Chapter 023: Helping Out? Ariados in the Forest

"We said we'd help, but in a place this big, how are we supposed to find those missing Pokémon?"

After arriving at the forest the researchers mentioned, Dawn began to regret so readily agreeing to their request.

"There's no other way. We'll just have to search slowly. They should be nearby and not have wandered too far, right?"

Brock furrowed his brow as well. Though he was outwardly comforting Dawn, he himself wasn't confident they could find the lost Pokémon in such a vast forest.

"It'll be fine."

Ash spoke up:

"Didn't the researchers say that Staraptor and the others are usually well-behaved and only ran off because they were startled? Once they calm down, they'll probably come back on their own. The real issue is with Piplup and Chimchar."

Compared to the flying Staraptor and Staravia, Piplup and Chimchar were clearly in greater danger.

Rumor had it that the depths of the forest were Ariados territory. While wild Ariados colonies were less intimidating and destructive than Beedrill swarms, if surrounded, they'd still be more than Piplup and Chimchar—mere starter Pokémon—could handle.

From this perspective, the situation was actually quite urgent.

After hearing Ash's reasoning, Dawn and Brock nodded in agreement.

Indeed, as Ash said, Flying-type Pokémon wouldn't get lost in this forest. The only reason they'd stay missing was if they didn't want to return.

But with that possibility ruled out, their targets were narrowed down to just Chimchar and Piplup.

If they could find these two Pokémon, their mission would be complete. The problem, however, was…

"A fork in the road…"

They arrived at a junction with two paths stretching before them.

"What do we do? Pick one and go? Or…"

"In a situation like this, we definitely need to split up." Ash decided without hesitation.

Based on past experience, if they all took the same path, the only outcome would be getting lost. Whether to avoid that risk or to cover more ground, splitting up was the best choice.

"Yeah, I agree."

Brock, equally seasoned in getting lost, knew Ash's suggestion was sound. After considering their group, he added:

"I'll take the right path alone. Ash, you and Dawn take the left."

Ash had the strongest battling power among them, and Dawn still didn't have a Pokémon of her own. Having them stick together was the safest option.

Even the most skilled Pokémon Trainers needed to maintain a basic sense of respect and caution in an unknown forest like this.

Otherwise, when the forest slapped you with something unexpected, it'd be too late to start being careful or reverent.

After quickly dividing into groups, the three began cautiously venturing deeper into the forest.

"Ugh… so unlucky. I never would've thought my first day of traveling would be filled with so much trouble. Did I pick the worst possible time to start my journey?"

Trailing closely behind Ash, Dawn couldn't help but grumble under her breath.

Before coming here, she never could've imagined that simply picking up her starter Pokémon would turn into something so complicated and difficult. If she hadn't come with Ash, she'd probably be helpless on her own.

"Look on the bright side. No matter how bad it is, it's still better than what I went through back then, right? Besides, who knows if this is really a bad thing for you? Sure, it looks unlucky on the surface, but there might be some opportunity hidden in it."

Ash wasn't saying this just because he'd heard about today's events from Dawn before. It was mostly because he'd walked this path himself.

The more troublesome and dangerous a place, the more opportunities it held. Most of his encounters and bonds with Legendary Pokémon had happened in situations like this.

"If that's true, that'd be great."

Dawn could only take Ash's words as simple encouragement. Her string of bad luck today had sapped her confidence to the point she didn't even feel like saying her usual catchphrase.

Right now, all she wanted was to find the missing Pokémon and head back.

Ash saw through Dawn's thoughts but chose not to say more. Some things could only be truly understood through personal experience.

…

Nearly 20 minutes had passed since the two entered the forest.

Though the forest seemed vast at first glance, in terms of depth, it could only be called a small forest. Reaching its heart wouldn't take too long.

"The fog's so thick…"

Walking behind Ash, Dawn started to grow nervous. Without realizing it, she'd begun clutching the hem of his jacket tightly.

Even her usual optimism and cheer couldn't keep fear at bay in an environment like this.

This was a forest—a place inherently full of dangers. When there was no fog, she could at least rely on her eyes to observe her surroundings. But now, in such dense fog, her visibility was barely three or four meters. The tension and fear of the unknown quickly overwhelmed her.

"Is there a big lake nearby or something? Otherwise, this place shouldn't have such heavy fog."

"A lake…"

At Ash's remark, Dawn seemed to recall something and quickly answered:

"Now that you mention it… we must be near Lake Verity, one of the three great lakes in Sinnoh."

The largest—and only—lake in this forest was Lake Verity, located at its center.

But Dawn hadn't expected they'd already be so close to Lake Verity. If they kept going, they'd end up veering away from Sandgem Town…

As Dawn worried about this, Pikachu, walking ahead, twitched its ears slightly and raised a paw to stop Ash and Dawn from moving forward.

"Pika-pi!"

Pikachu's tone was filled with seriousness.

Just as Dawn was about to ask what Pikachu had noticed, the surrounding fog, as if answering her wish, began to sway and part. And as the fog cleared, the forms of the predators that had silently surrounded Dawn and the others became unmistakably clear.

"Ariados?! And so many…"

In the brief moment the fog lifted, Dawn's eyes caught sight of no fewer than ten Ariados.

In this tense situation, her body instinctively inched closer to Ash.

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🤦 : Oops! You've reached the limit for today. But just for your power stone and recommendation I might— no I would add additional Chapter.

20PS — 1 additional Chapter

40PS — 2 additional Chapter and special mention if you've contributed 3 or more PS.

That's all. Enjoy Reading!