Chapter 10: Bewilder Forest
Shuichi stayed at the river clearing where he tried waiting, he didn't want to sleep again after that nightmare so he just waited while he calmed himself down.
Unfortunately for Shuichi his thoughts kept plaguing him, voices and sounds kept playing in his mind.
('Emotionless beast!, It's all your fault!, you killed my son!') Voices from his past life kept playing in his head and every time a sound echoed in the distance it felt like a gunshot had just been fired to Shuichi.
If Shuichi could just have something on his mind occupying him the voices and sounds would disappear. In the end he decided to focus on making a meal.
His Pokémon had eaten, and he himself also had a homemade meal. Shuichi didn't lie to Dawn about his homemade meals; they were pretty bland due to him never learning how to cook in his past life.
Shuichi tried to keep himself occupied for around three hours while fending off the intrusive thoughts, in the end it felt like he was more tired than rested.
Continuing his journey to Jubilife City felt unusually uneventful compared to travelling with Ash, who had a knack for attracting trouble. There was only one trainer who wanted to battle.
It was a trainer with a black worm-like Pokémon that was covered in leaves; it was a Burmy. Clamperl had won that bout fairly easily, too easily, in fact. Shuichi had even cancelled the bet that he had made with the trainer due to just feeling bad.
The trainer thanked Shuichi for his mercy, and soon it began to turn dark. In total, Shuichi had around two weeks to reach Jubilife for the contest. He would honour his promise to Dawn and watch her contest; it was her first contest after all.
Speaking of time, the League season was 10 months long, which meant that on average Shuichi had to battle a gym roughly every 37 days.
Watching the Jubilife contest meant that Shuichi had 23 days time to go from Jubilife to Oreburgh city, it meant he didn't have enough time for the detour to the north of Jubilife. Shuichi guessed he would need around a week to go back and forth and to reach his goal of the third Pokémon.
All in all it meant that Shuichi now had around 5 days to reach Jubilife, and with the power of solo travelling it shouldn't take that long.
After setting up camp Shuichi decided to do another round of training, nothing substantial happened in this training session. Such was training, slow and steady would win the race. There was a small improvement but nothing major happened.
As Shuichi sat absentmindedly in his camp he realised how nice it was to travel with other people, there would always be someone to talk to but now he was alone.
Shuichi had tried to sleep but another nightmare kept him awake, the previous nightmare was of his orphanage time this one however was during his confinement in the shelter.
Time went so slow for Shuichi in the nightmare that it was agonising, 'Kristoph' even came at the end with the same question as the previous dream; 'do you want to be me again'.
The next morning Shuichi decided to not do a training session due to not having any poffins for a quick boost in energy.
Shuichi continued onward with the trek to Jubilife City, as he was walking he came across a waterfall with a forest underneath.
Having memorised the map of Sinnoh, Shuichi accurately identified this forest as Bewilder Forest. Bewilder Forest was a special forest that wasn't in the games, it existed on the outskirts of route.
These were special places where Pokémon from other regions were found, in this case it was Stantler. Stantler were a very special kind of Pokémon, they had an extreme talent for Hypnosis and causing illusions with their horns.
It was also those same horns that nearly drove the species to complete extinction, as their horns were seen as priceless works of art. For this reason the Stantler in the forest wouldn't like strangers and would hypnotise them and trap them in illusions, thus the name Bewilder Forest.
Shuichi was tempted to enter the forest, it was more dangerous than the open route making training here more worth it.
Along with the fact that Bewilder Forest was largely unexplored, there could be treasures in the forest. Treasures could be anything from evolutionary stones to special items like Miracle Seeds and Mystic Waters.
In the games these special items could be held by Pokémon to increase the power of their moves and it worked similarly here as well. However these items were banned in official gym battles and tournaments making them less useful in a battling setting.
But it didn't mean these items were useless. In fact, the energy these items held was type-energy. One could use these items to help train a Pokémon to get a feel for a type.
For instance if Shuichi gave Clamperl a Never-melt Ice which held ice-type energy, Clamperl would have an easier time learning ice-type moves like Ice Beam.
There were also other special items that held value to specific people, for example rare mushrooms are worth more to restaurants and chefs than to trainers.
