Pokemon: Angel Chapter 12 - The Woods

Instructions

Chapter 12 - The Woods Alexander sighed as he stepped over a thick root. "Exactly why did you ask me to come here with you?" "You're the one with actual adventuring experience, you know?" Carrie explained as they trudged through the Glimwood Tangle. "You used to explore caves with your dad, right?" "Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Even then, navigating caves is wildly different from navigating forests." "Eh... still. You've at least got to be better than me." She looked at the glowing mushrooms around them. "Besides, this is the perfect opportunity for me to teach you about the different types of mushrooms - and which ones aren't poisonous!" Alexander raised an eyebrow. Carrie had invited him to help her look for mushrooms in the Glimwood Tangle, which she wanted to use for her experiments. What were those experiments, you may ask? Well, 99% of the time, it involves poison. Lots of poison. A bit too much poison for a 13-year-old girl to be handling. But she isn't dead yet, which is slightly comforting. While Alexander probably shouldn't be encouraging her unsafe activities, she seemed to know what she was doing. Carrie was just like that. Half of the time, she claimed to have no plan at all whatsoever, and yet things almost always go as planned. In fact, Alexander could even go as far as to say he was jealous of her. Though, jealousy is quite a stretch, as Alexander wasn't one to dislike another because of their circumstances. A sharp "Ah-ha!" startled Alexander out of his thoughts. His gaze fell on Carrie excitedly examining a patch of mushrooms. "These seem to be death caps! Super deadly, they're perfect!" She picked the mushrooms and tied them into a pouch. She tucked it into her small backpack. "Onwards!" she said, continuing forward. Five shroom samples later, Alexander seemed anxious. "Something wrong?" asked Carrie. "Ah... do you know where we are?" She stopped and frowned. "I thought you were keeping track." Alexander rubbed his temples. Well, he knew what that meant. They had managed to get themselves lost. "You're from around here, right? You should know the way!" "Hey, I don't go in here all the time. That day we met was one of the few times I've gone in all by myself. Even then, I don't go off the beaten path, unlike now." "Couldn't we have gone somewhere more safe?" "This place is a treasure trove of mushrooms, some not found anywhere else! Besides, it's not like the Slumbering Weald is any safer." Suddenly, they heard the rustle of leaves behind them. Alexander turned around. "W-who's there?" A girl with short ginger hair and bright green eyes stepped out of some foliage. She wore a simple dress with a shawl covering her shoulders. Carrie yelped. "And who are you supposed to be?" The girl smiled. "Emi. Nice to meet you." "What are you doing all the way out here?" asked Alexander. "I'm on my way to Ballonlea. I believe you guys must be lost too?" "Well, yeah - wait, how did you know?" She chuckled. "I'm an empath, so I would know these things. Though, I believe anyone could tell that you've lost your way just by listening to your conversation." "Ah..." She glanced at Carrie. "Do you have any pokemon with you?" Carrie took out a pokeball. "Yeah, Rapidash." She released the majestic steed. Emi looked up at it. "You know the way, don't you?" Rapidash nodded, before letting out a great neigh. "You can understand pokemon?" gasped Carrie. "I'm an empath," repeated Emi. "I understand how others, both pokemon and humans, feel." "Must be a useful ability," remarked Alexander. Emi hummed. Carrie climbed onto Rapidash, then helped Alexander and Emi up too. She laughed as they rode through the magical forest, the glowing mushrooms and hollow trees racing around them, and the rhythmic tapping of hooves onto the moss-covered ground. Soon, they had arrived at their destination. They each hopped off. "That was amazing!" Emi sighed happily. "Do you do this often?" "Not really," Carrie said. "Though I'm beginning to regret that now, that was quite the experience." Rapidash whinnied in agreement. "And best of all, we aren't doomed to wander the woods for all of eternity!" Alexander shuddered. "I hear tales of children getting lost in there, I can't even begin to imagine what could have happened to us." Carrie laughed and clapped him on the back. "Ah, Alexander. Always overthinking stuff, do you really believe those legends?" "Well, there's no proof that it's wrong," he protested. Carrie smiled. "Hey Emi, I don't think you're from around here." "Ah, yes," Emi muttered. "As you may know, my abilities allow me to communicate quite effectively with pokemon. As such, I use my gifts to help others connect with their pokemon in a better way. I have a client here who can't get along with their Impidimp, no matter how hard they try. I'm here to help solve their problem." "Woah, that's so cool!" said Carrie. Emi let out a light chuckle. (cont.)