Chapter Eleven: The Pokémon Hunter

In this city built almost entirely among the trees—Verdanturf City—some people live in treehouses, delighting in the comforts of nature. But not everyone is so fond of the woods, such as Cheng Cheng, who was out in the forest catching Pokémon.

Somewhere deep within the Verdanturf Forest, a fifteen-year-old boy wandered aimlessly, accompanied by a Pokémon floating silently by his side. They were Cheng Cheng and his Chimecho, here to catch wild Pokémon. Cheng Cheng had always considered himself gifted with a good sense of direction—he never believed he could get lost—yet the dense forest had enveloped him, leaving him utterly disoriented.

He had been following the route he’d planned, but a high-ranking Pokémon had caught his attention. Diverting from his course to pursue the Skarmory, he lost his way, and the elusive bird escaped, leaving Cheng Cheng feeling rather frustrated.

He had no idea where he was now, only that he must be deep within the forest. Hoping to find his way out, he let Chimecho lead, but they wandered in circles. To make matters worse, the weather was poor; the sun was nowhere to be seen, so there was no way to determine direction.

“Chimecho, let’s try this way this time. I believe if we go this way, we’ll definitely make it out,” Cheng Cheng said.

Chimecho looked at him with a plaintive expression. Cheng Cheng had repeated that line countless times, yet they were still lost.

“Don’t be like that, Chimecho. You have to trust me. This time, we’ll make it out for sure,” Cheng Cheng said, forcing a slightly embarrassed smile.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound nearby. Cheng Cheng and Chimecho immediately tensed.

More rustling surrounded them, though Cheng Cheng could see nothing.

“Chimecho~”

Chimecho seemed to have noticed something.

“Is it a Pokémon, Chimecho?”

Chimecho nodded.

But why couldn’t they see anything? Could it be a Kecleon? As far as Cheng Cheng could recall, only Kecleon could turn invisible.

Just then, a shadow darted toward Cheng Cheng. He sidestepped quickly, just barely avoiding the attack.

“That was… Treecko?”

He realized that the attacker was none other than Treecko, one of the three starter Pokémon of the Hoenn region.

Treecko, being a Grass-type, had a distinct advantage in the forest. Its green body allowed it to blend perfectly with the leaves, nearly invisible among the foliage.

Data flickered in Cheng Cheng’s mind, but he didn’t have time to analyze it.

“Go, Chimecho! Use Psywave!”

“Chime-chime…!”

Suddenly, Cheng Cheng saw Chimecho sent flying by a tackle, and another Treecko appeared where Chimecho had just been.

Another Treecko? This was becoming troublesome.

Cheng Cheng looked up and realized that the trees around him were teeming with Treecko. When had their numbers grown so large?

Just as he was about to make a run for it, more Pokémon appeared—Grovyle and Sceptile, the evolved forms of Treecko.

“This is bad,” Cheng Cheng thought. The growing crowd of Pokémon made him anxious; he doubted he could escape an attack from so many.

“Please, everyone, calm down. We didn’t mean to intrude,” he pleaded.

With no other option, Cheng Cheng tried the method the wise old man had suggested: communicating with the Pokémon.

“Chime-chime~ Chime-chime~” Chimecho also seemed to be explaining.

But the Pokémon seemed not to understand Cheng Cheng’s words and began to attack.

A Sceptile led the assault, firing a Bullet Seed barrage at them.

The seeds pelted their way, forcing Cheng Cheng and Chimecho to dodge frantically. Cheng Cheng didn’t want to fight; if a battle broke out, things would spiral out of control.

“We really mean no harm. We just wandered in by accident, and we can leave right away,” he tried again.

The Sceptile paid him no mind, continuing its assault, while the other Pokémon grew restless. Cheng Cheng felt helpless; clearly, not everyone had the old man’s affinity with Pokémon.

Just then, Sceptile suddenly raised its head, as if sensing something. The Grovyle and Treecko also lifted their heads, as though receiving some message.

With a sharp call, Sceptile gave an order, and all the Treecko and Grovyle quickly withdrew.

Watching the Pokémon disappear, Cheng Cheng let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground. That was a narrow escape from disaster.

Still, he was puzzled. Why had the Treecko suddenly attacked, and then retreated? From what he knew, Treecko were gentle grass types, unlikely to attack humans without reason. Perhaps someone had provoked them…?

To test his theory, Cheng Cheng followed in the direction Sceptile and the others had retreated.