Thinking of the rare and valuable items that could be hidden in the forest convinced Shuichi about going in. If he found a leaf stone or something similar in the forest he could sell that for ₽, this way Shuichi's income wasn't only from betting during trainer battles.
The waterfall descended for around 20 feet into a pond below, Shuichi didn't have any climbing gear or a rope to scale down. There were protrusions on the waterfall along with various thick branches sticking out, Shuichi decided to scale the wall down along those.
Years of working out had finally paid off as Shuichi skillfully descended down the waterfall, even Brock who was fairly fit himself was surprised by Shuichi's exercise routine.
Standing before the entrance of Bewilder Forest, Shuichi could feel stares at him coming from the forest. No doubt the Stantler were keeping a close eye on him.
Releasing Eevee from its Pokéball and informing it of the possible danger caused it to be on high alert as it was walking next to Shuichi. Shuichi didn't release Clamperl due to Clamperl having bad mobility on land, it was after all a literal clam.
As he stepped further into Bewilder Forest, he noticed how the densely packed trees cast eerie shadows, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
Shuichi's attention was soon drawn to a Pokémon that resembled a cross between a reindeer and a moose, its brown coat and golden antlers caught his eye. It was a Stantler, standing calmly, but Shuichi sensed its emotions conveyed anxiety and fear.
Recognizing that it was essential to reassure the Stantler, Shuichi tried to communicate with it. "I'm not here to harm you or any others. My purpose is merely to explore the forest."
But to Shuichi's surprise, instead of calming down, the Stantler's anxiety intensified. ('Why is it so afraid?') Shuichi wondered. Before he could explore the reason behind its fear, the Stantler's antlers began to emit a white glow, filling the forest with waves of energy.
Suddenly, the entire forest transformed, and Shuichi found himself standing in an open field that seemed to stretch endlessly. Looking around, he saw Eevee by his side, equally bewildered. Strangely, he could still sense the emotions of Eevee and the even Stantler that was still there.
Shuichi contemplated turning back, suspecting that the Stantler wished to keep intruders away. ('Maybe I should heed its warning,') Shuichi thought as he began to retreat. Eevee obediently followed. But something about Eevee's emotions caught Shuichi's attention: confusion.
('Wait, confusion?') Shuichi realised, halting his steps. Eevee, on the other hand, continued to move forward, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Shuichi had stopped.
"Eevee, return," Shuichi said, holding out Eevee's Pokéball. A red beam enveloped Eevee, causing it to return to the ball. Shuichi released Eevee again, but to his surprise, he couldn't see the Pokémon.
Despite being unable to see it, he could still sense Eevee's emotions, which now carried a mix of confusion and relief. It dawned on him that it was all an illusion, enhanced by Hypnosis.
As soon as he realised this, the illusion disappeared, and he found himself back in the real Bewilder Forest. Eevee and the Stantler were visible again, but the latter appeared surprised.
('It doesn't want me exploring the forest?') Shuichi wondered, what could be in the forest? Walking back to Stantler he could feel its anxiety increasing again. Shuichi stopped a few feet away and decided to ask Stantler "Is it the breeding season for your species?"
Breeding season was when Pokémon were more territorial than ever and with the Stantler's history, it would explain why it didn't want Shuichi to continue. But Stantler shook its head indicating a clear negative.
Shuichi's curiosity led him to speculate further. ('So, then it's not about other Stantler. Does it want to...') A new possibility occurred to him, so he asked, "Are you trying to protect me?"
The Stantler's emotions revealed nervousness, confirming Shuichi's hypothesis.
('Bullseye,') Shuichi thought, feeling that he was getting closer to the truth. "Is it because of something within the forest?" Shuichi inquired, and the Stantler's nervousness only increased.
"Is it that dangerous?" Shuichi asked Stantler, by now the Pokémon figured out Shuichi could somehow read it so it dropped the facade and simply nodded its head.
The more Shuichi understood, the more the pieces fell into place. ('Stantler believes we wouldn't stand a chance, but it hasn't witnessed our capabilities. It's likely making assumptions based on type matchups.')
('If it were only a threat, Stantler wouldn't be so adamant. There's probably also aggression involved,') Shuichi concluded.
