Thwock! Thwock! Thwock!
At the edge of the mountains on the north side, right where the forest began, was a Chimchar. The Chimchar wasnât acting like any ordinary Chimchar. In fact, it didnât even seem to belong here. And he certainly didnât seem to blend in. He seemedâŠodd at first glance, given what he was doing. But knowing his story would clue a bystander in on why that may be. It would appear to a great shock to any whoâd heard his tale about how he came to existence, what adventures heâd already gone on, and what kind of enemies heâd fought and beaten (or been defeated by in some cases). In a sense, he just might be one of the most powerful Pokemon in existenceâŠ
And here he wasâŠcutting down a tree.
He took a couple more practice swings against the tree with the Power Bat before truly taking aim. He aimed at the base and calculated. The tree wasnât that thick, nor did it seem that heavy. It didnât even look sturdy enough for climbing. And it would be perfect for firewood for the rest of the group. His Power Bat would have no problem with this one.
He swung. He put some power into the bat and watched with a giant whoosh! as the flames emanating from the bat went straight through the trunk. The tree began to fall, making a dull thud as it hit the ground. He quickly grabbed it and started dragging it towards base, away from the forest and into the mountains.
As he walked, he began to think about this world he inhabited. This was nothing like the Island of Mohka. While that island contained as much diversity on it as this one, the diversity itself was much larger and more spread out compared to here. But when an island is small, Mother Nature just makes due, he figured. Not too long a walk and he was at the camp they were setting up.
It was actually a very serene setting, one of the reasons why heâd chosen it. At the head of their camp was a spring sprouting from the rock. The water flowed straight through the camp and speared to feed off into some lake at the southern end. It was slightly enclosed with a couple exits leading north, west, and east. The south was cut off by the flowing river in between the rock walls, making a possible fourth exit should they need it. The actual base part of it was getting there. It was evident that Tag put his signature touch on the place, seeing the vines growing across the walls, and that five leaf beds were all in the corner, looking as comfortable as ever. A chest was set up on the opposite side of the room, in case they found something of worth.
They had only arrived yesterday and Crimson was already starting to call this place home.
He set down the Power Bat and grabbed a few stones in the corner, building a fire ring with them right next to the waterâs edge. Chopping off the twigs first, he then proceeded to dismantle the tree stick by stick, log by log, until it was all in nice refined pieces. By that time, he heard footsteps coming from the east entrance. Looking back that way, he smiled when Tag came bursting through the entrance, carrying a pack. Heâd obviously ran everywhere.
âHey buddy. You look like youâve been busy.â
âYeahâŠâ he managed between breaths, âBut lookâŠI got someâŠgood food!â Opening the pack, he spilled out the contents, which were around seven apples, a couple Oran Berries, and a Pecha Berry.
Nodding in approval, Crimson motioned over for Tag to help him stack the firewood in the corner. As they were, they talked. âThe place looks great, by the way.â
âThanks!â the Turtwig smiled as he stacked a log and grabbed another stick, throwing it in its separate pile. âI couldnât get Pert or Meryl to help me though. They were too busy being excited about exploring the island.â
âWhere are they right now?â
âWell, itâs like I said. They couldnât wait to start exploring the island.â
Crimson paused, a little disappointed. He was hoping they could make their first trek into the place together. But he dismissed the feeling. âTheyâll be fine. Theyâve got each other. Thatâs when theyâre most powerful anyway. And Sarik?â
âStill on the mountain, keeping an eye out for anything heading our way.â
Still? Crimson stopped what he was doing at the mention of this. How long had he been at it? Granted, Sarik was the one with Power Scope, but even he needed to take a break at points. âIâll go get him. Heâs been at it a bit long. Keep an eye out here.â
He left the base by the east entrance, then made an immediate right. He started rounding his way up the mountain until he spotted the Squirtle, his eyes in the Scope, scanning the place below. When Crimson spoke, it was enough to make Sarik jump. âYâknow, you shouldnât be up here too long. I mean, this view is a killer.â
Sarik squinted at him, âHar har. And whoâs gonna watch the place in case we get ambushed or something?â
âWell weâve been here a day. Perhaps there is no one who wants to ambush usâŠnot yet anyway.â
âThat doesnât mean we shouldnât be prepared.â
âTrue,â Crimson sat down next to him, âBut everyone deserves rest, Sarik. Even you.â
The squirtle thought for a moment before setting the Power Scope down next to Crimson. Looking at Sarikâs face in the sunlight, Crimson could definitely tell he was tired.
âItâs still a great view, though,â Crimson commented.
Sarik nodded in agreement, âA look to die for.â
The two stared off at the scenery below them for a couple minutes, enjoying the moment. It was warm and breezy up there. The sun beat down from a horizontal angle, telling Crimson it was already afternoon. He sighed and patted Sarik on the knee. âGo down. I got this for now.â
âAlright,â the squirtle finally relented, scooting past Crimsonâs position and started making his way down the mountain. Once Sarik was out of sight, Crimson reached for the Power Scope and started looking around the mountains. Immediately regretting his decision, Crimson began fumbling with the Power Scope controls, trying to make the image a little less grainy. It was hard since it wasnât his device nor had he been taught the mechanisms or the switches or the hoo-dads and ting-thingys.
