c5: Special Training in Progress—The King of the Forest?
The next day, to enhance their strength and deepen their bond, Alex began focused training with Gastly, also using the time to improve their rapport—something vital when working with Ghost-types, who often only obey those they respect.
Gastly… well, it still had almost no combat strength to speak of, but it definitely stood out.
Simply put, Alex was walking around with a Dreepy, a species entirely unknown in the Hoenn region and a very conspicuous Shiny Gastly. Even though Gastly hadn't evolved yet, its glowing form shimmered ominously in the morning light. It was the kind of team composition that screamed "Rare and valuable" but without the battle power to back it up, they were easy targets.
As for Dreepy, its five-year bond with Alex, plus its level 20 status, meant it could handle itself just fine. So Alex allowed Dreepy to roam the surrounding area freely. Of course, Dreepy didn't wander aimlessly—it carried itself with pride, acting like a proper mentor, offering pointers and advice, just like how Sapphire's Grovyle once guided Ruby's Feebas.
"Jie jie."
(Translation: "Keep your tongue straight, rookie.")
Gastly lunged at a wild Poochyena, letting out a low Growl before trying to land a Lick. Although the attack barely registered, and didn't inflict major damage, the Ghost-type immunity to Normal-type moves meant Poochyena couldn't retaliate effectively.
Poochyena: "Seriously, big bro? Can't we talk this out?"
As expected, specialized Ghost-type training paid off. Gastly managed to grind out a win and surprisingly leveled up to 7.
Tsk… future Gengar was a known special attacker in both manga and games. And this shiny Gastly's individual values which Alex had partially gauged using his Pokédex scanner were excellent.
But right now? At this low level? Not a single special move.
No Shadow Ball. No Sludge Bomb. Not even Confuse Ray.
Alex kept battling with Gastly throughout the morning. The only real damage came from repeated Licks, over and over again. The tongue-based attack numbed even Gastly himself. And despite winning a few minor scuffles, most of the encounters were against tiny Bug-types, like Wurmple or Scatterbug.
Gastly eventually reached level 11, but it looked utterly drained—floating sluggishly, barely maintaining its gaseous form. If this were a game interface, the status bar would flash "PP Depleted. Exhausted. Needs Rest."
(Sidebar explanation for context: Dreepy had been with Alex for five years, but it hadn't participated in many wild battles. It had only recently emerged from its egg, and pseudo-legendaries like Dreepy require massive EXP to grow—meaning it stayed at level 20 despite years of companionship.)
Just then, Ruby's voice echoed from behind the trees.
"Whoa! What kind of Pokémon is that?! It looks super strong and really big!"
Alex turned his head and nearly passed out from shock.
Towering before Ruby was a colossal, gleaming Victreebel with vines as thick as a human thigh and a jaw-like mouth that could swallow a Gyarados tail whole.
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Pokémon Name: Victreebel
Title: 'King of the Forest'
Level: 70
Type: Grass / Poison
Ability: Chlorophyll
Tera Type: Grass
Gender: Male
Nature: Hasty
IVs: Perfect (6V)
Held Items: Grass Gem, Miracle Seed, Leftovers, Heat Rock, Life Orb
Moveset: (omitted—not because I'm lazy, just choosing not to pad the word count... honest!)
Special Traits: Emits the scent of honey and decay, has a serene presence, and radiates forest dominance.
Catch Status: Cannot be captured.
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Note: This "Forest King" Victreebel is an original worldbuilding element added for flavor, inspired by the concept of Totem Pokémon from Alola and Noble Pokémon from Hisui (Legends: Arceus). Its presence represents a kind of natural apex predator or guardian.
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System Notification:
"Caution. This Pokémon possesses immense power and a minor divine resonance. Its current mood is relaxed and non-aggressive. It may serve as a natural guardian or mentor. Do not provoke. Avoid combat."
Alex's heart pounded. Even with Dreepy's level 20 and Gastly's shiny status, they were ants compared to this monster. Fortunately, the Victreebel only glanced calmly, then yawned—yes, yawned and turned away slowly, as if declaring, "You're not worth digesting today."
Ruby looked awestruck.
Alex? He was already calculating the best escape route in case Victreebel changed its mind.
Today was supposed to be about training and bonding, but what they encountered instead was a reminder of the sheer scale of the wild and how far they still had to go.
Gastly moaned weakly in the background.
Tomorrow, they'd continue training. But today? Today, they survived.
Upon seeing its massive, vine-draped frame, Alex instantly made the wisest decision he'd made all week: Don't provoke it. Just one look at this Totem-like Victreebel, towering and radiating dominance at level 70, reminded him that no matter how shiny Gastly was or how rare Dreepy might be, right now, he had nothing but a half-hatched pseudo-legendary and a blue floating balloon. If this leafy overlord decided to go full boss mode and fire off what felt like a Tailed Beast Bomb or more realistically, an Energy Ball charged with five held items and Solar boosts they were toast.