"So, it's a strong, aggressive fighting-type Pokémon, right?" Shuichi probed, and the Stantler was surprised Shuichi was able to guess that much and nodded again.
Shuichi assured the Stantler, "We're quite formidable. I also have another Pokémon with me if things get tough."
However, the Stantler's emotions revealed doubt and concern, suggesting that it didn't share Shuichi's optimism. Shuichi was determined to find a solution. "Tell you what, you can test our strength in any way you like. That should convince you."
Without any verbal response, the Stantler let out a howl, which took Shuichi slightly by surprise. He initially thought it was challenging him to a battle, but there was no aggression in the Stantler's demeanour. The rustling bushes around them signalled the arrival of more Stantler, and they kept coming until there were about ten of them.
At first, Shuichi felt a wave of anxiety; he might have bitten off more than he could chew. However, to his astonishment, the Stantler displayed no aggression toward him. Instead, they began communicating among themselves, their emotions reflecting doubt and a sense of anticipation.
Eevee, understanding the Stantler's communication despite the species difference, approached Shuichi and indicated his belt, specifically Clamperl's Pokéball. It was clear that the Stantler were interested in seeing Shuichi's other Pokémon.
Realising their request, Shuichi released Clamperl, which stood prepared for action. Eevee played the role of an interpreter and communicated with the Stantler. They shared their excitement upon seeing Clamperl, with one Stantler approaching Shuichi with a hint of aggression and expectation.
With a deeper understanding of the Stantler's intent, Shuichi inquired, "You want to test Clamperl, don't you?" The Stantler nodded once more.
Eevee stepped back, and Clamperl got ready for a fight. Suddenly, a wave of intimidation radiated from the lead Stantler, causing Clamperl to become visibly nervous.
Shuichi recognized the effect immediately. ('It's the intimidate ability,') he thought, noting that it functioned differently in this world compared to the games. Here, it seemed to be more about instilling fear and hesitation in Pokémon.
From Clamperl's point of view it was staring at a giant Stantler much bigger than itself, it was looking down on it with such contempt that one might think it could knock it out in one blow. Fighting against such an opponent wasn't something Clamperl could do.
Shuichi looked at Clamperl and said in a commanding tone of voice, "Clamperl, Focus! Don't let your fears overwhelm you. Your opponent is only one and you are also one, there is no need to fear."
Clamperl heard Shuichi's voice and started to calm down, after focusing on calming down it focused once more on Stantler. Now however, it noticed that Stantler seemed much smaller than it originally thought it was. Relief and determination washed over Clamperl as it was ready.
Striking the iron while it was hot, Shuichi kicked the fight with a simple ranged attack, "Water Gun!" Clamperl fired off a jet of pressurised water at the Stantler.
Stantler didn't expect Clamperl to break out the intimidation effect and was late with a dodge causing it to be hit. Stantler didn't back down just yet as its horns glowed shooting waves of energy at Clamperl.
Recognising this as the same Hypnosis that sent him into an illusion made Shuichi give Clamperl a quick order "Iron Defense!" Clamperl quickly closed its shell and emitted a light blue sheen as the hypnotic waves came over it.
From the way Clamperl was emitting an emotion of caution made Shuichi realise that the Hypnosis failed, it likely failed due to Clamperl not being able to hear or see anything as it was in its shell fortified with Iron Defense.
Stantler didn't think so and charged in with a Tackle, the Tackle landed and Clamperl was thrown across the field however that had to have done little damage. Stantler charged in again wanting to continue with the damage.
Seeing Clamperl's shell open a little bit made Shuichi give the signal to attack "Water gun again!" The shell was opened all the way and another jet of water shot out targeting the Stantler, Stantler assumed Clamperl was under Hypnosis so it charged in again.
The jet hit Stantler again and this time it was having trouble standing, "I suppose this is enough correct?" Shuichi said. He didn't want to knock-out the Pokémon.
Stantler looked at Shuichi before dropping its aggression and nodding, it was indeed enough and it could tell that the Tackle didn't even hurt it that much.
Shuichi checked out Clamperl for any damage, once he confirmed there was nothing significant did he return and praise his Pokémon. Turning to Stantler Shuichi said "You're pretty talented, you could make it far if you find a good trainer."
