Want to read ahead. You know where
Are you interested in reading Cynthia Vs Sabrina when the meet.
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Early the Next Morning
Sam woke up feeling unusually refreshed, almost electric, like his entire body was brimming with power.
Every limb felt light, every breath crisp and full.
It was as if he were connected to something deeper.
"Must be the proximity to Viridian Forest," he murmured, stretching as he sat up.
"Just being near it… It's like I'm constantly absorbing life energy."
His instincts were rarely wrong.
This forest wasn't ordinary; it was saturated with the life force of Kanto's ecosystem.
For someone like him, with an affinity for Viridian force, this place was like a spiritual hot spring.
Without wasting any time, he packed up, shouldered his backpack, and checked out of the small inn he'd stayed at on the outskirts of Viridian City.
The city itself was a shell of its former self, aged, a little run-down, with an air of quiet resignation.
He didn't linger.
Soon, the crumbling concrete gave way to nature's domain.
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Viridian Forest.
As far as the eye could see, a sea of green greeted him.
Thick trees arched overhead, their leafy canopies filtering sunlight into dappled golden beams.
The air was damp, but not oppressive; it was fresh, earthy, and alive.
"Now this," he exhaled, "is what I needed."
Everywhere he looked, life teemed.
The cries of distant Pokémon echoed through the trees.
He caught glimpses of Caterpie inching up trunks, Weedle nestled among leaves, and the faint rustle of Oddish hiding beneath the undergrowth.
But Viridian Forest was much more than just trees.
As he ventured deeper, the terrain began to shift.
Patches of grassland emerged between groves, small hills and rocky ridges jutted from the earth, and glistening pools of water sparkled between tangled roots.
It wasn't just Bug-types here.
Rock, Ground, Water, even Steel-types had been sighted deeper in.
The name "Viridian Forest" didn't do it justice.
It was an entire world.
Sam strolled at a leisurely pace, basking in the atmosphere, occasionally stopping to inhale deeply and close his eyes.
His whole being felt open, connected, awake.
"This place is incredible," he whispered to himself.
"It's like every cell in my body just turned on. If I train here for a day… the Viridian force in me might grow ten times faster than usual."
But he wasn't at the usual entrance.
That meant wild Pokémon wouldn't be as accustomed to passing trainers, and the chances of a hostile encounter were higher.
With a flick of his wrist, he released Lucario.
The Aura Pokémon materialized silently beside him, tall, composed, and alert.
Just his presence alone was enough to deter most wild Pokémon from even thinking about approaching.
The forest responded accordingly.
The rustling in the bushes grew fainter.
Watchful eyes blinked out from shadowy foliage.
But Sam didn't mind the quiet.
The deeper he walked, the more in sync he felt with the land around him.
And then,
Buzzing.
A shrill, rapid vibration tore through the air like a saw.
Sam's eyes narrowed.
His body didn't move, but his senses sharpened instantly.
From the thick foliage ahead, a blur of yellow and black shot out like a missile.
Beedrill.
Its blood-red compound eyes locked onto him with deadly intent.
Without hesitation, it charged, gleaming stingers aimed directly for his throat.
"Luca!" Sam's command came the instant he felt the killing intent.
But Lucario didn't need the order.
"Luka!"
In a flash, the blue blur rocketed forward.
Beedrill's twin drills were already inches from Sam's neck, but Lucario intercepted them with brutal precision.
The first sting glanced off Lucario's Aura-cloaked forearm with a spark, and in the same motion, Lucario spun and slammed his fist into Beedrill's narrow abdomen.
Crack!
The insect was sent flying, tumoring through the air before crashing into a tree and sliding down, twitching.
Sam calmly walked up, eyes on the dazed Beedrill struggling to get back up.
"Not a normal encounter," he muttered.
His eyes shimmered faintly.
Eye of Detection was activated.
[Pokémon: Beedrill]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Bug / Poison]
[Ability: Swarm (Powers up Bug-type moves when HP is low.)]
[Level: 40 (Low-tier Gym)]
[Potential: Gym Level]
[Moves: Fury Attack, Bug Bite, Poison Jab, Harden, Focus Energy, Venoshock, Assurance]
[Status Condition: Berserk – Caused by exposure to a certain kind of sound wave. Energy flow is disordered, resulting in increased aggression.]
