The next day.
After dressing up, packing a backpack with some essentials, and carrying the filming device provided by the club, Natsuhiko, with Weedle, eagerly...
boards the bus.
Goldenrod City is the largest city in the Kanto Region, it's fair to call it the trade center, so it covers a large area.
Dense Wood Forest is located on the other side of Goldenrod City; the bus is currently the fastest means of transportation Natsuhiko can find.
Although it takes some time, it's more reliable than Route 11 at least.
Having breakfast on the bus.
Riding to the bus's last stop.
After getting off.
The fields of vision are filled mostly with hues of green, yellow, and blue.
A faint fragrance fills the air, mingled with an almost imperceptible scent of decay.
The forest in autumn is covered with fallen leaves, but there are also many evergreens, probably the majority.
Treading on the soft fallen leaves into the forest.
This place is still a suburb of Goldenrod City, jointly cleared by the Goldenrod City's alliance and dojo, usually free of wild Pokémon, it's a great picnicking spot in spring.
The small eyes of Weedle on Natsuhiko's shoulder curiously look around.
This place is different from where they trained before,
"Stay alert and watch out for Pokémon that might appear at any moment. If any show even the slightest hostility, don't hesitate to attack." Natsuhiko said sternly.
In the wild, one must always have a guarded heart.
It's not only about guarding against wild Pokémon, but also some Trainers.
Sometimes, Trainers seeking to survive in the wilderness can be even more dangerous than wild Pokémon.
Because Pokémon think simply, but the seemingly harmless Trainers may have hidden agendas unbeknownst to others.
"Woo!"
Weedle nodded earnestly, its little eyes swirling as it looked around.
In the wild, the Trainer's safety rests in the Pokémon's hands.
Soon.
Natsuhiko and Weedle step out of the safe zone and enter Dense Wood Forest.
The thick foliage casts dappled shadows as specks of light filter through the leaves, conveying a sense of tranquility in the forest.
But behind this tranquility lurks dangers that could arise at any moment.
On the branches, Caterpie quietly munches on the leaves, Oddish hidden in the bushes shakes its leaves, flocks of Pidgey playfully dart through the woods, frightening Caterpie into hiding in the leaves without daring to move.
A vibrant scene unaffected by the season.
These are non-aggressive Wild Pokémon.
As long as one doesn't provoke them, they will do nothing outrageous other than being curious about Natsuhiko and Weedle stepping in.
Suddenly.
Natsuhiko feels Weedle on his shoulder suddenly stiffen, standing upright, eyes fixed intently on a certain part of the dense forest.
Has it arrived?
Natsuhiko squints his eyes, quietly continuing to walk forward.
"Kree!"
A piercing shriek.
A robust Wild Spearow abruptly bursts from the cover of the leaves, its sharp gaze sweeping over Natsuhiko and Weedle, finally settling its fierce eyes on Weedle.
Its sharp beak and gleaming claws indicate it's an excellent hunter of these woods.
The Spearow's target is Weedle.
"Woo!" Weedle hunches down, letting out a low cry.
"Spin silk."
Natsuhiko commands swiftly.
Such a direct attack is as easy as serving a dish in his eyes.
Upon hearing the command, without hesitation, Weedle straightens its hunched body, shooting a glowing white line of silk from its mouth, streaking through the forest, directly hitting Spearow's wing.
The sudden change in the wing's weight causes Spearow to panic, affecting its speed and direction.
"Try again," Natsuhiko calmly said.
Weedle's mouth opens once more, shooting another line of silk at Spearow.
The successful hits from the two silk spins destined that Spearow had lost its final ability to resist.
"Finish it, Poison Needle."
As Natsuhiko's voice just falls, sensing the timing is about right, the sharp needle on Weedle's head glows purple, several slender poison needles imbued with a chill shoot out, precisely embedding into Spearow.
Originally, Weedle's poison wasn't strong, but after developing it with Energy Blocks these days, it has improved significantly.
"Kree!" Spearow screams miserably.
After the poison needles pierce into Spearow, it staggers unable to maintain flight, crashing straight to the ground.
Purple rings soak its body.
Falling into a poisoned state.
"One down."
After silently capturing the fallen Spearow with the club's camera device, Natsuhiko steps over it and continues deeper inward.
Their mission this time is to clear the entire Dense Wood Forest area; this Spearow could only be considered an appetizer.
Moreover, this Spearow isn't particularly strong; perhaps it can easily crush wild Weedle, but against Natsuhiko's Weedle, it falls short.
"Well done, a good start."
Each cleared Pokémon earns a reward.
Taking out a small piece of Energy Block, he offers it to Weedle.
This mission isn't easy, and the dangers of the wild cannot be relaxed because of just one Spearow; Weedle needs to ensure sufficient energy and condition at all times.
"Woo!"
Weedle accepts the Energy Block with a sound of acknowledgment.
It also realizes this isn't like usual, not excessively excited upon seeing the Energy Block, maintaining constant vigilance.
Even with each small bite, it lifts its head swiftly, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
Moreover...
"Spearow should be a social Pokémon, finding one in a forest means there are definitely more around." Natsuhiko calmly analyzes.
Spearow has a relatively volatile nature, and their social behavior makes them unwanted targets for Trainers in the wild.
Similar to a swarm of Beedrill, they're irrational kinds of wild Pokémon.
"But since Dense Wood Forest is regularly cleared, there shouldn't be many Spearow here."
Stepping on the fallen leaves and twigs, making a "rustling" sound.
As he expected, not long after moving forward, Weedle again senses a threat.
Several nimble silhouettes emerge from the dense canopy, wings fluttering, looking down at Natsuhiko and Weedle with red eyes.
"Four."
Natsuhiko's gaze sweeps through, confirming only four without any more appearing, he breathes a slight sigh of relief.
This group of Spearow isn't large.
And without a Fearow, it's relatively easier to handle.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko observes among these four Spearow, one is more robust than the others, sweeping over Natsuhiko and Weedle fiercely, confirming no other enemies before a look of disdain flashes in its eyes.
Since when did their Spearow get bullied by a Weedle?
The previous defeated Spearow was a disgrace to them.
Lightly flapping its wings, it slowly lands on a branch, astonishingly beginning to groom its feathers and sharp claws, not giving Weedle any notice.
"Kree!"
Crying out a command-like sound.
The other three Spearow, eyes red, directly attack Natsuhiko and Weedle.
One versus three, this is Weedle's first time.