Shit!
That was Licht's last clear thought before everything went wrong.
Doduo and Yellow rushed in at the same time, unable to stop themselves. The next second, all three collided hard with a tree, the impact knocking the breath from Licht as he ended up pinned underneath them.
Charmander immediately scrambled over, as it hurried to Licht's side.
From a short distance away, Ash, Misty, and Pikachu froze for a split second then ran over together.
"Ugh… Dody, are you alright?" Yellow asked, her voice shaky as she pushed herself up, still a little dazed.
Doduo wobbled where he stood, having barely avoided crashing again. he gave a small, unsteady nod, letting out a soft hum in response.
Licht groaned beneath her. "Guys… I know you're having your bonding moment, but you're kind of crushing me. I can't breathe."
Yellow and Dody both froze, then looked down at the same time.
"Oh!" Yellow yelped.
They quickly stepped back, giving Licht space. Yellow bowed her head slightly, her expression full of guilt. "Um, Licht, I'm really sorry about that. Are you hurt?"
Dody lowered his heads as well, mimicking the apology.
By then, Charmander was right beside Licht, with Ash, Misty and Pikachu close behind. Charmander let out a quiet growl, tilting its head as if asking whether he was okay.
Licht sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head before pushing himself to his feet. He reached out and patted Charmander's head reassuringly. "Nah, it's fine. I'm okay. Just a bit dazed."
He paused, then glanced at Yellow, who was still apologizing under her breath. "But… Yellow, what are you doing here?"
Everyone turned toward the yellow-haired girl and the two-headed Pokémon beside her.
Yellow finally stopped bowing and straightened up. "I was looking for you guys. I waited near my place, but when you didn't show up, I got worried. I thought you might've gotten lost, so Dody and I came to look for you."
Before she could say anything else, Misty suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Yellow's hands. Her eyes were already starting to water.
"Oh, thank you!" Misty said, squeezing tightly. "We've been walking for hours and couldn't find anything. If it weren't for you, we'd have had to sleep in the forest. It's full of bugs, they're crawling everywhere!"
Yellow took a small step back, caught off guard by Misty's intensity and teary eyes, her face turning red in surprise.
Licht and Ash stepped in as well. Ash grinned widely and waved. "Hey, Yellow! It's been so long. Remember me?"
"How have you been, Yellow? I have to say that was one hell of a greeting," Licht added, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Yellow relaxed a little and smiled softly. "Hmm, Ash… yeah, it's been a while." She then turned to Licht, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's been a while, Licht."
Misty cleared her throat, realizing she hadn't properly introduced herself yet. She released Yellow's hands and offered a more composed smile. "Oh sorry about that. I'm Misty."
Yellow smiled back. "I'm Yellow. Nice to meet you."
Ash glanced at the Pokémon beside her. "Hey, Yellow is that your Pokémon?"
Yellow nodded, gently patting Doduo's feathers. "Um, Dody was originally my uncle's Pokémon. I've taken care of him since he was still an egg. But recently, my uncle gave him to me as my first Pokémon."
Licht quickly pulled out his Pokédex, snapped a picture of Dody, and nodded in approval. "You take really good care of him. He looks strong."
"I mostly just look after him," Yellow said, glancing at Dody as he shifted beside her. "My uncle's the one who trained him. I still have a long way to go when it comes to Pokémon."
Misty, meanwhile, shifted uneasily. Her eyes flicked toward the darkening trees as the light began to fade between the branches. She wrapped her arms around herself before speaking up. "Guys… should we get going? I really don't want to wander around this forest after dark."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and without wasting any more time, they followed Yellow deeper along the path.
Moments later, they emerged into a small clearing.
Wilton, who had been feeding his Pokémon nearby, paused and looked up when he noticed them approaching. His face broke into a smile. "Ah, Yellow. You're finally here."
Before anyone could respond, Dody suddenly bolted forward like a gust of wind, heading straight for the food set out behind Wilton.
Then Dody skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over his own feet as both heads dove toward the food at the same time, arguing with each other in a series of sharp chirps.
For a moment, everyone just stared.
Then all three bowed slightly. "Thank you for having us," they said in unison.
Wilton laughed heartily, waving a hand. "Hahaha, no need for formalities, kids. Make yourselves at home."
As night slowly settled in, Wilton moved off to prepare dinner while the kids gathered nearby, chatting casually and talking about their Pokémon. Laughter and excited voices filled the clearing.
