Despite obviously flagging, the Scyther had been insistent on leading them farther than just ‘away from the Beedrill.’ Zoey had been a little bit concerned that it had led them almost straight away from the paths, too, far enough that it was dubious they could still be considered ‘on route.’
Of course, in a place like Viridian, that was a very iffy definition in the first place, even under normal conditions. Under the current conditions, Zoey realized that the whole Forest likely wouldn’t be considered a functioning ‘Route’ at the moment. Even so, the Rangers likely mapped around far more than just the Beedrill Hives, which meant that going off the recommended paths risked venturing into territory controlled by a strong pokémon. Which, as they finally reached their destination, Zoey realized was exactly what the Scyther had intended from the start.
Thankfully, it was immediately obvious why they’d been led to this particular glade.
Present, calmly watching over a wide pool and stream of gently flowing water where numerous pokémon of various types rested, was an absolutely massive Meganium. It was quite obviously old, but exuded nearly as much raw power as the Steelix Alpha that they’d seen the day before. Thankfully, even Zoey could sense the peaceful aura also radiating from it. In truth, neither the strength nor the peaceful aura were nearly as startling as finding the final evolution of a Johto starter here. The species was a starter in Johto for a reason, after all. Despite their power, the entire evolutionary line were calm and peaceful almost to a member.
Distantly, as the Scyther led 2B to put the Pinsir down near the Meganium, who gently lowered its head to inspect it, Zoey realized it probably wasn’t that unreasonable to find a Meganium here. 2B had already told her that Viridian had never been settled by humans, and Johto wasn’t exactly far from where they were. The Forest, from what she’d seen on her map, went right up to press against the mountains that separated the two regions.
These days, Route 23 and the human-settled Indigo Plateau would separate it from Johto, but that might not have always been the case. Even more, it was always possible this Meganium was a released pokémon, having been the starter of someone from Johto. Their half-plant nature tended to make most grass types rather long-lived, so it may even have been an entirely legal release when an older Trainer died. The Chikorita line were valued for their ability to heal Forests and calm wild pokémon, after all. Authorizing a few to be carefully released in the deeper sections of Viridian likely would be a smart move on the Rangers part.
Of course, all of that was really only tickling away at the back of Zoey’s mind as she absorbed the scene in the glade. It was…peaceful, she thought, but not as much as it should have been. The glade and the pool of clear water here were undisturbed, for the most part. Though there were signs she recognized as new growth along one edge where she suspected the Meganium had taken exception to someone, dealt with that person or pokémon, and then casually regrown the destroyed area.
Yet, while there was little actual tension in the air here, Zoey rather suspected that it was usually a more energetic place. Unfortunately, a number of baby pokémon were clearly hovering close to their older counterparts, and some of both the baby evolutions and farther stages alike had recent scars. They’d been healed, no doubt by the Meganium, but they’d also been recently wounded or traumatized by the upheaval in the Forest.
That tasted more than a bit like ashes to Zoey, given humans were most likely to have been at fault for causing that upheaval in the first place.
Still, at least none of them eyed her or 2B with wariness. Whether that was because they’d been led in by Scyther, 2B’s aura, or simple faith in their local protector she didn’t know or really care. It did make her feel a great deal better about their own choice to take the long path through the Forest, though. She hadn’t been quite as certain it was necessary when 2B suggested it, knowing the Rangers would eventually take care of things entirely. She hadn’t been against it either, mind. She just might not have done it had she been alone. Most likely, she wouldn’t have even considered the reasons it might be a good or necessary thing to do.
She was glad for 2B in this case. It felt good to realize she had, in some small way, helped ameliorate the damage greedier humans had done. She could even get a sort of sense of why Rangers did this, even if she still wasn’t convinced that 2B was aiming for the right thing. In fact, seeing her interact with the pokémon actually made her more certain that she wasn’t. Rangers, at the end of the day, still prioritize people over pokémon, and she wasn’t at all sure 2B thought that way. Not even if the girl herself believed she did.
Shaking her head, she moved to meet up with 2B when her friend waved her over, having left the Pinsir in the Meganium’s care, then mildly bullied the Scyther into letting her properly look after its wounds. Chuckling at the sight, she could already see that the Scyther was rapidly getting attached to 2B’s mixture of praise and mother henning. She mentally laid eighty percent odds it would be coming with them by the time they left the Forest…
… … …
Scyther looked stunned as 2B slipped past its guard and smacked it in the side of the head again with the side of her blade. Her lips curled in amusement as its own incredulity was accompanied by a cheer from the numerous baby pokémon that had gravitated to the edge of the glade where she and Scyther were sparring. Part of her wanted to be back out, looking for more pokémon to help, but minutes after their arrival in the protected glade they’d gotten a new alert on their pokégear.
The alert had consisted of a renewed travel ban on Viridian as a whole, caused by the Beedrill Hive that they’d run from being stirred up. Thankfully, that wasn’t their fault, having merely been caught up in the edges of it already being aggressive due to multiple incursions into its territory. The Rangers had, apparently, needed to rescue a Trainer who had fled inside their territory. The Trainer had been a local who had used knowledge of the Hive’s territory to shake other pokémon off, then dug into the ground for protection from the Beedrill.
