Chapter 52: Isn’t That a Little Too Subtle?
The video continued playing.
A considerable amount of time seemed to have passed once again.
In the familiar living room, Asher lounged on the sofa while Raina appeared on the communicator screen before him.
The background behind her was a Pokémon Center. Judging by its interior, she appeared to be in some coastal city.
"Seven!"
Raina held her Badge case up to the camera. The seven Badges inside glittered beneath the fluorescent lights.
"I’ve already defeated the Gyms in Pewter, Vermilion, Celadon, Saffron, Fuchsia, Cinnabar, and Viridian! Mom said that being able to defeat Grandpa Blaine’s Gym already exceeded her expectations!"
"You did all right."
Asher picked up the cup on the coffee table and took a sip.
"Your mother couldn’t defeat Blaine when she was your age."
"Dad! You’re not allowed to say bad things about Mom!"
"How is that saying something bad? It’s a fact. Besides, your mother wouldn’t care about something like that."
Asher placed down his cup and leaned farther back into the sofa.
"You’re planning to challenge your mother next, right?"
Raina nodded.
"Yeah, but Mom said there’s no need to rush. The League Conference won’t begin for a while, so she told me to spend a few more days traveling."
"That works out perfectly."
Asher raised one finger.
"Find some time to visit Viridian Forest."
"Viridian Forest? What am I supposed to do there?"
"Catch a Pokémon."
Raina tilted her head.
"What kind of Pokémon?"
"A rather special one."
Asher raised his cup and took another sip, his tone casual.
"You’ll see it once you reach the depths of Viridian Forest."
Raina’s eyes lit up.
"Did you arrange this, Dad?"
"No."
Asher’s expression remained perfectly composed.
"I merely heard that a fairly rare Pokémon has appeared there, so I’m suggesting that you try your luck."
"Eevee, Eevee!"
Eevee poked its head out from atop Raina’s head and cried twice at the screen.
"Eevee says you’re lying," Raina translated.
"Ahem. Why would I lie? All right, all right. Hurry over there."
Asher waved his hand.
"Also, it may be... rather strong-willed, so bring plenty of food."
"Strong-willed?"
Raina tilted her head again.
"You’ll understand when you arrive. Just remember not to return home yet. Go directly to Viridian Forest."
"Got it!"
[VIP Chat Group]
[Gary]: Seven Badges? That was quite a large time skip.
[Professor Oak]: The video has clearly been edited. It would be impossible to show every Gym battle in its entirety.
[Ash]: But I wanted to see how she defeated Blaine! And the Fuchsia Gym too! Koga’s Poison types are some of the most difficult opponents to face!
[Koga]: I appreciate the compliment.
[Erika]: Honestly, I would also like to see how I lost... On second thought, perhaps this is better.
[Brock]: Is no one paying attention to what Asher just said? He’s misleading a child again.
[Gary]: "I heard there was a rare Pokémon in Viridian Forest." May I ask where you heard that while sitting in Cerulean City?
[Steven]: Brother Asher, don’t you think your wording was a little too subtle?
[Asher]: Right?
[Wallace]: ??? What part of that was subtle?
[Lance]: That was practically identical to directly telling her, "I prepared a Pokémon for you."
[Gary]: You call that subtle? Then what would count as direct? "I’ve prepared a Dragonite for you. Go over there, throw a regular Poké Ball, and take it home"?
[Ash]: Hahahaha! Gary, that was hilarious!
[Lorelei]: It’s merely a man refusing to admit the obvious.
[Misty]: Stop ganging up on him all the time!
[Daisy]: Oh? Has Misty started defending her husband?
[Misty]: I’m not defending him! I simply think all of you are being too noisy!
[Violet]: That excuse is even less convincing than Asher’s.
[Lily]: A perfect match.
[Misty]: Just you three wait! The next time I come home, I’m throwing all your performance costumes into the pool!
[Wallace]: With seven Badges and Dragonite about to join her, Raina’s current team should already be approaching the lineup shown in her information panel.
The video continued playing.
The entrance to Viridian Forest.
Raina stood before the forest with her hands on her hips, overflowing with confidence.
However, she quickly noticed that something was wrong with the scene at the entrance.