Soon enough, Wilton called them over.
At the dinner table, Misty, Ash, and Licht wasted no time, digging into the food eating like a trio of starving Snorlax.
----------
Later that night, Licht sat beneath a tree just behind the campfire, a notebook resting on his knee as he quietly took notes for Professor Oak. The crackling of the fire and the low hum of conversation filled the clearing. Nearby, Ash, Misty, and Yellow sat together by the flames, all of their Pokémon gathered around them Caterpie, Charmander, Pikachu, Pidgey, who Licht had treated earlier, and Dody each of them settled comfortably around the warmth of the fire.
The scene was peaceful. Warm. Familiar.
Wilton moved between them, handing out cups of hot chocolate.
Licht paused his writing and looked up, taking it all in. For a moment, he simply watched. Then he reached for his Pokédex, snapped a quick picture of the scene, and lowered it again. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath.
'It's been ten long years, he thought. But this feeling of peace and calm… it never stops amazing me.'
"Here, Licht. Have some," Wilton said, holding out a cup of warm hot chocolate as he sat down beside him.
"Thank you," Licht replied, pulled from his thoughts as he accepted it and wrapped his hands around the cup.
Wilton glanced at the notebook resting in Licht's lap. "Working on something?"
"Mm-hmm," Licht said, taking a small sip. "Just doing some work for Professor Oak. Nothing important just taking notes."
Wilton nodded thoughtfully. "Yellow mentioned back at summer camp that you work with Professor Oak. She said you even help teach sometimes. You must've picked up a lot over the years."
Licht chuckled softly and scratched the back of his head. "It's really nothing special. Ash and I have been helping Professor Oak since we were four. I just happened to spend more time in the lab with him, so I picked things up along the way."
"Don't be so modest, kid," Wilton said with a small chuckle. "There aren't many people your age capable of helping Professor Oak at all."
He paused, his expression shifting as something more serious crossed his face. "But that aside… Licht, can I ask you something?"
Licht looked up, noticing the change in Wilton's tone. He nodded quietly.
"Licht," Wilton said slowly, "is it true that you have the same power as Yellow?" He hesitated before continuing. "After she came back from summer camp, she told me about you. She said you have a power similar to hers and that you can even use it properly."
Licht didn't answer right away. Then he spoke calmly. "I do have the power of Viridian. But I'm still far from mastering it."
"The… power of Viridian," Wilton repeated, testing the words. He fell silent for a moment before continuing. "Yellow's mother died when she was born. My brother brought her here and only told me that she was special… then he disappeared."
Wilton's gaze drifted toward the campfire in the distance. "I watched her grow up. I know how much she loves Pokémon. But if she stays here forever, she'll never truly grow. She needs to see the broader world." His voice lowered. "Still… I can't leave her alone. That girl is far too kind for her own good."
He turned back to Licht. "So, if it's alright with you… would you take Yellow with you on your journey?"
Licht studied Wilton for a moment. "Why do you trust me so much?" he asked honestly. "We've only just met."
Wilton smiled softly. "I may not understand the powers you two have," he said, "but I can tell this much.....powers like that don't come to people with bad intentions." He paused, letting his words settle. "And Yellow told me everything about summer camp. I can see how much she trusts you."
Licht nodded once. "I don't have any problem with it," he said. "As long as Yellow agrees."
The next day
"Huh?! But I thought we were going to travel together!" Ash shouted.
"Jeez, Ash," Licht said, rubbing his ear. "Are you trying to burst my eardrum?" He smirked slightly. "I'm your brother, sure but don't forget, I'm also your rival. We're fighting each other at the Indigo League."
"W-well… yeah, I know," Ash muttered, looking away. "Still… it doesn't feel right."
"It's not like we'll never see each other again," Licht said with a quiet sigh. "We'll run into each other on our journeys."
He didn't say it out loud, but he felt it too. He wanted to travel with Ash. Still, Ash had his own path to follow, and Licht didn't want to interfere with that.
After the brief banter between the brothers, they set out once more.
Ash and Misty decided to head toward Pewter City. Licht, on the other hand, chose to venture deeper into Viridian Forest.
Yellow, excited at the thought of starting her journey, joined Licht without hesitation.
And so, together, Licht and Yellow disappeared into the depths of Viridian Forest.