It had honestly been a smart move by the Trainer, so they weren’t in trouble, but it had added another element of chaos to the Forest that was still on edge. Zoey had immediately dialed the Rangers to check in about the travel ban, but when said Rangers were informed just where they were, they had merely told them to shelter in place. Apparently, the Meganium and its little protected glade was known to them, and staying with the apparently-ex-Trainer pokémon would be far safer than trying to move anywhere around the stirred-up hive.
Thankfully, the time wasn’t entirely a waste, as after a lunchtime meal where 2B had provided quite a few Berries for the baby pokémon, Scyther had been recovered enough to ask for a match. She suspected it had wanted to fight Jigglypuff or Vulpix, having seen how well they did against the Beedrill, but she’d surprised it by bringing out her own sword. She’d wanted to see for some time if her own knowledge of weapons would convert well to working with a Scyther and hadn’t wanted to waste the chance.
Despite honestly being quite strong for a wild Bug Type, the knightly Scyther had yet to win. Instead of being frustrated, it now appeared to be extremely intrigued. Increasingly, it had made use of her advice as she corrected a few holes in its guard and improved its footwork. She’d needed to adapt a fair bit from the forms she herself used to make them suitable for its blades being part of the pokémon, but she’d also already put considerable thought into the idea in the past. So far, it was working quite well!
“Scyther! Sych-er Scyh, Sy!”
Smile tugging her lips upward more strongly at her opponent’s exasperated protest, she was only half-surprised when it turned silently contemplative for half a minute before asking her a question.
“Scy, ‘yther, Scyther?”
2B nodded to it, sheathing her blade as she answered the question seriously.
“A sword should be used to defend, which is why mine exists. Some would say that a shield is the correct tool for that. However, I view that as incorrect. By being a shield, you have accepted that someone will strike you, or those you are sworn to protect, first. It is much better to seek out the threats. Not all of them need a sword, but when you find ones that do, striking first is better than being forced only to react.”
2B waited patiently, letting the pokémon before her chew that over. She’d done her best to project the complex ideas involved, using far more words that she was normally prone too. It was something she’d thought about many, many times, however. Not just since coming to this world, either. It had embodied the essence of her purpose in her old life as well. Her role as an Executioner Model rather than the Combat Model she posed as. Finally, after nearly two and a half minutes, the Scyther nodded and asked something she’d suspected it might.
“Scyther, ‘yther, Scyther?”
Smiling widely, 2B retrieved a pokéball from her bracer. It was a Luxury Ball, same as the ones that held her other Pokémon. She may have caught Chinchou in a Heal Ball, but she’d had him transferred at the Viridian Pokémon Center, as Luxury Balls were more than just fancy looking. They also provided a better experience for the pokémon riding in them, such as a clearer ability to ‘see’ outside it and an option that apparently felt like a gentle massage that they could trigger at will.
Scyther reached out and touched the button on the ball without hesitation, the ball not even shuddering as it settled in. While she’d already scanned it with her visor, she took this chance to double check to see if anything was different now that the Scyther had been more fully scanned by the ball’s systems. Her pokédex again pinged, annoying her fiercely as she still couldn’t figure out why it was doing that, but she forcefully brushed the annoyance off and looked at her new companion’s stats.
… … … … …
Scyther
Scyther is blindingly fast. Its blazing speed enhances the effectiveness of the twin scythes on its forearms. This Pokémon's scythes are so effective, they can slice through thick logs in one stroke.
Gender: Female
Type: Bug/Flying
Ability: Steadfast
Suspected Moves: Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Fury Cutter, Slash
… … … … …
2B hummed in approval, almost absently noting that this Scyther was female. She hadn’t been sure about that. As for the rest, it was quite a solid moveset for a wild pokémon to have developed on their own. The fact that she already knew how to use fighting type energy would make Brick Break easy to learn, and 2B still had the TM that she’d used to teach that move to Jigglypuff. She always bought the reusable versions, considering them a much better investment than the nonsense that was the cheap single-use types. Adding Brick Break would be good for the Pewter Gym, even if they might not have time to work out what 2B considered proper tactics before the battle.
“Welcome to the team, Scyther. Rest for now, you’ve done well.”
Looking up at the fading daylight, 2B sighed. With the alert still active, they’d need to stay the night here. She’d be making a lot of food for the present pokémon, as she wasn’t cruel enough to make them forage while she fed her own team premium meals. Thankfully, she still had plenty, given how much her custom storage bracer held.
Best be about it. It was going to take a while to make so much food…
… … … … … … … … … …
A/N 1: And so 2B get's her 4th pokémon! Scyther was a fairly popular choice back in the Starter Poll I ran for 2B, and I think it's a pokemon that will do well with 2B, given 2B's expertise with swords. We'll see more of it's Knightly personality going forward :-). For those who are curious, with every pokemon on her team, I determine gender with a coin flip. This resulted in a female Scyther in this case, which actually caused me some mental hiccups a few times -_-.