Chapter: 14 Lost in the Forest

The air smelled damp, like moss and rain, though it hadn't rained in days. 

Trees surrounded us—towering oaks and twisted pines, their branches knotted into a web above us, cutting off our line of sight. 

I hated this. Hated feeling cornered by nature, with no clear path forward.

I glanced over at Alice, who stood a few feet away, bent over the map. 

Her eyes scanned it, tracing invisible lines as if willing it to make sense. 

She hadn't said a word in the last ten minutes, but her body language told me everything. 

She was frustrated.

I stepped closer, nudging her shoulder. "We're lost."

Alice froze. 

Slowly, she turned to face me, and I stopped dead in my tracks. 

Her eyes—usually sharp, calculating—were glistening, barely holding back tears. 

She swallowed hard and whispered, "I'm sorry."

I blinked. 

Alice, the one who never panicked, who never let her guard down, was apologizing?

I pulled her into a hug, awkwardly at first. 

"Why are you crying?" I muttered, my voice rough, trying to downplay it. "We got lost. It's not a big deal. We're not exactly forest experts."

She buried her face in my chest, her tears soaking through my hoodie. "I thought… when we started this, I thought if we stuck to the path, we'd reach where we needed to go. I didn't plan for—"

"Hey," I cut her off, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes. "It's not your fault. The Beedrill attack wasn't in your plan. No one could've seen that coming."

Her tears slowed, and she leaned in closer, her arms tightening around me. "I didn't think I'd mess up like this."

I rubbed the back of her head, unsure what to say. 

Alice crying made my chest ache. "You didn't mess up. This is normal. People get lost in forests all the time. We'll figure it out."

She blinked up at me, confused. "You're not mad?"

I sighed and wiped her tears with my thumb, feeling the damp streaks under my skin. "Nah. We'll be fine. Don't cry."

She stared at me, dumbfounded, her lips parting slightly. 

I leaned down and kissed the spot where her tears had been, feeling the warmth of her skin. 

Her cheeks flushed a deep red, and she went still. 

And then, without a word, I kissed her lips.

when our lips met, it felt… right. 

She didn't pull away, instead, she buried her face in my chest.

We stayed like that for a while, just breathing, just being there. 

Her sobs had long since stopped, replaced by the soft rise and fall of her chest against mine. 

She was calming down.

Eventually, I pulled back, letting her go. "Let me check the map."

She hesitated before stepping out of my arms, and I took the crumpled paper from her hands, spreading it out. 

The lines and symbols meant nothing to me, but I pretended they did. "How much food do we have left?"

"Two days' worth," she murmured, wiping at her face. "I packed for seven days, but… after the Beedrill attack…" Her voice trailed off, and she glanced away.

"Right." I nodded, eyes still on the map. "Did Bulbasaur learn Swords Dance?"

She blinked at me, the shift in topic clearly catching her off guard. "Yeah, just recently. I need to just confirm it."

I smirked. "Charmander's still working on Toxic."

Alice frowned. "Wait. Why are we talking about training right now?"

I chuckled, unable to help myself. "You're cute when you're confused."

She blushed again, her arms crossing over her chest. "Shut up."

I scanned the map, squinting at it as if I could make sense of it through sheer willpower. "We should go right."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Intuition."

Her lips twitched, and to my surprise, she nodded. "Makes sense."

Now it was my turn to be dumbfounded. 

She snatched the map from my hands, rolled it up, and tucked it into her bag. 

Without another word, she started walking in the direction I'd pointed out.

I shook my head, trailing after her. 

We were lost, running low on food, and surrounded by who knows how many wild Pokémon. 

And yet, somehow, we kept moving forward. Together.

And that was enough. 

For now.

---

A sharp sound cut through the air. 

I stopped dead, my heart kicking against my ribs.

"Did you hear that?" My voice came out low, cautious.

Alice's eyes darted ahead, her body tense. "Yeah. It sounded like a scream."

"Ghost." The word slipped out before I could stop myself. 

It earned me a sharp smack on the arm.

"Idiot," Alice muttered. 