It wasn't a lie either, with some guidance the Hypnosis and Intimidate combination could make the opposing Pokémon underperform being able to fight above its level. Stantler nodded and appreciated the praise, it was clear Shuichi didn't want to be its trainer.
"So, can we see the aggressive fighting-type now?" Shuichi asked moving onto the goal of the test. Stantler nodded once again and began walking away with the other Stantler, Shuichi and Eevee followed suit.
('The aggressive Pokémon likely got a second type that Clamperl is strong against') Shuichi contemplated, he didn't miss the Stantler's optimism once they saw Clamperl and their happiness once they realised it's stronger than it looked.
Following the group of Stantler made it clear what the other type of the aggressive Pokémon was, there were burned trees and scorched earth everywhere Shuichi looked.
There was even a slight burning smell in the air, the ground and smell reminded him of his past life.
More thoughts and sounds tried to creep into his ears however Shuichi quickly shut them down, now was not the time to focus on these things.
Focusing on finding the problem at hand kept the thoughts out of his mind, Shuichi concluded from the damage that a fire-type had to be here.
('A fire-fighting type, is it a Monferno?') Shuichi speculated over which Pokémon it was and guessed a Monferno which was Chimchar's evolution. It was the only fire-fighting type Pokémon native to Sinnoh so it made sense.
Shuichi however was extremely surprised at the Pokémon once he saw it. Standing in the field surrounded by burned ground was a bipedal bird-like Pokémon that resembled a young rooster, the top of its body was covered in yellowed feathers and its lower half was covered in orange feathers.
Its hands were three sharp claws and on the top of its head was a plume of three orange feathers, it was a Combusken, the regional fire-type starter of the Hoenn region!
Shuichi wasn't knowledgeable with the Hoenn starters so he decided to scan it from afar with his Pokédex.
"Combusken, the Young Fowl Pokémon. Combusken is the evolved form of Torchic. As a Fighting Pokémon, it has the ability to breath raging fire from its beak and to unleash high-powered kicks." The Pokédex rattled off.
Before Shuichi could even think about why it was here, he suddenly noticed something on its belly, a black card was on its body that Shuichi didn't recognise from afar.
Scanning the Combusken's emotions made it clear that it wasn't thinking straight, there were a mass of emotions that boiled down to aggressiveness however there also was a hint of confusion.
('Looks like I have to knock it out and get that card off it') Shuichi realised the card was likely what was causing the Combusken to be aggressive. Shuichi released Clamperl again and had the idea for Clamperl to charge a Whirlpool first while Combusken was still unaware.
Clamperl nodded and a whirlpool slowly started to form, there was no need for haste currently as Combusken was still unaware of Clamperl. Combusken itself was standing in the field like a zombie when all of a sudden a giant whirlpool flew at it.
The whirlpool hit Combusken trapping it in the whirlpool, Shuichi recalled and repositioned to be in the field and released Clamperl once more. Eevee was also standing next to Shuichi as it was on bodyguard duty.
The whirlpool was suddenly blown apart as Combusken looked madly at Shuichi's direction before focusing on Clamperl, Combusken fired off fiery shots at Clamperl, recognising this as Ember Shuichi had Clamperl fire off a Water Gun.
The water jet and fiery shots met in the middle causing a misty explosion to ring out, visibility became low and Shuichi didn't see Combusken anymore.
Opting to play it safe, Shuichi commanded "Iron Defense!" at Clamperl who complied.
One second later Combusken was visible again as it was charging at Clamperl, its right claw was enveloped by a dark shadow that looked like a claw.
Shuichi frowned seeing the unknown move as it struck Clamperl harder than he had expected after the Iron Defense boost.
"Fire back with a Water Gun!" Shuichi decided to return fire at the Combusken, Clamperl opened back up and fired a stream of water at Combusken knocking it back. Tactics weren't a wild Pokémon's strong suit and especially one that wasn't thinking straight.
Combusken wasn't down for the count just yet as its feet glowed white as it jumped into the air and aimed straight at Clamperl, this one Shuichi could identify as Double Kick.
"Iron Defense once more!" Shuichi decided defence was the best option. Clamperl fortified its shell once again and prepared to take the hit.