So, with cautious reverence, Alex decided: Better win its favor than its fury.
Food was always a good start.
Ruby, still frozen from the shock, finally snapped out of it and shouted:
"Holy moly, that's a big shot!"
Then he leaned toward Alex, whispering excitedly,
"Yo, Alex! Do you think this is our Ring Grandfather or something?!"
"I don't know," Alex said, trying to maintain his calm trainer persona, "but seriously don't mess with it."
The two quickly dug into their bags. Ruby had premium Energy Cubes, crafted especially for Treecko. Alex, unfortunately, hadn't thought to prepare Grass-type-specific Cubes. Compared side by side, Ruby's offering smelled of fresh dew and Pecha Berry syrup, while Alex's was... well, edible.
"Shoku!" Victreebel chirped approvingly, its leafy body trembling in delight. Seeing the two humans present food with no sudden movements, it felt that these two "little brothers" were rather considerate. It happily devoured the Cubes—clearly favoring Ruby's recipe and even swayed gently, like it was about to sing a forest lullaby.
Its mood? Sky-high.
Its satisfaction? Through the vines.
With food diplomacy complete, Alex and Ruby chatted with Victreebel using their only reliable interpreter—Dreepy, who had just returned and now looked completely bewildered. Still, he floated up with a sigh and reluctantly took up the role of translator and diplomat.
The chat went smoothly. In fact, Alex felt so humbled and impressed that he half-joked about acknowledging Victreebel as his elder brother.
"Domey…" Dreepy gave a long, drawn-out groan—five years of bonding, and you want to replace me with a jungle cabbage?—the sound was laced with betrayal.
Alex gently stroked Dreepy's boomerang-shaped head in consolation, while Gastly instinctively hid behind his trainer's leg, trembling like a haunted fog machine.
"Senior," Alex said politely to Victreebel, "My team's move pool is... well, let's just say it's lacking." He was thinking ahead—Rock-type Gyms were coming up fast, and neither Dreepy nor Gastly had any viable counters for those. Treecko had potential, but not with only Pound and Absorb.
Seeing an opportunity, Alex mustered his courage. "Would you... be willing to teach them something?"
Ruby immediately caught on. No hesitation if Victreebel was offering to teach, Treecko needed to be front and center. Grass-type to Grass-type, this was a potential master-disciple bond in the making.
"Domey."
"Jie jie."
"Chamo!"
The three fledgling Pokémon all chimed in with eager voices pleading, hopeful, desperate.
Victreebel watched them for a moment. Its leafy brows furrowed in contemplation, then relaxed.
This 'little brother Alex' was very much to its liking, and it had seen potential. It nodded once, firmly, signaling its agreement to teach.
It analyzed each of the three:
Gastly: A tricky one, but capable of learning Energy Ball. That was a start.
Dreepy: Nothing immediate to offer him offensively at most, it could pass on Substitute and Protect, defensive moves of strategic value.
Treecko: Now this was a flexible student. With Sceptile's and Victreebel's learnsets sharing overlap Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Synthesis—Treecko was a blank slate ready to be molded.
In fact, Treecko didn't even grasp what an opportunity this was. With his lazy, playful temperament, more interested in sunbathing than training, this was probably more pressure than he wanted.
But Victreebel had its own philosophy:
"The master can show you the path but you've got to get beaten to walk it."
So, it declared—to train with it, the three must face its trial daily.
Every day, they would battle Victreebel. Not to win. But to learn. To get thrashed. To grow from defeat.
It was... very satisfying for Victreebel's ego.
Neither Alex nor Ruby dared to object.
Dreepy: "Domey." (...whatever.)
Gastly: "Jie ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!" (Translation: PLEASE NO.)
Treecko: "Chamo chamo chamo chamo chamo chamo!" (Translation: You're ancient! Go retire already! Let me nap!)
Ruby: "Eh-heh... Let's just... see how this goes." (Trying to smile through the impending pain.)
Alex stared up at Victreebel, his expression turning solemn.
His team was bright, attention-catching, and painfully underpowered.
He had no Gym badges.
No evolved Pokémon.
No powerful strategies yet.
But this encounter…
Could he turn this Victreebel into something more?
Not a partner. Not a pet. But... a backing force. A forest king, standing behind the scenes, guarding him from the wild chaos to come.
His purple, fogged eyes flickered faintly, an ember of determination lit inside.
Yes. By any means necessary... he had to make this work.
Because they
They were just getting started.
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