[Notes: Native to Viridian Forest. Typically not hostile unless provoked. Under the Berserk condition, Beedrill exhibits unpredictable attack patterns, erratic aerial movement, and enhanced venom gland activity. Pain response is suppressed, leading to reckless assault behavior. Shows brief flashes of advanced combat instinct despite the unstable state.]
"Sound wave interference?" Sam frowned.
Berserk.
Sam's expression darkened as he stared at the writhing Beedrill on the ground.
"It's exactly like Darkrai," he muttered, eyes narrowing.
"No wonder it attacked us without hesitation."
His jaw clenched. A familiar suspicion crept into his mind.
"Is Team Rocket... experimenting again? Here, in Viridian Forest?"
The thought wasn't far-fetched.
They had a long, ugly history of using Pokémon as test subjects, pushing limits no one else dared to.
If these Beedrill were any sign, something was stirring deep within this forest, something artificial and dangerous.
Just as the thought solidified, a low hum thrummed through the trees.
Lucario tensed, ears twitching sharply.
"Luka!" he barked, alerting Sam.
"I hear it too." Sam's voice was tight, focused.
He closed his eyes, reaching out with the power of aura, the waveguide energy he'd been slowly mastering.
Through it, he scanned the forest.
A sharp disturbance flared in his mind, multiple hostile presences converging.
"Damn."
From the shadows between the trees, the buzzing grew louder, then exploded into a swarm.
A dozen Beedrill burst forth from the underbrush, their wings slicing through the air like razors.
All of them were stronger than the last.
Most were at Gym Leader level, and two of them had already reached early Elite-tier strength.
Each one had the same blood-red eyes.
Same erratic movements. Same uncontrollable rage.
Sam didn't hesitate.
He stepped back calmly, already pulling out two Poké Balls from his belt.
"Silver. Darkrai. Take them down."
The two spheres burst open.
Silver, emerged with a sharp cry, wings flaring wide.
"Liliii…"
A dark mist surged beside him as Darkrai materialized, tendrils of shadow twisting in anticipation.
The Beedrill swarm didn't pause.
They came at him full force.
But Sam's team was ready.
Darkrai raised one hand, summoning a wave of black energy that burst outward like a tidal shockwave, engulfing the nearest attackers.
Silver unleashed a whirling gust, his Aeroblast cutting through the chaotic flight pattern of the incoming Beedrill with uncanny precision.
Still, there were too many.
As Sam coordinated his team, deep within the forest, a towering structure stood half-concealed by trees and vines.
A signal tower, sleek, metallic, and utterly out of place in the natural environment, pulsed with energy.
From its core, it emitted a low-frequency sound wave, inaudible to humans but devastating to Pokémon.
It distorted the natural rhythm of their minds, scrambling signals, inducing frenzied states.
Any Pokémon that heard it… fell into madness.
---------------------
North of Viridian Forest
"ROOOAR!!!"
A herd of Rhydon stampeded through the forest, bellowing in pain and confusion.
Their eyes glowed red, their movements jerky and uncoordinated.
The ground trembled beneath their charge.
At the front of the herd: a massive Rhyperior, its armor cracked and dusted from its wild thrashing.
It slammed its stone-clad fists into a nearby cliff wall, letting out a tortured roar, as if trying to drive out the unbearable pressure in its skull.
The pain wasn't subsiding, but instinct told them to run.
To flee.
And their direction?
Straight toward Pewter City.
-----------
East of Viridian Forest
"GRRAAAAH!!"
Roars erupted from another part of the woods, the Nido Clan's territory.
Nidoking stomped furiously, his tail smashing a fallen log in half.
Beside him, Nidoqueen snarled, rallying the frightened Nidorina and Nidorino around her.
The entire clan had been affected.
The psychic noise tore through their minds like claws, stripping away reason and leaving only fear, anger, and pain.
"ROOOAR!!"
With no other choice, the leaders of the clan began herding their kin away from the corrupted forest.
Their destination?
Viridian City.
The signal tower pulsed again, brighter and more erratic.
Whatever Team Rocket had set up here, it wasn't just an experiment anymore, it was a catastrophe in the making.
The entire Viridian Forest had become a powder keg.
The Pokémon within, once part of a balanced ecosystem, were now mindless forces of destruction.
And soon… they'd burst free from the forest's edge.
When that happened, the surrounding cities, Pewter, Viridian, and even the outer districts of Pallet Town, would face the full force of a berserk Pokémon stampede.
Unless someone stopped it.
Fast.