Spring 1999, somewhere outside Viridian Forest
Pokedex: 1/1025
The distant cries of a flock of Spearow stirred me from my slumber after a rougher-than-expected night of sleep. Having never camped before a day in my life, to say that I had been ill-prepared would have been an understatement. At eleven years old, I’d always been a “In by dark, game all night” sort of kid, so not only had the pocket tent I brought with me been hastily put together the moment the daylight began to fade but actually getting to sleep felt like an impossibility in the face of the fear I’d felt.
I had finally begun my Pokemon adventure with my companion Rockruff at my side. Having just a month prior went through the whole thing at Professor Oak’s. Now, a full day into my adventure, I was feeling, you could say, out of my element. I’d been a shy kid and always had my parents do my talking for me whenever we went anywhere, but now I was having to not only do all of the talking myself but actually approach other people for Pokemon battles. Thankfully, Jen, being the ever-present companion that he was rapidly becoming, would bark at other trainers to get their attention, prompting them to approach me for a batter. Of course, I’d grow out of it eventually, but that wouldn’t be for some time to come.
The morning springtime sun beamed down upon the tent, rapidly warming the interior and eating away at the chill that had set itself up during the night. Jen, the rapidly growing Rockruff, lay curled up beside me, providing additional warmth where the sleeping bag fell short. The aforementioned pocket tent had been put up with such haste the evening before that by the following morning; the steeple had already collapsed, leaving the brittle fabric hanging just a mere foot from my face. I reached behind my head, retrieved my Pokedex, and checked the time. It was rapidly approaching 8am, which meant I needed to get a move on if I wanted to get through the forest before sundown.
Once camp had been packed up and I ate a hardy breakfast of granola bars, a can of sparkling water, and an apple or two, I was finally ready to tackle Viridian Forest. A couple hours or so walk outside of Pallet Town, Viridian Forest was the first real challenge for a new trainer starting out in this part of the region. If the rampant packs of Rattata and flocks of Pidgey didn’t get you on your way out, the swarms of Bug-type Pokemon inside the forest surely do a number on you. Arceus help you if you chose a Bulbasaur as your starter.
But my Rockruff and I? I was sure it’d be no problem. I’d been to the forest a few times with my family in the past; though we were just driving through at the time on our way to see my sister and her family, I knew that the highway that cut through the forest ran adjacent to the hiking trail, so I wasn’t too concerned with getting lost as long as I just followed that.
Only that wasn’t the plan or goal here. I was here to train Jen and catch Pokemon in the process, and no self-respecting Pokemon was going to venture anywhere near a busy road like that. With that in mind, I knew that I’d be going off the beaten path and venturing deeper into the woods where the tall grass and thick brush grew, where the Pokemon hid.
After getting good ways into the forest, I came upon a rest area. Making use of the amenities, I gave my supply pocket a double and triple check to make sure everything was there. A few potions, a revive, some antidote, and the most important item of all: Pokeballs! I’d bought two every month with my allowance, bringing the total count up to fifteen in total. My goal first and foremost, was to train Jen, who looked just as eager to leave the trail as I was right now. Catching the Pokemon that he didn’t make faint was secondary here, as I wasn’t too interested in having a bug collection at the moment.
The first encounter, not even five minutes after leaving the path, was with a rather audacious Weedle. I only became aware of its existence after hearing some branches rattle above, then not a second later did the hairy bug Pokemon leap from the upper bows, the spike on the top of its head pointed straight at me. Now, I’ve never heard a single story of Pokemon killing a human before, but I knew there was a first time for everything. I jumped out of the way, nearly trampling Jen in the process, and fell straight into a sticker bush! Cuts and scrapes all over my arms and legs; It was my fault for wearing shorts so early in the season, but I didn’t have my mother yelling at me, telling me it was too cold.
Big mistake there, I guess.
The Weedle impaled itself in the soft forest floor, its horn stuck in the ground making the Pokemon immobile long enough for me to free myself and rejoin Jen, who was barking madly at the wriggling worm.
Adrenaline rushing, I ignored the bleeding cuts on my limbs and called Jen to action. “Jen, I choose you!” I yelled as if I had any other Pokemon to my name at that point. The unending strings of tiny barks ceased as the puppy Pokemon’s ears perked up at my voice. He loped across the small clearing and took up a battle pose in front of me just as the Weedle freed itself.
I took out my Pokedex and quickly scanned the raging Pokemon. A little electronic voice read the Dex entry out loud to me: “It eats its weight in leaves every day. It fends off attackers with the needle on its head.”
Sounds about right, I thought as I slipped the device back into my pocket. “All right, Jen, let’s make this bug sorry it tried making a shishkabob outta’ me!”
“Bow-bow!” Jen replied, growling as it hung its head low to the ground.
“Jen, use Sand Attack!” I shouted, spurring the Rockruff into action as it kicked dirt and loose soil from the forest floor into the air, hitting the Weedle’s big eyes with ludicrous accuracy.
The Weedle attacked, coiling like a spring and then launching itself forward, but its horn attack flew wildly off course as it once again impaled itself in the soil. “Jen, Tackle, now!” I said, but the puppy had already started to move on its own, seeing an opportunity to attack before I could call it out.
The small Rock-type puppy Pokemon smashed into the blinded Weedle with a loud thud, knocking the then-stuck Pokemon free from the ground and sending it flying across the clearing, colliding with a tree with an even louder thud. If it had been a cartoon, there would have been tiny Swellow’s hovering around the Weedle’s head in a circle, eyes replaced by little whirlpools as it slid down the trunk of the thick oak tree.
“Awww yeah, one hit KO! Way to go, Jen!” And that was how I won my first battle against a wild Pokemon.
In my triumph over the aggitated Weedle, I had failed to notice the figure that had come up the very same trail I had taken that lead me here. Another trainer had heard the ruckus and came to investigate!
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