The forest was breathtaking, alive with shimmering beams of sunlight filtering through emerald leaves, every corner humming with the magic of Pokémon.
Until that moment, when serenity shattered like glass.
"AAAHHHHH!!!" Satoshi's footsteps pounded against the dirt trail as he sprinted for dear life, his blue hoodie flapping wildly, visor hat nearly flying off his head.
His lungs burned, legs pumping with everything he had, dodging roots and low-hanging vines that clawed at him like accusing fingers.
"ZIGZAGOON!!!" The little raccoon Pokémon zipped alongside him, its striped fur a blur as it bounded erratically, both of them running as if they'd done something they shouldn't.
"Zigzagoon, what the heck did you do?!"
Satoshi shouted, his voice ragged over the thunder of their escape. He leaped over a fallen log, narrowly avoiding a tumble, heart slamming against his ribs.
Zigzagoon darted ahead, panic etched in every frantic stride, its tail whipping behind like a flag of surrender.
"Zigzag! (I was just trying to clear the bush!)" it yelped, veering left to avoid a thorny thicket.
A thunderous roar erupted from behind them, shaking the trees and sending birds scattering into the sky like feathered fireworks.
"URSSAAA-RINNGGG!!"
Satoshi didn't dare look back, but he could feel the ground tremble under the pursuer's weight.
"That was NOT just clearing! You launched a Pin Missile into a bush with something sleeping in it!!" he accused, sweat stinging his eyes as he pushed harder.
"Ziiig!! (I didn't know there was a giant bear back there!!)" Zigzagoon protested, its voice high-pitched with regret.
Behind them, trees cracked and splintered as the enraged Ursaring barreled through, eyes glowing with fury, its massive fur bristling.
Fresh clusters of pin-sized wounds dotted its belly, oozing slightly—clear evidence of Zigzagoon's misguided "path-clearing" attack. The bear's claws gouged deep furrows in the earth, its roars echoing like thunderclaps, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
Satoshi wheezed, his breath coming in short, desperate gasps.
"This is it. This is how I die. Trampled by a bear because you can't aim." His mind raced—images of his old pet shop life flashing by, ironic that his animal expertise hadn't prepared him for this.
"Zigzagoon!! (You said clear the path!)" the Pokémon shot back, leaping over a streamlet without breaking stride.
"Not at the speed of violence, idiot!" Satoshi retorted, his frustration bubbling over even as fear clawed at him.
They burst through a narrow clearing, sunlight blinding for a split second—only to skid to a stop, dust flying and rocks tumbling under their feet.
Dead end.
A sheer cliff stretched out before them, dropping into a deep ravine below, the wind howling up from the depths like a mocking whisper. Far below, a river snaked through jagged rocks, too distant to offer any safe landing. Satoshi's stomach dropped as he stared into the abyss, the edge crumbling slightly under his heels.
He slowly turned around, blood draining from his face. 'Oh no...'
Ursaring emerged from the forest line like a storm given claws and muscles, its hulking form silhouetted against the trees. Eyes locked on its two targets, it snorted steam from its nostrils, paws flexing with lethal intent.
The air thickened with tension, the bear's low growl vibrating through the ground.
'Okay, okay… think!' Satoshi hissed to himself, backing up until his heels teetered on the cliff's edge.
His backpack felt heavier than ever, and he doesn't have time to rummage for tool that could save them now. Fight? Run? Jump? None seemed viable.
Zigzagoon stood beside him, panting heavily, its fur standing on end like a porcupine. Its ears flattened as it stared down the massive beast, but instead of cowering, it shifted its stance—lowering its body, muscles coiling like a spring.
Satoshi glanced down, confusion cutting through his panic. "You got any ideas? Maybe apologizing to that Ursaring!?"
But Zigzagoon didn't answer.
Instead, it stepped forward boldly, its eyes sharpening with sudden resolve. Its fur shimmered faintly, as if something inside had ignited—not just fear, but determination.
