Blue Oak stood silently in the middle of the Quicksand Trap, his legs sunken deep in the shifting sands and unable to move. Bit by bit, he continued sinking further, and he didn't dare struggle—he knew that would only speed up his descent.
"…I forfeit."
Blue slowly raised his hand in a surrender gesture. A few meters away, Charmander did the same, raising both of its little arms in a mock-surrender, mirroring its Trainer.
"Even though it was kind of a sneak attack, I didn't expect you to skip past the Pokémon and go straight for the Trainer. From the very beginning, you separated Charmander from me. And when a Trainer is separated from their Pokémon, they're already close to losing. I won't make excuses—I lost, fair and square."
Blue closed his eyes, speaking in a remarkably calm tone. His face showed no hint of frustration. Though proud as ever even in defeat, he made no effort to rationalize the loss with excuses or what-ifs.
Logan chuckled. "Sneak attack? Come on. That flame on your Charmander's tail? I saw that from a mile away. It was like he was waving a flag saying, 'I'm over here!' If anything, that's on you for not being more discreet."
Blue's face flushed slightly. He was frustrated. Helpless, even. It wasn't like he wanted to stroll so openly through the depths of Viridian Forest with a literal walking torch beside him—but what choice did he have? Charmander was his only Pokémon. If he didn't let it out, walking through the wild forest alone as a human would've been far too dangerous. Weighing the options, he simply chose the lesser evil.
"Attacking the Trainer only works if you've got no backup Pokémon," Logan continued. "If you had a second one, you could've just released it to intercept my Gible. But looking at how travel-worn you are, I'd bet you've been stuck in Viridian Forest for a while. Even if you did find a new Pokémon, it'd be injured and nowhere near ready to fight Gible. Looks like I was right."
Blue took a deep breath. He hadn't expected Logan to consider so much in such a short time—and prepare this well. With such one-sided planning, it made sense why he lost. There was no time to react when your opponent had already mapped out every move.
"I see. Well, I learned a lot this time. I won't make the same mistake again. Good thing this wasn't a real life-or-death situation—otherwise, I wouldn't get another shot, would I?"
With a dry chuckle, Blue twisted his upper body and extended his hand toward Logan. "I'm Blue Oak. You must be Logan—the one my grandfather mentioned. Can't believe I actually ran into you in such a huge place like Viridian Forest."
Logan studied Blue. Proud, but composed. Not bad at all. He gave a nod of appreciation. "That's right. I'm Logan. Honestly, I thought you'd throw a tantrum when you lost—shouting and demanding a rematch or something. Didn't expect you to be this calm. It's almost boring. If it were Red, he'd already be yelling about fighting again next time."
"Oh? You've met Red too? I saw him about a month ago on the edge of Viridian Forest. Just like you said—stubborn as ever, totally unwilling to accept defeat."
The quicksand beneath Blue solidified. Gible had cancelled the move. Blue yanked his legs out of the muddy earth and dusted himself off. He called to his Charmander a few meters away. The red-bodied Pokémon, tail flame flickering, kept a wary eye on Logan and Gible. It still hadn't accepted the loss.
"It's okay, Charmander. He's not an enemy. We lost because we were careless. Let's learn from it and do better next time."
Logan had assumed Blue would be like the anime version—spoiled, bratty, full of himself. But the real Blue, while proud, wasn't arrogant. In fact, his calm demeanor was even admirable. Logan found himself genuinely intrigued by the guy.
"I saw a photo of you at the Professor's lab. You looked a lot healthier back then. Right now, you look half-starved. Life hasn't been easy in this forest, huh?"
Logan's words were full of mischief. Blue's face turned red again, this time from embarrassment. The proud boy's voice faltered. "Guess Grandpa was right… You really do have a venomous tongue."
"Thanks for the compliment. I just enjoy pointing out people's weak spots."
Maybe it was because he'd come to a new world, but Logan felt more… liberated. He didn't have to deal with corporate politics or suck up to higher-ups. He could just be himself.
Taking a deep breath to calm his irritation—and his impulse to punch Logan—Blue changed the subject. "That bright light we saw earlier in the forest… what was that?"
"Knew it. You came because of that, didn't you? Otherwise, no way we'd bump into each other in a forest this size… That flash came from a Legendary Pokémon. Right after the flash, it vanished."
Logan gave a brief explanation.
"A Legendary? Was it… pinkish-white in color?"
"Oh? So you saw Mew too, huh?"
"So that's its name… Mew. I saw it when I was near the forest's edge. I had Charmander probe it, but the moment I realized how powerful it was, I pulled back. Red, on the other hand, charged right in. Had Mew not gone easy on him, his Pokémon could've died."
Blue's tone was sharp with disapproval. It was obvious—even if his personality had changed somewhat—he and Red still couldn't get along. Rivals to the core.
One calm, the other hot-blooded… they really were two sides of a coin.
"Grumble—"
At that moment, Blue's stomach growled loudly. The proud boy immediately looked down, utterly humiliated. If it weren't so dark, he might've just dug a hole and crawled into it. Logan blinked… and burst into laughter.
"…Don't tell me you haven't had dinner?"
"I saw that big flash and rushed over with Charmander. Didn't get the chance."
Blue said this shamelessly. In truth, his "dinner" was just some wild herbs thrown in a pot for soup. Barely edible.
"Well, lucky you then. I was planning to leave Viridian Forest tomorrow. Still got some good food left. I haven't eaten yet either. Come to my campsite and let's share a meal."
Logan shook his head. He was technically several years older than Blue, so he didn't feel like scolding the fifteen-year-old. Instead, he made a friendly offer.
"Thanks. I really appreciate it."
This time, Blue didn't even try to refuse. He was starving. After a month of inconsistent meals, only his strong will had kept him from giving up and leaving the forest already.
When Blue arrived at Logan's camp, he realized Logan had already set up to sleep. Clearly, Logan had already eaten and only claimed he hadn't to save Blue's pride. Blue's opinion of him shifted again—maybe this guy, despite his sharp tongue, wasn't so bad after all.
"You've got good timing," Logan said as he prepped the fire. "I was saving this meat for when I left the forest—as a reward for myself. But since you're here, let's enjoy it together. I don't have any special food for Fire-types, though. Your Charmander will have to make do with Gible's rations. Might not be its favorite, but it's still way better than wild berries or whatever else is out there."
Though the campsite was modest, Logan was a generous host. Blue was honestly touched. His grandfather had praised Logan before, and now he could see why—he wasn't just mature on the outside, but in how he treated others.
After a month of tasteless foraging, Blue couldn't hold back. He ate like a starving wolf. Meanwhile, Logan ate leisurely, savoring the seasoned cooked meat. For him, this was just a late-night snack.
Charmander, not to be outdone, dove into the food—even going so far as to try stealing from Gible's bowl.
"Your Charmander's gonna make people think you've been starving it," Logan joked.
"I didn't prepare properly this time. Charmander's been suffering with me."
Blue washed down the food with a sip of soup. For the first time in a month, his belly was full. He sighed contentedly.
"…I don't like owing people. Once I'm out of Viridian Forest, I'll repay all this food—twice over. I know this stuff isn't cheap. Especially what Charmander just gobbled down."
"No worries. You and your Charmander can eat all you want. Even if you finish everything, it doesn't matter."
Logan grinned wickedly. "After all… this stuff was yours to begin with."
Blue froze. His stomach churned. His jaw clenched.
The food… had come from Professor Oak's lab.
"…I take back everything I thought about you. You really are infuriating!"
T/N:
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