A loud bang erupted as it sounded like something smashed into a metal plate, the blue sheen of Iron Defense was flickering as if it was having trouble keeping up. Combusken, however, wasn't done yet as it soccer kicked Clamperl with its other leg.
Clamperl's shell flew open as it cried out in pain, that Double Kick did more damage than Shuichi had intended and it was getting down to the wire. "Water Gun!" Shuichi intended to fire back again, and Clamperl happily complied as another water stream fired off.
Combusken however seemed to have expected the Water Gun as its right claw was enveloped by that dark shadow once more and was thrust forward. Combusken still slid a few inches away and wasn't unharmed but it was less than the previous times.
Its legs shined white again as it jumped into the air again, Clamperl however couldn't take this hit anymore even with the Iron Defense. Mobility on land had never been Clamperl's strong point and now its lack of mobility was hindering it.
('Wait, what if…?') Shuichi suddenly had an idea and said "Clamperl use Water Gun on the ground to shoot yourself back!"
In theory Water Gun should have recoil however, due to Clamperl's own weight and that Water Gun usually travelled through the air there was none. Only when it hit the opponent would recoil take effect and that was usually when one ended the stream.
Clamperl fired off a Water Gun directly in front of it at the ground, the recoil made Clamperl slide across. It wasn't far but it was enough as Combusken now slammed down into the ground and missed Clamperl completely.
"Water Gun at Combusken!" Taking advantage of the opening, Shuichi made Clamperl fire off again. Clamperl complied and a stream of water slammed into Combusken and threw it far back.
"Aqua Ring, recover your strength!" Clamperl was full of scratches from the fight and was breathing heavily so Shuichi hoped Aqua Ring would let it recover some energy, Combusken tried to stand up again as Clamperl put the ring around itself.
('Clamperl doesn't have much left, does Eevee have to finish it off?') Shuichi thought of switching out, but decided against it once he felt Clamperl's determination.
"Clamperl use Whirlpool with the rest of your energy!" Shuichi decided to let Clamperl finish the fight as Combusken stood up weakly on its feet.
Clamperl focused on the whirlpool as it charged slower than usual; however Combusken wasn't just standing still.
A red glow formed around its body as the temperature slowly got hotter, if Shuichi had to guess what it was considering the circumstances, it was likely the Blaze ability.
The Blaze ability allowed a Pokémon to increase their fire-type moves while tired or weak.
"Clamperl fire!" Shuichi said passionately as Clamperl finally formed the whirlpool and it didn't seem like it could get any bigger.
Combusken also looked at Clamperl and opened its mouth to shoot out a much larger Ember than previously.
The fiery shots collided with the whirlpool and formed a small stalemate, for a moment it looked like the whirlpool was going out.
But Clamperl suddenly fired off a weak Water Gun due to having recovered a bit from the Aqua Ring and forced the whirlpool through slamming it into Combusken. The whirlpool exploded and Combusken was thrown back, clearly knocked out.
Clamperl barely remained conscious enough for Shuichi to give it a quick potion, it was his last potion however Clamperl earned it in Shuichi's eyes as he fought valiantly.
"I'm proud of you Clamperl, well done, take a nice rest" Shuichi said as he recalled Clamperl. He could feel and see Clamperl's satisfaction and happiness as it was being recalled.
After walking over to the knocked out Combusken to check up on it, Shuichi could see that the black card on its belly also had strange markings that Shuichi had seen somewhere before. Taking off the card felt like taking off a piece of tape as it came off.
Holding the card felt off, as if it was infested with some type of energy that was trying to crawl into Shuichi. Suddenly the answer came to Shuichi as he recalled what the item was; it was a Spell Tag!
The Spell Tag would empower ghost-type moves in battle and a trainer could use it to help train ghost-type moves to their Pokémon, thinking back the unknown move must've been a ghost-type move that was being empowered by the Spell Tag.
It would also explain Combusken's state of mind, Pokémon would typically be influenced by their types and form their personality closely with it.
Fire-types were more prone to anger and hotheadedness and fighting-types were battle maniacs, ghost-types however were prank heavy and mischievous.
Combining all three types would cause one to become an aggressive battle maniac that acted purely on impulse, removing the Spell Tag should've snapped Combusken out of its aggressive state.