A group of Trainers sat dejectedly along the roadside. Some were spraying Potions onto their Pokémon, others were bandaging their own arms, and one Trainer’s Clefairy was patting its Trainer’s back in consolation.
A boy wearing a baseball cap sat on a tree stump with his knees hugged against his chest, staring blankly at the ground.
His Pikachu crouched beside him with an equally lifeless expression.
Raina walked over and crouched before them.
"Hello. Could you tell me what happened here?"
The boy slowly raised his head.
"...Did you come here to catch that Dragonite too?"
"Dragonite?"
"Don’t go."
His voice carried the weary gravity of someone who had personally survived a catastrophe.
"That thing isn’t a Dragonite. It’s a demon."
The Pikachu beside him nodded vigorously.
"Pika, pika."
"More than a dozen of us challenged it one after another."
The boy covered his face.
"More than a dozen! It defeated every Pokémon with a single punch! It froze my Sandslash into an ice pop with Ice Punch! It’s still thawing out at the Pokémon Center!"
A female Trainer with a ponytail interjected from nearby.
"My Scyther had it even worse. It couldn’t even touch Dragonite’s shadow before being launched away by Dragon Tail."
"My Nidoking was knocked unconscious with one punch!"
"My Golem was smashed into the ground by a single swing of its tail! We couldn’t even pull it back out!"
"You all got off lightly."
A young Trainer wearing a bucket hat spoke gloomily from the side.
"I didn’t even manage to issue a challenge. It looked at me once, and I surrendered voluntarily."
"...Isn’t that a little cowardly?"
"You try it! Go ahead and try! There was an entire swarm of Beedrill and Spearow surrounding me! My legs went weak!"
Raina listened to everyone recount their suffering before turning toward Eevee.
"It looks like this is the Dragonite Dad was talking about."
Raina tightened the straps of her backpack.
"Let’s go. We’re going to catch it."
"Eevee, Eevee!"
Gengar emerged from her shadow. After looking at the miserable Trainers, it silently took out one of the Berries it carried for emergencies and ate it to calm its nerves.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"Hahahahaha! The Viridian Forest Victims’ Association has gained even more members!"
"Last time, it was Beedrill, Pidgeot, and Fearow. This time, it’s more than a dozen Trainers."
"You could write an entire book about the young Dragonite’s achievements. Call it My Years as the Ruler of Viridian Forest."
"Young Dragonite: Being invincible is so lonely."
"Person above, I heard you singing that."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Max]: Hahahaha! Those Trainers were beaten so badly by the young Dragonite that they’re questioning their entire lives!
[May]: Judging by their expressions, they really are wondering whether they’re suited to being Trainers.
[Lance]: Most Trainers traveling through Viridian Forest possess only three or four Badges. Against an opponent of this level, they genuinely wouldn’t have any means of fighting back.
[Leon]: Come to think of it, how long has that young Dragonite been staying in Viridian Forest?
[Raihan]: Based on what Officer Jenny said in the video, at least a week.
[Lance]: In only one week, it went from being a newly arrived outsider to the effective ruler of the entire forest. Its rate of growth is truly astonishing.
[Cynthia]: I’m more curious about how Raina intends to catch it.
[Leon]: Judging by the young Dragonite’s previous behavior, they’ll probably battle first.
[Raihan]: Not necessarily. Don’t forget that the young Dragonite came here to wait for Raina, not to fight her.
[Steven]: That makes sense. From what I know of Brother Asher, nothing he arranges ever goes wrong.
The video continued.
Raina proceeded deeper into the forest.
She hadn’t gone far when she noticed the first strange sight.
A swarm of Beedrill flew overhead in a perfectly orderly formation, every Beedrill carrying an armful of Berries.
The leading Beedrill was particularly large. Two leaves were tied to its stingers like flags, while the entire procession flew in immaculate formation.
"Since when did Beedrill know how to line up?"
Raina rubbed her eyes.
After walking a little farther, a Pidgeot descended from the canopy.
It carried a crude basket woven from vines in its talons. Several Berries that had clearly been selected with great care rested inside.
After landing, Pidgeot ignored Raina. It used one wing to brush the dust from the basket, then took flight once more and headed deeper into the forest.
"Is that Pidgeot making a delivery?"
Raina stared in disbelief.
Gengar emerged from her shadow and pointed ahead, signaling for her to continue.