As he tracked the Treecko, he noticed signs of damage on the surrounding trees. Normally, the Treecko, as guardians of the forest, would never harm their environment. Clearly, something had happened to provoke them.

Gradually, Cheng Cheng heard the sounds of a battle—something crashing heavily into the trees.

“Return, Chimecho,” he said, recalling his partner to its Poké Ball. It would be easier to move alone, and there might be more danger ahead.

Carefully, he crept toward the source of the sounds and came upon a shocking scene.

Two Blaziken and three Dodrio were battling a Sceptile—the same one Cheng Cheng had just encountered. Nearby lay another Sceptile, injured and motionless.

It seemed the fallen Sceptile’s cry for help had brought all the Treecko back.

Dozens of Treecko and several Grovyle lay sprawled on the ground. But their true opponents were not the Blaziken and Dodrio, but two humans—the Pokémon hunters, clearly here to capture Pokémon.

Pokémon hunting was a dangerous but lucrative profession. Many were lured by the high rewards, forced by circumstances to catch Pokémon and sell them on the black market. The League made every effort to suppress them, but the profession persisted.

While Cheng Cheng pondered this, the Sceptile from before was injured as well. But this Sceptile was clever; with a sharp cry, it rallied all the Treecko and Grovyle for a coordinated attack, overwhelming the hunters.

Just as Cheng Cheng thought Sceptile was preparing for a decisive battle with its kin, it instead led all the Pokémon in a strategic retreat, abandoning those too injured to move.

Though leaving behind companions was harsh, Cheng Cheng believed Sceptile had made the right choice. Had it continued fighting, the entire Treecko clan might have been captured.

The hunters did not pursue; their Pokémon were nearly spent, and they had already made a sizable haul. There was no need to push further.

Hidden in the undergrowth, Cheng Cheng watched as they gathered the captured Pokémon into Poké Balls and departed.

He made no move to stop them—not out of unwillingness, but because he was simply too weak. Any rash action, and he would have been caught as well.

Once the hunters had gone, Cheng Cheng set off after Sceptile’s group. After half an hour of tracking, he was blocked by two Grovyle.

“Please don’t be alarmed. I’m not with those hunters. I just wanted to see if you need help. Many of you are hurt, and I have medicine for your wounds.”

The two Grovyle ignored him, preparing to attack.

“Chaa.”

A Sceptile approached, stopping the Grovyle. It was the same Sceptile who had battled the Pokémon hunters, now covered in wounds.

“Sceptile, I have medicine to treat your injuries. If you trust me, I can help.”

Seeing Sceptile make no move, Cheng Cheng slowly approached, knelt before it, and began applying the medicine.

“Chaa.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll hurt a little, but you’ll feel better soon,” Cheng Cheng reassured as he continued his work.

“Chaa.”

Sceptile seemed to beckon him to follow, and after a moment’s hesitation, Cheng Cheng went along.

Under Sceptile’s guidance, Cheng Cheng found himself surrounded by Treecko and Grovyle, many bearing wounds. Clearly, Sceptile wanted him to help treat them.

Cheng Cheng didn’t hesitate. He took out all the medicine in his pack and tended to their injuries as best as he could.

Soon, he had used up all his supplies, but the Pokémon’s wounds were bandaged.

“All done. Please remember to rest and be careful not to aggravate your injuries,” he said gently.

The Pokémon cheered, clearly delighted.

A few Treecko brought over a variety of berries, some that Cheng Cheng had never seen before, as thanks.

“Thank you. I won’t be taking these with me, though—let’s all share them together!”

“Come out, everyone—Chimecho, Abra, Ralts, Gothita, Natu, Spoink!”

He released all his Pokémon. With so many treats, it was only right that everyone should partake.

At first, his Pokémon seemed timid before the Treecko, but after Cheng Cheng explained and shared the berries, they quickly joined in the fun.

With Spoink and Gothita putting on a show, the atmosphere grew lively. Cheng Cheng decided to spend the night in Treecko territory.

That night, lying beneath a sky filled with stars, Cheng Cheng tried to find the Big Dipper to orient himself, but as expected, failed. He resolved to wait for sunrise.

At dawn, the sun obligingly rose in the east, allowing Cheng Cheng to find his bearings. He prepared to depart.

“Goodbye, everyone! Until we meet again!” Cheng Cheng waved to the Treecko.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want a starter Pokémon, but it simply wasn’t possible now—though his bond with the Treecko seemed stronger than ever.

With the morning sun on his back and his six Pokémon at his side, Cheng Cheng continued on his journey.