"No, it's something else. Definitely not a ghost." Her tone left no room for argument, though the tightness in her voice betrayed her calm front. 

Without another word, we both took off, racing toward the sound. 

The forest closed in around us, shadows warping as the moon dipped behind the trees. 

My pulse pounded in my ears, feet barely skimming the ground. 

We broke through the treeline and skidded to a halt. 

There it was—a Scyther, tall and menacing, blades glinting under the faint moonlight, standing just feet away from a trembling kid. 

His eyes were wide, full of that desperate fear only kids seem to have when they're too scared to think straight. 

"Please!" His voice cracked. "Save me, big brother, big sister!"

Alice huffed under her breath. "Why does every ten-year-old call us that?" She shot me a look, and I knew what was coming next before she even spoke. "You?"

"Yeah, me." I couldn't help the grin that split my face. "I'm catching it. That Scyther's got my name all over it."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Of course." She turned to the kid, keeping her voice calm. "Hey, is that your Scyther or wild?"

The kid shook his head, his whole body trembling. "Not mine."

Perfect. 

My hand shot to my belt, and in one fluid motion, I tossed the Pokéball, releasing Charmander in a flash of light. 

The little guy growled low, his tail flame flaring up as soon as he locked eyes with the Scyther. 

Excitement bubbled up inside him, feeding into me. 

We were both itching for this.

"Scyther!" I shouted, pointing straight at him. "Let the kid go, and we can settle this ourselves!"

No hesitation. 

The Scyther lunged, moving so fast he was a blur. 

Quick Attack.

"Charmander, growl and Mega Punch!" My words snapped out just as fast. 

Charmander's growl hit first, stopping Scyther for a fraction of a second. 

That was all the opening we needed. 

Charmander's fist connected, slamming into Scyther's side, sending the bug-type crashing into a tree.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice. 

She was already moving the kid to the side, out of the danger zone.

She glanced back, meeting my eyes for a beat before nodding. 

She trusted me.

"Charmander, tail smack! Let's go!"

Charmander darted forward, fire flickering at his tail tip. 

But Scyther was quicker than I'd expected. 

The bug-type rolled to its feet and dodged just before Charmander's attack could land. 

It blurred forward again, Quick Attack slicing through the air.

"Charmander, dodge it and hit him with Mega Punch!" I barked the command just as Scyther was about to land the blow. 

Charmander ducked under the attack, then spun, his fist coming up fast and brutal. 

The hit landed square on Scyther's face, sending him flying into the dirt, hard enough to crack the ground.

Charmander landed in front of me, crouched and ready for more, flames dancing in his eyes. 

I watched as Scyther staggered to his feet, determination flickering in his sharp eyes. 

He wasn't done yet.

I stepped forward, my voice dropping low. "You're good. But you could be better. Come with me, and we'll go to the next level." 

Scyther's gaze locked with mine, something fierce passing between us. 

For a long second, he didn't move. 

Then, slowly, he kneeled like a warrior offering surrender.

I pulled out a Pokéball, my hand steady even though adrenaline still surged through me. 

Alice's voice cut through the silence. "Be careful." She didn't need to say more.

Charmander crouched low, his gaze never leaving Scyther, ready to strike if things went south. 

The kid behind us echoed Alice, his small voice trembling, "Be careful, brother."

With a slow breath, I pressed the Pokéball to Scyther's head. 

The light consumed him in a flash, and then... click.

A grin spread across my face, the rush of victory hitting hard. 

Charmander jumped up, wrapping himself around my leg in excitement. 

I ruffled his head, laughing as I reached for his Pokéball and recalled him. 

He deserved a rest after that.

Alice and the kid approached, both staring at the ball in my hand. 

She crossed her arms, her eyebrow raised in that skeptical way she always did when she didn't want to admit she was impressed. "Well, that was reckless."

I shrugged. "Wouldn't have it any other way." 

Alice smirked, shaking her head, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes—maybe pride, maybe relief. 

Whatever it was, it didn't matter. 

I had a new partner in my team.