at Beedrill that fell like one. Sparky took out individual foes, one after another, sometimes hitting two at a time if he got lucky, with a constant stream of Thundershock. Red, who had picked up a stick off the ground, swung wildly, hitting bees by the droves, injuring them past flight.

"Hah! Take this! And that! And some of these! And -- AARGH!!"

Red! Charmander swung around, and to his horror, saw his trainer drop. He was attacked by multiple bees at once, and then was still. One down.

"How are we going to make it out of this?!" Sparky yelled as he, too, was stung. He let out a burst of electricity that felled his assailant.

"I don't - ouch - know! We just go to keep tr- oww! - fighting!"

Charmander felt something build up at the bottom of his throat. It wasn't flame, and it made him want to choke, so he coughed it out. A cloud of smoke billowed from his maw.

"Smokescreen!" said Sparky. "You could've told me you could use that move!"

"Smokescreen?"

"Aim it at the Beedrill! It will blind them! Ya-hah!"

Charmander did as he was told, and the Beedrill went erratic. "That's good! Just keep -"

Sparky fell silent as he was taken down by a particularly vicious sting.

"This is crazy!" Charmander roared, as he alternated now between Smokescreen and Ember, blinding oncoming Beedrill and then defeating them.

"Almost there!" Charmander said as he downed a few more bugs. The attackers were dwindling. There were not many more left, and many were retreating, seeing they were no match for the fire Pokemon.

One more round, and then - "Wa-hah! Yeah, you better run! You are no match for me! Yesss!" He had done it! He had saved them all! Where Red, and even Sparky, had failed, he had been victorious! He let out a cry of victory.

That's right - Red! Charmander hurried to him and checked that he was still breathing. He was. Once he had fallen, the Beedrill had stopped attacking him. He was unconscious, but still very much alive. He would recover in a matter of minutes.

Assured, Charmander went over to Sparky. This was a different case. He had many stinger wounds, and was utterly defeated, but Pokemon healed fast, so there wasn't much to worry about. Sparky was barely conscious, but was beginning to recover.

Charmander had proved himself. He had outlasted Sparky in a battle. He was the stronger one! And that meant he was the winner.

Charmander wandered around the Pokemon, sizing him up. He was a mouse, and mice were, by definition, small. Right? Anyway, he had accomplished more. He stopped at the foot paws of the Pokemon, and, decided, lifted them to his face. His trainer was unconscious, so he wouldn't mind. Plus, he was a Pokemon. What did he expect?

Charmander let out his tongue and began a long, slow lick over one of the paws. Liking what he tasted, he went in for another. He could hear a soft giggle from below as Sparky came back to consciousness, and smiled. At least this Pikachu knew customs.

"You know, we never did get to have that battle," Sparky observed casually as Charmander put both paws inside hs mouth and licked them over. "Hey, that tickles!"

Charmander began to pull the Pokemon down his throat, and now that he had some space inside his mouth, managed to say, "Yephh tha' oood ee hpugn 'ayjer!"

Sparky chuckled. "We'll talk later. I should just let you do your thing."

The tail was the part Charmander was looking forward to least. It was pointy, and looked like it would hurt going down. He swallowed carefully up to that point, but when he got there, Sparky's paw twitched, and that made him take a quick gulp. He shut his eyes in anticipation of pain, but there was nothing for him to fear. The tail was soft and slipped in easily. Charmander had the most peculiar feeling that Sparky had relaxed it just for him. If it had been tensed, it might have done some serious damage.

"Y'know," said Sparky. "I've never done this before. Getting eaten, I mean. It's actually kinda nice."

"Hm?" said Charmander, mouth still full.

"Oh, that's right. You're not from around here. Well, see, living in Viridian Forest means that I've seen tons of wild Pokemon. It's everyone's dream to be picked by a trainer and to be his or her first Pokemon. There's just something special about it, you know? Anyway, when Pokemon are released back into the forest, they sometimes tell tales about life by a trainer's side. Or else, sometimes a trainer's Pokemon will snap up a wild Pokemon for a snack. Anyways, when they are released from the Pokemon center, the stories usually sound fun and kind of exciting. Well, not counting the Pidgey preds, of course."

Charmander licked along the Pikachu's belly and held him there in that position, sucking up the flavor and enjoying the story. Drool ran down his chin, but he didn't notice.

"And then there's me. I've never been caught. I've never wanted it. I like being free. But then . . . Well, then I met you two. It seems kind of nice to have a friend who's always by your side. You may not realize it, but I can see how close you are with Red already. And I just met you! The adventures you guys must have . . . It sounds fun."

Charmander took another rolling gulp, lips sealing around the neck of his prey.

"I've never had very close friends. It's hard as a wild Pokemon, because there's always that future mission waiting. You know that odds are, someday you will be taken from the forest. And friends you do make always end up getting captured at some point or another. Don't get me wrong - their new life is always better, or so they say. No regrets. It just makes being a free bird - or mouse - kinda lonely. You know?"

I hope you close your eyes, Charmander thought. This part will be a little wet.

He raised his head and opened his jaws wide, letting gravity pull the Pokemon down his throat effortlessly, slobbering him up. Sparky slid into his awaiting belly, his forepaws just behind him, which Charmander closed his mouth around and played with briefly. Once he was settled inside, Sparky shifted around, getting himself into a more comfortable position. Charmander enjoyed the wiggling struggle immensely.

"Could you do some more of that? Yeah, that right there. . ."

Charmander let out a contented sight and rubbed along his belly, receiving encouragement form the inside. He relaxed and basked in the joy of being full for a while before continuing the conversation.

"You sound like you want to join our team, Sparky."

From the inside, Sparky started. "What do you mean? Did I - Did . . . Is it that obvious?"

He chuckled. "Well, sure. I mean, that's why you were following us all day, right? I had a feeling . . . I'm no expert on Pokemon psychology, but all the same. You're looking for friends. You want us to be your friends."

Sparky was silent for a minute. "Would you have room for me on your team?"

"Hm. Let me think," Charmander teased. He had come to kind of like Sparky, peculiar as he was. He enjoyed battling alongside him, and even thought of him as a friend, though all day he had just wanted to attack him. It was odd, but less so the more he thought about it. "Yeah, I think we can make room for you. But there's one condition."

". . . Condition?"

"Not so many mind games, alright?"

"Not so many? You never said never," Sparky said slyly.

"People need humor every once in a while," Charmander said thoughtfully. "Pokemon too." There was silence again, but not an uncomfortable one. "Hey, we still need to have that battle. We gotta fight first, before we can get you into a Poke Ball. Just as a test. See where you fit. Of course, I'll win, so you have nothing to worry about. You're as good as ours."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that, chief! If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"

Charmander felt a few gurgles erupt from his stomach and let out a little burp.

"Right now, though . . . I'm going to sleep. It's so comfy in here, hehe . . ."

Charmander felt the Pikachu relax, and let out a yawn.

"Enjoy your rest, buddy."

TO BE CONTINUED