"Zigzagoon! (I've decided!)" it declared, voice steady despite the chaos.
Satoshi blinked, utterly confused. "What now?!"
The little raccoon's gaze met his, fierce and unwavering.
"Zigzagoon! (You're my trainer now! I trust you!)"
Satoshi's eyes widened, the world freezing around him—the Ursaring's roar fading into a distant hum. 'That's the most dumbest and ridiculous way to choose a traine—'
His thoughts stumbled. "...Wait. Are you saying??"
Zigzagoon growled, ready to charge, its paws digging into the dirt. "Zig! (Give me a command!)"
With a quick sigh, a grin broke across Satoshi's face—wild, exhilarated, even though anger at the Pokémon's earlier blunder still simmered. He stepped forward, rolling up his sleeves and yanking the hood over his head, shadowing his serious eyes as he slipped his left hand into his pocket for that dramatic flair.
"Fine, you better not lose 'cuz I'm betting my life on you, brat."
Without hesitation, Satoshi gave the command, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.
"Zigzagoon—use Sand Attack! Cover the entire area!"
Zigzagoon didn't hesitate.
It kicked up dirt with its paws, but instead of just flinging it at Ursaring's face, it darted side to side in a wide arc, spinning and whipping its tail like a mop in a sandstorm. A gritty cloud began to form, swirling around them like a miniature dust storm.
Within seconds, the battlefield vanished into a choking haze of brown.
"Zig! (Whoa, this much?!)" Zigzagoon exclaimed, even as it kept moving.
"Don't be distracted yet!" Satoshi shouted through the haze, coughing slightly but staying focused. "He can't hit what he can't see!"
Ursaring roared in confusion, swiping the air with heavy arms, its massive form stomping blindly. The ground trembled, but its eyes were useless in the dense sand-cloud, claws raking empty space.
"Now, circle it in a zig-zag! While completely camouflaged in the dust!" Satoshi called, his mind racing ahead, drawing from old game strategies adapted to this real-world frenzy.
Zigzagoon zipped around the blurred edges of the dusty smokescreen, small enough to vanish completely into the cloud, its natural brown fur blending seamlessly. Boosted by its impressive speed stat, it weaved like a shadow, impossible to track.
Ursaring let out a frustrated roar, throwing out a Slash—its claws glowing with white energy as it carved into the air randomly. Dirt and leaves burst from where it struck, but Zigzagoon was already gone, a phantom in the storm.
Satoshi clenched a fist, adrenaline surging. "Now!"
"Use Headbutt! Aim for the back!"
Zigzagoon launched itself out of the fog like a bullet, striking Ursaring square in the back. The larger Pokémon snarled, staggering from the unexpected impact. It whipped around instinctively, its eyes flashing with more rage.
"Careful! He's charging something!" Satoshi shouted, spotting the telltale glow.
Ursaring's fist ignited with a deep orange-red flame, crackling with heat as it prepared a Fire Punch. The air warped around it, embers flickering.
Satoshi's eyes widened. "Evade to the right!"
Zigzagoon veered at the last second, flames scorching the air beside its fur, singeing a few strands but missing the mark. The Pokémon skidded, then darted back into the safety of the fog.
"Good, back into the fog! Now, use Pin Missile! Wide spread!" Satoshi commanded, his voice steady despite the pounding heart.
'I need to defeat it quickly before the dust fades away—it's just a knock-off version of Sandstorm.'
Zigzagoon leapt back into the sandstorm, positioning itself at the perfect angle. The spikes on its back glowed with sharp energy as it aimed, launching a shower of shimmering white needles in every direction like a shotgun blast.
The Pin Missiles burst through the fog in a spread, striking trees, ground, and more importantly—Ursaring's arms and chest as it tried to shield itself.
"ROAARRR!" The bear stumbled, shaking its arms to knock off the barrage of sharp needles. It dropped to one knee, panting, its fur bristling and scorched.