Shuichi sat down next to the Combusken waiting for it to wake up from its sleep, suddenly the Stantler group came forward as Shuichi was waiting. Shuichi could see and feel their appreciation and respect as they were walking towards him.
Shuichi waved the Spell Tag and said "This was causing him some problems, once he wakes up he should be in a good mindset again."
The Stantler seemed to agree with Shuichi as it nodded, then it turned to the group and said some words. Around 6 Stantler ran back into the forest.
Around 5 minutes later the Stantler came back this time they appeared to be carrying something in their mouths.
They all came up and dropped the items in the ground before Shuichi, there were 6 Sitrus berries! A Stirus berry was basically the upgraded version of an Oran berry.
Shuichi could feel their graciousness and thankfulness as the berries were dropped. "Thank you, I will accept your gift." Shuichi nodded at the Stantler.
The Stantler nodded back and ran off back into the forest leaving Shuichi with Combusken and Eevee.
Now that all the action was gone the intrusive thoughts started to worm their way back into Shuichi's head, he tried to ignore them but they just kept coming. He hoped Combusken would wake up soon.
It took another 20 minutes before Combusken stirred awake and sat up. It looked around for a little with clear confusion as it suddenly spotted a human sitting next to it.
Combusken felt no aggression from the human as he said "Good day, do you remember what happened?"
Has something happened? Combusken thought as it looked around the scorched wasteland, frowning as if trying to recall something. "Does this ring any bells?" Shuichi said as he held up the Spell Tag.
Combusken looked at the Spell Tag and realisation hit it a second later, Shuichi could feel a wave of guilt wash over it as it looked down in shame when it remembered what happened.
It had lost control of itself due to the item, "Seems like you remember." Shuichi said and Combusken nodded, still looking down.
Holding out a Sitrus berry, Shuichi explained. "Here take this first, you might not feel it but my Pokémon had to knock you out."
Combusken tried to stand up however its knees quickly buckled and it was forced to sit back down, damage was indeed done.
Looking at Shuichi's hand with the berry Combusken seemed to finally accept the berry, after eating the berry Combusken could feel its effects as it restored its body.
"You know I got these berries from the Stantler that live here." Shuichi explained the origin of the berries and surprised Combusken.
Next it looked at the Spell Tag in Shuichi's hand, "You want this back? Who's to say you don't go out of control again." Shuichi said.
Combusken looked down and felt guilty again at the mention of going out of control again.
"My Pokémon could try and stop you again, however, I'm trying to become the greatest trainer and we won't be staying here for long." Shuichi explained his goal to Combusken causing it to look up at Shuichi, there was interest in its emotions.
"So, want to join my team? Shuichi asked Combusken before explaining "I was looking to add a third teammate, however the one I had in mind isn't until a while away. So, if I want to be on time I have to leave soon."
Combusken seemed to think it over, its emotions ranged from interessed to hesitant. "If you want a second opinion on my team, Eevee here is also part of the team." Shuichi pointed to Eevee who was also looking at Combusken.
Combusken looked at Eevee and interest seemed to overpower hesitancy as it turned back to Shuichi and nodded. Shuichi grabbed an empty Pokéball and tapped it against Combusken, but it didn't struggle much as the red light went out immediately.
"Welcome to the team Combusken, take a nice rest in there. I'll get you checked out for any hidden injuries once I get to the city." Shuichi said to the Pokéball as it laid in his hand.
Turning to Eevee, Shuichi happily said "Looks like a new teammate to me!" and Eevee shared his happiness.
Fire-types were infamously scarce in Sinnoh and being able to grab a regional starter like Combusken would only help Shuichi more.
The added fighting-type would also be useful for the gym. Shuichi scanned the Pokéball with his Pokédex to see if Combusken had any other surprises.
Combusken - Female
Age: 2 years
Ability: Blaze
Height: 2'6" / 0,76m
Weight: 36 lbs / 16,58 kg
Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Double Kick, Shadow Claw
The mystery move was revealed to be Shadow Claw, a ghost-type move that could strike a critical hit more often. Critical hits in the game happened randomly and some moves could influence it, strangely here in real life it worked practically the same.
('Now to get to Jubilife City to get this girl checked out.') Shuichi decided to go to Jubilife now as there was no more reason to be hanging around Bewilder Forest anymore.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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