Yes, into Viridian Forest.

The smell of rotting vegetation hits you instantly. This place is heavy with it, and almost as heavy is the tree canopy that stretches above, blocking most of the sun’s light from reaching the ground below. The thick trunks are everywhere, shooting up towards the sky and cluttering the paths ahead. This deep and sprawling forest is a natural maze, and many people become lost inside.

You knew that going in though, so you prepared ahead of time by finding a map of the forest on your Pokédex. Now, there is no signal here, but with an image of the map you downloaded last night you should be able to navigate this place fairly easily.

The temperature picks up as you begin marching down your chosen path, or the humidity more specifically. The air feels thick and sticky, and you can already feel sweat starting to coat your skin. It feels gross, but at least the entire place is shaded enough that it isn’t too hot. You keep walking, spotting several bug Pokémon as you walk. Caterpie, Metapod, Weedle, Kakuna… you don’t bother with any of them right now. You aren't particularly interested in capturing them, and you want to conserve Charmander and Pidgey’s strengths for any trainers you may find.

This thought process quickly changes, however, when after about two hours of walking, a flash of yellow fur catches your eye. Sitting a little way off of the path you’ve been following, munching on a berry, is a Pikachu! It’s really cute, its red cheeks puffing as it stuffs it’s mouth and smiles. You’re reminded of watching Blue eating yesterday morning. You can’t just sit and watch this thing though, you need to act fast. An electric type would be a great addition to your team.

“Charmander, I choose you!” You throw your starter’s Pokéball towards the wild Pikachu and release Charmander, catching the rodent completely off guard. It stumbles to the ground in shock(heh), and you use this opening to strike. “Scratch!” You call put, and your flame-tailed lizard does so, driving his claws into the wild Pokémon. This damage, combined with the sheer confusion the yellow rat is experiencing, gives you your chance. You hurl a Pokéball at it, absorbing the Pikachu inside.

One…Two…Three…Click! Yes, you caught it! “Great work, Charmander!” You hug your partner, being careful of the tail, then return him to his ball and scoop up your newest Pokémon. Charmander didn’t even get hit in that fight, so this was a huge success!

You move back onto the main path, thankfully not having been too far off, and continue on your way. You’re making good time, so you stop for a quick around noon, taking a break in a small clearing under a break in the canopy. You can see a cold fire-pit here, as well as plenty of signs of foot traffic. This must be a popular stopping spot.

You release the three of your Pokémon, giving them some food and giving them a chance to get to know each other. You have some food yourself, a hard packed biscuit with nuts and fruit mixed in, and watch Pikachu and Charmander try and jump high enough to reach your hovering Pidgey. The bird Pokémon keeps flapping up just out of reach anytime they get close, and all three are laughing at this simple game.

They play around for half an hour, before you decide you need to get moving again. You put your Pokémon back into their balls, and start once again following the path and you map through Viridian Forest. Another hour of nothing passes, when the quiet is broken by a sudden shout.

“Trainer spotted! I repeat, trainer spotted!” You have no idea where the voice is coming from, but all of a sudden you can hear a cacophony of movement and voices headed your way. Out of the trees, a group of five young men carrying butterfly nets emerges.

“Oh, fuck’s sake Tony! It’s a dude!” One of them whines after seeing you.

“We can still get money off him!” Another, probably Tony, replies.

“Tony’s right. We can’t always get lucky like yesterday. Let’s make the most of this.” The centermost bug catcher says. He’s the tallest of the bunch, which isn’t saying much, at 5’10. He has an average build and lightly tanned skin, his pale green hair and eyes matching in color.

Your blood runs cold at the mention of ‘getting lucky yesterday’. “Who did you guys battle yesterday? A girl, I’m guessing.” You do your best to sound casual.

The ringleader looks at you, and grins. “Yeah, a real sexy one too. Tall, tan, and tight all the way down. Last night was fuuun.” Oh, good, he means Leah, not Blue… ‘last night’? You found Leah in the gatehouse this morning. How long was she laying there? Poor girl…

You shake yourself out of your sympathy and ask another question. “What about a busty girl, with sandy-blonde hair? Seen her?”

The boy shakes his head. “No, nobody like that. Only other girl we’ve seen was an icy redhead, and she wiped the floor with us…” So either Blue snuck past them, or she’s lost in the first part of the forest. She hasn’t been gangbanged yet, at the very least. And apparently Silver made it through these guys just fine, unsurprisingly.

“So, what’s your name? You seem like the boss here.” You ask the most talkative of the bug catchers.

“I’m Aiden. And yeah, I run things here. So, here’s how it’s gonna go; we’re all gonna challenge you to battle one after the other. You get money from those you beat, and give money to those you don’t. Easy, right?” It’s a bit underhanded, but again, not wrong or anything. You wanted to beat them for some cash anyway, and with a fire type and a flying type, you have pretty good odds.

“Sounds good. Who’s first?” You flash a cocky grin at the boys.