As the dust finally began to settle, giving Satoshi his vision back, he seized the moment. "Now!" His voice was sharp, commanding. "Headbutt its upper jaw!"
Zigzagoon burst forward swiftly, dashing through the thinning sandstorm before launching itself upward in a flailing attempt.
Its body twisted mid-air, the move evolving in the heat of battle—Headbutt morphing into a frantic Flail, limbs and head whipping wildly for maximum impact.
[Zigzagoon: Has a new move! "Flail"]
Its head slammed under Ursaring's jaw with a brutal crack.
The bear's head snapped back, eyes rolling as its balance faltered. The giant wavered, letting out a final, weakened groan, then collapsed to the ground with a earth-shaking thud—fainted.
Zigzagoon halted, slowly letting its guard down, breathing hard, its eyes wide as it stared at the fallen bear.
"Zig…? (Did I actually… win?)" it whispered, almost in awe.
Satoshi ran up, his serious expression softening as he caught his breath. "You okay? Why are you surprised by it?"
The little Pokémon looked back at its paws, still stunned that it had defeated a giant. "Zigzag… (I never thought… you could use those moves like that…)"
Satoshi grinned, kneeling beside it and ruffling its spiky fur—carefully, this time. "Well, that's because I'm your trainer now."
'That's because I've been pent-up with ideas on how to use these moves more cleverly and effectively. Back when I played Pokémon non-stop, I'd get so frustrated at the game sometimes, wishing I could tweak a move's use in real life instead of being stuck with the limitations of the screen. I used to scribble notes endlessly, imagining the perfect way to pull off every move—and now, all of that is etched into my memory.'
"Zig… zagoon? (Wait a second... how did you know all my moves?)" The Zigzagoon stared at Satoshi for a long, suspicious moment, its eyes narrowing.
Satoshi froze, still kneeling. "..." He blinked once. Slowly. Calmly.
Zigzagoon squinted further. "Ziiig… (Suspicious…)"
"Anyway," he said, not even flinching, standing up smoothly, "you hungry? I still have leftover fried rice."
But the mention of food made its tail flick, distraction taking hold. "Zig. Zag! (Fine. I'll let it slide for now!)"
Satoshi smirked as he pulled out a Poké Ball from his hoodie pocket. "Alright, then. Let's make it official."
'Good thing I brought out the Poké Ball from my backpack first, so it'll seem natural within the hoodie instead.'
He held it out, and Zigzagoon tapped it with its paw without hesitation. The ball sucked the Pokémon inside, then snapped shut. It shook once… twice... Click!
Satoshi exhaled slowly, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "…Gotcha."
He stood up, holding the ball in his hand, the weight of his first caught partner sinking in. He turned to glance behind him, only to blink in surprise. Rising in the near distance, with its gleaming towers and bustling skyline, was Lumiose City.
"…Huh. Guess we're closer than I thought."
A low groan reminded him of something important. He looked back at the unconscious Ursaring sprawled across the grass, still breathing but clearly worn out.
Satoshi scratched the back of his head. "Right… that."
He sighed, pulling out another Poké Ball. "I can't just leave you here. It was my Zigzagoon's fault, after all… and I am this idiot's trainer now."
He looked at the bear's huge frame, then at his own wiry arms. '…Yeah. No way I'm carrying you to a Pokémon Center on my back.'
Satoshi tossed the Poké Ball. A red beam engulfed the Ursaring, pulling it inside. The ball twitched in the grass—once… twice… third... click.
Satoshi walked over, picking it up. "I'll get you healed up and let you go after that," he said, giving the ball a nod of respect. "You didn't deserve that Pin Missile wake-up call, big guy."
He tucked both Poké Balls into his pocket, pulled down his hoodie, and adjusted his visor hat as he turned toward the path back down the cliff.
Slinging his backpack over his right shoulder, he started walking away—back straight, steps confident as his journey finally, officially began.
*
To be continued...
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