I guess Dr. Eckels was right when he said each piece of Tech he made was fine tuned for the individualâŠ
Giving up on the project, he decided he would try to make out whatever he captured with his own eyes and logic. He kept searching through the Scope and immediately came across something.
âWhat in theâŠâ Crimson let his words fall off as he tried to find the thing again. Retracing, he came back to the original point of view. Something blurry was moving across the mountainside. He couldnât tell what. He pushed a few more knobs and levers and miraculously it made the image clearer.
It was Dobro and Domingo. They appeared to be running their way. And from what he could tell, Dobro was holding something. Crimson couldnât quite make out what, but from the way they were running, it had to be something good.
He scaled down the mountainside, reaching the base in less than a quarter of the time it took to climb the place. Sarik was already taking a nap in his bed. Tag was putting some sticks into the makeshift fire pit. Pert and Meryl were back too, talking to each other in the corner. The two stood up when Crimson walked into the room.
âSorry we ran off an explored without you, Crimson!â Pert chimed, âWe couldnât resist!â
âThatâs okay, Pert,â he replied, âNo harm, no foul.â
âBut youâve got to check out the island. Its soooooo cool!â
âIt wasnât that cool,â Meryl called from the back, âIt was alright.â
âWe will all explore together later,â Crimson explained, âRight now, we may have some guest coming.â
Sarik sat up at this. âGuests?â Everyone looked Crimson's way in interest.
Crimson nodded, âDobro and Domingo. And it looks like they found something.â
A couple of murmurs and shocks spread through the group.
âHuh?â
âAlready?â
âWow! Good for them!â
Sarik made his way over to the rest of the group. âWere you able to find out what?â
Crimson could only shrug, holding the Power Scope out to him for taking. âNo, sorry. Itâs your device, not mine.â
A disgruntled squirtle yanked the Power Scope out of his hand and started moving levers and controls around. âWhy didnât you have it set to the AUTO function?â
âWait, it has one of those?â
Rolling his eyes, Sarik went back to fixing his device while the other four eagerly awaited Dobro and Domingoâs arrival. Finally, they could hear footsteps running down the west entrance pathway.
âHere they come!â Crimson told the rest.
âLook out! Heâs crazy!â
Those were the first words to appear from Dobroâs mouth as he ran in and started running around the base. Domingo appeared right behind him with the look of pure dark determination in his eye, chasing quickly behind. âGive it BACK, Dobro!â
The rest of the team was speechless as the two started making laps around the others. It was evident that Domingo was catching Dobro.
âGuys, what is going on?â Crimson called out to them.
At that moment, Domingo managed to hit Dobro in the foot, causing him to let go of whatever he was holding and have it go flying in the air. Crimson ran to the edge of the room and caught the thing before it smashed into the wall. Examining it closely, he realized it was a Pokeball. He could only assume what he saw.
âDidâŠdid you guys actually go and take a humanâs Pokemon?â
Dobro was panting, but he could manage words. âYeahâŠwe didâŠall hisâŠideaâŠsomethingâŠwrong withâŠâ his voice trailed off.
It was Domingo, despite running, spoke with a clear voice. âYeah. We did. But if only you were there to see how brutal they were being with it. It wasnât right.â
Crimson stared into Domingoâs eyes. That black ring around them wasnât familiar to him. âThat shouldnât matter. Itâs not our place to interfere with the human activities. You know this. Besides, it may have been over exaggerated what you saw.â
âShe saidâŠfriendâŠI couldnâtâŠâ came Dobro weak interjection from the other end.
âNo,â Domingo kept shaking his head, âI did a good thing. I promise you that.â With each step Domingo took towards Crimson, the warning bells got louder and louder. âIt was all for him, I promise.â
âDomingo, are you okay? What's wrong, buddy?â was all Crimson could reply with.
And with that, Domingo seemed to explode. Ramming at Crimson full speed heâd managed to knock the Pokeball out of Crimsonâs hands before Crimson could sidestep out of the way. Luckily, a moment before, he had called to Tag âTrip him up! Now!â The log had smashed into Domingoâs leg, tossing him back as he tried to catch the airborne Pokeball and failed.
The Pokeball itself flung across the room and hit the floor on the east side, hitting the button and releasing the Pokemon from beneath. Crimson was surprised to see a Charmander pop out of the ball and was curious as to what it would do in this situation. Looking over to Domingo to see that Tag had already effectively taken care of him by tying him up with one of the "decorational" vines. "You are fast, aren't you?"
The smile on Tag's face was all confirmation Crimson needed to hear. Now he could focus. Crimson approached the Charmander...slowly...
"Hey, buddy. You alright?"